Murdaw appears as the initial primary antagonist in Dragon Quest VI.
He terrorizes the world, and any who challenge him never return. As soon as the game begins, the player character, Carver, and Milly go to fight Murdaw. Upon reaching him, he defeats the party with ease and banishes them from his sight.
Murdaw is one of the four Dread Fiends, and the first one to be encountered. Though he is the weakest of the group, he is by far the most effective at causing chaos. His traps are devilishly clever, locking the kingdom of Somnia in a futile war in the upper world and completely disabling the kingdom in the lower by locking the royal family in an unwaking slumber and spiriting the prince away. Murdaw possesses the ability to be present at more than one location at the same time. While his true body remains situated in his lair within the Lower World, he acts through the body of King Somnus in the Upper World, thus threatening both worlds simultaneously. He can also turn his enemies to stone, ala Bishop Ladja, though he only uses it on Carver, and during his boss fight in Dragon Quest X.
Murdaw plans far in advance, recognizing that Alltrades Abbey would produce endless enemies for him and the Archfiend if not sealed away. Defeating him allows access to the Vocation system. Murdaw is fought three times, once in the Upper World and twice below.
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The game begins with the Hero, Carver and Milly confronting Murdaw in his keep. Before the battle can properly start, Murdaw ambushes the trio, separating each of their bodies into two essences and banishing one part into the Upper World while spreading the other part throughout the Lower World. While this act did not kill off the heroes, it severely weakened their powers and abilities and rendered the Upper World essences amnesic. The Hero's Lower World counterpart was sent far away, while Carver's Lower World counterpart was petrified and remained in the castle. What happened to Milly is never revealed, but her two essences found each other and combined off-screen, not too long after the incident.
Later, the heroes and their new ally Ashlynn find Murdaw's lair in the Upper World. They engage him in battle and emerge victorious. Unfazed by the loss, Murdaw declares that he will get his revenge soon enough before attempting to teleport himself away. The party use Ra's Mirror on him, revealing that he is really King Somnus, whom Murdaw possessed to project himself onto the Upper World.
The party eventually locate the real Murdaw in the Lower World, finding themselves in the same location as the beginning of the game. Murdaw attempts the same ambush on the party, but this time the they are able to counteract against this trick using Ra's Mirror. Finally cornered, Murdaw engages the party in an actual battle. In the first battle, he is flanked by two Prickly pranksters and can summon more, or alternatively Harmours if they are defeated. In the second battle, Murdaw reveals his true powers, putting the party in a gruesome final confrontation. After his second defeat, Murdaw is finally vanquished; his death lifts the seal on Alltrades Abbey. However, monsters still roam the Lower and Upper Worlds foreshadowing a much bigger threat...
Original (SFC)
- Sprite
- Bestiary No.
-
- Recruit Rate
- N/A
- Army resistance *
- 100%
- Sprites
-
- Notable Changes
- None
The first encounter with Murdaw is in his Upper World stronghold, the Underkeep. Upon defeating him, the player is in for a sobering shock...
Original (SFC)
- Sprite
-
- Bestiary No.
-
- Recruit Rate
- N/A
- Skill(s)
- Flame Breath
Calls minions (Prickly Prankster).
Loudly calls for minions (Harmours).
- Army resistance *
- 100%
- Sprites
-
- Notable Changes
- None
The second battle is fought in the scaly sorcerer's keep in the Lower World. He is assisted by two Prickly pranksters, and can summon more of them as well as Harmours during the battle.
Original (SFC)
- Sprite
-
- Bestiary No.
-
- Recruit Rate
- N/A
- Spell(s)
- None
- Army resistance *
-
- Sprites
-
- Notable Changes
- None
Murdaw gets serious in round two, and fights at full power. Though he loses his flame resistance, he more than makes up for that loss in sheer offense.
|
|
7,750
13,559 (99)
|
255
|
60,600
|
2490
|
525
1055 (99)
|
415
623 (99)
|
240
384 (99)
|
|
| ???
|
|
|
| #302
|
| Dragon Quest IX
|
| DS
|
|
|
| Mudō
|
"Casts Kasap to curb his enemies' enthusiasm, then curbs it further with Dazzleflash and Disruptive Wave.
Gains a hold over people by plunging them into a world of nightmares from which they can't escape. Never sleeps himself."
|
| Fire
|
Ice
|
Wind
|
Earth
|
Light
|
Dark
|
| 100
|
150
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
50
|
| Blast
|
Dazzle
|
Sleep
|
Death
|
Drain MP
|
Confusion
|
| 100
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
100
|
0
|
| Fizzle
|
Inaction
|
Paralyze
|
Poison
|
Charm
|
Magic Res
|
| 0
|
25
|
0
|
0
|
10
|
25
|
| Blunt
|
Sap
|
Decelerate
|
| 5
|
15
|
50
|
Murdaw appears as a Legacy Boss in Dragon Quest IX. His map can be dropped from Baramos at higher levels (and thus can be obtained multiple times). He's slightly more powerful, and relies on debuffs rather than attack magic. Similar to Baramos, Murdaw is vulnerable to ice magic.
