DRAGON WARRIOR IV
Cristo/Alena Duo---Challenge Quest FAQ
by: Binta
email address:
[email protected]
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What is this about?
This is an FAQ for Dragon Warrior IV. It discusses the basics of a challenge
quest, as well as how it goes for a playthrough only using Cristo and Alena. If
you're interested in challenge quests, I assume you know the way the game works,
where to find items, and the walkthrough, so I'm only covering the recommended
levels, equipment, and providing some hints and tips.
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Copyright
I, Binta, have made this FAQ. You can print it, use it freely, or ask me if you
want to use it on your own site. Do NOT, however, plagiarize my stuff, sell it,
or ruin it in some way. In short: don't steal my work in any way.
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Thanks to:
-Enix, for creating great games like this
-GameFAQs, for accepting this FAQ
-Myself, for my hard work
-Fellow GameFAQs user "Seyal" for introducing us to Challenge Quests
-Fellow GameFAQs user "Catula" for introducing us to Duo Quests
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Version History
January 28, 2006: v1.0 - Initial release.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Questions about challenge quests
2. Your team
3. Challenge quest rules
4. Hints and tips
5. Recommended equipment
6. Training locations
7. The quest itself
8. Cursed item effects (irrelevant)
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QUESTIONS ABOUT CHALLENGE QUESTS
Q: What is a "challenge quest"?
A: You're basically intentionally making the game harder. In this case, you're
only using Cristo and Alena.
Q: Sounds interesting. What are the ways you can start a challenge quest?
A: -Naked Quest (no equipment allowed, although keeping them in your inventory
is allowed)
-Low Level (gaining as few levels as possible)
-Using certain characters, in different numbers of groups
Q: What are some interesting teams in your opinion?
A: Well, there's Cristo/Alena duo, which we're doing in this case. Other
interesting teams are:
-Female Hero/Alena/Mara/Nara (all-female team. Perhaps the easiest challenge;
you might want to try this to get the idea of challenge quests).
-Cristo/Nara/Brey/Mara (all-mage team, which started our Challenge Questors)
-Taloon/Cristo/Brey/Ragnar (all-male, non-hero team)
Q: Can you solo this game?
A: Yes, but from our current experiences only the hero can solo it. Alena might
be able to solo it, but we have yet to test it.
Q: Are there any impossible challenges?
A: Yes. All non-hero solos are impossible (although Alena might be possible;
someone's already testing that out). Other impossible challenges include:
-Cristo/Nara
-Mara/Brey
-Ragnar/Nara
-(more to come)
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YOUR TEAM (CRISTO AND ALENA)
Now you're probably wondering "Why Cristo and Alena?" or "Why did you leave Brey
out?" I just thought it would be an interesting team. It's hinted that Cristo
likes Alena, so I like to call this team "The Courageous Couple". Or maybe Brey
died of old age, and that's why I didn't include Brey. Also, this duo quest is
doable. Anyways, here are some strengths and weaknesses to your team.
Pros:
+You have the almighty Alena
+Both have good overall agility
+Both have good overall HP
+Cristo can be a lifesaver with his Healall, Revive and Upper/Increase spells.
+Cristo has access to some of the best equipment
Cons:
-Without the Ice Blade, the only way the team can mow down multiple monsters is
with Cristo's unreliable Defeat spell.
-Healus becomes rather pointless, since the AI never uses it unless there's 4
people in the team.
-Cristo can be a moron, casting Beat/Defeat nonstop, even when it won't work.
-If Alena gets confused, expect to lose a LOT (if not all) of your HP.
Below is a chart of which levels your stat growth rates change noticably. For
all characters, after level 50 or 60 stat gains are pretty much there to make up
for crappy levelups you might have gotten before. I haven't leveled them up any
higher yet, so if there are any more changes, let me know.
