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[xCobalt]

I wouldn't worry too much about how you level unless you're on your second playthrough or like to min/max. You can do everything in the game even with a build that's not optimal, you'll just be doing it a bit slower.

 

[Effect]

Is there enough varied content in this game? Or will one be fighting the same battles over and over again in the same locations again and again? In terms of console RPGs I think Xenoblade Chronicles has spoiled me so it's my baseline for comparing RPGs now.

 

[Eusis]

^^^^

Similar situation with Fighter/Warrior and Assassin. Assassin gets the biggest Strength modifier per level, thought its defense modifier is low, so it pays to mix it in even if you want to be a dedicated Fighter/Warrior.

Might have to switch from Strider to assassin ASAP then in case enough gear carries over, then switch to sorcerer and ultimately mage knight by the end game,

Spoiler

I want to get Dragon's Dogma.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Is there enough varied content in this game? Or will one be fighting the same battles over and over again in the same locations again and again? In terms of console RPGs I think Xenoblade Chronicles has spoiled me so it's my baseline for comparing RPGs now.

It can be very repetitive. At least the vanilla game.

Anyways, for people considering Mystic Knight as a vocation, be aware that its most devastating ability use magic as its modifier. So if you want to become a Mystic Knight and intend to use it a lot, which I assume you will since it really is a very powerful ability, then I don't recommend leveling up as Warrior/Fighter before turning into a Mystic Knight.

I wouldn't worry too much about how you level unless you're on your second playthrough or like to min/max. You can do everything in the game even with a build that's not optimal, you'll just be doing it a bit slower.

Well, consider the fact that the strongest foe that drops the best equips is timed though, so more damage is definitely preferable.

 

[Deified Data]

I wouldn't worry too much about how you level unless you're on your second playthrough or like to min/max. You can do everything in the game even with a build that's not optimal, you'll just be doing it a bit slower.

I feel comfortable saying there's no point in min-maxing DD except for the sake of min-maxing, or perhaps for more pawn rentals (though stats are tertiary to most people behind uniqueness and skills). The game is never hard enough to warrant having maxed stats. Indeed, I feel that'd be pretty gamebreaking - that is, unless maxing your stats is your objective from the start.

 

[HalfBakedProphet]

Unless you're a hardcore player who plans to put in hundreds of hours and wants ideal stats for your vocation, to say you can "mess up" your character is a bit of hyperbole.

Not much in the game on normal is going to be a threat after level 60 or 70 anyway.

 

[Lee Chaolan]

I wouldn't worry too much about how you level unless you're on your second playthrough or like to min/max. You can do everything in the game even with a build that's not optimal, you'll just be doing it a bit slower.

Exactly this. Who knows what kind of crazy later game bosses Bitterblack Isle has for us, but even not "properly leveling" for the greatest benefit of stats, at level 120, I pretty much destroy everything, except for the UR dragon obviously.

1st time players just have fun and explore the different options of the game.

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Excited to play this tues. I never played as much of DD as I should have though. I restarted 3 times, each one ending in Grandsoren. Maybe I should feel glad I waited so I can play the best version of it. I liked what I played of it though. Some of the Sorcerer gifs have me really hyped to give it another chance.

 

[Skilletor]

Yep, they're nasty early on, trying to detour you from going up that Hill and beyond! When in doubt, run! You'll be able to bash them up soon enough

I'm so excited to hear impressions from those who are playing DD for the first time with Dark Arisen!

What would be the best way to progress?

 

[ixix]

It can be very repetitive. At least the vanilla game.

Anyways, for people considering Mystic Knight as a vocation, be aware that its most devastating ability use magic as its modifier. So if you want to become a Mystic Knight and intend to use it a lot, which I assume you will since it really is a very powerful ability, then I don't recommend leveling up as Warrior/Fighter before turning into a Mystic Knight.



Well, consider the fact that the strongest foe that drops the best equips is timed though, so more damage is definitely preferable.

Mystic Knight's strongest skill is Great Cannon, which is a 40/60 split between physical and magical attack power. I forget what the exact split is on Ruinous Sigil, and it doesn't look like the wiki says, but it's both physical and magical as well. Going Mystic Knight is viable no matter what class you start as.

