Warrior

A master of weapon-based combat, able to learn a variety of cutting-edge sword techniques.

--Description of the Warrior from Dragon Quest VII (3DS)

The Warrior (戦士, Senshi, lit. Soldier) is a recurring character vocation in the Dragon Quest series that was introduced in Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation. Warriors typically have high HP, Strength, and Resilience, but low Agility, and also possess no magical capability whatsoever.

Characteristics[edit]

Warriors specialize in armed combat in battle, being capable of wielding the strongest weapons and wearing the heaviest armor, shields, and helmets available. They boast incredible growths in Strength, Resilience, and maximum HP, but are often the slowest party member in the group: it would be a wise idea to have them equip Agility-boosting accessories whenever available to keep them on par with other party members. Warriors typically share most of their equipment choices with the Hero, as well as having access to some weapons that are unique to them such as heavy axes and hammers. They will sometimes forgo weapon accuracy in favor of wielding weapons that have a higher chance of inflicting critical hits, such as Hela's hammer and the Headsman's axe. Warriors are sometimes troublesome to the party's finances, as it can quickly become expensive to keep them equipped with the newest and best equipment in each town.

The female Warrior has been the victim of censorship in the 21st century due to the increasingly strict regulations of the Japanese CERO ratings board. This practice began in 2012 with the release of Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D where she wore a black top and matching spats under her armour, with black chosen in an attempt to match her male counterpart, and this design was carried forward into 2015 with Dragon Quest of the Stars and into 2022 with the statue depicting her in Dragon Quest Treasures. Her design was altered again in 2024 with the HD-2D release of III, where the black cloth was switched with a light beige to render the changes all but invisible on her sprite. Similar censorship was applied to the summon spirit Kamashki in Dragon Quest X and to Maya Mahabala in the 2023 release of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince.

Series creator Yuji Horii expressed his frustrations with the harsh restrictions of the CERO age ratings in a September 28, 2024 interview with video game news outlet Denfamico. Long-time series collaborator Kazuhiko Torishima was also present for the interview, who expressed his scorn for the forced compliance with overseas media regulations on top of CERO's influence. The interview is hosted on Denfamico's youtube channel, being the first segment.

Appearances[edit]

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation[edit]

Base stats[edit]

Male and female Warrior, Dragon Quest III Famicom artwork

NES version

Attribute	Starting Stats	Maximum Stats
Level	1	99
HP	17	432
MP	0	0
Strength	10	201
Agility	2	83
Resilience	8	234
Wisdom	2	64
Luck	3	73

Equipment[edit]

Dragon Quest III (All)
Weapon	Modifier(s)
Cypress stick	Attack +2
Oaken club	Attack +7
Copper sword	Attack +12
Divine dagger	Attack +14
Chain sickle	Attack +16
Iron lance	Attack +26
Steel broadsword	Attack +33
Iron axe	Attack +38
Sizeable Scissors	Attack +47
Siren sword♥	Attack +50
Mountaincleaver	Attack +51
Dragontail whip	Attack +54
Sledgehammer	Attack +55
Battleaxe	Attack +60
Orochi's sword	Attack +65
Zombiesbane	Attack +67
War hammer	Attack +70
Dragonsbane	Attack +79
Thunderbolt blade	Attack +82
Blizzard blade	Attack +90
Stormlord's sword	Attack +95
Bastard sword	Attack +105
Gringham whip	Attack +105
Headsman's axe	Attack +105
Sword of ruin	Attack +107
Double-edged sword	Attack +115
Destructiball	Attack +135

Dragon Quest III (All)
Helmet	Modifier(s)
Leather hat	Defense +2
Hardwood headwear	Defense +6
King's crown	Defense +6
Fur hood♥	Defense +10
Iron helmet	Defense +16
Silver tiara♥	Defense +20
Iron mask	Defense +25
Hapless helm	Defense +35
Mythril helm	Defense +38
Great helm	Defense +45
Mask of Implacability	Defense +255