*-Level-*-Character-*-----------------------Analysis---------------------------*
| 15 | Cristo |HP and Agility improve, but Strength slows way down |
| 43 | Cristo |Luck and MP improve, but he's pretty lucky to gain any HP |
| 50 | Cristo |Stats are rather horrid |
| 6 | Alena |Stats will improve exponentially from now on |
| 47 | Alena |Stats slow way down, but HP is still fairly decent |
| 50 | Alena |Strength improves again |
| 52 | Alena |All stats except for Strength become pitiful |
*--------*-----------*---------------------------------------------------------*
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CHALLENGE QUEST RULES
-You may NOT use any character besides Cristo and Alena. However, at two
occasions you're required to use the hero. Put the hero in the team long
enough to bypass the time you're forced to use him/her, kill him/her as soon as
possible as possible, and continue the game regularly. You can use Panon and
Lucia as needed, but not as your normal characters. Keep them in the wagon for
as long as possible.
-You may NOT use Nara's or the Hero's healing spells.
-You may, however, use the other characters to store items. It's a hassle to get
items from the vault, and paying 10 gold to get an item back is nothing. It can
also be a hassle going back and forth to make more space in your inventory just
to get more treasures from caves or whatever.
-You may also jack items from the other characters and sell their stuff. It
isn't hard to get gold in this game at all, and even without doing this, you'll
have much more gold than you need by the end.
-And most importantly: !!!CHEATING RUINS THE GAME!!! Don't cheat. This includes
savestate abuse, hacking, Game Genie, and resetting upon bad luck (such as
losing at the Casino). However, if the Saroknight doesn't drop the Sphere of
Silence, I'll show mercy in this case and let you reset, should you be unlucky
and this happens.
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HINTS AND TIPS
-Have Cristo be the leader. He has better defense than Alena.
-Give all of your stat-boosting seeds to Cristo. Alena's stats are good enough,
Cristo's the only one of the two who can make use of Mystic Acorns, and he'll
need the extra boost in the remaining categories.
-Alena's Agility is awesome and Cristo is somewhat fast, so I doubt you'll need
Meteorite Armbands. In fact, the Meteorite Armband is dead weight on the Try
Out tactic.
-How to spend your medals. Try to get a Sword of Miracles for Cristo as soon as
possible. The next thing you'll want is a Hat of Happiness. I suppose you
could also get a Metal Babble Helm if you can.
-When you need to kill the hero, equip him with a strong weapon and no armor.
-Beware of running low on HP. The AI has a nasty tendancy to Parry every turn
when that happens, even if you can kill the enemy or heal.
-Chances are, Cristo will be a moron and cast Beat/Defeat on bosses. Let that
happen. If you die, Cristo should learn from his mistake ON THAT PARTICULAR
BOSS. So, don't be surprised if you have to repeat boss battles at least once
or twice.
-Keep both of your characters alive. Without Cristo, your chances of surivial
are slim, and without Alena, you won't be able to do enough damage to bosses
to outdo their regeneration.
-Defensive and Use No MP are the best tactics for this quest.
-Skip the Dew of World Tree you find in the World Tree until you get the one in
Zenithia first. By doing it this way, you can have two instead of one.
-The Magic Key also works on Thief's Key doors, and the Final Key works on Magic
and Thief Key doors. Keep this in mind for any future DW4 gaming.
-Keep at least 6000 gold in the vault at all times, in case you're defeated and
you can't afford revival fees.
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RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
Cristo: Sword of Miracles
Metal Babble Armor
Metal Babble Shield
Hat of Happiness
When hunting for King Metals and Metal Babbles, equip Cristo with a Mirror
Shield. In any case you can't get the Metal Babble Shield, give him an Iron
Shield. This will serve him well until he can get a Shield of Strength. Cristo
should use a Wooden Hat or an Iron Helmet before getting one of the headgear
bought via medals. Late in the game, you may wish to get Cristo a Metal Babble
Helm. If you do, have him use it when he's at full MP. When he uses up MP, equip
his Hat of Happiness back on him. Before getting the Magic Key, he should have a
Half Plate Armor.
Alena: Stilleto Earrings
Pink Leotard
(no available shields for Alena)
Golden Barrette
Although the Dress of Radiance may be stronger, 5 fewer points in defense
doesn't make a big impact, and you can't afford the risk of Cristo's healing
spells bouncing off of her and to the enemy.
