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Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen |OT| deep down darkness

kmg90

Member
i'm playing my first run on hard, and i'm getting one shoted anytime anywhere, all i can do is walk and send my pawns to attack the enemies before they see me.

is there a way to save without entering a new area? i'm stuck on my way to the castle, but everytime i died i have restart all the way from the camp entrance.

it's getting annoying.

I have not played hard mode but there is a save function via the start menu

Press Start then press Select/Back
 
I must be fucking crazy here because I'm having a terrible time playing this game. There are way too many annoyances and every skirmish takes way too damn long. Half of the time, it feels like I'm 10 levels under-leveled. AND I switched the difficulty to easy.

I just spent the last hour and a half exploring the region west of Cassardis or whatever the fuck it's called and I had no choice but to stop playing because my left hand started to cramp up. From the palm all the way down to the elbow. That shit has Never happened to me before. I've gone over 12 hours in other games, but putting up with the combat in DD:DA is a humungous hassle. I don't even wanna list all the problems because thinking about it aggravates me. A special shout out for the amount of button mashing involved though.
I'm done with this crap. I honestly don't know how you people put up with it.

Want quick skirmishes? Switch to warrior. One-two shot a lot of your regular enemies. Also try thinking of combos so battles don't just become mash light attack.
 

Xanathus

Member
Is anyone still using the google doc spreadsheet in the first post? Just added myself to it, PSN ID is xanxanlol and pawn name is Shadow, a level 40ish Strider with Scather/Challenger inclination. Would be great if it gets some rentals, I haven't had anyone rent my pawn so far.

Reposting this for next page, feel free to add me as a friend on PSN so you can hire my pawn for free even if you're below it's level.
 
It's bad to have my main pawn as a fighter if I'm a Warrior? I want a Caska for my Gutts :(

Not really. Just make sure you have a mage in your party. Imo one warrior is enough to dish physical damage close up. You need someone who dishes magical damage and heals in your party so Mage or Mage and Sorcerer.

My party: Warrior, Ranger, Mage (my pawn), Sorcerer.

Reposting this for next page, feel free to add me as a friend on PSN so you can hire my pawn for free even if you're below it's level.

I'll add you soon (like next week). Feeling a bit OP right now so a pawn lvl 40 seems overkill. Will hire when I reach that lvl (I'm 37 right now).
 
Reposting this for next page, feel free to add me as a friend on PSN so you can hire my pawn for free even if you're below it's level.

I don't play DD for a few weeks, but if you ever need a high lvl pawn, feel free to add me. My PSN ID is on the list.

It's bad to have my main pawn as a fighter if I'm a Warrior? I want a Caska for my Gutts :(

Not really. Make sure you have paws that can deal mid-range damage or heal and you are good to go.

My favourite team is: Assasin (Arisen) - Strider (Main Pawn) - Sorcerer (Second account) - Fighter or Strider depending on what I'm going to do.

And for healing, every pawn have healing items on their inventory. It's a versatile team that can deal damage close quarters or from mid-range.
 
Is anyone still using the google doc spreadsheet in the first post? Just added myself to it, PSN ID is xanxanlol and pawn name is Shadow, a level 40ish Strider with Scather/Challenger inclination. Would be great if it gets some rentals, I haven't had anyone rent my pawn so far.
just started playing. added you, need 1 more pawn, preferably a casting class as my main is a fighter. can i change my main pawns vocation?
 
just started playing. added you, need 1 more pawn, preferably a casting class as my main is a fighter. can i change my main pawns vocation?

Yes, you can change your main pawn and arisen vocations by talking to Asalam in the Union Inn in Grand Soren, or by talking to Olra at the entrance of Bitterblack Isle.
 

Xanathus

Member
just started playing. added you, need 1 more pawn, preferably a casting class as my main is a fighter. can i change my main pawns vocation?
Added you on PSN. If you're still early in the game feel free to change it but you shouldn't change from a physical class to a magic class or vice versa after you've gained many levels because you/the pawn will have low str/magic stats.
 
