Best Quests in Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana

There are 49 total quests in Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana, compared to the 40 quests in Monstrum Nox. 38 are accessible in Castaway Village, while the other 11 are known as Eternia Quests. Some of them are missable, while others can be completed right up until you've beaten the final boss. The Castaway Village quests contribute to Adol's reputation, while the Eternia Quests contribute to Dana's Virtue. With Nordics releasing later this month, let's take a look at some of the best quests from Ys 8. This article will contain spoilers for the plot of Lacrimosa of Dana.

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Best Friend's Will

Across the story of Lacrimosa of Dana, Adol keeps having mysterious dreams about a young Eternian woman named Dana. Beginning in Chapter 4, these dreams become vivid enough that Dana is playable, and she becomes aware of Adol. He gradually learns about Dana and the world she lives in, only to be surprised to find the ruins of Dana's civilization when he and his party arrive at the northern half of the Isle of Seiren. As he and the party explore the ruins, they ultimately find Dana herself.

Dana eventually joins Castaway Village and Adol's party, although at the start she's missing many of her memories. As the game's story progresses and Adol finds more of the sections where Dana is playable, she regains more of her memories. Close to the end of the game, this quest becomes available. She recalls the last words of her best friend, Olga, and expresses her regret that she wasn't there for Olga's final moments. Olga's last words had been about a mythical Blue Bird.

Adol, who has a deep fascination with myths, resolves to help Dana figure out what Olga's last words meant. This leads the party to different ruins from Dana's civilization, until finally stopping at the city stupa where Olga left a pendant on one of the statues. The pendant contains the remains of Olga's Essence, as well as a recording of her goodbye message to Dana. Olga apologizes to Dana for leaving her alone in the world and says that she's thankful to have met Dana. At last, Dana has closure around the death of her best friend. This is one of the most emotional quests in Ys 8.

Lost Refugee

Dana's sections of the game take place an unknown amount of time before the events of Lacrimosa of Dana, in a time period named the Eternian Era, after the Eternians. Though they don't show up in Adol's journal, Dana has quests of her own to complete during these sections. Unlike some of the Castaway Village quests, these Eternia Quests aren't missable. They can be completed at any time before the final boss, by touching one of the crystals with the Warden of Evolution symbol on them. Most of them (except for one) are shown on the map with a red icon.

The Lodinia Marshland is home to one such crystal, which connects to the section titled "Beneath the Sullen Clouds." In this section, the Lacrimosa of the Eternians has begun. Panicked residents of Aegias, unaware of the true nature of the apocalypse, are frantically trying to escape the doomed city. Meanwhile, Dana is making her way for the Valley of Kings, which only the royal family is allowed to enter. Along the way, she discovers another family trying to evacuate the city. Their daughter, Yuka, has gone missing.

When Dana finds Yuka, the teenager is looking for medicine for her mother's chronic pain. Yuka is dismissive of her father's worry for her, expressing jealousy that he can make high-quality Essence equipment without seeming to try. Upon being reunited with her family, she demands her father begin training her to make Essence equipment as good as his. After Yuka spent most of Dana's sections looking down on her father, it's a bittersweet moment to see her willing to learn from him, but only after the Lacrimosa has begun. Neither Yuka nor her parents are seen again, leaving it ambiguous as to whether Yuka was able to improve her Essence equipment crafting before she died.

Flower of Gratitude

Dana's final section, titled "White Memory," is the only one not given a red crystal icon on the map. This is because the section only unlocks under certain conditions. First, Dana must have gotten to the penultimate floor of the Sanctuary Crypt, the entrance to which is located in Aegias' stupa. Second, the psyches of the other Wardens of Evolution must have been defeated. The floors of the Sanctuary Crypt are unlocked as Dana's Virtue increases, which is accomplished by finishing Eternia Quests and freeing spirits.

Once the section is unlocked, the crystal in Castaway Village begins glowing and develops a Warden of Evolution marking like the other crystals that connect to Dana's playable sections. Aegias is covered in snow, the Saurians are dead, and most of the remaining Eternians are gathered in the royal palace in the hopes of surviving the endless blizzard that's swallowed the capital. Dana is accompanied by Rastell, who now sports an eyepatch thanks to the attackers he fended off in "A Painful Decision." Olga has become these remaining Eternians' leaders, after the disappearance of the queen in "The Fated Day" (which is the only playable Dana section not accessible by the crystal, as it doesn't have any quests or spirits).

When Dana reaches the palace, one of the clerics of the Temple of the Great Tree informs her that the Essence Maester Odo died. Odo is another recurring character in Dana's sections, often appearing in the city's stupa. He works alongside a younger Essence master named Reince. The two of them have differing views on Essence, but also respect each other. Dana offers to get a flower for Odo's funeral, which can be found in the now-abandoned city. Bringing the flower back to the clerics allows Dana to pray for Odo and the others who recently died. This quest is one of many reasons that "White Memory" is one of the most emotional parts of Lacrimosa of Dana.

Honorable Mentions

Wish Tree

Chapter 3 sees Adol's party finally being able to scale the intimidating Gendarme Mountain, which has kept the northern half of the island hidden. Before the party sets out, however, Sahad has a request. A tradition on his home island of Creet is to write down wishes and decorate a tree with them. The Wish Tree has a distinctive appearance - white bark with green leaves - and can typically only be found in high altitudes. He mentions that seeing the tree always puts smiles on people's faces, perhaps in part due to Castaway Village still recovering from Captain Barbaros' untimely death.

When the Wish Tree is brought back to Castaway Village, Sahad tells the other castaways to write their wishes on seashells and hang them on the tree. At first, they don't understand; their only wish is to escape the Isle of Seiren. However, Quina brings up the question of what people want to do after they escape the island. With that in mind, the castaways' new wishes range from wanting Captain Barbaros to rest in peace to becoming a better person. As more castaways join the village, they add their wishes to the tree, even Dana and Adol.

Rallying Concert

In Chapter 5, if Austin was rescued from the Western Foot of Gendarme, he'd stumble across an Eternian-era harp. Though he has a lot of passion for other forms of art, he has no confidence when it comes to music. Nonetheless, other castaways in the village keep asking him to play the harp, so he asks Dana about Eternian-era sheet music that he can read and play from. This leads to a quest including returning to one of Dana's sections to ask for sheet music, ultimately finding it in Rastell's possession.

When Austin performs the song, Dana plays the accompaniment on a flute. Austin follows the sheet music exactly, while Dana's performance includes more improvisation. Their two playing styles complement each other well, even with Austin's low confidence in his musical abilities. He begins to think about composing his own song, beginning with a poem about Eternia.

Final Thoughts

Character writing is one of Lacrimosa of Dana's major strengths, and many of these quests showcase that writing best. From hearing the final goodbyes of a long-lost friend, to having a tangible display of every castaway's resolve to escape, to saying a last goodbye to a beloved ally and respected mentor, they showcase the game's strong character writing. These quests are one of many reasons that Lacrimosa of Dana is the pinnacle of the Ys games' writing.

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This article was written by Meagan Denton.