Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - ACG Review

Angry Centaur Gaming gives their video review for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, and they highlight just how much this game has improved on its move to the PC.



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Won't comment the review but DD, PC release, was #1 topseller past week on Steam leaving overhyped GTA5 and everpresent CS behind.

I'm in a very strange position with the game personally. There is some very awesome features, but other parts are very meh in term of design.

Saying that, going undead hunting with a Magic Archer is hilarious.

I'm really enjoying the game overall. There's so much to learn about it and most of it isn't explained at all, you just have to figure it out. That's actually something I like though. Very souls like.

It might be too early to tell but I'm not understanding why people say this game is so hard. I'm playing on normal and it feels rather easy. You can take a lot of damage, revive fallen companions in a second during combat, monster AI seems pretty poor as you can often just run off to the side and heal yourself and many enemies will just stand there and wait for you to finish and when I say off to the side I'm talking like 10-15 feet away not running far away.

Maybe it's the 300 hours of bloodborne I just completed but the combat seems pretty easy, enemies seem slow and it's easy just to move out of the way and circle behind them and stun lock them to death. It's also taking a little getting used to everything being able to take so many hits.

I'm still enjoying the combat though. The moves are fun to execute, climbing on monsters is a blast and picking up enemies and throwing them off cliffs is hilarious. As a matter of fact I'm finding it hard not to pick up and throw everyone I see. it's just not as hard as I was expecting after reading up on it. I have a long way to go though so we'll see.

One thing, when a companion grabs an enemy is there some kind of finishing move or do I just normal attack them to death as I've been doing?

Originally Posted by sakichop
It might be too early to tell but I'm not understanding why people say this game is so hard. I'm playing on normal and it feels rather easy.

Depends where you are in the game, and just how good you are at this kind of thing. Head over to Bitterblack Isle and see if you can beat the first boss if you want a feel for how the difficulty ramps up.

I've got console experience so I started blasting through Bitterblack around 40, but I think for a lot of people it's going to be painful.

Originally Posted by sakichop
One thing, when a companion grabs an enemy is there some kind of finishing move or do I just normal attack them to death as I've been doing?

Just attack however you want. There are no special finishers.

Originally Posted by Kobu
Depends where you are in the game, and just how good you are at this kind of thing. Head over to Bitterblack Isle and see if you can beat the first boss if you want a feel for how the difficulty ramps up.

I've got console experience so I started blasting through Bitterblack around 40, but I think for a lot of people it's going to be painful.

Originally Posted by Kobu
Just attack however you want. There are no special finishers.

Thanks for the reply's. I'm only level 12 so I'm sure it will get harder at some point.

I'm quite enjoying it though, so no worries. I could do without the escort missions though. I've escorted a lady to the next town and then the hydra head escort mission. Not a big fan of those kind of missions so I hope it's not a recurring theme.

I just change vocation to an assassin and its a fun class to use. I actually might try being a Mage at some point or in another play through which I almost never do but magic in this game looks like it could be fun.

Originally Posted by sakichop
I'm quite enjoying it though, so no worries. I could do without the escort missions though. I've escorted a lady to the next town and then the hydra head escort mission. Not a big fan of those kind of missions so I hope it's not a recurring theme.

There are optional escort missions, but they can be accomplished in seconds if you pay attention to certain elements of the game.

Comparison with Souls combat is completely off mark… closest equivalent is something like LotR: War in the North.
On one hand abilities are really excellent, give a distinctive difference between each class and are simply fun. Interactive, nice sounds and visual design.
On the other, (most) enemy AI is very poor, uncoordinated and unresponsive( running away for some reason, ignoring the player while standing right in front of you)…you can even pull off some sorcerer spells that take up to 15 sec to charge and kill everything right when they're all around you.
Little enemy variety and they feel more a threat through their "raw" stats than AI and once you out level them, they feel more like a nuisance.
It's a solid combat system, but like Souls, it has a lot of fundamental issues ( in particular with movement and AI) that could be improved.
Not finished yet, but so far I'd say it's pretty much on the same level as Kingdoms of Amalur…better combat, char progression, pawns plus some quirky features that lend the game it's own "charm", but worse quests, exploration, loot and world design. Both have equally poor main story, atmosphere, characters, lyp sinc and voice acting, inventory and crafting systems.