This game is awesome. I stopped playing like a year ago, Maybe more.

Seeing how it's on PS+ I am tempted to get back into it.

It's weird because I have had the have the digital download since it was released. I played the original when it first dropped.

It being on PS+ makes me want to play it even though it provides me nobenefits such as people to play with. (Maybe a few pawns)

I feel it's more about sharing my love for the game with a new community just discovering it.


I still really fucking hate Capcom though.
 

Xanathus

Member
Added you on PSN. If you're still early in the game feel free to change it but you shouldn't change from a physical class to a magic class or vice versa after you've gained many levels because you/the pawn will have low str/magic stats.
so am i better off just restarting?

i'm not really liking strider atm either. wanted a melee class, but it seems favourable for me to just sit back unleash arrows. playing hard mode and everything one-shots me. even random rats out of nowhere.

don't want to go off on a tangent, but i find this game way harder than dark souls, at least for my aggressive playstyle. dark souls, you have block, parry, invincible roll. you can stare an opponent in the face and counter any attack on reaction. in this game, strider gets nothing at early levels. random one-shot deaths out of nowhere, even when my tank is holding aggro and i'm behind the opponents back. feel too reliant on pawns. i want to play a class that doesn't have to hide behind them.
 

Xanathus

Member
so am i better off just restarting?

i'm not really liking strider atm either. wanted a melee class, but it seems favourable for me to just sit back unleash arrows. playing hard mode and everything one-shots me. even random rats out of nowhere.

don't want to go off on a tangent, but i find this game way harder than dark souls, at least for my aggressive playstyle. dark souls, you have block, parry, invincible roll. you can stare an opponent in the face and counter any attack on reaction. in this game, strider gets nothing at early levels. random one-shot deaths out of nowhere, even when my tank is holding aggro and i'm behind the opponents back. feel too reliant on pawns. i want to play a class that doesn't have to hide behind them.
You aren't meant to start Hard Mode at level 1, it's a DLC mode that was added into the original Dragon Dogma which lets you carry over your stuff ala New Game Plus. Change the difficulty to Normal for your first run. That's why you're getting crushed.
 
so am i better off just restarting?

i'm not really liking strider atm either. wanted a melee class, but it seems favourable for me to just sit back unleash arrows. playing hard mode and everything one-shots me. even random rats out of nowhere.

don't want to go off on a tangent, but i find this game way harder than dark souls, at least for my aggressive playstyle. dark souls, you have block, parry, invincible roll. you can stare an opponent in the face and counter any attack on reaction. in this game, strider gets nothing at early levels. random one-shot deaths out of nowhere, even when my tank is holding aggro and i'm behind the opponents back. feel too reliant on pawns. i want to play a class that doesn't have to hide behind them.

You are playing hard mode, so is supposed to be....hard.

If this is your first time playing Dragon's Dogma, play on normal and when you finish the game, play on hard.

Also, you can block using a shield, you can counter by doing an assassin dagger skill, and you can roll by buying the Forward Roll Core Skill (Strider, Ranger, Magick Archer and Assassin).
 

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Anyone getting a DSouls vibe from the Dark Arisen content?

- Everything is dark and gritty. Now DSouls didn't invent dark fantasy settings, but the vibe is similar, I think, getting flashbacks of Latria and Valley of Defilement.
- The sewers area near the end of the map reminds me of the Depths, but darker (mix of the Tomb of the Giants with the Depths haha).
- There are poisonoous swamps (well, small ones, more like puddles xD) with leeches and slugs.
- One of the bosses is the
empty suit of armour, he's like dark blue and moves around kind of like Sir Artorias.
- Dark Arisen is much harder than the vanilla game, even on normal difficulty.
- I fought a
Gorecyclop
by attacking its feet a lot until it fell and then you could spam while he was down, reminded me of the Tower Knight a bit.

Now I realize than other than the Artorias thing none of these things are that exclusive to the Souls games but I really feel they've been trying to ape From Software's signature a bit with the Dark Arisen content. I'm not complaining mind you, those are all good things. :) Just a thing I noticed.
 
