The Dragon Warrior Walkthrough version 1.6. This document is a walkthrough for the original Dragon Warrior for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sooner or later I'll get around to creating graphics out of maps that I made while traversing the game, but in the meantime, this file should help you go from start to finish without any trouble. If you find any of the information to be inaccurate, or if I left something out, please let me know so that I can put it into the next version of the walkthrough. - Brian (wingchild@home.com) Table of Contents I. Walkthrough 1.1 Introduction 1.2 The Search for Gawelin 1.3 The Rainbow Bridge 1.4 The Dragonlord 1.5 Conclusion II. Credits and Contact Information .x-x. Section 1 - Dragon Warrior 1 Walkthrough .x-x. 1.1: Intro _ Before you get started in the game, there are a few general things to take note of. 1. When you die, you'll come back at Tangetel Castle, in front of the King. You will still have all of your experience, but you will lose half of your gold on hand. This will only really bother you in the beginning of the game. Later, gold will be so easy to come by that the only bad side to dying in combat will be having to walk back to where you were. 2. Bridges lead to danger. As you venture into new lands, crossing a bridge from where you are to somewhere new will almost assuredly bring more powerful monsters to fight. 3. There are three basic parts to the game; the search for Gwaelin, the building of the rainbow bridge, and killing the Dragonlord. The search for Erdrick's Artifacts is also very important, but it's really part of the three main quests. 4. There is an old man in Tangetel Castle who restores your MPs. A very good thing to do is fight cautiously until you reach level 3, then go marauding. Kill everything you can, waste all your MPs healing, and return to the castle. Talk to the old man, get your MPs back, heal up, get them back again, and return to marauding. This way, you can build levels without having to pay for an inn. Actually, it's a good idea to come back to the castle once in a while anyway, because.. 5. You should save often. Death comes very unexpectedly at times, and not always at the hand of an Armored Knight or Red Dragon. The old NES units aren't nearly as stable as their modern console counterparts, and even bumping them slightly will cause the game to reset itself, losing all you've accomplished. The only way to prevent _serious_ mental anguish is to save frequently. 1.2: First Quest - The Search for Princess Gwaelin _ You begin the game at Tangetel Castle. As you exit the castle to begin your quest, you'll be able to see Brecconary, the first town that you'll visit during the game. Go there, and equip yourself with a weapon and some armor. The Red and Blue Slimes that frequent this area aren't really dangerous, except to already dying adventurers, but if you wander around and stumble into a Ghost without a weapon and armor, you'll probably regret it. | Town Profile | :: Brecconary :: ------------------------------------------- Location: Just to the northeast of Tangetel Castle. It's within sight range, and is the first town that you find. Armory: Bamboo Pole 10 Tools: Herb 24 Inn: 6 gold. Club 60 Torch 8 Copper Sword 180 Dragon Scale 20 Clothes 20 Leather Armor 70 Area Monsters: Red and Blue Slimes Small Shield 90 Special: A fairy water shop behind the door. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A good place to gain levels at the beginning is in the hills just north of Brecconary. This is where you'll start to notice terrain differences. See the Terrain Chart (section 1.8) for more detail. As for equipment this early, the Club is a good choice, and you can choose between buying clothes now, or waiting and trying to save up for leather armor. When you have the money, also purchase a small shield. (This is one game where a shield does more than function as ornamentation.) If you head just to the northwest of Brecconary, into the hills beyond the first mountain range that you can see, you can fight Ghosts while still being relatively close to town, in case something goes wrong. At level 3, you gain the HEAL spell. HEAL returns approximately 12 HP every time you cast it. It costs 4 MP to cast, though, so you can't use it forever, especially early on. However, since you're fighting so close to Tangetel Castle, you can take advantage of the man that heals your MP. From the main entrance of Tantegel castle, go up until you can turn right, and follow the passageway. He's right out in the open. When you hit level 3-5 and have a weapon and armor, head to the north and explore Erdrick's Cave. It's in a desert northwest of the castle. There are no monsters inside the dungeon, so don't worry about running into something you can't handle -- the torch you start with should be fine to get you through, though, if you're paranoid, you may wish to purchase another. The cave is two levels deep. On the second floor down, you'll find a chest containing the Tablet, which tells you a little bit about Erdrick's history, that you're his descendant, and what part of your quest will be. After you clear Erdrick's Cave, having