Which Dragon Quest Should YOU Play First - A Guide and Retrospective To The Series ~1000 Sub Special

[@dukey03]

Which game did you start with, and which would you recommend others? For newcomers, which do YOU plan to start with?

[@AlDesentis]

If memory serves right I emulated V way back then.

[@dukey03]

@@AlDesentis which version was it?

[@AlDesentis]

@@dukey03 the Super Famicom version. I'm pretty sure it was one of the first fan translated games I played.

[@dukey03]

@@AlDesentis that’s awesome! I think the only fan translated game I played way back in the day was Seiken Densetsu 3(Trials of Mana)

[@AlDesentis]

@@dukey03 loved that one! DQ V was a slow burn, I wasn't that very keen into the sprite style, having already played stuff like Chrono Trigger or FF6, then Pankraz has his fight and I got hooked. Thanks to you I downloaded the demo for DQ Monsters a couple of days! I don't know why the Direct omitted that info. No problem though, I also went and preorder it. Now I don't have that much time to play but it's always nice to jump back into DQ.

[@Riner79]

I remember when commercials for DQ8 played on TV all the time. I wish I had looked into it back then. 😢

[@Soldier1stClass]

As an outlier here, I started with the English patch of X and am really loving it, but if I were to make my own recommendation, starting with XI is a great choice to start with. It’s the furthest I’ve ever gotten in a DQ game and plan to finish it sometime. Great RPG mechanics and the special edition of it gives you the ability to play the game in the classic 2D style if that’s your thing.

[@dukey03]

Probably helps that you’re playing DQX with one of the gamers of all time

[@henryconner3002]

I started with 7, and I don’t regret anything

[@dukey03]

Hell yeah! Just jumped right into the deep end and never looked back 💪

[@mmendez2314]

As long as it was for psx and not 3ds

[@sonicmanic2556]

@@mmendez2314 The 3DS version is awesome! Wdym?!

[@MothersFavourite]

Started with XI a few years back after seeing Tim Rogers legendary "review" of the game and fell head over heels. Now making my way through the DS remakes. Just started act 3 of V and absolutely loving it. Looking forward to HD-2D remakes and enjoying the slow journey through the rest of the series. That this series hasn't been widely recognized in the west is simply a crime!

[@dukey03]

@@MothersFavourite Yeah I agree! Haha dude Tim Rogers’ DQXI review is like a movie! 🤣

[@wizcatcheslightning]

Man congrats on the 1K!!! Such a huge hurdle to overcome. Keep on grinding 😎

[@dukey03]

Thanks dude!!

[@JustHistory_Guy]

As someone who has only played Dragon Quest VII (which I noticed is not recommended as Your First) and 8, this video is actually Perfect!

[@dukey03]

Haha yeah, I love DQ7 but it isn’t very beginner friendly hahaha

[@veghesther3204]

Its also LONG as hell BOTH the PS1/3DS remake are easily 200+ hours long ONLY Dragon quests 9 and 11 can be LONGER then THAT.

[@dukey03]

@@veghesther3204 I usually clock in around 140-150 hours in the PS1 version, and the 3DS version took me about 73 hours

[@veghesther3204]

Except on both all mastered every single class in game x5 party members including the monster ones so the 3DS version STILL took me 200+ hours OVER 250 for the PS1 version.

[@dukey03]

@@veghesther3204 holy crap that’s nuts dude! Hahahaha, I’ve never maxed out on Vocations in them. I usually just build up to the ones I want (plus some monster vocations), then most of my time in the PS1 version is spent getting my Immigrant Town set up so I can get the best Boomerang

[@chrisdillon8376]

Congrats on 1k. I started with Dragon Warrior 1 way back in 94

[@dukey03]

Thanks dude!

[@son_1118]

I’m new to your channel and subscribed! Just finished DQ8 and loved it! So far I’ve played 1 - 8 and personally I’d recommend starting from 1

[@dukey03]

Yeah, as long as someone’s okay with super old school JRPGs, that’s definitely the ideal place to start for sure!

