10 Beginner Tips for Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is all about exploring the open world and fighting monsters in a creative and immersive way. While challenging at times, I’ve got some advice that will help you better learn the mechanics for a more enjoyable experience. Here are my 10 beginner tips for Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Top 10 Dragon’s Dogma 2 Beginner Tips

Gather Everything for Crafting and Healing

Every Greenwarish and Harspud you find is incredibly useful throughout the game since you can make stamina and healing potions with them. Dragon’s Dogma 2 places a lot of emphasis on consumables you can craft, so any plant, fruit, meat, scrap, etc., will be useful eventually. To craft, simply open your inventory and press Square on PS5 or the crafting button on PC. Then, you can combine various ingredients like Greenwarish and any fruit for a healing potion.

While in the wild on a main quest, don’t be afraid to stray from the beaten path since you’ll find chests or mini-dungeons almost everywhere. These are usually filled with gold, useful enhancing materials, or even better gear. Here are two examples for Thieves and Fighters. This doesn’t stop in cities either. City roofs, towers, and elevated platforms are filled with chests. If your pawn prompts you to a ladder or a secret chest, hit the “Go!” command, and they’ll lead you to some hidden loot.

Mage is the Best Pawn

The Mage is one of the best, if not the best, main or side pawns to have in the game. They have access to AOE damage spells, offensive and defensive ally buffs, and, most importantly, Anodyne and Argent Tonic, which are healing spells. With a Mage in your party, you won’t need to spend your curatives as they can heal you at just the cost of their stamina, which regenerates automatically. The reason I like them as a main pawn is you can customize their spells to suit your needs and balance damage, support, and healing.

In certain main mission scenarios and some open-world boss battles, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is balanced around a four-person party — more specifically, you, your main pawn, and two other hired pawns. If you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to hire side pawns. I recommend looking for 0 RC cost ones in the beginning. These are usually Capcom pawns, which you can hire in the open world and at Rift Stones. They’re great for the early game when you don’t have as much RC.

Monsters Take Increased Damage at Weak Spots

Both smaller and larger boss-like enemies have weak spots or are weak to a particular element. Saurians have high defenses, but when I focused on their tail and cut it off, they became drastically weaker. Most bosses like Cyclops, Trolls, and Minotaurs will take increased damage when you climb on them with Grab and hit their head. If they fall down, approach their head, and, instead of mashing attack, hit their head with your vocation’s alternate attack or Y on PS5 for massive damage.

Lightning damage can also shock and stun bosses and enemies like Saurians, and Oozes are weak to frost damage because it freezes them. In the same vein, Phantoms are highly resistant to physical damage but weak to elemental. If the fight is too hard, you should probably try looking for a weak spot or using a specific element.

Rest Regularly to Restore Maximum Health

While Mages and curatives can easily heal you in a fight, there’s a limit. The loss gauge accumulates as you take damage and lowers your maximum HP. No healing source can heal you past the loss gauge, and the only way to restore it is by resting at an inn or, better yet, camping. I recommend looking for campfires around the map once you notice your loss gauge is capping your health around 50% to 60%.

Merchants Sell the Best Gear

In Dragon’s Dogma 2, city merchants actually sell the best weapons and armor for each level, unlike most RPGs where merchant gear is obsolete. I’d recommend saving up your gold so that you buy the best weapons and armor for you and your pawns each time you reach a new town. Here are the main merchant locations you should focus on in the early to mid-game:

• Melve.
• Vernworth.
• Vernworth merchants update once you unlock Warrior and Sorcerer.
• Nameless Village.
• Rest Town Checkpoint.
• Bakbatthal.

Buying the best gear at these locations as you progress through the game ensures you always have level-appropriate weapons and armor. You can find weapons and armor in the open world as well, but merchant gear is usually better.

Increased Difficulty During Nighttime

If you’re struggling with overland travel, make sure you’re not traveling during nighttime. Not only is it harder to see, but tougher enemies like Phantoms and Skeletons will spawn that have resistance to physical damage. Moreover, enemies will spawn in larger groups, and there will even be special tougher bosses that appear. This is fun once you’re geared up and used to the combat system, but early on, nighttime travel can be frustrating.

Use Fire and Ranged Abilities to Land Flying Monsters

This is about Harpies and Griffons. While Archer and Mage have plenty of ranged skills to combat harpies, Thief and Fighter can struggle. That said, I’d recommend getting the Ensare skill for Thieves to pull harpies to the ground. Alternatively, Fighters can learn Skyward Slash, which is incredible for taking down flying enemies.

As for Griffons, use fire damage on their wings to force them to land. This can be from shooting Tarring Arrows and the Fire-based ones with Archer, fire magic with Mage, or Enkindled Blades while climbing their Wings for Thieves. Setting fire to a Griffon’s wings makes the fight drastically easier.

Transfer Gear to Pawns and Deposit at Storage

Exploring and gathering gear, enhancement materials, and crafting supplies can overload your character and slow them down. I regularly deposit all of these on my pawns while out in the open world. It works great since you can move better and automatically access their materials if you’re crafting or trading.

Furthermore, once you’re in Melve or Vernworth, you can go to the local inn and deposit gear in your storage. I recommend depositing enhancement materials there since you don’t need them on you when enhancing, as the merchant will pull them from your storage. Furthermore, you can put fruits, flowers, and meat in your storage, and it won’t decay. I would only carry the food you need along with any healing potions and curatives you need.

Change Your Vocation Once You Reach Maximum Rank

Once you get to Rank 10 with a Vocation, you cannot rank it further, and there’s no benefit to sticking with one Vocation the entire game. I recommend switching to a different one you like and leveling it up instead since you can unlock their augments and then mix and match. The same goes for your main pawn. That said, I’d try to find one that uses similar gear, like Fighter and Warrior or Mage and Sorcerer, so you save money on that front.

Don’t Be Afraid to Run From a Hard Fight

Lastly, if a fight is too difficult, especially if you come across Griffins and Drakes early, you don’t lose anything if you just retreat. Bosses don’t despawn, and you can always find them again later once you have better gear or are at a higher level. If you see that a fight is extremely hard, it’s usually better to just run way and use the “Come Here!” command to get your pawns to follow you and come back later.

That’s it for my top 10 beginner tips for Dragon’s Dogma 2. For more Dragon’s Dogma 2 guides, check out how to give pawns the best Chirurgeon specialization.