There's fundamentally no way to screw your character over. The only circumstance in which you need to engage in specific leveling schemes is when you want to do online Ur farming, and there is precisely one mathematically optimal build for that.

Maximizing stat growths in Dragon's Dogma is mostly an academic exercise. Given the game's difficulty level the practical applications of it are pretty much nil.

 

[njean777]

So I like to play as a rogue, what should I level first in order to make a good assassin/rogue character? Is there an assassin class? Also would ranger benefit me?

 

[Laughing Banana]

I feel comfortable saying there's no point in min-maxing DD except for the sake of min-maxing, or perhaps for more pawn rentals (though stats are tertiary to most people behind uniqueness and skills). The game is never hard enough to warrant having maxed stats. Indeed, I feel that'd be pretty gamebreaking - that is, unless maxing your stats is your objective from the start.

Unless you're a hardcore player who plans to put in hundreds of hours and wants ideal stats for your vocation, to say you can "mess up" your character is a bit of hyperbole.

Not much in the game on normal is going to be a threat after level 60 or 70 anyway.

Exactly this. Who knows what kind of crazy later game bosses Bitterblack Isle has for us, but even not "properly leveling" for the greatest benefit of stats, at level 120, I pretty much destroy everything, except for the UR dragon obviously.

1st time players just have fun and explore the different options of the game.

Hmm hmmm true

However nothing wrong with telling people with how the game mechanic really works.

And in Hard difficulty, every stat helps

Mystic Knight's strongest skill is Great Cannon, which is a 40/60 split between physical and magical attack power. I forget what the exact split is on Ruinous Sigil, and it doesn't look like the wiki says, but it's both physical and magical as well. Going Mystic Knight is viable no matter what class you start as..

Hoooo, I am under the impression that Great Cannon is magic modifier only (I could have sworn I read about this somewhere). Hmmmm.

Actually, after a bit of searching people think that the Great Cannon is purely magical, although it does manage to damage Golems a bit so there's a little bit of physical in it. Can you link me from where you get the 40/60 split info from?

 

[Lee Chaolan]

What would be the best way to progress?

Whichever method you see fit! Especially if it's your first playthrough. You can go in quite a few directions to begin with. You could certainly level off those Bandits, heal up, and go back at them, or head off to Gran Soren and fight beasts and night beasts from there.

Variety is best at the beginning I feel.

 

[Deified Data]

Hmm hmmm true

However nothing wrong with telling people with how the game mechanic really works.

And in Hard difficulty, every stat helps

Of course not - mastering the game is half the fun.

IMO, stamina becomes the single most important stat in hard mode.

So I like to play as a rogue, what should I level first in order to make a good assassin/rogue character? Is there an assassin class? Also would ranger benefit me?

There's an assassin class, and it's a beast. I'd spend a bit of time with all the "rogue" classes to see which one you like best.

 

[Laughing Banana]

So I like to play as a rogue, what should I level first in order to make a good assassin/rogue character? Is there an assassin class? Also would ranger benefit me?

Well, it depends. If you want strong physical attacks then leveling up exclusively as Strider is not recommended--they are fast but really mediocre all around with no stand-outs. Ranger is not as strong in terms of physical attacks *but* they gain the most Stamina per level up allowing you to pull off more special moves.

Assassin I guess is your best bet. The strongest in terms of strength but very mediocre in terms of defense, which is quite roguish, no? The fact that it is rewarded with one of the hilariously broken abilities in the game doesn't hurt it too.

 

[ixix]

Hoooo, I am under the impression that Great Cannon is magic modifier only (I could have sworn I read about this somewhere). Hmmmm.

Late last year a few people on GameFAQs did some testing and discovered that Great Cannon had a physical damage component and the phys/mag split was about 40/60. Whole thing was split across multiple topics and boards so it's kind of hard to follow from beginning to end, but this thread summarizes a lot of it if you're interested in mechanical finagling.

Other interesting things to note are that for Sorcerers both Bolide and Gicel have physical damage components that enable Sorcerers to deal damage to magic-immune enemies. Not all that practical, but still a bit interesting.

