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When it comes to RPGs, I am traditionally a “hard mode” gamer. I hate it when I can optimize all the difficulty out of a game away, and I especially don’t want a game to hold my hand. So I don’t say lightly that the “Draconian Quest” hard mode of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a predominately worse way to experience the game.
Not only does this make the litany of random battles take longer to chew through, this mode also reduces your experience and gold income from encounters. This is really bad in Dragon Quest III, as the game’s trademark class change mechanic forces party members to start over from level 1 and build their stats up again. In other words, playing on Draconian Quest involves either spending more time without interesting cross-classed characters, or level grinding more just to get your party members back up to speed.
If you want a challenge, just play on the normal “Dragon Quest” mode and use skills like the Thief’s Padfoot to lower the rate of random encounters. This will naturally keep your party’s levels lower that way, and you can spend more time exploring every nook and cranny for hidden treasure.