Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance is the newest installment into the Kingdom Hearts franchise, and the first Kingdom Hearts game to visit the Nintendo 3DS. KH3D (abbreviation for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance) is meant to take place immediately following the events of Kingdom Hearts II, and the story will resume thereafter. The gameplay resembles a mix of multiple earlier installments, so it would be an injustice to tell you to expect a complete reincarnation of any one game. KH3D also pulls multiple characters from the game The World Ends With You (abbreviated TWEWY), and you can also expect returning characters from many other Kingdom Hearts games (e.g. Birth by Sleep). Regardless, KH3D is an action-RPG, and it certainly plays as such. This guide is intended to help you get from Traverse Town to The World That Never Was, and that is all covered in the Walkthrough. There'll also be multiple Appendices that will have all sorts of useful information about the items, enemies, bosses, and other mechanics that you may find confusing. This FAQ should be your go-to place to get all the information you need about KH3D.

Here's some general navigation to get you going:

• The Table of Contents is your friend; it lists everything that is in this guide (by the title of the section), and you can use that to find a particular section with ease. If you're stuck in a particular spot, use the TOC to find your way.
• If you want to get right to the walkthrough, scroll on down, and you should dive right into the content.
• If you would like to contribute to this guide (or point out inaccuracies, typos, new strategies, etc.), please see this section: Contributing.
• If you want more information on how I wrote this guide, see this section: About the Guide.

Hi guys! I'm super_luigi16, though I usually abbreviate that to SL for most colloquial conversation. This is my fourth guide, and my first guide for a more linear game (other games I've written for have been racing, party, and sports titles). Because of that, you can expect my writing style to change drastically as I move through the preliminary sections and onward through the game; I'll try to minimize this as much as possible with ex post facto editing, but I usually can't get everything (much like typos). Anyways, I'm an avid gamer (which is probably evident per me writing this guide), and while I'm usually playing first-party Nintendo titles, you can find me playing a lot of Square Enix titles on multiple platforms. It is for this reason that I decided that KH3D should be my first guide for an RPG.

My goal with this guide (in fact, for many of my guides) is to be as clear and concise as possible. It is for this reason that I won't address the story directly for much of this guide. I'm also going to make the assumption that, because you are reading this guide, you aren't necessarily worried about spoilers per se; as such, I'm not going to go out of my way to hide boss names, places you get to go, items obtained, and other necessary elements of gameplay. However, I'm not going to give away major plot elements or the like unless it directly comes into play in certain parts of the walkthrough; if that happens, you can expect to see one of these:

Another asset that you may notice is the proliferation of hyperlinks throughout the guide; while I'm not going to be throwing hyperlinks in every line, there'll be a good deal of them throughout the guide. The major instances that I'm going to throw hyperlinks include:

You should also know that this guide should cover most everything that you'll need to know. The Walkthrough should cover most everything in the game, and all encyclopedic information is in the appendices, starting with Appendix A: Dream Eaters.

As I wrote this FAQ, I used many abbreviations and colloquial terms to make both my life easier, and your reading faster. While many of these are used on forums, Wikis, and other articles about the game, some of them are made-up by yours truly. This is a compilation of all of the abbreviations and slang words used in this guide pertaining to KH3D for your future reference.

Version 2.10

Submitted February 6th, 2013

• Formatting overhaul. Made the Appendices much more readable as well as emphasizing different areas in the Walkthrough.

Version 2.00

Submitted January 20th, 2013

• The Introduction has been finalized. The only forseeable changes that could happen would be updates to the Abbreviations and Slang.
• Minor additions to Abbreviations and Slang.
• Proofread
• The Controls section has been finalized; no major changes.
• The Walkthrough is finished, barring strategies from the secret boss and the last boss.
• All Appendices are now 99% finished. Further updates will add/change very little, if anything.

Version 1.00

Submitted September 25th, 2012

• The Walkthrough is now finished! - UPDATED

Version 0.60

Not Submitted

• The Walkthrough is current through the Country of the Musketeers.

