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Learn the top 10 most essential tips and tricks you should know before you start playing Dragon’s Dogma 2!
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an engaging narrative-driven action RPG by Capcom. Its most important features, such as pawns, questing, combat, and relationships with most NPCs, allow Dragon’s Dogma 2 to stand out. Notably, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a massive open-world game, so keeping track of everything to look out for may seem overwhelming. With this in mind, we prepared 10 tips and tricks to know when playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 from the beginning and throughout your adventures.
10 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Playing Dragon’s Dogma 2
Before playing Dragon’s Dogma 2, the best tips are managing your stamina, picking the proper vocation, healing through spells, and setting up a proper party with Pawns.
Picking the best vocation (class) for you and setting up your party with Pawns (companions) leads to easier gameplay. Unlike the previous Dragon’s Dogma game, DD2 has no map markers or quest popups. Therefore, you want to know that you can miss out on a quest, and the NPC will die forever, forging important side quests.
Below is a list of the top 10 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Playing Dragon’s Dogma 2:
- No Quest Markers – The game is 4x larger than Dragon’s Dogma 1 and does not have quest markers, popups, or map pins.
- Quest Are Missable – you can miss a quest or influence NPC negatively and miss out permanently.
- NPC Permadeath – when an NPC dies, they will leave your game forever.
- Fast Travel – traveling will be difficult with only two methods for moving quickly throughout the map.
- One Save – similar to DD1, you will have only one save at a time.
- Stamina Sustain – is a critical resource used in movement and even spellcasting.
- Restoring Health – there are only a few methods for restoring health and a few spells in combat.
- Weak Points – you can climb and attack massive enemies by hitting weak points to kill them.
- Pawns – considered your “companions,” AI-controlled NPC allies help round out your build and party.
- Vocations – these are your classes that determine your playstyle and weapon choices.
10 Choose the Best Vocation (Class)
To choose the best vocation or class in Dragon’s Dogma 2, consider your preferred combat style: close-quarters melee, ranged attacks, or magical prowess. Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers various vocations with unique weapons, movement options, skills, and spells. Up to 10 playable vocations will be available at the launch of DD2, and possibly more through DLC in the future.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 combat is similar to other Action RPG games and has the traditional RPG holy trinity of DPS, Tank, and Healer (support) vocations. Another important factor is your preferred combat range. DD2 will not have a dodge mechanic, so keeping distance is essential.
Below is a chart showing the available vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2 and helping you choose the best for you:
| Vocation | Type | Weapon | DPS Distance | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Tank | Sword & Shield | Melee | Survivability | Weak DMG |
| Archer | DPS | Bow & Arrow | Ranged | High DPS | Weak AOE |
| Thief | DPS | Daggers | Melee | Great Mobility | Weak AOE |
| Mage | Support | Staff | Ranged | Support | Casting Time |
| Warrior | DPS | Two-Handed | Melee | High DPS | Long Animations |
| Sorcerer | DPS | Staff | Ranged | Best AOE | Low Defense |
| Magik Archer | Support | Bow and Arrow | Ranged | Upgraded Archer | Lower Damage |
| Mystic Spearhand | DPS | Duospear | Melee, Ranged | Balanced DPS | Jack of all Trades |
| Trickster | Support | Censer | Mid-ranged caster | Support Skills | Low DPS |
| Warfarer | All | All | All | Versatile | Lower Stats |
Choosing a vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2 has pros and cons. If you like to move quicker and have a few skills to dodge out of the way, the Archer or the Thief could be an excellent pick for you. If you want to sacrifice that movement for survivability, you can choose to be a Fighter or a Warrior. Another point is how complex a character might be to play.
Lastly, crowd control in Dragons Dogma 2 is essential when considering vocations for party composition. When you stun the enemy, they cannot damage you, and you do more damage to them. If you choose a vocation that isn’t right for you, don’t worry; later on, you can change your vocation.
9 Pawns Compliment Your Vocation & Build
Pawns are companions in Dragon’s Dogma 2 and act as NPC allies that complement your (Arisen) vocation and build.
You can have three pawns with you at any given time: one main pawn and two others. The central pawn can create and choose its vocation; however, the other two pawns must be recruited from a pool of pawns created by others. While Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a single-player game, you can choose Pawns from other players worldwide. Therefore, you can build a well-balanced party based on vocations and even recruit your friend’s pawns for a resource earned in the game.
