User talk:Halibel2015

Hello, Halibel !

I'm very happy for you that you're just starting out this awesome game.

I've been playing DD for two solid years and I've contributed to a lot of the articles and 99% of the videos here.

If you have any questions or just want to talk about Dragon's Dogma, feel free to message me at any time.

I'm happy to help out friendly newcomers.

JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:14, February 5, 2016 (UTC)

Hello Halibel,

Having peopel rent your pawn is difficult because there are THOUSANDS of pawns out there.

If you have any friends that play DD, get them to rent your pawns.

In order to earn Rift Crystals quickly, I actually started 4 accounts and custom-built my entire party up to level 200, one at a time.

By hiring my own pawns, I earn a LOT of Rift crystals (more than I'll ever need) and built their bestiary knowledge quickly as well.

You'll find that experienced pawns fight better than new pawns.

There are communities the Gamefaqs board that you can try here :

www.gamefaqs.com/boards/626514-dragons-dogma

Good luck !

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:02, February 7, 2016 (UTC)

LOL, Halibel. Honestly, How old are you ?

I've been watching you ask all kinds of crazy questions on the Wiki (questions I've never heard anyone ask before).

It's like you've never played an RPG before. It's OK if you haven't, I just rarely see such players.

Every question I've seen you ask is already written in this Wiki, which has been around since 2012.

Any question you have has probably been adressed already if you'd take the time to read the appropriate page.

But here are some answers for you :

1. No, pawns do not leave your party unless they die by falling off a cliff, falling into the Brine, or get hit with Death's scythe attack.

If a pawn's health points fall to 0 during a battle, they will fall "unconscious" and need to be revived by you. If you don't revive them, they'll disappear from your party and you'll have to re-hire them within the Rift Stone.

2. Pawns are free to hire if they are at your level or lower. But pawns that are ata higher level than you cost Rift Crystals to hire. It's a one time fee, unless they die or if you dismiss them from your party.

Pawns never leave on their own.

You can bypass the Rift Crystal cost by "Friending" the owners of high level pawns.

I'd be happy to "friend" you and let you use any of my four level 200 pawns for free, but I'm on XBox and I think you're playing on PC. That means you can't use my pawns, unfortunately.

I don't recommend that you EVER pay Rift Crystals to hire a pawn.

Just level up as fast as you can so you can hire higher level pawns for free.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

-JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:24, February 7, 2016 (UTC)

Hi Halibel,

It's great to hear that you're an old school gamer like me.

I'm 40 and I grew up on the Atari 2600 back in the early 80's, LOL.

You seem like a nice guy and all, so I hope my message didn't come across as unfriendly because I like having new people like you here.

For the longest time, the Wiki was only filled with jaded veterans and we had nothing new to talk about.

Welcome to the conversation.

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:25, February 8, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Halibel,

I've been on this Wiki for more than two years now, and I've contributed quite a bit.

There are many new players here and I'm glad there is renewed interest in my favorite game.

Things are pretty civil here but I'm amazed by the simplistic way most people seem to play the game, with little appreciatiation for the complexities of the combat system.

I try to elevate the strategic conversation by contributing to articles and even making specific VIDEOS to help people, but few players take the time to study the videos I produce or even READ the damn articles I'd spent hours co-writing.

Many contributors like me have figuratively "emptied my brain" trying to think of ANY new ideas that could help newer players and added them to the articles.

Heck, right now I'm filming a video series on the "Perfect Block" page which are only getting about 3 views per day each.

They take a lot of time to film and very few players care enough to master this important technique.

If you can think of any video ideas  that might help you, feel free to drop me a line.

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:59, February 8, 2016 (UTC)

OK, here are your answers :

1. The book is lying on a rooftop in Cassardis slightly downhil from the church.

2. The Flowers in Bloom quest is totally unimportant, so don't worry about it.

3. When you get a quest, remember that you can read this Wiki before you attempt the quest (if you don't mind spoilers).

4. You can only level up your Arisen and Main Pawn. Hired pawns CANNOT be leveled up.

So whenever you level up, you can enter a Rift Stone and hire different pawns with higher levels that match your Arisen and Main Pawn. Or not. It's up to you.

JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:53, February 9, 2016 (UTC)

Fighting Chimeras and Cyclops in the open world of Gransys is a common random quest you will get A LOT, and you fail it if you run away.

There is no consequence to failing these quests, so don't worry about it.

You will do them repeatedly throughout the game.

Halibel, there are very few mistakes that have any consequnces to the game's storyline and this is not one of them.

I'll tell you an important thing to know about Dragon's Dogma :

YOU WILL REPEAT ALL THESE QUESTS OVER AND OVER AGAIN, CARRYING OVER ALL YOUR LOOT AND WEAPONS FROM ONE NEW GAME INTO THE NEXT.

I've beaten (with the same Arisen) over 30 times on just one of my four accounts/characters, repeating the same quests again and again.

You get to keep EVERYTHING you earn repeatedly, so just enjoy yourself and don't sweat making any mistakes because you'll get to try again in the next playthrough.

It's such a great game that I don't mind playing it over and over.

JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:41, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

Halibel, because you are a Fighter I'd recommend that your pawns comprise 1 Mage (to heal you) and 2 Striders (for long range attacks).

Fighters lack any ranged skills, so you'll need TWO bow wielders to deal with floating and flying enemies.

I recommend Strider pawns over Ranger pawns.

Regarding gender : There is no penalty for a character's gender in the game, but a character's height and weight affect how much they can carry and how quickly their stamina depletes.

A large female is the same as a large male in this game.

My party comprises FOUR females (because I prefer staring at girls), and depending on the vocation of the Arisen I'll have at least one Strider and one Sorcerer (which cannot heal and are only good for magic attack spells).

My third pawn is either a Fighter or another Strider.

If my Arisen is a Fighter or Warrior, then you need TWO archers.

But always have at least ONE spellcaster in your party because some enemies are only hurt with magic spells.

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:25, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

Halibel,

ANY skills or equipment you will EVER earn in this game is NEVER lost unless you start a "New Game".

NEVER do that.

You temporarily lose the ability to use some skills when you switch vocations, but those skills are still there when you switch back to that vocation.

Most skills are vocation-specific, but you never "lose" them permanently.

So yes, Gloria can only heal you while she is a Mage.

If Gloria becomes a Sorcerer she can only cast attack spells, but those spells are mmore powerful than a Mage's spells.

The "Gandalf" hat you're looking for is the Adept's Hat, which is a Bitterblack Level 1 armor so you're not going to have it for a while.

And make sure you replace your pawns every time you go up 2 or so levels so they get more powerful at the same time as your Arisen and Main Pawn.

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:27, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

Enemies DO NOT level up with you.

The enemies that are giving you a hard time while you are at level 10 will die like bugs when you reach Level 200.

Enemy intelligence, strength, and abilities do not increase as your party gets bettter.

The hardest enemies (and best treasure) are on Bitterblack Isle.

But since they do not get stronger as my skill has improved, I find them all easy to beat now.

You need to grind more so your Arisen and Main Pawn get stronger, just like in any RPG.

Gain levels as fast as you can by beating bigger and stronger enemies which are worth more XP (such as Chimeras, Dragons, Griffins and Cyclops).

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:13, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

Longest and hardest boss fight ?

Hmmm, I'd say it was beating Mike Tyson on Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the original NES. THAT was REALLY HARD.

For RPG's, I'd say Zeromus in Final Fantasy 4 on the Super NES.

I don't find RPG bosses nearly as hard as action game bosses that require fast reflexes and good hand-eye coordination.

Beating RPG bosses is generally about strategy and physical endurance (like some MMORPG raid battles).

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:57, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

I know it may sound weird, but I stopped playing Final Fantasy when the series from a party of four to a party of three characters at a time.

In Dragon's Dogma and in Final Fantasy 1-6, you have a party of four and it feels like you're leading a squad.

A party of three just feels like its me and 2 buddies. That's not a proper "team".

It's like calling yourself a gang and it's just you and your best friend, LOL.

- JonGGonzales aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:56, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

I guess you've figured out by now that the Fighter's best skill against fast enemies like wolves is Burst Strike, and it works even better when you upgrade the skill.

But yes I want to lead a FELLOWSHIP of people, not just me and two buddies, LOL.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:52, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

Halibel,

You should try ALL the vocations to see which one you like.

My three personal favorites to play are Mystic Knight, Strider, and Magic Archer, in that exact order.

Some vocations are easier to play than others, of course, but each one has cool abilities that are unique to that vocation.

For example, the Magic Archer's Ricochet Hunter skill is a blast.

And the Strider's Brain Splitter is amazingly powerful.

The Mystic Knight is pretty much a Fighter with magic and more advanced skills.

My 3 least favorite vocations to play, in order, are : Mage, Warrior, Ranger.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:02, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

Halibel,

I actually like the new opening intro song better than the old one.

The Ranger is not a BAD vocation.

I just don't enjoy playing it because you spend the whole game staring at a targeting recticle, as if you're playing a first person shooter like Call of Duty.

I like seeing my female character doing badass things from a third person perspective, not from a first person perspective.

Rangers also have very limited gameplay. The only skill you need as a Ranger Tenfold Flurry.

And that's REALLY boring to me.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:14, February 10, 2016 (UTC)

The only other bow vocations are Strider and Assassin, but they have good dagger and sword skills that allows to play in third person instead of staring at the targeting recticle for hours at a time.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:11, February 11, 2016 (UTC)

Assassin is fun and all, but none of its skills are particularly powerful.

And the Assassin vocation is not especially skilled at slaying any one particular enemy.

Let's look at the hardest enemies in the game.

Against Death, Daimon, or Cursed Dragons you're MUCH better off with a Strider, Mystic Knight or Magic Archer.

Against Eliminators and Living Armor, the best vocation is Magic Archer.

Against Condemned Gorecyclops, I'd go with a Mystic Knight, Strider or Magic Archer.

But there is NO enemy where you'd necessarily be better off with an Assassin.

They're not bad, but they're especially great either.

When played well, the Strider, Mystic Knight and Magic Archer are GREAT at beating ANYTHING.

All the veteran players I know prefer one of these three vocations if they had to face a tough boss battle.

Ranger + Tenfold Flurry + Blast Arrows is a super powerful noob combo, but veteran players generally choose not to play this way because it's very boring.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:34, February 11, 2016 (UTC)

Strider is the easiest to learn of the three vocations I mentioned.

Be patient. You'll get stronger over time.

In particular, the fully upgraded Brain Splitter and Downpour Volley are exceptional skills.

Magic Archer and Mystic Knight take more time to learn, but they're well worth it.

For the Magic Archer, Sixfold Bolt and Ricochet Hunter are must-haves.

And for the Mystic Knight, Full Moon Slash, Abyssal Anguish and Great Cannon are must-have skills.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:50, February 11, 2016 (UTC)

When you switch classes, your equipment de-equips and you need to manually put it into storage (since you can't use it).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:06, February 11, 2016 (UTC)

In an earlier conversation, I told you that you didn't need to worry about making mistakes or missing quests because you WILL be able to repeat the whole game over and over again (while retaining all you hard earned loot).

Players that make these complaints simply don't know what I'm sharing with you.

I generally hate giving spoilers but in this case I feel that I'm doing you a favor, Halibel.

ALL quests can be repeated endlessly in New Game Plus.

If you "miss" anything, you're always going to have another chance to try again.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:31, February 12, 2016 (UTC)

Selene will be at your house AND your Beloved (whomever that is) after you slay The Dragon.

But oddly enough, the most useful Beloved to have in your house is Fournival because he's the only vendor who sells the most important buffs in the game (such as Conqueror's Periapts and Tagilus' Miracles).

The Beloved part of the game doesn't really affect gameplay.

It's really just there to make the story more interesting, adding a "Romantic interest."