Version 0.50

Submitted September 12th, 2012

• The Walkthrough is current through Traverse Town Revisited - UPDATED
• Appendix A: Dream Eaters, Appendix B: Items, Appendix C: Commands, Appendix D: Abilities, and Appendix G: Experience have all been updated - UPDATED
• Appendix H: Trophies has been created - NEW

Version 0.40

Submitted September 3rd, 2012

• The Walkthrough is current through Prankster's Paradise - UPDATED
• Appendix A: Dream Eaters, Appendix B: Items, Appendix C: Commands, Appendix E: Mementos, and Appendix G: Experience have all reflected this movement through the Walkthrough - UPDATED
• You can expect an update for Appendix D: Abilities and the creation of Appendix H: Trophies for the next upload.

Version 0.30

Submitted August 26th, 2012

• The Walkthrough is current through The Grid - UPDATED
• Appendix A: Dream Eaters has been updated with enemy info from The Grid, as well as with new Spirits that I have experimented with - UPDATED
• Appendix B: Items and Appendix E: Mementos have been expanded, Appendix C: Commands and Appendix D: Abilities have had minor updates - UPDATED
• Spellchecked the whole guide.

Version 0.20

Submitted August 20th, 2012

• The Walkthrough is current through La Cite des Cloches - UPDATED
• Appendix A: Dream Eaters has had all the new Dream Eaters widely found in La Cite added, though Spirit sections are rather skimpy at the moment - UPDATED
• Appendix B: Items has been expanded, Appendix C: Commands has been created, Appendix D: Abilities has been created, and the rest of the Appendices have been updated through La Cite - UPDATED
• Appendix D: Experience has been moved to Appendix G: Experience to make way for the new Appendix D: Abilities. Abilities are far more important, so they shoved experience right on down.

Version 0.10

Submitted August 9th, 2012

• Introduction section added. Includes all pertinent introductory information, though the Abbreviations and Slang section will likely be updated continuously - NEW
• Controls section added. This is mostly finished, barring I discover a radical controls shift. Circle Pad Pro Controls will likely be added eventually - NEW
• Walkthrough through Traverse Town #2 (R) completed. Most of the information should be good, though I'll go through it again later to make sure - NEW
• Appendix A: Dream Eaters has been started, but it's by no means complete through Traverse Town. Only Spirits I obtained have had their information added, though Nightmare strategies are rather comprehensive - NEW
• Appendix B: Items, Appendix D: Experience, Appendix E: Mementos, and Appendix F: Flick Rush have all had preliminary info added - NEW
• Closing stuff (Legal Info, FAQ, Credits), have all been added - NEW

This short introductory section will list out the controls that this game has; generally, they are probably what you expected, and follow the quintessential RPG controls. If you've played Days, you'll likely recognize these controls as almost a mirror image of Days'. Regardless, I've still tabulated the controls and divided them up into Combat Controls and Menu Controls farther below.

You'll be spending quite a bit of your time battling in this game, so it's worth-while to learn the combat controls, and just plain get used to them in general. The combat controls are rather smooth, and, while they can be a little different from other KH games, the controls are intuitive and make sense from a videogaming standpoint. Nevertheless, you need master the difference between the buttons in the A/B/X/Y cluster and the lock-on/camera controls. Otherwise, you'll be flailing as you proceed through the game, wondering what's going on around you.

Below is a list for most of the controls in world play (e.g. walking around in Traverse Town, etc.). Functions are sorted by the button pressed, and different "statuses" highlight the different functions these buttons can serve. A "neutral" status basically means practically any non-battle environment; a "combat" environment represents a status when enemies are around, but no target has been locked-on. Other statuses are rather self-explanatory. Also, assume that if the only status listed is Neutral that the command can be used in the other statuses as well--it would be redundant to list the same function over and over again.

Menu Controls are rather universal for all games, and KH3D is no exception. These controls are rather skimpy when compared to the ones above, but, nevertheless, they are important if you've never picked up a videogame before. Also, it may be worth mentioning that you can usually only access menus during non-combat situations (attempting to access the menu during a battle will only net you a "Pause" screen).

Author's Note: These are general controls; some menus--the command deck menu for instance--have specialized controls that override these. Always pay attention to the game before you try the universal controls.

• The Spirit Menu uses "X" to access the menu, and requires a lot of Touch Screen controls to fully use the menu to its fullest.
• The Command Deck menu uses the D-Pad to re-order commands, and the Circle Pad to Move the cursor.