 

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

Last time I left the game I had just started a NG+ on hard mode and switched to the mage vocation. I'm thinking I might level up the Mage/Sorceror vocations a bit before I go to BW Isle.

Or I might just switch back to Assassin depending on whether or not I can resist the the temptation to dive in immediately.

I'm really looking forward to this. Going into a dark dungeon with my group of pawns walking ahead to survey the environment created such a unique experience along with the atmosphere and everything else. They really nailed it with this game.

I would not say no to a Dragon's Dogma 2.

 

[njean777]

Well, it depends. If you want strong physical attacks then leveling up exclusively as Strider is not recommended--they are fast but really mediocre all around with no stand-outs. Ranger is not as strong in terms of physical attacks *but* they gain the most Stamina per level up allowing you to pull off more special moves.

Assassin I guess is your best bet. The strongest in terms of strength but very mediocre in terms of defense, which is quite roguish, no? The fact that it is rewarded with one of the hilariously broken abilities in the game doesn't hurt it too.

Assassin it is!

 

[Laughing Banana]

Late last year a few people on GameFAQs did some testing and discovered that Great Cannon had a physical damage component and the phys/mag split was about 40/60. Whole thing was split across multiple topics and boards so it's kind of hard to follow from beginning to end, but this thread summarizes a lot of it if you're interested in mechanical finagling.

Other interesting things to note are that for Sorcerers both Bolide and Gicel have physical damage components that enable Sorcerers to deal damage to magic-immune enemies. Not all that practical, but still a bit interesting.

Hmm, I'll read the thread, thanks.

I mean, I know about Bolide and Gicel inflicting physical damage, and I know how Great Cannon can hurt anti-magic Golems, although in very small quantity. But I don't know about the split being that huge.

Assassin it is!

It's a route many people take, since Ranger who have trained exclusively as Assassin, for example, completely destroys enemies with incredible, incredible damage with its 10 arrows volley skill (though there is lack of stamina to compensate a bit for this)

Anyways, have fun! And be careful also about the romance system! Hahaha.

 

[lowhighkang_LHK]

Fighter or Strider might be good for you. The Strider in particular is good at melee and long range attacks.

Yeah, I was thinking about the Strider. But all those magic spells people keep .giffing just looks so cool =/

Given the game's difficulty level the practical applications of it are pretty much nil.

This is the upteenth time I've heard people talk about DD's difficulty. Is the game mind numbingly easy or something? Should I just start off on hard mode?

 

[Laughing Banana]

Yeah, I was thinking about the Strider. But all those magic spells people keep .giffing just looks so cool =/

This is the upteenth time I've heard people talk about DD's difficulty. Is the game mind numbingly easy or something? Should I just start off on hard mode?

They look cool, but in harder fights Sorcerer *will* have difficulties adjusting considering the spell take so much time to pull off and there is a certain type of enemy whose weak points cannot be damaged by magic (well, they can, but only very, very little) and you just can't depend on the AI to aim for them :/

As for difficulty: at first it's alright but once you get the broken skills the game--save for the hardest boss--kind of kneel on your feet, true. Hard mode is uncompromising though, and in that your less than ideal pawn AI might really really aggravate you.

 

[RyanardoDaVinci]

This is the upteenth time I've heard people talk about DD's difficulty. Is the game mind numbingly easy or something? Should I just start off on hard mode?

It can be pretty difficult early on if you wander into the wrong places/enemies; but once you pass lvl.30ish, you won't have much trouble with things except for the lone Drake in the woods.

 

[AJ_Wings]

Yeah, I was thinking about the Strider. But all those magic spells people keep .giffing just looks so cool =/



This is the upteenth time I've heard people talk about DD's difficulty. Is the game mind numbingly easy or something? Should I just start off on hard mode?

If you're familiar with one of the Souls game, I recommend hard. The combat is also far more interesting due to higher stamina consumption when using skills compared to normal.

 

[lowhighkang_LHK]

Alright, I'll stick with normal. I'm not looking for something to piss me off, and considering you have to baby sit A.I characters I'll stick with default settings.

