Erdrick Equipment

The Erdrick Equipment is a set of powerful and crucially important items from the original trilogy of games. The equipment consists of the sword, shield, armour and helmet belonging to the legendary hero Erdrick.

Life-sized replica of the set built for the 30th anniversary museum in 2016

In the first two games the items bear Erdrick's name as a part of his iconography, but in Dragon Quest III each piece has a distinct name: the Sword of Kings, Auroral Armour, and the Hero's Shield. No helmet exclusive to the hero existed in the original 8-bit version, but subsequent releases have added Ortega's Helm to fill in the gap.

Appearances

Dragon Quest

Erdrick's sword, armour, and mark debut in the seminal title, with the game's plot making the mark a mandatory acquisition. The sword and armour are entirely optional, albeit strongly recommended, and the fabled shield would not appear until the sequel. As helmets were not a distinct equipment type in the first game it is assumed that Erdrick's helm was included with the armour set.

The sword is held in the depths of the Dragonlord's Castle as a precaution on the scaled sovereign's part, and the armour is located in the ruins of Damdara where it is guarded by a knight aberrant. The mark is found in the fetid swamp south of Cantlin, being exactly 40 steps east and 70 steps south of Tantegel.

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

The sword is once more found in the Dragonlord's castle, watched over by his great-great-grandson. Though powerful, the sword will be eclipsed by several weapons the player encounters over the course of the adventure. The mail is found in the third floor of the chasm leading to Rendarak, in the bottom-rightmost section of the floor near a set of stairs. Erdrick's helmet is obtained by exchanging the Mark of Erdrick at the shrine southeast of Tantegel, and the mark itself being found in Midenhall behind a door requiring the golden key to open. The shield is found in the castle of Cannock, being watched over by an old man on a tiny islet. The golden key is required to open the door to gain access to it.

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation

Due to taking place in the distant past, none of the heraldry bears Erdrick's name until the completion of the game. The Sword of kings was destroyed by Zoma over the course of several years due to the demon king fearing its power, and must be reforged with an ingot of Orichalcum. This precious metal is found in the horse field of Damdara, and must be sold to the Jipangese blacksmith living in Kol. Once he is given the metal, the sword will be available for purchase.

The Auroral armor is found in a chest in a hidden room in the Tower of Rubiss, and the Hero's shield is found on the bottom floor of the Nail Mark northwest of Tantegel. Ortega's helmet was added to the game in the SNES remake, being given to the player by the people of Mur. What would become the mark of Erdrick is the Sacred amulet, which is granted to the player upon the rescue of Rubiss.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Available only in the Nintendo 3DS version is "Ye Olde Sword of Erdrick", a rusty version of the mythical blade that is obtained via a download code first made available internationally on February 24, 2017. Players can reforge the tarnished slab by mixing it with the Liquid metal sword and a lump of orichalcum in the Alchemy pot.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

Erdrick's sword is the result of mixing the rusty sword with nine Glass frits and one chunk of Orichalcum within Krak Pot. The rusty sword lays within a chest on the eighth floor of the Realm of the Mighty.

The suit of armour has been split into several pieces corresponding to the upper & lower body, hands, and head as per the system changes features in IX. These pieces of equipment are first obtained in dilapidated condition and are collectively referred to as the Rusty suit, along with the shield.

Dragon Quest Builders

Erdrick's sword, shield, and armour are available in this alternate timeline spin-off. The paraphernalia is referred to by the antiquated names not used since III, and can be forged in the fifth chapter of the game.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

The three parts of the heraldry return for the sequel, but have simpler recopies to forge.

Dragon Quest Tact

Erdrick's sword and armour appear as S-rank equipment made available in the True Dragon Quest III event.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The sword, armour, helmet, and shield are available as Mii Swordfighter costume gear, and the Hero if III fights with the sword of kings and hero's shield equipped.

Miscellaneous

Sacred Amulet

Exclusive to Dragon Quest III, the amulet is given to the Hero by Rubiss and will grant +30 Luck, along with complete immunity to instant death and Kamikazee.

Erdrick's gauntlets

Erdrick's gauntlets


Description
High-grade gloves once graced by the hands of a legendary hero
Rarity	Stats	Vocations
★★★★☆	Defence+25 Style+40
Notes
Reduces accuracy of Spooky Aura and Divine Intervention by 20%
Price	Location
N/A	Krak Pot
Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2	Ingredient 3
Rusty gauntlets	9 Glass frits	Orichalcum

As Dragon Quest IX has split armor into three categories, the gauntlets that originally came with the auroral armor have become their own equipment for the game.

Erdrick's Tablet

Erdrick's tablet is found in the cave bearing his name north-west of Tantagel castle. It is a message he left for his descendants, detailing the means necessary to travel to the isle of evil in the center of Alefgard. The tablet only appears in the original 8-bit version of the first game, being replaced by a sprite depicting a large monolith that serves the same purpose in all subsequent versions.

Trivia

The iconography of Erdrick bears a distinct resemblance to Ramia, appearing on the sword, shield, and armor of legend. Even the hero's emblem bears Ramia's visage, likely owning to her significance in III's chain of events.
The overworld sprite of Ortega in the SFC Version shows him wearing a black helmet with a single strip of metal going vertically along the cranium, rather than the blue emblemized helmet seen in later sets of the Armor of Erdrick. This could imply that the helmet was modified after joining with the legendary gear.
Some versions of the sword and shield have Anglo-Saxon runes inscribed on them.
- The runes on the sword read "Dragon Kuest", an approximation of Dragon Quest. These runes first appeared on the sword in artwork for VIII.
- The runes on the shield read "Roto", Erdrick's Japanese name. These runes first appeared on the shield in Famicon artwork.