Welcome to the meat-and-potatoes section of the guide! Here, I'm going to walk you through every part of the game starting with Traverse Town and ending with The World That Never Was (TWTNW). However, before you go waltzing into the Walkthrough (especially if you plan to primarily use this guide to get you through the game), you should read through these first few paragraphs that explain how I wrote the guide, and how section should appear if I'm writing it correctly (hopefully I am!). There'll also be some generic facts about the game I'll bring up because some of them (e.g. the drop system) vitally affected how I wrote the guide.

Firstly, KH3D has you playing two equally important protagonists--Sora and Riku. However, unlike a normal (J)RPG, the storyline isn't linear...you don't switch off between the two in the same story, nor do you have a two-party system. The best way I can describe this is that KH3D has two linear plots that each involve their own gameplay: Sora's storyline and Riku's storyline. Each protagonist has their own world, and follows their own story (though they intermingle extensively). For this reason, this guide has each area twice: Traverse Town #1 (S) and Traverse Town #1 (R). The (S) denotes Sora's world, while the (R) denotes Riku's world. Everything that happens within an (S) section specifically happens to Sora and vice-versa with (R). Another part that I bring up more extensively at the start of Traverse Town #2 (S) is the fact that the drop intervals vary depending on how fast you play. I recommend that you simply have two instances of this guide up--one for Riku and one for Sora--so that you can switch between the two as you drop in the game. I also recommend that you progress rather equally with the two protagonists; don't have Riku one world ahead of Sora, or it'll badly mess you up.

Now that I've got that part out of the way, let's get into the actual structure of the walkthrough. Firstly, whenever you enter into another world, there'll be a comprehensive list of all items and enemies throughout the world, and a map of the world itself. The maps, for example, will look like the one at the beginning of this section: Country of the Musketeers (S). These are specifically for your use, and I'm not going to do much with them. These will appear in a table-like format, which I've borrowed from Sora's second visit to Traverse Town:

In this table, you'll notice the item on the far left, the specific area where it is encountered in the middle, and a column on the right for those who print out the Walkthrough so that they can mark whether they have it or not. Enemy tables look the same except for the fact that the enemy name replaces the item name on the far left, and the only other column marks their relative frequency in the area. Here's an example from Traverse Town #2 (S):

After all that introductory stuff, we get into the actual content. Most of the time, I'll lead off with an introduction of the area, and some background information that's notable. Otherwise, I'll dive right into the walkthrough content. I'll direct you where to go using relative directions and landmarks (if any part is confusing, you can email me and let me know; I'll re-write it). Later in the game, I'll start to focus on cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) due to the confusing layouts of these worlds. Enemy battles are rather free-form after the first area or so because I figure that you can capably defeat enemies unless they're a new type. Nevertheless, there will likely be some supplementary information about an enemy cluster (an area where enemies spawn) that gives at least some advice about defeating them all. I'll also direct you to treasure chests in the Walkthrough--whenever we come across one, the item received will appear in a Hyperlink (Potion) and the number of chests we've opened out of the total chests in the area will be denoted in brackets ([1/1]). Each new area we enter will be covered by one of these headers...

Contorted City

...and those should be your guides for when you're supposed to move you through to the next area. Moreover, many worlds will have Moogle Shops; while you can often find a lot of items by simply defeating enemies, you may want to get other items by buying them from the shop. I generally bring up the shop whenever you come across one, and they tend to look like this...

These are usually ordered by appearance in the shop. Also, your shop will not start out this, er, generous. At first, only a few items will be available; after a while, you can buy everything listed above. And, towards the end of the game, you can practically buy everything you could ever want! For a price, of course...

Finally, there's the extra content. Link Portals will usually be put in boxes...

...unless they're simply assist portals. Bosses will also be put in boxes...

Usually I'll throw in a difficulty level out of 10, and rewards for completion at the end (including bonus level-ups). Boss boxes are rather large and full of offensive and defensive strategies for you to utilize when facing the boss. Please note, however, that these strategies are not 100% complete, nor do I claim that it will work universally. If you have a better strategy, please let me know (see the Contributing section). If there are inaccuracies, please let me know (Contributing); I'm not perfect, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone had a better strategy.

