In the Dragon Quest 3 Remake, there are many areas you can skip entirely. The game provides some general directions, but it rarely offers explicit quest markers to lead you where you need to go. This feature enhances exploration but can also make it easy to get lost.
Finding the various orbs you need can take some time, but there’s a handy tool to speed up the process: the Echo Flute. This useful item will help you gather those colorful orbs more quickly, but first, you’ll need to locate it.
Locating Fifer’s Spire
The Echo Flute can be found in Fifer’s Spire, which is situated on a continent you may not even need to visit for the main storyline. It’s not impossible to find, but there are no story-related reasons that would lead you there directly.
Fifer’s Spire is located west of the small village of Persistence, which is in the center of the expansive eastern continent. You’ll recognize this continent as resembling North America. The Spire is situated close to the western coast, with the Echo Flute hidden in its center.
How to Navigate Fifer’s Spire
Fifer’s Spire consists of five floors, along with the entrance area. You won’t find much to explore at the entrance, so head straight to the first floor where the real adventure begins.
To enter Fifer’s Spire, you’ll need the Thief’s Key, but you won’t be able to access this area without it anyway.
Once on the first floor, you can go either left or right, as both paths lead to the same place. This will take you to a small entrance at the north side, leading to the center of the area. From there, you will need to move left or right again to access the central section where you’ll find a set of four staircases.
Three of these staircases lead to treasures, while one takes you to the next floor. Choose the lower right staircase to reach the second floor, and continue on to the staircase that leads to the third floor.
On the third floor, you’ll notice from the map that you can’t access the four corners yet. So, head up the stairs to the fourth floor and be careful not to fall off the sides.
On the fourth floor, you can find various staircases that lead back down to the third floor corners you couldn’t access earlier. Each leads to different treasures, but only the upper right staircase will take you to the fifth floor. Go ahead and take that path now.
You’ve made it to the top of Fifer’s Spire, but the Echo Flute is still out of sight. In fact, it’s actually on the third floor, right in the center. You might recall from the Tower of Transcendence that you can reach it by using a technique known as tactical falling.
Walk along the rope pathways until you arrive at the central rope square. Walk toward the center, and you’ll fall back down to the third floor, landing directly on that central platform. Here, you’ll find four treasure chests; the Echo Flute is located in the upper left one.
When walking along the ropes, use the D-pad to avoid any accidental movements that could send you plummeting back to the second floor.
Optional Items in Fifer’s Spire
While the Echo Flute is the main highlight of Fifer’s Spire, there are some other valuable items hidden throughout, especially if you decide to explore early on. Since there are no major bosses to contend with, you can make use of the Thief ability, Padfoot, to breeze through the dungeon without engaging in battles.
|
Item |
Floor |
Directions |
|---|---|---|
|
Doh-Hican |
1F |
In the upper left of the inner ring. |
|
Iron Claws |
2F |
In the upper right section accessed via the lower left stairs. |
|
Edged Boomerang |
2F |
In the lower right section reached by the upper left stairs. |
|
Hen’s Tooth |
3F |
In the lower right section accessed via the southern staircase on the fourth floor. |
|
Cannibox (Monster) |
3F |
On the central platform after dropping from the fifth floor. |
|
Mini Medal |
3F |
Located on the central platform in the lower left chest. |
|
Echo Flute |
3F |
In the upper left chest on the central platform. |
|
Thief’s Turban |
3F |
In the upper right chest on the central platform. |
|
Agility Gilet |
3F |
In the lower right chest on the central platform. |
|
Seed Of Defence |
5F |
On the southwest platform next to the southern wall. |
|
Swallowtail |
5F |
On the southwest platform against the western wall. |
The Swallowtail and Agility Gilet stand out as the prime prizes here. The Swallowtail is a Boomerang that inflicts wind damage, while the Agility Gilet offers a decent defense stat and a significant boost to Agility that can help throughout the game. Make sure to prioritize these items.
Understanding the Echo Flute
Now that you have the Echo Flute, you may be wondering how it works. Depending on when you received it, it might not function immediately.
The Echo Flute’s main purpose is to alert you to any nearby orbs. It works much like the Animal Instinct ability of a Monster Wrangler, notifying you of the vicinity of the six different orbs. Once you’ve collected all the orbs, however, the Echo Flute loses its usefulness.
One orb, the Yellow Orb, is an exception; the Echo Flute doesn’t work for it. A clue about this orb can be found from a man in the shrine at Lanson, as it changes locations frequently. Thus, you’ll need to track it down on your own without the help of the Echo Flute.
For this reason, it’s best to try to obtain the Echo Flute as soon as possible so you can fully utilize it. If you’ve already collected all the orbs, at least you’ll have gained some useful new items to enhance your journey.