Mudou appears as the boss of Goopi's Gate #2.
Murdaw appears as the third-to-last boss, the main character defeats him and learns about Darck.
| Fire Resistance * |
Water Resistance * |
Wind Resistance * |
Earth Resistance * |
| 0% |
0% |
25% |
0% |
| Explosion Resistance * |
Ice Resistance * |
Electricity Resistance * |
Light Resistance * |
| 25% |
50% |
25% |
0% |
| Dark Resistance * |
Antimagic Resistance * |
Bedazzlement Resistance * |
Confusion Resistance * |
| 25% |
0% |
0% |
25% |
| Debilitation Resistance* |
MP Absorption Resistance * |
Paralysis Resistance * |
Poison Resistance * |
| 50% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
| Sleep Resistance * |
Stun Resistance * |
| 25% |
0% |
| Instant Death Resistance * |
| 50% |
Murdaw appears as a member of the ??? family as part of the limited Dragon Quest VI event. He can be faced in Chapter 1, Episode 1: The Dream and Chapter 1, Episode 4: Murdaw Arrives, reprising his role from the original game, as well as a boss in Free the Phantom Realm! He eventually appears on his own banner alongside Prickly prankster during the limited Mindini is invincible in the World of Dreams!? event and can also take part in Belleau and Cabot's Battle Road as a party member.
Stats
| First |
Second |
Third |
| Dreamy Dark Lord/Stats Up |
Woosh Res +25/Stats Up |
Dual Kafrizz Potency +5%/Stats Up
Nightmare Body: When hit with an enemy's physical or martial attack: Occasionally puts to sleep. |
| Fourth |
Fifth |
| Zap Res +25/Stats Up |
Dual Kafrizz Potency +5%/Stats Up
Max HP +100 |
| First |
| Raises Frizz-type spell potency for allies, including himself, by 20% in a 5x5 square around him. |
| First |
Second |
Third |
WIS +15
Max MP +15 |
Mirage: Battle start: Nullifies damage 1 time only in 99 turns |
Dual Kafrizz Potency +2% |
| First |
| Dreamy Dark Lord: Raises Move by 1 and Sleep success rate by 10%. |
| Frizz Resistance * |
Sizz Resistance * |
Crack Resistance * |
Woosh Resistance * |
| Normal |
Very Weak |
Very Weak |
Half Res |
| Bang Resistance * |
Zap Resistance * |
Zam Resistance * |
Snooze Resistance |
| Normal |
Half Res |
Normal |
Immune |
| Poison Resistance |
Physical Lock Resistance |
Spell Lock Resistance |
Martial Lock Resistance |
| Super Weak |
Normal |
Half Res |
Normal |
| Breath Lock Resistance |
Hobble Resistance * |
Stun Resistance * |
Dazzle Resistance |
| Normal |
Normal |
Half Res |
Normal |
| Curse Resistance |
Paralysis Resistance |
Confusion Resistance |
Charm Resistance |
|
| Normal |
Normal |
Normal |
Super Weak |
| Language |
Translation |
Meaning |
 Français | Meurtor | |
- Each of the four Dread Fiends could be seen as representing one of the four elements. In Murdaw's case, he represents earth.
-
Monsters sprite
-
Monsters 2 sprite
-
-
Murdaw in Dragon Quest X
-
-
Rivals art
-
Rivals render.
-
Rivals card
-
Murdaw in Walk
-
Murdaw in Tact
-
Prickly prankster and Murdaw in
Tact
-
The
Hero and Murdaw in
Keshi Keshi
-
Murdaw in Keshi Keshi
Storyline bosses (ver. 1.0)
Storyline bosses (ver. 2.0)
Storyline bosses (ver. 3.0)
Storyline bosses (ver. 4.0)
Storyline bosses (ver. 5.0)
Storyline bosses (ver. 6.0)
Storyline bosses (ver. 7.0)
X 
X 
X 
= 
Français
Monsters sprite
Monsters 2 sprite
Sofubi Monster figurine
Murdaw in Dragon Quest X
Appearance in Stars.
Rivals art
Rivals render.
Rivals card
Murdaw in Walk
Murdaw in Tact
Prickly prankster and Murdaw in Tact
The Hero and Murdaw in Keshi Keshi
Murdaw in Keshi Keshi
