Dragon’s Dogma 2 features a sprawling open world with rich RPG mechanics and a deep combat system that tests your skills. Many people find a game like this daunting because so many mechanics and systems are involved. This is where we come in. In this guide, we’ll review the 10 best beginner tips for Dragon’s Dogma 2.
These tips cover several facets of the game, including combat, traversal, fast travel, and, most importantly, the Pawn System. Without wasting any time, let’s get started.
Kill every creature (small or big) that you come across
As you explore the vast open world of Dragon’s Dogma 2, you’ll come across many enemies with varying sizes, attack patterns, and health. While smaller enemies like sheep and pigs may seem inconsequential in the grand scheme, not killing them means you’ll miss out on valuable resources and materials.
Most small fauna drop Beast-Steak and Scrag of Beast, two types of meat that can be used to craft six additional types of grilled meat with varying buffs and stat boosts. Grilled meats are an incredibly important resource to keep in your inventory and are extremely useful during tough boss battles and skirmishes. They also restore your health if you find yourself without health potions.
Let your meat spoil
Once you acquire a Beast Steak or Scrag of Beast, you can let it sit in your inventory. If a piece of meat sits in your inventory for one day, it becomes an aged variant that provides additional buffs and stat increases. However, if you let it sit for several days, it becomes spoiled, and consuming it gives your character the “Blighted Debilitation” debuff.
While we strongly recommend not consuming spoiled meat in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you can use it to create Lantern Oil if it does happen to spoil. This resource is very important during night-time and cave exploration as visibility in both these scenarios can be quite low. Doing this ensures you’re never without a light source when needed most. This is one of the most underrated tips for Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Experiment with different Vocations
Dragon’s Dogma 2 lets you play around with 10 unique vocations. Each Vocation comes equipped with its own set of skills, a distinct playstyle, and a set role. Mages and Archers work better as supporting characters and ranged attackers, while Warriors and Fighters are better at leading the charge.
While the game won’t let you access all 10 Vocations from the get-go, you can experiment from the starter Vocations and work your way up as you progress through the game and unlock additional ones. It is important to remember that while some Vocations are naturally better than others, in the end, it boils down to your personal preference and what roles work best for you. Mastering Vocations involves mastering their weaknesses and harnessing their strengths.
Explore often and long
Dragon’s Dogma 2 features a large, sprawling, open-world map full of mystery and wonder. You can spend hours exploring every nook and cranny, which you should do. This is because some of the best content in Dragon’s Dogma 2 won’t be handed to you; you’ll have to find it.
Since there are no quest markers or boards in the game, you won’t know exactly where your next side adventure will be. There will be hints, but you won’t know where to go. Talk to every NPC, visit every settlement, and always try to take the route off the beaten path to ensure you do everything the game offers.
Listen to your Pawns
Apart from exploring every area, it is always a good idea to listen closely and intently to your Pawns because they may help you find hidden resources or warn you about nearby objectives or quests.
Often, they’ll indicate when you’re near a treasure chest or quest objective. Some Pawns will also tell you how to defeat certain enemy types. Some Pawns come equipped with “Quest Knowledge” and are doubly effective in letting you know where to go. Should you find yourself in a situation where you’re unsure of where to go next, enter the rift and find the appropriate Pawn to guide you. They’ll give you several tips and input in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Take the time to pick the right Pawns
In addition to providing guidance and direction, Pawns also make up a significant chunk of the combat in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Your team composition ultimately helps you win battles, so you should pick Pawns that complement your playstyle.
If you’re a Mage or Archer who likes to engage enemies from a distance, it is pivotal that your Pawns are mainly comprised of melee-focused Vocations that can engage enemies up close. The opposite would apply if you were to play a melee-focused Vocation.
Pick and experiment with different Pawns until you can find the team composition that works best for you. This is one of the most important tips in Dragon’s Dogma 2 as your pawns can balance out your weaknesses.
Find and activate Portcrystals in every major settlement
Fast traveling isn’t straightforward in Dragon’s Dogma 2, as the game pushes you to go from point A to B on foot. Oxcarts are available to use at all major settlements, but they are from ideal as they run on a set schedule and have a fixed route. Additionally, they are vulnerable to attacks as you travel, leaving you vulnerable as you depart for your destination.
One of the best tips we can give you is to activate all Portcrystals in Dragon’s Dogma 2 to make traveling easier. Most major cities have one or two of these fast travel points that you can travel to at any time. However, each fast travel requires using a Ferrystone. While they can be hard to acquire, they save time and resources. It is important to note that before you can use a Portcrystal, you’ll need to find and activate it.
Take the time to explore every corner to activate every fast travel point. If you find an area that does not contain a Portcrystal, you can place one down from your inventory (if you have it) to create a custom fast travel point.
Target the weak spots on larger enemies
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, you must hit certain parts of your body to take down larger foes and giants. These parts are known as weak spots; you’ll remove many of their health bars when you attack them.
On some enemies, the weak spots are indicated by glowing body parts, while on others, they aren’t explicitly indicated. You may need to climb these enemies and attack their backs or heads. Another way to find weak spots is by listening to audio cues. When you hit a weak spot, you’ll hear a different sound than when you hit a standard. Target all parts of the enemy until you hear the audio cue change.
Replenish health by sleeping at Inns or setting up camps
There are multiple ways to restore your health in Dragon’s Dogma 2. You can eat grilled meats, health potions, and other items. However, conserving these resources for bigger battles in the game’s latter half is always a good idea.
The best way to do this is to rest at inns, which can be found in all major towns and settlements. If you’re out in the open world and don’t have an inn nearby, you can also set up camps and rest there. Do note that you need a Camping Kit to set up a camp in the wilderness. Once you’ve set up a camp, all you need to do is sleep there to restore your health.
Don’t make decisions lightly
Dragon’s Dogma 2 only allows one save file per character, meaning that if you make a significant, story-altering choice or if one of your Pawns dies in battle, you won’t be able to undo it. The game also has many time-sensitive quests that, once you fail, you won’t be able to start again.
Make every decision count, and make sure you’re content with the choices you’re making. Furthermore, bring lots of healing items and equip yourself and your Pawns with the best augments to ensure no one dies during combat. If your Pawn does die you can use Wakestones to revive them, however, they can be extremely hard and expensive to acquire.
You can load your game from the last time you were at an inn by selecting the “Load from Last Inn Rest” option in the main menu. But this overrides any progress you made after, potentially setting you back several hours.
