Dragon's Dogma: Arisen

[Brand86]

Anyone played this game? Sounded quite cool - a mix between Dark Souls and Monster Hunter. Got some pretty good reviews and bit different to usual RPGs, with more focus on combat and open world exploration.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has any experience with it and how they got on?

 

[Silent_Scone]

If you're an RPG fan it's a must. I've only played the first half hour or so but it is definitely worth buying at some point. Especially as it's only 14 quid in Tesco. It does chuck you in the deep end though, so expect Dark Souls (if not slightly more) levels of difficulty.

 

[Brand86]

Ah don't say that, Dark Souls was too hard for me!!! heard the new Isle is very tricky though even with a maxed out character.

I think my favourite overall RPG of this gen is either Mass Effect or Dragon Age, with Skyrim then Fallout 3 behind. I doubt this will be as good as any of those but I needed something new to play - not been on the Xbox for a week.

 

[Sargara]

Im playing through it currently.

I completed Dragons Dogma so when i discovered i had to buy the game again to get the Dark Arisen content i decided to start a new game anyway. Im happy they have addressed some of my complaints of the original game (HD texture packs on 2nd disc, Unlimited Ferrystone etc) but this is deffinately a case of the game being held back by current console specs, the pop-in/pop-out when you get alot of people on screen is still bad Went with a Mage class this time as i did Fighter in my last playthrough.

I've noticed that every pawn i hire from the Rift has no owner "--------" and im unable to Rate them like i did when i played through DD. Hopefully this sorts itself out.

 

[Siddle]

i finished the first one a million times over. then when i saw this came out i simply traded in the original disc to get it.

it's gooooood but its difficult if you're not levelled enough.

forgetting fighting one thing at a time too, multiple bosses/enemies all the time on this s**t.

i'd highly recommend it though if you haven't played it already.

as said above, for the sake of £14, you can't go wrong. i've had about 120hours out of it and still not 100%!

 

[martynzs]

Mrs has picked this up for me for our anni', so wont get ut until June - looking forward to it

I loved Dragon Age, and currently getting to grips with Dark Souls (although Far Cry 3 has taken over the last week or so!) so recon this will be a great mix of both - Demo was pretty impressive anyway!

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[Bodge!]

Will £14 get me both?

I seem to recall the Arisen one coming with the original too?

 

[Sargara]

Yep. Dark Arisen includes the original game so you get both technically.

 

[Brand86]

Mine arrives tomorrow - looking forward to playing it, although never seem to have much time for xbox these days. Damn real world taking up all my time!!!

 

[Brand86]

Bit slow so far, just wandering around the town doing a few small quests.

Quick question - is there any way to pass time other than waiting or sleeping in an inn? (e.g. in Skyrim you can skip time at will anywhere in the world)

 

[Sargara]

Not that im aware of, its Inn or wait to my knowledge. However just a heads up there are base camps scattered around (couple of tents with a merchant and a mobile-Inn vendor) so you arent restricted to just the Inn at the town. Unlike Skyrim day/night cycle does affect the game though. Certain quests only available at night, different monsters at night. Your pawns will also use lamps by the way if you give them some when it gets dark which i thought was a nice touch (just dont get wet lol).

Which class have you gone for? I went Mage > Mystic Knight and my pawn has gone Fighter > 2 Hander (forget the name).

 

[Brand86]

Cool cheers mate. The guy following me about at the moment is Rook - but he isn't a 'proper' pawn as I understand it?

My class is warrior. Spent ages designing him - absolute monster of a man! (some of the other human character designs look pretty weak!) - will definitely get a mage and maybe an archer as support.

The dialogue though...wow it's bad!!! Could get annoying lol.

Interface seems OK though - although Dragon's Age is still my favourite. Man that game was good!

 

[Sargara]

Rook is just a temp until you reach the pawn guild in the capital city and you can make your own instead. You create him/her much in the same manner you did your own character so expect the same level of customisation again, not to mention leveling up like you do and picking skills/vocations.

When you say dialogue are you refering to the spoken comments when you interact with NPCs? Or more specifically the remarks the pawns will chime in with from time to time? Didnt seem too bad to me, just your standard RPG affair.

Dragon Age was very linear and hand-held you in comparison so it was much easier to script everything bare that in mind.

 

[Brand86]

Just the way everyone talks in general...they sound like they are from a bad episode of Blackadder or something!!! Guess it's because it's written originally in Japanese - hopefully I get used to it rather than it grating on me!

So once I'm out this little opening village then does the game allow you to pretty much go where you want and complete missions in whatever order you like?

Dragon Age was a little linear but had a decent story, solid graphics and customisation (we won't mention the abomination which was DA2...)

 

[Sargara]

Yeah i suppose its a leftover from being a Japanese title. I dunno mate to me it just seemed average to what i expect from most RPGs. Still though its worth noting pretty much everyone in that starter village is just random NPCs essentially, you havent met any of the main characters who are voiced by the proper actors yet.