You are playing hard mode, so is supposed to be....hard.

If this is your first time playing Dragon's Dogma, play on normal and when you finish the game, play on hard.

Also, you can block using a shield, you can counter by doing an assassin dagger skill, and you can roll by buying the Forward Roll Core Skill (Strider, Ranger, Magick Archer and Assassin).
i play everything on hard. at least it's not as bad as oblivion on hard. i'll assume it will get easier once i get the roll or switch to sin for a shield, so i'll stick with it for now.

what's the consensus on dazzle hold and ensare? in terms of how many monsters are immune? i'll assume all bosses are immune?
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
Anyone care to help a fellow Gaffer out? ;________;

If it's at all possible, carry my Pawn for a while for Rift Crystals. I will carry your pawn too, for a long while, if it's what you want. She's currently a level 20 Sorcerer (only 6 level in Sorcerer though, before she's a fighter for Sinew) so still a bit weak.

I am playing ps3 version, My PSN is LaughingBanana and my Pawn's name is Celestia. If anyone want me to carry their pawns, just tell me and I'll do it. My MC is currently a warrior, planning to make him Assassin/Ranger end-game.. mostly ranger. So it would be great--although not necessary since I will be happy to carry any kind of pawn regardless--if your pawn's class can complement my MC's and Main Pawn's.

i play everything on hard. at least it's not as bad as oblivion on hard. i'll assume it will get easier once i get the roll or switch to sin for a shield, so i'll stick with it for now.

what's the consensus on dazzle hold and ensare? in terms of how many monsters are immune? i'll assume all bosses are immune?

Well... Ensnare/Implicate I think is one of the better mainstays of a Strider, but of course you can't expect it to pull off large stuff like Griffin or Cyclops. But many of the hard-hitting enemies in Blackbitter Island are susceptible to it.
 
Anyone care to help a fellow Gaffer out? ;________;

If it's at all possible, carry my Pawn for a while for Rift Crystals. I will carry your pawn too, for a long while, if it's what you want. She's currently a level 20 Sorcerer (only 6 level in Sorcerer though, before she's a fighter for Sinew) so still a bit weak.

I am playing ps3 version, My PSN is LaughingBanana and my Pawn's name is Celestia. If anyone want me to carry their pawns, just tell me and I'll do it. My MC is currently a warrior, planning to make him Assassin/Ranger end-game.. mostly ranger. So it would be great--although not necessary since I will be happy to carry any kind of pawn regardless--if your pawn's class can complement my MC's and Main Pawn's.



Well... Ensnare/Implicate I think is one of the better mainstays of a Strider, but of course you can't expect it to pull off large stuff like Griffin or Cyclops. But many of the hard-hitting enemies in Blackbitter Island are susceptible to it.
i could definitely use a caster. anything's better than rook or whatever his name is. prolly won't get on till tomorrow tho. don't even worry to use my pawn. still deciding what skills to buy for him. what's usually recommended for a tank role?
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
i meant in terms of specific skills.

Fighter is the best suited for tanking roles, and the AI is really adept with Perfect Blocks.

Shield Drum is a must, and on the offensive side Dragon's Maw. Everything else is alright, actually, if you have those two installed.

As for augments, Bastion from Warrior and Awareness from Sorcerer is a must.

And uh, don't pick Guardian as his/her inclination. Utilitarian is alright.... this means he/she will use Shield Drum more often but the trade off is he/she will grab enemies more often too, which can be annoying if you expect your main pawn to go on the offensive. I'd personally recommend Scather/Utilitarian though.

Also, I don't mind carrying your pawn if you are ok with it. Just tell me your PSN and Pawn's details. Additional Rift Crystals wouldn't hurt, right? :)
 

QisTopTier

XisBannedTier
Just started, I want to be a super tanky fighter I know there are class based stat growths and skills is there any path of leveling I can tank to get the highest defense while getting good skills?
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
Just started, I want to be a super tanky fighter I know there are class based stat growths and skills is there any path of leveling I can tank to get the highest defense while getting good skills?

