Dragon Fantasy Book I Walkthrough, Part Ten: The Dark Lord's Castle

Not only has Ogden managed to reunite two lovers under some highly dubious circumstances, he's found the third piece of Hero's equipment. That just leaves one to go… and the Woodsman said it was somewhere no one would dare to tread. Ogden has little choice, though, so it's off to the east with him.

Returning to Crescent Cove won't bear any fruit, as it's still shipless. Leave town after healing and restocking (buying a few Potato Juices is highly recommended) and wander east along the seaside to find a bridge. This leads to virgin territory that appears to be altogether unpleasant… and populated by new monsters. Yay.

• Belligerent Bats. Not much to say; they're stronger versions of the usual. You're up to the challenge by now.
• Ronin. Another boost, but much more dangerous than the last thieving character you met. They hit hard and can put you to sleep. Spells are recommended for dealing with them.
• Lounging Lizards. Look familiar? Shrug!

Make your way through the swamps, far to the east. At the edge of the continent is an obelisk where you can save your game, highly recommended. Make your way north from here, through the mountains, and after a long trek you'll eventually come to an ominous-looking castle at the tip of a stretch of damaging lava. Yep, this is almost certainly the Dark Lord's Castle. New enemies abound!

• Sgt Killface. This brutal taskmaster has a somewhat poor hit ratio, but when he does land a blow it will do between 60 and 70 damage, assuming you have the best armour you can buy. Harsh. Beat him down and heal whenever you get too low on HP.
• Undead Pete. Pete is less dangerous than the last zombie you faced, as he doesn't put you to sleep or poison you. There's nevertheless a lot of health on this guy, so expect a prolonged battle.
• Ancient Archmage. Though they lack the high HP of other enemies in here, Archmages are terrible opponents because they almost always use hard-hitting spells that will never miss. If you're hovering at the 60 HP mark, heal immediately.
• Blizter. Probably the easiest enemies here, but by no means weak. Straightforward hitting is nice, though.

Head north through the initial corridor to an intersection. On the upper platform is a large door you can't currently open. Ignore it for now and look to the sides of the door. There's a door in the east and a door in the west. Both lead to narrow staircases. Take the western door first and it will lead you to a familiar face whom you can beat for a Jail Key and, in a chest, a Rope.

Descend to the ground floor again and enter the eastern door. You'll find a Forged Sword along the way, and at the bottom is yet another familiar face. Beat it in like the first (be careful, as this one will often go first and can hit harder) and make your way into the dungeon. There's a Potato Juice in the first cell… but when you get it, the cell door will be blocked. Time for a revenge match!

Dark Knight

This battle is surprisingly easy. The Dark Knight doesn't hit as hard as the other enemies in the castle, and Ogden seems to get a lot of criticals. (Maybe it was just me.) Slam him down and keep your health over 60 or 70 at a minimum for an easy enough win.

Beat up the Dark Knight and Anders and Marlon will come to your rescue! Princes united! They'll hand over a Final Key that will let you get through the rest of the doors in the Dark Lord's Castle, which is pretty sweet. Once you're done talking, chat with the priest in the next cell to save, and check the chest in the south for Dragon Armor. Ooo.

Return to the foyer and go through the large door in the north with your new key. The path splits in the next area. You'll meet a few new enemies past here:

• Spawn of Darkness is a massive spider that hits quite hard and is mildly evasive, but is otherwise straightforward. It has a lot of HP, so don't take too many risks.
• Bringer of Sorrow is fairly straightforward, but can still hit hard enough to be a danger. Be cautious.

Go west and follow the path north, past a pool of green goo, to find a chest containing a Rope. Backtrack to the entrance and take the eastern path, which twists around the room and terminates at a door in the north.

Through this you'll wind up in another new room consisting of stone floors and vast pits of poison. As usual the path splits, and if you head west and north you'll find… you'll find… the Rusted Hero's Sword! Woo! The Woodsman will immediately show up and reforge everything into the Hero's Sword, Armor, Shield and Helmet. The sword in particular is a massive increase in combat strength, and will make fights much easier. If you felt like grinding before the last boss of the chapter, this is the chance to do it.

Return to the divide and head east. In the southeast corner of the room is four chests containing three Turboherbs and a Potato Juice. A sure sign of things to come. Go north from here to escape the poison…

… and, after a long walk, you'll reach the throne of the Dark Lord himself. He'll cover some plot revelations, and the fight will be on!

Dark Lord

The first part of this battle is straightforward. The Dark Lord isn't very powerful, and won't tax your capabilities too much. Sap his HP, though, and he'll transform into the Really Dark Lord, the true final foe of the chapter. For the most part, the transformation simply boosts the Dark Lord's attack power to roughly 70 HP per attack. Rough, yes, but bearable since he doesn't use any other magic. Normal hits will take him down eventually, but if you have the MP to spare Blastelius should be your weapon of choice. This spell can do more damage than two of Ogden's normal attacks. Keep whittling him down and you will, eventually, succeed.

That's it! Ogden will be safely zipped out of the Dark Lord's Castle, and the credits will roll as the cast comes out. Ogden's story is complete!