Capcom Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Yep. That's the prick that stomped me. I'm in the Midnight Helix. I didn't realize the chained cyclopse could be fought. When I tried to, nothing happened. It didn't seem to respond or take any damage from my attacks. I'm also surprised that the gargoyle is weak to lightning. I don't remember my lightning attack doing much of anything. I may need to go pick up fulmination.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

https://dragonsdogma.fandom.com/wiki/Gargoyle

Hand to the heavens, never met the fella.

 

[Shrimp]

https://dragonsdogma.fandom.com/wiki/Gargoyle

Hand to the heavens, never met the fella.

They also have some red-coloured cousins that show up once you've killed Daimon. What about those?
https://dragonsdogma.fandom.com/wiki/Strigoi

 

[ERYFKRAD]

once you've killed Daimon

Working on it. Lost the old saves a while back.

 

[Matador]

Guys, can´t wait for DD2. Killing the wait with Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

So I went back to the mainland. It's nice running across some enemy groups that were once an extreme challenge now just being a moderate battle. I've been going up and down the coast near Aernst Castle ruins, Vestad Hills, and Devilfire Grove. I stumbled upon a Chimera and some saurian mooks. I was able to whip it pretty quickly, but it took me a little time to finish it off once it got frantic. Even still, it felt very manageable. I fought my first drake. At first it seemed hopeless, but with some clever maneuvering around rocks, I was able to kill it on my fourth attempt I think. The battle lasted from morning and through most of the night. I got lucky with some fulmination attacks. I've been trying to utilize it. It's high reward, but painfully high risk. I've also started to get the most out of synchoronos casting with my sidekick. We both have High Bolas (meteor swarm), and the combo is absolutely devastating. I found another safe zone past the mine entrance. Some kind of fort, but the gates are closed and none of the NPC guard seem to have any dialogue to let me in. This game is so much fun. It really captures adventuring exceptionally well. I can't sing this game's praises enough.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I found another safe zone past the mine entrance. Some kind of fort, but the gates are closed and none of the NPC guard seem to have any dialogue to let me in. This game is so much fun. It really captures adventuring exceptionally well. I can't sing this game's praises enough.

The Shadow Fort is one of the many locations tied to the main quest (or a handful of side quests); there's little worth mentioning that isn't. I highly recommend you get back to advancing the main quest (and keep an eye out for the major side quests, not to be confused with the noticeboard quests).

 

[Matador]

I think a lot of people undervalue DD open world compared to Bitterblack Isle.

For an unfinished map is a very interesting an fun world to explore, one of the best modern examples of Open World. if a ltitle empty in some places. I have high hopes in DD2 exploration now they had proper time to finish the world.

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

I think a lot of people undervalue DD open world compared to Bitterblack Isle.

For an unfinished map is a very interesting an fun world to explore, one of the best modern examples of Open World. if a ltitle empty in some places. I have high hopes in DD2 exploration now they had proper time to finish the world.

It's fun to explore but a waste of time. I killed a bunch of bosses tied to quests in Gran Soren before I ever got there, some of them before I even entered the encampment. I didn't get a quest drop or any recognition, just a respawn. That is a waste of time, and why BitterBlack Isle is a much better experience than the grind of the Open World.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I think a lot of people undervalue DD open world compared to Bitterblack Isle.

For an unfinished map is a very interesting an fun world to explore, one of the best modern examples of Open World. if a ltitle empty in some places. I have high hopes in DD2 exploration now they had proper time to finish the world.

It's fun to explore but a waste of time. I killed a bunch of bosses tied to quests in Gran Soren before I ever got there, some of them before I even entered the encampment. I didn't get a quest drop or any recognition, just a respawn. That is a waste of time, and why BitterBlack Isle is a much better experience than the grind of the Open World.

YMMV of course, but games are about having fun, so if exploring was fun then it wasn't a waste of time.

Anyway, if you feel it's busy work, you can always just drop a port crystal so you don't have to repeat the journey when you've been going across the map. Fighting stuff is one of the major parts of the game, so respawns have never bothered me. Depends what you like about the game, I suppose.

I agree with Matador that exploring the open world tends to get undervalued, especially when you're underlevelled. I remember supplying up and planning what I'd need to cross the map for certain things because some of the encounters are actually quite treacherous if you haven't out-levelled or out-geared them like some of the bandit ambush areas. Or running into drakes or (to a lesser extent) chimeras. Or even singing harpies around the cursed lake. Etc.

 

[Ezekiel]

I think a lot of people undervalue DD open world compared to Bitterblack Isle.

For an unfinished map is a very interesting an fun world to explore, one of the best modern examples of Open World. if a ltitle empty in some places. I have high hopes in DD2 exploration now they had proper time to finish the world.

But where are the forests? Dense forests. The land seems barren even in the sequel. Don't think trees blocking navigation of NPCs and enemies justifies there being so few of them. The big monsters could smash through.

Barely any grass either, I just realized. Mostly so short that it looks mowed. Barren.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

So I started paying more attention to the main quest. I did an escort mission to the Shadow Fort when that quest triggered, and wow. It was glorious.

I arrived at dusk with the assault truly beginning in the courtyard at nightfall. Two dozen goblins and two cyclopes. The battle was tremendous. Not just above ground but in the caverns and trenches below. After letting in the military and breaching the gates, we waded through another horde as we fought our way to the battlements. Upon reaching the ramparts there was not merely goblins but another cyclopse. The close quarters made it as dangerous as the battle against two in the courtyard. After defeating the goblin warchief, we emerged from the keep just as dawn broke over the canyon. It was a genuinely epic and majestic moment. To follow it up, I even had my first Griffin fight. Outstanding.