Edit: I'll just play a few hours in with each setting to see how things feel before I commit to one.

 

[endlessflood]

Know of a good place to learn about this? The game seems really interesting.

This gives a very good overview of the classes (including stat growth per level):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...8wUGNGRTVkeE0xWFE&f=true&noheader=true&gid=18

But I just wanted to echo what everyone has been saying, there's basically no way you can screw yourself in terms of levelling, so just have fun and experiment. Personally my first character would be the textbook definition of what not to do in terms of levelling: I went Fighter for almost the entire game, then switched to Sorceror right at the end. Yet my fledgling sorceror was able to smash Grigori and I never lost more than a third of my health bar throughout the entire fight. Seriously, don't fret about the stats and don't hesitate to switch to a new class if one intrigues you, regardless of your character history! It might be tougher going at first but it sorts itself out in no time

Random bandits on the road are destroying me.

What would be the best way to progress?

Don't feel bad, those bastards beat the crap out of everybody (as do the first Saurians you face). Just run (past them) like a bitch, you'll get your revenge later

 

[Deified Data]

Alright, I'll stick with normal. I'm not looking for something to piss me off, and considering you have to baby sit A.I characters I'll stick with default settings.

Edit: I'll just play a few hours in with each setting to see how things feel before I commit to one.

Remember that you can't change difficulty once you start.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Alright, I'll stick with normal. I'm not looking for something to piss me off, and considering you have to baby sit A.I characters I'll stick with default settings.

Edit: I'll just play a few hours in with each setting to see how things feel before I commit to one.

Sorcerer Pawns starting to enchant near raging enemies is one of the biggest source of facepalming for me in this game.

I imagine that facepalming will be doubled in Hard.

No wait, I didn't imagine it. I do facepalmed twice as hard in Hard due to that

Don't feel bad, those bastards beat the crap out of everybody (as do the first Saurians you face). Just run (past them) like a bitch, you'll get your revenge later

Particularly sweeeeeet with Maelstrom.

"Hey, look at that dude in the distance waving and moving like crazy. Is he dancing? What a whack!"
"Yeah LOL. What is he doing? Should we get over there and kill him or something?"
"No no, let's watch more! LOL."

....

"WAAAAIT WHY ARE WE FLYIIIIIIIIIING IN THE SKYYYYYYYYYY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

 

[ixix]

Some people who've played the vanilla game and gotten Dark Arisen are saying that the Bezel Crown got nerfed. Its experience multiplier is now x2 instead of x5. The days of hiring a pawn to power-level you are pretty much over, it would seem.

 

[nataku]

Any word on what the UI enhancements were?

 

[Sanctuary]

DD has the best magic spells in videogaming.

Most visually impressive at least. The Maelstrom gif (edit: post 253, although the one I saw was larger) that was floating around this board for a while is what had me revisit the game after dismissing it due to the lackluster demo. That gif was simply awe-inspiring. High Bolide is literally "god mode" even if it's pretty random.

Also, PS: Fuck Capcom. I'm only about 1/4th of the way through Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and I have this arriving in the mail in a few days.

Not really. Assassins and Mystic Knights are the two most OP classes in the game.

High level Sorcerer spells are indeed strong, but they're balanced by how long it takes to activate them.

I really tried playing the Mystic Knight, but my god did it feel so slow. And the way you fire the cannon just feels so very odd. What I honestly dislike the second most about this game though is that if you're a power-gamer, min/maxing fool, you practically have to play classes other than the one you really want to play up to the very high levels just to "optimize" the stat growth. That's counter-intuitive and annoying. I shouldn't have to wait until the game is 95% finished just to start my class. I agree about the Sorcerer spells for the most part; although High Bolide, if you get lucky can seriously demolish a Chimera way faster than any other class.

This actually does make some sense, most other games (DQ for instance) only allow you to join these hybrid classes after mastering two others. So in that instance I'd rather switch to Sorcerer at least until the vocation's maxed, then switch to Mage Knight to build on my Warrior/Knight levels.

Going to need to look into stat breakdowns though, strider for a few levels probably isn't that bad but I'd have to see if the stats are relevant here or not.