Originally Posted by sakichop
I'm quite enjoying it though, so no worries. I could do without the escort missions though. I've escorted a lady to the next town and then the hydra head escort mission. Not a big fan of those kind of missions so I hope it's not a recurring theme.

I just change vocation to an assassin and its a fun class to use. I actually might try being a Mage at some point or in another play through which I almost never do but magic in this game looks like it could be fun.

The Escort Mercedes quest is literally the most tedious and annoying mission in the game. The good news is there are no more required escort missions in the game, zero. Also, all the Notice Board Escort missions in Cassardis Inn and Gran Soren Inn, IGNORE them. They are entirely optional and silly.

Magic is crazy fun when you have a strong party and good skills. I recommend waiting until your second playthrough. Just recently I did a Sorcerer build with support from another Sorcerer Pawn. You and your pawns will actually synchronize your casting and create totally devastating results! This game, SO FUN. You haven't lived until you've party casted Gicel (just watch 10 seconds of that!) to slaughter an entire room in an instant!

Originally Posted by BoboTheMighty
Not finished yet, but so far

I'll thank you to finish the story before saying how good or bad it is. If you still hate it upon completion, you possibly have no soul.

This reviewer impressed me, very articulate and observant.

Mostly enjoying …but …. my biggest issue is not knowing how tough a fight is - I pretty much have to be killed to realise 'oh, probably not meant to try this yet'. Fleeing doesn't seem to work that well Also, my pawns (incl my main pawn) don't seem to be very smart - which is a problem when you can't actually direct them (beyond "Go! Come!" etc.) I'm not a fighter, so I can't demonstate physical skills - since I'd probably die going toe to toe with an ogre, for example. Sometimes they get stuck or ignore commands. I also have not found a single port stone (?) - I have the permanent ferry-what-not so can jump to the big city etc, but that is it. And a huge irriation: enemies respawn too frequently (every day or two). Surprised joxer hasn't said anything :-) And being trapped outside, 100 miles from civilization, and no light… Why can't I camp to wait it out…Just have to find a safe spot (easier said than done…"look, wolves attack in groups!") and stand like an idiot for 25 minutes. Still, on balance I'm enjoying it - just not as much as other open world RPGs I've played.

Pawns can vary a lot in how well they fight. They learn from watching you, and inclinations and foe knowledge really make a difference. I had three accounts on the PS3 and molded my pawn team so that they could even take out a certain boss with me mostly hiding behind a pillar. My current team is learning how to take down garms and cursed dragons for fast XP and I couldn't be prouder.

The first port crystal comes very early in the main story, and there's a second one not long after. The game doesn't force you to pick them up so you could miss them.

I'm cross training discipline right now and I actually wish the respawn rate was higher. It's annoying having to rest so much back to back to get the whole world repopulated.

Originally Posted by booboo
Mostly enjoying …but …. my biggest issue is not knowing how tough a fight is -

I'm not a fighter, so I can't demonstate physical skills -

I also have not found a single port stone (?) -

nd being trapped outside, 100 miles from civilization, and no light…

Still, on balance I'm enjoying it - just not as much as other open world RPGs I've played.

I would cherish these rough times! What you're describing is the real adventurer life. Taking down an Ogre is supposed to be VERY hard! Hint: don't try to take him down! Go elsewhere!

And relish the fact that Dragon's Dogma lets you miss stuff! If you don't look carefully, you can miss Portcrystals (although they give off a large blue glow).

