Endings

The three endings and how to keep Princess Gwaelin

What decides each ending, when the choice is made, and what you must not miss along the way.

    Dragon Quest I has one story but three ways for it to end. Two depend on what you do with Princess Gwaelin after you rescue her in Chapter 10; the third depends on how you answer the Dragonlord. This page explains each, without spoiling the scenes themselves.

    The normal ending

    1. After the Green Dragon falls, carry Gwaelin back to Tantegel Castle as the game suggests. A series of scenes follows and she stays home; from then on she keeps in touch through the Princess’s Necklace.
    2. Nothing else changes about the route. Tantegel Castle stays open, so you can open its Ultimate Key chests as soon as you have the key in Chapter 14.

    The princess ending

    1. If you never take her to the castle, Gwaelin travels with you for the rest of the game and the ending changes accordingly. She also takes part along the way: she clears the fog in Weirdwood in person, holds the torch in the Grave of Galen, and blesses you during the late boss fights.
    2. Three rules make it work:
      1. Before rescuing her, finish the Magic Key tour in Chapter 9. The Sunstone, which you need to make the Rainbow Drop, is behind Tantegel Castle.
      2. After rescuing her, don’t enter Tantegel Castle at all. The town, the inn and the church are safe; the castle triggers the homecoming at once.
      3. At the end, after the Dragonlord, the four chests on the west side of the castle’s ground floor can finally be opened before you walk to the throne room. One of them holds the Snoop Scroll, needed for a trophy/achievement.

    The bad ending

    1. When you finally reach the Dragonlord in Chapter 19, he makes you an offer. Accept it three times and the game ends there, on a dark note — with a trophy/achievement of its own.

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