On December 15, 1984, at the Snow Ball, after seeing Dustin being rejected and ridiculed by girls, Nancy takes pity on him and brings him to dance with her, attracting the attention of the girls who rejected him. Nancy tells Dustin that he is her favorite out of all of her brother's friends. She also tells him that girls at his age are 'dumb', but he'll 'drive them nuts' in a few years. They share a touching moment together, having a friendly slow dance. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas were the first visitors aside from Jonathan to see Will in the hospital. The three of them were overjoyed to see him safe and sound. They caught up with Will, telling him about the events which transpired in his absence. Following the gruesome death of her stepbrother Billy Hargrove at the hands of the Mind Flayer, Max spent nearly nine months in depression and solitude, causing estrangement in all of her friendships. Even despite their distance, Dustin tried to reconnect with her and in the last school day before Spring break, Dustin tried to invite her to the Hellfire Club led by Eddie Munson and when an apparently-enthusiastic Max asked if she could have one of the club's "cool t-shirts," Dustin replied that every member would receive a free t-shirt before realizing Max was being sarcastic. Upon learning of the death of Chrissy Cunningham in the Munson trailer, Max immediately shared this with Dustin rather than anyone else. Though Max was skeptical of Eddie's innocence, Dustin stubbornly insisted that Eddie would never harm anyone. The duo reunited with Lucas and their older allies (Nancy, Steve and Robin) to find Eddie, who helped them realize that Chrissy was murdered through supernatural means, specifically by an entity residing in the Upside Down, and they dubbed Chrissy's killer "Vecna," after a villainous "dark wizard" from Dungeons and Dragons. He and Lucas are the only characters in the show to have appeared in every episode since the first one, despite " The Lost Sister" having them appear only in archival footage. Dustin, Steve, and Robin approach Lucas's younger sister, Erica and ask her if she can crawl through the mall's air duct to get into the secret room. Though Erica assured the group she can fit through the vent, Dustin sides with Steve and Robin as they offer Erica dozens of Scoops Ahoy ice cream treats in exchange for her cooperation. As Steve goes to get more fudge for Erica, Dustin and Robin debriefed Erica on the plan to have her sneak into the mall's secret room while assuring there would not be any booby traps and the Russian guards will not be guarding the room by the time she breaks in. Dustin even tried to convince Erica to do this assignment for America's behalf, but in the end, Erica only agreed to help, in exchange for a free lifetime supply of Scoops Ahoy ice cream which Dustin, Robin, and Steve accepted.

While driving to the Byers', Dustin talked to Mike and Lucas about their Christmas gifts to Max and El. The conversation was abruptly interrupted when Dustin suddenly freaked out and said he saw an unknown creature, referencing Dart, lurking in the woods, but Lucas, Mike, and Steve did not see anything so they decided to continue their route to the Byers' house. Y-yea? Uh- What were you saying?" He asked, he wasn't paying attention the first time, thinking about girls, and what he was going to do for the summer. Hey, little man! How are you? Suzie here told me you brought a friend, who is it?" Quinn asked, smiling down at Dustin. In 1984, after Will's rescue from the Upside Down, Dustin's concern for Will, along with everyone else's, annoyed Will. When Will realizes the sounds Dustin's new pet, D'Artagnan makes was similar to the noises he heard in Upside Down, he tells Dustin this and his visions, which slightly upsets Dustin for not being told earlier. After Will was possessed by the Mind Flayer, he was saved when Dustin and the rest of his friends burn the underground tunnel system. A month later, at the Snow Ball, Will laughs at Dustin's hairstyle. While we've just warmed up, our crew might even create & complete Stranger Things themed scavenger hunt “zoom the room style” one day and solve a Breakout Box/Escape the Room game the next! Let's not leave out the Science of the 80's exhibited in the series (building a radio, exploring the extra-terrestrial realm & finding out "how it's made" & the science behind the filming). So Rad!Expert Inventor: Dustin was able to craft many impressive items which successfully worked and proved his skill as great inventor. WHAT?! NO! Absolutely not. I don't like Quinn like that. That's gross," Steve quietly shouted. Dustin threw his hands up and a little - Okay jeez - way. He couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from Quinn, it was a saddening sight to see. Quinn didn't think anything of him besides, "Oh, I can't be paired with him, he's probably still like how he used to be." Quinn sighed to himself, setting down the clipboard, and moving to sit down with everyone else. The group reached a deserted field, where Lucas, Mike, and Eleven reconciled. After they realized the laboratory was still looking for them, they hid in an abandoned bus. Chief Hopper found them, taking them to the Byers

When Will mysteriously went missing, Dustin, Lucas and Mike made it their mission to find him. However, while searching for Will, they stumbled upon a mysterious girl named Eleven instead. After learning Eleven possessed special psychokinetic abilities, Mike believed she could aid the quest to find Will, though Lucas was suspicious of Eleven's behavior and actions; Dustin acted as a meditator between the two, keeping them focused on the task at hand. Dustin and his friends deduced that Will was lost in an alternate dimension, one that could be accessed via a “gate” at Hawkins Lab; though the group were unable to personally retrieve Will, Dustin and his friends later faced off against the creature that had abducted him, with Eleven seemingly sacrificing her life to defeat the Demogorgon. The group later joyfully reunited with Will, who had been rescued and brought to hospital. Make what better? You're newfound love for Quinn?" Dustin asked, mouth full of pudding, a result of him going absolutely ham on the pudding he got. Apparently, Steve had thought out loud. One month later, the four boys once again played Dungeons & Dragons. This time, Mike summoned the Thessalhydra, but this time, the Party triumphed over the enemy. After Suzie changed his grade, Dustin arrived at Hawkins High School where he attended a basketball pep rally with Mike and Max. In the evening, the Hellfire Club ran their "Cult of Vecna" campaign, in which Erica joined as a substitute for Lucas.In 1984, Dustin and Steve form an unlikely bond while trying to hunt down D'Artagnan. Dustin tells Steve about his attempts to win the heart of Max, where Steve gives advice on how to approach women, and how to style his hair. When everybody else failed, Dustin was the one who convinced Steve to put aside his responsibility of protecting the group and instead assisting them in burning the tunnels infected by the Upside Down. Steve later drives Dustin to the Snow Ball Dance, and gives him a pep talk before Dustin enters the dance. After Lucas informs him of a manhunt for Eddie, Dustin tells him they've got bigger problems to worry about.