What's a good starting point for a Dragon Quest newbie?

[PhrawzT]

I would recommend 1 to start off with to get an idea of what you are getting into and then 3, 8, 9 or 11 from there.

 

[miguk]

Play the original versions and avoid all remakes.
Release order is always the correct answer when asking where to start a series (anime, game and such)

All of these games are really basic for their times, they were meant to be beginner's rpgs, made to to introduce the genre to console gamers who were unfamiliar with it.

The american nes versions of I, II, III and IV have a very different (I would say better) script than their modern remakes, the same goes for the fan translated sfc versions of V and VI.
Unlike in the modern official translations these do not have the bizarre accents and lack the "party chat" feature introduced with IV's remake

Also II really gets too much hatred, It's good and way better than I.

The original versions have several problems with them. On top of worse graphics and music and lower QoL, the first official English translations were mediocre-to-bad up until DQVIII. All of the humor was removed from them, notably including the Puff-Puff but also all the little bits of whimsy. And everything was rewritten in a fake version of þe-olde Ænglisc which makes it harder to read both due to unnecessary archaicisms and the utter dryness of it all. That and the pseudo-Western wannabe D&D feel drained them of the more playful style of Akira Toriyama's works. They simply don't have the fun factor of the original scripts, unlike the later retranslations.

DQ was not built to be beginner RPGs; that's simply false conjecture. The original DQ was supposed to be an RPG that fit the limitations of the console and what programmers knew they could do with it at the time. As the series progressed, it became a nostalgic series for Japanese audiences, and thus tried to keep some of those nostalgic properties. They seem simple not because they are purposely simple, but because they are supposed to remind you of a simpler time in gaming history even as the games become more advanced.

 

[WerewolfJones]

As others have pointed out, there isn’t really many bad places to start with Dragon Quest. I feel VIII, as a whole, is THE best starting point. VIII does a great job of creating a classic Dragon Quest feeling, while also being (relatively) modern. I think you’d do well with either the PS2 or 3DS versions.

III is another great starting point. I feel like III is the quintessential DQ game. It’s a game fine tuned and classic enough that it’s had very few changes to it since its SFC version, the HD Remaster not standing. I heavily suggest any version of it.

V is one of the best narratively, and a genuine joy of a game. You wouldn’t go wrong with any version, but DS is probably the best.

 

[HextarVigar]

I've never played the Dragon Quest games except the Dragon Quest Monsters series. What's a good game to start with? The first one or is there a different one that's better? I've played a lot of JRPGs new and old so I'm not new to the genre.

They're actually all pretty much the same gameplay-wise.

 

[miguk]

They're actually all pretty much the same gameplay-wise.

This is false, and the common refrain argued by people who hate on DQ. Every DQ game adds new features that were not in previous installments, and has core gameplay features that make the particular installment play differently from both past and later games. And the remakes build on that, with QoL and story expansions.

Some examples:

• DQ3 lets you recruit team members from a guild instead of getting them through the story.
• DQ4 has you play mini-RPG prequels for all of the supporting characters before you start the main story.
• DQ7 has a job system similar to Final Fantasy V.
• DQ8 has skill trees and an alchemy pot to create items.
• DQ9 has multiplayer.

If you started and stopped the games early, then they look pretty similar, as not all features are available from the start. But if you just give it a little time, you notice the gameplay differences.

 

[HextarVigar]

This is false, and the common refrain argued by people who hate on DQ. Every DQ game adds new features that were not in previous installments, and has core gameplay features that make the particular installment play differently from both past and later games.

Some examples:

• DQ3 lets you recruit team members from a guild instead of getting them through the story.
• DQ4 has you play mini-RPG prequels for all of the supporting characters before you start the main story.
• DQ7 has a job system similar to Final Fantasy V.
• DQ8 has skill trees and an alchemy pot to create items.
• DQ9 has multiplayer.

If you started and stopped the games early, then they look pretty similar, as not all features are available from the start. But if you just give it a little time, you notice the gameplay differences.

I meant gameplay-wise, not the extras. It's not like with Final Fantasy where the games can be completely different from one game to the next.

 

[miguk]

I meant gameplay-wise, not the extras. It's not like with Final Fantasy where the games can be completely different from one game to the next.

Your italics clarify nothing. Final Fantasy games all play the same if you ignore the changes made. Same can be said for any game series.

 

[WerewolfJones]

I think that while the basics can be the same, I do think each game adds enough to have their own distinct identity gameplay wise. The fact the general gameplay base is the same is, to me, a boon. It adds to the series and knowing what you’re getting into. DQ doesn’t revolutionize each game and to me that’s a good thing. I can say I’m a fan of DQ the franchise, while only being a fan of specific FF games at this point, if that makes any sense.