I'd encourage you to change your mindset and take enjoyment from knowing you need to forge your own way. Being trapped outside with scary monsters at night is how it should be! The story, as you'll soon see, is about finding the will to overcome, seeing if you can push through the struggle. Hence, enjoy it because soon enough the game will be too EASY in most places.

(PS: you get an Eternal Ferrystone when arriving at Gran Soren. Get it from Storage at the Inn. It ensures you never are actually stuck anywhere.)

Originally Posted by Kobu
Pawns can vary a lot in how well they fight. They learn from watching you, and inclinations and foe knowledge really make a difference. I had three accounts on the PS3 and molded my pawn team so that they could even take out a certain boss with me mostly hiding behind a pillar. My current team is learning how to take down garms and cursed dragons for fast XP and I couldn't be prouder.

Nice! Three accounts, wow. You were more dedicated than me! I love how your pawns learn from you. I even love how you can mess them up with your behavior. It's like my childhood all over again!! That got weird…anyway, Dragon's Dogma is such epic fun if you allow yourself to become a student of the game!

Originally Posted by Brumbek
Nice! Three accounts, wow. You were more dedicated than me! I love how your pawns learn from you. I even love how you can mess them up with your behavior. It's like my childhood all over again!! That got weird…anyway, Dragon's Dogma is such epic fun if you allow yourself to become a student of the game!

I'm not really sure to what extent they are programmed to mimic their master, but when I get a pawn that does really goofy things all the time I have to wonder. Like a pawn who runs straight to every explosive barrel and smashes them.

I've considered porting my accounts over, but I've heard that can mess up the online portion on PC. I'd also have to buy two more copies of the game. PS3 was easy because you just had to make two more accounts on a single box. I have so many hours combined on those accounts, it's ridiculous. But it was so amazing to have 3 pawns exactly tailored and working together.

Originally Posted by booboo
And being trapped outside, 100 miles from civilization, and no light… Why can't I camp to wait it out…Just have to find a safe spot (easier said than done…"look, wolves attack in groups!") and stand like an idiot for 25 minutes. Still, on balance I'm enjoying it - just not as much as other open world RPGs I've played.

This is quickly becoming my biggest annoyance. Find an abandoned hut with a bed and not being able to camp for the night? What's even worse I went to my house and can't sleep there either.

I don't really mind traveling at night as I always bring enough oil for lanterns and it doesn't really feel any harder, just a couple zombies or something. For a game that seems to really have focused on the details though, this is a glaring and immersion breaking omission IMO.

My pawns aren't the brightest either but it helps to set up inclinations at knowledge chairs that modify behaviors. Giving my Mage mendicant made a huge difference in usefulness.

From the wiki:


Pawn Inclinations govern or dictate how a Pawn will behave in a party and in combat. When you first create your Main Pawn you will be asked a few questions about how your pawn should behave. The answers you give will directly affect their starting inclinations.

Inclinations change over time based on the Arisen's behaviour and other factors - they can also be directly altered through the use of Inclination Elixirs and at the Knowledge Chair.

Inclinations are one of the most important factors in creating an effective pawn- not all inclinations work well with all vocations, and some inclinations are significantly less desirable than others. There are nine Pawn Inclinations:

Nexus: A pawn that will aid the other pawns in your party.
Pioneer: A pawn that will scout ahead and be on the look out for incoming danger.
Guardian: A pawn that will stay near and guard the Arisen.
Medicant: A pawn that will heal and keep the party alive.
Acquisitor: A pawn that will search the area for items regardless of the situation.
Challenger: A pawn that will attack enemies using ranged or magick first.
Scather: A pawn that will attack stronger enemies first.
Mitigator: A pawn that will attack weaker enemies first.
Utilitarian: A pawn that will adapt its strategies to give allies advantages.
Inclinations are discussed in significantly more detail in Pawn Inclinations and Troubleshooting Pawn Inclinations.