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Things Dragon's Dogma 2 Doesn't Tell You
Part of the unspoken agreement when playing a wide-open adventure like Dragon’s Dogma 2 is that there will be things you have to discover on your own. A lot of the joy comes from realizations, big and small, about how the world works and what’s just over that next hill. But with that joy can come some frustrations and ways to waste time or lose progress as well. To help you avoid that, here are 10 Things Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t tell you.
Sleep at an Inn to Avoid Losing Progress
You only have one save file going in Dragon’s Dogma 2, with manual saves and autosaves taking up the same slot. This means you could potentially lose hours of progress after hitting a bug or an unwinnable situation. The only way to avoid this is through resting at an inn or in your own house once you can afford to buy one.
- See How Save Files Work for more details and tips!
Inn saves serve as a hard checkpoint that you can return to if you find yourself in a no-win or bugged situation. We’ve already had multiple people at IGN lose hours of progress before understanding the importance of inn saves, so let our mistakes be a lesson to you.
Your Pause Screen Is A Clock
There’s a lot of content and mechanics tied to the day/night cycle in Dragon’s Dogma 2, so it’s important to know when sunrise or sunset is coming so you can plan accordingly or get to the nearest bed or campfire. Just go to the pause screen and look at the giant sundial to see where you are in the day as it moves counterclockwise.
The top of the screen always shows the current time, and the ring moves from east to west – like the real sun. So, in the image above, the sun is setting and it’s about to be dusk. When the sun is at the top of the screen, it’s midday, and when it’s at the bottom, it’s midnight. See How to Tell Time for more information!
Bump And Lift Can Steal Great Gear
There’s a core Thief skill called Bump and Lift that gives you a small chance to steal things from enemies when you hit them with your standard attack. Sometimes, these rewards are small, but we’ve pulled fantastic weapons from bosses by simply having this ability equipped. Don’t neglect to acquire this skill, and remember to use the standard attack when playing as a Thief – especially against bosses.
Archers Require Resource Management
While standard arrows are unlimited for archers, some skills, like Tarring Shot and Debilitating Shot require specific kinds of arrows that are used every time you use that skill. Make sure you either buy or craft them when needed. For Tarring Shot, the arrows you need can be made from Lantern Oil, which comes from crafting two pieces of Rotten Food. So, keeping some food and withered branches (the base for most arrow types) handy for crafting is a good idea.
Avoid Death (or Come Back Stronger)
Between giant rampaging monsters, falling from an ill-timed grab, or just getting cold-cocked by an enemy you didn’t see coming, you’ll probably die more than a few times in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Thankfully, there are a few ways to help avoid that. Recovery items are set to a shortcut you can use by holding L1 or the Left Bumper and pressing up or down on D-Pad. And the item menu is set to left on the D-Pad.
When taking a fatal hit, there’s a brief moment in time when you can still heal to keep from going unconscious. If you don’t have any healing items or you don’t make it in time, a Wakestone will give you all your HP back, even the amount you didn’t have pre-death because of the loss gauge.
Ferrystones Are Hard to Come By Early-On
Fast travel in Dragon’s Dogma 2 requires two things – a Portcrystal you can fast travel to, and a Ferrystone to spend to initiate your fast travel. Early on in your adventure, Ferrystones are quite hard to come by, but there are at least two we can point you towards right now.
One can be found on top of the belltower in Vernworth. Go inside the inn and climb up the stairs to reach a ladder that leads to the roof. From there, jump over to the belltower to find three chests – with one containing a Ferrystone – and a Seeker’s Token between them all. Bring the token to the vocation guild in town to immediately receive another Ferrystone for free. See How to Get Ferrystones for more info.
Let Go and Walk to Save Stamina
Climbing on enemies and stabbing weak points is vital to succeed against big enemies, but holding on to them rapidly drains your stamina. Thankfully, there are times when you can simply walk along an enemy’s back, such as when fighting a griffin.
Just be ready to grab on again if the monster changes position, and have a stamina-replenishing item ready so you don’t get thrown off. If you manage your stamina correctly, you can ride a griffin all the way back to its nest to get some valuable goodies, including a portable Portcrystal.
Size Affects Encumbrance (and More)
Character creation isn’t just for show in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Make a character and a pawn you enjoy looking at, sure, but keep in mind that their body types directly affect how much weight they can carry in their individual inventories.
Taller characters are able to carry more weight than shorter ones, so if you don’t mind creating either a tall Arisen or a tall main pawn, it can be beneficial for you in the long run. Certain items like rings and golden beetles also allow you to carry more weight, so don’t stress too much if you’d rather create shorter characters.
Enhance Equipment to Help With Encumbrance
Each major settlement has its own special way of enhancing gear, resulting in different effects. Enhancing your armor and weapons in Vernworth makes them lighter, which can free up space in your inventory if you’re having trouble with carry weight.
The Dragonforged in Battahl can also enhance your gear once it has already been upgraded three times. Enhancing gear this way will cut its carry weight in half.
It’s important to note, though, that enhancing your weapons and armor in Bakbattahl actually increases its carry weight while offering other beneficial stat increases to counter that con.
Camping Kits Aren’t Single-Use
Camping kits don’t go away after you use them, so don’t bother saving or hoarding them. You can use camping kits as many times as you want so long as monsters don’t attack your campsite when you rest. Make sure that campsites are clear of monsters and other enemies before resting.
You also don’t need to buy your first camping kit – you can find one along the path to Melve by visiting the Borderland Campground just east of the Borderland Outpost. These kits can also be found at many other campsites, so it’s not often you’ll need to buy one. If the kit is too heavy for you or your main pawn, simply place it in another pawn’s inventory. Just be sure to take your camping kit back before replacing the pawn with another one in the rift.
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