 

[HextarVigar]

Your italics clarify nothing. Final Fantasy games all play the same if you ignore the changes made. Same can be said for any game series.

I'll also thank you to not put words in my mouth.

 

[WerewolfJones]

View attachment 29198

I'll also thank you to not put words in my mouth.

I’ll be honest: I’m not sure what this image is supposed to prove.

 

[miguk]

I think that while the basics can be the same, I do think each game adds enough to have their own distinct identity gameplay wise. The fact the general gameplay base is the same is, to me, a boon. It adds to the series and knowing what you’re getting into. DQ doesn’t revolutionize each game and to me that’s a good thing. I can say I’m a fan of DQ the franchise, while only being a fan of specific FF games at this point, if that makes any sense.

Final Fantasy peaked on the SNES, did okay on the PS1, went downhill on the PS2, and has been undead ever since. It's a series that tries way too hard to reinvent itself while forgetting what made it great to begin with.

DQ, on the other hand, never forgets what makes it special. It always builds on what it did right before and makes improvements by adapting the parts people liked most to the new entries. Some things do get lost along the way, but never enough that the series ever went completely downhill. (Yes, DQ7 is slow and DQ10 shouldn't have been a main series entry, but otherwise they continue to do well.)

 

[HextarVigar]

I’ll be honest: I’m not sure what this image is supposed to prove.

Stimpy here thinks I'm slagging on the series.

 

[miguk]

View attachment 29198

I'll also thank you to not put words in my mouth.

I have no clue what words you think I put in your mouth. You literally used nothing but italics for your one-sentence "clarification." I just described your sentence and that's it.

As for your pictures, it's the same non-statement. All I see are a variety of different looking Akira Toriyama characters from totally different stories with no indication of what you are trying to say. Looks like a huge variety to me, and a lot more fun than recent Final Fantasy games.

 

[WerewolfJones]

Final Fantasy peaked on the SNES, did okay on the PS1, went downhill on the PS2, and has been undead ever since. It's a series that tries way too hard to reinvent itself while forgetting what made it great to begin with.

DQ, on the other hand, never forgets what makes it special. It always builds on what it did right before and makes improvements by adapting the parts people liked most to the new entries. Some things do get lost along the way, but never enough that the series ever went completely downhill. (Yes, DQ7 is slow and DQ10 shouldn't have been a main series entry, but otherwise they continue to do well.)

That’s what I feel, more or less. Even some of those ‘downhill’ moments are great. Divisive as 7 is, it’s (3DS version at least) my favorite of the series. I’d freely admit it’s a terrible starting point though.

 

[miguk]

Stimpy here thinks I'm slagging on the series.

This makes no sense either, but sounds like you're trying to be insulting. Remember, we have a rule here against uncivil behavior.

It is not my fault if you fail to get across your opinion when posting a mere single sentence twice to explain it. The burden of proof is on the person arguing the point, not the audience. If you can't articulate your opinion, that's your own personal failure that nobody else is responsible for.

 

[Jeanfranc]

The original versions have several problems with them. On top of worse graphics and music and lower QoL, the first official English translations were mediocre-to-bad up until DQVIII. All of the humor was removed from them, notably including the Puff-Puff but also all the little bits of whimsy. And everything was rewritten in a fake version of þe-olde Ænglisc which makes it harder to read both due to unnecessary archaicisms and the utter dryness of it all.

Holy kek

DQ was not built to be beginner RPGs;

Go tell that to Yuji Horii

The original DQ was supposed to be an RPG that fit the limitations of the console and what programmers knew they could do with it at the time.

Yeah obviously, I'm saying that the first games were really basic considering the time when they came out.
The combat system in DQ1,2,3 and 4 is a simplified version of the combat from Wizardry, a game from 1981, while the overworld is based on Ultima, which released in 1980.

Post automatically merged: Feb 20, 2025

Final Fantasy peaked on the SNES, did okay on the PS1, went downhill on the PS2, and has been undead ever since. It's a series that tries way too hard to reinvent itself while forgetting what made it great to begin with.

Indeed it died a slow and painful death after Sakaguchi left, and now lives a sad reanimated corpse

 

[miguk]

Holy kek

Go tell that to Yuji Horii

Yeah obviously, I'm saying that the first games were really basic considering the time when they came out.
The combat system in DQ1,2,3 and 4 is a simplified version of the combat from Wizardry, a game from 1981, while the overworld is based on Ultima, which released in 1980.

Ugh, please refrain from using terminology from the moronic cesspool that is the number-honorific image boards. You just make yourself sound suspicious and untrustworthy by using that.