After leaving the village you meet one of the main characters at a millitary camp. You'll fight your first boss battle so to speak and then begin your journey escorting the character to the capital city (which is the only city in the game FYI). After that you are on your own to venture where you like, when you like

Yep DA2 was bad, it felt like the entire game was played out in about 10 zones

 

[Brand86]

I've got my pawns now - the whole system is quite cool actually and a bit different to other RPGs. I like how you can filter by what you want.

Some of the technical issues are a little annoying though - the pop-up especially is like something from the Sega Saturn!

 

[Brand86]

Right, put about 30 hours into this so far and now...wow!!! Absolutely loving it. A proper RPG with great fighting and enemies, with some tricky puzzles too. Levelling up is sensible and balanced upgrades all around. Pawn system is also very decent when you clock it - and lots of stats!

Starting to enjoy the hammy speech now, the only let down is the screen tear still - but I've got over this!

Awesome game, would definitely recommend.

 

[Sargara]

Told you that you would get over the minor complaints and enjoy it

I kinda rushed through this as it was my 2nd playthrough and i just wanted to access the DarkArisen content (which i regret as i skipped over some parts and now cant access them later in the game). I fought and beat the dragon to open up the Rift in Gran Soren and now im off on the island exploring the Bitterback dungeon. Its seriously difficult in places and I've become stuck and unable to progress at the moment. I think im around lvl55 at the moment as a Magic Knight.

 

[Brand86]

Fair play - I'm level 28 now. Got some white falcon armour which is cool. Although I am still on a very average sword/shield combo - where can I get a better set, where are the best merchants? The one in gran soren has nothing decent!

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[Sargara]

As you progress through the game he will keep updating his stock so check back from time to time and look for the "NEW" flashing on the various categories. He is the games main armor merchant really although there are others, they specialise more and dont stock such a wide variety (for example the Black Cat shop)

If you havent changed proffesions yet id stick with it until you are maxxed (the red rating under status) before you start experimenting

 

[Brand86]

I am maxed out now - what are the advantages of changing though? Also do all my stats I've accrued so far in my current class save or would I start from the beginning again if I decided to revert later on?

Also realised how important carrying weight is. For ages I was fully loaded and couldn't run more than 3 seconds - was VERY annoying. Much better now I've deloaded.

I also like how stored items can be accessed/deposited at several places - you don't need to go back to the same place each time.

 

[Sargara]

The starting fighter class gets a skill that increases how much you can carry, its a must have! You can also trade items to your pawn from your Inventory so you still have access to it in the field if needed without having to burden yourself with actually carrying it

When you change professions your stats remain unchanged however your skills reset because chances are the profession you have changed to does not have your previous (or at least not all of them) skills in it. But you get the advantage of unlocking additional skills because once maxed your current profession will not offer you any additional skills if that makes sense, so your are in essence stagnant unable to progress (other than stats).

Depending on which profession you switch to will affect how many of the skills carry over, or compliment the new choice. For example Fighter > Sorc will have little benefit.

 

[Brand86]

Ah I see. And are there new classes available later on? As some I've heard mentioned don't seem available to me yet?

Also do some augments count as generic and you can keep them once unlocked no matter what class you are? e.g. the extra carrying capacity you mentioned

Cyclops and ogres are so easy to kill now - they were very hard at the start. I encountered a random dragon in the forest but he was super hard so I had no choice but to run away. I will return to kill it once I'm a little stronger - or know the best way to kill it.

 

[Sargara]

Yeah the Augments seem to be generic, once unlocked you can use it on any class (or at least it seems that way to me so far).
Your main character will have access to all classes, your pawns however are limited.
As for the dragon just climb up its leg, to its chest and start hitting away to access his heart for maximum damage. There's no other way really.

 

[Brand86]

I couldn't seem to be able to climb it for some reason - maybe I need to read a tome or something to learn how to do it?

With the pawn 'RC' credit system thing...is it ever worth trading some in to get a higher level pawn? I've just been using pawns my current level as they are free and have been doing fine, can't see much of a need to get higher level ones really?

The only thing which is a bit long about the game is no fast travel option (except for those ferry stones, but they seem quite rare). Find I'm travelling the same paths loads.

I've probably only covered about 15% of the map so far - from where you start to north of Gran Soren, then a bit of the West. Takes time to find the paths out further but enjoying the exploring.

 

[Sargara]

Theres no trick to climbing the Dragon just jump towards it and while in mid-air time your "grab" move as you come into contact. Make sure you have enough stamina like any other climb.

Id say not to bother with higher level pawns. The RC cost / advantage ratio doesnt seem to add up and there are better uses for RiftCrystals later in the game so id save them personally.