It's a trade off really for every thing that you do.

The best defense stat growth is Fighter, so if you want the *highest defense stat possible* then all you need to do is to level your Arisen as fighter the most.

However, the fighter will have severe problems fighting some of the toughest enemies in the game, especially the flying variety like Dragons or enemies like Golems (Metal golem is almost impossible to defeat alone as a Fighter).

Warriors offer great stat all around for tanking, as they offer the highest HP growth out all of the vocations paired with respectable defense growth. However the stamina growth for Warriors is pathetic, and Magic turns Warrior to cinder and a Warrior is even more difficult to handle overall than Fighter.

I would recommend Fighter to at least rank 5 to get Sinew, and if you are pursuing physical, then Warrior to get Clout, Ferocity, then perhaps pursue Vehemence as well from Fighter. This will make you suitably tough against physical attacks--although weak against magical attack (though you can grab Awareness from Sorcerer class to mitigate it somewhat)

Also, if you want, what do you say about pawn exchange for Rift Crystals? Add me in LaughingBanana (PS3) if it interests you :)
 

perorist

Unconfirmed Member
Just started, I want to be a super tanky fighter I know there are class based stat growths and skills is there any path of leveling I can tank to get the highest defense while getting good skills?
Kind of pegged you as more of the technical type Q :p

Assassin has parries with i-frames that can counter nearly every attack in the game save for a few grabs and magic spells. Very fun playstyle if you want to try it. Would be best suited for an attack build
 

QisTopTier

XisBannedTier
Kind of pegged you as more of the technical type Q :p

Assassin has parries with i-frames that can counter nearly every attack in the game save for a few grabs and magic spells. Very fun playstyle if you want to try it. Would be best suited for an attack build
In fantasy stuff I'm pretty untechnical. Hell I played a cleric build in Darksouls and demon souls that's about as untechnical as you can get :p
 
Fighter is the best suited for tanking roles, and the AI is really adept with Perfect Blocks.

Shield Drum is a must, and on the offensive side Dragon's Maw. Everything else is alright, actually, if you have those two installed.

As for augments, Bastion from Warrior and Awareness from Sorcerer is a must.

And uh, don't pick Guardian as his/her inclination. Utilitarian is alright.... this means he/she will use Shield Drum more often but the trade off is he/she will grab enemies more often too, which can be annoying if you expect your main pawn to go on the offensive. I'd personally recommend Scather/Utilitarian though.

Also, I don't mind carrying your pawn if you are ok with it. Just tell me your PSN and Pawn's details. Additional Rift Crystals wouldn't hurt, right? :)
how do i know what my inclination is? you can carry my pawn if you want, but it may end up being just dead weight lol. so far only got shield drum and the vitality passive.

psn: ihearthawthats
pawn: wakuraku


i actually got pretty excited when i thought you could grab enemies, but you can't do anything with it? just put them back down or throw for like no damage? are there grapple skills?
 
how do i know what my inclination is? you can carry my pawn if you want, but it may end up being just dead weight lol. so far only got shield drum and the vitality passive.

psn: ihearthawthats
pawn: wakuraku


i actually got pretty excited when i thought you could grab enemies, but you can't do anything with it? just put them back down or throw for like no damage? are there grapple skills?

- You can check the inclination of your pawn in his status page, there are various pages with your skills and stats, it's in one of them.
- You can grab and throw enemies from high places like cliffs to kill them or you climb onto enemies, it's the preferred tactic to inflict major damage on ogres and dragons (you climb on the back of the first and let him take his mask off and you cling at the heart of the second). Basically you climb on big enemies and smash square.
 

BadWolf

Member
Got this via PS+ and my mind is seriously blown at how good this is.

The world is freaking huge and awesome, the moment I realized that that tiny ass structure I saw way off in the distance during my exploration was where I had to travel for a boss showdown was really something. Add to that the fact that the journey there took me an entire day and the boss fight took place at night in the midst of a thunderstorm and I was pretty much speechless.

