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[Cheerilee]

Really, it seems like the best thing is just to start with 3 fighters, or maybe 2 and a thief, and then take advantage of their hige stat boosts and create beefed up sages and soldiers.

In the NES game, when you changed class, it would just cut all of your stats in half, start you back at level 1, and then give you stat growth that was normal for your class. The remake seems to know what kind of stats you're supposed to have at any given level, and if you have too much of one stat, it's not likely to give you any more.

So basically, in the NES version, any class change was good. If you went from Cleric to Wizard, you'd have a character who was 150% magician. If you went from Fighter to Wizard, you'd have a character who was 50% fighter and 100% magician (a third class change would make you 25% 50% 100%, and so on). Now if you go from Cleric to Wizard, you're just a 100% magician with really shitty promotions until your levels catch up.

So now your only wise choice is to use opposite classes to let major strengths shore up major weaknesses. I'm not exactly sure how the personalities affect this. I imagine the best thing to do is to use the personalities to lean even heavier into the class you're in. And using stat-bonus seeds before the end of the game seems like a bad idea now, but it was already a good idea to hold onto them until after your class-changes are done.

After the DS remakes, the lack of a heal all menu option is excruciating.

Bring up the menu, hit "Tactics", and then hit "Restore".

 

[lucablight]

Does anyone remember Illuminus?

 

[Chairhome]

Man, I really want to play this, but I'm trying to finish up DQ VII, which will take a while.

 

[Ledsen]

So this is weird... I started playing this yesterday while waiting for my Xbox 360 to come back from the repair center, and I'm actually enjoying it. I used to be a huge RPG nerd when I was younger, but I never played a DQ game before (except 7 and 8 for about 30 minutes each). Nowadays I can't stand most jrpgs with their slow battles and pretentious storylines that only seem to cater to 12-year old boys, and in the last few years I've gravitated more towards shooters and wrpgs. The only jrpgs I've played and enjoyed recently have been Odin Sphere and Persona 3.

Oddly enough DQ3, with it's NES-era approach to battles and story, has managed to keep my attention for a few hours so far and I still want to keep playing. The key is that I don't have to sit through hours of juvenile dialogue/cut scenes or watch slow and uninteresting battle animations repeat endlessly until I turn off in disgust. The battles are short and snappy and the story is basically nonexistent (no angsty emo kids as far as the eye can see!), I just walk from place to place killing cute enemies and enjoying the beautiful 16-bit graphics. The towns are small, the people have very little to say, and everything moves along at a brisk and refreshing pace. I like it

 

[JayDubya]

So, this thread kind of went by the wayside, but played it, loved it, thought the dice game was very time-consuming, ultimately just started cheating (save states) to get to the end on those, and only played them like 1-2 times each.

Still haven't done the post Zoma content, but I kept trying to beat him without the Ball of Light and man was that just not happening.

I'm guessing Zoma's still going to be there because the end of game save does not keep any of your actions on your last run down to Charlock.

 

[vag 2.0]

Oddly enough DQ3, with it's NES-era approach to battles and story, has managed to keep my attention for a few hours so far and I still want to keep playing. The key is that I don't have to sit through hours of juvenile dialogue/cut scenes or watch slow and uninteresting battle animations repeat endlessly until I turn off in disgust. The battles are short and snappy and the story is basically nonexistent (no angsty emo kids as far as the eye can see!)

From this post I think you would really, really like the rest of the series as well. Later ones have more story, but it's pretty good and doesn't get in the way (and in the case of DQV, is... great.)

I started, have terrible stats and am finding it a little hard going. Worth re-rolling sexy?

edit: Sexy hero, Lewd Fighter, Thief (Forget personality, but 18 health at level 5? 40 agility...) and an eager Cleric with tons of health and little MP. Hmm.

 

[Ledsen]

From this post I think you would really, really like the rest of the series as well. Later ones have more story, but it's pretty good and doesn't get in the way (and in the case of DQV, is... great.)

