Understanding Dragon Quest 2’s Collectible Currency System
If you’re new to Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, you’ve probably started accumulating two mysterious items during your adventure: Mini-Medals and Tombola Tickets. Unlike the straightforward gold currency, these special collectibles serve unique purposes that aren’t immediately obvious when you first pick them up.
Here’s the thing—both of these items unlock some seriously powerful gear and useful resources, but the game doesn’t exactly spell out what to do with them. If you’re coming from Dragon Quest 3’s remake, you might expect to access the Mini-Medal exchange right away. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works in DQ2.
Let me walk you through everything you need to know about these collectibles, so you can start claiming those sweet rewards.
How Mini-Medals Work in Dragon Quest 2
Finding the Isle of the Monarch of Medals
Mini-Medals are scattered throughout Alefgard in treasure chests, pots, and hidden locations. You’ll start collecting them fairly early, but here’s the catch: you can’t actually redeem them until you’ve progressed far enough in the story to obtain the Ship.
This happens naturally as you follow the main questline—you literally cannot miss it. Just keep pushing forward until you reach Rippleport, and you’ll gain access to your vessel.
Once you’ve got your ship, here’s where you need to sail:
Location: Isle of the Monarch of Medals
Where to find it: Just off the western coast of the central continent, near a landmark called the Dragon’s Horns
The island is pretty small and hard to miss once you’re in the right area. Dock your ship and head inside the castle.
Exchanging Your Mini-Medals
Navigate to the throne room and speak with the Medal Maharaja sitting on his throne. He’ll automatically collect all the Mini-Medals you’re carrying—no complicated menu navigation required.
Pro tip: If you want to see the complete reward list before turning anything in, check the bookshelf in the Maharaja’s bedroom (located in the southern section of the castle). This lets you plan which rewards you’re aiming for.
Complete Mini-Medal Reward List
The Medal Maharaja starts giving you rewards at 5 medals, then again at 15, and then every 5 medals after that. The final reward comes at 80 Mini-Medals total. Here’s what you’re working toward:
- 5 Mini-Medals: Ring of Clarity
- 15 Mini-Medals: Frizzle Scroll
- 20 Mini-Medals: Morning Star
- 25 Mini-Medals: Sage’s Elixir
- 30 Mini-Medals: Rabbit Ears
- 35 Mini-Medals: Agility Gilet
- 40 Mini-Medals: Focus Pocus Scroll
- 45 Mini-Medals: Swallowtail
- 50 Mini-Medals: Miracle Sword
- 55 Mini-Medals: Siren Sword
- 60 Mini-Medals: Flametang Boomerang
- 65 Mini-Medals: Scared Armor
- 70 Mini-Medals: Astraea’s Abacus
- 75 Mini-Medals: Gringham’s Whip
- 80 Mini-Medals: Godbird Sceptre
My take: The Miracle Sword at 50 medals and the Godbird Sceptre at 80 are absolutely worth grinding for. If you’re serious about collection, start hunting for medals early and often. Similar to how you’d collect special scrolls and skills in Dragon Quest 1, completionist gameplay really pays off in this remake.
Understanding Tombola Tickets
What Are Tombola Tickets?
If Dragon Quest 3 was your introduction to the series, Tombola Tickets might be completely new to you—they weren’t in that game. Think of them as raffle tickets that let you play a lottery-style mini-game at special stalls throughout Alefgard.
You’ll find Tombola Tickets in similar locations to Mini-Medals—treasure chests, pots, and various containers. But you’ll also earn them automatically by:
- Spending gold at shops
- Selling items to merchants
The more you buy and sell during your adventure, the more tickets you’ll accumulate. This is actually pretty generous once you get into the rhythm of the game.
How Tombola Games Work
Each Tombola stall operates like a prize wheel with five tiers of rewards:
- Ultimate Prize (the jackpot)
- 1st Class
- 2nd Class
- 3rd Class
- 4th Class
Different locations charge different amounts—some stalls cost 1 ticket per spin, others cost 2 or 3. You can also do 10-spin batches if you have enough tickets and want to speed things up.
Fair warning: Getting those Ultimate Prizes can be pretty grindy. The odds aren’t published, but expect to burn through quite a few tickets if you’re hunting for specific top-tier rewards. It’s definitely a gambler’s system—sometimes you’ll hit the jackpot early, sometimes you won’t.
All Tombola Locations and Prizes
I’m listing these in the order they appear on your Zoom fast-travel menu once you’ve discovered them all.