SphericalMass49 (talk) 12:10, February 12, 2016 (UTC)

If you want your Main Pawn to be a magic wrecking machine, the level her up as a Sorcerer ALL THE WAY to Level 200 (which is the level cap).

Sorcerers gain more magic attack per level than Mages. You can read the Stat Growths page if you'd want to see for yourself.

But this is important : If you build her up and focus only on her magic attack, SHE WON'T BE USEFUL as any other vocation because her strength will be too low.

If you want maximum versatility so she can switch to any vocation, build up her magic attack AND strength by leveling her up as a Sorcerer AND Warrior (which gains the most strength for pawns when they level up).

Personally, I choose to have a pawn focus on either pure magic attack OR pure strength.

What level is your Main Pawn now ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:16, February 13, 2016 (UTC)

Some important storyline characters will stay dead if you slay them.

Minor characters will resurrect after 7 days.

Chief Adaro is not a major character, so you might see him alive again walking around Cassardis within 7 game days.

Either way, it's no big deal, LOL.

ALL characters resurrect again when you repeat the story again in New Game Plus.

OK, so you're level 23 now and you want a Healer/Magic attacker.

Then you can just level her up as a pure Mage, but DON'T switch her to anything else except Sorcerer.

Otherwise if you switch her to a melee vocation, you're leveling up her strength (which Mages and Sorcerers don't use at all). It's a kind of a waste of a level up.

Ideally, you should COMMIT to building your Arisen and Main Pawn to one of three builds : pure strength, pure magic, or 50-50 strength and magic.

You don't HAVE to do this to complete the game and have fun, but it's something a veteran might do.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:40, February 13, 2016 (UTC)

Yes depending on yours needs you can switch your Main Pawn back and forth between Mage and Sorcerer.

This will keep her stats growing primarily in the magic attack area, which is where you want it.

A high magic attack stat on her will serve you well.

Now it's a different conversation for building your Arisen, in which I recommend you build him/her with 50/50 strength and magic.

For your Arisen, you don't want to focus only on pure strength because you'll be helpless against some enemies in the future who are only hurt by magic (such as Wraiths and Living Armor).

-JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:04, February 13, 2016 (UTC)

Halibel,

I don't want to drown you in math and details if it might detract from your fun in simply playing the game.

But here's the info.

For your Arisen, the Assassin vocation is the highest strength build. Sorcerer gain the most magic attack per level.

So for a 50-50 strength-magic build, it would look something like this :

Level 1-10 Fighter, 11-100 Assassin, 101-200 Sorcerer.

Or you can do 11-100 Sorcerer, 101-200 Assassin. It's the same thing.

That's just an approximate formula and you should NOT feel that you're missing out by not obssessing over stats.

You can beat the game with low stats and no pawns.

In my demonstration videos on this Wiki I repeatedly show myself beating the toughest bosses with only crappy Rusted Daggers.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:44, February 13, 2016 (UTC)

1. Pawns only use certain items, and they only use them when they REALLY need them.

For example, when they run low on health they'll use the most potent curative that they're carrying to bring their health up to 25% of their maximum health.

This is kind of a good thing, beacause they don't waste your expensive curatives if you get into a battle near a town or inn.

You can't FORCE pawns to use items, so that grey out is normal.

2. There's no really good reason why they care about staying dry.

Besides keeping your lantern alight, it doesn't matter.

A lot of the things they keep saying will continually annoy you and there's no way to make them shut up.

3. Besides the weapons and armor you're wearing here are some things you should carry around at your level :

A lantern, 3 Flasks of oil, several curatives (items that heal you), Ferrystones (to teleport around the map).

That's really it, for now.

Put everything else in storage at an inn.

The more stuff a character carries, they slower they move around.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 07:16, February 13, 2016 (UTC)

Harspud Sauces are really good, and you can buy them in Gran Soren at the shop near the western exit.

Deposit the ore and other stuff I didn't mention.

TRAVEL LIGHT.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 07:21, February 13, 2016 (UTC)

Your wet lanterns only need to be unequipped and re-equipped to relight them.

If that doesn't work, then it's out of oil.

Open your inventory, highlight the lantern, then "Add oil".

You should be carrying Flasks of Oil at all times for when the lantern runs out.

You don't want to wander around in the dark.

Slaying Chimeras can be difficult at Level 25.

Fight defensively and let your pawns do the work.

Keep reviving them if they fall unconscious, until the Chimera is dead.

That's the chickenshit way to win, but it works.

I wrote a lot of the tactical section of the Chimera page if you want to fight more aggresssively.

Read that and get back to me if you're still having trouble.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:18, February 14, 2016 (UTC)

You can beat a Chimera at Level 25.

Beating any enemy in Dragon's Dogma is about strategy AND your hand-eye coordination.

Look at EVERYTHING you're bringing to the fight.

Are you bringing enough curatives ?

Using a bow allows you to damage the Chimera from a safe distance.

Or jump up and grab onto the Chimera, climb up the back and attack the Lion's head with Hundred Kisses.

Avoid standing in front of the Chimera.

Get your hands on some Rusted weapons and enhance them to inflict Torpor to slow down the Chimera.

Get your hands on some Golden Weapons and enhance them to infllict Silence on the spell-casting Goat head.

Bring a Strider pawn with Brain Splitter, a Ranger pawn with Tenfold Flurry, A Fighter pawn with Dragon's Maw, and equip your Mage Main Pawn with Comestion and High Frigor.

Have your Mage Main Pawn eventually learn the Attunement, Articulacy and Acuity augments. These are three MUST-HAVE augments for spell-casters.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:01, February 14, 2016 (UTC)

Ogres are equally deadly to both genders, but they target women first.

If your entire party is female, then this won't matter at all.

I'm glad you're reading the Wiki articles.

I've written pretty much all of my knowledge about the game into the articles.

I've co-written this Wiki for over two years now.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:39, February 14, 2016 (UTC)

Yes, remember that having a well rounded party is VERY important.

Since you're a fighter with no ranged attacks and your Main Pawn is a Mage or Sorcerer, I would suggest that you hire 2 Strider pawns to help you deal with flying enemies.

If you ever switch your Arisen to a Strider or Assassin, you can hire one other Strider pawn and one Fighter pawn.

You don't need two Fighters in a party.

Warrior pawns are too slow to be useful, and they miss A LOT of attacks.

Warrior pawns are my LEAST favorite pawns.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:03, February 14, 2016 (UTC)

If Selene (or any charcter) "dies" during an escort quest, there're perfectly fine and you'll them again.

If YOU kill a major character, they STAY dead until New Game Plus.

So don't DELIBERATELY kill anyone, unless they're literally your enemy.

Exploration is a fun part of any RPG, so yes EXPLORE !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:19, February 15, 2016 (UTC)

Selene's not that important anyways, LOL.

Game time does NOT progress when you are in menu screens or are in a conversation with a game character.

If you stand still long enough (unpaused) you will see the sky change from day to night to day.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:47, February 15, 2016 (UTC)

It doesn't rain or snow, but the sky does get overcast and cloudy.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:48, February 15, 2016 (UTC)

I don't mind answering your questions, Halibel.

I'm happy to share my knowledge with appreciative people.

Now, the best weapons in the game cannot be bought but must be found on Bitterblack Isle (Bitterblack weapons Level 1-3).

But you're not ready for that yet, so let's look at the vendors that you CAN buy weapons from.

Vendor inventories get progressively better as you move along in the story.

Caxton's inventory is pretty good when you deliver the Gold Idol to him during that quest.

Madeline specializes in female only armor, like the Silk Lingerie (my personal favorite).

Montebank's weapons seem cool, but are honestly quite useless.

Reynard is the only person who sells Rusted Weapons (the most important tactical weapons in the game).

The best weapons you can buy are from Barroch on Bitterblack Isle as the story progresses.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:17, February 15, 2016 (UTC)

Montebank's weapons at the Black Cat may look cool, but they really not that good in actuality.

Wait until you get to The Dragon and the Everfall to start to get the good stuff.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 05:18, February 15, 2016 (UTC)

There are a TON of escort quests from different characters. Just follow your in-game map to tell you where you need to go.

Most players would agree that Wraiths are the most annoying enemies in the game because they're notoriously hard to kill (with magic) and impossible to kill without magic.

You won't run into them until you get to Bitterblack, but they're like Ghosts or Phantasms, but more annoying.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:39, February 15, 2016 (UTC)

Good job, Halibel.

I thought you were engaging the Chimera alone in the forest.

As a general rule in ALL battles you'll have in this game, remember this important strategy :

ALWAYS eliminate the smaller enemies (especially enemy spell casters and archers) BEFORE you tackle the biggest enemy last.

So if you're fighting Wolves, Harpies, a Lich, and a Dragon at the same time, you should focus on slaying the Wolves, then the Harpies, then the Lich, and THEN finally the Dragon last.

This is time-tested and sound military strategy, and it applies to Dragon's Dogma as well.

It's important that you remember this, because there are much harder battles like this ahead of you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:48, February 15, 2016 (UTC)

In New Game Plus, you restart the storyline with the same Arisen, Main Pawn, all your equipment, loot, Gold, Rift Crystals, and so on.

But before that happens, you're going to fight The Dragon Grigori (one of the game's main bosses).

After you slay The Dragon Grigori, you will be able to buy an item that allows you to edit your character and Main Pawn as many times as you want.

It's called the "Secret of Metamorphosis", which you buy from Jonathan at the Encampment for 10,000 Rift Crystals.

In the Main Menu where you click "Load Game", a new option will appear that says "Edit Character", and you can make as many changes as you want as often as you want.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:43, February 16, 2016 (UTC)

Yes, you'll be able to change your gender and (I'm pretty sure) your name.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:16, February 16, 2016 (UTC)

There are no "separate" storages in the game.

There is only one storage, and they're all connected.

You can access your master storage from any inn, Barroch, Olra, or at the encampment.

Please look up "Gold idol" in the Wiki and follow the walkthrough to get the Gold Idol.

There is no idol at the Dragonforged's cave.

The idol at Selene's house is bronze.

You can earn the Silver idol by slaying the Hydra at the Frontier Caverns during that specific quest.

If you don't get any idols, don't worry about it.

As I've told you before, the best weapons and armor can be found in the Everfall (Post-Dragon) and on Bitterblack Isle.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:52, February 16, 2016 (UTC)

Well, if you read the Walkthrough first you could've gotten the Gold Idol.

Pleasing Symone was the ONLY way to get a Gold Idol to give to Caxton to upgrade his inventory.

But whatever. It's all good. You'll be fine without it.

Whenever you get a new quest, it might be a good idea to at least look at the Wiki to see if the quest is important or if there's anything you might need to know before you begin.

Some quest walkthroughs have warnings to help you avoid mistakes you might regret later.

Or you can just say "To hell with it" and have fun doing things on your own.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 07:39, February 16, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah you shouldn't feel like you MUST check the Wiki for everything because that might take the fun and surprise from your game.

But just be aware that it's there to help you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 08:20, February 16, 2016 (UTC)

Magick Archer vs Strider, eh ?

Both vocations are great and can handle anything, so it's a matter of personal preference depending upon your play style.

I'd say the Magic Archer is "better" (at killing enemies), but I have more fun with a Strider Arisen.

I have an Arisen that was built as a pure magic attack monster.

I leveled her 1-10 Mage, 11-200 Sorcerer.

With pure magic attack this Arisen is a killer Magic Archer and Sorcerer, but can't be any other vocation because she has no strength.

Her staff and magic bow skills are devastating, so I have her wield only Rusted Daggers to inflict Torpor since her physical attack damage is very low.

A pure magic Arisen is awesome, but you don't want a pure strength Arisen because some enemies are only hurt by magic.

A Strider Arisen would need a 50-50 build, with strength and magic attack built equally.