However, there are a few subjects that I will NOT cover in the Walkthrough. Firstly, I will not cover Spirit Care extensively--nor will I cover Nightmares drop items, Spirits' Ability Links, and other tacits specific to Dream Eaters. Those can be found in Appendix A: Dream Eaters. Moreover, I will never specifically cover one command, ability, or item in the middle of the Walkthrough unless it is absolutely necessary. That item should be hyperlinked to its respective section, so you can check on it in the Appendices, read about said item, and return to the Walkthrough when you're ready. Finally, I will not cover Flick Rush, Mementos, and other specific tidbits of information. Those are reserved for the Appendices, so you should head there if you want more information on those. Though, I will provide commentary and suggestions as to what commands should be used, when you should check on your Spirits, how to best defeat an enemy, and many other suggestions--I simply won't give you an encyclopedic entry.

And, as a very last note before we get started, all of this data is based off of a Normal Mode playthrough. When I get through Normal Mode, I'll do a playthrough for Critical Mode and most likely create small boxes to put in amendments that Critical Mode players should follow.

Items

None

Enemies

After all those lengthy cutscenes, you'll end up facing Ursula in the middle of the ocean. While this battle may seem daunting, it is by no means difficult, and is simply meant as an introduction to game's combat style. Nevertheless, here we go--your first battle in KH3D!

You can choose to watch the memento (Flashback: The Mark of Mastery Exam) or not. It's a purely optional cutscene, but it'll provide some explanation to what's going on if you're confused as to what's going on.

Now for the minigame! Proceed to the next section.

Items

Enemies

First District

If you've played the demo, you should recognize this first part! ...And then it diverges from what you played into a different cutscene. Neku will hop off like he did previously, but you'll have a bit more freedom in this Traverse Town. The game will give you a tutorial--Tutorial: Flowmotion Basics--which I recommend you complete even if you have played the demo for hours and hours. It is that important.

Firstly, if you're familiar with Traverse Town from other KH games, your immediate reaction would be to probably head into the item or synthesis shop in just up the staircase. And then I'd tell you that every door in this place is non-functional. Because of this, you should head up the first flight of stairs, then go around the synthesis shop (the one with double-doors) to the right, and make your way through the corridor. It should spit you out at the top near a blue sparkling spot in the ground that the game will inform you about--it's a Save Point. These instantly replenish your HP (without the added hassles of a Pokemon Center), and allow you to record your progress. I'll usually direct you to the closest ones, and use them as base camps, so to speak.

Save your progress (walk up to the light and press "A"), and continue through the large double-doors in front of you. Now you'll get another tutorial open to you: Tutorial: Reality Shift. I recommend you complete this one, as well.

Second District

Walk down and around the center. You can mess with the barrels (utilizing the Reality Shifts), but there isn't much point at the moment. However, upon finding Neku, you'll encounter some Nightmares.

Before you start, play through the new tutorial (Tutorial: Flowmotion Combat) before the upcoming battle.

Now for the battle. Neku will run off and do his own thing, while you're left to dispatch the surmounting Nightmares around you. While you can hack-and-slash all of your enemies, that will get extremely tedious. Instead, use Flowmotion! Run up to one of the poles, and use some of the commands that come up. You should defeat most of the Dream Eaters relatively easily. Magic should be used for the large Dream Eaters (a Kooma Panda) Also note that the bat-like Dream Eaters (the Komory Bat) tend to get annoying with their constant supersonic-like wave attacks--almost like a Zubat for those of you who play Pokemon! Regardless, Flowmotion is your friend, and use it wisely to easily dispatch your foes.

Reward: Meow Wow Recipe

After that long, exhausting battle (sarcasm if you're not picking it up), the game will direct you to create your own Dream Eaters (you can also watch the new Flashback: Dream Eaters). Follow the on-screen instructions and you should be fine. If you've been playing diligently, and collecting every Figment up to this point, you should be able throw on six Rampant Figments and three Vibrant Figments along with a Spark Dive (received from the Dive) to up your Meow Wow to Level 3 and Rank D. Nickname your Meow Wow, and give it some love to get some Link Points (LP). Link Points can be used to garner new abilities and commands for Sora or Riku. Your Meow Wow will let you learn Critical Link which allows you to create powerful neutral attacks in conjunction with your Meow Wow. Useful, huh?