This game fully captures the spirit of AD&D. Playing this games is like putting a visual to the imagined scenes when playing PnP. Questing the rolling countryside. Bandits, hordes, grandiose monsters. Even the sophmoric medieval banters and gregorian choral music contribute to the authenticity. There is a surprising amoubt of emergent gameplay like baiting monsters with meat, distracting patrols with thrown objects, setting traps with consumables. This game is superb. I think I might write a review.

 

[Matador]

So I started paying more attention to the main quest. I did an escort mission to the Shadow Fort when that quest triggered, and wow. It was glorious.

I arrived at dusk with the assault truly beginning in the courtyard at nightfall. Two dozen goblins and two cyclopes. The battle was tremendous. Not just above ground but in the caverns and trenches below. After letting in the military and breaching the gates, we waded through another horde as we fought our way to the battlements. Upon reaching the ramparts there was not merely goblins but another cyclopse. The close quarters made it as dangerous as the battle against two in the courtyard. After defeating the goblin warchief, we emerged from the keep just as dawn broke over the canyon. It was a genuinely epic and majestic moment. To follow it up, I even had my first Griffin fight. Outstanding.

This game fully captures the spirit of AD&D. Playing this games is like putting a visual to the imagined scenes when playing PnP. Questing the rolling countryside. Bandits, hordes, grandiose monsters. Even the sophmoric medieval banters and gregorian choral music contribute to the authenticity. There is a surprising amoubt of emergent gameplay like baiting monsters with meat, distracting patrols with thrown objects, setting traps with consumables. This game is superb. I think I might write a review.

Great write up, looking for your review.

Yes, escort missions were really fun and tense first walkthrough. I remember starting at dawn, barely surviving the mines with the ogre, and arriving at night at the destination fort with nasty night only enemies harassing us, with the great night lightning this game has. Great adventure sense.

 

[Old One]

The mine is an excellent early dungeon. What's also great is that if you go back later after you've finished it, it has new (far less dangerous) inhabitants.

 

[AlwaysBrotoMen]

Started playing the game and halfway across it. It's way better than Dark Souls in my opinion but not as good as Shadow of the Colossus. There is a major flaw in this game- I always face the same enemies again and again when I traverse the terrain which makes it boring. This happens not only in games like Dragons Dogma but also the same for games like Elden's Ring and Legend of Zelda.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I've been trying to clear out my miscellaneous sidequests before I meet the king and advance the plot. I still find myself just exploring and really enjoying that. Part of me thinks I might be spoiling it once I do engage the plot.

In my sparse evening free-time, I used to practice my violin. I used to read books. Exercise. Romance my wife. Now there is only Dragon's Dogma. Glorious adventuring, monster slaying, and godly magic. Send help.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

This game fully captures the spirit of AD&D.

Send help.

Help will only come after the ride is over

 

[gabel]

[...] Send help.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[Black]

 

[Silverfish]

Made it 'till the Raid: Shadow Legends shill. It's cool that she completed the challenge / sucks that it can't be done. Whichever.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I was mucking around on Bitterblack Isle on my way back from the chained cyclops (I didn't kill it) and a Elder Ogre spawned at the same time and place as the giant skeletal warrior down there. It took me a solid 2 hours to defeat it. I got it down to it's last life more than once, but it would always one-shot me before I could finish it. Being a party of casters, we didn't really have a good way to knock it down or capitalize while it was on the ground. I didn't have access to the sleep spell, which was disappointing. We had to take turns kiting it while the others would cast. Lots of terrain hoping. My most effective spells were High Fulmination and High Tornado. My sidekick is also a sorcerer, so we could double stack those and reliably stun it. Electrical spells did best, but High Fulmination is incredibly risky, especially when it one-shots me. I was only using 2 pawns, and both died while it was only it's 2nd to last health bar. I was able to kill it by hoping to and from vantage points as it chased me. It reminds me of when I first met the regular ogre in the mines when I was half my current level. It was a very similar experience. I look forward to being able to crush these with my spells like I do ordinary ogres.

I got the key to unlock the lower reaches of Bitterblack Isle. Not sure I want to head down there just yet. I'm thinking I might resume the plot. I'm still having a great time with the game, but I'd really like to find some decent loot. Thus far I'm not impressed with what is available to me. The best staff I found is Stone something, and it's for mages. I'm kind of annoyed how they have different primary weapons (staffs). Seems like a needless distinction.

 

[Sweeper]

>Level up
>Attribute points are allocated automatically based on vocation
Why am I playing this?

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

Because its a good game, the best "ARPG" out there. Bitterblack Isle is a great dungeon crawl.

 

[Sweeper]

So I just restarted for the 3rd time, it's like, I just wanna play the game, ya know have some fun with it and shit. But then that little voice at the back of my head starts talking

Hey dumb fuck, you aren't min-maxing

Your character is going to be inferior at level 200

You'll sink dozens, if not hundreds of hours into this thing and you'll end up with something that's inferior

So now I'm gonna play an Assassin up until 200 and then switch to the vocation I actually wanna play, Warrior.

Spoiler

I hate this game.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

The open world map is kinda cool, i mean, it has plenty of apparently open spaces but this also has the effect of making the land feel more like a simulation of a medieval countryside instead of a fantasy theme park like other crpgs.