Early Side Quests In Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake You Should Not Skip

Key Takeaways

• Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake feels like a modern open-world game thanks to its improvements and side quests.
• These side quests in the game require players to seek them out independently, and they can’t be tracked in a traditional sense.
• Players can collect Mini Medals, return crowns, and unlock Sage Vocation.

Dragon Quest 3 may have come out in 1988, but thanks to the new version, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, it feels like a modern game. The HD-2D graphics help a lot, along with other improvements like difficulty levels, voice acting, fast-forward buttons, and so on. The one thing that holds it back from feeling like a modern open-world RPG is the side quests.

Players can’t traditionally track them and there are no NPCs specifically asking players for help in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. Instead, players have to pay attention and seek out these side quests themselves by listening to others and taking notes. Here are some good early examples.

6 Saving Norvik And The Faeries

Mending The Rift Between Cultures

This is the biggest side quest players can tackle at the beginning of the game. To start, players have to travel north to Norvik, a village that has been cursed to sleep. There’s only one NPC left unaffected, an old man, who says the Faeries did it to the West. Players can then travel West to the Faerie Village and learn about the Underground Lake via the Queen.

That’s the last place she knew her daughter, Aniseed, was seen with the Faerie’s precious treasure, the Dreamstone. Inside this dungeon, players can find a ton of good loot for the early hours of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake along with the Dreamstone. Once returned to the Queen, she will give players Wakey Dust to cure the town of Norvik but unfortunately, Aniseed died a tragic death, leaving the Queen a bit bitter toward humans.

5 Collecting Mini Medals

Getting The Best Gear Quickly

Collecting Mini Medals in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a persistent side quest that will last until the final chapter. They can be hidden in treasure chests like normal loot but by and large, these precious medallions will be hidden in jars, barrels, dressers, and so on. Most locations have at least one to two Mini Medals around.

In the first town, Aliahan, players can find one in the castle and one in a random house. Also in Aliahan is the Mini Medal exchange emporium. Players can get two great early weapons in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake via this process like the Thorn Whip and Edged Boomerang. Other early notable Mini Medal locations include Norvik which has one, the Faerie Village which has one, and Khoryv which has two.

4 Returning The King Of Romaria’s Crown

Becoming King/Queen For A Day

One of the earliest main quests will require players to enter the Skyfell Tower for the kingdom of Romaria. The King lost his crown via a crook and he also believes the Magic Key players seek is hidden there. Inside, players will face their first boss, Robbin’ ‘Ood, and his minions. He will drop the King’s crown and then run away when Romarian soldiers appear.

Players will get the Magic Key and this crown. The Magic Key was the goal and there’s absolutely no real reason players need to return the crown to the King because if they do there are no prizes. It’s just a funny exchange wherein players can become a king or queen for the day depending on the gender players chose for their hero in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake.

3 Collecting Monsters

A New Side Quest For The Remake

There were quite a few tweaks made to the game but some new content was added too. For example, there’s a new Vocation called the Monster Wrangler. Also, players can collect monsters in a variety of places and use them to fight in arena matches.

This side quest will begin when players bump into a Slime and Monty the Monster Monitor at the Shrine of Promise. He proposes the idea of monster collecting in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. The more monsters players gather, the better the prizes Monty will dish out and the arena has good prizes too. Players should keep an eye out for monsters at Secret Spots on the map which can be identified by rock gatherings in desert areas or giant trees in grassy plains.

2 Opening Blue And Red Doors

Obtain The Thief’s Key And Magic Key

There are two keys players can gather through the game’s main quests. The first is the Thief’s Key which opens red doors and the second is the aforementioned Magic Key which opens blue doors. There are more keys and seals players can gather in the game but these are starters. When traveling around the world, players should use the Recall function whenever they see a red or blue door.

Using Recall will take a picture and mark where that door is located on the map through notes. It’s an easy way to remember locations when there is inaccessible stuff the first time around. Recall is a function more developers should add to their projects, especially Metroidvanias. Getting back to Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, there is a blue door in Aliahan’s castle with a bunch of loot inside.

1 Unlock The Sage Vocation

It’ll Take Some Grinding

The hero character will begin the game as the literal Hero Vocation and then they can go to Patty’s Party Planning Place to recruit or customize three other party members. A good starting party in the game should include a Mage and a Priest and the last slot is up to player preference. Players probably won’t want to create a Gadabout character initially but there is a good reason why they should.

If players get their Gadabout to level 20, then they can transform that character into a Sage, a hidden Vocation within Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake and one of the strongest in the game. This can be done at Alltrades Abbey. So, the earlier players start leveling up their Gadabout, then the more ready they will be when they make it to Alltrades Abbey later in the game which is like pre-prepping a side quest.