Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest hit the Famicom in 1986 and sold 1.5 million copies. It arrived one year before Final Fantasy and became one of the earliest console RPGs to find mainstream success. The game cast you as a solo adventurer — no party members, no job system, just you against Alefgard's monsters.
Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball) designed the monsters and characters. You'll recognize his style immediately: big eyes, expressive slimes, and armored heroes with spiky hair. The art direction carried through the entire series.
The Story
Long ago, a hero named Erdrick defeated evil and returned the Ball of Light to King Lorik's ancestor. Peace lasted for generations. Then a man discovered a dragon in a mountain cave — and found he could control it. He named himself the Dragonlord.
Charlock Castle rose from the earth. Monsters overran the land. The Dragonlord stole the Ball of Light and kidnapped Princess Gwaelin. King Lorik waited for a hero; the legends spoke of Erdrick's descendant coming to restore peace. That's you.
Your job: recover the Ball of Light, rescue the princess, and kill the Dragonlord. Simple goal. Getting there takes 20+ hours of grinding, exploring dungeons, and upgrading equipment.
Versions
The NES version released in North America as "Dragon Warrior" because of trademark issues. Names changed between versions — Erdrick became Loto in the GBC release, Tantegel became Ladatorm, and so on.
Modern remakes (GBC, Mobile, Switch) use updated graphics, rebalanced stats, and the "Dragon Quest" name. They're easier than the NES original. HP values differ, MP costs dropped, and the grind is shorter. This guide covers both versions where stats differ.
Remix versions also streamlined the interface. Stairs activate automatically when you step on them — no menu required. Chests open when you search them. Equipment has its own submenu instead of auto-equipping when you buy; you can actually swap gear without selling it first. Small changes, but they cut the tedium.
What's Here
- General Strategy — Combat basics, when to run, leveling milestones, HP management
- Statistics — How Strength, Agility, HP, and MP work; name-based growth
- Walkthrough — Area-by-area progression from Tantegel to Charlock
- Enemies — All 40 monsters with HP, EXP, Gold, and tactics
- Spells — 10 spells, MP costs for both versions, when you learn them
- Items & Equipment — Every weapon, armor, shield, and consumable
Before You Start
Pick a good name. Your character's name affects stat growth — the game calculates a "growth type" from the first four letters. Names like "!" or "L" give optimal growth patterns. If you don't care about min-maxing, name yourself whatever you want; the difference saves maybe one or two levels of grinding.
Talk to everyone. NPCs drop hints about quest items and hidden locations. The game expects you to write things down. Keep notes. You'll need them for the endgame when you're collecting Erdrick's equipment and the Rainbow Drop components.
Save constantly. Only King Lorik saves your game. If you die, you lose half your gold and wake up in Tantegel. Once you learn Return at level 13, saving becomes trivial — cast it from anywhere on the world map.