Gold coins or gold is the standard unit of exchange used in the Dragon Quest games. It is needed to purchase weapons, armour, items, getting tokens for Casino, taking an item out of the vault, as well as to stay at most Inns. You can get gold from defeating monsters as well as obtaining it from treasure chests or selling your old equipment and unused items.
Gold is also subtracted if the player dies in battle in order to be resurrected (though the main character will still be resurrected even if there's no gold).
The value of gold coins is not consistent across Dragon Quest titles and a particular item frequently costs more or less depending on the game. That said, it's interesting to note that gold coins can be considered a sort of auxiliary currency, as they are accepted everywhere throughout a particular game's world and even multi-worlds. However, some items may have a differing value depending on location. The value of items is not affected by inflation as seen by the same price for the same item over a span of several decades.
Protecting gold
Starting with Dragon Quest III, gold can be stored within vaults, though the minimum amount that can be deposited is 1,000 coins. Gold that is stored in the vault will not be taken if the main character(s) is killed. Remakes of Dragon Quest & Dragon Quest II also had vaults implemented.
Starting with Dragon Quest VI, vaults were replaced with a bank which unlike the former, stored only gold rather than with equipment.
Other means of obtaining gold
Dragon Quest
Selling Death Necklaces for easy money: Go to Craggy Cave and get the Death Necklace which can be found at random, then sell it for 1200 Gold. You can repeat this process for easy money.
Dragon Quest II
Selling Lightning staff for easy money. In the NES version of Dragon Quest II, once you get the Jailor's Key. Go to Midenhall, go down the basement of the dungeon, open the Jail doors and then fight the Wrecktorwho will drop the Lightning staff which can be sold for 19,500 gold. After you sell the Lightning staff, save your game and rest. Open the game back up and fight the Wrecktor and get the Staff of Thunder again. Use this trick for easy money. Note: This trick will no longer work in the Game Boy Color version, or the Cell phone & Nintendo Switch version.
Dragon Quest III
- Party members who are Merchants will snag several additional gold coins after the end of a battle.
- Gold can be won through winning bets in the arenas at Romaly, Ibis, Samanao and Mercado.
Dragon Quest IV
- Chapter 3 had many ways to obtain gold due Torneko's goal:
- Torneko is payed for his work in the weapon shop of Lakanaba.
- Old Man Finnegan pays you around 10 gold coins to take him the church daily.
- An old man in Endor will pay 25,000 gold coins for the Silver goddess statue.
- Equipment can be sold for more money than usual at Torneko's shop.
- After Torneko's shop is opened, King Norman of Endor will pay you 60,000 gold coin to provide his soldiers with 6 sets of Steel broadsword and Iron armour (7 of each in the NES Version).
- Meena and Maya receive a payment of 100 gold coins for their last day from the theater troupe from Laissez Fayre.
Dragon Quest V
Unique to this game is the time span experienced by the protagonist. The prices of items seem to be the same during the Hero's childhood as it is in his adulthood. This suggests that the game game world exhibits no forms of inflation.
Dragon Quest VI
- In Haggleton, brothers Buck & Bill will try to compete in purchasing the Village goods from you by offering a higher amount of gold than the others. The high amount obtainable is 480 gold coins from Bill.
- The characters, while fighting as Merchants will pick up extra gold after battles.
- Coins can be quickly gotten and won at the Casino from Slot Machines in Blackmar as there are 5 rows which increases the chance of getting 3 or more in a row, they can choose from 3 different slot machines, place up to 9 coins, 90, coins, and 900 coins. This game can give the player a high return if they win. In turn they can buy many silk tuxedo and sell them for 2625 gold.
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