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Dragon’s Dogma 2 beginner’s tips and tricksHere’s everything you need to know for delving into Dragon’s Dogma 2
Here’s everything you need to know for delving into Dragon’s Dogma 2
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Looking for Dragon’s Dogma 2 tips for beginners?With so many dungeons to explore and so many monsters to defeat inDragon’s Dogma 2, it’s fair to feel slightly overwhelmed at the onset of Capcom’s expansive action RPG.
Luckily, we’re here to help your first hours as a resurrected Arisen feel a little smoother. Read on to learn ten pivotal tips and tricks that’ll help you in a wide variety of areas, from making the most of your trusty pawn companions to fighting oversized beasts on the many roads ofDragon’s Dogma 2.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 - Capcom Highlights: March 2024This highlight reel shows off all the incredible adventure awaiting the new Arisen of Dragon’s Dogma 2.Watch on YouTube
Dragon’s Dogma 2 - Capcom Highlights: March 2024
You can switch your vocation easily
This fellow runs the vocation guild in Vernworth and will be a regular face when it comes time to swap vocations. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Unlike some other RPGs, you aren’t stuck in your starting vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2. In fact, swapping vocations is as easy as visiting your nearest vocation guild in a big city. (In a smaller town, the vocation guild is often combined with the local inn). There, you can change both your Arisen and your main pawn’s vocation as long as you have enough Discipline Points, abbreviated in-game as DCP. Four basic vocations - Fighter, Archer, Mage, and Thief - are available at the start of the game, and six more - Warrior, Sorcerer, Magick Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Trickster, and Spearhand - open up as you progress the story.
We’ve got an extensive guide on thebest vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2, but in a nutshell, don’t feel afraid to experiment and switch to whatever class you prefer. I myself started with a Mage before finding that I enjoyed the Fighter’s skillset more. It’s also important to note that Magick Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Trickster, and Spearhand are Arisen-exclusive vocations unavailable for pawns.
Recruit pawns at Riftstones to find favourites
So many pawns to choose, so little time… |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Your main pawn carries out Pawn Quests during inn visits
A screenshot of my main pawn’s status screen and one of her Pawn Quests back when she was still at a relatively low level. Maybe she’ll pop up in your world! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Your main pawn is just as capable of venturing into worlds beyond - AKA the games of other players - as any of the other pawns you might have recruited to your cause. They only do so when you rest at an inn, however.
Essentially, you should think of Pawn Quests as the bartering system of Dragon’s Dogma 2, with your main pawn serving as a handy delivery person who carries out tasks while you snooze. Don’t overlook these Pawn Quests, as they’re a great way to get items ranging from extra gold to hard-to-find Ferrystones.
Make use of pawn commands regularly
Notice the commands in the bottom left. Presumably, I’ll need to yell out “To Me” for my pawns to rescue my butt after I fall from this massive height. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
In the bottom left corner of your screen, you’ll see a few vital commands - “Go”, “Help”, “To Me”, and “Wait”. These are orders that you can issue to pawns during your adventures to have them take particular actions.
Cast magick faster with pawn assistance
A pawn assists me in bringing hot flaming death down upon some harpies. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Playing as a Mage or Sorcerer in Dragon’s Dogma 2 means that you’ll have to sit through some lengthy casting animations before you can pop off with your big spells, and it’s sometimes a drag. Luckily, pawns can help with this if they also have the same spell skill in their arsenal. This process is calledAuxiliary Incanting, and when combined with theQuickspellskill, works wonders in lessening those length incantation times.
There’s nothing like resting at a campsite after a long day spent dungeon crawling. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Use Ferrystones or oxcarts for fast travel
The world’s a big place, but oxcarts are one way to lessen the load and travel in medieval style. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Ferrystonesare very pricey commodities (usually sold for around 10,000 gold per stone) that are available from vendors. Using one will teleport you to a Portcrystal, which are large crystal markers that can be found in cities.
Your cheaper alternative, if you can’t afford a Ferrystone, is to hop on anoxcart. These oxcarts travel specific routes - for instance, from the city of Vernworth to the village Melve - for affordable prices, such as 200 gold. Travelling them is an amusing experience, since your Arisen can either doze off in the cart or walk alongside it. It’s entirely possible for monsters to attack the cart along the road, leading to dramatic confrontations where you’ll be shaken out of sleep only to contend with a small invasion. It’s all about the journey, not the destination!
Always try combining inventory items
Whipping up a quick healing remedy is a snap thanks to the item system of Dragon’s Dogma 2. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
Learn enemy weaknesses and resistances
Knowing elemental strengths and weaknesses goes a long way towards making epic battles like this one a lot more managable. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
All enemies in Dragon’s Dogma 2 have elemental weaknesses that you can exploit. For instance, ogres tend to be a bit susceptible to fire, and if you lay into them with a sword enhanced with the Mage skills Fire Boon or Fire Affinity, that ogre is going to fall a lot faster than he would otherwise. Other enemies will be resistant or even immune to certain elements, and it’s a matter of trial and error to figure out which enchantments work best.
Pawns can ease the burden of keeping track of enemy weaknesses and resistances, and if they’ve faced a foe in the past and won, they’ll shout “the enemy is weak to fire” or similar odes when battle commences. As we already mentioned, you should always be recruiting more and more pawns whenever possible, and taking advantage of their collective encyclopedic knowledge of the world’s monsters is only one more reason to do so.
Remember, bosses have multiple health bars
Getting close to a victory! I’ve only got to drill through another health bar to get there! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
In the early hours of Dragon’s Dogma 2, you’ll probably run into tonnes of huge enemies, ranging from ogres to cyclopes to minotaurs. It’s a rush to battle these massive foes whether you hack away at their feet, climb their backs, or stand to the side to deliver spells. But it might also be an exercise in frustration when their health bar at the top of the screen decreases, only to reveal that there’s yetanotherhealth bar waiting in the wings!
The fact is, major enemies in the game have multiple health bars, and you can tell if you have more bars to go through if you can seesmall dots below their current health bar. In fact, I personally don’t pay attention so much to the health bar as I do themusicof the fight, as well as my pawns' exclamations. When the foe is on its final bar, the music will change to a triumphant medley, similar to Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise. Your pawns will also shout that the enemy is on its last legs, or that it looks as exhausted as they feel. That’s when it’s time to deliver your biggest strike and bring your quarry to its knees!