Now how to get these items? Get Cristo's weapon by finding 6 Small Medals as
soon as possible. Spend them on the sword BEFORE the hat. Simply make enough
money to get the Metal Babble Armor, which shouldn't be too hard to do. After
getting the Magic Key, raid Endor at night and search the containers in the
king/princess' rooms to find the Pink Leotard. Stilleto Earrings and the Golden
Barrette are easily bought.
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TRAINING LOCATIONS
.................................Early Training................................
It's a pain to survive early on. This changes once you get the right equipment
and a decent level.
Early on, gaining points via Metal Slimes or Metal Babbles isn't very reliable.
They tend to go before you can, and your low levels means Alena won't inflict
critical hits as often. This means they'll more likely escape you.
Training overseas is a pretty good way to level up early on. The monsters aren't
too hard, and the reward is decent for awhile. Also, Guzzle Rays will sometimes
drop Lifeforce Nuts, which you'll definately need. Just watch out for Man'o'Wars
because they can be frustrating early on.
The Birdsong Tower is another good training area. You'll get decent rewards and
the monsters are fairly easy once you're at level 15 or so. There's an inn here,
so you can rest up when you're spent and still stay in this area.
.................................Middle-Game Training..........................
Once you feel Cristo and Alena are strong enough to move on, it's time to move
up to harder training. This is applicable once you reach level 20 or so.
Santeem/Monbaraba areas as well as the Magic Key cave is an alright place to
level up. By now, you should be strong enough to survive multiple Flamer attacks
and at higher levels you're pretty much immune to Beat/Defeat.
The Royal Crypt south of Endor is a wonderful place to train. Good rewards, you
can heal at nearby Endor, and Metal Babbles are here. Even if you don't have the
Final Key, the entrance inside is still a good area. Once you have the Final
Key, you can go inside. The deeper you go inside, the more common Metal Babbles
become. Just beware of Dragonits.
.................................Late-Game Training............................
As the game progresses and more areas are available, your training will have to
be even harder. Metal Babbles and King Metals are vital to gaining levels
quickly.
The Royal Crypt is still a good place to gain levels. You should easily be able
to defeat enemies here by now, but the main reason you want to go here is
because of Metal Babbles. Alena should be at a high level by now, so she can
easily inflict critical hits upon Metal Babbles, and her Agility by now should
let her attack before they have a chance to react.
The near-end of the Final Cave is a great way to levelup as well. Not only is
the Metal Babble/King Metal encounter rate high, but you're near the Last
Refuge, which is free healing. If Cristo has a Mirror Shield, equip it on him,
even if he has a Metal Babble Shield. Mirror Shield returns some damage from
spells, and it's usually enough to destroy Metal Babbles and King Metals.
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THE QUEST ITSELF
This challenge starts once you get Cristo and Alena. Beforehand, you can start
off as if it was a normal playthrough.
You can forget about getting the Zenithian Helm until you're about to go to
Zenithia Tower. You won't use Panon, and Cristo and Alena can't use the
Zenithian Helm, so why bother to get it until you need it?
When Cristo has learned Healmore, let's start by getting the Magic Key and
taking on Keeleon.
........................Objective: Getting the Magic Key.......................
.............................Recommended Level: 18.............................
.......................Best Tactics: Defensive, Use No MP......................
This cave can be a pain. Run from big groups of monsters (or tough enemies like
Phantom Knights), but against 1 or 2 Flamers, Mystic Dolls, Ouphnests, or
Phantom Messengers, stay and fight.
.................................Battle: Keeleon...............................
.............................Recommended Level: 18.............................
.......................Best Tactics: Defensive, Use No MP......................
If Cristo and Alena have the right equipment (especially Cristo having a Sword
of Miracles), this guy is actually pretty easy. Hopefully Cristo will cast
Upper/Increase at least once. The healing Cristo does when hitting with the
Sword of Miracles will be enough to almost nullify the damage done when he gets
hit by Keeleon, so Cristo is almost invincible.
Oh, and did I mention to kill off the hero as soon as possible in this battle?
Put him/her in the front of the lineup and have the hero kill him/herself off.
Make sure the tactics setting is on Use No MP. Otherwise, Cristo will try to
heal the hero. Go to Defensive when the hero's dead.
...............................................................................
You'll want to train some more for now. While doing so, why not take on
Saroknight and get the Sphere of Silence?
