Treasure map (Dragon Quest IX)
A treasure map is a specialty item in Dragon Quest IX, which can be acquired in a number of different ways. When opened, a treasure map marks a particular spot on the world map where a secret grotto can be found. Treasure maps come in 2 varieties: normal and legacy boss. Overall, treasure maps play a key role in extending Dragon Quest IX's post-game by adding enormous amounts of additional content.
World Map Locations
Each treasure maps displays a location on the world map that the player must find in order to access the map's grotto/dungeon. There is a fixed number of possible world map locations where a map's grotto can appear. For almost all maps, the grotto location is randomly selected from all the possible world map locations. However, maps shared using Tag Mode or by completing quests retain the same world map location.
To access a map's grotto, the player must find the location marked by the map on the overworld. When the map is activated, meaning it is in use and displayed on the top screen, the player will see an exclamation point above the hero's head on the bottom screen when they are in the correct location. Pressing the 'A' button when this happens will cause the map's grotto to appear. Pressing 'A' again, enters the grotto.
Once a map is put away, its grotto also disappears from the overworld. However, activating the map again allows the player to re-activate the grotto by finding its location again and pressing 'A'. The world map location of a map does not change after it has been received by the player.
Types of Maps
Normal Maps
Normal treasure maps lead to grottos/dungesons which consist of a number of floors containing enemies and possibly treasure chests, as well as a boss in the final basement. Each normal map is given a descriptive title which includes a level number. This level is a measure of difficulty for the associated grotto. All normal maps which are not received via Tag Mode are randomly generated based on various criteria. See #Normal Map Generation Mechanics for a full description of the normal map generation process.
Legacy Boss Maps
Legacy Boss maps are treasure maps which contain only 1 floor which holds a legacy boss from Dragon Quest I - VIII. These maps are considered bonus material and are only received using Tag Mode, by completing specific quests, and from other treasure map boss item drops.
Methods to Acquire Maps
Tag Mode
- See main article: Tag Mode
Treasure maps can be received via Tag Mode with other copies of Dragon Quest IX. When entering Tag Mode, each player is able to choose a single treasure map which they possess to share with other games. This map will be "copied", meaning the original player does not lose it by sharing it on Tag Mode. This method of sharing treasure maps is also used for various Dragon Quest IX events in order to share maps. The 2 most famous maps traded via Tag Mode are the Masayuki map and the Locker map.
Quests
The following quests give a treasure map as a reward for their completion.
Note that quests 151 and higher are only available through the DQVC. See List of quests in Dragon Quest IX for more info.
Treasure Map Boss Item Drop
After defeating certain treasure map bosses multiple times, the possibility exists that the boss will drop a specific treasure map. However, only 5 bosses have the possibility of dropping a map and each of the 5 has a specific map which they drop.
King Schott
King Schott of Stornway Castle will give the player 1 random treasure map when speaking with him after completing the game.
Completion of a Normal Treasure Map
Each normal treasure map has a specific number of floors, always culminating with a boss monster on the final basement. Defeating this boss monster gives the player another normal treasure map. This is the primary method of obtaining new treasure maps, as there is no limit to the number of maps a player can complete. A new map is only given the first time a treasure map is completed. For information on how each normal map is generated, see #Normal Map Generation Mechanics.
Normal Map Generation Mechanics
After completing a normal treasure map, another map is randomly generated and given to the player. The mechanics of how a new map is generated are complex.
Step 1: Determining Quality
Quality is a computed number between 2 and 248 that is later used to determine how good the next map will be. A higher quality value yields more rare maps. The formula for quality is:
Quality = hero's highest vocation level + 5 * hero's highest number of revocations + level of previous treasure map
The hero's highest vocation level is the highest level they currently hold in any single vocation. The hero's highest number of revocations is the highest number of times they have used revocation in any single vocation. Note that revocation is the process used to change from level 99 in any single vocation back to level 1. 248 is the limit for any quality value.
