The Windbraker is a must have for leaving the starting region of Dragon Quest II and opening up the rest of the world map. It’s found in the Pillar of Winds and is available after recruiting the Princess.

Here are some tips that will make obtaining and using this item a piece of cake:

• Grinding: You can get the Windbraker as soon as you have the Princess join your party, but you’ll want to get her leveled up before you venture forth.
• Fancy Footwork: Both the Pillar of Winds and Dragon’s Horn dungeons have holes in their floors that can send you tumbling down.
• Inventory: Now is a great point in the game to upgrade your party’s equipment.

Initial Grind

The quest for the Windbraker and getting across the Dragon’s Horn starts as soon as the Princess of Moonbrooke joins your adventuring party as its final member. Our guide on how to get Ra’s Mirror to recruit her can be found here.

You’ll notice, however, that the Princess joins your party at level 1. While she is on track to become the party’s most powerful magic user by far, starting with the spell Midheal which can heal 85-100 HP and isn’t learned by the Prince until level 18, she has a great deal of catching up to do.

Firstly, if you have any Seed items, which permanently increase a character’s stats, on hand or in your vault, now would be a great time to have your Princess use them.

Next, you should take some time to visit Moonahan’s shops if you haven’t already and spend your hard-earned gold to upgrade your party’s loadout. The Princess’ main tradeoff for her robust selection of spells is that her options for armor and weaponry are quite limited. 

The best weapon she can use at the moment is the Divine Dagger, so go ahead and buy one for her (or if the Hero or Prince are using one, give her the Dagger. You’ll be wanting to save up to get the Hero a Steel Broadsword and the Prince an Iron Lance). 

At this point, it would be best to grind for a while outside until your party gains the following spells:

• Snooze: Learned by the Princess at Level 2, puts enemies to Sleep, rendering them incapable of attacking.
• Woosh: Learned by the Princess at Level 4, hits a group of enemies and makes the Princess a serious asset in combat.
• Fizzle: Learned by the Prince at Level 8, renders enemies incapable of casting spells. Great for dealing with foes like the Mages and Dragonfries which can make short work of your team this early in the game with Sizz.

Once you’ve gotten all three of these spells and rested up at the inn, you should be well equipped to travel to the Pillar of Winds and get the Windbraker.

Path to the Pillar

From Moonahan, head north and east through the forest, ignoring the first bridge you see. Instead, cross the second bridge you come across and head southwest, following the coastal trail southward.

At the end of the path, you’ll see several bridges. Take the closest one and continue south.

Cross three more bridges, then head west. You’ve arrived at the Pillar of Winds.

Obtaining the Windbraker

Note: The enemies in the Pillar are largely the same as those you’ll be encountering in this region’s Overworld, with the addition of Dirty Rats, who can summon more Dirty Rats into battle. Eliminating the Dirty Rats quickly is a good way to shorten combats where they appear.

On the first floor, ignore the first set of stairs you see, wrapping south around the walls until you see an eastern set of stairs. Ascend that staircase.

On the second floor, head for the western stairs.

Note: From here on out, walking off the edge will cause you to fall off the Pillar, forcing you to climb again from the first floor. Feel free to Quick Save often, and tap on the Switch’s directional pad instead of the analog stick to avoid any accidental turns.

On the third floor head south, making a detour to grab the chest containing somewhere in the ballpark of 300 gold, then climb up the stairs.

On the fourth floor, make your way up the first set of stairs you find.

Here on the fifth floor, circle around the pillar, treading carefully so as not to fall off the edge, then continue down the staircase to the north.

Continue down two more flights of stairs, and you’ll arrive on the floor where the Windbraker is being held. Congratulations! Now to figure out how to use it. 

Make your way back to Moonahan, either with a Chimaera Wing or simply by falling off the Pillar and heading back the way you came. Rest up at the Inn and buy whatever equipment you need if you couldn’t afford it in the previous grind.

Taking Flight 

The Windbraker is an accessory that can be equipped. Rather than grant any stat bonuses or have any effect in battle, however, this item has one property: causing your party to move two squares in the overworld when you fall off the top of a dungeon instead of just one. 

Though limited, this item will give you the ability to get to the next town in the game, Rippleport.

From the ruined castle of Moonbrooke, head west and take the southern bridge.

Heading west from the bridge, you’ll come across a connected shrine area. Pass through the shrine and continue west into the desert.

In the desert, you’ll come across an oasis. This is your cue to head north.

At the end of this northern strip of land, you’ll find a river bisects the continent, with towers positioned on either end of the river, known as the Dragon’s Horns. Enter the tower south of the river.

Inside the tower, climb up to the second floor. You’ll find this dungeon has a rather simple layout, with every floor but the first and last having the same design. Just keep circling around to the next set of stairs, avoiding the chasm in the center which will send you back down.

Once on the top floor, make for the northern edge, with the exposed edges you can fall off of. This is the Windbraker’s time to shine. Make sure you have the Windbraker equipped (it doesn’t matter who, as long as someone has it), then fall off the northern edge of the tower.

And with that, you’ll have crossed the river and made it to the next region of the game. Congratulations! Head on north to Rippleport, and feel free to put the Windbraker in the Vault, since you won’t need it again after this.