You've probably already seen this, but if you haven't (and for those who haven't): http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/Stat_Growths

It would be nice if Capcom had tweaked the stat growth. Especially for the hybrids. The Assassin for example is "broken" compared to the rest in that area.

This will also help people new to this game. Pawn inclinations was actually the most confusing thing about the game for me. They don't really thoroughly explain what the hell they do in game. http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Grizlapoli/Guide_on_Pawn_Inclinations.

 

[tait269]

Dark Arisen HD Texture Pack Comparison:
http://youtu.be/PnJ9JnhzAqY

Dark Arisen Impressions:
http://youtu.be/AtD1hZvTqZY

 

[Eusis]

Dark Arisen HD Texture Pack Comparison:
http://youtu.be/PnJ9JnhzAqY

I think this pretty solidly proves that the "HD textures" are in fact the original ones just throw onto the second disc to make the 360 release reasonable. Because it sure as hell doesn't look like THAT for me in DD Vanilla on PS3.

 

[Card Boy]

For any Aussies I just picked up my copy up from JB Hifi for $37.99. It appears they are selling it early despite the website saying it's a pre-order.

 

[edgardavids]

Got my copy of draggy d's. Will give it a go tonight. The receipt says "dragons dogma 2".

 

[Zaventem]

So gregman say Various attacks and skills for all weapons have been rebalanced for all weapons.Can anyone who has the game tell me if the noticed anything different? like shorter cooldowns more damage etc.

 

[Deified Data]

So gregman say Various attacks and skills for all weapons have been rebalanced for all weapons.Can anyone who has the game tell me if the noticed anything different? like shorter cooldowns more damage etc.

I've heard magic bows received a major buff.

 

[Soodanim]

I'm getting more and more excited for this as the days go on. I see snippets of info in this thread about how many options there are, and it's making want to say "Fuck this 6th Dark Souls run, I want DD!"

I'm going in pretty much completely blind, and I love it. The only thing I know is from this page, which said mystic knights are good. But I don't even know how the classes work.

 

[ixix]

Now that it seems to be trickling into more people's hands I imagine we're going to start seeing some concrete numbers in terms of what they've changed start to roll in. The Bezel Crown nerf was the first thing I saw in terms of solid info, probably because of how popular pawns with that bow were.

I've heard magic bows received a major buff.

This is one that Capcom actually mentioned explicitly in the change log, along with buffs to

Spoiler

the weapons you get for beating the dragon.

Both are kinda nice, really.

 

[thetrin]

So, I played the demo, and I found that most quests don't really say where you hunt certain creatures for a quest, nor where to finish the first flower quest. Are there usually not waypoints during questa? I don't feel like setting priority on a quest actually did anything unless the quest involved going to a specific place. Is this just a demo thing?

I'm so used to MMOs and Elder Scrolls at this point.

I'm not incapable of using my brains, but I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything.

 

[Laughing Banana]

So, I played the demo, and I found that most quests don't really say where you hunt certain creatures for a quest, nor where to finish the first flower quest. Are there usually not waypoints during questa? I don't feel like setting priority on a quest actually did anything unless the quest involved going to a specific place. Is this just a demo thing?

I'm so used to MMOs and Elder Scrolls at this point.

I'm not incapable of using my brains, but I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Quests are marked on the map.

Not to mention pawns usually babble various stuff about quests too.

For creature hunt, they are usually just general stuff though, like kill 10 skeletons or stuff like that, so they are not marked.

 

[Eppy Thatcher]

although High Bolide, if you get lucky can seriously demolish a Chimera way faster than any other class.

You haven't seen an assassin above 150 gouge one in the face then. 15 seconds. Before you are even done casting.

Bolide is boss status tho... something on a different level when you summon fire rocks from the heavens. 4 Sorc teams against the Ur dragon are amahzing.

.... So ....

All the previous armor dlc
buffs to magic bows, dragons gear and a new level to forge shit to...
AND ... they are shaking up monster locations in the main game area as well? Is that all correct?

Can't wait for tuesday.

 

[Shinta]

I'm getting more and more excited for this as the days go on. I see snippets of info in this thread about how many options there are, and it's making want to say "Fuck this 6th Dark Souls run, I want DD!"

