Dragon's Dogma (Series)

[Moonface]

I got to making my personal pawn, and for lack of a better idea I decided to just loosely base it off @ShiraNoMai since my character is based on my DnD character who is loosely based on my own looks. I'm still trying to get to grips with how best to manage my weight capacity since I've hit "average" and would prefer it go back to "light" so I don't use stamina outside of combat when sprinting.

As far as quests go, I did something involving a hydra at the first encampment outside the starting town, and then went into the well in the starting town and cleared it of the lizard things. One thing I noticed when doing the latter quest was my lantern going out when walking beneath water, and then having no idea how to relight it; I had to keep unequipping it and then re-equipping it to make the light work again because I couldn't figure out any other way to do it.

[Dragon Lord]

You have to unequip and re-equip it to get it to light right away again. Otherwise the only other way is to just wait for it to dry and it'll re-light itself, but of course that takes a bit of time and it's just easier to unequip and re-equip it quickly.

[Moonface]

Ah. I wish there was just a button to pull the lantern out and put it away. I was doing that thief quest in Cassardis and for some reason despite my lantern being equipped I wasn't casting any light from it, and it was full on oil and I hadn't gotten wet in a while.

Also on the note of that quest, fuck that quest. They should let you yeet that thieving prick off a cliff for how hard he is to catch.

[Mr EliteL]

Having to unequip and equip the lantern is a pain. There is a skill you can learn with experience to quicken the animation called Instant Reset, depending on what vocation you have (anything with Dagger).

You can set/learn skills from inns, but only two ways to switch vocation which will be in Gran Soren with that inn's keeper and Olra in Bitterblack Isle. I can't remember if there is another way or not.

Ah, that's a question I wanted to ask, what vocation did you start as? I know it isn't Mage at least, it's better to have a Pawn be that.

Also a tip but it seems you're kinda doing that already since you've done/doing that thief quest, is to head occasionally to past locations to come across side quests, since many can be missed if you progress too quickly in the main quests. I missed some in my first playthrough, likely in other playthroughs I've done too. The game doesn't help you that much for where they can be. Speaking of that particular quest, I can't remember how I found it. I've done it 4 times, I know in one I caught him very quickly but can't remember how. One run I had to restart it.

[Moonface]

Having to unequip and equip the lantern is a pain. There is a skill you can learn with experience to quicken the animation called Instant Reset, depending on what vocation you have (anything with Dagger).

I went with the Strider vocation to start with, and reached wherever the big city is that lets you switch vocation to move to the Ranger vocation, and if I go for the next one above that it'll be the hybrid Warrior/Strider one so no matter what I'll likely have a dagger. I really like having a long distance attack while my main pawn gets in close and my other pawn (Rook, who I got at the opening through plot) focuses on spells.

Ah, that's a question I wanted to ask, what vocation did you start as? I know it isn't Mage at least, it's better to have a Pawn be that.

I didn't see this before I started writing so my answer is above. XD

Also a tip but it seems you're kinda doing that already since you've done/doing that thief quest, is to head occasionally to past locations to come across side quests, since many can be missed if you progress too quickly in the main quests. I missed some in my first playthrough, likely in other playthroughs I've done too. The game doesn't help you that much for where they can be. Speaking of that particular quest, I can't remember how I found it. I've done it 4 times, I know in one I caught him very quickly but can't remember how. One run I had to restart it.

Yeah I'm trying to make sure I do side quests before main ones, with the last main one being the horrid escort quest to Gran Soren. I wish I could tell what quests are main ones in the log so I can make sure I don't accidentally do one. XD
When I get fast travel, I'll likely use that and travelling by foot to revisit places every couple of main quests to check the notice boards and the NPC's for any new stuff, since I did notice already in Cassardis that new quests appeared after I went to the first settlement outside it, so I figured stuff comes up as you progress so you have reason to revisit areas rather than just push forward all the time.


As for a big gripe I have with the game, I hate that pawns will not pick you up nor each other. I've lost so many fights because my pawns get themselves killed (shoutout to Rook casting heal spells while he gets shot in the head with arrows rather than maybe retreating to safety with me...), and then I either have to try and solo something or in my effort to get them up I die. I'm praying I just missed a way pawns can revive you that I don't know about yet. XD

[Mr EliteL]

Yeah, pawns can't revive you at all. Would be cool if the Main Pawn had the ability to revive though, if pawns return in the sequel, hope that gets implemented for single player. The only way you can revive is if you have a Wakestone in your on-person inventory on your character, which are practically none in the early parts of the game. There is one you get in a side quest somewhat early in the city, and it's your choice what you do with it. Bitterblack Isle can have Wakstones or Shards (3=1 Wakestone) in chests actually, but you might not be ready enough for that. It's OK if you just farm the first area and come back later, but that's your choice, you might want to visit the Isle as a post-game activity. Back to Pawns though, they do carry a downed fellow Pawn to you to revive them, but that also leaves them very vulnerable and defenceless against attacks. You may have already seen this.