Moonahan Tombola
Cost: 1 Tombola Ticket per spin
Location: Center of town (likely your first Tombola stall)
Prizes:
- Ultimate: Golden Claws
- 1st Class: Edged Boomerang
- 2nd Class: Dancer’s Costume
- 3rd Class: Holy Water
- 4th Class: Antidotal Herb
Oasis Tombola
Cost: 1 Tombola Ticket per spin
Location: Northwest corner of town
Prizes:
- Ultimate: Loyalty Card (Reduces prices at all vendors—seriously good!)
- 1st Class: Silver Platter
- 2nd Class: Rosewhip
- 3rd Class: Magic Water
- 4th Class: Chimera Wing
Note: That Loyalty Card is one of the best quality-of-life items in the entire game. If you’re going to grind tickets anywhere, this is a great choice.
Rimuldar Tombola
Cost: 2 Tombola Tickets per spin
Location: Island southeast of Dragonlord’s Castle and Tantegel; stall is northwest of town center
Prizes:
- Ultimate: Gold Bracer
- 1st Class: Cat Suit
- 2nd Class: Gusterang
- 3rd Class: Dieamend
- 4th Class: Musk
Beran Tombola
Cost: 2 Tombola Tickets per spin
Location: Inside a building south of the town center
Prizes:
- Ultimate: Gold Rosary
- 1st Class: Blizzard Blade
- 2nd Class: Malevolash
- 3rd Class: Magic Water
- 4th Class: Medicinal Herb
Dirkandor Tombola
Cost: 2 Tombola Tickets per spin
Location: Dirkandor Castle Passage (accessible through the eastern exit of the throne room—requires Magic Key)
Important: If you reach Dirkandor early via the center portal at the Shrine of Flames, the Tombola table won’t be available yet. You need to progress further in the story.
Prizes:
- Ultimate: Golden Bamboo Lance
- 1st Class: Glombolero
- 2nd Class: Platinum Sword
- 3rd Class: Oomph Powder
- 4th Class: Unsealant
Mersea Tombola
Cost: 2 Tombola Tickets per spin
Location: Same building as the Inn, northwest corner of town
Prizes:
- Ultimate: Gold Ring
- 1st Class: Mercury’s Rapier
- 2nd Class: Dragontail Whip
- 3rd Class: Special Medicine
- 4th Class: Magic Water
Cloudgate Citadel Tombola (Special Unlock Required)
Cost: 3 Tombola Tickets per spin
How to unlock:
- Collect all seven Living Memories from beneath the sea
- Enter Cloudgate Citadel through the beam of light in the back of the Faerie Palace
- Climb the Citadel Tower and defeat Xenlon within 25 turns
- When Xenlon offers you a wish, choose the new Tombola Stall
Prizes:
- Ultimate: Liquid Metal Sword
- 1st Class: Liquid Metal Armor
- 2nd Class: Liquid Metal Helm
- 3rd Class: Liquid Metal Shield
- 4th Class: Magic Water
This is endgame content. The Liquid Metal equipment is some of the best gear in Dragon Quest 2, making this Tombola stall worth the effort. That said, at 3 tickets per spin, you’ll need a hefty collection to win everything.
Strategic Tips for Maximizing Your Collectibles
Based on my playthrough and the general combat mechanics in this HD-2D remake, here’s what I recommend:
For Mini-Medals:
- Don’t worry about hoarding them—turn them in as you go to get useful equipment earlier
- Prioritize the 50-medal Miracle Sword if you need a power spike mid-game
- Check every pot, barrel, and treasure chest you see
For Tombola Tickets:
- The Loyalty Card from Oasis should be your first grinding target
- Early-game Tombola stalls (1-ticket locations) are great for building up basic healing items
- Save your big ticket stacks for Cloudgate Citadel if you want that Liquid Metal gear
- The 10-spin option saves time but doesn’t improve your odds
General advice: Don’t stress too much about getting every single reward. Both systems are designed to give you bonuses for exploration and thoroughness, but they’re not mandatory for completing the game. If you’re the completionist type (like those who hunt down every red door chest), go wild. If you just want to experience the story, you’ll still find plenty of tickets and medals naturally.
Final Thoughts
The Mini-Medal and Tombola systems add a fun layer of progression to Dragon Quest 2 HD-2D Remake. While they might seem confusing at first, both mechanics are pretty straightforward once you know where to go. Mini-Medals provide guaranteed rewards for dedicated collectors, while Tombola adds an element of chance that can either delight or frustrate depending on your luck.
If you’re enjoying the overall experience of this HD-2D remake, these collectible systems are worth engaging with. They give you reasons to explore every corner of Alefgard and reward you with genuinely useful equipment.
Want to dive deeper into the game? You can grab Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake on Steam or check out the official site for more information.
Happy hunting, and may your Tombola spins be ever in your favor!
