How to Fast Travel in Dragon Quest 1 HD-2D Remake: Everything You Need to Know

Wandering across Dragon Quest 1 HD-2D Remake’s beautiful overworld is great for the first few hours, but eventually, you’ll want a faster way to get around Alefgard. Thankfully, the game includes a robust fast travel system that lets you zip between towns, castles, and dungeons instantly—once you know how to unlock and use it properly.

Here’s the catch: fast travel isn’t available from the start, and using it too liberally can actually hurt your progression. Let me break down everything you need to know about the Zoom spell, Chimera Wings, and when you should (and shouldn’t) teleport across the map.

The Two Methods of Fast Travel Explained

Dragon Quest 1 HD-2D Remake gives you two distinct ways to fast travel, and understanding both is crucial for efficient gameplay.

Method 1: Chimera Wings (Available Early)

What they are: Single-use consumable items that teleport you to previously visited locations

Availability: Can be found as loot or purchased from item shops

Cost: Varies by location but generally affordable

Pro: Available from early in the game once you start exploring

Con: Each use consumes one wing from your inventory

Method 2: Zoom Spell (Unlocked at Level 13)

What it is: A reusable fast travel spell that costs MP instead of items

Availability: Automatically learned when your Hero reaches Level 13

MP Cost: 2 MP per use (very affordable)

Pro: Unlimited uses as long as you have MP

Con: Requires reaching Level 13, which takes several hours of gameplay

My take? Chimera Wings are perfect for the early game, but once you unlock Zoom at Level 13, they become backup options for when you’re low on MP. The spell is infinitely more convenient since it doesn’t consume inventory space or require restocking.

How to Unlock the Zoom Spell

Unlike many RPG fast travel systems that unlock through story progression or finding specific items, Zoom in Dragon Quest 1 is purely level-based.

Unlock Requirement: Reach Level 13 with your Hero

That’s it. No quest, no item hunt, no shrine to discover. Just keep battling enemies, gaining experience, and you’ll automatically learn Zoom when you hit Level 13. You’ll see a notification during the level-up screen confirming you’ve learned the spell.

How long does this take?

In my playthrough, I reached Level 13 roughly 6-8 hours into the game, depending on how much grinding I did and how efficiently I tackled early objectives. If you’re following the main story path without excessive backtracking, you’ll likely unlock it around the time you’re exploring your third or fourth major location.

Quick leveling tips to reach Level 13 faster:

• Fight every encounter rather than fleeing (early enemies give decent XP)
• Explore areas slightly above your level for better XP rewards
• Complete all available quests before moving to new regions
• Don’t over-rely on Chimera Wings early—walking builds levels naturally

Once you’ve got Zoom, it becomes one of your most-used spells for the rest of the game. The 2 MP cost is negligible, especially compared to the time saved.

Where to Buy Chimera Wings

If you need Chimera Wings before unlocking Zoom (or want backup fast travel items), you can purchase them from item sellers across Alefgard. These shops are marked on your in-game map with green square icons.

All Chimera Wing Shop Locations:

1. Tantegel – The starting castle town (you’ll find this first)
2. Galenholm – Northern coastal town
3. Kol – Western region settlement
4. Rimuldar – Southern town near important quest areas
5. Citadel of the Monarch of Medals – Special collectible hub location
6. Wayfarer’s Inn – Remote rest stop between major towns
7. Cantlin – Late-game town in the eastern territories

Smart shopping strategy: Stock up on 3-5 Chimera Wings when visiting new towns, especially before dungeon dives. They’re cheap insurance against getting stuck far from home with low HP and no MP for Zoom.

You’ll also find Chimera Wings as treasure drops and in chests throughout your adventure, so don’t feel like you need to buy dozens at once. I rarely carried more than 5-6 at any given time.

How to Use Chimera Wings (Step-by-Step)

Chimera Wings are consumable items, which means you need to have them properly assigned to use them. Here’s the exact process:

Before Battle:

1. Open your main menu
2. Select “Items”
3. Navigate to your “Item Bag” tab
4. Find Chimera Wings in your inventory
5. Select them and choose “Take Out” to assign them to your Hero

To Fast Travel:

1. Open the menu again
2. Select “Items” from your active inventory (not the bag)
3. Choose the Chimera Wing
4. Select “Use”
5. A location list appears showing everywhere you’ve visited
6. Pick your destination
7. Confirm, and you’ll instantly teleport there

Important reminder: You need to have Chimera Wings assigned to your Hero’s active inventory, not just sitting in your Item Bag. If you’re having trouble using them, make sure you’ve completed the “Take Out” step first. Need help with inventory management? Check out our complete guide to using items in combat which covers the assignment system in detail.