Level a Strider Arisen something like this : 1-10 Fighter, 11-100 Assassin, 101-200 Sorcerer.

That way, the Strider can use either pure physical strength weapons or magic weapons very well.

You would just switch weapons depending upon which enemy you're fighting.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:04, February 17, 2016 (UTC)

You don't have to follow a level plan EXACTLY, but it's a path for you to follow if you want to maximize your stats.

Just look at your strength and magic attack stats as you level up to 200.

Decide what you want your final build outcome to look like and DO THAT.

If you don't want to mess around with fiddling with your stats, then you don't have to.

Just play the vocations you want and let the stats automatically sort themselves out as you level up.

Don't let this stuff give you a headache.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:26, February 17, 2016 (UTC)

Enemies that are only vulnerable to magic start to show up on Bitterblack Isle.

You'll probably be around Level 60 or higher by then.

I'd recommend that you be AT LEAST level 60 before you enter Bitterblack.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:29, February 17, 2016 (UTC)

Your stats (includin your health) don't fluctuate when you switch vocations.

You stat gains are PERMANENT and you can't gain any more when you hit the level cap 200.

That's why it's a good idea to plan ahead for your stat growth.

And whenever you switch vocations, your augments will stay the same but you have to re-assign your skills and re-equip your weapons and armor.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:05, February 17, 2016 (UTC)

As long as your lantern is alight, don't worry about what your pawns say.

Even though I have over 90 million Gold, my Pawns STILL remind me to "save enough for lodging".

Or they'll tell me that "Goblins are weak to Fire!" even though I've slaughtered over 30,000 Goblins by now, LOL.

If you run away from a fight, your pawns will automatically "teleport" by your side (you don't have to pick them up).

The game doesn't let them get too far away from you.

And if you exit and re-enter an area that has a loading screen, they will also magically reload right by your side.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 13:46, February 17, 2016 (UTC)

And you don't need to carry 16 flasks of oil, just 3-5 is enough.

Don't carry too much stuff because it makes your characters move slower.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 13:48, February 17, 2016 (UTC)

This might be an appropriate time to introduce you to another strategic concept of Dragon's Dogma.

This lesson is called "Pawn inclinations", and it's a very important subject because it determines how useful your pawns are in battle.

While there is a "Pawn inclination" page on the Wiki, let me try to simply it for you.

If a pawn has an aggressive inclination like Scather, they'll charge into battle without your permission.

If a pawn has a team oriented inclination like Mitigator or Challenger, they'll go after enemy archers and spell casters first.

A Guardian pawn will always stay close to you to protect you, and a Acquisitor pawn will go after treasure chests and loot while ignoring combat.

You can adjust your Main Pawn's inclination (not Hired Pawns) by buying potions from Jonathan near the Encampment Rift Stone.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:09, February 17, 2016 (UTC)

Don't be afraid to tackle any of the quests.

When you get to where I am, you'll wish there were MORE quests. And much harder.

And by the way, I just posted the Wyrmhunt quest video walkthroughs on those Wiki pages.

So check out hose videos before you start the other 2 Wymhunt quests.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:09, February 18, 2016 (UTC)

I don't know if you've found it yet, but the Catacombs are my favorite "scary" dungeon in this game.

There are some genuinely dark and scary areas of Bitterblack Isle that always make me hesitate before I go in.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:27, February 18, 2016 (UTC)

Normal arrows are infinite, and magic arrows from a magic bow are infinite.

But there are special arrows like Blast Arrows, Blinder Arrows and Silencer Arrows that you can buy that have a limited number of uses.

Pawns can use them too, but other than Blast Arrows I don't use these special arrows.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 05:28, February 18, 2016 (UTC)

Just a quick note, Halibel.

There are 3 MUST HAVE augments for Mages and Sorcerers :

1. Attunement (increases magic attack)

2. Acuity (increases magic attack)

3. Articulacy (increases spell casting speed)

Get them and equip them onto your Main Pawn as soon as you can.

It's tempting to give your Sorcerer really big spells that take a LOOOONG tiem to cast.

But I recommend equipping your Sorcerer quick-casting spells like what Mages use instead.

Maelstrom and Bolide may look awesome, but they're useless if your pawn can't cast them in a heated battle.

I'm currently playing my Assassin Arisen as well, filming Chimera and Griffin slaying videos.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:20, February 18, 2016 (UTC)

No, you don't need ANY of those things.

Open your inventory menu screen.

1. Curatives (bring as many as you need)

2. Tools (you only need a lantern, flasks of oil, and Ferrystones

3. Materials (this is just loot, you NEVER need to have anything in here so deposit them whenver you can)

4. Special (these are quest items, which are things you need only for specific quests)

5. Other (you only need Wakestones here)

6-12. Equipment (just bring what you're wearing, as well as some extra specialty weapons (we'll talk about this another time)

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:58, February 18, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Halibel.

Magic items like Wakestones, Ferrystones and Portcrystals can be forged, but they won't function properly.

It's funny that Montebank can forge FOOD and other organic items, but not magic items.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:03, February 18, 2016 (UTC)

Yes you can sell the fake Wakestone.

It's a good idea to forge quest items and materials before you hand them over.

Some items are hard to find, so don't let any materials in your inventory go to zero.

Duplicate any item before you get rid of it, whether it's a material for enhancing or a quest item.

IMPORTANT TIP : Whenever possible, give a FORGED item to complete a quest and keep the original.

The only exception to this is the Gold Idol.

When you play the game again in New Game Plus, you'll make the game a LOT easier if you have duplicate items from the previous playthrough.

You'll be glad you did.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:24, February 18, 2016 (UTC)

1. There is almost NOTHING to be gained by giving Reynard the Journal entry pages, so I never do it.

I don't recommend that you do it either.

It's useful to have Reynard available during Fournival's trial and to buy Rusted Weapons.

Reynard will disappear from your current playthrough if you finish that quest. So don't.

2. You can only get arrested for violent actions within the city, not outside.

So slay all the guards OUTSIDE the city you want. There are no negative consequences for that.

After you fight The Dragon Grigori you'll be able to misbehave inside the city all you like.

Just don't kill anyone important like Arsmith, Fournival or Montebank. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 10:27, February 19, 2016 (UTC)

Oh no, you won't see the cult leader Elysion again.

Assuming you slew him in the Catacombs, he STAYS dead.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:10, February 20, 2016 (UTC)

In order, the best bows before Bitterblack are the Hunter's Bow, Pleached Limbs and then the Stalwart Bow.

Your pawns seem useless now because they haven't been observing you long enough.

By the time you get to Level 200, your pawns will do most of the work for you.

Sometimes I just stand around and watch them take care of all the enemies.

So giving Pawns good weapons and gear is DEFINITELY worth it later in the game, but the Arisen should always get the best equipment first.

Pawns learn how to fight by watching your gameplay. Pawns get better when YOU get better.

So get better !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:50, February 20, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Halibel.

You can only customize you and adjust your Main Pawn's "settings" (inclinations, augments, and so on).

So you can't enhance the equipment of Hired Pawns, only your Main Pawn.

Don't change the equipment of Hired Pawns unless you intend to give it to the owner as a gift.

Are these pawns online or offline ?

The offline pawns are pre-made by Capcom.

And you didn't screw up witth the Skeleton quest.

Dungeons throughout the game re-spawn every 5 days and Skeletons can be easily found by walking around at night.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:37, February 20, 2016 (UTC)

Thankfully you can't ever lose any of your stuff in DD unless you discard it, gift it, start a new game (not New Game Plus), or if your file gets corrupted.

The offline pawns were made by the Capcom game designers, so technically yes, someone made them.

Your beloved won't leave your house until you start a New Game Plus, in which case the story and quests are completely reset (not your stuff). So yes, you lose this Beloved and can get another one or the same one again.

And one last lesson today. It's a good idea to place some Portcrystals at the far reaches of the Gransys map so that you can reduce your travel times with Ferrystones.

While you're at these distant locations, put a Portcrystal down.

Even in New Game Plus, your Portcrystals stay in place where you left them from the last playthrough.

- JonGGonzales1 aka SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:37, February 21, 2016 (UTC)

Halibel, make sure you click the "Leave message" button near the top on my Talk page so that I'm notified that you've left me a message.

1. You only get one chance to do each escort quest per playthrough.

The NPC will eventually respawn, but the escort quest won't come back onto a Notice board.

2. Here a combat tip for you, and it applies to almost EVERY enemy in the game :

Enemies generally go after the last character that attacked them.

So if a Chimera is hounding you and ignoring your pawns, STOP attacking the Chimera.

When a pawn strikes it, the Chimera will usually turn its attention to whomever last attacked it.

3. The stone monster will the purple glowing discs is a Golem.

You have to destroy the 5 glowing discs to slay it.

Get used to looking up at the top of the screen to see the enemy's health bar.

If you strike it, the health bar SHOULD go down.

If the health bar isn't going down, you're doing something wrong.

If you strike ANY part of the Golem that isn't one of the glowing discs, you're not going to damage it AT ALL.

There are other monsters like this (such as the Ur-Dragon), so get used to looking at the enemy's health bar from time to time to make sure that what you're doing is working.

In fact, there are still A LOT of new monsters you haven't seen yet, but I don't want you to worry about them until you need to.

I'll coach you through those battles when the time comes.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:48, February 21, 2016 (UTC)

You can't run inside the castle. You can only walk or jog around.

And you can't be inside the castle at night, unless you're on the quest where the Princess invites you to her room (seriously).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:29, February 22, 2016 (UTC)

OK good questions,

1. Being thrown in jail is just an annoyance, but it doesn't afffect the story or your romances at all.

2. The Fournival trial is very important and has a time limit, so finish Trials and Tribulations first.

Make sure Fournival is found INNOCENT because he's the only vendor who sells potions that can DOUBLE your strength. I'll explain that later.

Don't sleep at an inn until you're handed in all the evidence, because sleeping at an inn skips ahead one day.

Find Reynard and buy his fake petitions for an Innocent verdict.

Read the Trials and Tribulations page to be sure you get this quest right.

Good luck !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:06, February 22, 2016 (UTC)

3. And by the way, Selene's quest won't disappear for a long time yet.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:06, February 22, 2016 (UTC)

I think you can turn in only the innocent evidence and discard the guilty ones to get the innocent verdict, but I've never done that.

I always collect all the innocent petitions and turn in Pip's family's 3 guilty petitions and the trial still goes in my favor.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:18, February 22, 2016 (UTC)

1. Later in the game you'll see why Fournival is a useful vendor.

He's not a nice guy, but he's useul.

There was absolutely NOTHING to gain if you had him found guilty.

2. The Salvation Robes and the badge are just quest items you need for the quest, but monsters are still going to attack you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 05:36, February 22, 2016 (UTC)

You only need one of the two catacomb keys, but MAKE SURE YOU DUPLICATE IT at the Black Cat before you use it, because you'll want a copy of the key for New Game Plus !

Remember to duplicate quest items for New Game Plus.

This is not a requirement, but you'll be glad you did because it will make things a lot easier for yourself next time.

In particular, make sure your forge the Wyrmking's Ring when you get to that quest.

Keep the original and hand over the fake ring.

It's a too good an item to give away.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:04, February 22, 2016 (UTC)

I only knew you left me a message because I was looking at the recent activity on the Wiki, but you didn't spam me.

I got your one message.

The Catacombs are all connected, with 3 separate entrances which are unlocked once you unblock the door from the other side.

It's OK if you didn't forge the keys before you used them, but it just would've made your New Game Plus a little easier.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:42, February 23, 2016 (UTC)

LOL how did you "accidentally" hit Taggert ?

"Whoops, sorry I didn't mean to attack you with my sword ! "

Wait, do you mean in the Catacombs or INSIDE Gran Soren ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:40, February 23, 2016 (UTC)

Deposit all 3 of those items.

