Dragon Quest 3 Remake features a captivating world filled with locations inspired by real-life places. For instance, Edina represents England, Baharata symbolizes India, and Jipang is clearly based on Japan. Nestled in a continent that mirrors South America is Manoza, likened to Argentina.
Unfortunately, the citizens of Manoza are suffering under a tyrannical ruler who has recently become increasingly cruel. To restore peace in the city, you’ll need to embark on a quest involving magical artifacts that have broader uses throughout the game. Here’s a guide to help rejuvenate this troubled city.
Exploring Manoza City
Before you can enter Manoza, you must obtain the Ultimate Key. Utilize the Teleportals scattered across the map until you arrive at the Wayfarer’s Chapel, which gives access to the mountainous area surrounding Manoza. Once in the city, you’ll witness firsthand the hardships faced by its inhabitants.
Inside, the townsfolk are mourning a loved one, and you will hear about their plight. The king has grown violent, imprisoning anyone he perceives as a threat, including a close friend. The tension among the people is palpable, and it falls upon you to restore tranquility to Manoza.
Start your exploration at the northern graves to retrieve a Mini Medal. At night, you’ll find a man here mumbling to himself. After you acquire Ra’s Mirror, return to this spot for a surprise.
As you make your way to the castle, an elderly man mentions feeling uneasy about the king sleeping alone in his chamber, with no guards. Keep this tip in mind as you progress.
When you get closer to the castle, a familiar face, the son of the rightful king’s best friend, informs you about his father’s exile and the king’s alarming change in demeanor. He suspects that the current king might be an imposter. You should be wary as you approach the castle.
The guards will block your entry at the main gate, so try sneaking in from the right by pretending to be part of the staff.
Exploring The Castle
Once inside the castle, avoid going directly to the king for now, as he’s not welcoming to unexpected guests. Instead, explore the castle for clues.
In the kitchen, you’ll discover a Mini Medal hidden in a barrel. From there, navigate through the throne room to reach the upper right corner, where a staircase leads to the second floor. Here, a servant unhelpfully mentions that the railing on the roof is in dire need of repair.
Ironically, the railing is broken so feel free to jump through it. On the rooftop, head to the upper left corner to encounter an Imp to recruit, and then enter the door to the right to access the king’s bedroom. Inside, you can find a book cheekily titled, "Would I Lie to You?".
Having figured out how to reach the king’s quarters without using the throne room, go back downstairs and enter the throne room. Furious at your presence, the king will have you imprisoned. Don’t worry, escaping this predicament is straightforward.
Use the Ultimate Key to unlock your cell and make your way to the lower right cell, which leads to a secret passage taking you deeper into the dungeons where the true king is held captive. He will instruct you to head to the cave southeast of Manoza, where Ra’s Mirror is hidden.
Navigating Manoza Cave
Manoza Cave is not particularly lengthy or complicated, but it is filled with an overwhelming number of mimics. If you’d prefer to avoid unnecessary risks, you can skip most chests and follow the main path to quickly retrieve Ra’s Mirror.
From the entrance, go north and then turn west, following this route until you reach the second southern path, which takes you down to floor B2. Here, you’ll find yourself at the center of the room with another exit leading south.
This south path will take you to floor B3, where you’ll come across a treasure chest you can reach, and another on a grassy platform surrounded by water that you cannot access. Proceed via the next exit to floor B4, which is frustratingly empty. You’ll need to return to B2 to continue your quest.
You can either retrace your steps through the cave if you want to gather treasures, or use Evac to quickly escape and start anew from the cave entrance.
Optional Items
The Manoza Cave is filled with treasures, but many are guarded by deceptive monsters. It’s wise to bring along a companion with the Peep spell to check any chest that you suspect might be a mimic.
Here’s where to find the noteworthy items hidden in Manoza Cave:
| Item | Floor | Directions |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Water | B1 | Upper right of the large circle. |
| Full Moon Ring | B1 | North side of the small circle. |
| Leather Hat | B2 | Chest by the stalactites near the eastern exit. |
| Chimaera Wing | B2 | Chest left of the stalactites. |
| Yggdrasil Leaf | B2 | Room directly south of the large hole, right chest. |
| 7,921 Gold Coins | B2 | First north path after the south path, near three chests. |
| Agility Ring | B2 | Leftmost of the three chests. |
| Zombiesbane | B2 | Rightmost of the three chests. |
| Rockbomb (Monster) | B2 | In the large central room next to the center pillar. |
| Antidotal Herb | B2 | Where the north corridor meets the central room. |
| 1,084 Gold Coins | B2 | Near a stalagmite in the north corridor. |
| Mini Medal | B2 | Beside the toxic pools in the north corridor. |
| Iron Mask | B2 | At the end of the north corridor, lower right chest. |
| Ice Shield | B2 | North of where you find the Rockbomb. |
| Cat Suit | B3 | Left side near a pillar. |
The Cat Suit is a humorously rare item, with just about three available throughout the game. If you want your characters to sport some feline flair, don’t miss out!
Acquiring Ra’s Mirror
Ra’s Mirror is the prized item you’ve been searching for, said to reveal the true form of the false king. Despite your thorough exploration, you might not have spotted it yet. This is because obtaining it often requires a tactical leap of faith.
Recall the floor B2 with the large hole in a designated room. Falling into it will send you straight to floor B3, arriving at the central grassy platform you couldn’t access before. Inside the chest, you’ll finally discover Ra’s Mirror. With this item, it’s time to return to Manoza Castle and unveil the monster causing the city’s suffering.
Battling The Boss Troll
With Ra’s Mirror in your possession, your next mission is clear—confront the king. Doing so during the day is futile as he will simply have you arrested again. Instead, wait for the night when he goes to bed. Remember what the old man said about the king sleeping alone? That’s your cue to make your move.
Entering the king’s room gives you the chance to use Ra’s Mirror and expose him as the Boss Troll. He won’t take lightly to this revelation and will attack you in a fit of rage.
Fortunately, the Boss Troll isn’t too challenging. His primary threat is his powerful attacks, which can deal significant damage. While they may lack variety, they hit twice every turn, so be prepared.
In order to survive, bring companions who can heal and provide buffs. A Sage is ideal, as they can heal while also improving your team’s capabilities.
The Boss Troll is vulnerable to both Fire and Ice, giving you plenty of options for your approach. While you can use Sap to weaken him, he has good resistance to it. It’s usually best to focus on enhancing your own party before trying to debuff the boss.
The Boss Troll has a predictable attack pattern at first, using physical strikes with Kasap or Fuddle mixed in. Fuddle can be particularly dangerous since it can confuse your party, potentially leading to a swift defeat. Bring accessories that grant immunity to confusion if you have them.
To disable the Boss Troll’s turn, consider casting Snooze on him. He is quite susceptible to falling asleep, and if you can do this with a character who has higher speed than him, you’ll effectively negate his turn, although he does wake up quickly.
Utilizing Acceleratle can help boost your characters’ speed since the Boss Troll does not have high agility.
Once the battle progresses and his health decreases, he will gain the Attack Attacker ability, but by then, it shouldn’t pose much of a challenge. Maintain your offensive, and you’ll bring him down in no time.
Upon defeating the Boss Troll, the real King of Manoza will express his gratitude, allowing you to keep Ra’s Mirror and even rewarding you with the Mod Rod that the Boss Troll had used to disguise himself. With that, peace can finally be restored to Manoza.
The Mod Rod, while part of the storyline to be handed over, can still be enjoyed by your party for a bit longer, allowing for some amusing outfit changes.