Dragon Quest IV Walkthrough, Chapter 5: The Hero

Chapter 4

Main Walkthrough

Four chapters later, we're back. The fifth chapter of Dragon Quest IV begins in the same tiny village as the beginning of the game, and you have control of the Hero once more. This is the start of the 'main' section of Dragon Quest IV, and your first goal - among other things - is bringing all the characters you've met over the last four chapters into a single team.

Once you gain control of the Hero their mother will give them a Packed Lunch to deliver to their father. You can do this right... or, if you didn't do it during the Prologue, you can give the Mountain Village a quick once-over. Here's a quick recap of what you can find:

The pots inside the Hero's home contain a Medicinal Herb.
Check the barrels and jars in the underground, northeastern room where the Prologue began. Inside the containers you'll find a Medicinal Herb, a Seed of Strength, and 3 gold.
At the top of the stairs leading underground is a wooden scaffolding surrounded by barrels and a pot. One of them holds an Antidotal Herb.

You'll find Eliza, the Hero's friend, laying in a flower field in the middle of the village. She is cheerful. You'll also find a mystery man, who identifies himself as a poet, in the Inn. He is... ominous. Ultimately you just need to speak to the Hero's father, by the water in the north, and give him the Packed Lunch. Return home and speak to the Hero's mother to sit down and eat...

... or not. Monsters will attack the village immediately after the Hero sits down, and the villagers will lead them into hiding. The Hero's master will give them the Big Book of Monsters, which you can use on the world map to check the vital stats of monsters you've met and killed. After a few traumatic moments you'll regain control.

Head upstairs and you'll find the village decimated, with seemingly no survivors. Your quest has begun.

World Map - Casabranca Region - Enemies

Bubble Slime - 12 HP
Firespirit - 12 HP
Mouseflap - 11 HP
Platypunk - 10 HP
Scissor Beatle - 9 HP
Stump Chump - 16 HP (night only)
Walking Stick - 8 HP
Wiggly - 11 HP

Don't worry, this is the last time you'll need to start over at level 1. The enemies hereabouts are all creatures you've fought before, and the Hero shouldn't have any trouble taking them down. The Hero is a strong melee fighter who will receive powerful magic over time, making them a jack-of-all-trades. The Hero is the best party member you'll receive in Dragon Quest IV, and if you're uncertain where to invest any stat-boosting seeds you find, the Hero's always a good bet.

Travel south from the remains of the Mountain Village and you'll find a small woodcutter's cabin. He's a gruff man, and points you towards Casabranca, a castle town to the southeast. Check the cupboards in his cabin for Leather Armor, bash the pots in the cabin for a Medicinal Herb and 50 gold, and inspect the grave near the cabin for a Seed of Life. Equip the Leather Armor on the Hero, and use the Seed of Life to boost their HP.

Carry on south of the woodcutter's cabin to find Casabranca, your first town.

Casabranca

Although it isn't terribly important to the story, Casabranca serves as a stepping-stone on the Hero's path. You'll want to use this place to stock up on essentials, as well as grow the Hero's level a bit. You should also poke around Casabranca and see what's-what.

The Weapon and Armor Shops are to the left of the entrance of Casabranca. Spend some time outside town upgrading your equipment via these shops.
On the east side of Casabranca is a small home with two dressers. Check them to receive Plain Clothes. Well, you can sell these for a bit of cash, at least...
There are treasure chests in the west of Casabranca, inside a jail cell. We'll come back to these, so don't forget they're here.
If you go up into the throne room in the north, then take the stairs in the rear of the throne room, you'll find a small garden with a woman. She tells a story that will hint heavily at some important story beats for later. An old man in the main section of Casabranca hints at even more, if you speak to him at night.

So, yes, Casabranca is a bit of a bust item-wise. Still, you should spend a bit of time in the wilds nearby, building the Hero up to level 3 or so. This will earn them the Heal spell. The encounter rate hereabouts is quite low, so head southwest to kick it up a notch. Be careful not to walk too far east, or you'll start running into stronger enemies that are too much for the Hero.

Head southwest once you're done poking around. You'll find the other end of a familiar tunnel, and when you cross through you'll once again be in the Endor Region. The enemies here are the same as they were near Casabranca, so you might as well head straight for Endor, to the west.

Endor

Yep, good 'ol reliable Endor. There are no new items to seek out here, though Endor's merchants offer better equipment if you want to upgrade what the Hero is carrying. If you check out the colosseum you'll catch a wedding in progress, but other than that there's not a whole lot new happening in Endor.

Make a trip to Torneko's shop, on the west side of town. If you speak to Tessie (Torneko's wife) you'll discover that the shop is now a bank. You can deposit gold here, and it will be protected from getting cut in half if your team falls in battle. Thanks, Tessie. Gold needs to be deposited in allotments of 1,000, so you probably can't use this place yet.

On your way to the bank you likely noticed someone familiar on the street to the north: Meena. She's speaking to Hardie, and if you talk to her she'll join the Hero's party. Your first party member! Meena suggests looking for Maya at the Casino, and you'll find her at a slot machine. Maya, too, will join the party. Aside from a brief departure in the next dungeon, the sisters are here to stay. Anything they were carrying will be placed in the Hero's bag, though any gold they kept between chapters is gone.

Now that the sisters are in your party the monsters near Endor will ratchet up in difficulty a bit, though they're nothing you can't handle. Use your new party members to build up some gold and levels for your Hero, and buy some better equipment in Endor. You'll be ready to go once the Hero is around level 7 or so. At this point you'll also unlock Tactics, which allows the game to control your party members in combat, if you'd rather not bother. (I suggest bothering.)

Head back to Casabranca once you're done in Endor, then head east. With Meena and Maya in the party you can handle the tougher monsters near the mountains.

(Fun note: If you pass back through the tunnel to Endor you'll be declared the thousandth person to walk through the tunnel. The guard will give you 2,000 gold worth of Tokens for the Casino, which equates to... 100 Tokens. Not a ton, but, hey, free is free.)

World Map - East of Casabranca - Enemies

Bantamweight - 31 HP
Bodkin Archer - 16 HP
Jinkster - 35 HP
Mandragore - 30 HP
Picksy - 29 HP
Thorny Devil - 25 HP
Winky - 42 HP

The path through the mountains narrows as you head further east, and it won't be long before you spot a vast desert to the south. A side path here leads to an Inn on the edge of the desert, and there are a few things you can grab here:

If you twist the camera around so you can see the back of the Inn you'll find two barrels. One contains an Antidotal Herb.
There are two pots near the entrance of the Inn. One contains a Packed Lunch.
Near the fellow at the table is a dresser. Check it for 15 gold.

The man at the table is Hank Hoffman Jr., the owner of the wagon and horse out front, though he refuses to lend them to the party. Speak to him and the Inn's owner a bit and you'll learn that Hank encountered some nasty betrayal in a cave to the east, which you'll find if you follow the trail long enough. Better check it out.

Con Cave

This little dungeon is not a big deal. There are no random battles, and you should be in and out within a few minutes. This brief description will see you through the Con Cave:

Follow the passage until the floor drops out on the two sisters. Go down the nearby stairs.
Go northwest until you find Meena and Maya... or so it seems. You'll need to defeat two Frolickers (43 HP), which will drop the Hero down a floor.
Wait a moment and you'll see Meena and Maya being chased around by some demons. Speak to the girls and you'll get into another fight, against two Tricksies (40 HP) and two Vampire Bats (25 HP). The Tricksies are much more dangerous, so go after them first. You'll receive a nice, hearty amount of experience for winning the fight, but... still no teammates.
Climb the stairs in the northeast, and keep climbing until you see the sisters running south. Approach them and they will ask a question. Answer 'No' and they will rejoin the party. (You can answer incorrectly as many times as you like and they will still believe you once you say 'No'. Poor judgment, but... okay.)
Head back north and take the first stairs on your right. Go south on the next floor, then up the stairs. You'll be back on the floor where the sisters got dumped into the basement. Head south and down the stairs.
The next area has a bunch of breakable walls. Bust through the walls until you reach the northern-most wall on the central block. Smash through to find the inside of a small room. The chest in here contains a Symbol of Faith.

The Symbol of Faith is what you need. Head back upstairs and go north, past the little stretch of water, to find the way back out. Piece of cake.

Return to the little Inn by the desert and speak to Hank Hoffman Jr. again. He'll take the Symbol of Faith, renounce his crabby ways, and join the party. He'll also bring his horse, Mary Lou, and wagon along for the ride. In the not-too-distant future you'll use the wagon to swap party members, though you need a few more permanent buddies before that happens. (No, Hank doesn't stick around forever.)

Now that you have the wagon you can head south into the desert.

World Map - Bath Region - Enemies

Armoured Scorpion - 40 HP
Bodkin Bowyer - 27 HP
Crester Viper - 31 HP
Cyclown - 41 HP
Flyguy - 34 HP
Metal Slime - 4 HP
Sweaty Yeti - 55 HP
Winky - 42 HP

Despite all the fuss of getting a wagon, the desert takes maybe twenty seconds to cross. Head southeast from the Inn and you'll find grass again. Huzzah. The monsters in these parts aren't a big deal - and can prove quite lucrative, if you run into a Metal Slime - though you want to watch out for the Bodkin Bowyers. They often come in large numbers, can summon reinforcements, and sometimes put your party members to Sleep. Spells that hit entire groups are recommended.

Once you leave the desert you'll come across a small town. It isn't your destination, but you should stop in here anyway.

Bath

What a pleasant little town. Known for its, uh, baths, Bath isn't terribly important. All it really does is give you a glimpse of an item that will be important, and even that is... not as legitimate as it appears.

Near the entrance of town is a rough-and-tumble fellow who will offer to take you on a tour of Bath. Do so and he'll parade you around the town - and in the process take you to the Church in the north. There's a valuable piece of equipment here that you'll be getting sooner or later. Eventually he winds up at an Inn, and will serve as an innkeeper. This Inn costs more than the other Inn to the south, so... meh. Check the cupboard for a Leather Shield.
Check behind the southern Inn, twisting your camera around. There's a line of barrels at the back, and one contains an Antidotal Herb.
Right by the entrance are the Weapon and Armor Shops. You probably have some spare change kicking around from the journey here, so... care for an upgrade? There's also an Item Shop on the west side of the central building, though you need to spin the camera to see the desk.
If you pop into the door beside the Weapon Shop you'll wind up behind the counters. There are pots in here contianing 50 gold.
In the northwest of Bath is a house whose front door can only be seen by spinning the camera. Inside one of the pots in this house is a Seed of Agility.
There are three graves in the north of Bath. Twinkling in front of the central grave is a Seed of Strength.
The baths are in the northeast of Bath. Check the dresser at the entrance for a Mini Medal.

If you reenter Bath at night you'll find a ghost standing in front of one of the graves. Speak to him and he'll tell you that the fancy armor you spotted at the Church - none other than the Zenithian Armour, worn by Heroes throughout the ages - is a fake. The real armor was stolen. We'll get to it... eventually.

Travel south of Bath. There's another town waiting.

Porthtrunnel

On its surface Porthtrunnel doesn't seem much more important than Bath, though if you speak to the townsfolk you'll catch wind of several team members. You're on track to pick up at least one more in the near future - though first you should poke around Porthtrunnel.

In the northeast of Porthtrunnel is a house with a purple roof. There are barrels on its right side, and one contains a Mini Medal.
On the upper floor of the Inn is a room with a locked cell door. There's a chest inside that you can't open just yet. If you visit the upper floor at night you'll see a shadowy figure moving around inside the room... creepy.
There's a house in the southwest of Porthtrunnel. A cabinet inside contains Wayfarer's Clothes.
In the west of Porthtrunnel is a dock. Bust open the pots and barrels on the docks - there are lots of them, if you look around - for 15 gold, a Seed of Strength, and a Mini Medal.
The Weapon and Armor Shops are on the west side of Porthtrunnel. Once again, everything here is slightly better than what you found in Bath. If you don't have much money left you can probably make do with the equipment you have. The Steel Broadsword is the best weapon you'll get for the Hero hereabouts, but... if Torneko had a bunch in his inventory after his chapter, you might want to hold off.
There are two ships docked in Porthtrunnel. Check the cabins on the lower decks of the ship on the right and you'll find Boxer Shorts and a Mini Medal inside cabinets, in each of the small northern rooms. The larger ship on the left has 7 gold and an Antidotal Herb in the pots and barrels on its lower decks, and if you check the dresser in the central bedroom you'll find some Holy Water.