You're done with the Gardener's Permit, so deposit it.

You don't need the Marty's Talisman now, so deposit it.

You don't need the Unsigned Letter for the Nameless Men quest, so deposit it.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 13:08, February 23, 2016 (UTC)

OK, well Taggert is a dispoable character.

You can kill him and the world will move on, LOL.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:28, February 23, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah I remembered that wrong in our earlier conversation.

There are 2 bronze idols, one just outside Selene's house on a window sill (up the stairs) and a second bronze idol in the Dragonforged's cave, just to the left of his chair when you're facing him.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:35, February 23, 2016 (UTC)

That's a good plan, Halibel.

Since you don't have a Gold Idol, give the Silver to Caxton and the Bronze to Madeleine.

In New Game Plus, you'll unlock both of their full inventories anyway, so don't worry about not having the Gold Idol.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:16, February 24, 2016 (UTC)

Good afternoon, Halibel.

You'll need to collect Seeker Tokens and War Bugles to complete 2 separate "fetch" quests.

They're not critical quests, though. So don't go out of your way for them.

I sometimes skip these 2 quests as well.

Watch my 3 new Griffin videos on the "Griffin" page for tips on how to lure the Grifffin down.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:33, February 24, 2016 (UTC)

Affinity matters, but not much.

It affects who will be your Beloved (but I personally never care who I get).

If a person's affinity for you gets too low, they will LITERALLY run away from you when they see you.

This includeds inn keepers and vendors, so don't unsheath your weapon around them or strike them !

3 Cursed Carvings are needed for a fetch quest, and there are only 3 of them in the Wilted Forest.

So duplicate one if you want to gift it to someone (no negative effects otherwise).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:57, February 25, 2016 (UTC)

1. Remember what I suggested :

Try not to give away or use ANYTHING (especially materials for enhancing) without duplicating it first.

For example some monster drops are VERY hard to get, so you don't want to use it up and not have any left to duplicate for your other needs.

2. Selene will NEVER leave your house now until New Game Plus when the story resets to the beginning.

3. The Arisen's bond can only be obtained once per playthrough from the Dragonforged, but it CAN be duplicated.

Love interests are not that important to the actual game, only for the story (for your personal amusement).

4. Assassins gain a lot of Strength when you level up, but no magic attack.

So yes, that's why you need to level up as a Sorcerer as well.

Sorcerer gain a lot of magic attack when they level up, but no strength.

You have to switch between those two vocations if you want to max out your strength and magic attack.

Other vocations give you less strength and magic attack in favor of other gains like stamina, health, defense, magic defense, and so on.

The "Stat Growths" page lists the numbers if you'd like to see them.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:30, February 25, 2016 (UTC)

Answering your questions is no problem for me, bro.

I'm glad you're enjoying the game.

It's OK that you're gifting things to everybody, but it really isn't necessary for the game.

To me, DD is more about killing huge monsters than building romances.

But to each his own, LOL.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:51, February 25, 2016 (UTC)

Congratulations on your first Drake kill !

It's SOOOO hard at first, I know, but here's my 800th or so Drake kill :



Before long, the Drake will be this easy for you too. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:15, February 25, 2016 (UTC)

LOL yeah the "Walk away from an explosion" shot is EXACTLY what I'm going for when I film those demonstration videos.

Here's today's lesson :

Whenever you slay a Dragon, your equipment have a random chance of getting Dragonforged.

Dragonforged equipment is enhanced HIGHER than the 3 stars.

Later, you'll be able to upgrade your equipment to Silver and Gold status on Bitterblack Isle.

And the Drake will respawn every 7 in-game days, by the way.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:02, February 25, 2016 (UTC)

1. Yes there are hoods in the game, but not hooded capes.

There are several hoods : The Hood of Oblivion, Summery Cowl, Hood of Shadow, Sultry Cowl, Assassin's Mask, and a few others I can't think of right now.

2. Ogres shouldn't take that long to kill.

Remember that when the Ogre squats down and covers its head defensively, YOU CANNOT DAMAGE IT.

You have to wait until it drops it hands before you resume your attack.

Check this out :



I did this as a solo Fighter with a mid-game sword and no shield, pawns, buffs, curatives or Wakestones.

Observe their attack animations.

If you watch and fight them long enough, they can't even touch you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:19, February 25, 2016 (UTC)

Whenever you're in battle, remember to ocassionally look up at the enemy's health bar to see if you're doing any damage.

Several enemy's have defensive stances where you can't damage them, so learn to recognize those positions.

You can even hear a difference in sound when you SLASH an Ogre compared to a dull THUD when he's in the defensive crouch.

Listening is VERY important in this game for 2 reasons :

1. some enemies give distinct roars or grunts before they unleash powerful attacks

2. most enemies have a distinct chatter or growl that you can hear when they're nearby (think of the Chimera's goat head that you can hear before you see it in the woods).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:54, February 26, 2016 (UTC)

What does the Chimera say ?

Yes, exactly like the "Bah ger ger ger" sound the Chimera makes, LOL.

So when you fight more advanced enemies on Bitteblack Isle and the Ur-Dragon later, those 2 skills will serve you well.

1. Listening for enemy sounds to avoid ambushes and predict incoming attacks during battle

2. Watching the enemy life bar to make sure that the area you're hitting is actually doing any damage.

The area south of the Aernst Castle Ruins (around the Conqueror's Sanctuary) is a GREAT area for slaying Hobgoblins to quickly earn "Discipline points" to learn new skills for your characters.

You may have noticed that there are some skills for your characters to learn when you go to Asalam's inn or to the Encampment.

Skills are the "special attacks" that consume stamina and get even stronger as you upgrade them.

You earn more discipline points by slaying LOTS of small enemies (like bats, rabbits, Goblins, and Bandits) but NOT big enemies (like Griffins, Ogres, Dragons and Cyclops) that award you with lots of Experience points instead.

That's a shortcut that most players don't know about.

Let me know when you slay The Dragon Grigori at the Greatwall and I'll tell you a secret game exploit where you can master ALL the vocation skills and augments without even touching the game controller !

Seriously ! = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 08:31, February 26, 2016 (UTC)

1. Yes, you keep EVERYTHING in New Game Plus.

2. If you need 25 War Bugles or 25 Seeker Tokens to complete a quest and you ALREADY have them in storage, then just WITHDRAW them and give them to Arsmith.

You don't to collect 25 ADDITIONAL items.

That's why I told you to duplicate quest items.

On your New Game Plus, you can skip entire quests by just withdrawing a copy of a quest item from storage and IMMEDIATELY solve the quest right after you get the quest.

Cool, huh ?

3. Grigori will only appear when you're ready to face him.

You'll have to travel to the Greatwall during the quest "The Final Battle".

He won't catch you by surprise like the Devilfire Grove Drake.

The Greatwall is in the FAR northwest corner of the map, and you should leave a Portcrystal there to get there easier in the future.

4. As a gamer, you should be familiar with the concept of XP or Experience points.

Slaying small enemies give you only a little XP and big enemies earn you a LOT of XP.

So slay lots of BIG enemies to gain levels faster.

5. Enemies like Bandits may or may not pursue you, but you can always run away from ANY battle.

Like all video games, these enemies have a programmed AI and have "zones" they can enter and "zones" they can't enter.

6. If you looked at the Witchwood page, you should've viewed one of my 4 videos (!) where I suggest placing a Portcrystal on the outside LEDGE of the Witchwood before you drop down to Cassardis.

Then you can get to the Witch's house MUCH easier and faster in the future.

7. Items do NOT spoil in storage, but they DO spoil if you sleep at an inn and the item is in your party's ACTIVE inventory.

Storage "freezes" time, but active inventory does not.

Over time, any "fresh" item like meat that you carry can sour and spoil.

8. Good idea to forge the Arisen's bond if choosing your love interest is important to you.

Whew !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:43, February 26, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Halibel.

1. You can make UNLIMITED forgeries, as long as you have enough gold to pay for them.

2. You will die more often in the Everfall and on Bitterblack Isle (because the monsters get stronger) later, but real Wakestones will be easier to find and you will be a more skillful player by then.

3. After you meet the Duke in the quest Come to Court, Quina can be found at the Abbey, which is directly west of Gran Soren in the Wilted Forest. Look up "The Abbey" or "Quina" or "Talent in Bloom" on the DD Wiki.

4. You can sometimes always hear enemies before you can see them, especially when you enter indoor dungeons.

It gives you time to save the game and pre-cast spells before the battle begins.

5. Griffin battles are one of my favorites because of the epic music and the beautiful animation of those flying creatures.

I love setting them on fire and watching them come crashing down.

Epic. =)

SphericalMass49 (talk) 13:42, February 27, 2016 (UTC)

All fantasy-themed games and movies originate from European myths and legends.

Then in 1937 JRR Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit" also based on those legends.

Inspired by "The Hobbit", Gary Gygax created "Dungeons & Dragons" in 1977 and a new GENRE was born (Fantasy).

All modern fantasy-themed video games and movies trace their collective inspiration from these 3 landmarks.

We fans owe a great debt to those creative geniuses.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:17, February 27, 2016 (UTC)

If you want to gain as much magic as possible, level up as a Sorcerer.

If you want to gain as much strength as possible, level up as an Assassin (for Arisen) or less so as a Warrior (for pawns because they can't be an Assassin).

Levelling up as a Mystic Knight gives you less of each stat per level up.

So don't do that.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:01, February 28, 2016 (UTC)

1. Deposit the Salvation badge. If you're not using an item for a quest, deposit it in storage.

2. Monster drops are necessary to upgrade your equipment.

Some are hard to find, so try not to use up any one material completely.

Always forge an extra copy of a material BEFORE you use it up, or you'll probably regret it later when you need the material to upgrade another weapon and you don't have any left.

If you're not sure if you want to forge something or not, look up the material on the Wiki to see if it's important.

3. The Knight's Champion is Julien, whom you followed for the quest "Chasing Shadows".

Your pawn is only relaying story plot points to you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:42, February 28, 2016 (UTC)

You'll get a chance to STRIKE Julien later, but not kill him. = (

Assassins have cool skills, but they're not my first choice against any particular boss enemy.

An Assassin is a jack of all trades, but a master of none (IMHO).

You should try out some of the skills and see if you like it.

I sometimes play as an Assassin when I'm outdoors in Gransys, but I don't like the Assassin skills in the close quarters of Bitterblack Isle.

The Sniper skills are great, but Assassin's don't a SUPER power move like the Fighter's Dragon's Maw, the Strider's Brain Splitter, or the Ranger's Great Gamble that can kill an enemy in a single shot.

It's not awful, but it's not one of my favorite vocations.

If you want to use a sword, the Fighter is far superior.

If you want to use a bow, the Ranger is far superior.

If you want to use daggers, the Strider is far superior.

Get my drift ?

The Strider's bow skills are more versatile, but it doesn't have a long range sniper shot.

The Strider's Brain Splitter skill is the SINGLE most powerful skill in the game, which makes it a king among other skills.

A single Brain Splitter will slay a Chimera in a one shot.

It can kill a Drake in 3 shots.

Brain Splitter, quite simply, is what makes the Strider better than the Assassin.

EVERY enemy on Bitterblack is vulnerable to Brain Splitter.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:35, February 28, 2016 (UTC)

1. LOL I would wait until you get to at least level 70 before you enter the Bitterblack Isle dungeon.

The monsters within are no joke.

It's challenging to say the least.

When you feel comfortable fighting the enemies in the Everfall (after you fight The Dragon Grigori), maybe then move on to Bitterblack Isle.

2. It's okay if you want to experiment with the other vocations. If you like Assassin, play Assassin.

Find the vocation that suits you.

