Nottagen Guide 2026: 5 Sticking Points and Hidden Content Explained

Many people get stuck in Nottagen and their first reaction is, "Am I underleveled? Can I not beat the boss?" But in reality, most people aren't stuck because of combat difficulty—they're stuck because they're looking in the wrong place, missed a sidequest, or made that choice that changes the fate of the entire town without saving first.

Nottagen is one of the few locations in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined that exists in both the past and present timelines, and the ending changes based on a single choice you make. Below, we'll walk through the 5 common sticking points in the order you're likely to encounter them.

Nottagen Quick Overview

• Location: The pedestal northeast of the red pillar in the Shrine of Mysteries.
• Timeline: The same town exists in both past and present versions, and the state of each affects the other.
• Main threats: Wiggles, and a series of events centered around the church.
• Achievement: Completing the Nottagen storyline unlocks "Worst. Town. Ever."
• Required before entering town: You'll be stopped by two Babygoyles at the town entrance, triggering a battle.

Keep these points in mind and the rest of the flow will be much easier to follow.

Sticking Point 1: Can't Find the Target Monster in the Church

Inefficient approach: Running back and forth inside the church, checking every corner repeatedly, wondering if you missed a switch.

Reasonable approach: The story guides you to investigate the church, but the church isn't the only clue location. Multiple guides specifically point out the same spot—if you can't find the target in the church, remember to check the well. Some guides even list "the monster went to the well" as the most easily missed step, since it's not on the main path.

Also, the well isn't a one-and-done investigation. According to Neoseeker's Reimagined guide, after defeating Moostapha, returning to the well triggers an optional battle with Wrecktor. If you want to collect everything, remember to swing back after beating the game.

Sticking Point 2: Missing the Fragment on the Hill Before Entering Town

Before entering Nottagen from the new area, you'll pass through a separate area called Hill Near Nottagen. This isn't on the main path, and many people just walk right past it into town.

Actually, there's a Yellow Fragment lying on the ground on the hill—the only thing you can pick up before entering town. Take a quick detour to grab it before returning to the main path; it won't cost you much time.

Sticking Point 3: Rushing the Main Story Without Starting Buddy's Sidequest

The villagers discuss their own plans to deal with Wiggles, and Buddy has a separate sidequest. The order is: first find Buddy and agree to help, follow him to Hill Near Nottagen to trigger a scene, then you'll return to Nottagen.

Next, when you walk out from inside the house, you'll see a group of insect-type monsters attacking villagers. This is a triggered event—start the sidequest before progressing the main story so you don't get the "why did a battle suddenly start?" surprise.

Later, in the underground area, you'll encounter a Malign Vine. Defeating it drops a Green Fragment. After obtaining it, use the Evac spell to leave the dungeon and return to present-day Nottagen—which is still in ruins.

Sticking Point 4: Not Saving Before the Major Choice

This is the most critical step in the entire storyline: Will you help the villagers defeat Wiggles, or refuse to intervene and let the town survive in the present in another way?

Various guides all remind you of the same thing—save before returning to past Nottagen. Because this choice directly determines what present-day Nottagen looks like, and it's not the kind of branch you can just "change later." If you want to see both outcomes, you absolutely cannot skip the save point.

Sticking Point 5: Not Returning to Present-Day Nottagen After Beating the Game

After completing the storyline, return to present-day Nottagen and you'll find almost no one in town—only a lone bard remains. He mentions that Buddy's descendant lives in Monster Meadows.

This clue is easy to dismiss as ordinary dialogue, but it's the gateway to subsequent content. When you see this conversation, it means you should add Monster Meadows to your itinerary.

3 Things Easily Missed

1. When you return to Nottagen the second time, go upstairs in the Buddies' house: Some players note there's a free diamond here, but many guides don't mention it—a classic "only found on a return trip" item.
2. The follow-up battle at the well: After defeating Moostapha, return to the well to trigger an optional battle with Wrecktor.
3. The achievement itself: Completing the entire Nottagen storyline unlocks "Worst. Town. Ever.," but if you skipped sidequests along the way, you might not be sure whether you actually finished everything—it's worth checking your achievement status.

Version Differences: Don't Mix Up the Original and Reimagined

There are currently two sources of Nottagen guides online: one for the 3DS version of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, and one for DQ7 Reimagined. The former may not be completely consistent with the remake in terms of Fragment types, event order, and place names.

The practical approach is: use the Reimagined guide as your primary reference, and when a step doesn't match up in-game, cross-reference the original version's data—usually you'll be able to tell whether it's a version difference or something you missed.

Record as You Play: Turn Scattered Notes into Searchable Text

When playing a game with dual timelines and lots of sidequests, many people use voice memos to jot down things like "still need to go back to the well" or "there's something upstairs in the Buddies' house." The problem is, when you want to find a specific note later, you have to listen through everything from the beginning.

These scattered voice notes can actually be handled by transcription tools. Tinrec supports converting audio and video files into transcripts, automatically generating summaries and chapters, so you can later use keywords to jump directly to the section mentioning "well" or "Monster Meadows." It also supports AI Q&A about the recording content—for example, you can directly ask "What was that save reminder I noted last time?"

If multiple people are playing together and sharing a guide notebook, the team version lets you centralize recordings and organized results in one space, with admins assigning seats and monitoring usage; the free version lets you test whether the basic quota is enough. Actual transcription quality will still be affected by recording quality and background noise—for important information, it's recommended to verify against the original recording.

Summary: Pre-Departure Checklist

• Before entering town, go up to Hill Near Nottagen and pick up the Yellow Fragment.
• The Babygoyles battle at the entrance is unavoidable—adjust your party status first.
• If you can't find the target in the church, check the well.
• Start Buddy's sidequest before progressing the main story.
• After getting the Green Fragment and using Evac to leave, return to the present to check the situation.
• Always save before the major choice.
• After beating the game, return to present-day Nottagen to find the bard and note Monster Meadows.
• When you return to Nottagen the second time, don't forget upstairs in the Buddies' house.

Nottagen's difficulty isn't in combat—it's in whether you've connected all the information. Mark these points down first, and the whole storyline will flow much more smoothly.

References

• Nottagen Walkthrough Guide | Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined (DQ7)｜Game8
• How to Beat Nottagen in DQ7 (2026): Complete 7-Step Walkthrough - Official Tinrec Blog
• Nottagen Cavern - Nottagen Scenario - Walkthrough | Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past | Gamer Guides®
• Monster Takeover - Nottagen Scenario - Walkthrough | Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past | Gamer Guides®
• Nottagen Past - Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Walkthrough - Neoseeker