Pawns can be summoned at Riftstones in major cities in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Once you activate a Riftstone, you will be teleported inside the rift where the pawns reside. You can dismiss either of the two pawns you have recruited; you can choose new pawns.
Moreover, pawns also have two different traits: inclination and Specialization. Inclinations affect the priority of different actions that can be taken and possibly the pawn’s behavior. Specializations seem to be different skills a pawn could have, such as the ability to translate another language for you. Similar to other RPGs, you will be able to tell your Pawn to act in certain behaviors. Asking your Fighter to be an aggressive tank while your Mage Pawn sits back and avoids combat is critical to surviving brutal combat in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Party Composition
When considering your party of four in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you will want a tank, a healer, and two different DPS types. Below is a list of an optimal party of Arisen and Pawns in Dragon’s Dogma 2:
- Tank – primarily responsible for jumping into combat and using taunts to gain the attention of enemies. Fighter and the Warrior can serve this purpose.
- Healer – support vocations that heal, buff party, and increase speed. The two vocations for support specifically are Mage and Trickster.
- Ranged Damage Dealer – Use a ranged damage dealer to avoid unnecessary melee combat and limit incoming damage. This one has many options, but our favorites are Archer, Sorcerer, and Magik Archer.
- Secondary Damage Dealer – Depending on your player’s controllable character (Arisen), pick a melee or range damage dealer to round out your party. Mystic Spearhand and Warfarerer are versatile options and some of the strongest in the game.
However, you can be flexible. If you think you are killing things quickly and your tank is dying fast, perhaps try taking out a DPS for another tank or healer. A well-balanced party is vital.
8 Use Weak Points on Large Monsters
Weak points are areas on giant monsters that do extra damage when hit. In Dragon’s Dogma 2, you will find giant monsters or bosses throughout the story. Some monsters can be knocked down by hitting their legs, so their weak point can be easily hit once an opponent has been toppled. Listen carefully to what your pawns say, as they could direct you to where the weak point is. Turn subtitles on to read the text or adjust the volume levels if it’s too loud.
Another method, especially if you are a melee vocation, is climbing giant monsters and enemies. It is an excellent way to get to a weak point if you cannot knock down a monster and can’t use a ranged weapon. Climbing will consume stamina, and you will fall off if you run out. If your pawns aren’t saying the weak point, a tip would be to go for the head or anything glowing.
There are several strategies when attacking a weak point, but as long as you hit those, the monsters should go down quickly. The ability to take larger foes down quicker makes this one of the 10 tips you should know about Dragon’s Dogma 2.
7 Healing is Limited
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, healing and recovering life are limited to campfires, inns, spells, and consumables. Thus, keeping your party alive will be challenging, especially with limited fast travel options for returning home. When you take damage, you lose health. A portion of the health you lose is your max health.
Your User Interface (UI) shows health as the top bar. The green is your current health, with a slight grey bar that can be recovered. However, you will notice a small section of the damage that took your maximum health and can only be recovered from sleeping at an inn.
Try to limit damage and always have a healer like a Mage vocation at your party because one of the best healing methods is through spells. Heal after every battle because you want to start with a full health bar at the onset of every fight. Meanwhile, I suggest visiting the Inn and Heal whenever you are in town. Lastly, you must constantly control your party’s overall max health and current health. Plan your adventures around how much health you have remaining, according to the healing mechanics in Dragon’s Dogma 2. You don’t want to be 15 minutes walking distance away from the nearest inn with half of your max health available.
6 Manage Your Stamina
Stamina is a resource pool consumed by every action like climbing enemies, running, skills, and spells, and when you run out, you will be vulnerable to attacks. For example, when you are in combat and see an incoming attack, you can take that damage or consume stamina to run or cast escape skills to find a better position.
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, stamina is essential. Be aware of the User Interface and carry consumable potions to restore it. Pawns can also restore party members’ stamina. Even magic users, like Sorcerers, may possess skills to convert stamina into mana for casting spells. Moreover, basic attacks will deplete stamina if your character’s level is insufficient for that weapon.
