List of challenges in Dragon Quest Builders
Challenges are optional objectives in Dragon Quest Builders that grant additional recipes to use in Terra Incognita.
There are five per each chapter, and they are checked at the very end of the chapter: either by touching Rubiss's light after defeating the chapter's boss, or by defeating the Dragonlord in the final chapter. Due to that fact, most challenges can be completed in one file, checking them at any time by just going to Rubiss's light / the Dragonlord boss fight whenever a new challenge has been completed, with the exception of the challenges that require beating the chapter in a certain number of days in the PlayStation version of the game.
Due to the game's structure regarding save files and chapters, the challenges only need to be cleared once per console profile.
Common challenges[edit]
Some of the goals are common among all chapters while others are chapter-specific. There are two common objectives on every chapter, with one of them being different depending on the system the builder is playing on, and three challenges that are specific for that area.
The common challenges are: Complete within X days (PlayStation versions) or Obtain X amount of items (Switch, Mobile and Steam versions), and Raise the base level to the max level.
Complete the chapter within X days[edit]
These challenges are exclusive to the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions of the game.
These timed challenges establish a time limit of in-game days in which the chapter must be completed. You can check the elapsed days at any time in the Status menu.
To optimize your time, it's advised to rush through the story quests, avoiding sleeping in beds as much as possible.
Obtain X different items[edit]
These challenges are exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, Mobile and [[Steam] versions of the game, as they replace the timed ones. You can check the total different items obtained at any time in the Status menu.
These collection challenges require the player to obtain a certain number of different items, blocks and equipment before finishing the chapter. These sidequests can usually be solved by exploring the land thoroughly and taking everything you find. You might want to use the shovel to obtain plants and flowers, and craft items you would otherwise not need. (IE: Crafting a stone sword even if you upgraded directly from the cypress stick to the copper sword)
Build your base to max level[edit]
Probably the easiest challenge to complete in any chapter, the max level chapter is fairly easy to achieve if you keep improving and building on your base. The best ways to increase your base's level are replacing the walls and flooring with harder blocks and placing as many decorations as possible.
Chapter 1 challenges[edit]
| Challenge | Versions | Terra Incognita rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the chapter within 20 days. | PS3, PS4, PS Vita | Can build fire blades. |
| Obtain 150 different items. | Nintendo Switch, Mobile, PC | |
| Build your base to level 5. | All | Can build additional stone furniture. |
| Defeat the three dragons. | All | Can build display stands. |
| Build a Cantlin garden. | All | Can make Guard’s garb, Villager’s vesture, and Trader’s tunic. |
| Repair the hammerhood's graveyard. | All | Can build Featherfall footwear. |
Defeat the three dragons[edit]
There are three dragons in the Cantlin area, all of which need to be defeated for the challenge:
- Cantlin Plains: It can be found in the southmost area of the island, sleeping in a field of flowers.
- Hammerhood Heights: this dragon can be found in the mountains behind the ruined fortress.
- The Damdara Desert: the last dragon is located on the mountains, just east from the pyramid.
They can be defeated in any order, but all three need to be defeated in order to complete the challenge. If fighting them is too hard, players can take advantage of the false idols's fire throwing mechanic and place them facing the dragons.
Build a Cantlin Garden[edit]
For this challenge, the builder needs to place the following items inside a room: a bench, any flower (x10), any plant (x5), water block (x8), a plumberry tree, and a brazier. There are a few things to take into consideration while aiming for this challenge:
- To get the full-grown plumberry tree, a plumberry seedling must be planted inside the confines of the base and wait two days for the seedling to mature.
- The water mechanic is Dragon Quest Builders is rather limited: it can only flow two blocks above rock bottom, which means the garden will need to be underground. **Additonally, in Chapter 1 the only way to get water is to connect with an already existing water source, so you will likely need to build a tunnel or channel for the water to flow.
- The garden doesn't need to be inside the town of Cantlin, you can build the room outside the base.
- If building the garden outside of town, you must build the room around an already matured tree.
Repair the hammerhood's graveyard[edit]
To finish the last chapter 1 challenge, the builder must travel to The Damdara Desert, travel to the island north from where you freed Magnus (behind the mountains), and talk to the brownie there. He will teach them how to build stone memorials. Afterwards, the player needs to return to the Hammerhood Heights and visit the destroyed graveyard and place the needed memorials. Finishing this quest rewards the builders with a seed of life.
Chapter 2 challenges[edit]
| Challenge | Versions | Terra Incognita rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the chapter within 30 days. | PS3, PS4, PS Vita | Can build gourmand’s girdles. |
| Obtain 200 different items. | Nintendo Switch, Mobile, PC | |
| Build your base to level 5. | All | Can build wooden furniture. |
| Repair the ruined roof. | All | Can build roofing tiles. |
| Obtain the crown goowels. | All | Can build water crystals. |
| Complete all of Thalamus's puzzles. | All | Can build meteorite bracers. |
Repair the ruined roof[edit]
This challenge requires you to find the ruined manor deep in the mountains in the Prickly Wilds (travel east from the teleportal) and place the provided roof tiles in their corresponding places. Finishing this challenge also unlocks the recipes for roof tiling, pitched tiling, outer corner tiling, and inner corner tiling.
Obtain the crown goowels[edit]
To obtain the king slime crown, you need to fish a King Slime in the slime-shaped pond in the jungle south from the Ancient Palace, and defeat it. To do so, you need to quickly reel in your rod. It might take some practice, as the reaction time before the king slime flees is quite short.
Complete all of Thalamus's puzzles[edit]
This sidequest is the longest one in this chapter, requiring solving a puzzle in each of the region's islands:
- Swamps of Sickness: Located in the southwestern part of the island, it requires the player to copy the room in the left into the empty room in the right.
