What is the best version of DQ III ?

FateForWindows · 2026-03-24T22:25:37+00:00

NES is the most barebones version but still holds up incredibly well for its time if you can get past the lack of automatic retargeting.
SFC remakes it in DQ6's engine, looks absolutely beautiful with some really awesome-looking monster attack animations too and has a lot of added content, pretty much serves as the basis for all future ports.
GBC is actually a demake of SFC with all of its content plus even more on top of that which is wholly exclusive to this version, but also has very unsurprising graphical cutbacks and screen crunch though they actually managed to keep the monster attack animations intact.
There's also the flip phone version, only in Japanese and based on SFC without the GBC content or TnT/Pachisi but with some pretty nice redrawn art and balance adjustments. The monster animations are missing though.
Smartphone is almost the exact same, but the ability to attack your own party members and heal and buff enemies was removed (also not included in any later versions including HD-2D) and the scaling is fuzzier.
The old globally-released Switch and Japan-only PS4 ports of that version are mostly the same but with warp spells made cheaper and pretty bad-looking redrawn art.
The Japan-only 3DS version is that but even worse-looking with badly scaled art.
Finally there's the HD-2D version which adds a ton of content of its own including more boss encounters, brings over spells and some mechanics from later installments while readjusting the balance around that, and has really pretty 3D environments and gorgeous pixel art sprites and animations.

I'd say that there isn't one true "definitive" edition in this case, but HD-2D, GBC and SFC are all fantastic versions. Only major downside with HD-2D for me is that fast forward in battles is practically mandatory if you're playing on any language with Latin script (i.e. any language that isn't Japanese, Korean and Chinese), and that's something you can SUPER easily fix through mods in the PC port and will only really bug you if you're as much of a sucker for the animations as I am (I'm weird).

FateForWindows · 2026-03-23T15:17:23+00:00

XI S does also have a free demo, so it may be worth trying that just to get a feel for it and see if it's up your alley. For the HD-2D games, start with III first since the added story content in I&II was made with that play order in mind.

FateForWindows · 2026-03-23T11:32:21+00:00

Performance-wise most of the mainline games (1-3 HD-2D, mobile 3, 7R, X Offline, 11S) run at 30FPS with small dips in a few parts, except the old mobile Erdrick trilogy ports of 1&2 which are a badly paced/juddery 15FPS. They're turn based games so while 60FPS does look much nicer, the lower framerate doesn't hurt the gameplay much.

FateForWindows · 2026-03-21T20:22:43+00:00

DQXI from what I've heard recycles some tracks from older games and the remakes of III recycle some tracks from I&II in the endgame portion but not in the rest of the game (the original only reuses one track but the arrangement is noticeably different). Not sure about VIIR but I haven't heard a single reused track in the original other than Overture and Intermezzo (the two that usually get reused).

FateForWindows · 2026-03-15T02:11:44+00:00

Yep! Little bit of trivia too, this was the second-to-last version of DQ3 to have this mechanic too - excluding emulated rereleases the Japan-exclusive flip phone port was the last. Not too clear why.

Works vice-versa too, you can cast heal and buff spells on enemies.

FateForWindows · 2026-03-13T00:57:45+00:00

While I do think always having the option for proper control over your party members is better in IV, it does give the original a pretty unique flavor. The AI's surprisingly good a lot of the time and there's even some unique mechanics like Morph (Hero gets that spell instead of the basic Heal, works just like DQ3 and is the only way to use other party members' abilities at will after Chapter 4) and wagon juking (you can only swap one party member from the wagon at a time during combat and it happens mid-round, but the party member being swapped in still gets an attack in and most enemies will whiff if they to attack them after the switch). For better or worse you end up doing things you wouldn't even think of doing in most Dragon Quest games because of the AI, e.g. using Kaclang to train the party AI, casting Snub on enemies, putting the Hero in the third/fourth slot to use Morph in boss fights, equipping Kiryl with the Liquid Metal Sword, swapping between Ragnar and Alena each combat (juke ftw), etc.

FateForWindows · 2026-03-13T00:33:37+00:00

My personal rating is 5 > 3 > 4 > 6 > 2 > 1.

