Spell List
You learn spells at fixed levels — no choices involved. Ten spells total, spread from level 3 to level 19. Each cast drains MP; when you're out of MP, you can't cast. Inns restore MP to full. The old man in Tantegel Castle restores MP for free.
Some spells work in combat, others only on the field. A few do both. MP costs differ slightly between the NES original and Remix versions (GBC, Mobile, Switch).
Combat Spells
These are your bread and butter in fights. Heal keeps you alive. Hurt deals damage when your weapon isn't cutting it. Sleep trivializes most encounters if it lands.
| Spell | Level | MP (NES) | MP (Remix) | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heal | 3 | 4 | 3 | Restores 10-17 HP (NES) or 25-30 HP (Remix). Your first and most-used spell. |
| Hurt | 4 | 2 | 2 | Deals 8-12 fire damage. Ignores defense. Good against armored enemies. |
| Sleep | 7 | 2 | 2 | Puts enemy to sleep. Doesn't always work. When it does, free hits until they wake. |
| Stopspell | 10 | 2 | 2 | Prevents enemy from casting spells. Use against Warlocks, Wizards, and dragons. |
| Healmore | 17 | 10 | 8 | Restores 85-100 HP. Late-game lifesaver. Expensive but worth it. |
| Hurtmore | 19 | 5 | 5 | Deals 58-65 fire damage (NES) or 50-65 (Remix). Your strongest attack spell. |
Field Spells
These spells work outside of combat. Radiant lights caves. Outside warps you out of dungeons. Return teleports you home. Repel keeps weak enemies away. They save time and resources.
| Spell | Level | MP (NES) | MP (Remix) | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiant | 9 | 3 | 2 | Lights up caves. Replaces Torches. Lasts until you leave the dungeon. |
| Outside | 12 | 6 | 6 | Instantly exits any cave or dungeon. No more backtracking. |
| Return | 13 | 8 | 8 | Teleports you to Tantegel Castle from the world map. Replaces Wings. |
| Repel | 15 | 2 | 2 | Prevents weak enemy encounters for 127 steps. Replaces Fairy Water. |
Spell Progression
Here's when you learn each spell, in order. Big gaps between some levels — you won't learn anything new from 13 to 15, or from 15 to 17.
| Level | Spell | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Heal | Combat healing |
| 4 | Hurt | Combat attack |
| 7 | Sleep | Combat disable |
| 9 | Radiant | Field utility |
| 10 | Stopspell | Combat disable |
| 12 | Outside | Field utility |
| 13 | Return | Field utility |
| 15 | Repel | Field utility |
| 17 | Healmore | Combat healing |
| 19 | Hurtmore | Combat attack |
Version Differences
Remix versions (GBC, Mobile, Switch) renamed most spells to match later Dragon Quest games:
- Heal → Heal (unchanged)
- Hurt → Sizz
- Sleep → Snooze
- Radiant → Glow
- Stopspell → Fizzle
- Outside → Evac
- Return → Zoom
- Repel → Holy Protection
- Healmore → Midheal
- Hurtmore → Sizzle
This guide uses NES names since they're shorter, but both work.