reached level 3-5 (I prefer to go high, myself), you should try to get to Garinham. Level 4 brings you the HURT spell; something rather useful at lower levels. (Later, your weapons will be able to do higher damage then the spells.) Creatures around Garinham include Ghosts, Red and Blue Slimes, and Drakees, along with the occasional Magician (casts HURT). Magicians don't normally come that far north, but once in a while you may see one. At level 5, you should have enough HP to make the run safely. | Town Profile | :: Garinham :: --------------------------------------------- Location: Head north from Tangetel until you reach the sea; follow the sea coast to the northwest. Armory: Club 60 Tools: Herb 24 Inn: 25 gold. Copper Sword 180 Torch 8 Hand Axe 160 Dragon Scale 20 Leather Armor 70 Chain Mail 300 Area Monsters: Drakee, Magician, Ghost, Slimes Half Plate 1000 Special: Garin's Grave, behind the door. Large Shield 800 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next area to gain levels is in the hills south of Garinham. You'll fight Ghosts and Drakees, for the most part, though you'll probably be frustrated by the low amount of gold that they give. If you're feeling courageous, go further south from Garinham, towards the bridge at the southern tip of the continent. Magicians will attack in force as you near the bridge, as will the standard Ghosts and Drakees. Crossing this bridge puts you in the domain of more Ghosts and Magicians, as well as Magidrakees (casts HURT) and Scorpions. You might also see the occasional Skeleton. Scorpions are easier to beat once you have the SLEEP spell, and for now, Skeletons are almost off limits - fighting one without the SLEEP spell simply makes you spend most of your remaining magic on healing. You can attempt the southern continent if you like, though I don't recommend it until level 7. Save up your money, and purchase the hand axe, chain mail, and large shield from Garinham. They'll help. Once you have the chain mail, you can probably risk the southern continent, as long as you stay near the bridge. Another place you can go about level 7 is Kol. Area creatures include Magicians, Magidrakees, Scorpions, Ghosts, and the occasional Skeleton, much like the southern continent. Again, provided that you like to go toe-to-toe with scorpions all the time, you can probably get here as soon as you have the chain mail and hand axe. | Town Profile | :: Kol :: -------------------------------------------------- Location: Head northeast of Tangetel and find the bridge leading east. Cross, then head to the southeast and find a second bridge. Cross again, and head north. Kol is in a small forest, surrounded by mountains. Armory: Copper Sword 180 Tools: Herb 24 Inn: 20 gold. Hand Axe 560 Torch 8 Half Plate 1000 Dragon Scale 20 Full Plate 3000 Wings 70 Small Shield 800 Area Monsters: Scorpion, Magician, Skeleton, Magidrakee Special: Fairy's Flute ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Kol, you can purchase Wings for 70 gold (instant return to Tangetel). You can also find the Fairy's Flute, a necessary item to complete the game. To get it, find the bath in Kol, and search four steps south of it. Kol also sports the wonderful Full Plate armor, for 3000 gold. (Don't bother saving for half-plate, just go directly from chain mail to full plate. It doesn't take that much longer to save the gold, and the jump in defense is worth it.) It's a very good idea to keep a pair of wings on you at all times for emergencies, from the time you find Kol, until level 13 when you get the RETURN spell. You may think this an expensive practice, but when you're bashing things on the southern continent, and suddenly waste all your magic, with no way to get home, with your HP starting to fall, you'll agree with me. You may also recall how I said the only bad thing about death is losing half your gold. Gold is important for 85% of the game, so spend the 70 up front to protect that hard work. Level 7 nets you the SLEEP spell, which works surprisingly well on Scorpions and Skeletons alike. You'll be able to explore the southern continent rather well, now. You'll probably notice a cave, inside a mountain pass, with some swamps out in front of it. This is the cave west of Tangetel, for future reference. The cave west of Tangetel contains some lame equipment, but most importantly, monsters with a higher amount of gold than outside the cave. It's a good idea to attain level 9 by simply walking back and forth inside the entrance of the cave. At level 9, you'll get radiant, a spell that makes torches obsolete, provided you have magic to spare. It lights up a much larger area than a torch, which is why I recommend waiting for it; it never hurts to be able to see where you're going in a dungeon. Inside the first level you'll enounter Druins, Scorpions, Magicians, and Ghosts. This is a two level cave. Don't go to the bottom floor until you reach level 10, and get STOPSPELL, because magic using enemies are down there. You'll find Drolls, Poltergiests (HURT), Drakeemas (HURT), Skeletons, and, worst of all, Warlocks (HURT, SLEEP) on the lower level. Hence, you need stopspell to survive. If