You encounter PortCrystals as you go through the game that act as WayPoints. After picking them up into your Inventory you just use them at the spot you want to create a WayPoint at. This means when you use a FerryStone it will now have that PortCrystal as an option of where to "teleport" to from the list. I think theres about 4 or 5 PortCrystals in total, but you can always pick them back up again to move them later.

Remember theres certain quests to pickup in the world, not to mention that become available after discovering certain areas so it pays to wander around

 

[Brand86]

Oh yeah Ive got one of those portcrystals, I'll use that then - although not got any ferrystones, presumably you need one of those to work?

 

[Sargara]

Check your item stash at the Inn, if you are playing DarkArisen you should find an "Eternal Ferrystone" that has unlimited uses unlike the old previous DD Ferrystones. Its one of the improvements they made to the game to make fast travel easier

 

[Brand86]

OK cool I will check that out. Praying I haven't sold it as I got a bit ruthless with my stored inventory the other night!!!

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[Brand86]

Right used the ferrystone - good shout!

I've also picked up a few things which are described as 'rare' but have no apparent use. Should I hang onto these or can I sell them?

Also...licenses etc, such as the wyrm hunter license, do I need to carry this with me or can I progress with it in storage?

I became a mystic knight last night - luckily my armour fitted but now got a lame shield (wooden wall) - so need to get a better shield and ideally a better staff too.

 

[Sargara]

Yeah i have the same problem mate. Picked up a couple of "Journal Page 1" "Journal Page 2" etc. No idea what to do with them so just hang onto them to be safe. There is probably a related quest but I never came accross any use for them. The moment you finish the quests outside the castle and get invited in to meet the king is when you no longer need to carry the Wyrm Hunt license.

If you have gone Fighter > Mystic Knight it might be worth swapping to the starter Mage profession for a while to develop that side of things. As Mystic Knight is more of a hybrid so can draw on the strengths of both professions.

 

[Brand86]

Oh right....I was wondering why I didn't really have many powers! Just got all the augments I carried over though so that's cool. My main pawn is a Mage and the other 2 are Fighter and Warrior - Rangers and Striders seem a bit on the weak side to me!

 

[Brand86]

I have completed the main Wyrm Hunt License missions now, is it worth going to see the duke or should I finish all my current missions first (most of them left are 'kill x number of monsters')?

I am a Mystic Knight now and he is starting to become powerful! Just need a better shield, the wooden wall looks naff.

 

[Sargara]

It depends. Unfortunately there may be quests out there that you havent yet started/picked up and the moment you speak to the Duke the game progresses and you can no longer get those missed quests even if you go back for them. This is what i was refering to when i said i rushed through to access the DarkArisen content because I accidently locked some quests and now cant go back for them

One of them grants access to a unique area for example which has an item you cannot get anywhere else. Because of this i cant upgrade one of my items fully.

 

[martynzs]

Got my hands on this last night, literally played to the point where you create your character. Chose to be a Strider as I usually plummit for a warrior/tank build in most games so thought it would make a change!

Looking forward to getting stuck in now!

 

[Brand86]

It starts off slow but once it opens up it's cool. A bit more wandering around and less prescribed than other RPGs I've played, but makes it feel like more of an adventure heading into the wilds.

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[Brand86]

I just fought the dragon and started doing all the Everfall battles but WOW some of them are hard - one of them pits you against a wight, several infernal hounds or whatever they are called, some chimaeras and other stuff. It's ridiculously hard so I had to bail...but now even random encounters are ridiculously hard - the difficulty curve has just MASSIVELLY spiked to the point where I can't replace health potions quick enough.

Also no idea where I can get portcrystals from now that the place in Gran Soren has gone...any advice?!? I've got 12 wakestones but not sure I can get the remaining 8!

I like a challenge but this is epically hard - even at level 50 as I am now.

 

[Sargara]

Awww poor you

Portcrystals as in the items you place to create "warp to" locations? It should still be there in Gran Soren and everywhere else you have placed them for that matter. In the back of the Pawn Guild is a set of steps that leads into the top of the void where the merchant is located on the top platform of the void by the pylon.

You need 20 wakestones to activate the "final battle" to finish the game and unlock NG+. So basically do NOT do this unless you want to finish. By all means keep entering rooms around the void to fight bosses and collect Wakestones but just dont turn them in yet!

Now would be a good time to go off onto the new island (Arisen DLC) and explore the added content as you have essentially reached the end of the existing content. Be warned though, this is harder than what you are experiencing now (in my opinion).

 

[martynzs]

Put a couple of hours into this but struggling to get into it...im sure I will but something doesnt feel right!

Started out as a Stryder and got through the prologue quests but then started again as a Fighter - as cool as the stryder is (duel wield + bow) it felt to ninjary for my liking!

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[Sargara]

Im sure Brand will agree but it really opens up once you get to the capital city (Gran Soren) and becomes much more open, and free roaming. The begining is all scripted essentially to get you into the feel of the game.