After you're done toying around with your Dream Eater, chase after Neku down the corridor directly in front of you. Defeat the Pricklemanes however you please (notice how much of a help your Meow Wow is), and continue up to the small door at the end of the corridor.

Third District

You get to watch the epic end of Sora and dive (pun intended) into Riku's part. Continue onwards!

Items

Enemies

Third District

Enter Riku to Traverse Town. And, er, enter Joshua to explain portals. Joshua asks you to find a girl named "Rhyme" as she is the key to the Portal--a portal which may lead to another world. Portals allow you to link up with Dream Eaters from other worlds, but you won't have time to test those out for now. This place is crawling with Nightmares!

Start off by heading to the ramp directly behind you to get some experience. There are plenty of Nightmares, and they can be overwhelming by yourself. Just attack, and use wall-aided Flowmotions to supplement your attacks. Be sure to lock-on before you start your Flowmotions so you actually hit something.

Once you make it to the bottom of the ramp, you'll find more nasty Nightmares. The new Yoggy Bams have strong ramming attacks, so watch out for those; the Hebby Repps tend to go berserk after a while, and attack menacingly. However, much of the danger these Dream Eaters can be neutralized with effective Flowmotions. Head up the stairs towards the Second District, and dispatch the much-weaker Meow Wows along the way. Head through the doors once you're ready.

Second District

Your reward for making it to the Second District is presented by Joshua after a short cutscene:

Reward: Komory Bat Recipe

Create your Komory Bat using the same procedure outlined in Sora's Traverse Town. Add six Troubling Figments and three Rampant Figments to up your Komory Bat to Level 4 and Rank D. You likely don't have a command for your Dream Eater, so leave that blank for now.

Once you're done with your Komory Bat, you'll jump right into a battle against Beat's Kooma Panda. Use the Tutorial: Linking with Spirits to make this battle much easier. Beat's Kooma Panda should fall within seconds with Riku's devastating combos. Once that battle is over, you get another flashback: Flashback: The Keyblade War. And with that, Riku's time is over for now.

Sora's Traverse Town.

Items

Enemies

Third District

After Sora recounts the very memorable events before his, er, nap, you get to poke around Traverse Town some more. Start off by heading back to the corridor behind you. There's a treasure chest containing Block-it Chocolate [1/34] there. We'll investigate its use later. Head up the ramp, and defeat the Dream Eaters. Once you've dispatched those enemies, look up and check out the glowing grid on the wall. Jump up on the debris and slash it a few times to activate the door to the First District. You may notice the Link Portal, but you should ignore it for now; you don't really have the power necessary to fulfill its conditions, so I'd wait a bit. Head to the First District.

First District

Defeat the Nightmares in the center area. They shouldn't give you much trouble. Well, other than the Kooma Pandas, but just use Flowmotion, and you should be fine. Once you defeat those enemies, head up to the corridor to the left of the Synthesis Shop. Head through the corridor and defeat the Nightmares. Grab the Potion [2/34] in the treasure chest, and return to the glowing mailbox in the square. Examine both it, and the yellow glowing area that follows. You'll be transported to a new area to continue tracking down Neku.

Post Office

Head up to the rail and use Flowmotion to ride it. Stay on the rail. There is no reason to get off, so just stay on it until it forces you to get off. You'll land in area full of Dream Eaters; the Hebby Repp shouldn't be much of a problem, but the Pricklemanes can get annoying if you don't finish them off quickly. Regardless, dispatch the enemies, and then use the Reality Shift to blast a bundle of presents in the corner of the wall. Grab the chest containing a Rampant Figment [3/34], and jump off of that upper area to the floor below once you're done (there's nothing up there).

Follow the flow of the conveyor belt, and you should come upon some more Nightmares. Use your commands to deal a decent amount of ranged damage, and possibly link if you need to. Once you get rid of those enemies, walk over and pick up the chest containing a Potion [4/34] in front of the red structure on the right. Continue following the conveyor belt to the end, and take the stairs on the left. Jump over the purple rail, and grab the Ice Dream Cone [5/34] from the chest.