Yeah, I'm already contemplating getting IV and V for the DS. The thing is, when I was younger, the story was all I cared about in a jrpg. So when I got older and stopped enjoying the typical jrpg plot and characters, there was nothing left for me to like about the genre. The cut scenes were no longer something I looked forward to, instead they made me cringe. So I stopped playing jrpgs. Playing DQ3, I realize I probably would've hated it in my younger days. It has no epic story, no flashy combat and no hyper-emotional characters, things that used to be essential for my enjoyment of a game. I realize that by doing away with those things, I can once again find that sense of adventure and fun that I lost so long ago amid the crazy-haired teenagers and Evangelion-esque high school philosophy that destroyed my enjoyment of the genre. I make it sound like some kind of revelation, when it's really not, but it's nice to enjoy a jrpg again

 

[Mejilan]

Dragon Quest is rather famous for being about the journey, not the destination. If you're liking this fan translation of III, I would definitely recommend hitting up the DS remakes of IV, V, and VI. I think you'll appreciate how the series has progressed and evolved. Just don't get too used to the obsolete spell and monster naming conventions you see in DQIII. The translators skewed towards the older Dragon Warrior style versus the newer Dragon Quest style employed these days.

Also, the next original entry in the franchise, Dragon Quest IX, also seems to be bringing back some DQIII elements not used in later DQs, so I think you'll definitely want to check that out, once it hits. It too is going to be a DS game, for what it's worth. First time a mainline numbered Dragon Quest debuts on a handheld instead of a console, I believe!

 

[vag 2.0]

Is it one of those translations?

 

[Ledsen]

So I just cleared the pyramid, now about to go around the world opening magic key doors I must say the fast forward function in the emulator is a godsend, when I get frustrated with the constant fighting I just blaze through them in mere seconds.

 

[JayDubya]

I went (partially on Scarlet's FAQ recommendation):
Cleric (Pilgrim) until I got Vivify => Soldier (Warrior)
Thief until I got her last spell => Fighter (Martial Artist)
Wizard => Sage

And that worked pretty well for me. However, Zen books are easy to come by, and the Sage's equipment list is impressive - I could see someone wanting to do 3 sages.

There's enough good Soldier only stuff that I'm glad I converted my Cleric over into a pseudo-Paladin. Really converting only seems to help the overall statistical utility of your characters, so it seems smart to do it ASAP. Thief is also ridiculous in the early game, but Fighter far outstrips Thief in the end (and really, it's due to available equipment), so that one seems a no-brainer, too.

 

[firex]

The only downside, from what I remember, is you don't gain MP (or at least don't gain very much MP) when you switch from a spellcasting class to a non-spellcasting class. That basically leaves the soldier/warrior and the fighter/martial artist a bit weak when it comes to spells, although with enough equipment it may not really matter.

 

[vag 2.0]

I have (level 16 or so, post pyramid):

Hero {Sexy}
Fighter {Lewd}
Thief {Tomboy} - has ridiculous agility/defence, 2x that of the others, not sure how.
Cleric {Sexy}

How does the class changing work? Any ideas what my best options are with that starting crew?

 

[Red Scarlet]

I have (level 16 or so, post pyramid):

Hero {Sexy}
Fighter {Lewd}
Thief {Tomboy} - has ridiculous agility/defence, 2x that of the others, not sure how.
Cleric {Sexy}

How does the class changing work? Any ideas what my best options are with that starting crew?

Thief probably has the high defense due to the high agility stat. Every 2 points of agility = 1 base defense point.

Class changing

Spoiler

works when you get to the place that does it, Dharma. You have to be level 20 at least to change a character. You can change any character but the Hero to any other class. That new character will keep his or her spells already learned when class is changed, but will not learn any new spells from the previous class.

All stats are halved, and the character starts at level 1. If you change from a mage/cleric to a fighter or soldier, that character can still cast whatever spells he or she previously had, but will not gain any more MP as a fighter or soldier. A character that was previously a merchant will no longer find extra money after battles after changing, and a character that was previously a thief will no longer find an extra item after battles, either.

I'd suggest keeping the Cleric as a Cleric because they learn the '50% chance revive' spell and the 'reduce breath damage on the party' spell much sooner than a Sage will. After the Thief learns her last spell (no idea what it's called, may be "mapmagic" like in the GBC one..it's the one that if you cast it when there's something hidden on the screen, a sparkle will appear, and it's learned around level 20), you may want to look into making her a Sage, which learns both cleric and magician spells at the same time. Sages have their own equipment set, which may cost you some money to get stuff that can be equipped. Sages can equip many of the same things clerics can, plus a couple more things. How do you become a Sage? Speaking to the people at Dharma should fill you in on exactly how

.

Have the translators fixed the defense/equip bug in this version of the game? It was only in this one.

