DQ9 EncyclopediaThe essentials
To follow the story step by step: Almar's Guides, StrategyWiki or the GameFAQs walkthrough. To know where to find an item, exact rates, grottoes and mechanics read from the code, in English, French or Japanese: the DQ9 Encyclopedia. Woodus, a fan site since 1997, has many tools; the wikis tell the story of the game and its making.
What each site offers on Dragon Quest IX, from its pages as seen on 19 October 2026. All are free; the other sites' pages we looked at are in English.
| Site | What you will find |
|---|---|
| DQ9 Encyclopedia dq9encyclopedia.com | Everything read from the game's code: every item with every source, drops and rates, places with the game's maps, quests and solutions, vocations, spells, accolades; grottoes (map decoder, all 393,216 maps sifted through, legacy bosses); battle formulas, randomness, EXP manipulations; playing on PC, DQVC at home, multiplayer; differences between the Japanese and US versions. English, French, Japanese. The story step by step is not detailed yet. |
| Almar's Guides almarsguides.com | Full walkthrough in 10 chapters, post-game and Wi-Fi quests included; side quest guide; the quests that unlock the 6 advanced vocations; Action Replay codes. |
| StrategyWiki strategywiki.org | Place-by-place walkthrough up to the post-game; appendices: monsters, weapons, armour, accessories, items, recipes, quests, treasure maps and grottoes, spells, abilities, accolades, party tricks. Collaborative wiki. |
| GameFAQs gamefaqs.gamespot.com | 24 text guides written by players between 2009 and 2014: full walkthrough, bestiary, alchemy, quests, accolades, equipment, legacy bosses, grotto mechanics (Terence, 2010), the game's memory map (eidako2 and yab, 2014), map method; 17 charts of treasure map dungeons, area by area; a message board. |
| Woodus (Dragon's Den) woodus.com | A fan site since 1997. Large DQ9 section: grotto calculator and map search, special maps, Hoimi table, chest timer, DQVC, legacy bosses, metal slime farming, mini medal rewards, dungeon, town and world maps, quests, items, monsters, save editor; forums. |
| Dragon Quest Wiki dragon-quest.org | Game article and lists: enemies, items, equipment by slot, alchemy (ingredients, recipes, books), quests, treasure maps, vocations, skills, spells, party tricks, accolades, revocation medals, Tag Mode, DQVC. Collaborative wiki; links to a French wiki for the game article. |
| Dragon Quest Wiki (Fandom) dragonquest.fandom.com | Game article: gameplay, story, characters, multiplayer, DQVC, development, release, reception, unused content. Collaborative wiki with ads. |
Which site for what?
- Following the story step by step: Almar's Guides, StrategyWiki or the GameFAQs walkthrough, until our story step by step is complete.
- Finding an item, with every source, prices and exact rates: the encyclopedia (each card lists every way to get it and says which is simplest).
- Monsters: the encyclopedia gives drops with the rates read in the code and each monster's share place by place, by day and by night.
- Grottoes: the encyclopedia and Woodus. Woodus's grotto calculator is rebuilt exactly here; the encyclopedia adds each map's layouts and chests and the single-monster floors.
- Levelling up, making metal slimes appear, getting rare drops: the encyclopedia's EXP manipulations and rare drops, checked in the code; the original guides are on GameFAQs and in the community's videos (Sources and credits).
- Playing in French or Japanese: the encyclopedia, in English, French and Japanese, with the game's official names in each language.
- Playing today on PC, getting the DQVC and Wi-Fi quests back: Playing on PC, DQVC at home, online content.
- The game's history, its making, unused content: the wikis (Fandom, dragon-quest.org).
- Talking with other players: the Woodus and GameFAQs forums, The Quester's Rest Discord.