Each use consumes one wing permanently, so plan accordingly!

How to Use the Zoom Spell (Two Methods)

Once you’ve hit Level 13 and unlocked Zoom, you have two convenient ways to activate it depending on your situation.

Method 1: Through the Spell Menu (Traditional Approach)

When to use this: When you’re already in a menu or want to be deliberate about spell selection

Steps:

1. Open the main menu
2. Select “Spells”
3. Choose “Zoom” from your spell list
4. Browse available destinations
5. Select your target location
6. Confirm the teleport

This method works identically to using any other spell in the game. It’s reliable, straightforward, and gives you a clear view of all your options.

Method 2: Quick Cast from Map (Fast Approach)

When to use this: When you want the absolute fastest teleport experience

Steps:

1. Press the Map button to open your world map
2. Look to the left side of the map interface
3. Press the “Zoom” input prompt that appears
4. Select your destination from the list
5. Instantly teleport

This is my preferred method 90% of the time. It’s significantly faster than navigating through multiple menus, especially when you’re just trying to quickly return to a shop or quest giver. The Steam version makes this particularly smooth with mouse controls.

Pro tip: You can also press and hold the input beneath a location name (rather than just selecting it) to teleport to the exterior of that location instead of appearing inside the building. This is useful when you want to spawn outside a town to immediately explore nearby areas or fight overworld enemies.

Understanding Fast Travel Destinations

Your destination list grows as you discover new locations throughout Alefgard. Here’s how the system works:

What appears in your fast travel list:

• ✅ Towns and villages you’ve entered
• ✅ Castles you’ve visited
• ✅ Dungeons you’ve explored (even if not completed)
• ✅ Special landmark locations

What does NOT appear:

• ❌ Random overworld locations
• ❌ Areas you’ve only seen but not actually entered
• ❌ Secret locations until discovered

Important note: Simply seeing a town on your map isn’t enough—you must physically enter the location for it to register as a fast travel destination. This encourages exploration and ensures you don’t accidentally skip important story beats.

The list is organized geographically, making it easy to find locations in specific regions. As you progress, you’ll accumulate 10-15 fast travel points covering most of Alefgard’s major areas.

The Hidden Danger: Fast Travel and Under-Leveling

Here’s something the game doesn’t explicitly warn you about, but I learned the hard way: over-relying on fast travel can seriously under-level your character.

Why This Happens:

Dragon Quest 1’s leveling system assumes you’ll encounter random battles regularly while traveling between locations. These seemingly annoying encounters aren’t just obstacles—they’re your primary source of experience points and gold.

When you fast travel constantly:

• ❌ You skip dozens of random encounters
• ❌ Your experience gain drops dramatically
• ❌ Your gold income suffers (fewer monster drops)
• ❌ You miss opportunities to learn combat strategies
• ❌ Boss fights and dungeon enemies become overwhelming

In my playthrough, I hit a wall around Level 16 because I’d been Zoom-spamming everywhere after unlocking it. I suddenly couldn’t defeat enemies in a new region and had to spend 2 hours grinding just to catch up. Not fun.

The Smart Fast Travel Strategy:

Use fast travel liberally for:

• ✅ Returning to already-explored towns to shop or turn in quests
• ✅ Quick trips back to Tantegel Castle to heal or save
• ✅ Emergency escapes from dangerous dungeons
• ✅ Revisiting previous areas for missed items or NPCs

Walk the “natural” route when:

• 🚶 First traveling to a new location
• 🚶 Exploring regions at or above your current level
• 🚶 When you feel under-leveled for upcoming challenges
• 🚶 Anytime you need gold for new equipment

My recommended balance: For every 3-4 fast travels, take one “walking trip” to let random encounters naturally boost your level. This keeps you progressing without excessive grinding while maintaining efficient travel overall.

Think of fast travel as a convenience tool, not a way to skip gameplay. The game is designed around those random battles, so you need some of them to stay competitive.

