He doesn’t have a name. Well, unless you count the one you typed in on a flickering CRT screen back in 1987. Most fans just call him the Prince of Midenhall. He’s the guy on the box art with the goggles and the cape, looking like he’s ready to take on the world with nothing but a copper sword and a bit of royal lineage. But if you actually sit down and play through the Famicom original or even the modernized Nintendo Switch ports, you’ll realize the Dragon Quest 2 hero is a bizarre anomaly in the world of JRPGs. He’s a protagonist who literally cannot use magic. In a world defined by sizzle spells and heal charms, he’s just a guy who hits things very, very hard.
It's weird.
Think about it for a second. In the first game, the scion of Erdrick was a jack-of-all-trades. He could swing a blade and cast Heal when things got dicey. But when Yuji Horii and the team at Chunsoft sat down to make the sequel, they took a hard turn. They gave us a party system for the first time, and in doing so, they stripped the Dragon Quest 2 hero of every ounce of supernatural utility. He is the ultimate "meat shield." While his cousins from Gwaelin’s bloodline—the Prince of Cannock and the Princess of Moonbrook—are busy managing MP pools and praying their glass-cannon builds don't shatter, the Midenhall lead is just there to soak up damage and dish out critical hits. Honestly, it’s a design choice that still sparks heated debates in retro gaming circles because of how it skews the game's infamous difficulty curve.
The Brutal Reality of the Prince of Midenhall
Playing as the Dragon Quest 2 hero feels different than playing as the Luminary or even the legendary Erdrick himself. You start the game alone. It's a lonely trek from Midenhall to Leftwyne. You’re weak. You’re vulnerable. One bad encounter with a group of Slimes or Iron Ants and it’s game over before you’ve even seen the title card. This specific hero represents the "Old School" philosophy of gaming where your survival isn't guaranteed by a narrative shield. You have to earn it.
The Prince of Midenhall has the highest HP and Strength scaling in the game. By a lot. He’s the only one who can equip the heaviest armor and the most devastating weapons like the Thunderbolt Blade or the Erdrick’s Sword (Loto’s Sword). But there's a catch. Because he lacks magic, you are entirely dependent on your AI-controlled or menu-selected companions to keep him alive. If the Prince of Cannock dies—which he will, frequently, because he’s notoriously fragile—your hero is stuck. He can’t revive. He can’t heal. He can only stand his ground until his HP hits zero. It creates a frantic, high-stakes tension that modern RPGs have mostly phased out in favor of "quality of life" features.
Some people hate this. They call it bad balancing. Others see it as the purest expression of the series' roots. You aren't a god; you're a soldier.
Why the Goggles?
Ever wonder about the goggles? Akira Toriyama, the legendary artist behind Dragon Ball and the character designer for Dragon Quest, gave the Dragon Quest 2 hero a distinct aviator aesthetic. It was a departure from the more traditional knightly look of the first game. It suggested a sense of adventure and movement. Interestingly, these goggles became a recurring motif in the series, eventually being worn by the protagonist of Dragon Quest Builders 2, who is directly linked to the world of Hargon and Malroth. It's a visual shorthand for "the explorer," a hero who isn't just defending a kingdom but actively reclaiming a lost world.
The Grind to Rhone: A Test of Character
You cannot talk about the Dragon Quest 2 hero without talking about the Cave to Rhone (or Rone). It is widely considered one of the most punishing dungeons in video game history.
Imagine this. You’ve spent twenty hours leveling up. You feel strong. Then, you hit a plateau where the enemies—think Silver Batboons and Malroth’s elite guard—can wipe your entire party in a single turn with Sacrifice or Defeat spells. In this specific environment, the Dragon Quest 2 hero becomes your North Star. He is the only constant. While your mages are running out of MP and falling like flies, the Prince of Midenhall’s physical attack remains your only reliable way to thin the herd.
- He doesn't care about "Anti-Magic" zones.
- He isn't affected by "Silence" status effects.
- He just swings.
There's a gritty, almost desperate satisfaction in seeing him land a critical hit on a Great Dragon when your back is against the wall. Koichi Sugiyama’s driving, adventurous score during these segments underscores the Prince's role: he is the relentless engine of the party. He is the reason you don't give up when the Princess of Moonbrook gets turned into a stone statue for the tenth time.
The Lineage of Erdrick
The lore tells us that the three protagonists are descendants of the hero from the first game, who himself was a descendant of Erdrick. This makes the Dragon Quest 2 hero the "senior" cousin. He inherited the martial prowess of his ancestors, while the others inherited the mystical arts. This split of Erdrick’s "power" was a narrative justification for the new class system. It’s actually a pretty clever way to handle a sequel. Instead of giving you a hero who is just "better" than the last one, they gave you a hero who is specialized.
