Here's the old man!
Dragon Warrior I Walkthrough
Version 1.0
Christopher Lee Boger
leslumens@yahoo.com
Note: This is only the walkthrough. For the remainder of the things such as weapon stats, spell charts, monster charts, etc., find the appropriate section which should be (or will be) located at the same place as this walkthrough. Text versions should also be available for download at the same location.
This walkthrough will contain story spoilers, so if you do not wish that, perhaps use the FAQs section found at the same address which offers varying degrees of explanation in order for you to beat the game more or less yourself, with the least amount of prompting possible.
Beginning Your Journey
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Talk to the King. Then take the treasure chests from the
Throne Room.
Stand on top of the treasure chests and use the "take"
command to open them. You will receive 120 Gold, a torch, and a magic key.
Talk to the guards for information. Throughout the game,
talk to everyone you see. After significant events, you may wish to talk
to people again. Sometimes a person's conversation may change after an
event.
Now stand in front of the door and use the "door" command.
your magic key will be used and the door will open.
Walk to the stairs and use the "stairs" command to descend
to the lower floor of Tantegel Castle
Walk around and talk to everyone you can reach (some people
are behind locked doors and can't be talked to at this time). After you
are done, exit the Castle in the South.
Now walk over to the town which is just to the East. This
is Brecconary and you can purchase equipment here.
Almost due North of the entrance to town is the Weapons
Store. Talk to the shopkeeper and purchase the club and the clothes.
Now walk to the Southeast side of town. On a small island
here sits the General Store.
Purchase the Dragon's Scale. Open the item window and use
the Dragon's Scale by selecting it and pressing the "A" button. The
Dragon's Scale is now equipped. This item will increase your defensive
abilities.
Now walk around and be sure to talk to everybody in town.
ALWAYS talk to every person you encounter in your journeys.
Journey into the wilderness and unlock the secrets of
magic
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Now go outside, wander around and fight Slimes. Don't get
very far at all from town, because you are very weak at this point.
Slimes will be able to cause 1-4 points of damage per battle to you at
this point. Red Slimes can cause about 2-5 points of damage.
Be careful and return to town any time you become weak.
Rest at the Inn to recharge your HP. Make sure, if you are at less than
10 HP, that you are no more than one or two steps from town. Getting into
a battle as you are running back to town to rest could be the end of you.
Keep this up until you reach level-2. When you do, walk
back to Tantegel Castle and talk to the King to save your game.
Head back outside and continue fighting Slimes. Keep this
up until you reach level-3. Now you can use a trick that works in the
first three Dragon Warrior games, because you acquire the Heal Spell at
level-3. Walk into Tantegel Castle.
Turn East at the first place you can and follow the path
to the old man behind the counter.
Here's the old man!
Your MP will be restored to max each time you talk to this
man. Now cast Heal Spells until you have reached your max HP. If you run
out of MP before you reach max HP, talk to the old man again for another
magical boost. When you are done, your HP and MP will be at full power!
You need never use an Inn while you are near Tantegel again!
Now go talk to the King and save your game. Then go to
Brecconary. Buy another torch at the General Store. You might not need
it, but if your first torch burns out before you escape the cave in the
next part, you could be lost in the cave!
Into the darkness-Messages from your anscestor
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Exit the Castle and head North. Stay on the grassy plains, because monster attacks are less frequent here. After a short journey you should see some sand on the West edge of the screen. Walk toward this and you will see a cave in the center. Walk into the cave. Beware! You might encounter a Drakee, or worse a Ghost, as you head toward this cave. They are much tougher than Slimes!
The Cave of Erdrick
FIRST FLOOR:
No monsters will attack you inside the cave, which is protected by the
spirit of Erdrick, so you need not fear being too weak to explore it.
Immediately upon entering, open you item menu and use one
of your torches. You will now be able to see a short distance in front of
you.
At the first intersection, turn East and go straight as far
as you can go.
When a wall blocks you from continuing to go straight East,
go back West on square, then turn South.
Follow this until a wall blocks you again. Go back one
square North and head East again.
When the wall blocks you from continuing East, turn South.
After turning South, look for a way to go East again. As soon as you see
it, go East.
When the wall blocks you, turn South. You will arrive at
some stairs which you need to use to reach the second floor.