Part of managing stamina is positioning your character before and during combat. Here are helpful tips:
- Make sure you are behind the tank.
- Don’t cast a skill or spell that completely depletes your stamina.
- Use weapons corresponding to your level to avoid experiencing a stamina drain.
- Always stock up on consumable potions.
- Rest to recover stamina instead of attacking or climbing the monster to avoid dying from low stamina.
5 One Save Only
An important tip to understand is that in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you will only have one saved file. Dragon’s Dogma has committed to a hardcore playstyle, believing it to be the optimal choice for the game’s experience. Once saved, your actions in the game are final, emphasizing the importance of decisions.
Much like in Dragon Dogma’s 1, you can only have one save file per game copy. This means that if the game autosaves, that is your new starting point, and you can’t go back. Moreover, if you manually save it, the same thing applies. For this reason, you will only be able to have one character at a time. Auto saving means all of your progress will be saved constantly, thus not allowing you to save scum bad decisions or combat you wish to avoid.
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4 Fast Travel
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, fast travel is limited to Ox Carts and Ferrystones, both of which have downsides, so expect a hardcore traveling experience.
Ferrystones are consumable (one-time usage) items that give you limited ports per game and are difficult to obtain. Therefore, you only want to use them in drastic situations. If you are stuck in the wilderness with an essential item or quest progression, that is a good time to use them.
Ox Carts traverse you from one place to another, but not anywhere you choose. Nevertheless, this option risks ambush and potential fatalities during travel.
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, traveling, questing, and adventuring are calculated decisions on how far you want to go and risk tolerance. The best tip for fast traveling is to make small journeys from the major cities and questing hubs. After you’ve completed a vital quest, return, rest at an inn, stock up on potions, and return to the field. Moreover, if you need to make longer journeys, take more time to prepare because the likelihood of finding an inn is low when exploring for the first time.
3 NPC Permanently Die
NPCs can permanently die, miss quests and rewards, and alter the world state.
This is one of the biggest tips out of the 10. Dragons Dogma 2 is not holding back regarding what it will allow you to do. You or events can kill NPCs, including important NPCs that give quests. As we’ve stated earlier, there is only one save, and randomly killing an NPC and not paying attention will change your entire playthrough.
When you kill an NPC, you can revive them. First, obtain a “Wakestone,” also known as “Reaper’s Scorn,” in the first game to accomplish this. Next, proceed to the nearest morgue where the deceased NPC is located and use the stone. It’s crucial to understand that there’s a time limit for resurrecting an NPC, although the specific duration is unknown. Additionally, remember that using the Wakestone will deplete it.
In Dragon Dogma 2, many influential characters will need your aid, for example, Nadinia, the leader of Battahl and High Priestess to the Lambent Flame. What would happen to her questline if she perished? That brings us to the next tip in 10 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Playing Dragon’s Dogma 2.
2 Quest Are Missable
Missable quests in Dragon’s Dogma 2 can impact your playstyle significantly if you aim to complete everything.
The first way to miss out on a quest ties back into our previous tip-killing NPCs. If the NPC that gives you the quest is dead, you can not start the quest. Another way to miss out is by your choices on a prior quest. Next, it is possible to have a bad relationship with a character. As a result, they won’t give you the quest. Also, not exploring and missing the quest will be impactful.
Quest in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is also timed-based. If you arrive in a city, you will have limited time in the game to accept and complete the quest. This will result in many playthroughs for the optimal experience and diligence when exploring cities.
Missing a quest is significant for completionists and those seeking XP or loot. Take your time when questing in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Only take as many quests as you can complete in a timely fashion. Next, explore as much as possible and listen to your pawns.
1 No Quest Markers
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, NPC and quest givers will have no visual indicator quest marker; thus, you must explore each area diligently.
The map is four times larger than Dragon’s Dogma 1, with sprawling cities and terrain to explore. Travel times are also slower. Consequently, you need to explore without quest markers. Check every nook and cranny for points of interest when out in the world.
We recommend talking to every NPC and exploring each new area thoroughly. Pawns will also give hints when you are on a quest or suggest where you can find a quest, so listen to what they say. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is about organic exploration and more of a hardcore RPG feel. Thus, you must treat it as an unforgiving environment where your decisions matter.
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