And that's one of the great things about the game. The story itself and characters seem extremely bland but the way the game and your travels play out it feels like you are creating your own epic story. Couldn't help but take a screen shot of my party basking in the first rays of sunlight after a tough night of traveling with undead, Chimera and thieves on my tail.

What is making this even kind of cooler is that by complete chance (only realized it after like an hour of play) I ended up having my character dress up like Nausicaa from the Ghibli film, complete with the blue overalls and head wear with the mask. She feels like a cute bundle of assassin power.

And they pretty much nailed the combat, always wondered how an action rpg would play with a top tier battle system and this is my answer. Everything feels good and there are so many abilities. And the class system is probably one of my fave implementations in any game, since its not just about abilities but using classes to boost various stats and obtain augmentations to use in your preferred class.

Now I don't feel so bad about getting a half assed DMC4 and no DMC5 this gen from Itsuno lol.
 

Xanathus

Member
- You can check the inclination of your pawn in his status page, there are various pages with your skills and stats, it's in one of them.
- You can grab and throw enemies from high places like cliffs to kill them or you climb onto enemies, it's the preferred tactic to inflict major damage on ogres and dragons (you climb on the back of the first and let him take his mask off and you cling at the heart of the second). Basically you climb on big enemies and smash square.
There's also the Scarlet Kisses dagger skill that Striders/Assassins/Rangers have can be used while grappled onto an enemy, and it does massive damage if you're on their weakpoints.
 

Randy

Member
I'm desperately in need of some Rift Crystals. Gonna shout out my PSN one more time: Nariwari

Main pawn is a warrior tank lvl55 atm.
 

Not Spaceghost

Spaceghost
Anyone else find that your pawns behave better when you limit their skill options? When my pawn was a fighter the only skills he had equipped were dragon's maw and full moon slash, he was insanely aggressive.
 

Xanathus

Member
Anyone else find that your pawns behave better when you limit their skill options? When my pawn was a fighter the only skills he had equipped were dragon's maw and full moon slash, he was insanely aggressive.
Not sure about Fighter but for Warriors you DO NOT want to put any skills that involve charging up attacks since the AI will just keep charging even if the monster isn't anywhere near them. If you reduce the number of skills available it just means they have less choices of skills to use, so they use them more frequently.
 

klee123

Member
Anyone else find that your pawns behave better when you limit their skill options? When my pawn was a fighter the only skills he had equipped were dragon's maw and full moon slash, he was insanely aggressive.

Yeah for fighters, it's best to stick to two skills which is usually Dragon's Maw and something else.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
I'm desperately in need of some Rift Crystals. Gonna shout out my PSN one more time: Nariwari

Main pawn is a warrior tank lvl55 atm.

Alright, I'll carry your pawn but I am at the office right now. When I get back yeah? I am still at level 26 for myself and main pawn but I am quite a veteran playing this game so I know how to handle stuff. I'll carry your pawn for a long while if you wish, even to end-game if possible, I don't mind (just make sure you have War Cry in your skill slot since I could use a tank!)

PSN is LaughingBanana.

Carry my Pawn too once in a while if you don't mind, hahaha.
 

Xanathus

Member
I've picked up ihearthawthats and nariwari's pawns, gonna take them for a run through of the main game because I need to get access to Gran Siren and maybe post game to grind Discipline points. I've geared up ihearthawthats with some armor and an Ascalon so rest at an inn to update your pawn.
 

Banzai

Member
Question: How much longer is Bitterblack Isle when i just got a place called Arisen's refuge?
I'm level 60-something and had to run the past couple of rooms because the big bad wolf kept spawing in packs of three, kinda just want this dungeon to be over with.
 

BadWolf

Member
Fell through the ground when running up a hill, so it basically glitched out like how a character falls through the ground and seems to be falling into nothing. Thought I would have to reset but the game corrected itself after some seconds and teleported my character back onto the map.