For quick travel, that'll be Ferrystones, and an unlimited use version called Eternal Ferrystone which you should have as you are at Gran Soren, if you don't you may have to do the Escort quest first. If you don't want to do that just yet but want to have a standard Ferrystone, there's one by the Pawn Guild in Gran Soren which respawns over time. Another is Portcrystals that work in hand with Ferrystones, you just go to a location on foot and place a Portcrystal down, so you can fast travel when you need to go back there. Cassardis, Gran Soren and Bitterblack Isle all have their own stationary Portcrystal already so no need to use one for them.

[Moonface]

Yeah, pawns can't revive you at all. Would be cool if the Main Pawn had the ability to revive though, if pawns return in the sequel, hope that gets implemented for single player. The only way you can revive is if you have a Wakestone in your on-person inventory on your character, which are practically none in the early parts of the game. There is one you get in a side quest somewhat early in the city, and it's your choice what you do with it. Bitterblack Isle can have Wakstones or Shards (3=1 Wakestone) in chests actually, but you might not be ready enough for that. It's OK if you just farm the first area and come back later, but that's your choice, you might want to visit the Isle as a post-game activity. Back to Pawns though, they do carry a downed fellow Pawn to you to revive them, but that also leaves them very vulnerable and defenceless against attacks. You may have already seen this.

For quick travel, that'll be Ferrystones, and an unlimited use version called Eternal Ferrystone which you should have as you are at Gran Soren, if you don't you may have to do the Escort quest first. If you don't want to do that just yet but want to have a standard Ferrystone, there's one by the Pawn Guild in Gran Soren which respawns over time. Another is Portcrystals that work in hand with Ferrystones, you just go to a location on foot and place a Portcrystal down, so you can fast travel when you need to go back there. Cassardis, Gran Soren and Bitterblack Isle all have their own stationary Portcrystal already so no need to use one for them.

If anything, make it be a skill you have to assign to your main pawn so you have to weigh up the choice of having that versus other skills they can use. I've obtained one shard of a Wakestone so far, the description of which made me assume it was to revive a pawn if you don't revive them before their death meter expires. XD

As for Ferrystones, I amusingly put my Eternal one into storage without realizing I even had it, so I was still playing without Ferrystone's in any form all the way until this moment I mentioned in LGP, at which point that escort quest gave me one to which my thought was "Cool! Nice they give that after having to walk so far away from Gran Soren and the main objective!" but didn't use it until some time after since I walked back instead, and then after using it I was going through my storage and suddenly noticed my Eternal one just sitting there.

How do Portcrystals work exactly? The only thing I've seen for those are the pre-made ones you mentioned, but I didn't know I could make them. I assume I can only set down one at a time and it just lets me get back to a spot of my choosing quickly?

Also, no idea if this was how to do this area, but between Cassardis and Gran Soren there's a waterfall with a cave behind it, which contains a dungeon of sorts that starts off flooded, and has a door that requires some sort of item to open. I don't think I ever found the item for that door, and assume the right way is to return when you have it, but instead I sprint-jumped over the water through the doorways on the walls in the main room after the platform you lower, and one of them leads behind that door and to the switch that removes all the water, so I ended up being able to 100% the area without ever opening that door.

[Mr EliteL]

I used to always travel by foot, even if it meant going from one place far away and back, I just loved doing so. OK granted in vanilla there was only the standard Ferrystone so I didn't have many to use, Eternal became a thing in Dark Arisen but only if you had vanilla save data. Then it got changed to being permanent in the ports to the next gen consoles and PC (I think for PC). Portcrystals you just come across while adventuring. Can't remember how many there are and they don't respawn, but you can move a Portcrystal if you no longer want it to be in that location.

Also nice one for that cave. I can't recall what door that is, I think there was an item, been so long since I did that. *watches a video* Ah, yeah after defeating the Cyclops in there. So you may done what you did with the Eternal Ferrystone again kinda, not realising you had it.

[Moonface]

Also nice one for that cave. I can't recall what door that is, I think there was an item, been so long since I did that. *watches a video* Ah, yeah after defeating the Cyclops in there. So you may done what you did with the Eternal Ferrystone again kinda, not realising you had it.

Am I supposed to use the item at the door by selecting it in my inventory? I just walked up to it and tried opening it when I was in there after the Cyclops was killed and nothing happened, and I didn't notice anything in my inventory to use either. I just kept getting a load of really heavy stone tablets that I had to try and divide between my party so no one became a fat bastard. XD

And yeah, I only really use the fast travel right now as a fast way to check the quest boards in areas or if I'm going to a particular place but it's closer to Cassardis than it is to Gran Soren or vice versa.

