Experimenting with the Alchemy system in a Dragon Quest game is a joy quite like no other. Throwing any items that you find into the pot and seeing what results becomes a game unto itself at times, and these games are only too happy to indulge your want for loot, be it in the form of monster drops or rewards for exploring. Dragon Quest IX in particular is a fantastic example of the system, thanks to it regularly rewarding exploration with loot spots, and featuring an enemy drop table vastly improved upon since the 8th instalment in the series. Still, not everybody has the time to squish every single item together with each other to see what sticks, so we’ve put together a shortlist of items that are very powerful in the early game of DQIX.
Lunaria
- Cures Paralysis and heals for around 90 HP.
Many fans of the Dragon Quest series are unlikely to think that they’re difficult games, but that’s also because they absolutely love the series and know everything about it. For a new player, delving into a dungeon with little to no battle system experience can be a daunting affair, especially when enemies begin to inflict dreaded status effects, like Paralysis. To counter this we’d advise that you get yourself a good stock of Lunaria going. The 90 HP heal is absolutely huge in the early game, and you’ll be thankful for a way to remove Paralysis at the same time.
Alchemy Recipe
- Moonwort Bulb x 3 – Found in Item shops from Zere onwards, and dropped frequently by early enemies.
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Hobnail Boots
- +8 Defence Rating
Reading this particular recommendation now, we’ve noticed that it does seem rather unspectacular, but it should be noted that it’s possible to create these way, way in advance of the time when you’re supposed to have boots with +8 Defence. It will take some time, after all the drop rate for Magic Beast Hide is rather low at this point, but decking your entire team out with these will significantly reduce the damage you take for quite a while.
Alchemy Recipe
- Leather Boots x 1 – Found in Zere Item shop.
- Magic Beast Hide x 1 – Dropped by Boppin’ Badgers, found in the land east of Stornway, and by the boss of the Hexagon, Hexagoon.
Holy Lance
- 39 Attack Rating, deals 20% more damage to Zombie family enemies.
If you thought the Hobnail Boots weren’t spectacular enough, then how about a Spear weapon that’s far, far too powerful for the early portion of the game? Sure, the Gold Rosary might look like a nice reward for completing the Stornway storyline, but a quick trip to the weapon shop followed by the Alchemy Pot will produce something far better. It’s powerful, it’s useful versus upcoming Zombie type enemies and, if nothing else, it’s a way to get your Priest to do some meaningful damage in the early game.
Alchemy Recipe
- Iron Lance x 1 – Found in the Stornway Weapon Shop.
- Gold Rosary x 1 – Rewarded to you for following the Stornway story section, otherwise dropped by enemies much later in the game.
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Fur Hood
- +8 Defence Rating
- +3 Magical Might
- +5 Magical Mending
No doubt the vast majority of players out there will have opted to bring some spell slinging classes with them in their first party, and you’ll no doubt have noticed that they benefit from certain statistical bonuses, namely Magical Might and Magical Mending. Ideal for these is the Fur Hood piece of head equipment, which confers an excellent +8 Defence alongside it’s bonuses to the aforementioned. The only real negative that we’d mention here is that getting more than a few pieces can be a chore early on, especially if the Ram Raiders are being extra stingy with their drop rates.
Alchemy Recipe
- Leather Hat x 1 – Found in Zere Item Shop.
- Magic Beast Hide x 1 – Dropped by Boppin’ Badgers, found in the land east of Stornway, and by the boss of the Hexagon, Hexagoon.
- Lambswool x 1 – You’ll have 2 by the time you reach Zere if you’re looting correctly, and they’re dropped by Ram Raiders in the Doomingdale Forest, albeit rather rarely.
Bunny Ears
- +10 Defence Rating
- +5 Magical Might
- +8 Magical Mending
Interestingly enough, were it not for the gender restriction on the Bunny Ears, we wouldn’t have bothered including the Fur Hood at all. That said, if you have chosen to bring some female spell casters, or indeed your Minstrel is female, then look no further than the Bunny Ears for the perfect early game headpiece. A short jaunt through the early game to reach Zere, pilfer some Bunny Tails from the item shop and you can start to craft the powerful Bunny Ears. We had these or the Fur Hood on all of our party members before we even cleared the Stornway storyline on our latest playthrough!
Alchemy Recipe
- Hairband x 1 – Found in Stornway Armour Shop.
- Bunny Tail x 2 – Found in Zere Item Shop.
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Large-Scale Armour
- +17 Defence Rating
This one is rather simple in all honesty, but we were surprised to see how many players in the community were not aware of it. Perhaps this is down to the significant cost and effort required to create it, but if you’re anything like us (read: Mad as a box of frogs that love to grind) then you’ll want to get the very best available at all times. The Large-Scale Armour does require quite a bit of cash, especially if you’re buying multiple Scale Shield and Scale Armour at once, and you will have to grind your face against Flython until they drop their Snakeskin, but it’s absolutely worth it for that massive +17 Defence rating.
Alchemy Recipe
- Scale Armour x 1 – Found in Stornway Armour Shop.
- Scale Shield x 1 – Found in Stornway Armour Shop.
- Snakeskin x 1 – Dropped by Flython, found on the beach in the land east of Stornway.
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Categories: Dragon Quest IX