I'm going in pretty much completely blind, and I love it. The only thing I know is from this page, which said mystic knights are good. But I don't even know how the classes work.

All the classes are good, and I'd play them all. You can switch whenever you want. If you're on your 6th run of Dark Souls I think you'll want to just go ahead and play all the classes.

Melee, ranged attacks and magic are all fantastic and it would be a shame to not experience all of it.

 

[endlessflood]

So, I played the demo, and I found that most quests don't really say where you hunt certain creatures for a quest, nor where to finish the first flower quest. Are there usually not waypoints during questa? I don't feel like setting priority on a quest actually did anything unless the quest involved going to a specific place. Is this just a demo thing?

I'm so used to MMOs and Elder Scrolls at this point.

I'm not incapable of using my brains, but I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything.

The quests that are "Kill X number of enemy type Y" don't have waypoints of any sort, nor do they have deadlines. Just take all of those that you see and eventually you'll figure out where those enemy types appear.

For the flowers quest, you can get some info by talking to townsfolk. The moonglow is tricky to find, but you only need to find one of them. Again, the townsfolk will be able to give you some hints.

 

[ixix]

All the previous armor dlc
buffs to magic bows, dragons gear and a new level to forge shit to...
AND ... they are shaking up monster locations in the main game area as well? Is that all correct?

Can't wait for tuesday.

From what we know so far, yes, that's all correct.

From the change log there are new monsters in locations from the vanilla game but there's no mention of any changes to overworld monsters. The Gransys countryside is probably still a fertile field of one-eyed monsters.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Pre-ordered this the other day on Amazon, never played the original. Going in completely blind, am I wrong to assume that Ranger is the best class?

 

[ixix]

Pre-ordered this the other day on Amazon, never played the original. Going in completely blind, am I wrong to assume that Ranger is the best class?

For the Arisen? No, not really.

In general I think it's pretty much the best class for physical attack-oriented pawns, though.

 

[Shinta]

 

[Sanctuary]

I think this pretty solidly proves that the "HD textures" are in fact the original ones just throw onto the second disc to make the 360 release reasonable. Because it sure as hell doesn't look like THAT for me in DD Vanilla on PS3.

I'm not seeing a night a day difference with those comparisons. It's barely even subtley altered, although maybe that has more to do with Youtube compression than anything. The only changes I am noticing are miniscule terrain and rooftop textures, but the characters look exactly the same. It doesn't help that the video isn't actually a side-by-side comparison with the same frames either.

I've heard magic bows received a major buff.

Sounds like their way of fixing the having to level up as another class to very high levels first before playing a hybrid issue.

You haven't seen an assassin above 150 gouge one in the face then. 15 seconds. Before you are even done casting.

Bolide is boss status tho... something on a different level when you summon fire rocks from the heavens. 4 Sorc teams against the Ur dragon are amahzing.

.... So ....

Err, is this a serious reply? Any class above 150 will destroy those easily. Too bad you don't need to be level 150 for High Bolide. It's like what, level 18? To put it another way; physical classes will greatly outscale the pure casting classes eventually...but it's just like your average MMORPG; takes gear and many more levels. Or at least that's how it was in vanilla. Everyone already knows how powerful Assassins are, and I was just using a single example of where the Sorcerer is pretty much unmatched.

So does anyone have any idea yet what the perfect level to start the DA dungeon should be? I'm starting a new character, and I don't know if I should wait until after getting some gear from the dragon, or attempt to do it before post-game. Or if post-game has any effect at all with the dungeon.

 

[edgardavids]

Usually capcom's rereleases are quite solid so it's still a bit weird they haven't gotten rid of the letterbox yet. Its a fun game and all, its just a bit odd they haven't fixed some standout (and probably easily fixable) problems from the initial game a year later but theyve gone out of their way to do other things like fix the menu.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Sounds like their way of fixing the having to level up as another class to very high levels first before playing a hybrid issue.

I hope they do something about how Magick Archer are completely hopeless against a Metal Golem though

Seriously, it is my favorite class but... that Metal Golem