Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake Guide – Walkthrough Progression

This Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake Guide walks you through Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake from the opening moments at Tantegel Castle all the way to defeating the Dragonlord and unlocking every key item, Mini Medal, scroll, and missable reward.

If you’re returning to Alefgard or experiencing the Erdrick Saga for the first time, this walkthrough ensures you see everything the game has to offer in a single run.

The game isn’t divided into chapters, so this guide breaks your journey into clear phases players naturally experience:

Early Game Walkthrough

Tantegel Castle → Craggy Cave (100% Completion)

This first segment focuses on building early momentum: grabbing core scrolls, securing guaranteed Mini Medals, obtaining the Faerie Flute, and unlocking the Thief’s Key route as fast as possible.

Tantegel Castle & Town

1. Name Your Hero
Your name affects starting stats. Since the first four letters shape your build, consider re-rolling if you want a stronger early game. After selecting difficulty, the game opens in the throne room where the King grants your initial objective.

2. Adjust Helpful Settings
Before stepping outside, open the Options menu and enable the helpful display settings. Turning on treasure and secret spot indicators ensures you won’t miss easy early items.

3. Explore and Prepare
Loot everything inside the castle and visit the town. Speak to NPCs to unlock early hints for key items and locations. When ready, exit north toward Erdrick’s Hollow.

Travel to Erdrick’s Hollow

Sparkly Spots
As you walk through the overworld, look for sparkling glints on the ground. These reward early equipment or extra gold that accelerates your early upgrades. Detour for them when possible.

Erdrick’s Hollow

1. First Floor (B1)
Head forward to trigger a brief scene. Before descending, fully loot the floor:

• Leather Shield
• Sand Smoke Scroll
• Sacred Knife
• Dragon Scale

Use scrolls immediately to expand your abilities—early spells significantly smooth combat difficulty.

2. Second Floor (B2)
Open the chest near the girl speaking to a Slime for a Mini Medal. Continue until you reach Erdrick’s Tablet and read the inscription.

3. Exit Efficiently
Use a Chimaera Wing to warp back to Tantegel rather than walking out manually.

Return to Tantegel → Wayfarer’s Chapel

1. Report back to the King to progress the story.
2. Head north to reach the Wayfarer’s Chapel, unlocking it as a future Zoom/Chimaera warp point.

Forgotten Ruins

• Cross the bridge northeast of the chapel.
• Check the barrel near the houses for a Mini Medal.
• Speak to Zalen by the pond to start a mini side thread we’ll continue later.

Bridge → Kol Village

Cross the next bridge to the south; after a short scene, follow the path north into Kol. Grab Sparkly Spots along the forest route.

In Kol:

Only buy essentials here—better gear awaits shortly.

Shrine of Rain

Head west from Kol to reach the shrine. Enemy strength bumps up here, so enter stocked and healed.

Inside you must:

• Speak with the Sage (story progression)
• Loot the right chest for a Crack Scroll
• Check left pots for a Mini Medal

Zoom back to Tantegel, report progress, and the King sends you toward Galenholm.

Galenholm

Travel northwest from Erdrick’s Hollow to reach this town.

Things to do:

• Buy Iron Axe and Chain Mail when affordable
• Skip the Iron Shield—you’ll get a free one soon
• Read the bookshelf in the bottom-right house for the Safe Passage Scroll
• Visit the harbor for a Mini Medal

When ready, travel south to the Roadside Inn.

Roadside Inn

• Enter the room for a short cutscene
• Search for a Mini Medal
• Grind here if needed—enemy EXP is efficient in this region

Nameless Ruins

South of the inn, near the poison swamp.

• Loot the Ruby Wristband (+8 Defense)
• Speak to Zalen again if you met him previously

Faerie Village

You’ll arrive here naturally after the ruins.

Loot everything:

• Snub Scroll + Crackle Scroll from left house
• Mini Medal, Full Moon Ring, Magic Water, 2 Spirit Waters from right house

The Crackle spell is a huge early-game power spike for upcoming bosses.

Craggy Cave

Your first major multi-floor dungeon challenge.

Boss 1: Robbin ’Ood & Crew
• Target his minions first—they heal him
• Use AoE spells like Sizzle/Crackle to wipe the group
• Burst Robbin ’Ood afterward

B1 Treasure:
Mini Medal, Ten Ton Toupee, 340G, Boomerang, Nose for Treasure Scroll

B2 Treasure Route:
Only two staircases matter. Grab:

• Muster Strength Scroll
• Bronze Shield, 2 Magic Waters, Choker, Zombie Mail

Boss 2: The Sorcerer
• Casts Fizzle to silence you—have physical tools ready
• Flame Slash is your safe damage fallback
• After winning, speak to Robbin ’Ood at the entrance to receive the Thief’s Key

Faerie Village (Revisit)

• Use the Thief’s Key to open the locked chest
• Claim the Faerie Foil — a very strong weapon for this stage

Mid-Game Walkthrough (Quagmire Cave → Damdara)

By this point, your hero should have a solid spell list, a few powerful scrolls learned, and the Faerie Foil in hand. The Mid-Game opens up the world dramatically, introducing tougher regions, higher-payoff grinding spots, and several key items that set the stage for the final act. Expect the difficulty curve to ramp—this phase teaches you resource management, survival, and travel efficiency.