Yes, they used accents. So what? That's been a thing in DQ since DQ8. And it reads much better than "Lo, ye grate knyte hath returneth afor a fortnyte on yonder lande." (Exaggerating there, but you get the point.) The old translation are drier than a crouton on a sand dune. The accents add character to the people you talk to in the games, and makes it feel more like an Akira Toriyama series.

I haven't seen Yuji Horii argue that, and you provide no evidence.

I know that DQ is Wizardry + Ultima. And I also know that it came out for the Famicom at a time when the programmers were still figuring out what the system can do. The simplification was needed to deal with the fact that the system didn't come with a keyboard and wasn't made for heavily text-based gaming.

 

[Grumpy_Old_Man]

It may be a crude take, but I can't take post VIII translations, so I usually recommend III, V(ps2) and VII(ps1).
I like the first one, but be prepared to talk to all the npcs as the game is very open from the beginning.
Shakespearean English is far easier to understand that the many accents in those modern translations(not everybody is a native).

 

[WerewolfJones]

I’ll admit I actually don’t mind most of the modern DQ translations. I feel using dialects adds flavor to things, though I think they go beyond what is necessary at times. IV is the biggest example of this I can think of.

 

[Astuma]

Play in order starting with I
NES for hard mode of I & II avoid NES III.
SNES for easy mode of I and II play SNES version of III
and either Dragon Quest IV Japan IV English patched or Dragon Quest IV Party chat enabled for the NDS

Dragon Quest V The only up sides for the NDS version is -

• A third Heavenly Bride is introduced: Debora Briscoletti, the older sister of Nera. Unlike the other two brides, Debora is temperamental and intimidating, generally scaring off all potential suitors. Due to her aggressive personality, she is more of a physical fighter than the other brides, and can equip a wider selection of weapons.
• Debora appears along with Rodrigo & Nera at the start of Generation I.
  
  
  
• Healing spells known by Pankraz and Honey can be used out of battle during the first generation.
  
  The fan translated PS2 version doesnt have Debora and you cant cast Pankraz and Honey healing spells but if you dont care about that play the PS2 version.
  Maybe Debora can be patched into the PS2 version
  
  Dragon Quest VI fan translated SNES has memorize conversations NDS memorize conversations is replaced with party chats.
  SNES has monster companions NDS monster companions are replaced with slime companions.
  A slime monster arena was included in the NDS version
  
  Dragon Quest VII 3DS the entire opening section to streamline the introduction to the story and characters to the point that approximately two hours have been removed.
  The Tidal Wave skill has been removed in response to the Kanto Earthquake disaster of 2011.
  I hate when things get changed , removed from , taken out of tv shows , movies , video games because of real life events.
  The Haven PS1 vs 3DS -
  The Haven lets the player recruit people from various towns in the PSX Version, which changes depending on the type of people living there (e.g. several merchants will bring more stores to the town). In the 3DS remake the system is dependent on Traveller's Tablets after a brief tutorial, and the culture of the settlement is no longer variable. Additionally, all the inhabitants of the haven are reformed monsters instead of mundane folk, with the syntax of their past life carrying over into their current persona.
  Other than that PS1 is hard mode and 3DS is easy mode
  
  Dragon Quest VIII PS2 uncensored 3DS patched uncensors Jesica I dont know if it uncensors these 2 scenes or not -
  Two scenes were toned down by censoring David being forced to eat dog food and Marcello no longer stabbing himself with a dagger to snap himself out of Rhapthorne's control.
  3DS extra content and the pot is instant
  
  Dragon Quest IX Character customization
  Expanded alchemy system
  Theres features that require you to modify the DNS settings to force the DS to connect to a fan run recreation of the server.
  
  You already know which version of Dragon Quest XI to play its just a matter of what console.
  
  Theres an English fan translation of X but I dont think theres a pre patched one.

 

[NeonKnights]

The NES version Dragon Warrior is great. I'm playing it now. Though NPC's keep asking me if I met Nester. I didn't know nester was even in any other games besides "Nester's Funky Bowling".

 

[Jeanfranc]

Ugh, please refrain from using terminology from the moronic cesspool that is the number-honorific image boards. You just make yourself sound suspicious and untrustworthy by using that.

Yes, I'm very suspicious and untrustworthy, nothing less from the renowned scary hacker known as "4 chan"

Yes, they used accents. So what?

It's really hard to understand for a non native english speaker, It's mainly the ds games that suffer from this, especially IV. There is a translation In my native tongue but not for the party chat feature, and that's the main appeal of the remakes for me

 

[RirisuPK]

11 is literally perfect for beginners. After that, 8.