Speak to enough NPCs and it'll quickly become obvious that Torneko was recently in Porthtrunnel, and that the town is having trouble with the nearby beacon. Perhaps the merchant is off trying to solve the issue? Leave Porthtrunnel, then travel northeast until you see a bridge. Cross it and you'll find said beacon a short walk to the south.

Pharos Beacon - Enemies

Featherweight - 52 HP
Healslime - 16 HP (summoned as backup only)
Jinkster - 35 HP
Komodo - 32 HP
Metal Slime - 4 HP
Restless Armour - 54 HP
Skeleton Swordsman - 52 HP
Thorny Devil - 25 HP
Weartiger - 50 HP

Haven't climbed a tower in a while. The monsters in the Pharos Beacon are a decent bit stronger than those out in the field, and you'll want your team to average around level 13 or 14 - and with solid equipment - before you start the climb. Magic will come in handy here, as enemies tend to appear in groups.

When you first arrive and approach the stairs to the north you'll find Torneko waiting. He'll explain what's wrong with the beacon, and how you can fix it. Once you're content with his explanation Torneko will scurry away. You'll need to complete this dungeon before you can recruit the wily merchant. Here's the path forward:

Check the central room on the ground floor, via the paths just south of the exit stairs in the north. There are chests in this room containing a Seed of Resilience and 400 gold.
Climb to the second floor. Check the room immediately west of the stairs to find a chest containing a Mini Medal. If you head to the southwest of the second floor you'll find stairs to the third floor, and while this is a dead end you'll find a chest containing Holy Water. Head to the southeast of the second floor and you'll find a path - watch out for the gaps in the walls to the south - that leads to a chest. It contains a Seed of Strength.
Use the stairs in the south of the second floor to climb to the third floor. Avoid the pits surrounding the stairs and head south. (There's a Minidemon here who hates Torneko. It is no concern.) Follow the path east and north, until it splits. If you continue to the northeast corner of the floor you'll find a chest containing a Moonwort Bulb. The stairs to the fourth floor are in the north, though make sure you look a bit further west of them before going up, as there's a chest containing a Hunter's Bow over here.

South of the stairs up to the fourth floor is a chest containing Holy Embers. You need these to complete the dungeon, so don't ignore this very obvious chest. There are three sets of stairs you can take on this floor that lead to the top of the beacon, though only the stairs in the northeast are any use.
Check the northwest corner of the top floor to find a chest containing a Golden Tiara.

In the middle of the beacon's top floor you'll see monsters circling the torch, which is dark and unholy. Approach the monsters to do something about it.

Tigergram and Flamethrowers

HP:

230 HP (Tigergram)
75 (Flamethrowers)

This is an irritating battle. The Tigergram can stun your characters, like the Weartigers you fought throughout the beacon, while the Flamethrowers can hit your entire party with Sizz. Getting stunlocked and fried is not fun. The Flamethrowers do more damage in the long run, so wipe them out one-at-a-time before ganging up on the Tigergram. The monsters do enough damage that Meena should more or less always be healing, though you can bring in the Hero to help if things get dire. Maya's Sap spell makes taking down the Tigergram quite a bit faster.

Approach the 'flame of darkness' once the monsters out of the way, and use the Holy Embers as an item in front of the brazier. This will restore the flame to normal, ending the sailing troubles for Porthtrunnel.

Zoom or walk back to Porthtrunnel and check by the docks. Torneko is standing in front of the door to the boats, and he'll congratulate you on a job well done. Keen to avoid death by monster, Torneko will ask to join the party. Agree and you'll have a fully-controllable, four-person crew. The group will immediately hop in Torneko's ship, and from this point on you'll have your very own boat. Huzzah!

Now that Torneko is in the party you should kick Hank out, as he's a worse party member (and won't be along for much longer anyway). There's a decent chance Torneko is lagging behind everyone else, so you may want to travel back to the Pharos Beacon and level him up a few times. This is also your opportunity to sell any items Torneko brought along, assuming you stocked up heavily on, say, Cautery Swords.

Before we move on, it is worth mentioning that Torneko is... an interesting party member. In addition to his normal attacks - which is primarily just smacking enemies - Torneko will randomly use unique moves. Sometimes he'll steal from enemies, sometimes he'll make the monsters laugh and waste their turns, and sometimes he'll just... trip. Suffice it to say that Torneko is not predictable, so if you want characters to follow orders at all times, he may not be the best choice. (Though he's still better than Hank.)

You now have half of your permanent party recruited. You should probably look for the other half before you spend too much time exploring the world with the boat. Your first stop, which is a quick trip south of Porthtrunnel and beyond some hills, is the town of Mintos. Note that whenever you use Zoom to teleport somewhere the boat will follow you, parking at the nearest shoreline to town, which is quite handy.

Mintos

Upon entering Ilton Hank Hoffman Jr. will separate from the party. Apparently Mintos is home to a successful businessman, and Hank wants to stay here and learn. You have no choice, so go ahead and let Hank leave. As thanks he will leave his horse and wagon with the party. Bye, Hank. Care to explore?

The Item, Weapon, and Armor Shops are all right by the entrance of Mintos. This is a good place to get Torneko caught up with the rest of the party. You can finally buy Cautery Swords here, though by now they're just another weapon (albeit a good one).
Next to the line of shop stalls is a well. Check inside for a Mini Medal.
Across from the shop stalls is a raised platform where the esteemed Conrad 'Ilton is giving a class. Say 'No' to his question and he'll give you a Treasure Map. Checking the map will leave a giant X on the world map, marking the spot of something valuable. We'll get there.
East of Conrad 'Ilton's lecture are two houses, and between them are five pots. Bash the pots for another Mini Medal. The lower of the two houses has four barrels next to it, as well, and they contain a Seed of Resilience. Inside the upper house you'll find a cabinet containing a Scale Shield.
There's a large Inn in the north of Mintos, and if you bust up the barrels on its right side you'll find a Moonwort Bulb.
There are three pots in the hallway of the Inn's second floor. Destroy them to find a Seed of Wisdom.

You'll find two familiar faces in one of the second-floor bedrooms of the Inn: No less than Borya and Kiryl. The latter is deathly sick, and Borya is watching over him while Alena searches for a cure. Agree to help search for a cure and Borya will join the party.

At this point you can swap between party members via the wagon, though only outside town. Borya is roughly the same as Maya, though oriented more towards single-target magic. Regardless of who you put in your active party, everyone will receive experience and continue to level up. So long as the wagon is visible (ie you're on the world map) you can even swap party members while in combat.

You can either hop in your boat and sail to your next destination or just walk. Since we could use the money and experience, this guide will opt to walk for a bit. If you'd rather take the faster route of sailing, get in the boat and follow the shores of the continent south. You'll eventually see a castle on your right.

World Map - Mintos Region - Enemies

Buffalo Wing - 52 HP
Imp - 40 HP (night only)
Featherweight - 52 HP
Metal Scorpion - 42 HP
Mushroom Mage - 43 HP
Ratatattack - 35 HP
Salamander Fry - 40 HP
Skeleton Swordsmen - 52 HP
Vampire Battler - 38 HP

Your next stop is the 'empire' of Parthenia. Leave Mintos, walk east along the coast for a bit, then swing south. You'll find the castle of Parthenia among the hills about halfway down the continent. There's a shrine along the way that is currently useless, thanks to the locked doors, though you'll get your chance to unlock them in the semi-near future.

In the north of this continent is a desert surrounded by a mountain range. If you picked up the Treasure Map in Mintos you'll notice that the X on the map is right in the middle of the desert. You can't get at it right now, so don't bother looking for a way in.

Parthenia

Were you expecting a castle? Parthenia is much more quaint than it looks from the world map, and the folks hereabouts lead quiet lives as farmers. Aside from a Seed of Magic (barrel on the east side of town) and 3 gold (barrel inside the large building in the east) there's very little to see in Parthenia.

Rest away any injuries at the Inn, then speak to the, er, 'emperor', who is working a field on the east side of Parthenia. He'll tell you about the Imperial Pantry, where Parthenia's food stores are kept. It has been conquered by monsters, depriving the people of the precious Feverfew Seeds they would need to return the empire to prosperity. It also just so happens that Alena headed to the pantry not long ago.

Leave Parthenia and travel southwest along the coast. Near the southern tip of the continent you'll find a cave.

Imperial Pantry of Parthenia - Enemies

Infernal Armor - 58 HP
Powie Yowie - 75 HP
Salamander Fry - 40 HP
Vampire Battler - 38 HP
Whizzard - 38 HP

Upon entering the pantry you'll catch sight of Alena, who is currently traveling with a band of NPCs. She'll bust down a door and grant everyone access to the pantry, then run off. Better follow her.

Head west into the pantry and you'll see two lines of floor tiles surrounding a chest. These tiles have arrows on them, and if you step on a tile it will send you one tile in the direction indicated by the arrow. Step on a line of them, in other words, and you'll be shuttled a fair distance before having to walk again. These arrow files form the backbone of this dungeon's puzzles, and will prove... irritating. Shall we get started?

Start by hopping onto the western set of floor tiles. They will sweep you to the first chest, which contains a Seed of Agility. Use the eastern tiles to return to the main path, and follow the road southwest.
You'll wind up in a huge chamber with tons of floor tiles. Alena and her crew are wandering around in here, and they will prove useless. Look northwest of the stairs, against the western wall, and you'll see two lines of arrows. Jump on the arrows to the left and they will sweep you north, where you'll find a chest containing a Seed of Life.
Jump on the arrows that you avoided before and you'll be sent east. Go southeast and you'll find two more lines of arrows. Jump onto the left line to be sent west, where you'll find another line of arrows. Again, jump on the left line. This will send you northwest, and you'll find yet more arrows to the north. Ignore them for a second and head northwest, avoiding any lines, until you see a path leading south. It will take you to a chest containing a Robe of Serenity.
Head back east - still avoiding any arrow tiles - and jump onto the arrow line you avoided earlier. It will escort you to a chest containing 800 gold. Jump on the arrows to your right to return to the northeastern area.

Walk southeast, and, again, hop onto the left set of tiles. This time, though, take a right once you dismount the tiles. You'll see stairs leading down a level. Go down.

At this point you'll be in a room with a rather ridiculous assortment of sweeping arrow tiles. To get to the chest in the middle of this mess you need to step onto the tiles in a specific order, or you'll just get thrown back to the beginning. Here's the order:

Head north along the tiles until you're in the northeast. There are several tiles here that will successfully send you west. The upwards-facing arrows on the far-right side of the uppermost lines can do the job.
There are now arrows immediately north and south of you. Step onto the south-facing tile that's third from the left. This will send you to a clearing further west. If you look south of here you'll find a chest, which turns out to be a Cannibox (100 HP). Defeat or avoid it as you see fit, though be careful of its strong melee attacks if you decide to get into a fight.
Northeast of the Cannibox battle are two right-facing arrows, next to a tiny pit of ice. Step onto the upper arrow and it will zip you over to a chest...

... which contains the Feverfew Seeds! Phew. That was terrible. You can use the arrows to return to the entrance and make your way back out, though by now the Hero, Maya, and / or Borya will know the Evac spell, which will get you out of this terrible dungeon much more quickly.

Return to Parthenia and give the Feverfew Seeds to the emperor. He will immediately plant them, resulting in the prompt appearance of feverfew all over the town. Success! The emperor will give you a Feverfew Root as thanks. Take this to Kiryl, back in Mintos, and you'll find Alena by the young man's bedside. The Feverfew Root will do the trick if you give it to Kiryl as an item, and both he and Alena will join the party. You've got quite the roster now!