Quagmire Cave

Your journey continues through the poison-soaked marshes leading into Quagmire Cave. Every step drains health, so go in with healing stocked—Herbs, Magic Water, and the Safe Passage scroll (if learned) are all useful.

1. Reaching the Cave
Cross the poisonous swamp to the entrance. Heal after crossing; the real danger lies inside.

2. Navigating the Cave (First Visit)
Ignore the locked door to the lower right. You’re not ready for that route yet. Instead, hug the left wall, follow it downward, then veer right, and continue until you spot the exit. You’ll leave from a different point on the overworld—continue a short distance south to reach Rimuldar.

Rimuldar

Rimuldar serves as your first “mid-tier hub” and offers the resources you need to break into the second half of the game.

1. Stock Up on Magic Keys
Visit the northwest shop and buy several Magic Keys. You’ll need them to unlock sealed doors, including the one you skipped in Quagmire Cave. Grab at least 5.

Also buy a Chimaera Wing—it will save you a lot of backtracking.

2. Recommended Level Checkpoint
If you’re not around Level 12, step outside Rimuldar and grind for a bit.
Tip: South of Rimuldar, you may encounter Gold Golems. They’re tanky but drop large amounts of gold, accelerating your gear upgrades significantly.

3. Essential Gear Upgrades
Once you have the funds, prioritize:

Magic Armour is especially valuable because it helps sustain exploration in dangerous regions without burning items constantly.

4. Loot the Town
Check pots and containers for extra gold and a Seed of Resilience.

Once supplied, return to Quagmire Cave—this time, to claim the secret behind the locked door.

Quagmire Cave – Green Dragon Boss

With Magic Keys in hand, head back to the cave and unlock the door you skipped earlier. Beyond it lies your first major solo endurance check.

Boss: Green Dragon

This is the first real “wake-up call” boss. The Green Dragon hits harder and can wipe you if you underestimate its offense.

Battle Tips:

• Keep HP above 40 at all times
• Use your strongest physical abilities to avoid spell dependence
• Don’t hesitate to heal early—two attacks back-to-back can end the run

Defeat the Green Dragon to rescue Princess Gwaelin. Once she joins you, proceed deeper for the exit.

Escort Back to Tantegel

Use a Chimaera Wing to warp straight to Tantegel Castle instead of walking back. Speak with the princess to receive the Princess’s Pledge, which will matter later.

Cantlin

Once Gwaelin is safe, your next major objective lies to the south. Prepare for a long journey.

1. Traveling to Cantlin
From Tantegel, head west, then follow the southern coastline until you reach the Alefgard region. Cantlin sits in the central area—make sure you’re topped up before entering.

2. Boss: The Golem
Your entrance triggers an immediate battle with the town’s guardian.

The Golem hits incredibly hard, but here’s the trick:
The Faerie Flute can put the Golem to sleep.

Simply play the flute whenever it wakes up and attack while it sleeps. Repeat until victory. This reduces the difficulty from “brutal” to “free win.”

With the Golem defeated, Cantlin becomes a safe town again.

3. Gear Check & Level Goal
Use Cantlin as your mid-game training ground. Aim for Level 18 before moving onward—the next areas spike sharply.

Gold grinding here is efficient. Use this chance to buy:

These two items essentially carry you to late-game.

4. When Ready: Head West to Damdara

Damdara

Damdara is a poisoned, fallen town—your first hint of what the Dragonlord’s influence has done across the world.

1. Knight Aberrant Boss
Approach the shiny patch on the right side of town to trigger the encounter.

The Knight Aberrant can cast Snooze to put you to sleep, opening you up to deadly combos. Counter this by casting Fizzle immediately to shut down its magic.

With magic sealed, the fight becomes a manageable physical duel. Gear from Cantlin makes a huge difference here.

2. Claim Erdrick’s Armour
Inspect the sparkle after the fight to obtain the legendary Erdrick’s Armour:

• +28 Defense
• Heals you with every step
• Nullifies damaging floor tiles

This is a game-changing upgrade and arguably the strongest armor for the rest of the game. After obtaining it, return to Cantlin.

3. Prepare for the Final Act
Buy a Chimaera Wing and one Magic Key, then warp to Tantegel to begin the late-game item hunt.