Dragon Quest III (All)
Armor	Modifier(s)
Scandalous swimsuit♥	Defense+1
Plain clothes	Defense+4
Boxer shorts	Defense+10
Leather armour	Defense+12
Leather dress♥	Defense+15
Shell armour	Defense+16
Chain mail	Defense+20
Silk robe♥	Defense+20
Cloak of evasion	Defense+23
Leather kilt	Defense+24
Iron armour	Defense+25
Magical skirt♥	Defense+25
Glombolero	Defense+30
Full plate armour	Defense+32
Cat suit	Defense+35
Magic armour	Defense+40
Dragon mail	Defense+45
Earthenwear	Defense+50
Spiked armour	Defense+55
Magic bikini♥	Defense+65
Hate mail	Defense+65
Blessed bikini♥	Defense+88
Shimmering dress♥	Defense+90

Dragon Quest III (All)
Shields	Modifier(s)
Pot lid	Defense+2
Leather shield	Defense+4
Bronze shield	Defense+7
Scale shield	Defense+12
Iron shield	Defense+20
Magic shield	Defense+25
Dragon shield	Defense+32
Tempest shield	Defense+35
Silver shield	Defense+40
Shield of shame	Defense+42
Power shield	Defense+50
Ogre shield	Defense+60

Dragon Quest III (All)
Accessories	Modifier(s)
Strength ring	Strength+7
Tough guy tattoo	Strength+8
Mighty armlet	Strength+15
Doh-hican	Defence+3
Garter♥	Defence+3
Gold rosary	Defence+4
Leg warmers♥	Defence+5
Ten ton toupee	Defence+15
Cower ring	Agility+7
Skull ring	Agility+10
Agility ring	Agility+`5
Mercury's bandana	Agility+30
Meteorite bracer	Agilityx2
Restless heart	Resilience+10
Gold chain	Resilience+10
Weightlifter's belt	Resilience+15
Recovery ring	Resilience+25
Care ring	Wisdom+15
Scholar's specs	Wisdom+15
Goddess ring♥	Wisdom+33
Bunny tail♥	Luck+8
Golden tiara♥	Luck+13
Hen's tooth	Luck+20
Sacred amulet	Luck+30
Elevating shoes	Luck+50
Dummy
Slime earrings
Ruby wristband

♥ denotes female-only equipment.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake[edit]

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Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation[edit]

Warrior is one of the basic professions available, teaching risky techniques that can backfire on the player in exchange for their utility. It is one of the prerequisites for the Gladiator, along with Martial Artist, and for the Armamentalist vocation along with Mage.

Stat changes[edit]

Statistics	Change
Battles to Master	150
Strength	+10%
Agility	-35%
Resilience	Null
Wisdom	-30%
Style	Null
Max HP	+10%
Max MP	-60%
Trait	N/A

Abilities[edit]

Level	Title	Learns	Battles Needed	Target	Info	MP
1	Ruffian	N/A	1			-
2	Skirmisher	Focus Strength	10	Self	Focus the fighting spirit to strike with redoubled force on the next attack.	0
3	Swashbuckler	N/A	20			-
4	Veteran	Double-Edged Slash	35	One Enemy	Deals heavy damage to an enemy, but also hurts the user.	0
5	Captain	Mercurial Thrust	55	One Enemy	Strikes an enemy before anyone else can act.	0
6	Expert Fencer	Frenzy	85	Random target	An indiscriminate attack against friend and foe alike.	0
7	Elite Blade	Falcon Slash	115	One enemy	A double slicing attack, faster than a falcon on the wing.	0
8	Sword Lord	Hatchet Man	150	One enemy	An unpredictable attack that can land a critical hit.	0

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past[edit]

Warrior is once again one of the basic vocations available after the events at Alltrades Abbey. The vocation's repertoire of skills is less dangerous than before, eschewing some of the questionable techniques for those that deal heavy damage to certain types of monsters. Mastering it is a prerequisite to unlock both the Gladiator and Armamentalist vocations. In the 3DS version, the outfit for Warriors is very similar to those seen in IX

Stat changes[edit]

Statistics	Change
Battles to Master	130 (PS1)
Battles to Master	78 (3DS)
Strength	+10%
Agility	-35%
Resilience	Null
Wisdom	-30%
Style	Null
Max HP	+10%
Max MP	-60%

