Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake ending, explained
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is an epic adventure, and the ending even has something interesting for long-time fans of the franchise. Even if you beat the NES and Super Famicom versions of this game, there’s likely going to be something new and intriguing for you, after the final boss goes down. If you want to know what the big reveal is — and there is a big reveal — read on.
After all, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D is an incredibly vast, enjoyable RPG, as we stated in our final preview of the game. For those who have gotten this far, and defeated the final boss, what does the ending all mean? Here’s what you need to know.
Note: This contains spoilers for the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake and discusses DQ1 and DQ2.
What takes place during the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake ending?
Once Zoma is bested and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake’s ending kicks off, every moment is fascinating. The Archfiend congratulates the hero for overcoming his power, but even that feels a bit backhanded. As the final boss points out, while there is light, there must also be darkness.
Zoma has peered into the future, and it appears that he realized that darkness wasn’t going to envelop the land with his might alone. He’s seen that there will be another that comes to take his place. There have already been omens that have revealed this person, this harbinger of darkness.
Unfortunately for the hero and his party, by the time this figure arises to claim their spot, the heroes will be long deceased. Zoma takes a bit of joy in knowing that we won’t be able to do anything to stop the rise of his successor, and the palace begins to crumble around him.
Players will have to flee through a familiar underground tunnel. If you took the time to explore everywhere in Alefgard before coming to the final dungeon in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake.
The Palace crumbles, and you wind up in Talontear Tunnel. While the connecting tunnel between the two continents isn’t quite finished yet, it appears there was a route the Archfiend Zoma had prepared.
Perhaps was setting up a path to invade Tantegel Castle with. You still cannot cast spells in this dungeon; thankfully, this time, there are no enemies. Just run out of the dungeon, and get to the overworld. There’s sunlight, now! The defeat of Zoma has removed the curse of eternal darkness.
You can travel throughout Alefgard at this point in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, but you can’t really interact with much. We tried to go to some of the hidden spots in the world, but there was nothing to do here. Enjoy the daytime and then head to Tantegel Castle to speak with the king.
The King of Tantegel is delighted that you succeeded, and thwarted the schemes of Zoma, Lord of the Underworld. Unfortunately, this means the gateway by which the player would return home has been sealed off forever.
As thanks, the King grants you the greatest title he could give anyone - the title of Erdrick. It means “dwelling land,” and is the highest honor anyone could receive. The hero would pass on into legend as Erdrick, hero of the land.
After the celebration of the defeat of Zoma, Erdrick disappeared into the countryside, leaving behind a sword, a suit of armor, a shield, and an amulet. They became the greatest treasures of the kingdom and would mark their bearer as a Descendant of Erdrick.
During the credits, players will see some little snippets of images of the hero, but what’s really interesting is what takes place afterward. Players get to see the Shrine of the Dragon Queen - which we visited earlier in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake.
During Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, the Dragon Queen gave the last of her energy to help the party defeat Zoma but left behind an egg. This will ultimately hatch and take the Dragon Queen’s place. We see the High Priest alone in the room with the egg in this next scene.
He states he’ll make sure this egg hatches into a fine leader of the land. The final lines of dialogue of the game are intruiging:
“I promise, nay, I swear upon my name…The name of…Hargon.”
Newcomers to the series may not see what’s so interesting here. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake sows the seeds of future chaos. Hargon is the main antagonist of Dragon Quest 2, and it’s rumored (or at least alluded to in the Emblem of Roto manga) that the egg is the unhatched Dragonlord, the antagonist of Dragon Quest 1.
This connects the three bosses and adds more lore to the franchise that wasn’t there before. Hargon wasn’t really given a lot of backstory other than having the Cult of Hargon and wanting to summon Malroth the Destroyer. With the promise of other surprises on the horizon, this makes the coming prospect of Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake very exciting.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake released on November 14, 2024. If you want to learn more about the game, you can find out what makes it a masterpiece in our in-depth review.