 

[Gruco]

So I finally went ahead and smacked down Zoma. Fun trip down memory lane, but am now debating whether or not it is really worth doing to Bonus dungeon. The class and combat systems frankly leave a lot to be desired; I feel like it will just end up being a level grind.

 

[Red Scarlet]

3's bonus dungeon is my favorite in the series. It's got a lot of really awesome battles. The badguys were ramped up quite a bit from the regular last dungeon

Spoiler

2 Baramos at once

.

 

[vag 2.0]

Would fighter be a better option for a thief, leaving a Cleric>Sage switch when I have those spells? Though I'd have two fighters and one caster then. hmm.

It's quite weird thinking about character setups so early into a DQ! Weird in a good way, though.

 

[Red Scarlet]

I change my Thief into a Fighter around level 22 or so, but the 'bad' thing about the Cleric->Sage after getting those spells is that it is pretty close to the end of the game. It works out for me mainly because that's when I get my 2nd book to change into a Sage at that point.

 

[Man God]

I've played three so many times its not even funny, and yet I almost always end up with my final party being Hero, Fighter (Former Sage, former Cleric), Sage, Sage.

 

[Android18a]

Hmm.. I used that Snestool proggy, and loading the game does get the translators splash screen up, but after that it freezes black. Zsnes says "bad rom"...

I deleted the header and installed the patch as per instructions, but I obviously fail at this. I'll wait for Square to translate it for VC I suppose, unless anyone has ideas.

 

[Man God]

Hmm.. I used that Snestool proggy, and loading the game does get the translators splash screen up, but after that it freezes black. Zsnes says "bad rom"...

I deleted the header and installed the patch as per instructions, but I obviously fail at this. I'll wait for Square to translate it for VC I suppose, unless anyone has ideas.

The GBC version is more or less the same game, translated, with obviously downgraded graphics. Highly recommended and easily the best GBC exclusive RPG.

 

[vag 2.0]

All done: Hero/Fighter/Cleric/Sage - 40/40/40/36, worked out pretty well.

That was very enjoyable! Not sure I'd come back to it in a hurry over say, V, but yeah. Very nicely presented as well.

 

[Mejilan]

I'll wait for Square to translate it for VC I suppose, unless anyone has ideas.

Good luck with that wait! :lol

 

[Cheerilee]

Hmm.. I used that Snestool proggy, and loading the game does get the translators splash screen up, but after that it freezes black. Zsnes says "bad rom"...

I deleted the header and installed the patch as per instructions, but I obviously fail at this. I'll wait for Square to translate it for VC I suppose, unless anyone has ideas.

You might have had a bad ROM to start with. Here's how you can check using GoodSNES.

Go here and download GoodSNES. Unzip it to a folder. Is your computer set to show you the full path in the address bar? If not, I suggest renaming the folder something simple (like simply GoodSNES) and putting it somewhere simple (like C:\). Toss all of your ROMs (or copies of them) into this folder as well (they can be zipped or unzipped, it doesn't matter).

Start up a command prompt (should be somewhere in your start menu) and type "cd", followed by a space, and then either paste the address of your GoodSNES folder (using a right click) or type it out manually (it would be C:\GoodSNES if you followed my advice), and hit enter.

Now type "goodsnes rename dirs" and hit enter. GoodSNES will make a list for you detailing which proper, clean, uncorrupted (aka: "good") SNES ROMs you have, rename them to the commonly-accepted Internet standards, and perhaps more amusingly, tell you how many ROMs you don't have. :lol

If your Dragon Quest 3 ROM is bad, you need to find make a new one.

 

[Ledsen]

So I just got the boat! I have a question for the people who've finished this game: How did you go about the exploring the world once you got access to sea travel? Personally I'm using a FAQ, since I don't really have the patience to search every nook and cranny of the world, but I imagine most of you didn't do that. Is there a logical progression with clues where to go next, and if so did you follow it, or did you go about exploring in your little boat? Looking at a map online there seems to be soooo many places to go to that I can't help but feel overwhelmed even when using a FAQ!

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

So I just got the boat! I have a question for the people who've finished this game: How did you go about the exploring the world once you got access to sea travel? Personally I'm using a FAQ, since I don't really have the patience to search every nook and cranny of the world, but I imagine most of you didn't do that. Is there a logical progression with clues where to go next, and if so did you follow it, or did you go about exploring in your little boat? Looking at a map online there seems to be soooo many places to go to that I can't help but feel overwhelmed even when using a FAQ!