When you try to leave Kiryl's room a nearby bard will speak up, mentioning the only party member who is still missing: Ragnar. Better hunt him down and complete the collection. Hop in your boat, then sail west across the ocean. If you're coming straight from Mintos you'll land right beside Palais de Léon.

Enter the castle. It is locked up tight, and the guards won't let you through. Check the west side of the courtyard and you'll find Healie, from Ragnar's scenario, only... he looks rather different these days. He'll recommend checking in with his old girlfriend in Aubout du Monde, who is living in the basement of Meena and Maya's old house. The village is southwest of the palace, and the house is in the northeast of the village. The Slime will tell you to visit a cave to the west. Sound familiar?

(Before you leave Aubout du Monde, check the Inn. There's a fellow staying here who turns out to be a weapons and armor vendor. He'll sell you a variety of equipment for the Hero, most notably the Battle-Axe. He also sells Full-Plate Armor, if you sold the set you got during Torneko's chapter.)

Cave to the West of Aubout du Monde - Enemies

Cocoon Goon - 25 HP
Dragon Pup - 67 HP
Hoodoo Gooroo - 100 HP
Imp - 40 HP
Infernal Armour - 58 HP
Flamethrower - 75 HP
Skeleton Soldier - 80 HP
Wild Beast - 80 HP

The enemies here have received an upgrade, but otherwise this place is the same as before. The only monsters that you really need to watch out for - besides the Dragon Pups, which just keep calling for reinforcements - are the Hoodoo Gooroos. These spellcasters can use the Whack spell, which has a small chance of instantlly killing one of your party members. Go after them first.

The path down to the lowest floor is the same as before:

Head to the northeast corner of the first floor, then down the elevator
Walk west from the elevator to the northwest corner of the first basement, where you'll find another elevator
Make your way to the treasure chest where you found the Sphere of Silence in the fourth chapter, in the middle of the lake on the second basement

If you check the chest you'll discover a switch inside. Press it to reveal stairs. Go down and you'll find several rooms behind blue doors, which, thanks to Alena's Thief's Key, you can now open. There are pots here containing a Seed of Magic and a Mini Medal, and if you check the chest on the right you'll find the Magic Key. This will allow you to open red doors - you know, like the doors leading into Palais de Léon.

(Acquiring the Magic Key also unlocks the Pioneer Town quest chain, which involves Hank Hoffman, Jr. and his ambition to set up a town of his own. You can get some great items by seeing this quest through, and it doesn't require a ton of effort - though you can't get it all done in a single setting. This quest is lengthy enough that we'll deal with it in a separate guide.)

Head to the palace, pop through the red doors, and check in the north. Ragnar is here, and he's busy forcing his way into the secret room you found in the fourth chapter. Speak to Ragnar for introductions, then follow him in. Ragnar will hold off the guards while you deal with the marquis, who, as you may remember, mopped the floor with you during your last visit. Payback?

Marquis de Léon

HP: 950

The first truly nasty boss in Dragon Quest IV, the Marquis de Léon will put your almost-fully-fledged team to the test. In addition to a pair of breath attacks the Marquis can use Sizz and Sizzle, and all of these attacks will hit your entire party. More painful than any of these, however, is the Marquis's normal claw attack, which can inflict upwards of 50 points of damage. Ow. Even worse, the Marquis gets to use two attacks per turn. The only advantage you have here is that the Marquis is a bit slow, so most of your characters should get to go first each round.

What you do in this fight is going to vary between characters:

The Hero is your primary attacker, though they can also jump in and use Midheal if your party is hurting.
Alena is also an attacker. Give her some Medicinal Herbs just in case your other healers lag behind.
Borya can use Sap to bring the Marquis's defenses down, shortening the fight. Crackle will serve you well once the Marquis is weakened.
Kiryl learns the Kabuff spell at level 14, which greatly improves the party's defenses and deadens the Marquis's deadly physical attacks. If you're having trouble with the Marquis you'll want Kiryl around, as he's also a great healer.
Torneko attacks, and should have backup items. (I don't recommend Torneko. He is too random, and this fight requires precise commands at lower levels.)
Meena is your primary healer, though her inability to use Kabuff makes her less valuable than Kiryl. Still, you can get by in this fight if you've raised her level enough. She can also attack if you got away with minimal damage on a turn.
Maya's an alternate spellcaster to Borya, and she can also use Sap, though her fire-based spells are less useful against the Marquis.

Ideally you'll want two attackers and either one healer and one offensive caster, or two attackers and two healers. The first route will allow either Borya or Maya to use Sap, the Hero and your other attacker to attack normally, and Meena to stay on healing duty. Bring the Hero in to help Meena if she's running behind. If you go with two healers instead you'll have a longer fight, but it'll be overall safer - especially if Kiryl is casting Kabuff on everyone. Keep everyone at 50+ HP and you should avoid any knockouts.

Defeat the Marquis de Leon and you'll kill the possessing the prince, which returns him to normal and dispels the French language from the land. Speak to Ragnar by the door and he'll join the party. That's everyone!

At this point Dragon Quest IV opens up a little. Okay, a lot. With the boat on hand you can explore much of the world, and now that Ragnar is in the party no one will miss out on any experience. You also have keys that will open two different types of doors, and you've seen a loooooot of locked doors on your journey. Perhaps we should deal with those before going any further.

Locked Doors

Although you can't open every door in the game - you still need another key to open the cell doors - there are red and blue doors throughout the lands, most of which you saw during previous chapters. Time to do some backtracking. Note that, like the southwestern lands, none of the places visited in the first four chapters are registered under the Zoom spell anymore, so you'll need to make these trips by sea.

There's a treasure room on the west side of Burland Castle, where Ragnar starts, that is locked behind a blue door. Once you get through the door you'll have to contend with a damaging floor. Get Maya up to level 21 and you can use Safe Passage to get past; otherwise you'll just have to heal often. The chests on the other side contain a Seed of Life, a Mini Medal, an Iron Helmet, a Seed of Agility, a Seed of Strength, and 750 gold.
There are several chests inside a locked room in Zamoksva, Alena's starting point. The kingdom is in the far northeast of the world map, though not quite so far northeast as the island out to sea. We'll need to come here for the main quest, so we'll get to that shortly.
If you visit Zalenagrad - the town next to Zamoksva - you'll find a hidden red door in the east wing of the large, northern building. The path beyond will take you over to the east side of the town, which is otherwise inaccessible. Look south of the exit to find a small home, inside which you'll find an Antidotal Herb and some Plain Clothes. Whoopee. If you check along the north edge of town via this route you'll find a signpost with some valuable information written on it.
In the southeast of Endor is a building locked by both blue and red doors. Inside you'll find an armor shop that sells, among other things, Liquid Metal Armor. It is very powerful armor - and very expensive, at 35,000 gold per set.
There are hidden red doors in the northeast and northwest of Endor Castle, both connecting to a single hallway. The passage here leads to the secret shop mentioned above, albeit behind the front desk. You'll find chests containing a Seed of Strength, a Mini Medal, and a Double-Edged Sword. The sword is quite powerful, though it deals 25% of its total damage back to the wielder, making it a questionable piece of equipment.
If you enter the king's bedroom in Endor Castle you'll find a side room with cupboards and chests to plunder. Altogether they contain a Feathered Cap, a Mini Medal, a Pink Leotard, and Fishnet Stockings.

All of that - as well as the travel needed to reach these items, and the monsters you'll kill along the way - should set you up nicely for your next destination: Zamoksva Castle.

Zamoksva Castle - Enemies

Abracadabrador - 80 HP
Cheater Cheetah - 100 HP
Cocoon Goon - 25 HP
Cureslime - 60 HP
Hoodoo Gooroo - 100 HP
Minidemon - 95 HP
Pocus Poppet - 40 HP
Rhinothrope - 70 HP
Skeleton Soldier - 80 HP

Zamoksva Castle has gone from inhabited to uninhabited to inhabited again... only it now belongs to spirits and monsters. You'll get into battles as you explore the castle, and some of the NPC monsters wandering around will similarly try to thrash you if you speak to them. Still, the castle is small, and you zip right to the man in charge. He - it - is on the second floor, in the throne room.

Baalzack

HP: 950

More revenge! Balzack is now Baalzack, a more powerful beast with a huge club. This battle is very similar to the fight with the Marquis de Léon, just harder. Baalzack hits hard with his club, can breath ice, and has an AOE attack called Crackle. He can also use two moves per turn. What really makes this fight tougher is Baalzack's higher defenses, which prolong the battle.

Your approach, therefore, should be about the same as with the Marquis. Bring in a minimum of two healers - you'll definitely want Kiryl's Kabuff spell for this battle, as well as Midheal - and two damage-dealers. Sap almost never sticks on Baalzack, so your melee hitters won't do a ton of damage. Maya is good backup for this battle with her Frizzle spell, and she's hardier than Borya. Heal constantly, reapply Kabuff as necessary, and just keep hitting.

Defeating Baalzack will remove the NPC monsters from Zamoksva Castle (though you'll still get into battles). This will allow you to get at the treasury on the north end of the first floor. The chests inside contain the a Seed of Strength, the Magma Staff, and the Flute of Revelation. The staff and the flute are both key items, and the staff in particular is needed to access a new area. (Your mages can also equip the Magma Staff. It is quite good for this point of the game.)

With Baalzack out of the way - or even not, if you've decided to hold off on beating him until you're stronger - you should begin the search for the Zenithian equipment. There are the best items you can equip on the Hero, and you'll need all of the pieces to complete the game. You've likely already seen hints as to their whereabouts, and with the Magma Staff in hand we can begin the hunt. First, though, we'll discuss a little area that you may find useful for quick leveling.

Quick Leveling

Save your game, then teleport to Endor. Hop in your boat and sail south. Keep your eye on the landmass to your right, as you'll eventually see a little shrine. This is the Royal Crypt, a dungeon we'll need to infiltrate to progress a bit later in the game. At the moment you can't get very far inside, as there's a cell door blocking your way. You won't have the key to get through the door. You do, however, have enough room to get into random battles.

Why is this important? Because the Royal Crypt is the first place you can find Liquid Metal Slimes. Similar to their Metal Slime cousins, Liquid Metal Slimes can only take one point of damage per hit, are quite evasive, will usually run from battle, and can't be hurt by magic. Five HP doesn't sound like a lot, but... it can be. They're worth the trouble, however, as killing a Liquid Metal Slime will net you just over 10,000 experience points when killed, which at this point in the game is almost always enough to earn a character a level, if not two or three. If you're lucky one can even drop a Happy Hat, a great piece of equipment, and Torneko has a chance of stealing one during the fight.

The other enemies you face in the Royal Crypt are pretty tough if you're at too low a level - below 20 is the danger zones, especially with weaker gear - but if you care to risk getting stomped, this place is worth checking out.

World Map - Canalot Region - Enemies

Cheater Cheetah - 100 HP
Chillanodon - 85 HP
Flamethrower - 75 HP
Lethal Armour - 64 HP
Rhinothrope - 70 HP

Your next destination is Canalot, a remote kingdom that is way out at sea. If you look in the northwest of the world map you'll see an island chain off on its own, and this is where you'll find Canalot. The city of Canalot is right in the middle of the islands, and you need to approach from the southeast to find the proper landing spot. Debark from the boat anywhere else and you won't be able to walk to Canalot.

Canalot

A watery city - which makes sense, given where you find it - Canalot is a bit annoying to navigate, as you'll need to hop on rafts to get around parts of the city. Still, you should have a look around before getting down to business.