For example, I don't really like playing as a Sorcerer because you can never just rush in and attack.

A Sorcerer has to HIDE behind a tree and wait for up to 30 excruciating seconds for a spell to charge.

That gets REALLY annoying after a while.

At least with a melee vocation you can just charge in and kill everything in sight without hesitating, right ?

3. You can buy the "thing" that lets you edit your character for unlimited uses AFTER you beat The Dragon Grigori from the same guy who sold you the other editing item.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:22, February 29, 2016 (UTC)

1. You can attack Olra all you want, and you won't kill or even damage her.

But she's one of the good guys so there's no reason for that, LOL.

Olra will always be standing on the pier at night (even in New Game Plus), so you can enter Bitterblack whenever you feel damn good and ready for it.

Olra doesn't sell stuff, but she's the only person in the game who can help you attain the most powerful weapons and armor in the game. I'll explain more when you get to that point.

2. Sorcerers have the most powerful spells in the game, but they're certainly not the best or most fun vocation by any means.

And Sorcerers are helpless against some enemies that are immune to magic and only weak to physical attacks.

3. It's better to level up as an Assassin than a Fighter simply because it gives you more strength per level you gain.

Leveling up as a Fighter will give you more HP and defense than an Assassin per level up you gain.

I always want more strength so that I can kill my enemies faster.

When you get good at this game, you won't get hit very much and you'll wish you could have more strength instead.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:35, February 29, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah I'm enjoying passing along my secrets and knowledge about this game to you, Halibel.

I'm having fun watching your progress, and I'm glad that you appreciate what I have to offer.

So many people (more than 46,000 views so far on YouTube) have watched my DD videos, but only a few people want to ask me questions about the game.

Or I see them whine and complain on the Wiki without bothering to watch the videos I spent hours filming just to help them out.

But I digress ... here are some answers for you :

1. Pawns can't be Mystic Knights, Assassins or Magic Archers.

I think it just would've been too complicated for them to program the AI for the pawns.

2. Here's a neat secret for you !

Mages have a staff that will automatically revive them whenever they fall unconscious.

You won't need to revive them at all and their resurrections are UNLIMITED.

Only Mage pawns can use it, and you can buy it from Montebank at the Black Cat.

It's called the Legion's Might staff.

The downside is that it's not as powerful as other staffs, but it makes any Mage pawn IMMORTAL (unless they fall off a cliff or into the Brine).

Check it out !

3. Seeing Quina in the Catacombs is the last time you're going to see her on a quest.

For the most part she'll be hanging out in Cassardis or the Gran Soren cathedral for the rest of the game, but her quests are now over.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:49, March 1, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Halibel.

I understand why you might want a Mage instead of a Sorcerer so that you have a healer in your party.

But remember that Mages gain less Magic attack stats than Sorcerers per level.

In fact, pure Mages gain less stats in every catrgory than ANY other vocation in the game overall.

So here's what I recommend :

Go to the menu screen, and look at "Status".

You can see you pawn's currrent level, current experience points, and how many points you need to level up.

When the number gets close, switch your Main Pawn back to Sorcerer BEFORE she levels up.

Does that make sense ?

It's not easy to do, but if you keep an eye on this number you can make sure she levels up as a more powerful spell caster.

I think you DID miss Aelinore during your meeting with the Duke, so it's too late to do her quests now.

But don't worry, even I missed her the first time.

You can try again in New Game Plus.

After meeting the Duke, you're supposed to see her in the garden BEFORE you leave the castlee grounds.

You probably missed her because it was night and you got arrested.

So next time, just make sure you sleep at the inn before you meet the Duke in "Come to Court".

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:44, March 1, 2016 (UTC)

The Treasury room in the Duke's castle won't be open for you until later.

When you deserve the treasure inside it, the Duke himself will LITERALLY lead you to that room and GIVE you the treasure.

By the time you reach Level 200, you may be good enough to not even NEED a Mage in your party at all.

I haven't needed a mage in a long time because there are healing armors and powerful curatives that you can bring instead.

Mages are generally necessary at lower levels before you learn how to avoid getting hit by enemy attacks.

Against the biggest bosses later, you'll see that the best defense is a good offense.

After a while, you'll be an invincible badass that enemies can hardly scratch !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:51, March 1, 2016 (UTC)

It takes a couple of playthroughs before you'll remember the sequence of quests.

By now, I remember the exact order of all the quests so that I can finish them all before I start all over again.

Sometimes I'll skip some annoying "fetch" quests, but I like to do the main story quests.

But most of the fetch quests I can solve instantly because I already have the items in my storage from previous playthroughs.

And if I need to, I can duplicate more of any item because I always make sure that I don't use up anything completely.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:23, March 1, 2016 (UTC)

Those quests downstairs in the Pawn Guild are called "Badge of Vows" quests.

I did them once, but now I never do them at all.

Basically, they're fetch quests. You have to search in hidden areas of the game to find them, and some are really annoying to find.

They're not really worth it in my opinion, but they're something else to do in the game.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:58, March 1, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Halibel.

The Badge of Vows quests award you some Gold, XP, and Rift Crystals but it's faster to just slay a Drake.

Later in the game, Rift Crystals will become VERY important to you, because you'll need a LOT them in order to get the most powerful weapons and armor in the game.

But we'll also talk about that when you get there.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 13:48, March 2, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

I can't change my user name, either.

Apparently, our user names are permanent.

The Griffin battles are always epic and one of my favorite enemies.

On this playthrough I decided to slay it before it escaped to the Bluemoon Tower, but I missed out on the Bluemoon Tower battle.

By the way, which bow are you currently using ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:39, March 2, 2016 (UTC)

I think the Fey Whisper is the next most powerful bow you'll get your hands on.

What sword are you using now ?

I'm thinking that you would be wielding the White Hawk's Talon sword now, but I think they removed it from the PC version due to licensing issues with the Berserk anime owners.

If it's available on PC, you can buy it from Alon in the Ancient Quarry.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:14, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

I keep thinking that you're on PC for some reason.

Undulant sword ? That's an interesting choice !

What do you think about its design and shape ?

Because if you like gold swords the Undulant sword actually DOES have a gold version. called Undulant Gold.

You can buy it from the Black Cat after you complete the quest "Epicurean Delights".

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:25, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

Quests can be very specific about which type of enemy and where you slay them.

But wait ... How are you fighting Metal Golems ?

Were you in the Witchwood or in the Everfall ?

And also, what part of the story are you in right now ?

In my current playthrough, I slew The Dragon Grigori two days ago and am currently adventuring in the Everall.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:33, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

Wailing Crystals ?

Liches drop them, but the easiest place to find one is in the Post-Game Everfall, in the Chamber of Woe.

Liches only appear in the Post-Game Everfall and on Bitterblack Isle.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:49, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

For now, there's nothing for you to accomplish in the Everfall until AFTER you fight The Dragon Griori.

You're right to wrap up the side quests before helping Mercedes in "Pride Before a Fall".

Some of the side quests will eventually cancel / fail.

And remember that monsters respawn every 7 days, so if you need to slay 25 Snow Harpies (or Griffins or whatever) you can just sleep for 7 days and go back to an area where there are a lot of them.

I've tried to make a walkthrough video for almost EVERY quest in the game and post them onto the appropriate Wiki page.

I think we're 80% covered on quest walkthroughs so far.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:05, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

I'm glad you like my videos.

They take a lot of time to get them the way I want, and sometimes I have to do multiple takes.

What's especially hard is getting my battles PERFECT, because I don't like to take damage when I'm demonstrating techniques.

Madeleine sells some useful rings (like the Barbed Nails and elemental defense rings), but nothing especially powerful or important.

She does sell female armor that is sometimes difficult to find, though.

But if you completed "Bad Business" correctly, Madeleine will reappear later in Cassardis to sell her wares.

If you did it wrong, she may disappear from the game completely (until New Game Plus).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:30, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

Yes, Aelinore is dead because you didn't rescue her from the Duke in the Blighted Manse.

Oh well ! Luckily there are plenty of other women available !

The Dragon will take whomever has the highest affinity for you, male or female.

It sometimes creates a hilarious cutscene when you see your Arisen passionately kiss Fournival, Symone, or some other unexpected character.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:33, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

Most of my romances (in the game I mean) turn out to be accidental lesbian love affairs.

Nothing's "weird" to me anymore, not since the invention of the internet.

We've seen it all by now, haven't we ?

I think that you can only enter the rear entrance of the Blighted Manse if you completed the "Duchess in Distress" quest, which I don't think you did.

I missed that quest on my first playthrough as well.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:56, March 3, 2016 (UTC)

I watched that Tara the android video.

It was ... interesting.

But definitely not weirder than most of the internet, right ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:10, March 4, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

1. Caxton restocks his inventory every 7 in-game days.

2. Ropes ? I don't understand what you're refering to.

3. I know the glitch in the Witchwood you're talking about.

It also happens in Soulflayer Canyon, and while walking around Gransys.

When I was filming the "A warm welcome" quest walkthrough, I actually FELL THROUGH SOLID GROUND. Twice.

I'm posting it onto the Wiki page now, but there are spoliers in it for you if you watch it.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:12, March 4, 2016 (UTC)

Oh OK, those "ropes" you were talking about are called a "tripwire".

I'm surprised you've never seen one before.

Early human hunters and warriors figured out that you could use cordage to alarm you when other humans and dangerous animals were approaching.

The "snap" sound is an alarm but a tripwire is also used to activate a trap, like a hanging sharpened stick to impale the intruder.

Luckily, in this game the tripwires seem to literally do nothing.

Nothing at all.

It's sort of hilarious that at first everyone avoids them, but then you eventually realize that it serves no purpose.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:01, March 4, 2016 (UTC)

It's funny what you can and can't get away with in the Duke's castle.

I think youve done it yet, but one quest will have you doing a jailbreak to free an innocent prisoner there.

It's called "An innocent man", and I think you can still do it.

Go back to Cassardis and find a boy named Tomlin running along the beach with a question mark over his head to start the quest.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:24, March 4, 2016 (UTC)

Aha, so you were overencumbered.

You must have been moving soooooo slooooow.

I hope you don't travel that heavy anymore.

You should use your pawns as pack mules, because you're carrrying waaaay too much stuff.

It's interesting that it prevented you from adding oil to the lantern, though.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:12, March 4, 2016 (UTC)

So you freed the innocent man, and now what quest are you working on ?

Today, I'm finishing up one more quest before I beat the game's ultimate boss (again) and start over with a New Game Plus (again).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:14, March 4, 2016 (UTC)

1. Brian, you don't need to carry around all those war bugles and skulls.

Just deposit them in storage and withdraw them when you get them all give them to Arsmith.

Just remember to have 1 remaining so you can duplicate them in the future if you need to.

2. Also, remember to duplicate the Wymking's Ring and give Aldous a FORGERY.

The Wyrmking's ring is an INVALUABLE item which shortens spell casting and skill charging time.

3. Carrying a single Panacea potion can cure EVERTHING.

Just carry 5 or so Panaceas and it'll cure all debilitations.

4. The "crow" is really easy. I made a video on that quest that shows the crows instantly re-spawning at the Abbey.

You can solve that quest in 5 minute if you follow my walkthrough.

Don't do things the hard way !

I took the time to make over 500 videos for this Wiki to try to make things easier for you !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:11, March 4, 2016 (UTC)

Most players don't know about the need to forge the Wyrmking's Ring until AFTER they do the quest.

So I just saved you some regret right there.

But yeah, the crows re-spawn whenever you enter and exit that Rift Stone at the Abbey.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:35, March 5, 2016 (UTC)

You know Brian, I forget sometimes how tight money is when you first start this game.

There are a couple of Gold-earning exploits that I used on my four accounts that allowed me to overcome the lack of money in the early part of the game.