It gets a bit open-ended at that point, but there are clues to about three of the next possible destinations in towns you've visited, including one in Portoga. Also, most people stumble on the nearby shrine pretty quickly, which has more clues about what you should be doing in it.

 

[Mejilan]

I've always hunkered down and begun exploring. Usually NPCs can point you in the right direction (either for the main quest, or to cool optional goodies). In particular, hit up the NPCs in the area you last cleared...

Actually, as it so happens, I just got the boat in DQV, so I'm in the same boat as you, as it were! ;p

 

[Cheerilee]

Typically, I just head out to sea, blindly stumble into some land, scope it out a bit from the water, then go ashore, and if the monsters kick my butt I either...

A) Turn myself right around and head back to the ship to look for someplace friendlier.
B) Say "Yay, I'm not supposed to be here yet!" and push on.
C) Run like hell using the Return spell.

... depending on my mood. But if a town's visible from the sea and I think I can reach it, I'll usually push on.

 

[Ledsen]

Wow, Red Scarlets FAQ is awesome! I've been using the newly released one and just now checked RS out for the first time. Just wanted to get that out there.

Anyway, I'm currently debating class choices. My party is ~lvl 20, missing 2 orbs and the classes are

Hero
Fighter
Cleric
Mage

I have one Zen book. My current plan is changing the Mage into a Sage, but beyond that... I have no idea. Any advice?

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Wow, Red Scarlets FAQ is awesome! Just wanted to get that out there.

Anyway, I'm currently debating class choices. My party is ~lvl 20, missing 2 orbs and the classes are

Hero
Fighter
Cleric
Mage

I have one Zen book. My current plan is changing the Mage into a Sage, but beyond that... I have no idea. Any advice?

Don't change the cleric til you get Viviify. Aside from that, what I usually do is turn the cleric into a fighter (good fighter, high agility is great for fastcasting spells in a pinch), and turn the fighter into a cleric. Everyone having access to healing spells is a major boon.

 

[vag 2.0]

I found Hero/Fighter/Cleric/Sage awesome.

My sage was always a couple of levels behind but always very useful.

 

[Gruco]

Okay, so, I went ahead and did the optional dungeon. Dungeon is fun, but I got DESTROYED by the optional boss. Wow. Very, very ugly.

Due to the variety of party customization involved, I might just run through it again....

 

[Red Scarlet]

So I just got the boat! I have a question for the people who've finished this game: How did you go about the exploring the world once you got access to sea travel? Personally I'm using a FAQ, since I don't really have the patience to search every nook and cranny of the world, but I imagine most of you didn't do that. Is there a logical progression with clues where to go next, and if so did you follow it, or did you go about exploring in your little boat? Looking at a map online there seems to be soooo many places to go to that I can't help but feel overwhelmed even when using a FAQ!

I stupidly used the full-game walkthrough in the instruction manual, so that's how I went around..I think you may be given some hints in the town you get the boat in, and exploring coastlines can help too (and if you recognize what DQ3's map represents, that can give some clues, too).

I think I went for free items, keys, and stuff like that first in my guide, which probably makes things a lot/(a little too?) easier when you get free/easy to grab upgrades.

IIRC, you won't get a second book for a while, so by the time that you do, your cleric should have the 50% revive spell and the 'lower breath damage' one, those are the only real preconditions I require now before turning a cleric into a sage.

Sorry if my guide is really wordy and dry, but if it's helpful that's cool.

Okay, so, I went ahead and did the optional dungeon. Dungeon is fun, but I got DESTROYED by the optional boss. Wow. Very, very ugly.

Due to the variety of party customization involved, I might just run through it again....

You can always try a solitary Hero play...

 

[Gruco]

You can always try a solitary Hero play...

hahaha, no.

The all seeds to stamina trick is phenominal, however.

I beat the dragon god dude twice now (at 18 turns the second time). I think I just had really awful luck the first time, plus I was trying to set up too much, instead of just relying on offensive magic. I don't see how I can beat him under 15 thoughh, my 18 attempt did not really leave room for improvement, at least at current levels.

I am glad I went through this; definitely the most challenging optional dungeon in my DQ experience....by a pretty good margin actually.

Should have had better wishes.....

 

[Red Scarlet]

Solo Hero isn't that hard, really, what with 4x the experience. I did it in about 8 1/2 hours.

