A Beginner's Guide to Dragon's Dogma 2

I'll come clean: I'm not the biggest fan of this franchise, especially due to the lack of charisma and personality of the Pawns who accompany us. Compared to characters like Shadowheart, from Baldur's Gate 3, or Liara, in Mass Effect, the Pawns are just that: pawns. I know it's part of the game's proposal, but they could really add some more "flavor" to the companions, which’d make the journey more lively.

That said, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a rich and challenging experience, full of interconnected systems that need your attention and strategy. From character creation to choosing vocations and managing pawns, every decision directly influences your journey. The game’s excellent, regardless of my reservations about it, it’s fantastic in many ways.

And if you are starting now your journey through this world and don't know what to do, then we’ll help you: this guide will explain the fundamental aspects of the game, giving you a solid foundation for your adventure and, if you have any questions, just leave a comment.

At the start of your journey, you’ll create your character, known as the Arisen, and your main pawn. Aesthetic customization offers many options, but it’s crucial to consider the impact of the character's size and weight on the game's mechanics.

Larger characters have a higher carry-on capacity, allowing them to carry more items without compromising their mobility. This is especially useful for vocations that require heavy equipment or for players who enjoy collecting everything they come across while exploring. On the other hand, smaller characters regenerate stamina faster, which helps with vocations that rely on agility and quick attacks, such as Thief or Archer. So, you should choose your character’s size based on the playstyle you want to follow.

Likewise, when creating your main pawn, take these physical characteristics into account. A pawn with a similar build to the Arisen will ensure good synergy, especially when it comes to carrying items and combat resistance.

Pawns are AI-controlled allies who accompany the Arisen on their journey. But, believe me, they’re nothing like the companions in games like Dragon Age or Baldur’s Gate 3. They’re just “shells” with no personality who keep repeating phrases. Your main pawn is a little more “alive”, but still, it doesn’t come close to the personality of an Astarion.

You can recruit up to three pawns: one main one, created by you, and two additional ones, hired through Riftstones. It’s recommended to diversify your pawns’ vocations to cover different combat roles, such as melee damage, ranged attack, and magical support. In addition to vocations, pawns' inclinations significantly influence their behavior. There are four main inclinations:

• Calm: Pawns with this inclination prioritize survival, keeping a safe distance from enemies and avoiding confrontation. They’re ideal for ranged attack vocations, such as Archer and Mage.

• Kind: Focused on supporting the group, these pawns heal allies, remove debuffs, and help fallen pawns. They ‘re excellent as healers or magical support.

• Simple: Curious by nature, these pawns explore the environment, collect items, and can even craft useful consumables. They’re great for players who want to maximize resource gathering.

• Direct: Aggressive and fearless, these pawns face enemies head-on, constantly seeking combat. They’re well-suited to close combat vocations such as Warrior and Thief.

You can change your main pawn’s inclination by using the item "Incense of the Rift",* which can be purchased from the Pawn Guild in Vernworth. After purchasing the incense corresponding to the desired inclination, set up camp and give it to your pawn to make the change.

The encumbrance system in Dragon's Dogma 2 is a vital mechanic that directly affects your mobility and combat efficiency. Exceeding the weight limit reduces your speed, increases stamina consumption, and can make it difficult to perform actions such as dodging and quick attacks.

To optimize your carrying capacity:

• Increase your character's size: As mentioned before, larger characters have a greater carrying capacity.

• Choose appropriate vocations: Some vocations, such as Warrior, offer greater carrying capacity compared to others.

• Consume Golden Treasure Beetles: These rare items permanently increase your carrying capacity by 0.15 kg per unit consumed.

• Equip Hoard Rings: Each ring increases your carrying capacity by 5 kg. You can equip up to two, for a total increase of 10 kg.

• Use the "Thew" skill: This skill, available to the Warrior vocation, increases your carrying capacity and can be equipped regardless of your current vocation after it’s unlocked.