Nowadays I just play in Hard mode, where almost every enemy drops 10,000 Gold bags.

Selling the Wakestones that you get from the Ur-Dragon and the Post-Game Everfall will also earn you a lot of money once you get to that point, Brian.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:22, March 5, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

If your money is tight, then don't forge the Arisen's Bond.

You'll get one per playthrough anyway, and it's a non-essential item.

It has no other purpose than to max out a character's affinity for you, but it DOESN'T guarantee that they'll be your Beloved during the Final Battle with The Dragon Grigori.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:25, March 5, 2016 (UTC)

The "Confidential letter" was actually located in Soulflayer Canyon, but you failed it because you completed the Griffin's Bane and Trials and Tribulations quests.

It's not your fault, though.

I looked at the page and the quest failure warning was AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DAMN PAGE ! LOL

So I moved a HUGE warning for other players to the TOP of the page.

Next time around, you'll see it for sure.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:57, March 5, 2016 (UTC)

LOL yeah the Silk Lingerie is pretty much all I wear when I play (in the game, I mean).

Who needs armor ?

When you get to Bitterblack Isle, I'll tell you about a shortcut to Dragonforging your gear.

With this shortcut, you won't need to enhance equipment anymore. You'll be able to just skip from zero enhancement to Dragonforged in a single battle.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:39, March 5, 2016 (UTC)

Yes that's exactly right, Brian.

The technique I'll teach you will allow you to completely SKIP enhancing to 1, 2, or 3 stars and go straight to Dragonforged status.

I'll a HELL of a shortcut that'll save you a lot of time and effort.

Before I learned about the technique I had to kill about 20 Drakes just to get one item Dragonforged, and it HAD to be three star enhanced.

Now I can Dragonforge EVERYTHING I'm wearing (with ZERO star enhancements), in a single encounter.

But on the bright side, I got VERY good at killing Drakes doing it the hard way. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:35, March 5, 2016 (UTC)

If a pawn gets knocked off a cliff or into the Brine, they "die" and you have to re-hire them at a Rift Stone.

The Cyclops could have knocked them off the edge or a Snow Harpy could have picked them up and dropped them into the Brine.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:27, March 6, 2016 (UTC)

I think that was a Gargoyle you saw.

What quest are you doing in Soulflayer Canyon right now ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:55, March 6, 2016 (UTC)

Having good pawns is very important to your success at this stage, and they'll become even more of an asset when you get to the harder dungeons.

What is your current party composition, including your current vocation ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:28, March 6, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

So you have an Assassin, Sorcerer, Ranger, and a Mage.

That's pretty good, but I'd put in a Fighter pawn to replace the Mage if you can do without it.

Instead, just carry curatives and use them during combat.

Having an extra Fighter to deal damage is more useful.

If you want pawns to heal themselves, just give them some Hardspud Sauces and they should use them automatically when their health gets too low.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:51, March 6, 2016 (UTC)

This is gonna sound weird, but there are some items that pawns will use and some items that they won't use (regardless of their low health).

Give your pawns the Hardspud Sauces/Juices and see if they use those when they need to (they should).

On Bitterblack Isle, there are POWERFUL curatives that can FULLY heal the entire party, but pawns won't use them even to save their own lives.

So you have to learn which items that pawns will use and which ones they ignore.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:11, March 6, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

How did Madeleine lose all her money ?

I don't know for sure but I would guess it's the same way my ex-wife spent all of my money, LOL.

By now, you've already missed your chance to do Aelinore's "Arousing Suspicion" and "Duchess in Distress" quests.

And pawn dialogue is VERY repetitive.

I have over 73 MILLION Gold and my pawns STILL remind me to "save enough money for lodging".

"Bitch, I can afford 500 Gold at the inn!"

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:28, March 7, 2016 (UTC)

Yes, you have to do Arousing Suspicion to get the Duchess in Distress quest.

Eventually, Aelinore WILL die at the hands of the Duke because you won't be able to rescue her from the Blighted Manse in Duchess in Distress.

You know, I'm really not sure about the Hero Trophy "achievement" because I couldn't care less about those token "achievements".

But I would think that you would need to complete all of the necessary quests in ONE playthrough.

Not ALL the quests, but just the MAIN story quests (including Arousing Suspicion and Duchess in Distress).

Good luck with the Cockatrice fight !

Just make sure you give Secret Softeners and/or Cockatrice Liquors to your pawns just in case they get Petrified !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:17, March 7, 2016 (UTC)

EWWWW that's funny.

Next time, you'll probably be able to kill it during the first encounter before it flies away.

If you're successful, you won't have to chase it down to the Bluemoon Tower at all.

You can just kill it quickly and report back to Aldous.

I posted a video of it on the Griffin's Bane page.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:00, March 7, 2016 (UTC)

So you think you're ready now to face the Dragon Grigori in the Final Battle ?

What level are you right now ?

The game isn't even close to being over when the Dragon is slain, so you can continue to level up after the battle.

This is a "fun" battle that's epic, but it's not going to be as hard as you might think.

You can even kill him with a single shot before the battle even begins !

I posted a video of how to do it on The Final Battle page, but watch it AFTER you do the quest because I don't want to spoil the experience for you.

You're probably ready now.

I would recommend that you bring a bow for yourself and hire 2 additional archers.

Here are two things that I want you to know before you begin you go to the Tainted Mountain :

1. EVERYTHING the Arisen is wearing at the moment the Dragon is slain will be 100% Dragonforged, so bring equipment you want to dragonforge and CHANGE equipment before you kill him.

2. When you win, you'll be given some cool new "Dragon weapons". What you get is determined by what weapons you have equipped at the moment you slay the Dragon.

Take a look at "The Dragon" page and look to see what weapon you want to earn, and then equip a similar weapon BEFORE you land the killing blow.

So if you have a sword equipped when the Dragon dies, you'll get a Dragon sword.

If you have a bow equipped, you'll get a Dragon bow and so on.

Good luck !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:38, March 7, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah you'll be glad you followed my advice about those two tips before you fight the Dragon.

If you're not ready, don't rush into the battle with him.

Take all the time you want.

Level 63 isn't bad, but try to be at least level 70 before you face the Dragon.

You can do the "Deny Salvation" quest now if you want, but you DON'T have to re-enter the Tainted Mountain right away to fight the Dragon.

After "Deny Salvation", make sure you visit the Dragonforged guy at Hillfigure Knoll to get some bonus rewards. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:49, March 7, 2016 (UTC)

Well I won't spoil the cutscene for you, but the Dragon will have a LONG conversation with you before the battle.

The mythology of this game is complex and epic, but your speculation isn't far from the mark.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:23, March 7, 2016 (UTC)

Thank goodness, I've never had any problems with my saves.

But anything digital can be lost or corrupted.

Nothing's perfect or fail-proof, right ?

But you really only have two saves : a "hard" save and a "soft" save.

The "Hard" save is made whenever you sleep at an inn or enter a Rift Stone. This is useful as a backup, for backtracking when you make a major mistake. This is your "secondary" save.

The "Soft" save is any other save you make in the open world. This is your "primary" save.

Whenever you select Hard Mode in the main menu, you will restart the storyline over from the beginning while retaining all your gear, levels, XP, Gold, Rift Crystals, etc.

Whatever mode you're playing is your "primary" AND your "secondary" save.

If you're playing Hard mode and decide to downgrade to Normal mode, you keep your storyline progress and BOTH saves are now in normal mode.

Sorry if this seems complicated, but it's not.

To simplify :

You have one save (PLUS a backup from when you last slept at an inn or entered a Rit Stone).

Speed Run mode uses all your primary save data, but it doesn't PERMANENTLY expend any of your stuff that you use during the Speed Run (like curatives, Wakestones, or Periapts).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:31, March 7, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah this save system is weird, because sometimes the game overwrites your "soft" save when you don't want it to.

That's why it's important to create a "hard" save before you attempt a major quest.

That way, you can backtrack to an inn when the game makes an unwanted "soft" save to overwrite the "soft" save you previously made.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:47, March 8, 2016 (UTC)

Good question, what ARE you doing down there at night ? = )

There are 8 total notice boards in the game.

Cassardis : 1 (Pablos' Inn)

The Encampment : 1

Gran Soren, Pawn Guild : 2 (one upstairs, one downstairs)

Gran Soren, Union Inn : 1

Gran Soren, Arsmith's Tavern : 1

Bitterblack Isle, Warrior's Respite : 1

Bitterblack Isle, Arisen's Refuge : 1

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:42, March 8, 2016 (UTC)

Sorry, I forgot one notice board.

The NINTH notice board is at the entrance o Bitterblack Isle, which you've seen.

That's the one you're thinking of.

And honestly, I wouldn't recommend wasting your time doing those quests from the downstairs Pawn Guild.

I did them all once, but never again.

They're basically "find a needle in a haystack" quests.

I would only do them for fun or if you want to try doing something different.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:58, March 8, 2016 (UTC)

The Badge of vows quests are actually "worse" because you have to hunt for each one, and you can't duplicate them to complete the quest.

You can use a Weal item to double your XP when you kill major monsters.

But if you're out of things to kill now, you might be ready to enter the first few dungeons of Bitterblack.

The enemies are worth more XP, but don't go too far. No farther than the Gutter of Misery.

The Gazer boss might eat you alive (not literally) at level 70.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:39, March 8, 2016 (UTC)

To get the Weal effect, you just have to open your inventory and "use" the Weal item (like a Pilgrim's Charm) before you slay a major enemy.

Weal only lasts about 30 seconds, so don't activate it too soon or you'll lose the effect before you kill the enemy.

Finishing all the quests is part of the fun of the game, but just remember that anything you don't accomplish now can be re-done in New Game Plus.

I've probably completed each and every quest 20 times by now, but it took me a while to remember the best order in which to complete them.

Olra's quests are specific things to do on Bitterblack. For example one quest asks you to slay 5 Elder Ogres, which can only be found on Bitterblack Isle.

I'm sensing your confidence now, Brian.

You might be ready to take on both The Dragon and Bitterblack Isle.

First slay the Dragon, then explore the Post-Game Everfall, then try Bitterblack Isle.

You'll need the more powerful weapons from the Dragon quest and from the Everfall if you're going to be successful in Bitterblack.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:06, March 8, 2016 (UTC)

Thank goodness, the game never really has to end if you don't want it to.

I've been repeatedly beating this game over and over for more than two years, and I'm STILL obssessed with it.

Nowadays I'm juts filming "impossible" fights for the Wiki. Handicapped battles and one on one duels, with no damage allowed.

The Everfall isn't a hard dungeon, it's really just a place to farm for stronger weapons to help you in Bitterblack.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:09, March 9, 2016 (UTC)

I love RPG's that let you keep what you earned and let you play the game again from the start.

When you get to the Everfall, you're going to learn about a new concept called "Godsbane farming".

It's a game exploit that will help you get the gear you want, but it can be a painstaking, patience-testing process.

I'lll tell you more about "Godsbane farming" when you get to the Post-Game Everfall.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:11, March 9, 2016 (UTC)

Thank goodness the boss fights in this game don't take long at all, especially if you follow the advice we wrote in the Tactics sections of each enemy boss.

And of course, I made videos for all of them.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:15, March 9, 2016 (UTC)

The Duke was an Arisen, but not a very good one.

He doesn't like pawns because they remind him of a certain choice he made in his past.

But I won't spoil the story for you.

After the Hunter's Bow, I think the next most powerful bow you'll be looking for in the Everfall will be the Fey Whisper bow.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:16, March 9, 2016 (UTC)

Pawns will also stretch or crack their knuckles while waiting around.

I wish that we would customize more of what they say and their victory animations.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:29, March 9, 2016 (UTC)

These open world games are great, but all the quests within these games are basically "chores" to do.

They're just fun things to do in this fictional world.