West of the entrance you'll find the Item Shop and the Weapon Shop. The Weapon Shop is only open at night, though it is worth checking, as this place sells Dream Blades. This is a solid weapon for the Hero and Ragnar, albeit pricey.
The Armor Shop is north of the Weapon Shop, next to the Church, though you'll have to hop on the raft near the entrance to reach it. You can pick up Dragon Mail here, which, again, is good for the Hero and Ragnar. Dragon Mail reduces the effects of fire- and ice-based attacks, making it a good choice for fighting bosses that use breath-based moves.
In the northwest of Canalot, while you're floating on the raft, you'll find a guy on his own raft. He runs another Weapon Shop, with different arms. His specialty is the Somatic Staff, which draws on MP whenever the bearer attacks. It is a decent choice for turning your mages into melee fighters, though having MP is usually more helpful.
North of the Inn is the Pub, and near it is a house. Bust up the barrel outside the house to find a Mini Medal. A dresser inside the house contains another Mini Medal.

In the north of Canalot you'll find the entrance to Canalot Castle, which has items of its own to grab:

There are two little rooms on either side of the central canal when you enter the castle's outer walls. Bust up a pot in the left room to find a Seed of Strength.
You'll find three entrances to Canalot Castle itself. If you take either of the side entrances you'll find a series of rooms on the lower level. A dresser in the upper-left room contains a Mini Medal, a barrel in the upper-middle room contains Holy Water, and a cabinet in the upper-right room contains a Chimaera Wing.

Go through the main entrance of Canalot Castle and you'll find stairs to the second floor, and from there up to the throne room. The king is here, and he's holding a contest to see if anyone can make him laugh, complete with a prize. If you speak to the king (make sure you respect the queue) he will allow the Hero to tell him a joke. Alas, no one in the party is funny enough to get even a snicker out of the king.

If you speak to the NPCs in Canalot you'll receive plenty of hints for where to go next. Head to Laissez Fayre, back where Meena and Maya began their chapter. It is located on the south end of the southwestern continent. Check the manager's room, in the far north of the main building and behind the theater, and you'll find a man named Tom Foolery. Speak to him after learning of the king of Canalot's little contest and he'll join the party. Tom can even be used in battle, if you like.

Make Tom the leader of your active party and return to the throne room in Canalot. Speak to the king once the room has emptied out and Tom will reason with the man, earning the party the Zenithian Helm. Make sure you equip it on the Hero! It's good! Tom will leave the party once you leave the throne room, so don't forget to reform your party once you're back on the world map.

That's one Zenithian item down. What's next?

World Map - Femiscyra Region - Enemies

Beleth - 125 HP
Bulldozer - 90 HP
Chicken Poxer - 85 HP
Chillanodon - 85 HP
Eoraptor - 90 HP

Assuming you picked up the Magma Staff after defeating Baalzack, your next stop should be the kingdom of Femiscyra. It is a remote, mountainous area that is blocked off until you have the staff. Land along the shores in the far northeast of the world map, then make your way west until the geography forces you south. Eventually you'll come to the base of a volcano, and if you use the Magma Staff on the giant rock here you'll level the volcano, allowing you to proceed north. Femiscyra Castle is on the other side.

Femiscyra Castle

A realm dominated by women, Femiscyra holds the next piece of the Zenithian set. You'll need to speak to their queen to find out more about it. For now, let's have a quick look around the castle.

In the southwest of Femiscyra Castle is a kitchen. Burst the pots in the kitchen to find a Mini Medal. If you check the well beside the kitchen you'll find a woman who will tell you about the Lightning Staff, a powerful piece of equipment that is... somewhere.
In the southeast you'll find the Inn and the Armor Shop. The only notable new piece of armor is the Pink Leotard, which is also a little pricey. Still, it will come in handy if you can afford a set or two for your characters. (If your Hero is female, she can wear the Pink Leotard. Not so much if the Hero is male.)
In the northeast room is a bard looking at a dresser. Check the dresser beside him for a Seed of Wisdom. Don't speak to him just yet.
In the middle of the castle are large, central stairs to the second floor. If you twist the camera around you'll spot a smaller set of stairs behind the main set. At the bottom is a hidden room with a chest containing a Fire Claw.
Climb the central stairs to the second floor, then check the northeastern room. The wardrobes and dresser contain a Seed of Agility and a Leather Dress.

Head back to the bard in the northeastern room once you're done poking around Femiscyra. He'll tell you to check the dresser, then run off. Once you do a nun will appear, assume you stole something of hers, and have you arrested. After a short stint in the dungeon the team will be brought before the queen. Tell her 'No' and then 'Yes' and she'll give you a chance to track down the real thief...

... though one of your party members will be stuck in Femiscyra until you do, trapped in the dungeons. You can swap the jailed party member by speaking to the guard near the western stairs.

Fortunately, the thieving bard you need to track down isn't too far away. Leave Femiscyra and trek southeast. You'll find a cave nestled among the mountains.

Cove's Cove

Beleth - 125 HP
Bulldozer - 90 HP
Chicken Poxer - 85 HP
Chillanodon - 85 HP
Eoraptor - 90 HP
Grim Rider - 180 HP
Humbaba - 90 HP
Rhinothrope - 70 HP
Spitfire - 105 HP
War-rus - 120 HP

Unlike a lot of dungeons in the late-game, which tend to have a lot of floors, Cove's Cove is two huge maps with a lot of twists and turns. It's kind of an annoying area, so make sure everyone is fully healed before heading inside.

This path will get you through Cove's Cove:

Head south of the entry stairs, take a left, and go north. Go down the steps on your left, head south, and take a right. This will lead you to a dead end with a chest containing a Mini Medal.
Backtrack west to the edge of the map, then head north and follow the northern wall until you reach an intersection. Go south. You'll wind up between two small steps, and near the chest you just opened. Go right of the northbound steps and you'll find a chest to the north. It contains a Seed of Strength.
Go back south, between the two sets of steps, and head north. Follow this upper path north and east. Near the eastern wall you'll spot a chest containing 1,050 gold.
Return to the upper path to the north, backtrack a bit, and head south at your first opportunity. This path will have you winding around for a bit, but eventually you'll find your way into the basement of Cove's Cove.
Go southwest two sets of steps from the stairs, then head south at the next little intersection. (The whole northwester area is pointless. Don't bother.) Up some steps you'll find a chest containing a Seed of Resilience.
Walk southeast of the chest, down two steps, and south along the eastern wall. You'll hit a little intersection. If you search on your left you'll eventually find your way to the western wall of the dungeon. To the north you'll find a chest containing an Iron Mask, and to the south you'll find a chest containing a Dragon Shield.
Return to the east side of the dungeon, go south at the intersection, and head west as far as you can. This will put you near the stairs to the final room of Cove's Cove...

... which just appears to be the thief's bedroom. Bust up his pots for a Mini Medal and Holy Water, and check his dressers for a Mercury's Bandana. The bandana increases its wearer's Agility, and should be equipped at once. That done, wake the guy up. He'll try to run. Cut him off at the door and speak with him to trigger a bit o' fisticuffs.

Kirk Buzzer

HP: 1,000

He sure got buff. Kirk Buzzer is a bit tougher than you might expect from an ordinary human, and in addition to a strong normal attack he can also use Muster Strength to beef up his next melee strike. He'll also use Kabuff to raise his defenses and Crackle to ice over your party. Not terribly diverse, but painful enough.

This fight is nevertheless pretty run-of-the-mill. If any of your characters you can use Sap to counteract Kirk's Kabuff; otherwise, you may find spells to be more effective in this fight. Use Kabuff on your own team (if you brought Kiryl along) to deaden Kirk's melee attacks, which are more dangerous than Crackle, and gradually pummel away his HP. The only attack that can really wallop your party members is his Muster Strength attack, and even then you'll have one turn of warning.

Kirk will drop a Seed of Agility when defeated, and a guard from Femiscyra will show up and cart him away. Use Evac or walk out of the dungeon and return to Femiscyra yourself. Speak to the queen and she'll give you the Ultimate Key, which allows you to open jail cells. This is the last of the keys you can collect, so you can now go anywhere you please.

Use the key to open the cell holding your trapped party member in the castle's dungeon. They will rush back to the wagon. That done, check the northeast of the castle's first floor. You'll find a treasure room with a single chest. Open it up - again, thanks to the key - and you'll find the Zenithian Shield inside. That's two pieces down. Well done!

Time for the final piece of Zenithian equipment? Well... maybe. Or maybe you should put that Ultimate Key to use.

Opening Cell Doors

Now that you have the Ultimate Key you can open cell doors. This will allow you to infiltrate dungeons worldwide and speak to NPCs who avoided you up to this point. This will also allow you to get at a bunch of items. Let's see what we can steal.

If you return to Strathbaile - the small village near Ragnar's starting point, in the north of the world map - you'll find a jail cell between the market stalls and the Church. An important NPC was kept here during the first chapter, though now there's just a pot inside. It contains a Mini Medal.
Jump to Vrenor, the third village in Alena's chapter, then head south to the Vault of Vrenor. Massacre your way down to the chest where you found the Armlet of Transmutation and inspect the open chest. It contains a switch that will reveal stairs to a secret room, where you'll find a chest inside a jail cell. The chest contains a Lightning Staff.
Return to Lakanaba, Torneko's starting location, and check the basement of the Weapon Shop. There's a locked cell down here with chests containing a Seed of Life, a Chain Sickle, and an Icicle Dirk. The dirk is a great weapon for the Hero or Ragnar.
Go back to Ballymoral, the kingdom to the north of Endor that wanted to invade during Torneko's chapter. They have a dungeon, and you can enter the cells and get several items inside pots: Horse Manure, a Seed of Life, a Seed of Magic, and a Mini Medal. You need to twist the camera around to see the pots collecting the more valuable items. The guards won't kick you out if you're spotted this time, so don't worry about stealthing through the dungeon.
Travel to Havre Léon, the port town to the north of Palais de Léon. North of the Pub is a building with a hidden entrance that leads to a dungeon. The pots inside the cells contain a Seed of Strength and two Mini Medals.
There's a small treasury behind a cell door on the west side of Casabranca. The chests inside the room contain 350 gold, a Prayer Ring, and a Mini Medal.
Zip to Porthtrunnel. On the second floor of the Inn is a locked room with a chest. Inside the chest you'll find a Massacre Sword. This weapon is Cursed, so despite its power you shouldn't equip it on anyone. (Though keep it for later. You'll see why.) If you enter this room at night you can speak to an enigmatic, spectral figure.

In addition to all these items you can collect, there's a shrine to the east of Mintos with two cell doors that you can unlock with the Ultimate Key. Before heading inside, head west of the entrance and slip around the edge of the shrine, heading north. There's a thin alleyway between the two teleportal rooms, and if you twist the camera around you'll find a hidden Mini Medal down the alleyway.

The teleportal behind the western door leads to a dead end in the south of the world map, while the teleportal behind the eastern door leads to Minikin's Dominion, a castle where you can turn in your Mini Medals. We'll discuss Minikin's Domain elsewhere (though you should probably speak to its king, and see if you can get any prizes). You might as well jump to Minikin's Domain...

... as the next piece of Zenithian equipment is in the cave just north of the castle, once you return to the world map. Zoom to Minikin's Domain so your boat appears here, then use it to enter the cave.

Briny Lair - Enemies

Cheeky Tiki - 91 HP
Dragon Rider - 141 HP
Freeze Fly - 90 HP
Hell Raiser - 110 HP
Hellspawn - 130 HP
Podokesaurus - 114 HP
Sekerleton - 130 HP
Terminonator - 380 HP

Home to the piece of Zenithian equipment that requires the least amount of time to acquire, the Briny Lair is also the riskiest place to visit. The monsters here are a step up from everything else you've been facing, and if you come straight here from acquiring the Magic Key you'll be woefully outgunned. Be prepared to run a lot if you're trying to beeline straight to the Zenithian Armour. (And if you're trying to fight, you may want to equip Dragonsbanes on your warriors, purchasable in either Rosehill or Riverton.)

You'll need to use your boat to get through the majority of Briny Lair. You'll also need the Magic Key to get through the front door. This path will see you through:

Sail east from the entrance, then north. Debark on your right as you sail north to find a chest containing a Mini Medal. A little ways further north you'll see a point to hop off the ship on your left, and if you do so you'll find a path to another chest, also containing a Mini Medal.
Continue north in the ship until you're forced west, then south. You'll wind up in an inner chamber full of rocks. Sail through them to the west side of the chamber.
You'll pop out near a set of stairs. Land beside them and go down. You'll find two chests, one containing a final Mini Medal, and the other containing the Zenithian Armour.

