Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a stunning reimagining of one of the most beloved titles from the ’80s, bringing nostalgia and modern flair to a classic RPG. You step into the shoes of Ortega’s child, a legendary hero, embarking on a quest to rescue those in peril and battle otherworldly foes.
As this remake stays true to its roots, you’ll encounter various familiar elements, alongside new features that may surprise even seasoned players. If you’re having difficulty in the early parts of this expansive RPG, here are some tips to help you along your journey.
Be Mindful of Your Stat Seeds
Throughout your adventure, you’ll collect a plethora of stat seeds. It might be tempting to give them all to your main character—the Hero—since you will consistently use them, right? However, avoid the urge to feed all your seeds to your Hero. Remember, they are just one member of your four-person team.
If your Hero falls in battle, all those seeds will be wasted. Instead, focus on distributing the seeds among your party members who can take maximum advantage of them based on their specific strengths.
This means that you shouldn’t try to compensate for weaknesses. For instance, warriors will consistently have low MP, while magic users will rely on spells rather than physical attacks. So, be strategic with how you allocate those seeds.
Treasure Hunting
A classic aspect of the game is the ability to find items hidden in pots, barrels, wardrobes, bookcases, and bags on the walls. Thorough explorers can amass a treasure trove of items and coins simply by being diligent.
Over time, you will notice that the design of searchable objects remains consistent. A pot with an item will look the same, no matter where it’s located. Once you learn to recognize these objects, you’ll spend less time searching empty spaces and can identify them more readily in new areas.
Stock Up on Essentials
While the game is pretty forgiving initially, there are a few crucial items that you should always keep in your Item Bag:
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Medicinal Herbs are essential at the start because random encounters can quickly deplete your HP. They heal a good amount of health and are inexpensive, allowing you to stock up for use outside of battle to conserve MP.
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Prayer Rings are fantastic for restoring MP, with a minimal chance of breaking upon use. It’s wise to utilize these in abundance and to keep at least one for emergencies—extra MP can make all the difference in tough battles or tricky dungeons.
- Until your hero or spellcaster learns Zoom, always have some Chimaera Wings on standby. These items let you escape challenging dungeons, return to safe towns from remote areas, or swiftly travel between locations to complete quests.
- Remember to keep these handy even after learning Zoom—if your party members are defeated, they can’t cast spells, leaving you vulnerable if trapped in a dungeon with no means to escape.
Dungeon Strategy
Dungeons can be treacherous, especially with high encounter rates and formidable foes in the mid to late game. However, they contain valuable treasures, which may entice you to explore every corner, running the risk of depleting your HP and MP.
The best approach is not to stress about finding everything on your first visit. Once the map opens up, you might confront dungeons that are too tough to clear in one go. It’s often more manageable to break your exploration into multiple visits. Some dungeons are challenging to collect all the loot, while returning to tackle the boss can be much easier.
Beware of Nighttime Monsters
This point is straightforward: while monsters don’t actually become tougher at night, you’ll encounter more powerful foes during nighttime. This can complicate longer trips to towns or dungeons.
Until you acquire a way to change the time of day at your convenience, consider staying at inns or waiting for dawn before embarking on a lengthy journey.
Utilize Autosave for Financial Security
Falling in battle typically results in significant penalties, such as being revived at the last church visited, which will cut your funds in half. To avoid this, players would traditionally save their money in banks, preventing financial loss from unwinnable encounters.
However, this remake offers an exceptionally useful feature: autosave. If you fall in battle, simply loading the last autosave—usually just moments before—will allow you to escape using a Chimaera Wing or cast Zoom, giving you a chance to retry.
Unless you’re in a rare situation where you cannot use Zoom and lack an escape option from your autosave, always take advantage of autosave before reviving at a church.
Try Out Monster Wrangling
A fresh addition to the remake is Monster Wrangling, a feature that allows you to recruit creatures you meet along your journey.
Early in the game, you’ll learn about this mechanic, which relates to the skills of the Monster Wranglers in your party. They gain new abilities by recruiting various monsters, and they also pick up helpful moves like group healing and stuns, making them solid contributors without overshadowing your Hero.
Keeping a Monster Wrangler in your party is highly recommended. Not only do they excel in combat, but they also simplify the recruitment process without needing the Musk item or Thief’s skills. Their adaptability in battles is invaluable.
Don’t Ignore Mini Medals!
Easily overlooked, there’s a well in Aliahan where you can meet the Mini Medal collector, who rewards you with powerful treasures for reaching specific thresholds of these collectibles.
Mini Medals can be found all over the game, so it’s important to thoroughly explore every area, even inspecting odd patches of ground for hidden items.
If you have a Thief in your party, they can learn a skill that highlights spots to investigate. Use this ability generously in every new or familiar area!