[@Leo_Djax]

Eyyyyy congrats on 1k

[@dukey03]

Thanks dude!!

[@SantaFeSuperChief1]

I started playing Dragon Quest 1 in January of this year on a whim, and really enjoyed it and wanted to move onto DQ2 right away, but I remembered that I played all the Yakuza games one-after-another, and as a result, they all kinda blend together in my mind and I can't remember what game is which, so I wanted to do it differently with Dragon Quest. So I restricted myself to one DQ game per month, and if I wanted to play more DQ after finishing that game, I'd just play a different version of that same game. With how short DQ1 was, I ended up playing every version before January was up, NES, MSX, SNES, GBC, Mobile, and Switch, so I continued the trend. Eventually it became a challenge to complete every version of that game within that month. I just finished DQIX for the first time, and since there's only one version, I'm getting a headstart and starting DQX today (with help from your tutorial video). My fiance on the other hand was excited at the prospect of playing DQ together, so DQX will be her first DQ game. Absolute madlass.

[@dukey03]

@@SantaFeSuperChief1 That’s so awesome!

[@pauljcveiga]

Loved Dragon Quest XI, my first Dragon Quest which I only played now in 2023, and now I want to explore more so thanks for the video!

[@dukey03]

Glad you enjoyed it! Can’t wait to see what you think of the other games in the series!

[@uppernimbus]

So happy for you that you reached the 1k sub goal, now for 2k subs! Also I can see your love for Dragon Quest shine brightly in this video ❤️

[@dukey03]

Thanks dude!

[@rangoononline]

I had almost the exact same Dragon Quest Journey as you bro. It's hilarious. DQ 4 on the nes will always be top of the list by far for me. The music is amazing and playing as the shopkeeper was just too cute.

[@dukey03]

Yeah dude! Running the shop was a neat twist that I wasn’t expecting. Nor was I expecting it to be so much fun hahaha

[@Zennalathas]

Nice video! Inspired me to get my translation patches for the SNES roms in order.

[@dukey03]

@@Zennalathas That’s awesome! Glad to hear it!

[@TheAgingGamer]

I haven’t played too much of the series. Just a bit of time with III and XI. I’ve been thinking of just sitting down and playing the first game though. Maybe even make a Retro Review on it. lol Congrats again on the 1K!! 🥳

[@dukey03]

Thanks dude! That would be AWESOME! The original on the NES is pretty grindy, but is still a pretty fun game. Especially considering it’s the grandfather of JRPGs. Let me know if you do it, we should make a collab out of it haha

[@TheAgingGamer]

@@dukey03 abso-freakin-luetly! Haha 🤘🏼

[@PreemSardine]

you make really great informative videos. i am enjoying what you've made.

[@dukey03]

Thanks a lot dude! Glad you’re enjoying them!

[@Cloudy573]

My first DQ experience was with the Builders games, oddly enough, which were really fun to play but most of the callbacks and fan service stuff obviously went over my head. The pure amount of charm they had made me want to try DQXI, though, which in turn hooked me SO hard that I want try the rest of the series, even if it'll probably take me a long time to do it. The upcoming remakes of 1-3 will obviously be day 1 purchases when they're available, and I might start working on the 4-6 trilogy if I get the itch before then. As someone who was a big JRPG fan as a kid in the 90s but drifted away when most of them started moving to real-time action-based combat, I'm really looking forward to experiencing a classic turn-based franchise that I've overlooked for so long! Thanks for making this video to help inform my decisions.

[@dukey03]

@@Cloudy573 Hey dude, I’m so happy this video was able to help you out! I made this video exactly for new fans like you. Welcome to the DQ family! ❤️

[@Leipec-ri1om]

Dragon Quest 11 is my first game in the series, and one of my favorite games of all time. Wish I would of gotten into DQ earlier.

[@dukey03]

Which one are you planning on playing next!?

[@Leipec-ri1om]

@@dukey03 currently playing the PS2 version of DQ5. After finishing DQ11 I bought a used copy of Dragon Warrior 7 on PS1 and also DQ8 on PS2. After I’m done with DQ5 my next DQ is going to be DQ3 that releases in a few months :) never played a Monsters game, looking forward to it.