Yep, you're all done. Use Evac to escape to the world map. Now that you have all of the Zenithian equipment - minus the Zenithian Sword, which you'll get later - your Hero should be much tougher to take down. You're ready to begin the hunt for Psaro.

... although, now that you have the Ultimate Key, perhaps you should do just one more piece of side content...? It's quick!

Dunplundrin

Your next bit of side questing takes place in the village of Dunplundrin. Zoom over to Zakmosva, then hop in your boat and sail south, past Birdsong Tower. There's an island on the west side of the world map, and if you check along the east coast of the island you'll find the village of Dunplundrin. The village is hardly massive, but there are a few things to pick up:

There's a house right near the entrance of Dunplundrin. A wardrobe inside the house contains a Leather Hat.
You'll find a well in the middle of the village, and there are two wardrobes at the bottom. Check them for a Mini Medal and Fishnet Stockings.
Dunplundrin has an Armor Shop and an Item Shop. Dunplundrin is one of the few places in the game that sells Musk, an item that attracts enemies as you wander around. It is handy for grinding out levels.

If you speak to the NPCs one of them will speak of something called the Karstaway Stone, which can suck up and store water. Look along the southern beach at night, once the tide has rolled in, and you'll notice a conspicuous gap in the water. Check this spot during the day, after the water has receeded, and you'll find the Karstaway Stone.

Hop back in your boat and sail west of Dunplundrin, until you hit the other side of the world map. You'll hit a relatively innocuous stretch of land with almost nothing on it. Check about halfway along the length of the area and you'll find a cave, nestled up beside the mountains. Head inside.

Cascade Cave - Enemies

Bloody Blade - 108 HP
Incineraytor - 98 HP
Minidemon - 95 HP
Octophant - 300 HP
Picuda - 120 HP
Sand Viper - 130 HP
Spinchilla - 100 HP

This dungeon is short, and will easily net you a valuable weapon... but it also appears to be closed for business. When you enter Cascade Cave you'll find that the stairs leading deeper are flooded with water. The solution is simple enough: Step into the water and use the Karstaway Stone. It will suck up just enough water to let you into the rest of the dungeon.

The remaining path through Cascade Cave shouldn't take you long:

In the first room you'll find the Sands of Time, which was mentioned by several NPCs in Dunplundrin. When used in combat the Sands of Time reset the battle to the start. This is handy when things aren't going your way, and is especially handy when you're trying to hunt anything from the Metal Slime family.
Beyond the Sands of Time room you'll reenter the cavern. Take a left and follow the path south to find a chest containing a Mini Medal, at the next intersection and to the north. Head back south and follow the path, again on your left, around the chamber and to the north. Eventually you'll come to stairs.
The path splits at the entrance. Head south to find a chest containing a Death Mask (Cursed, so, don't equip this), then return to the entry stairs. Go east this time, until you see steps to the south. At the bottom of the steps is a chest containing 780 gold. Head back north, up the steps, and follow the outer path around the chamber until you eventually come to stairs.

All done. At the bottom of the stairs you'll find one last chest, and it contains the Liquid Metal Sword. In addition to being one of the more powerful weapons in Dragon Quest IV, the Liquid Metal Sword inflicts more damage on Metal monsters - two points rather than one. Yes, it isn't a lot, but having this thing equipped can make Metal Slime hunting much easier. The only characters who can't equip the Liquid Metal Sword are Alena, Maya, and Borya, giving you a great deal of flexibility.

That's enough sidestory for now. Care to get on with the main plot? Right, then. Zoom to one of the towns in the southeast of the world map (Porthtrunnel or Mintos will both do fine) and sail your boat between the continents, heading northeast. You'll see a river running north shortly after you pass the Pharos Beacon. Follow the river and it will bring you to a village.

Rosehill

If you decided to stay at the Inn in Strathbaile at any point in the fifth chapter you'll have seen a vision of Rosehill already... and discovered just who Psaro really was. Rosehill is the home of the dwarves, and a person important to Psaro also lives here. We might as well poke around a bit.

In the middle of Rosehill is an old man who slowly roams between four desks, acting as the vendor for the Item, Weapon, and Armor Shops, as well as the priest for the church. His most noticeable item are the Falcon Knife Earrings, which have poor attack power but hit twice per turn. These are great for hunting anything from the Metal Slime family, as they will take 1 point of damage per hit no matter what. You can also buy the Dragonsbane here, which is quite strong against dragons (and you have to imagine that there are a lot of dragons in a game called Dragon Quest).
The Inn is on the west side of Rosehill. Check the dresser behind the front desk for a Poison Needle.
In the north of Rosehill is a large building. Check inside and look to the right of the nun to find stairs to the basement. Check the cupboard in the bedroom you find for a Mini Medal.

If you watched the vision in Strathbaile you'll know that Psaro played a flute to reach a secret section of Rosehill. Stand on the conspicuous floor plate south of the entrance to this building and play the Flute of Revelation, which you (hopefully) picked up in Zamoksva Castle. This will take you inside the tower atop the building - though before you can reach the inner sanctum, a monster will stop you.

Sir Roseguardin

HP:

1,200 (Sir Roseguardin)
85 (Chillanodons)

That name is a little on the nose, but... it's fine. Sir Roseguardin looks like a regular enemy, but he's a boss through and through. Although he usually just sticks to a normal attacks, Roseguardin can also summon in Chillanodons - and if you're unlucky, he'll pull out a Sphere of Silence and inflict Fizzle on one or more members of your party. It stinks to not be able to cast spells when you're facing a group.

Still, this fight isn't that bad. Cast Kabuff on your team, Sap on Roseguardin, and pelt him with physical attacks. Wipe out any Chillanodons that appear so you're not facing multiple enemies, and heal as necessary. Roseguardin's Sphere of Silence doesn't Fizzle your characters that often, so as long as you keep one active healer he shouldn't be able to inflict mortal damage on anyone.

You'll receive the Sphere of Silence after defeating Sir Roseguardin. After that you can speak to Rose, Psaro's beloved, and she'll fill you in on Psaro's plans for the world. There's also a Slime in here, and it will tell you to find something called the Mod Rod. You'll need it to infiltrate Psaro's headquarters.

Zoom over to Endor and sail south. Keep your eye on your right as you follow the path of the land and you'll eventually come to a shrine that you may have used to level already: The Royal Crypt.

Royal Crypt - Enemies

Bloody Blade - 108 HP
Hoodoo Voodoo - 100 HP
Humbaba - 90 HP
Liquid Metal Slime - 5 HP
Spitfire - 105 HP
Terrorflyer - 98 HP

Home of those lovely Liquid Metal Slimes, the Royal Crypt is also home to more of those annoying arrow tiles. It isn't nearly as bad as navigating the Imperial Pantry, however, so you should be in and out of here in no time. This path will get you through.

Head through the front door and down the entry hall. If you have the Ultimate Key you'll blow right past the cell doors and up to a set of stairs. If not... you've skipped ahead a bit. Head to Femiscyra first.
Jump on the arrow tiles to the north. They will sweep you to more stairs, which will take you to yet more floor tiles, again leading to stairs. Keep descending and you'll find one more track of arrows, and it will send you north, where you'll find a chest. The chest contains a Staff of Antimagic, a solid weapon for your magic users.
To the east of this chest is a teleportal that will take you back to the entrance. Ignore it and go west. There's a chest in a room on your right, and you can reach it by heading south, taking a right, and then walking alongside the arrows running through the room without stepping on them. The chest contains a Mini Medal.
Travel south through the chamber until you reach the far end, then go right and head north. On your next right you'll find stairs leading up.
Go west. You'll see doors to the north, and they lead to a magical spot that will completely heal your party. This is a great spot to level up on Liquid Metal Slimes. South of here you'll find a track of arrows that you used earlier, and, again, you need to carefully slip around them. Proceed to the southwest of the floor, where you'll find more stairs.
You're now back near the entrance. Walk west, avoiding the arrow tiles, then head south when you hit the west-most wall. Follow the edge of the map until you find water. In the south of the map you'll find a chest containing the Mod Rod. Hop onto the arrows to the north to return to the entrance and leave.

If you use the Mod Rod as an item your team will randomly transform into a group of identical NPCs. Change into humans and you'll get the normal reaction from the game's NPCs. Speak to humans while you're transformed into monsters, on the other hand, and they will be less-than-pleased. (Though you won't be attacked or anything.) The effects of the Mod Rod will wear off after a while, so don't fear that you're stuck as a Slime or a bunny girl or whatever for the rest of the game.

With the Mod Rod in hand you can sneak into Psaro's headquarters. Now you need to find the place. Hop in your boat and sail to the south-central continent, sandwiched between the continent where Meena and Maya started off and the continent where you recruited Alena, Borya, and Kiryl. Check along the west side of the island's northern half and you'll find a river. Go down the river and you'll abruptly be in a town.

Riverton

Surprise! Despite not appearing on the world map Riverton is, indeed, a place you can go. This town is split into two, and you can use your ship to navigate around. If you wish you can sail right through the middle of Riverton and carry on to the next dungeon, but we're going to stop here for a bit first.

The Weapon and Item Shops are on a stretch of land on the west side of Riverton. The Weapon Shop sells arms you've already seen, the most notable of which is the Dragonsbane.
South of the Item Shop is a small cemetery, and a nun is standing by the graves during the day. If you come here at night and check the grave where the nun was standing you'll find a Seed of Life.
The Armor Shop and the Inn are on the eastern shore of Riverton. The Armor Shop doesn't sell anything new, though the Dragon Mail and Dragon Shield are good items to grab Ragnar if you use him a lot. Check the pots beside the Inn to find a Moonwort Bulb.
There's a house north of the Inn, and if you check its wardrobes you'll find a Gold Bracer.
South of the Armor Shop you'll find another house, accessible by steps on the left. Check the pots inside for another Mini Medal.
In the middle of Riverton is a small island with stairs that lead to the western shore. There's a barrel on the island containing a Mini Medal.

If you speak to the townsfolk of Riverton you'll hear about 'flying contraptions' from the days of old. The scholarly man in the house with the Mini Medal even claims that he has built one, though he needs a special type of gas to make it fly. We'll be coming back to him in the not-too-distant future.

Sail south out of Riverton once you're done looking around. Your next destination will be veeeeery obvious on the world map.

Colossus - Enemies

Blizzybody - 85 HP
Dragon Rider - 141 HP
Fat Bat - 113 HP
Freeze Fly - 90 HP
Hellion - 150 HP
Hell Raiser - 110 HP
Hellspawn - 130 HP
Mimic - 240 HP
Minidemon - 95 HP
Podokesaurus - 114 HP
Rhinocerax - 142 HP
Sekerleton - 130 HP
Terminonator - 380 HP
Voodoo Goororr - 100 HP

Now that's a nice piece of architecture. At the base of the Colossus you'll find the home of a priest, and he'll give you a hint as to what you need to do here. Go through the torchlit gate to the west of his home to find the entrance to the Colossus. This path will get you thorugh to the end:

Directly north of the entrance to the dungeon are stairs. Go around the walls enclosing the stairs, to the north, and you'll find a chest containing a Mini Medal. Backtrack and go down the stairs.
You're now in the Colossus's feet. (It's more obvious in the NES version.) Check the western foot to find a chest containing 640 gold, then check the eastern foot to find stairs back to the first floor. Go up the stairs to the northwest.
Head south on the next floor, then east. There are two chambers on the east side of the floor, and the lower chamber holds a chest containing a Seed of Agility. Backtrack two rooms, then follow the southern passage until it forces you west. Go north at your first opportunity to find a path to stairs upward.
Head as far east as you can go on the next floor to find stairs, ignoring the torchlit doors along the way. Southwest of the top of the stairs is a hole in the wall that will take you out onto the Colossus's hands. Here you'll find a chest containing a Hela Hammer. This is a Cursed weapon that usually misses, though it will always land a critical blow when it does hit.
Backtrack the way you came and follow the path to the north of the stairs. If you twist the camera around you'll find a hidden doorway up here that will lead you to stairs to the next floor.
Head south from the stairs, then enter the chambers to the east. There's a chest to the north of the next set of stairs that turns out to be a Mimic, which you may or may not want to fight.
The head of the Colossus has two holes in the walls that serve as eyes. If you go through the hole on the right you'll drop down to the hand holding the Hela Hammer, which you don't want. Go through the left hole. You'll drop onto the other hand, and can go back inside.

