Harpy

 is an Enemy in Dragon's Dogma.

Overview
Harpies are winged flying beasts with the body, legs and wings of a large bird such as a condor or vulture, but with the face of a beautiful woman. They do not speak though their song affects humans, lulling them to sleep. They will attack any who come near by gouging or knocking down with their claws orthey may also grab a human victim and lift them to great height, before dropping them, usually to their death.

"From the tops of their lustrous heads to the curves of their bodies, Harpies take the form of bewitching beauties, yet the wings and haunches are those of a beast. Harpies have a wingspan of nearly twenty feet and have an undeniable grace when in flight. Their intelligence is that which you would expect from an animal, yet they are known to sing arias of such beauty that none can say whether the songs contain real language or are nothing more than the simple cries of a animal. Like most birds, they seem to have poor perception at night and avoid taking action during the dark hours. They then prefer to take their rest upon some safe perch, though there have been tales of Harpies attacking by the light of the moon or the fiery glow of torches, so it will not pay to let your guard down. The Harpy’s song clouds human minds and lulls them to Sleep. Once one Harpy begins to sing, the others are likely to join in its song."

- Enemies (official website)

When killed the corpse may yield a Harpy Pinion, Harpy Rectrix, or Sour Scrag of Beast. The skill Master Thief may be used to obtain a Harpy Cloak, or a Gryphic Cloak (rare). It is easier to steal from a grappled or stunned target.

Harpies are most common in Moonsbit Pass, and are found at a watering hole on the Estan Plains. They may also be found in the Chamber of Fate during the Post-Game.

A stronger form of harpy, the Snow Harpy is the region specific sub-species in colder climes; it possesses a icy breath that may freeze. Related species are the Succubi and Sirens.

Flying with Harpies
As well as grabbing prey, Harpies themselves can be grabbed when in flight, and used to lift or carry a person to a high place or across a gap. Since the harpy will attempt to free itself this pursuit can be dangerous.

The Harpy can be made to fly in a chosen direction by pointing in that direction. Weight affects the harpy's flight so larger heavier characters may not get far.

Pawns often suggest grabbing onto a Harpy at the Barta Crags to cross the Miasmic Swamp, but this feat is not recommended.

Tactics

 * General
 * As with other flying enemies, setting the wings on fire will cripple them, turning them into flightless birds.
 * Once carried off by a Harpy it is possible to be caught once dropped, avoiding fall damage. Requesting aid from pawns may put them in a better position to make the catch.


 * In flight
 * Ideally, Harpies and other flying enemies should be picked off from afar while they are perched on a tree branch or on roosting on the ground.  When surprised they take extra damage.
 * It is possible to take down a flock of Harpies all in a single strike. Use any Lightning-based skill and hope that the chain lightning secondary effect occurs, as it will branch off and strike all Harpies in the vicinity, sending them all to the ground.
 * A Fire-buffed Focused Bolt will one-shot them; this skill is available to Mystic Knight, Magick Archer, Mage and Sorcerer.
 * Once in flight, Harpies are more difficult to shoot down for bow users: skills with a wide area such as Endecad Shot or Pentad Shot may be useful. Splinter Dart is also effective against aerial enemies if properly timed.
 * With manually-aimed bow shots the archer will need to compensate for the flight of the arrow and the movement of the Harpy. This is called 'leading the target,' and is a common technique when shooting at a moving object.
 * Harpies will often take the same flight path as other Harpies. If you notice this, sniping them down in a row is a simple task.


 * Class specific skills
 * Long range bow skills such as the Ranger's Tenfold Flurry or Comet Shot, Assassin's Lyncean Sight, or Strider's Mighty Bend are very useful skills for shooting down roosting Harpies. For spellcasters, Magick Bolt and Focused Bolt are effective, though a manually-targeted Ingle is even more so as it can be manually aimed, and is effective outside the standard targeting range. For Magic Archers, manual targeting of core and special skills is effective outside the normal range.
 * Fighters: Skyward Slash or Heavenward Lash slashes upwards to bring down flying enemies. Shield Drum can lure them down within striking range.
 * Warrior: Use light regular jumping attacks to swat them down. Battle Cry / War Cry can lure them down to striking range.
 * Striders: Ensnare or Implicate will pull them down from the sky. Helm Splitter can be used to attack enemies at height.  Fivefold Flurry, if the shooter is accurately 'leading the target,' will instantly shoot them down.
 * Magick Archers: Dark magics such as Vortex Trail or Shadowshackle are useful against harpies since it will group small enemies together.
 * Mystic Knight: Use Vortex Sigil to trap Harpies in place. Alternatively, a well aimed Sky Rapture works like Burst Strike for Flying enemies. Magick Cannon can pick them off from a safe distance. If a Harpy flies through a Ruinous Sigil its momentum will trigger it, which will also fire a Magick/Great Cannon placed within its sigil.
 * When grounded, Harpies can be grabbed and thrown off a cliff. Surprisingly, they don't make any attempt to regain flight and usually die on impact.
 * Fighters, Mystic Knights and Warriors can grapple Harpies on the ground to reduce their defence even further.
 * Sorcerers, Mages, Mystic Knights and Magick Archers can use a Focused Bolt from their staff to knock them out of the sky, if not kill them outright. A appropriate elemental enchantment increases the Focused Bolt's damage and homing property.
 * Rangers:  Endecad Shot is a wide-ranged shotgun blast suitable for short range. Tenfold Flurry, if accurately shot by leading the target, will kill Harpies instantly.

Pawn Bestiary Knowledge

 * Setting their wings on fire to disable them. Can be learnt with Harpy Strategies or experienced in the field
 * Witness a party member being grabbed and lifted into the air.
 * Grab and hold on the ground

In addition to witnessing these techniques, it is necessary for Pawns to participate in killing 300 Harpies either with their own Arisen or while travelling with others.

More information can be found on the Pawn Bestiary Knowledge page.

Trivia

 * The Harpies in Dragon's Dogma look very much like traditional ones from Greek Mythology.
 * Harpies (like Bandits and Goblins) can sometimes be found guarding a human captive in a cage, which triggers a random 'rescue' quest.
 * Harpies are not pictured in the Bestiary section of the Brady Games guidebook, presumably because their official artwork displays their breasts.

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