..............................Battle: Saroknight...............................
.............................Recommended Level: 25.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Defensive...........................
This guy is a joke! Even if Saroknight uses his Sphere of Silence, it doesn't do
any good against Alena and her critical hits.
...............................................................................
Let's go to Santeem and take on Balzack. Once Cristo learns Healall, you're set.
................................Battle: Balzack................................
.............................Recommended Level: 27.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Defensive...........................
It's more managable at level 28 or 29, but just as long as Cristo has Healall,
you can win. Keep Cristo alive at all costs, as you'll need his Healall and
maybe Vivify.
...............................................................................
With the Magma Staff in hand, let's go to Gardenbur and get Bakor.
.............................Location: Bakor's Cave............................
.............................Recommended Level: 28.............................
This isn't too much of a problem. Except for the Strength and Agility Seeds you
find, the other treasures are pointless, except to sell for a few thousande gold
pieces.
...............................................................................
.................................Battle: Bakor.................................
.............................Recommended Level: 28.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Defensive...........................
This guy is also a joke! Whoever has the Sphere of Silence will use it as soon
as they can. Even without it, this guy is still pretty easy. If he casts Upper,
that won't do any good against Alena's critical hits. Either way, as long as
Cristo has Healall, this guy is easy.
...............................................................................
While doing more training, let's get the Zenithian Armor quest out of the way.
.....................Objective: Getting the Zenithian Armor....................
.............................Recommended Level: 30.............................
Not very difficult at all. Just heal when needed and you'll be fine.
...............................................................................
....................Side Quest: Getting the Metal Babble Sword.................
.............................Recommended Level: 30.............................
Rather pointless to go here, except maybe to get some seeds and medals. The
Metal Babble Sword is nice, but you've already got a Sword of Miracles. 30 less
attack points is negligable when paired with Alena's awesome power. Also, you'll
want the healing from the Sword of Miracles.
...............................................................................
Now to go to the Colossus, the Dire Palace, and eventually Esturk.
............................Location: The Colossus.............................
.............................Recommended Level: 30.............................
No real advice here, just a recommended level. It isn't too hard. But before
going here, be sure to take a Wing of Wyvern with you.
...............................................................................
.................................Battle: Esturk................................
.............................Recommended Level: 35.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Defensive...........................
Not really difficult, but he'll take some time to defeat. Enter the battle with
Cristo having at least 80 MP remaining and you're sure to win.
...............................................................................
Awesome. Let's give the Gas Canister to the guy in Riverton. Tomorrow... "To the
hot air balloon! *insert Batman theme here*" Sorry, I couldn't resist that. At
any rate, go to the World Tree and get the Zenithian Sword.
............................Location: The World Tree...........................
.............................Recommended Level: 37.............................
As tempting as it may be, don't grab the Dew of World Tree yet. Simply avoid it
for now and watch out for those Chaos Hoppers, especially if they confuse Alena.
...............................................................................
Lucia's blocking the way, so you have no choice but to let her join your team.
Grab the Zenithian Sword, jump off, and put her in the wagon.
Now to find Gottside. I sometimes fly right by it by accident, but found the
most convenient way to locate it. Go to the tunnel between Endor and Branca.
Start your flight on the Branca side and go south.
In case you forgot about the Zenithian Helm and Zenithian Armor, get them before
going to Zenithia Tower.
............................Location: Zenithia Tower...........................
.............................Recommended Level: 38.............................
Argh, once again you're forced to use the Hero. Enter, kill the hero, and
proceed to Zenithia. This will be hard having to keep the tactics on Use No MP,
since Cristo will try to revive the hero. Make sure Cristo has a Shield of
Strength and Alena has a Staff of Healing.
...............................................................................
..............................Location: Final Cave.............................
.............................Recommended Level: 38.............................
The most difficult part of this quest, next to the last few bosses you're about
to fight later. There's no need to say why Master Malices are troublesome; if
you encounter any of them - RUN!!! Bull Bashers have tons of HP and can revive.
Ogrebashers always do critical hits. Bellzables multiply via Farewell, but
fortunately can't hit very hard. Demighouls can split. Fairy Dragons can cast
Chaos. Run from every battle if you can.
