Maelstrom

Maelstrom Japanese メイルストロム Rōmaji Marustoromu Type Water Older names Whirlpool

Maelstrom is a powerful spell that first appeared in Dragon Quest VII. When conjured, it crushes a group of foes with a biblical deluge of water. It deals 120~150 damage for 12MP in all main series instances, even when used by foes.

Despite the spells' nautical nature, it actually uses the woosh attribute for resistance checks when cast by the player. When used by monsters, it carries no element at all and can only be weathered by donning the Bottlenose buckler and Aeras shield.

Appearances

Dragon Quest IV

Appearing only in the remakes, the spell is put to use by the menacing Croaked king and hits all party members. Because no armor or shield in IV dampens the spell, it makes encounters with the colossal catfish especially dangerous.

Dragon Quest VII

In the original version, Maelstrom can only be learned by mastering the Pirate vocation. In the 3DS remake, it can now be learned by reaching rank 7 as a Pirate, rank 2 as a Druid, and rank 5 as a Hero (Class). Additionally, it can be used for free via the Sea Serpent Sabre sword.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Maelstrom is an enemy-only spell, being used by sea monsters such as Alizarin. It deals around 80 damage to all party members and is affected by Fizzle and Magic Barrier. While all other water-themed abilities use the ice element, Maelstrom stubbornly sticks to wind as a reference to VII.

Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below

Nera can use Maelstrom as one of her exclusive skills. It works as a vortex and crowd control ability, dealing no damage, but drawing in monsters and trapping them in a surge of water briefly. Additionally, the vortex affects the flight pattern of Nera's Hubble Bubbles to draw them into the center.