Step 2: Grotto Content Generation
After computing the quality value, the game randomly selects one of 32768 maps for that quality value. Since quality can range from 2 to 248, there are over 8 million possible treasure maps! For higher quality values, the possible maps contain grottos which are much longer and hold more powerful enemies and bosses. The following table shows the relation between the quality value and the map difficulty.
| Quality | # of Floors | Monster Rank | Boss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-55 | 2-4 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| 56-60 | 4-6 | 2-4 | 1-3 |
| 61-75 | 4-6 | 2-4 | 2-5 |
| 76-80 | 6-10 | 3-5 | 2-5 |
| 81-100 | 6-10 | 3-5 | 3-7 |
| 101-120 | 8-12 | 4-6 | 4-7 |
| 121-140 | 10-14 | 4-6 | 5-9 |
| 141-160 | 10-16 | 5-7 | 6-9 |
| 161-180 | 10-16 | 5-7 | 7-10 |
| 181-200 | 11-16 | 6-9 | 8-12 |
| 201-220 | 12-16 | 8-9 | 1-12 |
| 221-248 | 14-16 | 9 | 1-12 |
For each 4 floors traversed, the monster rank increases by 1. So for a map with monster rank 9, there will be monsters of rank 12 on basement 13 (9 + 12 / 4).
Step 3: Map Name Generation
The treasure map name is composed of 4 parts: level, prefix, environment, and suffix. Each is generated using a different formula
Level
The base level formula is:
Level 0 = 2 floor grotto (not including boss floor) + Monster Rank 1 + Boss 1
For each # of floors, monster rank, and boss number above these base values, 3 is added to the overall map level. In addition a random value between -5 and 5 is added to the final level value. So for a map that has 8 floors (not including boss floor), Monster Rank 5, and Boss 5 the level would be computed as:
(6*3) + (4*3) + (4*3) + random value between -5 and 5 = level 37 - 47
Prefix
Prefix is related to the monster rank of the treasure map grotto. A grotto's monster rank is the type of monsters which will appear on the first floor of the grotto, and increases by 1 every 4 floors down. The prefix gives an indication of a map's 'base' monster rank. Monster rank is determined by the quality value computed above, and the prefix is randomly selected from the possible prefixes associated with the monster rank.
| Prefix | Monster Rank |
|---|---|
| Clay | 1-2 |
| Rock | 1-2 |
| Granite | 1-2 |
| Basalt | 1-4 |
| Graphite | 1-4 |
| Iron | 3-4 |
| Copper | 3-8 |
| Bronze | 3-8 |
| Steel | 5-8 |
| Silver | 5-8 |
| Gold | 5-8 |
| Platinum | 5-9 |
| Ruby | 7-9 |
| Emerald | 7-9 |
| Sapphire | 7-9 |
| Diamond | 7-9 |
Using the quality value is a more accurate way of determining the monster rank of a map as it is more specific than using the prefix name.
Environment
Environment is the word in the treasure map title that describes the 'theme' of the treasure map grotto. There are 5 possible themes:
- Cave/Nature
- Ruins
- Ice
- Water
- Volcano
There are a variety of environment words used to describe each of these different themes. The environment word used is related to the number of floors the grotto contains.
| # of Floors | Environment (Theme) |
|---|---|
| 2-7 | Tunnel (Ruins) Cave (All Others) |
| 2-11 | Crevasse (Ice) Marshe (Water) Mine (All Others) |
| 4-13 | Icepit (Ice) Lake (Water) Crater (Fire) Lair (All Others) |
| 6-15 | Snowhall (Ice) Moor (Water) Dungeon (Fire) Path (All Others) |
| 8-15 | Crypt (All) |
| 10-16 | Ruins (Ruins) Tundra (Ice) Waterway (Water) Nest (All Others) |
| 12-16 | World (All) |
| 14-16 | Abyss (Cave) Maze (Ruins) Glacier (Ice) Chasm (Water) Void (Fire) |
It is generally easier to determine the number of floors by computing the quality value rather than using the environment word.
Suffix
The suffix of the treasure map name is related to the number of the boss on the last floor of the grotto.
| Boss Number | Suffix |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Joy, Bliss, Glee |
| 1-6 | Doubt, Woe, Dolour |
| 4-9 | Regret, Bane, Fear |
| 7-12 | Dread, Hurt, Gloom |
| 10-12 | Death, Ruin, Evil, Doom |
Determining the boss number is easier by using the quality value rather than using the map suffix.
Obtaining Better Maps
A common question is how to obtain better maps. These questions can be answered by the following list:
- Level up the hero, in any vocation, to level 99.
- Level up the hero, in many other vocations to level 99 and begin using revocation.
- Continue completing the highest level treasure maps available, as the level of the previous map is used in computing the quality of the next map.
- Use revocation up to 10 times for maximum effect.
The most difficult aspect is leveling up to high level numbers. Until higher quality maps are available, it is generally easier to level up at various other dungeons in the game.