Zenithian Equipment
The Zenithian Equipment (天空の装備, 伝説の武具) is a set of crucial items in Dragon Quest IV, Dragon Quest V. Only the legendary Hero can equip the armaments, and the story cannot advance until the entire set is obtained.
Appearances[edit]
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen[edit]
The Zenithian Equipment makes its debut in the fourth game of the series. Contrasting the optional Erdrick Equipment, the entire set must be collected by the player in order to gain access to the Stairway to Zenithia and reach the game's finale. Each piece is among the best of its kind in the game, rivaled only by the metal slime family equipment and the Pandemonic Equipment found in the remakes.
The sword is found in the branches of the World Tree, with the lost Zenithian known as Orifiela guiding the player towards it. This will typically be the last piece of the set that players obtain as reaching the World Tree requires the use of the hot-air balloon.
The other pieces of the set can be obtained in short order as soon as the player has obtained the ship very early in Chapter 5; the helm is awarded for answering the king of Canalot's call for comedians, armour is hidden in the Briny Lair to the northeast, and the shield is kept in the queendom of Femiscyra. Obtaining the helm is slightly more involved as it requires the player to use the magma staff taken from the Zamoksva treasury to clear the way to Femiscyra first.
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride[edit]
The Zenithian Equipment returns in the fifth game with a twist, as the player's avatar cannot equip a single piece himself; any attempts to do so result in the item draining the man's strength and feeling like an unbearable lead weight.
The player automatically obtains two of the four pieces of Zenithian Equipment over the course of the game and is expressly told of the location of the third, eliminating the possibility of players being stumped when trying to find them. The sword is carried by none other than Pankraz and is kept safe into the Hero's adulthood by Saber the great sabrecat, entering the player's possession when the childhood friends are reunited in the Scary Lair. The shield is owned by Rodrigo Briscoletti, who offers it as wedding gift to any man who proves himself worthy to marry his beloved daughter Nera; Rodrigo becomes impressed with the Hero's caliber during the trials he's set and bequeaths the shield regardless of who the player chooses to marry.
The Zenithian Helm is owned by the Queen Cleohatra of Helmunaptra, who tests the Hero by allowing him to don it. The Zenithian Armour is held by the Order of Zugzwang, who keep it locked away in their mountain stronghold to prevent it from falling into the hands of the chosen one. These two pieces of the set are entirely optional to obtain, though strongly recommended to do so. The game also introduces the Zenithian Tintinnabulum as a means to take to the air from nearly any location, removing the hassle of having to walk back to Ramia and the hot air balloon in the past two games.
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies[edit]
A cosplay replica of the Zenithian Helm is dropped by Dhoulmagus, Estark, and Nokturnus. It increases defence by +31 and can be equipped by any vocation. Additionally there is cosplay equipment based on the clothing of Solo and Sofia, the male and female Hero of Dragon Quest IV; the Zenithian clothes, Zenithian leotard, Zenithian gauntlets, Zenithian leggings, andZenithian trousers. These articles of clothing can also be equipped by any vocation.
Dragon Quest of the Stars[edit]
The Zenithian Sword appears in three stages, being the base form, the alchemized form, and the awakened form. The other three pieces of the set also appear in fixed states.
Dragon Quest Tact[edit]
The Zenithian Sword is an S-rank sword that can be acquired as part of the limited True Dragon Quest IV event by being part of a guild that has cleared Mega Boss Battle: Psaro the Manslayer in a Guild Co-op Battle at least once. It has an HP bonus of +55, an Attack bonus of +25, raises the Physical potency of Hero units by 5% and has three slots for Alchemy Effects. The Zenithian Shield is an S-rank shield that can be acquired as part of the limited True Dragon Quest IV event by clearing Mega Boss Battle: Psaro the Manslayer on level 11 or higher. It has a Defense bonus of +15, raises the spell resistance of Hero units by 5% and has three slots for Alchemy Effects. The Zenithian Helm is an S-rank helmet that can be acquired as part of the limited True Dragon Quest IV event by gathering migrants to The Haven through various challenges. It has a Defense bonus of +12, raises the physical potency of Hero units by 2% and has three slots for Alchemy Effects. The Zenithian Armour is an S-rank piece of armour that can be acquired as part of the limited True Dragon Quest IV event by clearing the Zenithian Armour stages in Test of Courage on any difficulty. It has a Defense bonus of +20, raises the Breath Res of Hero units by 2% and has three slots for Alchemy Effects.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
The Zenithian Sword is the weapon of choice for the Hero if the player selects Solo.
Trivia[edit]
- Some versions of the Zenithian sword and shield have Anglo-Saxon runes inscribed on them.
- The runes on the sword (around the gold sphere on the hilt) read "mitibikaresi mono", which is an approximate romanization of "導かれし者 michibikareshi mono", meaning "the guided one". This also resembles the Japanese subtitle for Dragon Quest IV, "導かれし者たち michibikareshi monotachi", literally "the people who are shown the way".
- The runes on the shield (around the two gold spheres) are difficult to translate, as they only appear in early low-resolution concept art, and later interpretations of the shield omit these runes entirely.
See also[edit]
Though never outright confirmed, the Zenithian Equipment is strongly implied to be the future forms the legendary equipment seen in Dragon Quest VI:
Gallery[edit]
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The Zenithian helm, IV 2001
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The Hero wearing the Zenithian Helm
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The Zenithian shield, (DQV)
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The Zenithian shield, IV 2001
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Hero from Dragon Quest IV, 1990
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Hero from V
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The armor from IV, 2001
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Zenithina Tintinnabulum from V 1992
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Terry with the Legendary Equipment in Maboroshi no Daichi
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The Hero wearing the Zenithian sword and helm