SECOND FLOOR:
When you arrive on this floor, start heading North. You will then need to
turn West.
Skip the path leading North which you see after turning, it
is a dead end. Keep going West until you see a path heading South. Go
South upon reaching this.
Follow this until it turns West and keep walking. You will
then have to make a series of one block turns. North, West, North.
Here there will be a path North and one West. Go West, as
the North is a dead end.
Keep going West until you hit the wall, then turn North.
the path will then turn East, keep following it.
Skip the passage South, then turn North when the path turns
that direction.
When you hit the wall, turn West. Keep following this path
when it turns North, then turns East.
When you see a path to the South, use it. Follow this
until you hit the wall, then go straight East.
You should see a treasure chest. Take the chest and you
will read the tablet left by your anscestor Erdrick.
Now make your way out of the cave. Be very careful and remember what direction you came from and you should have no troubles. Your first torch should last long enough for you to escape, even if you get turned around a couple of times. If it goes out, use another.
Go not unprepared into the unknown
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Now you know what your task
is. You should not just start walking away from town and start searching,
you're too poorly equipped!
Make your way back to the area near Tantegel
Castle. Your goal now is to acquire 90 GP and buy a Shield in
Brecconary. If you head a bit South of Tantegel, you can encounter
Drakees. They are stronger than Slimes and worth more GP and XP. Stay on
the grassy plains if you do this, or you may encounter dangerous enemies.
Whatever you do, don't enter the foothills. Magicians, Magidrakees, and
even Scorpions may lurk here, and they will make short work of you.
Build XP here, you're going to see this area a lot early on
in the game ^_^
If you reach level-4 before
you acquire the 90 GP, go talk to the King and save your game. You'll
learn the Hurt Spell at this level. It will allow you to better combat
the strong enemies like Ghosts and Magicians should you accidently
encounter them. You'll also gain lots of Strength and Speed and MP at this
level. It is still best, however, to continue fighting with your weapons
and conserve precious MP for the Heal Spell. If you encounter Magicians,
Magidrakees, or Scorpions, then use the Hurt Spell! You shouldn't be this
far from the castle, but a couple of Hurt Spells might get you out of the
fight alive.
Once you acquire the 90 GP, go to Brecconary
and buy the Small Shield. Then go talk to the King and save.
Now your goal is to acquire
70 GP and upgrade to the Leather Armor. A good place to do this is the
foothills South of Tantegel. Drakees and Ghosts show up here often and you
should be strong enough to defeat them fairly easily now.
Leave the foothills and return to the grassy
plains if your MP is less than 10. This is because those three dangerous
enemies can appear in the Southernmost area of these foothills. If you
encounter one, blast it with a couple of Hurt Spells, which should kill it.
Then go recharge your MP at Tantegel Castle. Magidrakees are worth 5 XP
and 11 GP, Scorpions are worth 6 XP and 13 GP, and Magicians are worth 4 XP
and 11 GP. Killing a couple of these will boost your GP total quickly!
When you have the 70 GP, go to Brecconary and
buy the Leather Armor. The shopkeeper will buy back your clothes for 10
GP, so the armor actually only ends up costing you 60 GP. Go save your
game after purchasing this.
You should reach level-5
sometime soon, make sure you save your game once you do!
Now earn 48 GP and buy two Herbs. These are
for emergencies when you are low on MP. They are actually more powerful
than the Heal Spell, anyway.
Once you have the two herbs, the Leather
Armor, and level-5, it's time to head into new territory. Save your game
before you leave!
Crossing the wilderness to Garinham town
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Head North from Tantegel
Castle and stay on the grassy plains. Just keep heading generally
Northward on the plains until you reach the sea.
Now follow the water's edge in a generally
West direction. Stay on the plains, or as near to them as possible, to
avoid enemy encounters. More than a couple of fights with Magicians can
send you scurrying home quickly.
Eventually you will reach the town of
Garinham. Enter and talk to all the people here. There is a locked door
on the North edge of town, but you don't have a magic key to open it.
The General Store sells nothing new, but the
Weapons Shop has some fine equipment. Unfortunately, it also costs and arm
and a leg! You will also discover here that Gwaelin was taken East. Head
back to Tantegel Castle when you are done exploring Garinham and gathering
information.