Now you can get on the purple rail. Ride it all the way to the end, and walk up to the yellow rail next. This time, you're going to get off before you make it all the way through this rail; you'll want to reach that upper area on the other side marked "3A." Jump off of the rail when you get near, and float on over. Defeat the enemies in this area, then use the Reality Shift with the present to destroy the presents along the back wall, revealing a chest behind them. This chest contains Vibrant Fantasy [6/34].

Get back on the Yellow Rail. When the rail passes through the center, a Green Rail will be directly to your side. Jump off of the Yellow Rail, and onto the Green Rail--don't miss or you'll have to start over from the bottom. Stay on the green rail until the end of the line. You should end up in a small room with a save spot; replenish your health, save, and continue to the next area.

Fountain Plaza

Immediately in the Fountain Plaza, you'll notice Locke's Link Portal. You can borrow his Dream Eaters for a short time--awesome! These guys are powerful, and can compliment your attacks nicely while you have them. Walk up a bit, and you should notice another stack of boxes near a Reality Shift box--you know what to do. Grab the chest inside containing an Intrepid Figment [7/34], and head back out to the road. Continue up a bit and defeat the enemies; use Flowmotion to take care of the Kooma Panda, and finish off the rest. Look at your map and head around the corridor on the left. At the end, there is a chest containing a Balloon [8/34]. Once you're done here, head back out to the road, and move out towards the main plaza area through the tunnel. The tunnel has two Hebby Repps that you can easily get rid of.

Head off towards the left along the wall. Notice the boxes in the bottom-left corner? Climb up to the top, defeat the Nightmares, then jump across to the other rooftop to grab the treasure chest. It should contain an Ice Dream Cone [9/34]. Drop down to the center of the plaza and defeat the enemies; use the Kooma Pandas Flowmotion to create an area attack that will take out the majority of the Nightmares there. Head up to the fountain, and defeat the Tama Sheep that roam the water. An extended combo should do them in. Continue around the fountain, defeat the Meow Wows, and proceed to the huge double doors.

Fourth District

Welcome to the Fourth District! If you played the demo, you should recognize this area. Start off by going straight, jumping up and over the stacked boxes into an area with a treasure chest. Grab the chest (it contains a Shield Cookie [10/34]), and get back up to the street level. Head down the railed stairs on the left into a rather large pavilion. Grab the treasure chest opposite to where you entered (containing a Potion [11/34]). Head back to where you entered the Pavilion, and climb the boxes up to the building on the left. Once up there, use a Flowmotion against the while to get up to the upper area. Defeat the Nightmares (Flowmotion helps), and grab the chest that has a Water Barrel [12/34]. Continue along the top of the building until it transitions into the blue roofs. Notice the treasure chest at the end? Grab it--after defeating some Kooma Pandas--and receive a Hi-Potion [13/34].

Now for some backtracking; hop across the street to the blue roofs on the other side, and grab the chest near the scaffolding. This one contains an Ice Dream Cone [14/34]. Jump up the scaffolding all the way to the top of the tower and grab the large treasure chest in the cathedral's keep (it contains a Balloon [15/34]). You may notice that you can surf on the strands of light, but we've already been all of those places, so it's unnecessary to explore them. Simply jump on down to the right small pavilion, defeat the rest of the enemies here, and grab the chest. It contains a Potion [16/34].

When you're ready, head up to the large square beyond the building-infested area, and Sora will trigger a cutscene. Ahhh, Sora...so naive. Anyways, after that cutscene, this area now opens up to you. Before you check anything out, go directly behind you and grab the treasure chest containing a Block-it Chocolate [17/34]. Now head back and defeat the large group of enemies that you bypassed for the cutscene. After those enemies are out of the way, you can check out the Item Shop Moogle (wares listed below) or the Flick Rush Moogles back along the back wall. For more information of Flick Rushes--it's a minigame--check out Appendix F: Flick Rush.

Grab the Pricklemane and Hebby Repp recipes if you haven't already (and possibly some potions--you should have at least 4 or 5), and mess around with your spirits if you so desire. Otherwise, head up to the door next to the Item Shop Moogle, and continue through. Once there, you'll trigger a cutscene between the most awkward pairing thus far--Neku and Sora--and later a boss battle.