Talk:Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen/@comment-109.130.93.185-20140507070120/@comment-24646286-20140507092703

Yes. It's one of the most convenient and efficient means of getting around the map in any game EVER.....only problem, it's not free and it's not available right off the bat.

As you progress through the game, mainly if you have Dark Arisen, you can pick up Portcrystals which are placed around key locations depending upon your progression through the story....rewards of sort. Once picked up you can carry these Portcrystals (which are pretty heavy btw) with you and you can place them anywhere on the OPEN WORLD map. As in not inside a house or any area which requires you to go through a loading screen. If you were to explore Gransys in its entirety without entering a specific area (say Cassardis or the Witchwood which requires a loading screen) then these can be placed anywhere in said map of Gransys. A maximum of 10 can be placed at one time on the map and all of them can be picked up and placed somewhere else as many times as you want. In Post-Game you can buy Portcrystals from the Black Cat if you are short on them (not recommended though as you can get a max of 5 from a single playthrough. Those will carry over, placement and everything, into a NG+ as well as respawning again in their initial spots to collect them all again making 10)

The way to reach them is via a Ferrystone. It's an item that will teleport you instantly to a Portcrystal of your choosing. Using one brings up a list of destinations where you've placed a Portcrystal (There are 3 which are permanent though and do not count towards the 10 placement limit) and you can choose any one to teleport to. This though is a one time thing as once used the ferrystone is "consumed" and cannot be used again. Fournival and The Black Cat sell these so make it a point to have atleast 3 on you or your pawn at all times.

You cannot start teleporting to any spot unless and untill you finish the quest "Off With Its Head." no matter which playthrough you're in, initial or 8th NG+. The quest requires you to get to Gran Soren which basically makes the entire map and game available.

THE most convenient thing about this system is that even though it's not free (which after a certain point in the game becomes trivial as you have millions of gold) the fact that you can place the portcrystal any where on the world map means you can shorten travel time to locations of YOUR choosing. Unlike other games where fast travel is set to certain locations only, DD:DA allows you to place that portcrystal atop a small boulder, at the top of a hill, at the bottom of a valley, at the edge of a waterfall, at a healing spring or near the entrance of an area with a loading screen....in the middle of a swamp even! so you can instantly get there. Once you get used to the game, and know where to go and when, you can relocate them to suit your needs.

TL;DR? Just follow the links and read the last two paragraphs.