If you think a quest isn't fun, then just don't do it.

At our age, you and I are very lucky to have the privilege of having time to waste playing vieo games, which is awesome.

I'm happy every day I can wake up and not have any REAL responsibilities other than slaying a few non-existant Dragons and giving gifts to non-existent girls.= )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:47, March 9, 2016 (UTC)

You can search for the ranom items, but sometimes it's just easier to duplicate them at the Black Cat and not even leave town.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:46, March 10, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

The Badges of Vows can be duplicated, but only the exact Badge number.

So a duplicate Badge of Vows #1 will only complete From a Different Sky #1.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:24, March 10, 2016 (UTC)

LOL yes there are 100 badges, and they're pretty pointless.

Follow the Wiki's advice, and make sure you "Highlight" the quest in your quest log in order to see the correct area on the world map.

But sometimes, the world map marks the wrong area.

There's a guy on here who was OBSESSED over giving detailed instructions on the badges, so check out his walkthroughs. They're OVERLY detailed, if anything.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:24, March 10, 2016 (UTC)

It might be easiest to just make one Kept Giant Fish and duplicate the rest.

You can buy one from Alon in the Ancient Quarry, and Airtight Flasks are easiest to find in Cassardis.

There's one outside Cassardis along the beach, and 2 inside Cassardis (one in the market area and one on the beach).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:50, March 10, 2016 (UTC)

Mandrake ?

That's usually dropped by Skeleton Sorcerers.

Try the Catacombs, near the door you opened with the 5 green crystals (where you killed Tagert, remember ?).

Golems are farmed near the Bluemoon Tower. Kill  it, then sleep 7 days at the nearby rest area and kill it again.

I like to fish for Giant fish in the Saurian cave near the Ruins of Aernst Castle.

There's a Saurian cave just under the big hill (Vestad Hills) with 2 fishing spots inside that produce Giant Fish.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:55, March 11, 2016 (UTC)

I don't Mercedes is the kind of person who would take credit for heroism she didn't deserve.

In my mind, Mercedes is given the credit simply because she was the commander of the mission.

It's the same way that Generals Patton, MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz are given the credit for winning World War 2.

We never specifically mention the 60 MILLION other people who died during the war ot the heroic actions of the soldiers these Generals commanded.

In a way, the Arisen was "under" Ser Mercedes' command during the Hydra mission.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:17, March 12, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

I think the Airtight flasks re-spawn every 5 in-game days.

You won't encounter any Geo Saurians or Gargoyles until AFTER you slay the Dragon Grigori at the Greatwall.

They'll be easy to find in Post-Game.

I filmed walkthroughs for those 2 quests if you need them, just search the quest names on the Wiki.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:38, March 12, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

I don't understand what you're describing.

"Freeze frame Matrix crap" ?

Are talking about a graphics glitch ?

Or are you talking about your Fighter pawn spamming the Shield Drum skill ?

If you want to "turn off" the Shield Drumming of your Fighter pawn, just unequip the skill.

My Fighter pawn only has 2 sword skills and 2 shield skills equipped.

And I don't know what your Sorcerer pawn is doing "casting a spell and yelling or whatever" ...

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:26, March 13, 2016 (UTC)

LOL OK I understand now.

You definitely want to turn off the "Cinematic Camera".

That's what's creating that effect.

Pause the game and go to "Options".

Go right to the "Gameplay" tab, and switch "Cinematic Camera" to "Off" (it's the 9th option down).

The cinematic camera throws off your timing when you're trying to avoid enemy attacks or Perfect Block, so I disabled that crap ages ago !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:35, March 13, 2016 (UTC)

Yes, it's the "cinematic camera" that  creates those "cinematic" effects.

It takes me out of the experience when things go slow-motion, so I turn it off.

There was one Gargoyle you killed during "The Conspirators" quest in Soulflayer Canyon, but that's the only one in Pre-Game.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:04, March 13, 2016 (UTC)

No, the Souflayer Canyon Gargoyle doesn't respawn.

When you get to Post-Game, there will be 2 Gargoyles just outside Gran Soren's south gate for you to slay that WILL re-spawn every 10 in-game days.

98.195.133.204 22:24, March 13, 2016 (UTC)

I double checked the Wiki, and yeah there's only 1 (non-Bitterblack) Pre-Game Gargoyle you could have slain at this point. And it's the Soulflayer Canyon Gargoyle I mentioned.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:55, March 14, 2016 (UTC)

Yes, that "Get training" pop-up is a weird glitch.

I also get that message and I'm damn sure I don't need more training, LOL.

Just ignore it.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:00, March 14, 2016 (UTC)

After you first created your Main Pawn, you went through an obstacle course where you attacked target dummies.

That was "training" at the Encampment.

The rat you killed was presumably eating the rotten fish or rotten egg.

One time, I actually got THREE eye drops from a Cyclops.

He must have had the two other eyes in his pocket or something.

My pawns all have nearly identical builds, so they do this triplet act all the time where they same the same thing in perfect unison. Creeeeeeeppppyyyyy

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:49, March 15, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

It's IMPOSSIBLE not to have done that training quest.

It happened BEFORE you fought the first Hydra, and Ser Berne stopped you before you could leave the Rift Stone tent at the encampment.

I'll prove it to you.

Pause the game, go to "Quests", tab right to "Completed quests", scroll down to the bottom and you'll see a quest called "Strength in Numbers".

Now go to the Wiki page "Strength in numbers" and watch my video walkthough to jog your memory.

Not doing this quest would be like saying that you didn't do the Ox cart escort quest to Gran Soren.

It's a "mandatory" quest.

It's not a memorable quest but it teaches the valuable lesson that a good party should be a well balanced party, capable of physical and magical damage, at close range and long range.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:04, March 15, 2016 (UTC)

It's cool, Brian.

I didn't mean that to sound harsh, bro.

How goes your progress lately ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:52, March 15, 2016 (UTC)

I'm well, Brian, thank you.

Yeah I'm still filming videos for the Wiki when I'm not at work.

When you are in Bitterblack, you are occasionally "trapped" during boss battles.

And under normal circumstances, you can't Ferrystone out of the dungeon.

You have to use a special item called a "Liftstone" to escape the dungeon, unless you just backtrack the way you came in.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:33, March 16, 2016 (UTC)

For now, you're not going to see any weapon upgrades until after you slay the Dragon (Post-Game).

Slaying the Dragon is the next step for you.

I'm thinking that you're going to kill him, and be like "That's it? That was easy. I shoulda killled him sooner !"

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:07, March 16, 2016 (UTC)

I would guess that your Sorcerer pawn is casting Miasma or High Miasma and you're just not seeing it.

That's a great demonstration why I think pure Sorcerer pawns are the most valuable pawns you can have when the chips are down !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:50, March 16, 2016 (UTC)

When you face the Dragon, you get to have a full party for ALMOST the entire battle.

There's two set pieces of the battle where you're alone, but then you get your pawns back for an arena battle.

I recommend you bring only Ranger pawns with the Tenfold Flurry skill.

I don't recommend bringing a Mage or Sorcerer for offense or defense.

But if you want, you can bring 2 Ranger pawns and 1 magic user.

Fighters and Warrios will be useless because the Dragon is HUGE. And fast. They'll only be able to attack his ankles, and he rarely stands still.

The Cockatrice on Leaper's Ledge is different from the one that attacked Gran Soren.

I'm surprised you let it escape !

You shoulda killed that sucker !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:33, March 16, 2016 (UTC)

The battle against the Dragon will be in multiple phases.

A Sorcerer can be useful for the "Arena" part of the battle against the Dragon, but a Ranger pawn is going to be useful for the entire battle.

Just keep your Main Pawn as a Sorcerer and hire 2 Rangers with Tenfold Flurry.

I suggest you fight the Dragon as any of the bow vocations : Strider, Ranger or Assassin on your first time.

I don't know how often you climb enemies, but climbing is an important skill that you will need against the Ur-Dragon and the monsters on Bitterblack Isle.

Cockatrices and Griffins are early examples of how you need to get good at jumping up, grabbing and climbing to attack.

If you grab onto a Cockatrice or Griffin, they can't escape from the battle. If your pawns also grab on, the monster can be forced into collapsing onto the ground.

Skeleton Lords have that magic shield that you can't penetrate.

But the trick is that they can only block in one direction, so just wait for them to face your pawns and then sneak up behind them.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:17, March 17, 2016 (UTC)

Yes you can forge Promissory Notes, but they're not much cheaper than actually buying them from Alon.

I remember telling you a few weeks ago that the White Hawk Talon sword was the most powerful sword you could buy before slaying the Dragon.

Remember that EVERYTHING you're wearing at the moment the Dragon dies will be INSTANTLY Dragonforged, REGARDLESS of its enhancement level (including the White Hawk Talon sword).

One you get to the Post-Game Everfall, you'll find most powerful swords in there.

With regard to climbing, many monsters have moves to dislodge you when you climb them.

You need to learn to recognize when those attacks are coming and dismount them, because believe me some of the monsters that await you on Bitterblack are best dealt with by climbing.

You'll soon need to employ advanced tactics, like using a Rusted Bow or Rusted Daggers to inflict your enemies with Torpor.

This will slow them down considerably and help you avoid getting hit.

The monsters you'll soon be facing will be fast AND powerful.

Instant Reset is also a good way to dismount enemies quickly.

Climbing will be much easier for you once you get the "Adhesion" augment, which will make it almost impossible for enemies to dislodge you. "Adhesion" is a "secret" augment that you can only get from BBitterblack Isle.

The most important benefits of climbing are these :

1. The enemy can't escape or fly away.

2. You can inflict fast damage DIRECTLY to their weak spots (like Dragon hearts, Cyclops eyes, or Ogre heads) using Thousand Kisses.

Watch these climbing demonstrations to see how much faster you can kill these things :







That's much faster, right ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 10:00, March 17, 2016 (UTC)

The other climbing augments are Arm Strength (which cuts climbing stamina drain in half), and Opportunism (which increases your climbing attack strength by 20%).

Opportunism can only be obtained on Bitterblack, but you can get Arm Strength now.

When comparing weapons, you have to compare them at equal levels of enhancement.

A Dragonforged White Hawk's Talon is more powerful than a Dragonforged Undulant sword.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 11:04, March 17, 2016 (UTC)

Arm Strength is a rank 7 Strider skill, and yes ALL dagger vocations can double jump (while wielding daggers).

If an Assassin equips a sword, then they can't double jump.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:20, March 17, 2016 (UTC)

I believe the most powerful daggers available at the stage of the game you're at is either the Kunai daggers or the Bardiche Daggers.

The Kunai daggers are harder to get, but the Bardiche Daggers can be bought from Caxton.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:22, March 17, 2016 (UTC)

If you're ever mining for ore, you can give all 3 pawns a pickaxe and you can all go to work like the seven dwarves.

I forgot to mention that if you haven't completed the quest Deny Salvation, you can get the Kunai Daggers from the last chest before opening the gate to the rooftop.

It's guarded by a single Skeleton Lord.

But if already did "Deny Salvation", it's too late for me to have mentioned that to you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 12:02, March 18, 2016 (UTC)

Remember that when you fight the Dragon, you should bring your best gear.

But you can CHANGE into equipment that you want dragonforged towards the end of the battle.

The Dragonforging will be awarded to whatever you have equipped at the EXACT MOMENT the final blow is landed.

The Bardiche Daggers or White Hawk Talon sword will do just fine for the Dragon battle.

If you want the Kunai daggers, read up on the "Deny Salvation" walkthrough because they're an uncommon weapon.

And did you really abandon the Duke in the Treasury ?

I'm sure he's not still standing there waiting for you, LOL.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:02, March 18, 2016 (UTC)

After visiting the Dragonforged to get those bonus rewards, you can return to the Greatwall for the Dragon battle.