you go further south of the cave, you'll find another bridge, leading west. You'll probably encounter your first Wyvern before you even touch the bridge, though, and that alone should be enough to deter you for now. Instead, after reaching level 10, and attaining the full plate armor, hand axe, and large shield, go to the eastern continent, where Kol is. Head to Kol first, and purchase some Wings for safekeeping. But instead of going to Kol, head to the south most edge of the continent. You'll see a cave surrounded by swamp. Enter it, but don't explore too much; just head due south and find the exit staircase for now. (Exploring could net you an encounter with a green dragon, which you really don't want to do. *shiver*) You'll emerge on the other side of the swamp tunnel. Standard enemies include Scorpions, Magidrakees, and the like. Head south. You'll see a ridge of mountains, and then a second. In between these two ridges is the town of Rimuldar; the town that sells magic keys. The mountains provide an effective shield around the town. As you get south of the first ridge of mountains, you'll encounter Wolves, Warlocks (level 10 - stopspell!), Skeletons, and Metal Scorpions. Progressing further than the second ridge of mountains will let you play with Wolflords (STOPSPELL) and other nasty creatures. Don't bother for now. There are two places to get into Rimuldar. You can either enter from the west side, walk around its island to its bridge, and enter, or you can go to the southeast corner of the dual mountain ridges, and find an eastern entrance. Either way you get there, it's a good place to be. | Town Profile | :: Rimuldar :: --------------------------------------------- Location: Go due south of Kol, through the swamp tunnel. Head south after you exit; Rimuldar is nestled between two mountain ridges. Armory: Copper Sword 180 Tools: None Inn: 55 gold. Hand Axe 560 Broad Sword 1500 Area Monsters: Wolf, Warlock, Skeleton. Half Plate 1000 Special: I - Key Shop -- 53 gold. Full Plate 3000 II - Howard/Wings - behind doors. Magic Armor 7700 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting around the little rectangle of land outside the town is recommended, as you can handle Warlocks (with stopspell), Wolves, Skeletons, and Metal Scorpions (with sleep) relatively easily. Purchase a broad sword here, and some magic keys. You can also save up for the Magic Armor, though it carries the same defensive rating as Full Plate. The Magic Armor has one seriously redeeming feature that justifies its higher price. For every four steps you take while wearing it, you'll regain one HP. This doesn't sound like much, but if creatures don't attack you every step of the way, you can heal without needing to cast a single spell. Also, you can cheat by ducking into a town and walking back and forth until you're fully healed. This lets you save MP, and gold, by not needing to cast spells or stay at an inn. If you really want to make gold fast, head further south of Rimuldar. The Wolflords can be beaten by going toe-to-toe with them. Don't bother with sleep, it doesn't work well. They'll probably cast stopspell on you - ignore it. It's their only magic, and you can score a free hit while they're casting. Just hack and slash. Another creature you'll encounter is the Goldman -- 6 exp, 180 gold each. Hard hitting; don't waste time with sleep, just fight then. Use your MP to heal with after the battle. Note for the foolhardy: There is a bridge on the southern tip of the continent where Rimuldar is. Do not cross the bridge south of Rimuldar. Wyverns. Wraiths. Need I say more? Another note for the foolhardy: Garin's Grave is now accessible, since you can buy keys in Rimuldar. Do not attempt Garin's Grave. Wraith Knights. Drollmagi. Spectres. See above. After you've bought a few keys and upgraded your equipment (and, perhaps, even leveled once or twice), head north to the swamp cave again. Inside the is a green dragon, which we avoided the last time we came through. Guarded by that green dragon is Princess Gwaelin. Make sure you have at least full plate armor, and the broadsword, as well as a full compliment of herbs before attempting to destroy this beast. You can take him out as early as level 12 or so, provided you have good equipment, lots of herbs, and some luck, as well. Green Dragon Strategy - The dragon can be put to sleep. Do so. Use the sleep time to heal, if necessary, and to slam him with the broadsword. You should be able to do about 10 - 15 damage each strike, killing the dragon in about 5 - 6 hits. The dragon can hit you for over 20 with his flaming breath, and has physical attacks as well. Try to keep the dragon under perpetual sleep - If it wakes, cast again. You should come out victorious. One thing to watch out for is the fact that the SLEEP spell will not work every time - perhaps one in three. A measure of luck is required. A word to the wise; I was extremely lucky in taking down the dragon at level 12. While you can put the dragon to sleep, the spell isn't too reliable. You may wish to build levels until you reach level 17 (HEALMORE) before attempting this section of the game. In fact, you may want