[@dukey03]

@@Leipec-ri1om I recommend checking out DQ4 either on Mobile or DS; DQM3 is a prequel/in-betweenquel of DQ4. The main character of DQM3 is actually the main villain from DQ4

[@Leipec-ri1om]

@@dukey03 awesome good to know! Ill look into the mobile version since I dont have a 3DS, though I’m not a fan playing on mobile lol.

[@justlorenzos]

My first was V on the ds. What a beautiful game❤

[@R-Otaku747]

Lol I first learned of dragon quest on wikipedia when I was researching akira toriyama's art style- one of my favorite manga artists of all time! As an artist myself I always wanted to be more like his earlier artworks like OG Dragon Ball! I then watched the did you know gaming Dragon Quest video and I started playing older nes roms on my computer but I stumbled across Dragon Quest 4 on the DS! You can say this is where i really got my start as a fan of the series! I then played 9 and fell in love with it! Then soon after Dragon Quest XI was announced for ps4 and i gotta say everyday after school i went straight to playing that game for hours! such great memories lol ps i beat DQXI on PS4, switch and steam! but ive beaten 1,3,4,5,6,8,9,11 and im playing 7 rn lol

[@dukey03]

@@R-Otaku747 That’s so awesome dude!! Glad you’ve been enjoying the series! I hope you like 7; it’s probably my 3rd favorite Dragon Quest game!

[@theenbee8222]

Nice video! Surprised you didn't mention that DQ11 is basically two games due to 2D mode being a restructuring of the whole experience in 2D for those who prefer it; I personally enjoyed it a ton and did a whole play-through dedicated to it. Hard to decide which is better for myself personally but hey it was still super fun. Looking forward to playing 3, 4, and 5 myself tbh, and 8 might be fun too!

[@NotTheWheel]

DQ9 was my first. I think it's a good entry all things considered.

[@dukey03]

Nintendo did a great job with DQ9’s marketing, so I think it was a LOT of people’s first DQ game and is a pretty good representation of the series

[@JD-ve6kn]

DQ3 is the best but it was also my first so maybe i'm biased. I remember the first time I defeated Baramos as a kid and being so surprised by the twist. it's also such an expansive game, they really cram so much into it. the soundtrack is still among my faves, Lamia's theme especially

[@JD-ve6kn]

also where tf is the DQIII HD-2D remaster

[@dukey03]

DQ3 and 4 were insanely good, especially considering they were NES games

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

5:24 the gbc version is good too

[@ofrutsra]

I’ve been wanting to try the series for years now. Finally diving in, and just started with the first one on iPhone and I liked it a lot. Gonna go through the first 6 on mobile and hope for the best! I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of dark fiction, so now I’m a little worried about getting to 5 😅, but I’ll still give it a shot when I get there!

[@dukey03]

@@ofrutsra Awesome!! Glad to hear you’re a new fan! Dragon Quest 3 has some dark stuff in it as well haha!

[@ofrutsra]

@@dukey03 way to sell it my dude XD

[@HarbingerOfBattle]

A lot of people started with 7 or 8. I started with the gameboy color 1&2 pack. The Nintendo Power guide was very helpful, but there were still things I had to learn on my own. I’m not sure I would recommend gameboy DQ1 as your entry point, but if you’ve never played a jrpg it’s probably a good first game for learning the basics. The stats are simplified, the lore is straight forward and the mechanics are very easy to learn. My love of DQ1 lead me to DQ3 which is still my favorite game in the series because of the control you have over your party. It’s almost like you could gather your friends together and rp as yourselves in the game. Maybe even pass the controller among each other to control your respective avatar in battle…huh, wonder if anyone has done that. Nah, it’s probably dumb.

[@johnrambo4018]

greeat video and congrats on hitting 1000 subs! i started with dq8 myself

[@dukey03]

Thanks dude!