- Prickly Wilds: The second puzzle, located just north from the ruined manor, is solved by planting a palm seedling in the marked earth block.
- Ancient Palace: The third puzzle is located in a swamp behind the mountains behind the Ancient Palace, going east from it. It requires the builder to change the clock's hour from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock.
- Holy Sanctum: The last puzzle is located in an area in the south western side of the island, and requires the builder to place the blocks obtained as rewards in the previous three puzzles in their corresponding slots.
Finishing the last puzzle grants the builder the recipe of the Catholicon ring, a magical ring which prevents all status ailments when equipped. Quite the reward!
Chapter 3 challenges[edit]
| Challenge | Versions | Terra Incognita rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the chapter within 30 days. | PS3, PS4, PS Vita | Can build talaria. |
| Obtain 200 different items. | Nintendo Switch, Mobile, PC | |
| Build your base to level 5. | All | Can build hardwood and timbered blocks. |
| Defeat all the boss trolls and gigantes. | All | Can build forbidden furniture. |
| Complete the spectacular spa blueprint. | All | Can build hot water crystals. |
| Discover the recipe for the lyre of slime immemorial | All | Can build lyres of slime immemorial. *Also unlocked in other chapters. |
Defeat all the boss trolls and gigantes[edit]
This sidequest is very straight forward: defeat the strong monster in each of the four islands of this region. While they can be defeated with normal weapons, its advised to use magic weapons and even cannons to attack them, as they are quite dangerous, specially the gigantes. Their locations are:
- Bleak and Burning Badlands: A boss troll can be found in the desert, south from the base.
- Island of Lava: Another boss troll lies in the prison where Barbella was kept captive, behind a stone gate. Cannons can help destroy the stone gate.
- Island of Ice: A gigantes can be found in the northwest, over the mountains.
- Galenholm Ruins: The second gigantes is in the snow fields that extend in the southeast from the teleportal.
Complete the spectacular spa blueprint[edit]
The spectacular spa blueprint can be obtained in the ruins of Galenholm, in a chest located in a cave full of precious metal veins, south from the teleportal. The exact location varies from playthrough to playthrough.
The recipe for the fierce fountains required for the spectacular spa can be learnt in the north part of the Island of Lava. Help the girl who bathes in the hot water by blocking the troll's view with a block, and she will reward you with the recipe.
Discover the recipe for the lyre of slime immemorial[edit]
The lyre of slime immemorial is a special item that allows players to switch the music from modern to retro, and viceversa, by interacting with it. It can be found in the labyrinth located in the Island of Ice, north from the teleportal. Fill the slime-shaped hole with blue blocks, and the entrance to the maze will open. Traverse the maze and the reward will be yours. The labyrinth can be a bit confusing at times, but blue temple blocks hint to the intended path to find the lyre.
Once the lyre is obtained, it's recipe can be used in any where in the game, even in earlier chapters!
Chapter 4 challenges[edit]
| Challenge | Versions | Terra Incognita rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the chapter within 30 days. | PS3, PS4, PS Vita | Can build legendary items of Erdrick. |
| Obtain 200 different items. | Nintendo Switch, Mobile, PC | |
| Build your base to level 4. | All | Can build superior crafting stations. |
| Defeat the Dragonlord without wearing the legendary armour. | All | Can build rings of criticality. |
| Show a verdant vision to a certain someone. | All | Can build novelty items. |
| Find the sword of ruin | All | Can build forbidden equipment. |
Defeat the Dragonlord without wearing the legendary armour[edit]
The challenge is a bit tricky in its wording. It actually requires the Auroral Armour and Hero's Shield not being in the equipment bag when the second phase of the boss fights starts, meaning they can be used in the first phase as long as they are stashed away in the colossal coffer before defeating the humanoid form of Dragonlord.
The Sword of Kings can be used in both battles, as using it or not does not effect this challenge.
Show a verdant vision to a certain someone[edit]
Probably the longest sidemission in this chapter, it requires exploring the four islands in the final chapter, locating four slimes who wait in rocky formations that resemble themselves, and showing them what they ask for:
- Land of Ash and Despair: A slime is on top of a big rock slime, south from the provisional camp where the Princess's statue rested. He wants to see a milkblossom, which can be obtained with a shovel after purifying bones.
- Tantegel Moor: This time it's a she-slime, waiting on the northwest area from the castle. She wants to see a daffodaisy, which can be obtained with a shovel after planting a bud that enemy she-slimes can drop.
- Patchwork Island: The third slime is a metal slime, who waits northwest from the red teleportal. He wants to see a coralily, which can be obtained with a shovel after planting a bud that drackies can drop.
- The Dragonlord’s Island: A king slime is located in the southmost area, on top of a rocky structure that resembles a king slime. He wants to see a verdant vision. To obtain the vision, the builder must combine the other three slime's visions and the flowers on a diviner's altar. Giving him the verdant vision completes the challenge. He will give the player some gungerbread as a reward.
Note that you need two flowers of each: one to give to the slimes, and one for the verdant vision recipe.
Find the sword of ruin[edit]
The sword of ruin and the rest of the cursed equipment can be found in the southeastern area of the Land of Ash and Despair, in the opposite end of the chapter's starting location. The entrance to the dungeon where the cursed gear rests is blocked by some chalk blocks, easily removable once you have a mallet or sledgehammer.
This optional underground maze acts as the game's sole dungeon, and it's the home of some powerful foes. To advance in the cave, the player must defeat monsters to get keys and unlock doors. The layout of the maze can be confusing at first, but it's easy to navigate once you familiarize yourself with it. Aside from the cursed equipment, some rare items can be found in the dungeon.
The sword of ruin is in the deepest level.