PSX Abilities[edit]

Level	Title	Learns	Battles Needed	Target	Info	MP
1	Beginner	Nothing	0
2	Novice	PsycheUp	10	Self	User takes one turn. Next turn, physical attack does double damage	0
3	Soldier	Nothing	20
4	Guardsman	SquallHit	35	One Enemy	User attacks first with 80 percent power	0
5	Veteran	Nothing	55
6	Warmonger	DrakSlash	75	One Enemy	Does 50% more damage to dragons. Regular damage to all other monsters	0
7	Elite	Nothing	105
8	General	EvilSlash	130	One Enemy	Hits one enemy with a critical hit one out of three times.	0

3DS abilities[edit]

Level	Title	Learns	Battles Needed	Target	Info	MP
1	Ruffian	Nothing	0
2	Skirmisher	Focus Strength	5	Self	Focuses spirit so as to strike with redoubled force on the next attack.	0
3	Soldier	Nothing	10
4	Veteran	Mercurial Thrust	18	One Enemy	Strikes an enemy before anyone else can act.	0
5	Captain	Rude Awakening	28	One Ally	Shakes an ally awake or snaps them out of a state of confusion.	0
6	Expert Fencer	Wing-Clipper	38	One Enemy	Deals extra damage to flying foes.	0
7	Elite Blade	Dragon Slash	53	One Enemy	An attack that can pierce even dragon's scales.	0
8	Sword Lord	Hatchet Man	78	One Enemy	An all-or-nothing strike that can sometimes land a critical hit.	3

Hybrid abilities[edit]

Hybrid	Learns	Target	Info	MP
Bard	War Song	All Allies	Raises the defense of all allies	0
Dancer	SwordDanc	All Enemies	Attacks four random enemies with 75 percent power	0
Jester	ConfuHit	One Enemy	May confuse the enemy it hit	0
Mariner	BirdSlash	One Enemy	Causes 50 percent extra damage to flying enemies, regular damage to all others	0
Shepherd	Mineuchi	One Ally	Cures one ally of sleep and confusion	0
Thief	ThiefHit	One Enemy	Attacks the enemy and has a chance of stealing its item	0

Strategy[edit]

The Warrior is a useful class to become because of the strength increase that it affords. Among the skills that the warrior learns, Hatchet Man is by far the most useful. Although it misses half the time, when it does connect it will always be a critical hit, making short work of Metal Slimes. The Dragon Slash is also good for dragon bosses that the player encounters.

For hybrid skills, the two most useful ones are Sword Dance, which requires both a mature warrior and a mature Dancer, and Kelpto Clobber, which requires a mature warrior and a mature Thief. Sword Dance attacks four times with 0.75% power, making it useful for boss fights as it will hit for 300% more attack power than normal attacks. It is also the most cost effective skill in the game as it doesn't require any MP to use. Klepto Clobber is useful because it steals from enemies, making it a nice skill to have if the player is looking for a particular item. However, the chance of stealing is rather low.

Regarding evolution, the Warrior can combine the mastered Mage class and become an Armamentalist. The 'mentalist has access to some elemental slashes and the extremely powerful spell Kafrizzle. The Warrior can also combine the mastered Martial Artist class and become a Gladiator. The Gladiator has stronger attacks including Multifists. After the Gladiator class is mastered, the Gladiator can then become a Champion as long as the Paladin class is also mastered. The Champion has several powerful attacks culminating with Blade of Ultimate Power, a must for beating the final bosses in the game.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies[edit]

The Warrior Class is available at the start of the game and has the unique skillset 'Courage'. Warriors can also use skill points to learn Sword, Spear, Knife, and Shield skills. Their Coup-de-Grace is "Critical Claim" an attack that always lands a critical hit.

Warriors are considered the preliminary to Gladiators, and when the two are compared, Warriors aren't as agile or as strong. They also cannot equip heavier armor sets. However, Warriors have the advantage having more HP, Resilience, MP, and are able to wield Shields. They also have options to draw enemy aggro and protect other party members. Thus, parties who need a reliable tank should stick with a Warrior, or at least obtain Omnivocational Shieldmaster to help smooth over the transition to a Gladiator.