Erdrick's Armor and a Flame Sword, first.. :) Your decision, though. Once the dragon is dead, all you have to do is talk to Gwaelin (you need a key to open her door), and agree to take her back to Tangetel. You must carry her back to the castle; easy enough considering the monsters en route. Saving the princess has a few distinct advantages. The first is that you get new messages from townspeople when you talk to them. The next is that when you return her to Lorik, the King, she gives you an item; Gwaelin's Love. You can use this item while you're traveling out in the wilderness. Gwaelin's Love will allow you to do two things: First, you can check how much experience you need to level without having to run all the way back to the King, and second, Gwaelin will tell you how many steps away from the castle you are (such as 4 south, 10 west). This comes in handy in the search for Erdrick's Token, later. 2.3: The Rainbow Bridge _ Okay. The Princess is saved. There's the main thrust of the adventure. Now, all that's left is that we have to destroy the Dragonlord. He's just to the west of the swamp cave, across a channel of water that we've no way to get over. Thus, we must find several items, and construct the Rainbow Bridge, as Erdrick did. We'll need to acquire the Harp, the Stones of Sunlight, the Staff of Rain, the Rainbow Drop, Erdrick's Token, and Erdrick's Armor. The armor isn't really necessary to build the bridge, but we'd be insane to just leave it behind. :) The following sequence of events is simply in the order that I did them. You may choose to do things a little differently; such as getting Erdrick's Armor before even attempting Cantlin, or running through to Cantlin, getting the Stones and Harp, then the Armor, etc. The timing of the following events is really up to you. The Stones of Sunlight _ The Stones of Sunlight prove to be the easiest item to find. Return to Tangetel Castle, and make sure you have at least one magic key with you. Go to the northeast section of the castle, and open the door there. (Don't bother opening the one with the chests behind it; they're worthless.) Talk to the people you find, then take one step east past the girl in front of the key shop. Head south along the castle wall, take another step east when you hit the water, continue south, and you'll find a set of stairs leading down into Tangetel's basement. In this basement is an old man, one of the trusted keepers of Erdrick's items, who tells you to take the contents of the treasure chest he's guarding. Do so, and be rewarded with the Stones of Sunlight. The rest of the items are not so easy to come by. I strongly recommend leveling until you reach 17 (HEALMORE). Once you've got the HEALMORE spell, things will be easier for you. The Run to Cantlin _ First things first. We need heavier weapons and armor. If you have HEALMORE, you can try the run to Cantlin, the castle town. Directions are in the town profile. You will cross through areas populated by the following: Wraiths (HEAL), Wraith Knights (HEAL), Wyverns, Wolflords (STOPSPELL), Knights (STOPSPELL), Demon Knights, Metal Slimes (heh, what fun), Werewolves, Magiwyverns, and possibly even a Green Dragon or two. Side note: The Metal Slime Metal slimes are the highest EXP creature in the game. They'll net you even more xp than a Red Dragon or Armored Knight. They only have 4hp. However, they pack the highest di/dt (damage inflicts vs. damage taken) ratio in the game. ;) There -are- a few catches to them. 1. They tend to be pretty rare. 2. The areas they show in are full of very powerful monsters. 3. Magic doesn't work on them. 4. All non-critical attacks deal 1hp of damage. 5. Normal attacks tend to either miss, or fail, causing no damage. 6. Did I mention that they can cast HURT? And of course, my favorite, 7. They absolutely *love* to run away, especially if they've been damaged. If you can kill the little freaks, hats off to you. The only way to do it is to keep on swinging that sword, and hope for the best. The lure of 115xp is definetly a powerful one, but make sure they don't suck too many hp away with their spells. When you finally do get to Cantlin, as you step within its protective walls, you're greeted by a very large and unfriendly Golem. Use the Fairy Flute on it in order to put it to sleep, and then bash it liberally. When it wakes up, use the fairy flute again, bash some more, and so on until it dies. Do -not- forget to heal. | Town Profile | :: Cantlin :: ---------------------------------------------- Location: Go to the southern continent, where the cave west of Tangetel is. Head south, across the bridge, into Wyvern territory. Continue to your southwest, past the Desert of Hauskness, and enter a large string of hills, flanked by a mountain range. (Like a tunnel, really.) Follow these hills along the southern edge of the continent until you reach a bridge, which you cross. Head to your northeast, taking the second bridge you come to (the first will put you in an area with lots of swamp, and green dragons, so you'll know it if you see it). This second area leads off with some swamp, but just to the south of the bridge is the walled town of