Once you reach the "castle" part of the cave, it becomes much safer.
...............................................................................
Everything's fine once you get to the Last Refuge. Or is it? You still have to
fight the four guardians and Necrosaro himself. Start off with Gigademon.
Don't worry about arriving without full HP and MP. Heal up, then wander around
the guardians' rooms with a Hat of Happiness to restore your MP.
...............................Battle: Gigademon...............................
.............................Recommended Level: 38.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Defensive...........................
Even if Cristo's a moron (he'll cast Beat and Stopspell early on), this is still
an easy battle, although it will take quite some time to get by.
...............................................................................
............................Battle: Infurnus Shadow............................
.............................Recommended Level: 38.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Defensive...........................
Your HP may get low while fighting him, but don't let that alarm you. This guy
is surprisingly easy.
...............................................................................
................................Battle: Radimvice..............................
.............................Recommended Level: 39.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Offensive...........................
Yes, set the tactics to Offensive. Cristo will smartly use Defeat on the
Demighouls, which even Alena's attacks won't have much effect on. When all the
Demighouls are gone, you can switch to Defensive.
...............................................................................
................................Battle: Anderoug...............................
.............................Recommended Level: 39.............................
.............................Best Tactics: Offensive...........................
Believe it or not, but Cristo's Beat/Defeat work nicely here. It doesn't always
work, but often enough to get you through this battle. Switch to Defensive when
things get hairy.
...............................................................................
That wasn't as hard as you might have expected. Let's go to Necrosaro's Palace.
..........................Location: Necrosaro's Palace.........................
.............................Recommended Level: 40.............................
Watch out for the Clay Dolls. Their Defeat spell can easily wipe you out with
only two characters. The first time I pulled this quest off, one of them
instantly killed my team off with Defeat! There's also those Demighouls. Cristo
makes short work of these guys with Defeat, but watch his MP.
...............................................................................
IMPORTANT! Before you go fight Necrosaro, you'll want to make sure Alena has a
Leaf of World Tree. Hopefully you still have your two Dews of World Tree, but
one is good enough. Do NOT, however, take a Shield of Strength, Staff of
Healing, or Sage's Stone. They are actually paperweights, as Cristo will not
use Healall unless you're dangerously low on health (which usually leads to you
dying).
.............................Final Battle: Necrosaro...........................
.............................Recommended Level: 55.............................
.....................Best Tactics: Use No MP, Defensive, Try Out...............
Fight this battle once on Offensive and lose on purpose. This way, Cristo will
learn that Beat/Defeat won't work here. I beat Necrosaro at level 52, but add a
few levels in case you were unlucky with your levelups.
Anyways, the next time you enter the final battle, start with Defensive and
Cristo should cast Upper/Increase. Now, keep the tactics on Use No MP unless you
need to heal. You might even get to Necrosaro's final form safely this way, but
don't count on it.
If Necrosaro uses Upper on himself, don't worry - Alena's there to save the day.
If Cristo dies, immediately switch the tactics to Try Out and hope that Alena
uses the Leaf of World Tree on Cristo. When both of your characters are alive,
switch to Defensive.
It'll take a long time, but Necrosaro will eventually go down.
...............................................................................
Congrats! You've completed Dragon Warrior 4 using only two characters! There are
harder challenges, and some are even impossible.
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CURSED ITEM EFFECTS (IRRELEVANT)
Okay, so you're wondering why I included it. To date, none of the other FAQs has
a list of the curses and their effects.
Multi-edge Sword: 25% of the damage you inflict also goes to you. Ouch.
Mask of Corruption: Wearer is always confused. The worst/most counter-productive
of the curses, but fun to play around with.
Demon Hammer: You miss far more often, but if you do hit, it will always be a
critical hit. Still not good, though.
Sword of Decimation: User's defense goes down to 0. However, it casts Defense if
used as an item, so keep it in your inventory. Just don't
equip it.
Demon Armor: Wearer's agility goes down to 0 and they may occasionally be dazed
(losing their turn). However, it does provide a little magic
defense (like how the Zenithian Armor does). Ragnar's agility is so
low the way it is, if you gave this to him would you even notice a
difference?
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