On top of it, always manage your inventory, storing items you won't use or intend to sell soon in inns or at your residence to avoid overloading. Distribute the weight among your pawns to balance the load and keep only the essential items during expeditions.

Pay attention to the save system in Dragon's Dogma 2. There are two main types of saves:

• Save at the Inn: When you rest at an inn, you create a permanent save point. This is the only type of save that can be loaded through the “Load from Last Rest at Inn” option in the main menu. However, using this loading option overwrites all subsequent saves, potentially resulting in the loss of significant progress. So, use it carefully.

• Auto Save: The game autosaves at various times, such as when entering new areas or after important events. These saves are temporary and can be overwritten by subsequent saves.

Resting at camps restores your health and stamina, but doesn’t create a permanent save, so it’s always a good idea to rest at inns to ensure a safe return point in case of death or if you come to regret something.

Exploration is a central point in Dragon's Dogma 2. The game doesn’t provide explicit quest markers, encouraging players to interact with NPCs, explore the environment, and come across quests organically.

To maximize your efficiency:

• Talk to all the NPCs: Many will offer valuable information, side quests, or clues about upcoming events.

• Explore uncharted areas: Adventuring into unknown regions can reveal secrets, treasures, and unique challenges.

• Rest at inns: On top of creating save points, resting can unlock new quests or events.

• Use pawns with the “Simple” inclination: They’ll assist in gathering items and discovering areas of interest.

Remember that the game world is dynamic, with events that can happen at specific times or in response to your actions. Keep an eye out for changes in the environment and NPC reactions to make the most of your exploration.

Vocations determine the skills and equipment available to your character and pawns. In Dragon's Dogma 2, there are various vocations, each with distinct play styles and specific advantages. Mastering the vocation system is essential to adapting to the game's challenges and making the most of the combat and support mechanics.

You start the game with the option to choose between four basic vocations: Warrior, Thief, Archer, and Mage, each one fitting a different play style. The Warrior is excellent for those who prefer to face enemies head-on, with high resistance and powerful but slow attacks. The Thief relies on mobility, with fast attacks, the ability to climb large enemies and deal critical damage more frequently.

The Archer is focused on ranged attacks, ideal for those who’d rather keep a certain degree of security while attacking. Finally, the Mage is the support and offensive magic vocation, allowing you to heal allies, cast elemental spells, and control the battlefield.

As you progress, more advanced vocations become available, such as Heavy Warrior, Sorcerer, Ranger, and Fighter. These vocations require you to advance with the corresponding base ones, so it’s important to spend some time leveling up your starting vocation before unlocking the more advanced options. There are also vocations exclusive to the Arisen, such as Illusionist or Magecrat, which mix characteristics of several classes and can only be used by the main character.

You can change vocations at any time at the Vocation Guilds present in some cities, such as Vernworth. Changing vocations completely changes your skills and weapons, so it’s important to be prepared and carry the appropriate items if you want to try out another vocation in the middle of an expedition. It’s also worth noting that many unlocked skills are “passive” and can be equipped even after you change vocations. For example, you could start as a Warrior to unlock the Thew skill (which increases your carrying capacity), and then switch to Archer to continue having the carrying bonus. This allows you to create highly customized and optimized combinations.

Combat in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one of the most praised aspects of the game, with a lot of freedom and physics involved in battles. It’s not enough to just randomly press buttons; positioning, using your skills correctly and understanding enemies’ weaknesses are essential to winning the most difficult confrontations.

Enemies have specific weak points. Many large monsters, such as cyclopes and griffins, require the player to climb up their bodies to reach vulnerable areas. Others can be knocked down with blows to their legs or thrown off balance with constant impact. Magic, in turn, allows you to exploit elemental weaknesses. An enemy covered in fire will be more vulnerable to water or ice, while an undead creature will be weaker against holy magic.

Your pawns also play an important role in combat. They make remarks on enemy weaknesses in real time, suggest strategies, and adapt their behavior to the situation. Listening to what they say can make the difference between an effective fight and a drawn-out battle. Additionally, you can give your pawns basic commands, such as “Help me!”, “Back up!”, or “Attack!”, using the D-pad. While the control isn’t total, this system offers an extra layer of strategy, especially in more complex fights.