Journey into the Eastern Lands
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You must cross a bridge to
reach areas farther East, and you know that stronger enemies lurk there.
The journey will also be a long one, so you should be better armed.
Your goal now is to get 180 GP and buy the
Copper Sword. It's time to stop whacking monsters with tree limbs! The
foothills South of Tantegel still offer the best place to build GP and XP
because of the quick escape to Tantegel where you can heal for free.
Sometime near when you have the GP for the
sword, you should make it to level-6. Make sure you still have 2 herbs and
go save the game once you have reached both these goals.
Head North from Tantegel.
Instead of continuing North to the sea, turn East on the grassy plains
and head that way.
You should see a bridge across a river.
Cross this and continue to follow the grassy plains East, then South.
Stronger enemies await across this bridge!
You will soon come to another bridge near a swamp. Cross this one as well to reach the far Eastern lands.
Getting a long way from home now!
Head North once you cross the bridge, try to stay on the grassy plains. Whatever you do, don't walk into the desert for anything! Scorpions lurk there, and the even more dangerous Skeletons also call that sand pit home. Once you run out of plains to walk on, you should see a town. Enter the village of Kol.
Talk to everyone. The people
tell you many things about Golems, magic keys, flutes, etc., but nothing
about Gwaelin! Remember everything they tell you, though.
The General Store here sells wings. Using
these will return you instantly to Tantegel Castle when you use them while
outside. It would be a good idea to buy a set for when you are far away
from home and must return quickly and safely.
The Weapons Store offers some good equipment,
but it's mostly out of your price range. From what everyone says, your
next destination seems to be South, through Swamp Cave. I wouldn't try it
yet, if I were you!
Preparing to face the dangers of Swamp Cave
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Head back to Tantegel. You
may need to rest at the Inn of Kol first if you are very weak.
This area is starting to look pretty
familiar, isn't it? Your goal now is to earn level-7. Do this in the
foothills South of Tantegel. The line of them farthest South tends to
produce the more valuable monsters more often.
At level-7 you will receive a significant
Speed boost, which makes it easier for you to dodge enemies and run from
them. This will become very important in times ahead. You will also
receive the Sleep Spell at this level. While this spell doesn't always
work on the enemy, when it does it may allow you to defeat enemies much
stronger than yourself while they are sleeping and unable to attack. Go
save your game.
You should have a significant stockpile of GP by now. When you have at least 300, go to Garinham and upgrade your Leather Armor to the Chain Mail. Return to Tantegel and save the game again.
Your goal now is to acquire
the 560 GP for the Hand Axe. You should not need to resort to the Hurt
Spell to kill stronger enemies in this area very often now. You should be
able to combat them with your weapons with a fair amount of effectiveness
and save your MP for the Heal Spell. I still do my GP building in the
foothills South of Tantegel.
Once you have the GP, go to Garinham and
purchase the Hand Axe. Then head back to Tantegel Castle and save the game
yet again.
Testing the strength of Swamp Cave's enemies
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Before you set out again,
make sure that you have at least one torch and 4 herbs in your inventory.
Head toward the village of Kol. When you
cross the second bridge, you will see a poisonous swamp. Walk through this
swamp, watch your HP carefully while doing this! Enter the cave you find
in the Southern area of the swamp.
The enemies here are worth good XP and GP,
and are not overly strong. Also, there is a perfectly straight hallway
which runs North/South you can walk up and down and fight enemies in.
Whenever you can go no farther South, turn around and walk back to the
North until you hit the wall. The stairs back outside the cave should be
right under your feet at that point. This way you don't have to keep
purchasing torches. Build GP and XP here for a while, and gauge the
strength of the enemies you will face in this cave.
Remember, you're going to have a long walk
home when you decide to return to Tantegel Castle, and there is a
poisonous swamp between here and there! Try to save at least 8 MP for the
trip home. In an emergency, use wings or go to Kol and rest at the Inn.
If you go North and the stairs aren't there,
you've somehow gotten turned around and make a wrong turn. Light the
emergency torch you brought with you and head North and West. The stairs
are in the Northwest corner. If you need a map of this cave
Click Here.
Your goal is to reach
level-9. I use Swamp Cave for this, but you can also try using the Sleep
Spell and combat Skeletons in the Desert South of Kol.