Cantlin. Warning: A Golem guards the town. Do not approach without the fairy flute. Armory: North Armory Tools: Northwest Shop Inn: 100 gold. Bamboo Pole 10 Herb 24 Club 60 Torch 8 Copper Sword 180 Leather Armor 70 West Shop Chain Mail 300 Dragon Scale 20 Large Shield 800 Wings 70 East Armory Area Monsters: Werewolves, Green Dragons, Flame Sword 9800 Demon Knights, etc. Bad stuff. Silver Shield 14800 Southeast Armory Special: Key Shop - 98 gold. (East armory.) Hand Axe 650 Fairy Water - 38 gold. (Same area.) Broad Sword 1500 Three weapon shops, two tool shops. Full Plate 3000 The Golem Guardian. Magic Armor 7700 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is very difficult to get to Cantlin without HEALMORE. I was able to do it at level 14, though I advise no one to do the same. It went a lot like this: You encounter (insert beast here). Command? RUN. You should definetly invest in a Flame Sword in Cantlin, since it'll be the best thing you can use next to Erdrick's Sword, which we don't acquire until the Dragonlord's Castle. I also recommend the Silver Shield, the perfect compliment to any flawless suit of armor. Wynn's Shop: Erdrick's Armor Rediscovered - In Cantlin, you'll hear about a man named Wynn, who owned a shop in Hauskness. You'll also hear that he buried something of great value at the foot of his tree behind his shop, and that he was the last possessor of Erdrick's Armor. So, the only trick is to find Hauskness, right? Well, we passed it en route to Cantlin. It was in the large Desert of Hauskness, which we skirted. If you've got HEALMORE and have recently saved, by all means, head in. You'll befriend Starwyverns (HEALMORE) quickly. (They inhabit Hauskness now.) You'll also encounter Werewolves, and the occasional Green Dragon to round out the day. Wynn's shop is all the way at the far end of town, in the southeast section; you'll see the one tree standing there. As you step onto the square with the tree, you'll be immediately attacked by an Axe Knight (SLEEP). Axe Knight Strategy - Use STOPSPELL - an Axe Knight can cast SLEEP. Very nasty. Fight hard against the Knight, using HEALMORE when necessary. For all the death the Axe Knight can deal, four to five hits with the Flame Sword will dispatch him. When he's defeated, search the ground you stand on to find Erdrick's Armor. Don't leave that square without the armor. Stepping on that square will trigger an Axe Knight attack every single time. Erdrick's Armor has some special abilities to it. The Magic Armor heals you one HP for every four steps you take, but Erdrick's heals you one for one - each step you take is worth a HP. If you're running low on hp, duck into a town and just take a walk. Erdrick's Armor also protects you from damage you would take from swamps and barriers. Neither will give you damage, or slow you down in the slightest. Proof of Heritage; The Token of Erdrick _ Back in Cantlin, a man tells you "Thou may go and search. From Tangetel Castle travel 70 leagues to the south and 40 to the east." These are the exact coordinates of the Token of Erdrick, and you can use Gwaelin's Love to track down the precise spot. It happens to be in the Green Dragon infested swamps south of Cantlin, where you should not have gone when you were running to get there. Take lots of herbs, and be full on magic, then brave the swamps, find the proper location, and search. The token shall be yours. Now, RETURN to Tangetel Castle, since the next item to find is in a different part of the world. Garin's Grave; The Silver Harp _ Bring two keys with you, and go to Garinham. Open up the locked door in the northeast section of town. Don't bother opening the door to talk to the two guards, their information is useless. Push up on the black wall (the back of the building) to find a secret exit; if you look at the cell the guards are in, stand over the second block from the left, and go north from there. Be sure to ware what the old man says about the harp, and enter the stairwell to your right. You'll wind up in Garin's Grave. I advise waiting until level 16-17 to go as far down as the third level, though you can take the second one as early as level 10-11. I found that with a Flame Sword (from Cantlin), I was able to make the run through the cave as early as level 14, though I don't recommend doing that. Level breakdown is as follows: Level 1: Warlocks (HURT, SLEEP), Drolls, Drakeemas (HURT), Skeletons, Poltergeists (HURT). Level 2: Warlocks, Skeletons, Wolves, Metal Scorpions. Level 3: Drollmagi (STOPSPELL), Wolflords (STOPSPELL), Spectres (HURT), Wraith Knights (HEAL), Druinlords (HURT, HEAL). Level 4: Same as level 3. Your prize for braving Garin's Grave is the Silver Harp; another necessary item in the building of the rainbow bridge. The harp has an interesting feature to it. Whenever you're wandering around the overworld, you can use it as an item, much like the Fairy's Flute. However, the harp actually does something; it will summon a monster to you, immediately. Every time. This can be fun if you're trying to gain experience, and no monsters seem to want to come out and play. I don't advise using it constantly, as the harp has to