Used Laughingbanana's pawn for a few quests, until all my pawns got wiped out by a boss and I had to solo it. Will hire again when I get home from work.

Tried to hire Nariwari's but it was a 54lvl warrior and asking for over 29K to hire?

My pawn was a Mage for over 30 levels so I turned him into a Fighter for a few levels to up his survival stats and get Sinew. Now that he has got Sinew I changed him to Warrior to get his defense and health up. Will switch back to Mage in a little while.

My own character started as a Strider (for about 15 or so levels) and then went to Fighter (to get Sinew and stat boost, she was dying so easily as a Strider) and then to Assassin, which I think will be her main. I'm one level away from maxing out the Assassin vocation and the abilities are pretty damn cool. Will probably get her a few levels in Warrior later so she can take more hits.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
I'm desperately in need of some Rift Crystals. Gonna shout out my PSN one more time: Nariwari

Main pawn is a warrior tank lvl55 atm.

I am adding you to PSN.

Everyone, feel free to add me as well in LaughingBanana.

Fell through the ground when running up a hill, so it basically glitched out like how a character falls through the ground and seems to be falling into nothing. Thought I would have to reset but the game corrected itself after some seconds and teleported my character back onto the map.

Used Laughingbanana's pawn for a few quests, until all my pawns got wiped out by a boss and I had to solo it. Will hire again when I get home from work.

Tried to hire Nariwari's but it was a 54lvl warrior and asking for over 29K to hire?

My pawn was a Mage for over 30 levels so I turned him into a Fighter for a few levels to up his survival stats and get Sinew. Now that he has got Sinew I changed him to Warrior to get his defense and health up. Will switch back to Mage in a little while.

My own character started as a Strider (for about 15 or so levels) and then went to Fighter (to get Sinew and stat boost, she was dying so easily as a Strider) and then to Assassin, which I think will be her main. I'm one level away from maxing out the Assassin vocation and the abilities are pretty damn cool. Will probably get her a few levels in Warrior later so she can take more hits.

Hey, thank you for that! Appreciated!

As for the bolded above, pawns with higher level than you are only free if you are friends with the person creating the pawns.
 
I've picked up ihearthawthats and nariwari's pawns, gonna take them for a run through of the main game because I need to get access to Gran Siren and maybe post game to grind Discipline points. I've geared up ihearthawthats with some armor and an Ascalon so rest at an inn to update your pawn.
thanks, i actually switched him to mage a while back, i dunno how these changes affect anything. wanted the free heals, but i dunno now, i've gotten used to using items. are there hotkeys you can assign? i might switch em back to fighter or give strider a try. honestly, i think i just want a packrat. what's the best way to get acquisitor inclination?
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
thanks, i actually switched him to mage a while back, i dunno how these changes affect anything. wanted the free heals, but i dunno now, i've gotten used to using items. are there hotkeys you can assign? i might switch em back to fighter or give strider a try. honestly, i think i just want a packrat. what's the best way to get acquisitor inclination?

The best way to mould your main pawn's inclination is to buy Inclination potions from Jonathan at the Encampment near Cassardis, the pawn that hangs right next to the Rift Stone.

So here's how it works: say you want inclination A as your primary and B as your secondary. So you buy like two potions B, drink it, and then you buy three potions A, and then drink it.

The potions requires Rift Crystals, however.

The best augments for packrats are Sinew, of course, and Leg-Strength from Strider.

Claudia, low level still. Been busy but gonna probably start up soon... which will lead to me to playing til 4am haha

thanks, i actually switched him to mage a while back, i dunno how these changes affect anything. wanted the free heals, but i dunno now, i've gotten used to using items. are there hotkeys you can assign? i might switch em back to fighter or give strider a try. honestly, i think i just want a packrat. what's the best way to get acquisitor inclination?

I am carrying your pawns right now, though wakuraku--ihearthawthats' pawn--is still a fighter. I'll try to gift each pawn with something when I'm done... and of course, 5 stars rank for everybody! :)
 
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