Level-9 offers a massive increase in power,
as well as a good increase in MP. More importantly, you receive the
Radiant Spell. This costs 3 MP, but lights up an area twice the size of a
torch. It slowly wears down as you walk, however. Go save your game.
Your next goal is 1000 GP and the Half Plate Armor. I use
either the Desert South of Kol (safer) or the first floor of Mountain Cave
for this. If you choose to brave the dangers of Mountain Cave, look in
part 2 of the walkthrough to see how to get there.
Once you have the Half Plate Armor, go save
your game. That took long enough you don't want to do it all over again!
A strange valley in the mountains and a stair in the
earth
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There seems to be a narrow valley just West of Kol. It is connected to the area near Kol by a land bridge. Follow this valley and you will come upon a set of stairs in the ground.
Where does this valley lead?
The monsters here, even
Skeletons, should prove not to be much danger to you now.
Talk to the old man you find at the bottom of
the stairs. He is one of the keepers of the items you need to reach the
Dragonlord's Isle, the Staff of Rain! He insists upon testing you,
however. He wants you to retrieve the Silver Harp and bring it to him.
Silver Harp? You've heard about a flute, but
not a Silver Harp. Hmmmm.... Guess we'll continue on for now, but remember
where this old man is.
Now your goal is level-10.
Level yourself up in either the Mountain Cave, the desert South of Kol, or
the Swamp Cave.
Level-10 brings with it a good increase in
power, lots of speed, some mediocre HP and MP, and the all important
Stopspell.
Stopspell will now allow you to do battle
with the Warlocks and their dastardly Sleep Spell. Concentrate on
Stopspelling these buggers before they nail you with Sleep or you won't
live very long.
Go get yourself a full load of 6 herbs and a
wing if you don't already have them in your possession. Then save your
game and prepare for the journey ahead.
Journey through Swamp Cave and the town of Rimuldar
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Now head for Swamp Cave. Your goal here is to simply pass through, not to explore. In fact, if you explore very much, you may be sorry that you did!
-{ Swamp Cave }- Click to view Map
Pop a Radiant Spell. Head South until you hit the wall. Go East one and South one and you should see the stairs. Just head for the stairs and don't mess around too much. You'll want to conserve your power for the journey ahead.
Now you're on the Southern
continent. Enemies here are much more dangerous and include Wolves which
are very fast. Warlocks have the Hurt and Sleep Spells. Warlocks here tend
to use Sleep much more often than those in the Mountain Cave, if you
ventured there and were silly enough to go down to the second floor. Metal
Scorpions also appear, but they are nowhere near the XP dynamos that most
metal creatures in DQ games are.
Head South and toward the desert East of the
mountains. Stay in the trees East of this desert, as enemy attacks will
increase in frequency dramatically in the desert.
Stay out of the desert, ignore the path West
You'll see a path West as you are skirting around the desert, but keep going South. At the end of the craggy mountain range, head West and enter the island town of Rimuldar.
After such a long journey, town sure looks good!
Don't be afraid to use a few herbs during this journey, as the enemies are dangerous. Also, don't be afraid to retreat with wings if the situation becomes dangerous. Try to keep at least two herbs on hand for the trip home.
Explore town and talk to
everyone. Here you will discover that the Stones of Sunlight are in
Tantegel Castle. This is another of the three items you will need to
confront the Dragonlord. Another person asks if you have any proof that
you are the descendant of Erdrick. An old man says Erdrick entered the
lair of the Dragonlord through a secret entrance. One soldier says all
true warriors wear a ring.
The Inn is expensive (55 GP), but you are a
long way from home. For sale in the Weapons Shop is the Broadsword, Full
Plate Armor, and Magic Armor. There is no General Store in Rimuldar, so
don't let your herbs run completely out while you are in this area.
If you've really explored carefully, you
might have found the key cutter. At the entrance of town, go North at the
last red brick square and follow the water's edge to reach it.
Going to buy some keys
Magic Keys cost 53 GP, and I
wouldn't really worry about purchasing any right now.
Hmmmmm...... All true warriors wear a ring,
eh?
I am not affiliated with anybody who's stuff appears on
any of these pages. I do this for fun and to help people out.
Copyright 1998 Chris Boger
