Tips and tricks for DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake
About to start your journey to defeat the Archfiend Baramos? These handy hints will put you on the right path.DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake isn’t just a game - it’s an adventure.
Your quest to defeat the Archfiend Baramos puts you in a large world, full of troubles to solve, monsters to defeat and secrets to discover. Finding all these things is largely up to you.
It’s out now for Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam. To help those of you who are about to embark on your epic journey - or already have - we’ve put together a list of handy tips and tricks.
Follow this advice and you’ll become a true hero in no time!
Explore everywhere!
The world of DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake is very open and there are surprises in every nook and cranny. Be sure to explore every town, dungeon, and region of the world map thoroughly.
You may find chests with valuable gear tucked in a chest, friendly monsters to recruit for the Monster Arena, items, and resources to help you with fights and much more. You can even discover entire optional questlines, with unique characters, dungeons, and rewards.
For example, if you head far north once you leave the opening continent, you’ll stumble across the sleepy town of Norvik - and we mean ‘sleepy’ literally. Your main quest won’t take you there but take the time to explore and you’ll begin a wonderfully memorable - and tragic - adventure.
That’s the one freebie we’ll give you. There’s more to discover, so go out and find it.
Look for distinctive scenery to find secret spots
There are secret spots hidden all over the world map, and if you can find them you’ll usually get a great reward. This could be money, friendly monsters and even hints as to further adventures. Plus there are no enemies here, so they’re a good place to catch your breath.
There is one small issue with these places though: they’re secret! You won’t find them marked on the map and will have to seek them out yourself. When you’re exploring, look for scenery that looks a little different or distinctive. Perhaps a tree that looks grander than most, or a distinctive rock formation - if it looks interesting, go check it out.
Talk to NPCs for guidance… and secrets
Make sure to talk to every character you meet - many of them have very interesting things to say.
Some will give you a hint about where you need to go to continue the story. If you’re ever confused about where you need to go, just ask around a nearby town and somebody will likely point you in the right direction.
Other NPCs may give you hint about secrets in the world or towns. For example, one might mention leaving hardy clothes in a dangerous area, and another might complain he forgot to take his bag of items from the local inn. Following these leads can result in big rewards.
Use the ‘Recall’ feature to remember what they say
The recall feature lets you record what character say, so you can bring it back to mind later.
Simply press the assigned button (options, start or plus depending on the controller), and your hero will commit that dialogue to memory. Then, choose the ‘Recall’ option from the menu to revisit it in the future.
Your recorded conversations are conveniently sorted by location and speaker, so it’s very easy to find the one you need. So, if a character says something intriguing be sure to save it so you can look at it again if you need to.
Just be aware that you can only store 30 at a time. There is a limit to your hero’s memory after all.
Use the Objective marker if you get lost
DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake has a new objective marker feature, which adds a map marker to indicate where you need to go to progress particular quests. You can toggle this on and off from the settings menu, so flick it on if you’re struggling to know where to go.
Just bear in mind, sometimes it will point you towards an overall goal, rather than the location you need to visit next. For example, you may need a key to get past a security outpost, but the marker only points at the outpost.
In this case, it’s still worth visiting that destination because there’s probably an NPC around somewhere who can provide more specific advice over where to go.
Use Chimaera Wings and Zoom to get around faster
Chimaera wings are one of the most useful items in DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake. They let you fast travel to any major settlement or destination - and then back to your previous location if used again. That’s very useful when you want to get around in a hurry or get back to a safe space instantly after some harrowing battles.
Chimaera wings are consumable, but you’ll find a fair few by poking around the world’s pots, barrels, and chests. You can also buy them for a relatively affordable price, so try to have a few on hand at all times.
Later on, certain characters (such as Mage) can learn the Zoom spell. This also lets them instantly move around the map, except without the need for an item! Very useful indeed.
Take a healer with you
Head to Patty’s Party Planning Place and you can choose up to three adventurers to join you on your travels. There are lots of different vocations to choose from - Warrior, Mage, Thief and more - and it’s up to you to build the party that works for you.
You can choose any party composition you like, but we do have one strong recommendation: take a healer.
The world of DRAGON QUEST III is full of dangerous monsters, and you need a way to keep your party hale and hearty - particularly in long dungeons where rest points are few and far between.
The Priest vocation is a great choice - especially when just you’re starting out - but the Monster Wrangler also has some effective healing abilities you can lean on.
Save whenever you can!
Whenever you’re in town, be sure to visit a church, or seek out a nun. Members of the clergy provide crucial services, such as resurrecting dead party members, or curing status ailments, but their most important function is to save your game.
Make sure you save your game manually often. While there is an autosave function in the game, it will overwrite itself automatically, even if you’re in a dangerous area. Manually saving ensures you always have a ‘safe’ save file to start from.
Adjust your battle settings to tailor fights to your liking
This remake of DRAGON QUEST III adds some useful features that let you tweak battles in various ways.
For example, you can now set tactics for your party for autobattle. You can set different behaviors such as ‘Fight Wisely’, for a balanced approach, or ‘Show No Mercy’ to go all out with attacks, and many more.
These options can be set for specific party members or the entire group. It’s a great way to quickly get through fights with weaker foes, gain experience and boost help your team grow stronger.
Of course, if you want total control over every action for each character, you have the ‘Follow Orders’ option too.
You can also change the battle speed with a press of a button, with Normal, Fast and Ultra-Fast options available. Choose the speed and settings that feel the most fun for you.
Use spells and weapons that can hit multiple characters
Certain weapons will hit a whole group of enemies at once. Whips, for example, will hit adjacent enemies of the same type, while boomerangs will hit every enemy on screen!
Similarly, some spells, such as Whoosh, Sizzle and Bang, will similarly affect groups of enemies. Having access to these crowd-control options can be extremely useful, as you’ll regularly face mobs of monsters in battle.
It’s a good idea to have access to this type of gear or spells in your party at all times. Not only can it lead to much faster victories, it’s extremely satisfying to take out multiple monsters all at once.
If you’re struggling - or having too easy a ride - change the difficulty level
More than anything else, DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake wants you to have fun. If you find you’re having a tough time with some of the challenges the game throws at you, you have to option to lower the difficulty to “Dracky Quest”. This makes for a more relaxing adventure, with easier combat so you can focus on exploration and the story.
Alternatively, if you’re fining things too easy, you could try the “Draconian Quest”. This makes monsters much more dangerous and makes every battle a life and death struggle.
You can change the difficulty setting at any time, so feel free to play the game how you want to. After all, the most important thing is that you enjoy it!
We hope these tips and tricks prove useful as you embark on your quest to defeat Baramos!
If you’re yet to start, DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Windows.
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