Zenith
In the remakes of Dragon Quest III from the Super Famicom and Gameboy Color, Zenith is a bonus dungeon that can be reached after completing the game. It is possible that this might be Zenithia from another time, as it alludes to it by name and general structure (not to mention it is referred to as Cloudsgate Citadel in the iOS version), but various details are different.
| Dungeon | |
|---|---|
| Zenith | |
 | |
| Game | Dragon Quest III |
Monsters
Before the return point |
After the return point |
Treasures
Before the return point |
After the return point |
Location
Zenith is reached by stepping into the light of the stained glass windows at the Dragon Queen's palace in the normal world, although this only occurs if the player has already defeated Zoma and seen the ending, earning the "Roto" title on their save file on the loading screen.
The heroes will find themselves on a floating island surrounded by thick clouds. On this island is a deep cave, containing many rooms resembling those seen previously. The floors include:
- The 2nd and 5th floor of Gondo Cave.
- The 1st floor of Zipangu Cave.
- The 2nd floor of the Pyramid (the stairway on the upper righthand area leads to a room modeled after the basement of Tantegel Castle).
- The 2nd floor of the Cave West of Noaniels (The healing spring is also present).
- The 1st floor of Gondo Cave.
- The prison room of Samanao Castle.
Many fierce monsters populate this dungeon, including an alternate form of Baramos known as Baramevils. The final room of the dungeon is a monster arena, where the heroes fight inside the ring (unless they choose to walk past the enemy rather than fighting him).
After the dungeon the heroes find themselves in a castle throne room similar to Isis, with four human-looking occupants including a human king. The King will tell them about God Dragon, or Divinegon, who lives atop a
large tower above the castle. There is also a small house that the heroes pass through between the castle and the tower (Which resembles the first floor of the house in Reeve from where the Magic Bomb is obtained), where an old man stirs a large pot; he explains that this is a special medicine he's cooking. Whether the heroes decide to taste the medicine or not does not seem to affect gameplay, though it burns the hero's mouth to try. The rest of the dungeon has a completely new layout.
The tower in contrast to the previous portion of Zenith is original in layout (no reused rooms/floors) and has even fiercer enemies, including a number of Ramias that attack the heroes and can cast Disperse to expel party members back to the pub in Aliahan. It also contains the most powerful weapon in the game, the Wrecking Flail.
Upon reaching the top of the tower, there is an altar, above which resides Divinegon, a long green serpentine dragon resembling Shenlong of the Dragon Ball series. He challenges the heroes to a duel, and if they can defeat him within a certain number of turns (35 for the first, 25 for the second, and 15 for any later wishes) they will be granted a wish.
These wishes include a new pachisi track, a personality-changing naughty book, and the revival of a certain character. In the Game Boy version, there is also a wish to receive certain unique monster medals, needed (along with the other medals, which are rare drop items from various monsters) in order to enter that version's second bonus dungeon.
Riddles
A man in the return point in Zenith will ask the player 3 riddles with each one rewarding the player with a different item:
- A town in ruins. What glitters beneath the cross?
- A enclosed town in a dark world. It sleeps among flowers...
- The gazer of stars notices not what lies at his feet...
Connections to other Dragon Quest games
Whether Divinegon is related to Master Dragon, whether the castle and tower are related to Zenithia (or Baron's Tower), and if so, when this takes place in relation to Dragon Quest IV, V, or VI is unclear. Dragon Quest VI, however, also features a human king of Zenithia, which may or may not be related.
The island seen at the beginning of the Zenith area, and the cave of familiar rooms within, also bears a physical resemblance to the first bonus dungeon in Dragon Warrior VII, which the heroes of that game travel through to meet God.
Map
