Shimmering dress

Shimmering dress
Japanese	ひかりのドレス
Romaji	Hikari no doresu
Old localisations	Dress of Radiance; Shimmer Dress; Light dress
Found in	Dragon Quest III (remakes only); Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake; Dragon Quest IV; Dragon Quest V; Dragon Quest VI; Dragon Quest VII; Dragon Quest VIII; Dragon Quest IX; Dragon Quest X; Dragon Quest XI; Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road II; Dragon Quest of the Stars
Effect	Reduces damage taken from attack spells and breath attacks. (III only); Has a chance to reflect spells back at the caster.

The Shimmering dress is a piece of clothing in the series.

Characteristics[edit | edit source]

The shimmering dress's original design is a loose-fitting gown similar in appearance to a chiton, a robe worn in ancient Greece and Rome. The Super Famicom version of Dragon Quest III introduced a design closer to a medieval gown with a light yellow bodice with rounded shoulders and a darker yellow skirt. Starting with Dragon Quest VII, the dress's design was altered further, making the shoulders more flowing and adding some gold jewelry with a blue gem to the top of the bust. The dress is known for its ability to reflect spells from both enemies and allies back at the caster, with the exact frequency depending on the title. However, starting with Dragon Quest IX, this was changed to only reflect spells for enemies, increasing its usefulness.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation[edit | edit source]

The Shimmering dress has a Defence bonus of +90, reduces damage taken from breath and magic attacks by 33%, and can be equipped by any vocation as long as they are female. It is the strongest piece of armour in remakes of the game. In the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color versions, one can be received as a prize for completing the 4th T'n'T board (1st Goal) and more can be purchased from the 5th board in one of the shops for 19,000 gold. It can be sold for 14,250 gold, but it is not recommended to do so.

As T'n'T boards were removed from the mobile and Nintendo Switch versions of the game, a single shimmering dress replaces one of the Mimics in Zoma's Citadel.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake[edit | edit source]

Shimmering dress


Description
A frock most fabulous that reduces damage from enemy magic as well as fire and ice attacks.
Stats	Vocations
Defence +105
Notes
Exclusive to Appearance B Reduces damage taken from spells and breath attacks by 33%.
Price	Location
N/a / 14,250	Zoma's Citadel 4BF

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen[edit | edit source]

Game	Description
	This diaphanous dress may reflect magic back at the caster.^[2]

The Shimmering dress has a Defence bonus of +50 (+45 in the NES Version) and can be worn by the female Hero, Alena, Maya, and Meena. It has a 33% chance to reflect spells back at the caster, including healing spells. It can be found in Baron's Folly* and in a treasure chest on B1F of the Doorway to Nadiria. It also has a ¹⁄₂₅₆ chance of being dropped by Vis magers. The dress can be sold for 6,600 gold, but item collectors may not wish to do so due to its rarity.

"What a glimmerin', shimmerin', sparklin' piece o' cloth! Every now an' then, a dress as gleamin' as this is sure to reflect a magic attack. It might even reflect healin' magic though, too, so you'd best mind yerself with that. <Female Hero>, Alena, Meena and Maya can be equipped with it."

—Torneko appraising the shimmering dress

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride[edit | edit source]

The Shimmering dress has a Defence bonus of +45, has a 33% chance of reflecting spells, and can be equipped by Bianca, Nera, Debora, and the Hero's daughter. It can be purchased at Gotha and Lofty Peak for 8,000 gold and sold for 4,400 gold.

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation[edit | edit source]

The Shimmering dress has a Defence bonus of +55, a Style bonus of +65, and a 33% chance of reflecting spells. It can only be equipped by Milly and Ashlynn. The dress is received as a reward for winning the 6th round of the Best-Dressed Contest at the Château de Sass. If the dress is worn along with a Silver tiara and Glass slippers, the wearer will receive a +40 bonus to Style when being ranked for the Best-Dressed Contest.

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

The Shimmering dress has a Defence bonus of +75, a Style bonus of +61, and a 33% chance to reflect spells in battle. It can only be equipped by Maribel and Aishe. One can be found in a treasure chest at the Multipleximus Maximus. It also has a ¹⁄₁₂₈ chance of being dropped by Pandora's boxes. The dress can be sold for 4,400 gold, but item collectors may not wish to do so due to its rarity. Once again, the shimmering dress also receives a massive +40 style bonus for the Best Dressed Contest of the Excellence Grading Organisation if it is worn with a silver tiara and glass slippers.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King[edit | edit source]

Game	Description
	A mysterious dress that occasionally reflects a spell cast on the wearer back at the caster.^[3]

The Shimmering dress has a Defence bonus of +67, has a 20% chance to reflect all spells barring Insulatle, and can be equipped by Jessica and Red. It can only be made in the Alchemy Pot and can also be mixed to create other pieces of equipment. The dress can be sold for 8,800 gold each for the first five sold, 6,160 gold each for the sixth through tenth, then only 2,640 gold each from the eleventh sold onward.

Item	Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2	Ingredient 3
Shimmering dress	Gold bracer	Ruby of protection	Spangled dress

Item	Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2	Ingredient 3
Shamshir of light	Rune staff	Shimmering dress	Light shield

Item	Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2	Ingredient 3
Princess's robe	Shimmering dress	Angel's robe	Gold rosary

Item	Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2	Ingredient 3
Divine bustier	Shimmering dress	Dangerous bustier	-

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

Shimmering dress


Description
A nebulous number that's not unknown to reflect spells.^[4]
Rarity	Stats	Vocations
★★★☆☆	Defence +35 Style +100
Notes
20% chance to reflect enemy spells. Used to create Princess's robe.
Price	Location
7,750 / 7,750	Sold from the DQVC during the DQVC Fashion Week sale when it was still available.
Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2	Ingredient 3
Spangled dress	Brighten rock x3	Pink pearl

*In this game, the shimmering dress has received a male counterpart in the form of the twinkling tuxedo.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age[edit | edit source]

Shimmering dress


Description
An enchanted evening gown that sometimes sends spells back where they came from.^[5]
Rarity
A
Stats (Base/+1/2/3)
Defence +67/69/62/75 Charm +62/65/68/71
Notes
Spell Reflection Chance 20% Requires 14 Perfectionist's pearls to rework.
Price (Buy/Sell)	Location
200,000 Tokens / 5,500	Token Exchange at Octagonia's Casino (second act onward)
Forging Difficulty
2.5
Ingredients
x2 + x2 + x2 + x2
Characters

The recipe book Gear that Glitters contains the recipe for the shimmering dress. It is received as a reward for completing the quest "A Delayed Diploma" starting from the second act.

Dragon Quest Rivals[edit | edit source]

The shimmering dress appears on one of the Alena variant cards.

In Other Languages[edit | edit source]

Language	Translation	Meaning
Español	Vestido resplandeciente	Spanish for "resplendent dress".
Français	Robe chatoyante	French for "shimmering dress".
Deutsch	Schimmerndes Kleid	German for "shimmering dress".
Italiano	Abito scintillante	Italian for "scintillating dress".