From this point on it is a more or less straight path to the tip-top of the Colossus. Here you'll find a room with a lever, and if you pull it the mighty statue will walk across the water in front of its shrine. Drop out of the hole on the left side of this room (the statue's ear) and you'll wind up on the world map. Success!

(Quick note: If you reenter the Colossus ground you'll find a building with a teleportal. Do not go in this teleportal! It will send you to a shrine near Riverton, and you'll have to do the whole blasted dungeon again.)

World Map - Diablolic Hall Region - Enemies

Cheeky Tiki - 91 HP
Dragon Rider - 141 HP
Fuddlestick - 90 HP
Medislime - 140 HP
Rhinocerax - 142 HP
Sekerleton - 130 HP
Wyvern - 120 HP

Almost done. Head east of the shrine exit from the Colossus and you'll spot an ominous, blue-and-purple castle. This is your destination. If you lose a battle at any point on your trip to said castle you'll have to redo the Colossus, so don't dawdle. (Using Torneko's Padfoot ability to reduce the number of random battles isn't a terrible idea.)

Diabolic Hall

Welcome to the home of the monsters. Despite being Psaro's base of operations you don't have to get into any fights here... though if you waltz in looking like humans and try to speak to any of the monsters, they will happily try to eat your party. Use the Mod Rod to transform into any non-human form and you'll be treated as one of the gang. Let's have a look around.

Northwest of the entry hall are stairs down to a kitchen / dungeon. Check the pots in the kitchen for a Mini Medal, and destroy the pot in the central jail cell for a Prayer Ring. The pots in the eastern-most room contain a Lucida Shard, and also hide an exit to the outside of the hall. Here you'll find a human who will tell you about the Mod Rod, if you don't already have it.
In the southwest of the kitchens are stairs leading to a room with two monsters. They will do a bit of behind-the-scenes plotting which is more important to the post-game content.
If you head northeast of the entry hall you'll find stairs up to Psaro's throne room. In the northwest of the throne room are stairs leading down to the northern grassy area, behind Diabolic Hall. In the northwest of this area is a ruined building with stairs leading down to four chests protected by cell doors. The chests contain a Seed of Magic, a Mini Medal, and a Tempest Shield. The bottom-right chest is a Mimic (240 HP).
Outside Psaro's throne room you'll spot a gap in the wall that will allow you to jump down to a nearby building, which is surrounded by damaging tiles. Use Safe Passage to hover over the tiles, then head east to find a set of stairs. At the bottom is a grave, and in front of it is a Kamikaze Bracer. (You'll need to exit to the world map and reenter the hall from here, alas.)

West of Psaro's throne room is a Rhinothrope in front of a doorway. Walk past and you'll be inside a large meeting hall. Speak to all of the monsters - make sure you're transformed! - then park yourself in the seat next to the blue Cheater Cheetah, at the right table. Wait here for a bit and Psaro will appear. Apparently the workers at Mamon Mine have awoken Estark, Lord of the Underworld, and Psaro is in a rush to find the beast. You'd best beat him there.

Leave Diabolic Hall and Zoom to Havre Léon, to the north of Palais de Léon. Travel west from here to Mamon Mine.

Mamon Mine / Estark's Crypt - Enemies

Cheater Cheetah - 100 HP
Cheeky Tiki - 91 HP
Dragon Rider - 141 HP
Fuddlestick - 90 HP
King Cureslime - 150 HP
Moosifer - 250 HP
Podokesaurus - 114 HP (summoned as backup only)
Rhinocerex - 220 HP
Sekerleton - 130 HP
Wyvern - 120 HP

The first section of Mamon Mine is the same as it was earlier in the game. This includes the monsters, and you will plow right through them without difficulty. Make your way northeast on the first floor, then northeast again in the basement.

This will bring you to the room where you got the Powder Keg - and it looks like the miners have been busy. There's now a great deal more to explore, and from here on the monsters get tougher. Of note is the Moosifer, which will use 'desperation' attacks once you do some damage. This can range from simply defending itself to a brutal attack that will sap a character of most of their HP. Watch out for these guys.

This path will get you through Mamon Mine and the adjoining Estark's Crypt, starting in the area where you found the Powder Keg:

Head north until you see a pond. Go around the pond and to the east. Head north at your first opportunity and you'll see stairs to the north.
Head steadily north in this next area, ignoring all side passages. Eventually you'll find a dying man, and next to him is a hole in the wall. Go through.
You'll emerge in a cavern. Straight ahead is a building with a magical healing circle. Use it, then leave the building and head east. You'll now be standing in front of Estark's Crypt. Head inside.

Head directly north of the entrance to the crypt. You'll find a door to a hallway, and in here you'll find four small rooms, each containing chests. The first chest on the right contains a Mini Medal, the second chest contains Holy Water, and the third chest contains 2,480 gold. The two chests in the southern room contain a Seed of Agility and a Seed of Strength. Go up the stairs in the south of this hallway.
The stairs will take you back to the entrance hall, though now you're on the upper floor. Follow the path east until you see stairs. Ignore them and look south for another set of stairs. These will take you to a side area with three chests. The two in the lower room contain a Mini Medal (left), and... nothing, because the other one is a Mimic. The third chest is guarded by a spirit that won't disappear until you defeat the boss of this area.
Head west of the room with the three chests. You'll find stairs leading up to Estark's throne room, where the massive demon lord is attended by two Cheater Cheetahs and a Rhinocerex. Defeat the three mooks, which should prove no great challenge, and Estark will awaken. Step up and take him on.

Estark

HP: 2,700

The demon lord himself? Uh oh. Fortunately for the party, Estark is still groggy, and not at his full strength. Unfortunately for the party, Estark can still kick your butt if you aren't careful. Estark can use the following attacks:

An eerie light, which does around 40 - 50 points of damage to the whole party (only while Estark is asleep)
Normal melee slashes, which Estark can charge up with his Deep Breaths
Chilly Breath, an ice attack against the whole party
Disruptive Wave, which dispels any buffs cast on the party

Estark can use two moves per turn. His strategy is pretty simple. For the first few turns Estark is 'asleep', during which time he will emit light and damage the whole party. Once he wakes up Estark will jump back and forth between his normal attacks and Chilly Breath. If Estark takes a deep breath he'll deliver an especially painful melee attack on his next turn, and if you're very unlucky, he can breathe and attack in the same round. Characters with poor physical defense will likely die in one hit if this happens.

Beyond beefing up your physical defenses and bringing in characters who can ward off ice attacks (the Hero and Ragnar, primarily), you should do the following with each of your party members:

The Hero should attack on most rounds, though they're always useful as a backup healer if your team is in trouble. Zap (level 25) is a decent spell against Estark, though you may want to preserve the Hero's MP for emergency healing.
Ragnar is a good melee attacker for this fight, as he can equip Dragon equipment which will deaden the effects of Estark's Chilly Breath. Attack, attack, attack.
Alena is a solid alternative to Ragnar in the melee department, as she's faster, though Alena will take more damage.
Borya can use Oomph to make melee attacks count for more, though expect Disruptive Wave to get in your way on your regular basis. (On the plus side, this does use up one of Estark's attacks per turn.) Boost Borya's defenses or he will get knocked out very quickly by Estark's normal attacks.
Kiryl is, as always, a great choice for healer, and if he has Multiheal (level 30) he can keep the party healthy at all times. Kabuff will also protect the team against Estark's giant swords.
Meena is the inferior choice for healer, though she can still keep up reasonably will if you prefer her over Kiryl. Insulatle (level 29) reduces the damage done by Chilly Breath, though this is by and large less dangerous than Estark's sword swipes. Meena can also use Kasnooze, which has a good chance of putting Estark to sleep again.
Maya is a bit fragile, like Borya, though her Kafrizzle spell (level 33) inflicts a ton of damage on Estark, if you care to level her up that much.
Torneko can... attack. (Don't use Torneko. He can't even steal anything.)

If you want to end this fight quicker you can bring in two attackers - the Hero, Ragnar, and / or Alena - and use Borya's Oomph spell to buff them up. A healer remains on standby to keep the party healthy. If you prefer a safer, more conservative approach, bring in two attackers and two healers (three if you count the Hero) and chip away at Estark will keeping everyone's HP above 100. This takes longer, but eventually Estark will fall.

Estark will slump over after the battle, and Psaro, flabbergasted, will gawk at the sight... at least until one of his minions appears and draws him away with dire news. You can now leave Estark's Crypt - though before you do, make your way back to the pedestal with the chest that was guarded earlier. The spirit is now gone, and you can open the chest to find a Gas Canister. You'll need this in a moment, so make sure you grab this item!

Evac to the world map, then Zoom over to Riverton. Visit the house in the southeast of Riverton and speak to the man inside. He'll ask for the Gas Canister. Hand it over, then head to Riverton's Inn (just north of the guy's house) and have a nap. When you speak to the man the next day he'll have a hot air balloon ready and waiting outside his house. A new form of transportation! Huzzah!

Now that you have the balloon you can reach every spot on the world map. Even better, monsters won't attack you as you wander the skies. The sad truth, however, is that there are only two places left to explore on this map, and you need to go to one before you can get very far in the other.

Much earlier in the game there was a Treasure Map that you could pick up in Mintos. Checking it placed an X on the map, in a mountain-surrounded desert to the east of Mintos. With the balloon you can now finally check out this spot, where you'll find a tree. Welcome to Yggdrasil.

El Forado

You've heard about elves a few times by now, and now you've discovered their home. El Forado is a little paradise in the middle of the desert, and though you won't spend much time here this is nevertheless a very important stop on your journey. Let's have a quick look around the town:

There's an Armor Shop on the east side of El Forado. This place sells Power Shields, which cast Midheal when used as items, and Flowing Dresses, which provide extra protection against fire- and ice-based attacks. Both items are great... and expensive.

And... okay, that's all for El Forado. If you speak to the elves hereabouts one of them will suggest that you reduce your team to three people before you attempt to climb Yggdrasil. This proves important, so boot one of your party members, then head up the stairs near the Inn. (Don't worry, this dungeon is short. And there's no boss. You'll be fine.)

Yggdrasil - Enemies

Freeze Fly - 90 HP
Fuddlestick - 90 HP
Green Dragon - 143 HP
Grim Keeper - 250 HP
King Cureslime - 150 HP
Moosifer - 250 HP
Ogre - 210 HP
Podokesaurus - 114 HP (summoned as backup only)
Whirly Girly - 80 HP

On average the monsters of Yggdrasil are a little weaker than what you've been facing up to this point, with one or two exceptions. If you want to get through here quickly you can put Torneko in the party and use the Padfoot ability... oooor you can just try to muscle through. This path will take you to the top of Yggdrasil:

You'll be faced with a choice as soon as you enter the tree. Go northwest and you'll find stairs leading to a chest that contains a Staff of Salvation. Go northeast and you'll find the path forward.
Head east on the next floor, then south. Use the branches to cross to the adjacent room in the west, where you'll find stairs.
Go south from the stairs on the third floor, then up much stairs, to find a chest containing Yggdrasil Dew. Head back to the third floor, then go north. At this point you'll need to make a clockwise circuit of Yggdrasil's branches until you reach a chamber in the north. Go up the stairs in this chamber.
Do the reverse on the fourth floor, heading out onto the branches and traveling counter-clockwise around Yggdrasil. There are stairs on the eastern branches.