Misconceptions About the Midenhall Build
A lot of people think the Prince of Midenhall is boring because he doesn't have a flashy spell list. "He's just a warrior," they say. But if you look at the math behind the original NES version, his growth is actually quite sophisticated.
Early on, he’s a beast. Mid-game, he starts to feel a bit stagnant as the Prince of Cannock gets better spells. But in the late-game? The Dragon Quest 2 hero scales harder than anyone. Once you get the Sword of Erdrick, his damage output becomes the only thing that can reliably chip away at Malroth’s massive HP pool. If you don't manage his equipment properly—if you miss the Shield of Erdrick in the Cave to Rhone, for example—the game becomes nearly impossible. He isn't just a "member" of the party; he is the foundation. If he falls, the whole structure collapses.
Nuance matters here. In the Super Famicom and mobile remakes, the developers tweaked the stats. They made the other cousins a bit more durable. But the core identity of the Midenhall lead remained: total physical dominance. He is the archetype for the "Soldier" or "Warrior" class that would be formalized in Dragon Quest 3.
Comparing the Versions: Which Hero is "Real"?
If you're looking to experience the story of the Dragon Quest 2 hero today, you have choices. And those choices drastically change how you perceive the character.
- The NES/Famicom Original: This is the hero at his most "hardcore." He is a survivalist. You will see him die a lot. You will see him stand alone against a horde of monsters after his cousins have perished. This version builds a specific kind of bond between player and character born from shared trauma.
- The SNES/Game Boy Color Remakes: These versions "humanized" the experience. The hero feels a bit more balanced. The difficulty spikes are smoothed out, making him feel less like a desperate survivor and more like a traditional RPG lead.
- The Modern Switch/Mobile Ports: These are based on the older remakes but with further "balancing." Some purists argue this diminishes the Prince's importance because the game isn't trying to kill you every five seconds anymore.
Honestly, the "real" hero is probably found somewhere in the middle. He’s a symbol of a time when games didn't hold your hand. He didn't have a complex backstory about a lost twin or a hidden dark side. He had a job to do. His father, the King of Midenhall, told him to go save the world, and he just... did it. There's a refreshing simplicity in that.
Strategy for the Modern Player
If you’re picking up the game for the first time, don't treat the Dragon Quest 2 hero as an afterthought.
First, prioritize his defense over his offense. Because he has no way to heal himself, every point of Agility and Defense is a lifeline. Buy the Chain Mail as soon as you can. Don't wait.
Second, use him as an item bot. Since he isn't using MP, his inventory should be filled with Herbs and the Shield of Strength (which acts as a free Midheal spell when used as an item). This turns your "boring" warrior into a self-sustaining tank. It’s the secret to surviving the final stretch of the game.
Third, understand his limitations. He will never be able to hit a whole group of enemies at once (until very specific end-game items). You have to be tactical. Target the "callers"—the enemies that can summon reinforcements—first. Let the Prince of Midenhall be your assassin.
The Legacy of the Goggled Prince
Why do we still talk about a character from 1987?
Because the Dragon Quest 2 hero represents the moment the JRPG genre grew up. He was part of the first "party." He taught us that a hero doesn't have to do everything. He taught us about synergy. He showed us that a silent protagonist could still have a "personality" through his utility in battle. He is the stoic, unbreakable wall that allowed the rest of the series to experiment with more complex archetypes.
He's also a reminder of when games were unapologetically difficult. There's a badge of honor in finishing Dragon Quest 2. When you finally see that ending screen, with the three cousins standing together after defeating Malroth, you don't feel like you just watched a movie. You feel like you survived a war. And the Prince of Midenhall was the one leading the charge, goggles on, sword raised, not a single spell in his book, just pure, unadulterated grit.
To get the most out of your run with the Dragon Quest 2 hero, you need to stop playing it like a modern RPG. Stop waiting for the game to give you a "strategy" for the bosses. The strategy is almost always: keep the hero alive at all costs.
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What to do next
If you're ready to dive back into Alefgard and beyond, start by grabbing the Nintendo Switch version for the most accessible experience, but keep an eye out for fan-translated ROMs of the SNES version if you want the best visual aesthetic. Focus your early-game gold on the Prince of Midenhall's armor rather than weapons; his natural strength scaling is high enough that he can handle enemies with a weaker blade, but he can't handle the damage without a solid suit of mail. Once you reach the mid-game, make a beeline for the Echoing Flute to track down the Sigils—don't wander aimlessly, or the world's high encounter rate will wear you down. Plan your inventory so the Hero carries the "use-on-click" healing items, ensuring your party's survival even when your mages are silenced.