play its song first, and it takes a little time. You can usually find monsters faster just by roaming the overworld. The Staff of Rain _ Take the Silver Harp to the northeast, in the direction of Kol. Directly west of Kol is a small stairwell leading down into the earth. You can see it from west of Kol, but you can't get there by walking west. In actuality, you have to walk to the southwest, and follow a forest path to the northwest, which then wraps around to the northeast. Not difficult, as the monsters aren't hard here. In this cavern, an old man will be guarding another chest. Talk to him, and he'll thank you for bringing the Silver Harp, and exchange that with the Staff of Rain. (The harp is simply a bargaining chip to get the staff.) The Rainbow Drop _ Go back to Rimuldar, and then due south. There's a small island with some swamp, high mountains, and a cave leading down from the surface. Isle monsters include Wyverns and such, nothing too new by this point. In the cave is yet another old man. When you show him Erdrick's Token, he'll acknolwedge you as Erdrick's Heir, and combine the Staff of Rain with the Stones of Sunlight to make the Rainbow Drop. Now, we can head through the swamp cave toward Rimuldar in order to make the Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge _ This is the second easiest part of this whole quest, right next to finding the Stones of Sunlight. Go to the northwest of Rimuldar, almost due west of the southern exit of the Swamp Cave. You'll see a section of land that ends in a penninsula, jutting out over a channel. There is a one square section of water that separates the two land masses. Go stand on this penninsula, and use the Rainbow Drop. The Rainbow Bridge will appear, spanning the channel, and letting you get onto the DragonLord's Isle. A word to the wise: After you go five or six steps past the Rainbow Bridge, you'll begin encountering Knights, Starwyverns, Werewolves, Wizards (HURTMORE), and more. The enemies are difficult, so don't go exploring unless you're powerful enough, or supremely confident in your RETURN spell and ability to flee from battle. 1.4: The Dragonlord _ The Dragonlord's Castle is to the west of the newly created rainbow bridge. You have seen this evil palace from the very first time you left Tantegal Castle, most likely - it's directly across the channel. (We'll note that, for all intents and purposes, boats haven't been invented yet.) The castle is guarded by a gauntlet of mountains, deserts, and swamps, all contained on the tiny island it's housed in. The path to the castle is filled with the most powerful overworld enemies that you can face, as detailed above. When you finally make it inside of the castle, you will be faced with the most ravenous horde of death dealing creatures in the game. Nothing is held back at this point, and only the most fierce and troublesome creatures will partake of your flesh while you visit the castle. (Don't go expecting red slimes. Red Dragons, perhaps, but not slimes.) If you don't have Erdrick's Armor, the Flame Sword, and the Silver Shield by now, go get them. All of them. Do not attempt this castle without them, as it will chew you up and spit you back in tiny pieces. Also, don't attempt this area before level 17. The HEALMORE spell is invaluable, since it restores most of your HP for just 10 MP; this area will let you get very familiar with it. The only other general tip for the Dragonlord's Castle is to watch how hard the enemies hit - if you don't think you're going to survive the next attack, use HEALMORE - don't agonize over wether or not you can last another round. This is one point in the game where safety is a higher concern than MP use. Walking back to the Dragonlord's castle is a sucky, sucky thing. While you can enter at level 17 to build levels, don't stray too deep. I wasn't able to even reach the Dragonlord until I had hit level 20, and couldn't defeat him until I had reached level 23. The best places to level at this stage of the game are either inside the Dragonlord's castle, or just southwest of Haukness. I prefer being southwest of Haukness because I don't have to heal as often (enemies aren't as strong, and don't attack nearly every step), I don't need to cast Outside, and metal slimes sometimes show up and make it a real party. :) A quick note before you enter the Dragonlord's Castle: Radiant costs 3mp, Outside costs 6, Return costs 8. Don't wander around in the dark without radiant, but always keep in mind (while you're healing) that it will take a minimum of 14mp in order to escape the Dragonlord's castle and warp back to Tantegel. If you're very very low on MP, remember that 6mp will take you outside, and that 4 will give you a little boost from Heal. You may be able to walk back to Rimuldar, and Erdrick's Armor's healing properties may save you.. but don't bet on it all the time. Try to play it safe. Provided that you're properly equipped, you can now enter the castle, and start your journey down to the Dragonlord. The first thing you should do is cast REPEL, so that the monsters don't attack every step or every other step. It won't seem to do much for you, but it