 

[Aeana]

I also had a really good time with solo hero in DQ3. The only time I've ever really enjoyed any sort of 'challenge' in any RPG, actually. Recommended.

 

[Error]

my favorite DQ

Solo Hero isn't that hard, really, what with 4x the experience. I did it in about 8 1/2 hours.

sure, but you are special.

 

[speedpop]

Solo Hero :lol

You buggers are nuts. It's like those solo Ramza FFT playthroughs, don't have the time or patience to go through with that.

 

[BitchTits]

Has anyone tried this on a PSP with SNES9x?

 

[BitchTits]

I'm currently upto the Pyramid, and I haven't used any books yet - I'm not actually sure what they do, I had a guess that they change jobs or boost stats?

 

[Error]

I think the Sage book unlocks that class. the other books change the hero's personality, which affects your stats growth during level ups.

 

[BitchTits]

Ahhh, thanks. I did have a look on GameFAQs, but the few FAQs I looked at didn't really go into what they did (I probably overlooked it)

 

[cartman414]

Then of course there's the Goof-Off class method that lets you switch over to Sage by level 20. I did that with my thief, which gave me a super swift spellcaster, perfect for BeDragon-ing those Metabble hordes for massive XP gain.

 

[BikoBiko]

Thanks for bumping this thread, forgot all about this

edit: So how long is this game exactly? Does it compare to DQ4 which was rather short or DQ5 which was quite a bit longer?

 

[Grampa Simpson]

I may have to give this another go-through before I tackle DQV. I noticed that the site is down, does anyone know if an RC2 or Final was ever released?

Edit: Er, not down, but basically empty. Looks like most of the news got blanked out.

 

[BitchTits]

I've reach ~lvl 20 and have the Zen book, and reading through this thread, it seems I definately want to change some of their jobs. Any advice?

At the moment I have:

Hero (lvl 19, Fearless)
Fighter (lvl 18, Bully) -----> Cleric?
Mage (lvl 19, Romantic) -----> Sage?
Thief (lvl 20 Valiant) -----> Fighter?

I was thinking Thief -> Fighter so that I have a Cleric, Sage for healing/battle spells (and Hero) and my Fighter won't have any battle spells but has the Thief spells (treasure/town finding etc).

And I just realised my Mage now looks like a cat, I think it's the Plush Suit she's wearing? :lol

 

[Cheerilee]

If you're sure you want a Fighter with only the Thief's magic set, then you still might consider this switch.

Hero (Fearless)
Fighter (Bully) -----> Sage
Mage (Romantic) -----> Cleric
Thief (Valiant) -----> Fighter

This way your new Cleric gets the benefit of your old Mage spells (and you may want to wait until you learn Bikill/TwinHits/whatever around level 21), where they'd just be redundant/lost on your Sage in the other setup.

The personalities might also work better this way, since the Sage class can also contribute on a physical level, otherwise you'd need to use a book to change your Bully into something with more of a brain to be a Cleric.

 

[charlequin]

does anyone know if an RC2 or Final was ever released?

Not yet.

 

[BitchTits]

If you're sure you want a Fighter with only the Thief's magic set, then you still might consider this switch.

Hero (Fearless)
Fighter (Bully) -----> Sage
Mage (Romantic) -----> Cleric
Thief (Valiant) -----> Fighter

This way your new Cleric gets the benefit of your old Mage spells (and you may want to wait until you learn Bikill/TwinHits/whatever around level 21), where they'd just be redundant/lost on your Sage in the other setup.

The personalities might also work better this way, since the Sage class can also contribute on a physical level, otherwise you'd need to use a book to change your Bully into something with more of a brain to be a Cleric.

That makes sense, thanks. I only thought about changing the Thief to Fighter so I still had a heavy hitter once I changed my current Fighter to a magic user. I always over think these things. :lol

 

[Cheerilee]

That makes sense, thanks. I only thought about changing the Thief to Fighter so I still had a heavy hitter once I changed my current Fighter to a magic user. I always over think these things. :lol

Yeah, if you just change class randomly to whatever looks good once you hit level 20, you usually end up having to make the last class change something you wouldn't normally want, just to preserve team balance. You gotta have a plan beforehand. I usually overthink the start of the game and then try and remember what my plan was when the time comes to change.

Your team looks good. I really like the idea of putting the Thief spells on the muscle.

I usually go for Warrior instead of Fighter, but that's just me. And the money you save on weapons and armor will help you equip your Sage properly.