This will put you at the top of Yggdrasil. There's a winged woman named Orifiela nearby, and when you speak to her she'll beg the party to help her return to her homeland of Zenithia. Agree and she'll join the party as a temporary guest. Orifiela can use Fullheal, so she's no burden. (Though you may want to kick her out of the party at your first opportunity. Your other party members are still better.)

Travel to the central branches, then make your way to the southeast section of Yggdrasil. Here, planted in the leaves, you'll find the Zenithian Sword. This is the last piece of the Zenithian equipment, though at this point it isn't quite as strong as it can be. If your Hero is using, say, the Liquid Metal Sword, you can keep it on them for a little while longer. Just having the Zenithian Sword in your inventory will suffice for what comes next.

That's all for Yggdrasil. Zoom away from the great tree, hop in your balloon, and head for the small island in the middle of the map. You've probably sailed around it a few times, and when you try to land on the thing you'll discover that it is much bigger than it looks.

World Map - Central Island - Enemies

Bullion - 200 HP
Grim Keeper - 250 HP
Joojoo Gooroo - 130 HP
Metal King Slime - 7 HP
Night Emperor - 220 HP
Ogre - 210 HP
Wyvern - 120 HP

Another world map? Zounds! Central Island is nowhere near as large as the true world map, and you can cross it in a minute or two. The monsters here are fierce by manageable, and if you've gotten this far you shouldn't have any trouble. This is the first place where you can run into Metal King Slimes, and if you manage to defeat one you'll receive a whopping 30,000 experience.

There are four places you can visit on Central Island:

North of your starting point is a cave. You can't reach it just yet, but... soon. Soon.
In the northeast is a small shrine. Use the elevator in the shrine to travel to the bottom floor, then use the stairs to return to the top floor. Jump into the gap where the elevator used to be and you'll fall on top of it, granting you access to another set of stairs. You'll find a chest containing the Baron's Bugle. This will come in handy in the final area of the game.
In the south, near the stretch of poisonous swamps, is a tower. We'll be going here shortly, as it's the way forward.
And in the center of the island...

The Azimuth

A town brimming with religious fervour, the Azimuth is a quick pitstop before you make the ascent to... basically Heaven. We'll have a quick look around the Azimuth before leaving for that tower we mentioned earlier:

North of the Church, right at the entrance of the Azimuth, is a small house. Check the cupboards for a Mini Medal.
You can't tell at first glance because the camera is twisted around, but the Inn is the other building by the entrance to the Azimuth. Nothing special about it, the front door and sign are just positioned awkwardly.
The Armor Shop is on the west side of the Azimuth. (There's no Weapon Shop.) The new item you can get from here is the Spiked Armour, which has a chance of reflecting damaging back at an attacker. Ragnar and Torneko will both find this useful.
In the northwest of the Azimuth is a house, and another fallen Zenithian is waiting inside. Check the pots in here for a Mini Medal.

This is a good place to rejuvenate your party if you plan on hunting for Metal King Slimes on Central Island - though if that's your plan, there's a better spot to find them in the next dungeon. The entrance is that tower you spotted to the south of the Azimuth.

Stairway to Zenithia - Enemies

Abullddon - 250 HP
Beelzebuzz - 250 HP
Bullion - 200 HP
Cureslime - 60 HP (summoned as backup only)
Damselfly - 123 HP
Drooling Ghoul - 134 HP
Grim Keeper - 250 HP
Joojoo Gooroo - 130 HP
Liquid Metal Slime - 5 HP
Metal King Slime - 7 HP
Pickeerer - 140 HP
Pit Viper - 200 HP
Rhinocerex - 220 HP
Slime - 9 HP
Teaky Mask - 150 HP
Wilder Beast - 178 HP

One of the longer dungeons in Dragon Quest IV, the Stairway to Zenithia is nevertheless fairly straightforward. The layout isn't that crazy, and there's no boss at the end. This is also the best place in the game to level quickly, as there are lots of Liquid Metal Slimes and Metal King Slimes inhabiting the stairway. Expect to revisit this place if you need to grind.

This path will get you from the front door to the end:

Take either the east or west route in the entrance hall. They go to different sets of stairs, but both lead to the same room on the second floor.
There are two sets of upward stairs on the second floor. If you take the western stairs you'll find an exit to a pointless balcony. Keep going up stairs from here and you'll find a dead-end room with a chest. The chest contains a Dragon Shield.
Go up the eastern stairs on the second floor. You'll come out on another balcony, with a small room adjacent to an elevator. Check the room to find a chest containing a Glombolero, an awesome piece of equipment for your magic users that occasionally absorbs MP from enemy attacks. Snag it, then use the elevator back on the balcony.
The elevator will take you up to a higher balcony with a pointless room straight ahead. Go around this building and you'll find another lift, which brings you up to a room with stairs.
Head west in the next chamber. You'll find parallel hallways, with two sets of stairs. The closer set of stairs to your starting point, in the south, lead to a chest that contains Yggdrasil Dew. The stairs further out, to the north, lead further up.

You'll emerge outdoors. There's a ladder leading further up, as well as an elevator on your left. The elevator more or less takes you back to the entrance of the stairway, so don't bother using it unless your team is really hurting. Head up the ladder.
You'll wind up back indoors at the top of the ladder, and the path splits in two directions, both leading to stairs. Start by heading southeast, where you'll find stairs leading outside. There are doors to the north (these lead to a useless dead end) and a ladder to the northeast. The ladder leads to a small room with a Mini Medal on the floor, as well as stairs to another room with barrels and pots. Bust up the barrels and pots for another Mini Medal and a Seed of Strength.
Backtrack to the room with the split in the path and take the stairs to the west. They ultimately lead to an elevator that will take you further up the tower. Take a right as soon as you're back indoors, at the top of the elevator, and you'll find a chest containing a Kerplunk Bracer.
Take a left from the top of the elevator. You'll find a winding path up and over the floor below, leading gradually east. Head north once you hit the eastern wall and the path will take you to stairs. The stairs lead up...

... and you'll find the top of the tower. Stand on the platform at the uppermost point of the tower and a friendly cloud will float down and escort the party into the heavens. You'll now be on a little world map of sorts, though no enemies will bother you as you explore. Stay away from the edges of the clouds, as getting too close will dump you back down to Central Island, and you'll have to climb the Stairway to Zenithia again.

Speaking of Zenithia...

Zenithia

At long last, the party has reached the fabled kingdom of Zenithia. Orifiela will leave the party as soon as you enter the castle, putting you back to eight characters. You're about to get some answers for a few of the game's more pressing questions, and the path to the endgame of Dragon Quest IV waits nearby. First, though, shall we have a look around?

There's a door to the north and on your left from the entrance of Zenithia. Inside you'll find a Minidemon tending a garden. Speak to it to receive Yggdrasil Dew. It will give you more once you run out of dew.
The room next to the garden holds an NPC who will outright confirm the Hero's backstory. Check the dressers in her room for a Mini Medal.
East of the garden are stairs to a lower level. You'll find Orifiela standing by a pool down here, and if you speak to her she'll present you a new party member: Sparkie! A dragon, Sparkie will remain with the party for the rest of the fifth chapter. He's uncontrollable, like all NPC characters, and won't receive any experience or levels. It's fun to have a dragon on the team, but in the long haul Sparkie isn't worth using.
East of the pool where Orifiela is standing you'll find another, larger pool. Sitting in the grass beside the water is a Mini Medal.

Take the central staircase through Zenithia once you're done poking around. You'll wind up in the throne room of the Zenith Dragon, leader of Zenithia. A wave of evil will hit Zenithia as you're speaking to the dragon, and it will beseech the Hero to defeat Psaro in its stead. The Zenith Dragon will give the Hero a nice chunk of experience, and the Zenithian Sword will receive a power-up. (It still isn't as powerful as the Liquid Metal Sword, but it comes a lot closer than before.)

Head back down to the chambers where you found Orifelia and recruited Sparkie. There's a door here leading out onto the clouds, where you'll find a newly-punched hole in the 'ground'. This will drop you back down to Central Island. Not just any spot on Central Island, however...

Doorway to Nadiria - Enemies

Abullddon - 250 HP
Beelzebuzz - 250 HP
Bullion - 200 HP
Cureslime - 60 HP (summoned as backup only)
Damselfly - 123 HP
Demonspawn - 180 HP
Drooling Ghoul - 134 HP
Float-o-Copier - 153 HP
Grim Keeper - 250 HP
Joojoo Gooroo - 130 HP
Liquid Metal Slime - 5 HP
Metal King Slime - 7 HP
Mimic - 240 HP
Night Clubber - 330 HP
Pickeerer - 140 HP
Pit Viper - 200 HP
Red Dragon - 167 HP
Rhinocerex - 220 HP
Sasquash - 250 HP
Slime - 9 HP
Teaky Mask - 150 HP
Vis Mager - 900 HP
Wilder Beast - 178 HP

You're almost there. Psaro now resides in Nadiria, the underground opposite of Zenithia, and you'll need to travel through this cave to reach him. This is another lengthy but fairly straightforward dungeon, and shouldn't prove any more difficult than the Stairway to Zenithia.

It is worth noting that your wagon will come along for the trip through the Doorway to Nadiria. You can swap out party members any time you like, as well as access everyone's inventories. The dungeon is not so difficult that you need this advantage, but there's no point ignoring it either.

This path will get you through the Doorway to Nadiria:

Head north of the entrance stairs. You'll find a door into a room. Inside is a chest containing a Shimmering Dress. This women-only piece of armor can reflect magic back at the enemy, and is great no matter who wears it.
Head back south and take a left. Follow the passage - which will take a while - until you see a path on your left. Take the left.
There are arrow tiles nearby in the next chamber. Step onto the right side of the southern arrow tiles. This will sweep you around in a clockwise circle, dropping you off to the north of a chest. The chest contains a Mini Medal. Hop back on the arrow tiles and use them to return to the entrance, then head back into the previous hallway.
Continue following the main passage south, then east. Eventually the path will bring you to the bottom of some steps, where the road splits in two directions. Go west. (If you go south you can get at two chests, but there's a faster way to get them coming up soon.)
Head west of the entrance to this area and you'll find a chest containing a Thalian Staff. Southeast of here is a poisonous bog with a chest, and if you open the chest you'll discover it is a Mimic. Head west of the bog to spot a treasure room - we'll get there soon - and, in the northwest, stairs.

You're back in the chamber with the arrow tiles. Head west, hug the wall, and walk south. This will put you on arrow tiles leading to a chest that contains Hela's Armour. (Cursed. Don't put it on.) Northeast of the chest are intersecting arrow tiles, and if you walk past the northbound tiles and step onto the eastbound tiles you'll be swept to some stairs.
The stairs will take you to the treasure room you spotted earlier. The chests here contain 3,280 gold, a Seed of Strength, a Seed of Life, and a Seed of Agility. Nice haul. Grab them all, then head down the stairs on the left side of the room.
The next room contains a sizable pool, and you'll come out next to a raft. There are two chests in this room that you can use the raft to reach. (This is the area we skipped earlier.) In the northwest is a Mighty Armlet, and in the south is a Flowing Dress. Sail east of the island where you found the raft and you'll find another island, with stairs leading deeper into the dungeon.
Head west in the next corridor. There's a Seed of Magic glinting away on the floor. Follow the passage south and you'll find a path to an adjacent building, where you'll discover a chest containing a Seed of Life. There's a hole in the top of this building, accessible by heading back up one floor, and if you fall through you'll land next to a chest containing a Mirror Shield. Like the Shimmering Dress, this shield bounces magic back at its caster.
Drop through the crack in the floor to go down a level, then use the stairs nearby. This will bring you to the exit...

... and to the final 'world map' section in Dragon Quest IV.

Nadiria - Enemies

Dragooner - 300 HP
Emperor Wyvern - 400 HP
Float-o-Copier - 153 HP
Night Rider - 300 HP
Pickeerer - 140 HP (summoned as backup only)
Prince of Darkness - 200 HP
Swingre - 380 HP
Teaky Mask - 150 HP

You've made it. Nadiria is the final area of Dragon Quest IV - apart from some optional dungeons, anyway - and getting here will put you on a collision course with Psaro. His fortress is currently barricaded away from outside interference, however, and you'll need to deal with his magical barrier first.