really does help.. a little bit. The first floor of the castle is fully lighted, showing you that it is, in fact, a castle. You will be able to see two stairwells that lead down, and are behind locked doors. Ignore them, as they don't lead anywhere useful. Circle around to the left, and work your way to the throne - it's across a set of damaging floor tiles (which your Erdrick's Armor protects you from). Step behind the throne, and search the ground to find a secret stairwell, leading into the heart of the castle. The castle then becomes a long, deep dungeon. Radiant is a total necessity. Keep in mind that some staircases that you'll find will go up, instead of down, and that you'll need to go down, up, and back down a different way in order to find Erdrick's Sword. Finding that sword is your first priority. To give you an idea of how deep this castle is, if the first floor is level 1, then the Dragonlord's floor is level 8. You can make it all the way to the bottom on one cast of Radiant, if you know where you're going. Quick Castle Tip: On any trip in, carry a full compilment of six herbs. "Why?", you think. "Herbs suck. I have HEALMORE." Well, yes, but sometimes Herbs will be useful. They can heal you for 20 or so, just enough to let you walk the rest of a serious fight off in Erdrick's Armor, without having to worry about having enough HP should you hit another monster right away. Herbs also don't drain MP. MP is a huge consideration in the Dragonlord's Castle. The big trick to beating him is just surviving long enough to deal fatal damage. The trick to -that- is getting to the bottom floor with the highest amount of MP possible, for Healmore casting. So, the herbs may come in handy. :) Here's a level breakdown of the enemies. Dragonlord's Castle - Level 1: Wizard (HURTMORE), Axe Knight (SLEEP), Starwyvern (HEALMORE), Werewolf, Green Dragon Level 2: Same as above. Level 3: As above, but replace Green Dragons with Blue Dragons, and add the Stoneman. Level 4: Same as above. Level 5: Same as above. Level 6: Add in the Armored Knight (HEALMORE, HURTMORE), and the Red Dragon (SLEEP). Level 7: Same as above. Level 8: Same as above, plus the Dragonlord, if you're picky. The newest enemies to the Castle are Blue Dragons, Red Dragons, Armored Knights, and Stonemen. Blue Dragon: Harder than their green cousins, but only because they have more hp and higher damage. No spells, no healing, so just chop them up. Red Dragon: They feel like every other dragon you've ever fought, with one exception. They cast Sleep. Best put stopspell on these immediately. Armored Knight: A fight with one was once described as being like "trying to attack an M1 assault tank with a toothpick". That's pretty accurate. These guys -will- hurt you, and you probably can't run away. Stoneman: They have an enormous amount of HP, and hit really, really hard. Run from them whenever possible, as killing them costs too much in the way of time, magic, and lost hp. Find Erdrick's Sword - It isn't fair to turn you loose in the castle without the slightest idea of where you're going. Level 1: Go behind the throne, search, take the stairs down. Level 2: Cast radiant right away. Follow the path to the only stairwell you can take, and go down. Level 3: Same deal. Follow the path, only one stairwell. Level 4: Right 2 blocks, down 2 blocks, left 5 blocks, up 2 blocks, left to the wall, down to the wall, right 1 block, down the stairs. Level 5: Right 1, Up 2, right 2, up 1, right 2, down to the wall, right to the wall, up 7, left 2, down 5. Should be a stairwell leading up, with walls on three sides of you. Level 4: Follow the path left and up, take the stairs up. Level 3: Go up, left, and take the stairs up. Level 2: Follow the path, the stairs lead down. Level 3: You're now in a four block room with the sword. Cast Outside and Return and go save the game. Right now. It's worth saving. The Erdrick's Sword doesn't seem to hit much harder than the Flame Sword, but it has the unique distinction of being just about the only weapon that can really cause damage to Armored Knights, Red Dragons, and the Dragonlord. It's necessary. Defeat the Dragonlord - The last step in the game is to actually defeat the Dragonlord. I had to wait until level 23 to beat him, though I suspect that you could do it around level 20 or 21 if luck was with you. Here's the route to reach the Dragonlord. Level 1: Go behind the throne, search, take the stairs down. Level 2: Cast radiant right away. Follow the path to the only stairwell you can take, and go down. Level 3: Same deal. Follow the path, only one stairwell. Level 4: Right 2 blocks, down 2 blocks, left 5 blocks, up 2 blocks, left to the wall, down to the wall, right 1 block, down the stairs. Level 5: Right 1, up 2, right 2, up 3, left 3, up to the wall, right 7, down 2, left to the stairwell. Should be a downward stairwell there, surrounded by walls on three sides. Level 6: Walk down, left, up, and take the stairwell down. Level 7: Walk straight across to the right, take the stairwell down. Level 8: This level is actually lit up. From the start, go up, head left immediately, turn up when you're standing next to the