[@danielgaines9935]

Started with the 1st. For new comers, start with 8. Then 5, then 3 then 11.

[@iBMcFly]

Great video, I would have liked to hear your thoughts why 6 n 7 weren’t the best starting points for folks. If you covered this and I missed it, I apologize. Great video!

[@dukey03]

@@iBMcFly Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it! 6 isn’t a great starting point because it’s one of the more difficult games in the series and takes place across 2 parallel worlds that look pretty much identical. This makes it a nightmare to always remember both where you are(which world you’re in) and where you need to go. There are a ton of moments in DQ6 where you’re never given any direction. This is twice as hard to figure out because you now have to wander TWO worlds to try and figure out what to do next. DQ7 is just VERY long and not very beginner friendly. It’s probably my 3rd favorite game in the series, but it has pacing issues; especially at the start of the game where you can go over an hour before your first battle. There are story reasons for this, but it puts a lot of people off.

[@phoenixfurno]

My first game in the series as a whole was Dragon Quest Heroes, and I got Heroes II not long after. But my first Main Series game was DQ11 on PS4...and the Switch version was annocunced about a month after i finished it. Still got that one too, though. 😂

[@dukey03]

@@phoenixfurno Haha that’s awesome!

[@hurricanehaze4727]

I started with DE1 DQ 8 is my favorite DW 3 is my recommended for new players

[@Stevesmithjr3576]

I'm a huge Super Smash fan and I got curious about DQ after the heros were introduced as new fighters. I started with 8 and got addicted to the series. IMO you can't go wrong with any of the DQ games featured in Smash (3, 4, 8 and 11).

[@dukey03]

@@Stevesmithjr3576 Yeah absolutely!! I’m glad Smash Bros has gotten new people into the franchise!

[@nano__4601]

Fun fact: according to some people, the game that inspired Pokemon was not DQ5 but rather it was the first Shin Megami Tensei game.

[@dukey03]

The creators of Pokemon had stated that it was Dragon Quest 2 and 5 that inspired the Pokemon series. But the SMT and I believe Wizardry series were the first “monster taming” type rpgs

[@bjnjva3363]

I started with DQXI and have beaten all but DQX. So far DQXI is best game. DQVIII best party. DQV best story. And Debora is best wife.

[@dukey03]

Man, glad to hear you’ve pretty much played through them all already!

[@TheExilestar]

DQ1 :D nes I was teenager when came out I used to got local video and rent heck all four games so owner just gave the long FF1 :D

[@dukey03]

@@TheExilestar Awesome dude! Same here!

[@frenchy1348]

I started with 7 and didn't pick up another DQ game until 11 came out. I remember 7 was such a slog with so much back tracking and the graphics looked very outdated for the time. The original 7 also didn't have a Fragment Finder, which made it a nightmare if you missed a single fragment. I thought all DQ games were going to be similar similar to 7, but 11 got me interested in the series. I would start with 3, 8 or 11. I would leave 2 and 7 for last

[@dukey03]

@@frenchy1348 Yeah I’m always kinda shocked when I see people who started with 7 hahaha! It’s one of my favorite games of all time, but it’s like learning to drive a motorcycle before even riding a bicycle with training wheels imho.

[@theforgottenmovies3265]

First time I heard about Dragon Quest was when it came to DS. I live in Europe so we did not get the games to NES so for me it has always called Dragon Quest. I played and finished the first Dragon Quest on Switch after I had finished Dragon Quest Builders. I own Dragon Quest 1, 2, 3 and 11 on Switch Dragon Quest 6 and 9 on DS And Dragon Quest 7 and 8 on 3DS. I have Dragon Quest 4 and 5 on a emulator cartridge for DS but they are so expensive to buy, but I want to have them too. Right now I play Dragon Quest 11 a lot on my Switch and I like to play it in both 2D and 3D but I like 2D most, so I play it in 2D a lot and after a while I go back and play same chapters in 3D. My dream is if they make some more Dragon Quest game like this so we can play it in both 2D and 3D. Maybe make some remake of a older game and let us choose to play the game in 3D or 2D.