Head south of the exit of the Doorway to Nadiria and you'll find a tiny shrine. This is Heaven's Haven, and inside is a Zenithian who will tell you how to breach Psaro's barrier. This woman will fully heal your party, and can save your game as well. Heaven's Haven itself is a Zoom point, so if you want to leave Nadiria you can return here later and pick up where you left off.

In order to access the final dungeon of Dragon Quest IV you must defeat four of Psaro's top lieutenants. Each controls a small shrine on the edges of Nadiria, and they're all potent bosses. You can tackle them in any order you like.

Pruslas - Southwestern Shrine

HP: 2,300

In order to battle Pruslas you must first get past five stone statues that mirror your movements. Walk to the left or right side of their area, then head north, avoiding the nearest statue. This will allow you to slip past the rest and carry on to the stairs. Pruslas will tell you to look around his room after you speak to him, though you'll avoid getting whacked on the head by speaking to him again and triggering the fight.

Pruslas deals more or less exclusively in hard physical attacks, though he can also use Kasap to drain everyone's defenses. He gets two attacks per turn, and if Pruslas decides to use a desperation attack he can easily wipe out your weaker party members in a single hit. Still, this battle is fairly easy, as Pruslas has poor defenses to... basically everything. Have Kiryl heal and Kabuff the party while everyone else wallops Pruslas. He doesn't have enough HP to last long.

You'll receive an Oaken Club for defeating Pruslas. Whoopee.

Barbatos - Northwestern Shrine

HP: 3,300

Barbatos's shrine has no tricks or traps. You can walk right in, climb a ladder, and fight Barbatos.

Arguably one of the more difficult bosses of Nadiria, Barbatos specializes in fire- and ice-elemental attacks that can hit the whole party. He can also use War Cry to stun one or more members of your party, and his normal melee attacks are nothing to sneeze at either. Getting hit twice per round by Kaboom, Inferno, and / or Chilly Breath is no fun, so use Meena's Insulatle spell to buff everyone's defenses and go after Barbatos with physical attacks or magic.

You'll receive a Miracle Sword for defeating Barbatos.

Rashaverak - Southeastern Shrine

HP: 450

Rashaverak's shrine has no tricks or traps, and you can head straight to the basement and fight the dragon.

Rashaverak isn't one powerful boss, but many weaker ones. Aside from melee and fire breath attacks Rashaverak's primary strategy is calling for reinforcements, and you need to wipe out your foes before they replenish their ranks. A strong offense is called for here, and having Boryl use Oomph on your primary attackers will allow them to carve up the dragons without much trouble. Use Meena's Insulatle if you find the fire damage to be a problem.

You'll receive a Dragon Shield for defeating Rashaverak.

Aamon - Northeastern Shrine

HP:

1,600 (Amon)
134 (Drooling Ghouls)

Aamon's shrine is more of a tower. Make your way up the stairs until you find a floor with two sets of upward stairs, one in the northeast and the other in the southwest. The northeast stairs will take you to a chest containing Zombie Mail - more Cursed equipment - while the southwest stairs will take you to Aamon.

Aamon is accompanied by three Drooling Ghouls, all of which you should quickly dispatch before they do any damage. Aamon himself favors spellcasting, and will use Frizzle, Kacrackle, and Kaswoosh to batter your whole party - usually twice per round. He can also use Bounce to protect himself from your magic. Bring three melee fighters and a healer along for the ride, don equipment that will reflect spells back at Aamon (or just have Borya cast Bounce), and beat Aamon to death. It won't take long.

You won't receive an item for defeating Aamon, though it is worth noting that this won't be the last time you run into the guy... assuming you play through the post-game content.

Defeating Psaro's four minions will remove the barriers around their master's hideaway. You'll find it to the north of the Doorway to Nadiria. Head back to Heaven's Haven to heal up and save, then set forth and face your destiny.

Castle Nadiria - Enemies

Dragooner - 300 HP
Drooling Ghoul - 134 HP
Emperor Wyvern - 400 HP
Float-o-Copier - 153 HP
Night Rider - 300 HP
Pickeerer - 140 HP (summoned as backup only)
Prince of Darkness - 200 HP
Swingre - 380 HP
Teaky Mask - 150 HP
Terracotta Warrior - 400 HP
Vis Mager - 900 HP

It all comes down to this. Castle Nadiria isn't the longest dungeon you've faced, but it's long enough. If you've come this far you should be more than ready to find your way to the other end of the castle. Defeating what waits... that's another matter. This path will get you through Castle Nadiria:

Head north into the castle. The first thing you'll find inside is a chamber with damaging floors, and in the middle of it three roaming statues. Touch any of them and you'll fight a single Terracotta Warrior. These guys can use Thwack, which has the potential to kill your entire party in a single unlucky swoop. That said, they have a significant chance of dropping a Seed of Life, so... approach at your own peril.
Walk around the damaging floors and head to the northeast of the entry hall. Follow the path - it is quite straightforward - until you're back inside, and the hallway you were in opens into a larger room. A spirit in here will warn you that you can't go any further south, and it is correct.
Check the down stairs in this room to find a chamber filled with poison tiles. Use Safe Passage, then head south of the stairs to find a chest containing a Mini Medal. Head back upstairs.
Go up the stairs to the right of the spirit. Follow this pathway long enough and you'll come to an elevator. Avoid the button in the middle of the elevator and head north. You'll find stairs on the other side of the elevator, and after a bit more traveling you'll find yourself in a treasure room. The chests contain a Yggdrasil Leaf - the only way to restore someone to health in battle without magic - and a Lightning Staff.
Head back from the treasure room. You'll be in an east-west corridor that's full of statues. One of the statues along the north side of the hallway can be pushed to the side. You'll find a path back here that leads to a chest containing a Sage's Stone. Using this in battle is more or less the same as casting Multiheal, making it a fantastic item.

Return to the elevator and hit the button. This will send it down to the room with the spirit. Go south out of the elevator and follow the eastbound passage until it brings you to stairs.
You'll find another elevator on the next floor. Climb aboard and hit the button. This will lower the elevator down one level, to the bottom of the stairs you just used. Go back up and you can use the top of the elevator to head north, where you'll find more stairs.

That's it for the puzzles. Keep following the path through the castle until you wind up back outside. Take a left and you'll find the exit back to the world map, where the volcano at the heart of Nadiria waits. A massive figure that looks more or less identical to Estark is standing in the north of this volcano. This guy, unsurprisingly, is the final boss of the game.

You'll probably notice that you didn't have the wagon when you briefly reentered the world map. If you use the Baron's Bugle that you found on Central Island you'll summon the wagon to the volcano, along with the rest of your party. You can use this to prep for the battle that waits. It promises to be the most difficult encounter you've yet faced in Dragon Quest IV. Here are some things you can do to ready yourself:

Level your party members up to the mid 30s at a minimum. 40 is fairly safe for this battle.
With the Baron's Bugle you'll have access to your whole party, so you can swap members as needed. That said, you should have at least the Hero or Kiryl in your party at all times, as the Hero knows Omniheal (level 32) and Kiryl knows Multiheal (level 30). You'll take a lot of damage in this fight, and you'll want characters who can heal multiple party members in a single turn. Kiryl also learns Kazing (level 33), which unlike plain 'ol Zing will always revive a dead party member. Very handy.
Place the Sage's Stone (assuming you picked it up) on one of your non-Kiryl characters. This will give you a third healer for free. Meena is an obvious choice since she doesn't learn Multiheal.
Equip anything that deadens fire- or ice-type attacks. Meena's Insulatle spell (level 29) also works, though expect it to get dispelled as the battle progresses.
Put your Yggdrasil Leafs and Yggdrasil Dews on your non-healer characters as a security precaution. You never know when a healer might get knocked out.
Leave Torneko out of the fight. Unless you're at a high level (40+) - or you want a challenge - he has no place here, save in an emergency. For similar reasons, make sure you change everyone's Tactics to manual control.

Ready? Then here we go.

Psaro the Manslayer

HP:

2,000 (first form)
1,600 (second form)
1,600 (third form)
1,800 (fourth form)
1,600 (fifth form)
1,700 (sixth form)
2,100 (final form)

Well, he looks... different. Despite his strong resemblance to Estark at the beginning of this battle, Psaro the Manslayer will slowly change forms as you inflict more damage. Each form he takes on will change its combat strategy, making things more difficult for you. All of Psaro's forms can attack twice per turn.

Psaro's forms use the following attacks:

Psaro's first form sticks to normal melee strikes and the occasional desperation attack. The same goes for his second form.
Psaro's third form begins using spells, notably Whack. It can also use Sweet Breath to put your party members to Sleep.
Psaro's fourth form will begin using Disruptive Wave to knock out any buffs on your party. It also has a few fire-based attacks, and can use Meditation to heal itself. Psaro's fifth and sixth forms are similar to the fourth, just progressively tougher and more likely to hit you with melee attacks.
Psaro's seventh, final form will immediately use Bounce on itself. After that it continues to use the familiar fire breath attack, adding in a cold breath as well. Both can hit for 100+ damage, particularly the icy attack. Psaro will also go back to using Disruptive Wave on a regular basis.

Despite the changes over the course of the battle your strategy in this fight will, for the most part, remain constant the whole time. Your characters should be doing the following whenever they're actively engaging Psaro:

If the team is doing well the Hero should attack. Lightning spells work well against Psaro, though you're better off just using melee strikes and saving your MP for healing spells. If you're ever in a jam the Hero can instantly revitalize everyone with Omniheal. The Hero can also use the Zenithian Sword as an item to dismiss any of Psaro's buffs, notably Bounce.
Ragnar is an attacker. Give him one or two healing items, then have him hack away at Psaro.
Alena is also a melee attacker, and her speed makes her a good candidate for slinging the occasional item. Not much to say.
Borya is key to this fight if you want a speedy win, as he can use Oomph to greatly boost melee damage. This will also trigger Psaro to use Disruptive Wave, which has the added benefit of wasting the demon's turns. Acceleratle and Sap are good choices when Borya isn't buffing attack power. Borya's offensive spells aren't great in this battle, so you may want to keep him in a support role.
Kiryl is your best non-Hero healer, thanks to Multiheal, Kabuff, and Kazing. If you don't need him to heal during a round, either have him use a Prayer Ring to keep his MP high or just defend. Keeping Kiryl alive will make the fight much easier.
If he must come out, Torneko should be a fighter. Give him a Miracle Sword to absorb HP. His decent speed makes him good for using items in a pinch, but that's about all.
Meena is your backup healer if Kiryl goes down, though she can also prove helpful by using Insulatle. This will deaden many of Psaro's attacks, which is especially useful against the final form, where its icy breath does more damage than just about anything else.
Maya's Kafrizzle spell (level 33) does a solid amount of damage, and doesn't require any buffing. Beyond that, occasionally using Sap on Psaro to lower his defenses can't hurt.
Don't use Sparkie. It's... just not a good idea.

Your overall strategy here isn't terribly different from most boss battles: Maximize your offense and defense, protect against fire and ice, and keep everyone alive and healthy. The difference with Psaro is the length of the battle, which will slowly whittle down everyone's MP. Use items when necessary to save on MP, switch your party members around occasionally - especially during the early phases, when Psaro isn't doing that much damage - and remain patient. Psaro is tough, but he's far from impossible. If you've come this far, you can go the extra mile.

Defeat the seven forms of Psaro the Manslayer, and, congratulations! You've completed Dragon Quest IV! You'll be whisked back to Zenithia for a round of celebration, and once you exit the castle the ending - and eventually the credits - will roll. If you were playing the NES version of Dragon Quest IV this would be the end of the road...

... but if you've been following this walkthrough, you still have a ways to go. Yes, the game is over, but the story's not complete. Care to tie up some loose ends, and maybe recruit another party member? Then save your game, reload your file, and let's get started.

Chapter 6

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Dragon Quest IV Walkthrough, Chapter 5: The Hero

Posted by: SLTE

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