block. Take your first right turn and follow the path until you come out where the sand and water is. Cross over the little bridges there, and follow the path to the Dragonlord. This sounds a lot easier than it really is, considering the level of creatures you'll be fighting. Don't get discouraged if the Dragonlord's Castle whoops up on you. You will have to be a high level when you go in here, and will probably have to level even higher in order to beat the Dragonlord. When you make it to the Dragonlord, talk to him. Dragonlord: "Welcome, [Name]. I am the Dragonlord -- King of Kings. I have been waiting long for one such as thee. I give thee now a chance to share this world and to rule half of it if thou will now stand beside me. What sayest thou? Will the great warrior stand with me?" ..and you're presented with a yes or no prompt. If you choose Yes, that you wish to serve the Dragonlord, you die, and the game is over. (You can continue, as always, of course.) The whole speech is a ploy to prevent you from killing him. If you choose No (go on, you played the whole game for this), the Dragonlord attacks, and it's time for the final battle. So, tell him No. Dragonlord: "Thou art a fool!" Dragonlord Strategy - I recommend level 25 or higher for fighting the Dragonlord. I was victorious at level 23, and think it can be done around 21 or 20 (with luck and critical attacks on your side), but 25 is a "safe" level to run this fight at. There's still a huge chance that you can die; it mainly depends on how many MP you have going into the fight. The Dragonlord's initial form is that of a warlock, and he can use magic. I've seen him cast both Hurtmore and Stopspell, though I have yet to see his Stopspell work on me. You can cast Stopspell on him, but it may take a few tries, and it may be more economical to simply bash the hell out of him in the first place. Just make sure that you're very healed before crossing his HP threshhold. The Dragonlord's initial form has approximately 100hp, which you should be able to shave off in three attacks. Two quick notes, though - First, if you get stopspelled, reset. You will not win. Second, the Dragonlord won't use magic after he changes form, so casting Stopspell on him is totally optional, and probably a waste of MP. Once you deal enough damage, the Dragonlord changes forms, and becomes a large, standing dragon. In this form, the Dragonlord can dish out from 30 to 50 damage in every hit. He can also breathe fire, as normal dragons do, for similar damage. As a side benefit, the form change results in the Dragonlord having a much heavier armor rating. You'll probably not be able to give more than 15 damage in a single strike, and scores of 10 or lower are much more common. The lowest that I've hit the Dragonlord for is 6, at Level 20, and the highest was 15, at level 23. Deal punishment fast and furious, and make sure to use Healmore when you get within one strike of death. Don't chance it. That's about all there is to say, really. There is no grace to this battle. Strike, heal, strike, heal. As near as I can figure it, the Dragonlord's second form has approximately 135hp. I was in combat with him for 12 rounds during which I attacked, and at least 10 in which I had to use Healmore to stay alive. My first attack was free, and the last attack was do-or-die - I didn't have enough MP to heal again. So, figure on needing at least 100MP in order to successfully withstand the Dragonlord. You can try it with less, but.. ;) If you die, you go back to Tantegel castle, lose half your gold, and have to make that gnarly trek into the depths of the castle again. If you win, you take the Ball of Light from the corpse of the Dragonlord, and use it to banish the monsters of the world once again. At this point, all the monsters in the game disappear, terrain ceases to affect your movement rates, and all of the townsfolk that you talk to will cheer you. "Hurrah! Hurrah! Long live [name]!" "Thou has brought us peace again." 1.5: Conclusion _ Head back to Tantegel Castle. It doesn't matter if you walk (no enemies) or use Return, just get there. Walk into the main castle, and you'll see the King waiting for you. The king gives a long speech, after which Gawelin asks to join you in your travels. I'm not aware if you can actually tell her no or not. In any case, tell her yes, and then sit back and enjoy the ending and credits. Congratulations - You've just smashed one of the finest original RPGs in existance. :) .x-x. Section 3 - Credits and Contact Info .x-x. Credits _ I would like to thank GWS Wizard and Mike664 for writing the original DW1 FAQ. Their work interested me in this classic game again. If anybody knows how to reach either of them, I'd love to hear from them. Hats off to Enix on a wonderful game. Let's hope the Dragon Warrior series keeps going forever. :) Contact Info - If you find any errors or omissions in this FAQ, or feel that something should be included, feel free to email me at . I'd be more than happy to edit the FAQ to include changes and revisions.. though, really, with a game this old, I doubt I'll ever hear from anyone. :) Thanks for reading, and I hope you had fun. :)