Another crucial point is stamina. It’s used for pretty much everything: running, attacking, climbing, casting spells or dodging. Knowing how to manage your stamina is vital, entering combat with a nearly empty bar can mean certain death, especially against bosses. So, always keep some consumables to restore stamina at hand and try to attack in safe windows, avoiding using it all at once.

During your travels, you’ll come across a huge variety of items: ingredients, upgrade materials, weapons, armor, consumables and much more. Knowing what to carry, what to keep and what to sell is a fundamental part of your survival.

Healing items, such as herbs and mushrooms, are plentiful at the start, but you’ll need them frequently. Combine ingredients to craft more efficient potions. For example, combining two simple healing herbs results in a potion that restores more HP. Creating your own consumables not only saves money, but also gives you quick access to useful items during combat.

Reinforcement materials may seem useless at first, but they’ll be vital later. Keep everything that looks like it’s related to upgrading. Armor and weapons can be improved by blacksmiths using these materials, significantly increasing their attributes. It’s also worth noting that certain items are only found in specific areas or at certain times in the game, so if you find something rare, don’t discard it before verifying what it's for.

Avoid carrying excess weight. Go to a bank or inn and transfer excess items to storage, you can do this either with your character or your pawns. Keeping your backpack light will give you more mobility and stamina, which can save your life in ambushes or long battles.

Dragon's Dogma 2 doesn’t have fast travel like other RPGs. Instead, you need to find teleportation crystals, called Portcrystals, and use an item called a Ferrystone to travel to them. Portcrystals can be either fixed (usually in large cities) or mobile (which you can place anywhere on the map). This creates an interesting dynamic, where choosing where to place a mobile crystal can save you a lot of time on future trips.

So, be mindful of where you place your mobile Portcrystals. Placing one near a farming area, a specific boss, or a location with quests can be an excellent strategy. Remember that you can pick them up and move them whenever you want, so don't hesitate to adapt them as you progress.

Walking around the map is also important to find secret locations, random encounters, and shortcuts. The game rewards exploration with hidden areas, locked chests, NPCs who offer temporary quests, and even special events that won't appear if you're always traveling by teleportation. It's worth noting that there are differences in what happens during the day and at night. During the night, enemies are stronger, there are unique creatures, and visibility is reduced a lot. So, always have on you a lantern with extra oil and be aware of your surroundings.

Also, sleeping in camps allows interactions between characters and can unlock story events or new opportunities for dialogue with nearby NPCs. Exploring without any rush, interacting with the world and observing the details are part of the game's charm.

Finally, for those who’re just starting out, there are some practices that help a lot:

• Always talk to the hired pawns as soon as you recruit them. They usually have important lines about their specialties and even about events they witnessed in other worlds.

• Avoid accumulating many tasks at the same time. Quests have a limited time to be completed, and some automatically fail if you wait too long. Prioritize the most urgent ones and always check the quest journal.

• Interact with everything. Break boxes, push objects, test alternative paths. There are secrets everywhere and the game rewards creativity.

• Save often and use the rest system to your advantage. Many mistakes can be avoided with a smart save, especially before accepting a complicated mission or exploring a new area.

• Don't rush to level up quickly. The game’s not about "grinding" levels. The natural progression already takes care of the task, and the variety of quests and enemies forces you to learn as you play.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers a deep experience, full of nuance and freedom. Even though it may seem complex at first glance, the game rewards experimentation, attention to detail and the desire to explore. Be it by adapting your build, choosing vocations or simply observing the behavior of your pawns, each small choice contributes to a unique journey.

With this guide, you’ll have a solid foundation to enjoy the best the game has to offer without getting lost in the layers of systems it presents. Now it’s up to you: choose your vocation, form your party and dive into this world full of dangers and discoveries. Good luck, Arisen!