[@dukey03]

That would be awesome!

[@coachNewman17]

For starters...11, 3, 1, 2? Asking this with 3's 2.5 HD remake in a few moths and 1 & 2 remake next year

[@dukey03]

@@coachNewman17 Yeah with the remakes coming out; that is a good order to get started now

[@neogenesis7706]

Played 3 then 5 then 8.

[@MegamanNG]

I actually started with the eleventh but it's then I decided to start getting the Dragon Quest games. First was Dragon Quest VII & VIII on 3DS, Dragon Quest XI on PS4 then I got IV on DS, XI S on Switch, V, VI and IX on DS, I to III on Switch and I'm only missing one more game: X. Why Square-Enix decide not to give us X to the point where they even said that is just blasphemous. If I have to learn Japanese, I will. Just to stick it to these fuckers.

[@dukey03]

If you have a half decent PC or laptop (the game originally came out on the Wii, so trust me you can dial back the settings), check out dqxabbey.com I’m starting to wonder if I should do a video on this, because DQX is VERY accessible now in English once you follow the step by step guide. A friend and I stream it on my Twitch channel every Saturday morning

[@dukey03]

DQX’s trial version is also free and it includes all of the original game when it released plus 99% of the first expansion. So it’s basically 2 full DQ games. If you live outside of Japan or the USA you will need a VPN to play

[@jessepejibbs3889]

Would playing dragon quest 3 remake before the remakes of 1 and 2 hurt my experience with the story?

[@dukey03]

@@jessepejibbs3889 Not at all. I’d say why, but I don’t want to spoiler bomb you so you’ll just have to trust me hahaha

[@johnshadwick2287]

What is the best way to play the famicom remakes?

[@dukey03]

@@johnshadwick2287 the Super Famicom remakes? You can only emulate them if you want to play them in English. But if you can wait, they’re remaking them right now. DQ3 HD2D Remake comes out this week.

[@Kalleidalen]

Mine was 7 on 3ds.

[@dukey03]

That’s definitely one I’ve heard a few people start with; but always seems like it would be a bit overwhelming for newcomers haha! Especially the PS1 version. But I guess you know if you love DQ7; you’re locked in as a DQ fan. 7 is by far the most Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest game that’s ever Dragon Quested hahahaha

[@Wind-Waker7272]

5 or 8 (dot) or 11 at least...I like ps2 remake of V

[@dukey03]

@@Wind-Waker7272 Yeah they did a great job with the PS2 remake for sure!

[@zedorian6547]

Hey don’t hate on Quest 64! Even if it does suck as a jrpg it was still pretty fun lol

[@dukey03]

Apparently the Gameboy Color Quest game is decent

[@zedorian6547]

@@dukey03 It fleshes out the story better than the N64 version. Though you gotta make sure you are playing Quest: Brian’s Journey and not Quest: Fantasy Challenge. Same series. Very different games!

[@dukey03]

@@zedorian6547 is the GBC game the same story as the N64 one or like a prequel/sequel?

[@zedorian6547]

@@dukey03 it’s effectively the same story as the N64 game. Just a bit more fleshed out.

[@dukey03]

@@zedorian6547 Oh sweet!

[@hayrexrex6766]

Dq builders 2

[@dukey03]

@@hayrexrex6766 Oh awesome! Did you end up playing any others in the series after that?

[@MunitionsDudTester]

I heard most of the mobile versions are good and the first game is only $3

[@danielpayne7194]

You only have a thousand subscribers??? So many good channels have so few subscribers yet so many not so good ones, mentioning no names... TheRadBrad... do.

[@dukey03]

Haha thanks dude!

[@danielpayne7194]

@@dukey03 that clapping seal has about 12 million subscribers... I might be wrong...

[@albanmahoudeau1779]

JE TE METS A L'AMENDE.

[@albanmahoudeau1779]

PERSONAL STUFF....PERSO.

[@veghesther3204]

I started with DQ7 PS1 but do NOT START with it EVEN its 3DS version is still OVER 200 HOURS long.