[Moonface]

So I was planning to keep Rook (starter pawn the game just hands you) because he was the first pawn I started with, but unfortunately he can't level up so he's forever doomed to be Level 6, which has led to him now dying in one hit in most fights.

Finally decided to look at the rift gate stuff and put him in my favourites list just so I never lose him (he doesn't belong to a player so I don't know if the game would just delete him after release) and hired both of the pawns that belong to @Dragon Lord and @Mr EliteL. No idea how it'll go since it looks like no one has a healing spell in the party which Rook used a lot, but guess I'll just have to see.

Edit: Seems that maybe hiring your pawns has caused me to make a lot of fights trivial because DL's pawn just almost one shot an ogre near the Fallen Wayfair Castle...

[Dragon Lord]

I believe my Pawn is max level and is a min/maxed Sorcerer, haha. Though her habits are probably all messed up right now, so she probably isn't casting her spells in the optimal order. The only thing she doesn't have on her is the absolute best gear she could have, because I was too lazy to farm all of that from Bitterblack Isle.

So yeah, hiring my Pawn is going to cause her to pretty much carry you through the entire game. Good for Hard Mode/wanting to speed through a second play through, but probably not a great choice if you don't want all difficulty in the game completely deleted on your first playthrough.

[Moonface]

@Dragon Lord: Yeah, your pawn shows a level of ∞ and she isn't too bad if she just casts spells to enhance myself and my other pawns attacks; it's just if she decides to attack it can end up one-shotting some things. XD

I just did the first quest inside the Everfall, where @Mr EliteL's pawn died during the escape sequence.

Also it will never get old watching my character perform a double jump at the end of a long fall and still taking the full fall damage. It just looks so stupid watching him do that a foot above the ground.

[Mr EliteL]

Huh, the item should just open the door, believe it comes up with if you want to use it or not then opens if you confirm or something like that. *checks again* Ah! You didn't receive the key, it is apart of a later quest there. Sorry, when I watched video I skipped the start to see where about it was the item is dropped. You'll have to defeat the Cyclops again as it respawns for that particular quest. Also the item isn't itself mandatory to complete the quest, so you've already done the alternate way of getting around that.

Ah yes, hiring DL's pawn. Yeah she'll destroy everything. You can keep mine, well re-enlist him as you can do that from the rift. The darn fool dying there. If you do want a pawn Mage that can heal, either use someone else's in the rift or found wandering outside which you might have noticed already random pawns walking on a route or by the Pawn Guild, or you can have an offline pawn as they're available too. Or...they were in the PS3 version anyway. Although PS4/PS5 usually requires you to be online anyway so no offline peeps then. I do have an alt account with a mage Main Pawn, but they're level 29 or something.

[Moonface]

@Mr EliteL: Ah, so that's why I missed the item. I wonder if the quest that gives that item will auto-complete since I already got behind the door and pulled the water switch?

Yeah, I retired @Dragon Lord's pawn today since I didn't want missions getting too easy that I expected to maybe feature new monsters. I didn't mind having her around for killing things I had already beaten before though since I know I can beat them, DL's pawn just made it faster. As for your pawn, I guess it would be better to say it got downed rather than died, since I didn't lose him which I guess is what happens if a pawn isn't revived after going down. It should be fine though since I'm probably going to upgrade myself into the mixed vocation that grants magic bows alongside daggers, so I'll be integrating mage stuff into my existing build.

Saw my first Griffin today as I left Gran Soren, but it was more focused on all the ox than me so it kept killing them and then just pissed off without even bothering to try and fight me. Likely for the best since I did practically no damage to it when I hit it with my arrows.
Also just finished the Catacomb quest where you have to investigate the cult, and the first meeting with the one-eyed guy in the robe was some peak Resident Evil type shit. All it needed was for the Arisen to give some quippy one-liner and it would've been a perfect fit for that series. XD
I'm curious, what did you guys do with Marcelo at the end of that mission? Did you spare him or kill him? I opted to kill him since I felt like it would bite me in the arse later if I didn't, and I'm glad I did since I looked him up afterwards and found that Mason will dislike you if you spare him and you lose out on things. XD

[Mr EliteL]

Yes, you will be able to do some magic with that vocation, however the healing Anodyne is restricted to the Mage only which is kinda annoying. Magick Archer does have a spell that can heal only the Arisen, so you'll/your pawns have to rely on health items while you have no Mage unfortunately. The Sorcerer does have a spell to help stop certain debilitations at least, just not heal.

I like that interaction with the Griffin, it's not just an enemy that goes straight for you but interacts with other life in the world. They'll go for Goblins as well actually, but mostly the Oxen. Sometimes it may stay and fight back but will flee if not defeated in time.

As for Marcelo, as I think at least once I let him live but usually have opted to kill him in other playthroughs.