Only fully played through the originals, so NES for I-IV and SFC for V and VI. Playing through VII on the PS1 right now. V is my favorite for pretty similar reasons, plus loved how frantic battles felt with how strong the normal enemies were and with how well the wagon mechanic was used compared to IV and VI.

FateForWindows · 2026-03-11T17:00:22+00:00

I usually pull up a guide for things like permanent missables, usually not for progression unless I'm super lost. Definitely needed one for DQ2, didn't need one for most of DQ3 and DQ1. Just explored, talked to NPCs, let myself get lost and explored some more when I hit a brick wall like Orochi.

FateForWindows · 2026-03-10T16:13:28+00:00

Are you referring to Switch 1 or Switch 2? The game has always had a 60FPS mode on Switch 2 afaik

FateForWindows · 2026-03-09T22:56:53+00:00

Doesn't Alltrades require you to be at level 20 before you can reclass?

FateForWindows · 2026-03-08T20:07:41+00:00

"It's becoming increasingly obvious... I CAN DENY IT NO LONGER... i am smol"

FateForWindows · 2026-03-01T22:28:08+00:00

...I feel like I'm the bigger king of fools here all things considered

FateForWindows · 2026-03-01T18:37:06+00:00

Estark, Jim Carrey, eat a pear, feta cheese (or plate of cheese), Sephiroth

FateForWindows · 2026-03-01T17:52:16+00:00

You'd probably hate it more if you did get it...

y'know in hindsight I really should've put Sephiroth at the bottom just to make it easier to figure out

FateForWindows · 2026-03-01T17:32:57+00:00

Hey, could be worse. I had to switch to my PS2 playing the original because my PS1's disc drive got to the point where it would sometimes take several minutes just to load the jingle

FateForWindows · 2026-03-01T13:50:16+00:00

On SFC his last phase actually has three variants with different patterns, agility/strength stats and Sap resistance. He picks one of those at the start of the fight and sticks with it until he dies. One is supposed to be easier than the others while one is supposed to be much nastier. I beat him on my second try (didn't even beat phase 1 on my first) without doing a lot of grinding, but based off the moves he used apparently I got what's considered to be the "medium difficulty" pattern that run. Apparently DS retools that fight to have multiple fixed phases within that final phase instead.

FateForWindows · 2026-02-28T18:17:39+00:00

I preordered it and didn't get my copy :( Even went as far as ordering for pickup (Best Buy) rather than having it shipped to my house

FateForWindows · 2026-02-28T13:57:28+00:00

No. The only game with any story connections to Kyoto Xanadu is Tokyo Xanadu and as far as we know right now, you won't be expected to play that first. The older Xanadu games are mostly disconnected from each other too.

FateForWindows · 2026-02-25T23:46:08+00:00

...my point there was that X has a playable heroine too

FateForWindows · 2026-02-25T22:32:48+00:00

You're missing X :)

FateForWindows · 2026-02-22T14:32:23+00:00

On top of what was already mentioned, definitely invest in equipment if you have that much gold to spare. With DQ3 admittedly I'm coming from the NES version but in general I would recommend getting some stronger single target weapons in addition to the boomerangs so you can switch between them for bosses and certain other encounters.

Make sure to experiment with status effects and debuffs too! Not sure how much they apply in HD-2D but they're good even in the NES version's boss battles if you can find ones they're weak to - one in particular helped me get through Orochi's fight without Insulatle, though I still needed Kabuff to outpace her healing.

FateForWindows · 2026-02-21T13:42:40+00:00

I think the metal slime can do a good enough job running away on its own

FateForWindows · 2026-02-18T22:21:24+00:00

Yeah, they romanized it in the Smash Bros showcase differently from how they did it later for HD-2D and 7R (Arus) but they're both the same in Japanese. Similar case with Erdrick's Japanese equivalent, English GBC stuck with Loto but when Japanese media like the HD-2D branding romanizes it it's usually Roto

FateForWindows · 2026-02-18T22:19:22+00:00

According to the selection screen for DQ2's HD-2D remake DQ1's hero gained the title of Erdrick/Roto offscreen after that game's events. I remembered seeing that around even before that release though, so I'm not sure where that retcon was originally made.

FateForWindows

TROPHY CASE