Pearly Gates (also known as Grand Cross), is a recurring ability in the Dragon Quest series.
Description[]
A high-level skill of the Paladin vocation, the user summons the heavens to open wide, releasing a powerful blast of holy light to scorch all foes.
Appearances[]
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai[]
Originating from this story, Grand Cross is a skill that utilizes the caster's Aura, or life-energy, as a powerful offensive technique; as Warrior-like fighters cannot normally cast spells, this is a very useful substitute, but could be dangerous if the caster has an imbalance towards evil.
The technique was first shown by Avan to a young Hyunckel during his training as a Disciple; due to the resentment the young boy felt towards his master, at the time Hyunckel dismissed the skill of Aura-manipulation as unnecessary. However, years later, having exausted all of his other options, the now reformed Hyunckel would use Grand Cross during his battle against Hadlar. Being not familiar with the skill, the technique ended up draining too much of Hyunckle's life-energy, creating a devastating attack, but leaving the young man temporarily completely drained and unresponsive. Furthermore, Hadlar had managed to survive the attack by using his minions as shields, and had not Hyunckel resolve proved to be so strong to instinctively react accordingly, Hyunckel would have fallen to Hadlar's fatal blow with his Hell's Claw.
After this close call, Hyunckel would further refine his skill, so to not be left as vulnerable as before, later using Grand Cross multiple other times, becoming even able to execute it with the Dark Armour Spear.
Dragon Quest VI[]
Making its game debut, it is learned by mastering the Paladin vocation, and deals 30% more damage to the Undead. It costs 20 MP to use, and is also used by Nokturnus during his boss fight.
Dragon Quest VII[]
Acting the same as before, it is learned by mastering the Paladin and Black bishop vocations, along with rank 3 of the Champion in the 3DS version, costing 20 MP to use once again. Sir Mervyn will display a unique animation when performing the technique in the remake.
Dragon Quest VIII[]
Pearly Gates is classified as a spell in this instalment, which Angelo can use after allocating 100 skill points into his Charisma skill tree. It deals an additional 50% damage to the undead now, while costing 20 MP to use once again. The animation was changed from the usual cross slash of wind to a blast of energy being summoned from below the target in the international versions of the game, likely due to Square-Enix not wanting to risk offending religious sensitivities.
- Marcello also uses the spell when the party fights him as a boss. When he uses it, it still uses the original cross slash animation from the Japanese version of the game that envelops the party in blasts of holy light.
Dragon Quest X[]
While initially for Nokturnus to use against his enemies in battle once again, along with Dhuran, players can finally obtain it by the latter half of 3.1 onwards, learned from the Chance to Nail for the Martial Artist, Thief, Minstrel, Gladiator, Luminary, Item Master, Dancer, and the Druid vocations, as well as the Paladin once again. It costs 3 MP to use, with a CT of 60 seconds and dealing 326 to 424 wind damage twice, while potentially reducing enemies' Zap resistances. In addition, it is the first time Pearly Gates and Solar Flair appear in the same game.
Dragon Quest XI[]
Rab will automatically learn this skill during his recruitment in Act II. Pearly Gates deals great wind damage to all enemies, at 135~165 base and 265~295 cap when Rab's strength reaches 200. In addition to dealing the usual extra damage to the undead, Pearly Gates also has a 20% chance to lower Zap resistance one stage, just like in X. The reason for this trait, outside of battle utility, is likely due to Rab's mission of supporting the Luminary, as when combined with his grandson’s Quadraslash, the pair can call upon the Solar Flair Pep Power.
- Pearly Gates returns to being a cross-shaped attack as before, but the animation for the skill is once again tilted to more resemble an X than a Greek cross, and is also aimed at the battleground itself instead of the enemies to further mask the holy implication.
Dragon Warrior Monsters[]
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2[]
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2[]
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3[]
Dragon Quest Heroes[]
Once again used by Nokturnus during his boss fight, it damages enemies who step into the X he makes on the ground.
Dragon Quest Heroes II[]
Appearing as Angelo's Coup de Grâce, he makes a cross similar to his half brother and shoots an arrow, devastating enemies within range. Like in other titles, the attack's animation was altered in the international version, removing the original cross effect in favor for a series of pillars of light shooting from the ground.
Dragon Quest of the Stars[]
Appears as a skill for Nokturnus.
Dragon Quest Tact[]
Acting the same as in previous appearances once again, it is learned by Nokturnus at level 36 and costs 60 MP to use. Upgrading the skill reduces MP cost and increases damage.
Dragon Quest Treasures[]
Acting the same as in previous appearances once again, it is learned by Restless armours, Lethal armours, Deserted armours, and Tanzaknights, costing MP to use.
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai - A Hero's Bonds[]
The Hyunckel version can be obtained if one get's the Sacred lance weapon.
Terminology[]
The Japanese name is a reference to the Grand cross astrological phenomenon about planets being aligned into a cross shape wile the English translation changed it into Chrisitan reference to the heavenly gates.
Pearly Gates' Japanese name, グランドクロス (gurando kurosu), is visibly inspired by the one of Grand Cross (グランドクルス, gurando kurusu), a Coup de Grâce created by Avan in Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai and where it was romanised as "Grand Cruss" in volume 22. In that work, it uses a cross shape, such as the guard of a sword, to send an aura blast by using its user's remaining HP, comparable to the Kamikazee spell. It is unclear whether they are intended to be the same attack, with merely a more accurate rendition of "Cross", or inspired by one another.
Trivia[]
- Prior to the on-screen display of spells in V, Kaswoosh (Bagicross) was a cross-shaped slash of divine wind in illustrations, manga and anime such as Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai and Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel. When its depiction permanently shifted to that of a tornado, the cross slash concept was taken by Pearly Gates from VI onwards.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Other languages[]
| Other languages | |
| French | Porte de nacre Cruciblast (AHB) |
| German | Perlentor (VI,VII,VIII,XI,TR,DP) Mega X (M) Großes Kreuz (IS) |
| Spanish | Puertas del paraíso Puertas paradisiacas (Joker, Joker2) |
| Italian | Amen |
| Dutch | Unknown |
| Norwegian | Unknown |
| Greek | Unknown |
| Portuguese | Unknown |
| Russian | Unknown |
| Chinese | Unknown |
| Korean | Unknown |