Fast Travel MP Management Tips

Zoom costs 2 MP per use, which seems trivial—and it usually is. But there are scenarios where MP management matters:

Situations where MP becomes tight:

• After extensive dungeon exploration using attack spells
• When you’re far from an inn or healing point
• During low-level play when your max MP is still small
• When you need to save MP for important upcoming battles

MP management strategies:

1. Always rest at inns before dungeon diving – Start with full MP
2. Carry Magic Water – Restores MP on the go (assign it to your active inventory!)
3. Use Chimera Wings as backup – When your MP is needed elsewhere
4. Return to Tantegel frequently – Free healing and MP restoration

By Level 13 (when you unlock Zoom), you should have roughly 25-35 MP depending on your equipment. Two MP per teleport is only 6-8% of your pool, so it’s rarely an issue. Just don’t spam Zoom 10 times in a row and expect to have spell resources for a boss fight.

Advanced Fast Travel Techniques

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, here are some pro strategies:

The “Safe Dungeon Dive” Pattern:

1. Enter a dungeon and explore as deep as you can
2. When HP/MP gets low, use Zoom to return to town
3. Rest at the inn to fully restore
4. Use Zoom to return to the dungeon entrance
5. Repeat until the dungeon is cleared

This eliminates the need to carry excessive healing items and lets you tackle dungeons above your level more safely.

The “Quest Hub” Method:

Make Tantegel Castle your default Zoom destination for quest turn-ins and gear upgrades. It’s centrally located and has everything you need. After shopping or completing quests, Zoom to your actual destination rather than walking from Tantegel.

The “Grinding Circuit”:

Identify a high-value enemy spawn area near a town. Walk there (for encounters), grind until your inventory is full or HP is low, then Zoom back to town to sell and heal. Much faster than walking both directions.

Emergency Escapes:

If you’re deep in a dangerous dungeon and about to die, don’t hesitate to use Zoom or a Chimera Wing to escape immediately. Dying means losing half your gold and respawning at Tantegel—far worse than “wasting” a 2 MP spell.

Common Fast Travel Mistakes

Avoid these pitfalls that tripped me up during my playthrough:

❌ Over-using fast travel early game – You’ll hit Level 13 even later and miss crucial early XP

❌ Never carrying Chimera Wings after unlocking Zoom – Sometimes you WILL run out of MP at the worst moment

❌ Fast traveling TO dungeons – Always walk to new dungeons the first time for encounters and exploration

❌ Forgetting to assign Chimera Wings – Can’t use them from your bag! Must be in active inventory

❌ Ignoring the exterior landing option – Hold the button instead of tapping for outside spawns

❌ Fast traveling when enemies are clearly too easy – If battles are trivial, you need a higher-level area, not teleportation

✅ The golden rule: Use fast travel for convenience and efficiency, but don’t let it replace actual gameplay and exploration.

How Fast Travel Fits Into the Bigger Picture

The fast travel system in Dragon Quest 1 HD-2D Remake is ultimately about respecting your time while maintaining the game’s classic structure. You’re not meant to spend 15 minutes walking the same path you’ve walked ten times before—but you ARE meant to engage with the combat system regularly.

It’s a balance:

• The game gives you tools (Zoom, Chimera Wings) to minimize tedium
• But it expects you to not abuse those tools to skip core gameplay
• Smart players use fast travel strategically, not constantly

When combined with other quality-of-life features we covered in our full review, the fast travel system helps modernize a 1986 game without completely removing its old-school identity.

Final Thoughts: Your Fast Travel Checklist

Before we wrap up, here’s a quick reference to keep handy:

Early Game (Before Level 13):

• Stock up on 5-6 Chimera Wings
• Walk to new locations for XP
• Use wings only for emergency escapes or long backtracking

Mid Game (Levels 13-18):

• Unlock Zoom at Level 13
• Switch to Zoom as your primary travel method
• Keep 2-3 Chimera Wings as backup
• Balance fast travel with walking for level maintenance

Late Game (Levels 19+):

• Use Zoom freely for efficiency
• Focus walking on new areas only
• Fast travel becomes essential for quest completion

The ultimate takeaway: Fast travel is a powerful tool that can make or break your Dragon Quest 1 experience. Use it wisely, don’t skip too many battles, and you’ll find the perfect balance between convenience and progression.

Now get out there and explore Alefgard—just remember to occasionally walk instead of always taking the magical shortcut!

Need more help with Dragon Quest 1 HD-2D Remake? Check out our combat items guide and complete game review for everything you need to know!

How do you balance fast travel and exploration in classic RPGs? Share your strategies in the comments!