March 2019 Playthrough - Dragon Warrior / Dragon Quest

[douglie007]

So I have played about an hour.. so much. Grinding

[Duke.Togo]

I've been playing this early, and have progressed pretty far. I'm at level 20, and getting ready to go for Erdric's armor. The SFC seems more approachable than what I remember the NES version being. Enjoying it quite a bit!

[Link41]

Made it to the town of Garinham after acquiring Erdrick's tablet. My character also made it to level 6.

[Duke.Togo]

Well, I was way ahead already, and I finished the game out tonight. Let me mention that when you get past the last boss, take some time to go back to the towns for a few neat things.

Spoiler (hover to show)

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Great game, and I'm glad I tried a different version this time. The Super Famicom game smoothes out a few parts, and makes it a very enjoyable experience. I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.

[GrayGhost81]

I had been playing the game (original NES) in between other stuff for a few months now but now I am going at it full time. I was level 12 before I started doing any of the actual "story" stuff, so I was able to bust through a lot of it before I hit a brick wall.

I don't mind the grinding...yet. I'm using a turbo controller and listening to podcasts, music, or watching youtube videos while doing it. The RETURN spell at level 13 makes life a whole lot easier for grinding runs so you can go back and 'bank' your work by saving.

I'm level 14 now and messing around trying to either beat the green dragon in the swamp cave or to have a little luck on the axe knight hiding Erdrick's Armor. So far, the RNG gods hath not been smiling upon me in either endeavor.

Is the game kind of a slog? Yeah. But it's like comfort food for me. At times I wish I had just played one of the other versions but for me this is an absolute labor of love, and I can't wait to discuss why that is on the podcast.   

[douglie007]

The benefits of having the flu.. more time to game in bed.  Just finished it, still a fun game.  
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[singlebanana]

Nice! What did you play it on Doug?

[douglie007]

Nice! What did you play it on Doug?

I played the snes translated rom and I put it on my SNES classic for easy travel between rooms.

[GrayGhost81]

I finished the game yesterday. I was in a real groove with the grinding (had it down to about one level per half hour) and was tempted to go for the level cap, which is 30, but I decided against it and slayed the Dragonlord pretty easily at level 23. Sharp contrast to Saturday when I was level 14 and had quite a few major things left to do in the game. Yesterday I must have played for damn near six hours. I cleared out my entire "Watch Later" list on YT which had over seventy videos in it! It's funny, without all the grinding you could probably beat this game in about an hour. I really wish there was a new game plus mode where I could replay the game from the beginning with my level 23 character and his 70,000 gold fortune.

During my entire playtime, I was never bored or frustrated. Even when I got REKT trying to mess with something I wasn't strong enough for, I know all I had to do was grind more. By the time I reached the Dragonlord I felt like a badass, and that I had earned my status as such with a ton of work.

Is anyone besides Rich and me playing the NES version? Now that I've finished the game so far ahead of schedule, I'm definitely going to take a look at the other versions for the purpose of comparison in our live discussion.

I added checkpoints for the rest of the month. There is nothing to spoil, and people seem to be going at their own pace which, with all the grinding, is really the way to go. Also, different versions of the game play 'faster' than others, so having said that, go at your own pace and if you rescue Gwaelyn by mid-month you should be good to go. 

[singlebanana]

Congrats Shawn!  Yeah, right now I have done all of the quests and opened the Rainbow Bridge to the final encounter. I'm around level 16 and should get Healmore at 17, which will make grinding that much easier.  I know that it may sound odd, but I find the grinding quite relaxing and could do it for hours on end.  When I saw the video about how much quicker the GBC version was, I was honestly a little disappointed. I don't know, I guess seeing all of the hours of work payoff feels like a greater accomplishment to me. With such a skinny plot, I feel like speeding it up would make it feel awkward. There's really not much to search for in this game and it seems that longer times between these quests is more fulfilling. I don't know, maybe I'm off my rocker here.

[Disposed Hero]

Is anyone besides Rich and me playing the NES version? Now that I've finished the game so far ahead of schedule, I'm definitely going to take a look at the other versions for the purpose of comparison in our live discussion.

I'm also playing the NES version, I'd also like to give the other versions a try sometime in the future.

I'm currently very close to level 9 with the mountain cave being my grinding spot of choice at the moment. I found the Fighter's Ring but am reading conflicting reports on whether it is useful or not. Some sources say it increases critical hit chance while others say it is worthless. I feel like I've been getting more crits with it equipped, though that could be my imagination. I'll probably grind here a bit longer before moving on.

[Link41]

I'm also playing the NES version.

[BuriedOnMars]

I'm playing the NES version.  I guess I'm "truly hardcore" according to the Happy Video Game Nerd, lol. I'd also like to know what the Fighter Ring does. Seems like the internet is confused about what it is for.

[Link41]

I made it to the village of Kol and also upgraded to the large shield and half plate. I'm almost ready to make it to level 10.

[ReddMcKnight]

Might I join in, or is it too late? I have the Japanese Version on PS4...