With regard to Dragon weapons rewards, they all look cool but I personally like the Dragon's Dogma sword, the Dragon's Aegis shield, and the Dragon's Bite longsword.

But get the Dragon weapon(s) that you use the most, whether its a sword, daggers, or bow because they're more powerful than the Post-Game Everfall weapons.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:22, March 19, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

Congratulations on slaying the Dragon, I hope you enjoyed that battle.

You are now in "Post-Game".

Presumably, it was Goblins that kidnapped your Beloved and brought her to the Dragon.

Almost all NPC's in Gran Soren have moved now, except for Caxton and Camilla's apothecary.

Don't feel bad for the Drgonforged, because he knew this was coming, an inevitable fact that death is part of the circle of life.

Before going to Bitterblack, explore the Everfall.

There is a lot for you to do now in the Everfall.

1. Fight the Ur-Dragon (online and offline). The offline Ur-Dragon is MUCH easier to kill, awards you with 20 Wakestones per killl, and gives you new "Holy" enchanted weapons.

2. Acquire a lot of Wakestones (which are worth a lot of Gold when you sell them), and you'll need a lot of Wakestones in Bitterblack because you might die a lot at first.

3. ALWAYS carry the "Godsbane" blade now. You'll need it to commit suicide to "farm" the chests in the Everfall.

I'll explain "Godsbane farming" in our next conversation.

4. You can now "farm" XP and Discipline points easily without touching the controller at all.

I'll explain "XP and Discipline farming" in our next conversation.

5. Read the Everfall pages, because it's an interesting dungeon.

Get ready for new challenges and more fun ! = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:55, March 19, 2016 (UTC)

LOL yeah it's funny how business just goes on for Caxton and Camilla.

Montebank is now behind Arsmith's tavernm Fournival talks to Montebank in the afternoon, and Asalam is in the Pawn Guild now.

You'll need to ocassionally buy periapts, Tagilus's Miracles and Salomet's Secrets from Fournival to fight the Ur-Dragon and for Bitterblack Isle.

You can re-enter the Everfall simply by jumping into the hole or by going downstairs in the Pawn Guild.

I hope you took advantage of the Dragonforging and that you got the Dragon weapons you'll need for the Everfall and Bitterblack Isle.

Next time, you can just use a Maker's Finger Arrow and kill the Dragon in one shot during the opening conversation if you want. I made a video of the techinque on the "Grigori" and "The Final Battle" page.

So now you can take advantage of some game exploits to farm XP, Gold, and DCP.

The "Exploits" page details how you can go back to the Noble Quarter, climb the wall in front of the cathedral, and just watch your pawns slay the endless guards spawning in the area.

You can literally walk away, eat lunch, and come back to have your vocation rank maxed out with some bonus XP and Gold.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:05, March 19, 2016 (UTC)

There's one Everfall quest that leads to the ending.

It's called "Fathom Deep" and it asks that you give Quince 20 Wakestones. DON'T DO THAT YET.

"Fathom Deep" is the last quest leading to New Game Plus.

The Noble Quarter is the only place that guards will chase you, yes.

So don't go back there unless you want to do the exploit that I mentioned.

You might want to get the augments of the other vocations you haven't mastered yet, and the Noble Quarter is the absolute BEST place to do it.

You're going to learn to fight smarter from now on, because you've had it REALLY easy up until now.

You need to start looking at debilitation resistant armor or have your Main Pawn carry around some group curatives for debilitations : Peppermint Seeds (for sleep), Cockatrice Liquor (for Petrification), Oak Leaf Oil (for Torpor), Vigilite (for Blindness), Nostalgia Dust (for Posession).

A Pawn carrying a group curative will automatically use it to cure any ally that gets debilitated.

Get used to fighting Hellhounds and other enemies in the Everfall because there are A LOT more of them on Bitterblack.

You can try Bitterblack now if you want, but I'd recommend you explore the Everfall for a bit first.

You should practice fighting Dragons, Hydras, Evil Eyes and Cockatrices first, because they're EASIER than the enemies that await you on Bitterblack. Seriously !

I also highly recommend that you get your hands on a Dragonforged Rusted Bow soon. It'll help you out A LOT later.

Learning to inflict Torpor and Silence (acquire a Dragonforged Golden sword or daggers) on enemies will prove to be an invaluable skill in the battles ahead.

For Hellhounds, using a Dragonforged Almace sword will freeze and shatter them to pieces.

Use Instant Reset to quickly stand up so they can't drag you off.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:04, March 19, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

1. I'm curious what time zone (or country) you're in because we seem to play the game at diferent hours sometimes.

2. Just get a Dragonforged Rusted Bow (not daggers) for now, and start using it to try out inflicting Torpor on enemies. That "slow motion" effect is VERY useful when you do that to big, powerful enemies.

3. Switching weapons is smart strategy, because having the correct element against an enemy is a crucial advantage.

Using Ice enchanted weapons against certain enemies will freeze and shatter them to pieces, while using a Thunder enchanted weapon will stun Cyclops into dropping their clubs.

But if you don't want to switch weapons, equip you strongest pure physical damage weapons (non-enchanted).

4. The Drake is still in Devilfire Grove, yes.

Use this technique for Dragonforging :

Save the game before the battle.

When you slay a Dragon, it gives a certain percentage chance of Dragonforging one of your three star enhanced items you have equipped.

If the Dragonforing doesn't happen, use the Godsbane blade to reload the battle and kill it again until it gives you a Dragonforged item.

This is called "Godsbane farming".

You will use it on the Everfall chests to get the armor and weapons you want.

5. The Almace sword can be bought or found in chests throughout Gransys, like the chest guarded by a Chimera in the valley below the Ruins of Heavenspeak Fort.

6. The ??? for enhancing means that you don't have the material needed to upgrade it.

Use this Wiki to find out what the material is and where to find it.

All the game's answers are here on the Wiki. I've spent hundreds of hours on this Wiki adding all my knowledge about the game.

7. Do quests like you always have, because some of them will need to be solved in the Everfall.

But the purpose of the Everfall is to get your hands on some better weapons and armor by "Godsbane farming", which I explained above. You're going to "Godsbane farm" on Bitterblack as well, so get used to doing it.

Use the Wiki to determine what the possible loot is for the chests in the Everfall so you know what is possible to get out of each chest. If you don't like what you get, Godsbane, reload, and re-open the chest for a different result.

8. Playing Sorcerer can be fun, but I hate waiting for spells to charge.

Make sure you carry the real Wyrmking's Ring and equip the Articulacy augment to shorten your spell casting time by 20%. And equip Stability, Attunement and Acuity as well. Those are four MUST HAVE Sorcerer augments.

9. DON'T USE UP ALL of Quina's flowers !!!!

Make sure you duplicate them at the Black Cat so that you never run out !

Always leave at least one left over in inventory, because you can't get any more until New Game Plus !!!!

10. In the Everfall and Bitterblack, you'll need a mixed party (like always) :

Not counting the Arisen, you should always have 1 Sorcerer, 1 Fighter, 1 Strider/Ranger, in my opinion.

Different skills and vocations are stong against certain enemies, but useless against others.

11. I'm glad you're getting better at slaying the Devilfire Grove Drake, you're going to slay him a lot for Dragonforging purposes.

Aren't you glad he's virtually immortal ? = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:32, March 20, 2016 (UTC)

1. There are several references to St George and the Dragon in this game.

St George's sword, Ascalon, can be easily obtained by fighting the offline Ur-Dragon in the Everfall.

And you can earn a "St George Mask" by slaying the online Ur-Dragon.

2. One and two star enhaned items can get Dragonforged, but the chance increases the higher the enhancement is.

3. You're done with male bandit related quests.

4. You don't have to wrap up quests now, you can go right into the Everfall.

5. Some enhancement items are not displayed or available until you fight the enemy that drops the material on Bitterblack.

6. The Wyrmking's ring should be given to whomever is a Mage or Sorcerer in your party.

But if you and your Main Pawn pawn both need it, then you should get it.

7. You can't give a Cursed Carving to Madeliene or Caxton for the idol quests.

You either found all three idols and they're in your inventory or there's still one out there.

8. Yeah, the Duke took the Dragon's deal and punked out.

That's why he was a "bad" Arisen.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:55, March 20, 2016 (UTC)

The dragon at the Conqueror's Sanctuary is another new dragon for you to fight, but thankfully it dies the same way as the Devilfire Drake.

The Conqueror's Sanctuary Drake re-spawns every two weeks.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:33, March 20, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

If you get hit with an enemy's Great Gamble attack, it's going to knock you back 20 feet.

So kill them before they can relase the arrow, or simply block or dodge roll out of the way.

The best way to avoid getting knocked down is to practice NOT getting hit.

In all but two of my demonstration videos, I don't wear armor (only the Silk Lingerie) and I don't get hit at all.

Remember the game "Mike Tyson's Punch Out" ?

This game is lot like that. If you learn the monster's animations and attacks, you can predict what they're going to do and you'll know how to avoid it.

Study the videos ! I posted a demonstation video of how to beat every major enemy in the game.

It simply takes practice. It helps to inflict enemies with Torpor (with the Rusted Bow I mentioned to you).

When an enemy is moving in slow motion, you can watch and learn their attack patterns and they're A LOT easier to dodge and block.

The dodge roll that all dagger vocations have is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL IN THE ENTIRE GAME.

You can avoid ALL attacks with a well timed dodge roll.

Don't just charge in and attack. That'll get you killed in Bitterblack very quickly.

Learn to "jab and slip", in boxing terms. Wait for the enemy to commit to an attack, counterattack while it is recovering, then back off.

Lastly, now that you're in Bitterblack I'll warn you not to slay Daimon yet.

When you slay Daimon, the ENTIRE Bitterblack dungeon will get twice as hard !

We call this "Post-Daimon", and it's a hard dungeon.

As long as you DON'T slay Daimon, Bitterblack will remain "Pre-Daimon", and it's easier than "Post-Daimon".

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:15, March 21, 2016 (UTC)

1. There are two kinds of blocks : a regular block and a PERFECT block.

A regular block is when you just hold down the shield button. You lose a little stamina depending on the power of the enemy's attack when you regular block.

A PERFECT block is when you block at the last possible moment and knockback the enemy. NO stamina is expended when you Perfect block. This is best illustrated with the Mystic Knight videos I posted on the "Perfect Block" page, but here are two examples :





2. As long as you have daggers equipped, you can dodge roll to avoid attacks. Just hold down the right bumper button and press "X".

3. At Level 82 and no Everfall armor, you're a little underpowered for Bitterblack.

Godsbane farm for better weapons and armor in the Everfall, and get that Rusted Bow Dragonforged !

4. New Game Plus is the same difficulty as your previous playthrough. I didn't feel ready for Hard Mode until my 3rd New Game Plus playthrough.

The Post-Daimon Bitterblack is the highest difficulty this game offers, and many people slay Daimon waaayyy too soon.

People should get comfortable with Pre-Daimon Bitterblack on a few runs BEFORE they slay Daimon for the first time.

So Bitterblack Isle remains "easy" (Pre-Daimon) until you fight and kill Daimon for the first time.

Then the dungeon gets twice as hard, and we call this "Post-Daimon".

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:37, March 21, 2016 (UTC)

1. A Goldforged Rusted Bow is the single most useful weapon in the entire game. Not the most powerful, but certainly the most useful.

It can turn the tide of battle when the odds are against you.

A battlefield full of slow motion enemies will be no match for you, and you'll see that's it creates a HUGE tactical advantage in future battles.

Get the Rusted Bow three star enhanced, slay the Drake, then Godsbane if it doesn't Dragonforge the bow. Repeat as often as needed to Dragonforge all of your best gear.

It can take a few tries, but it's worth it if you want to have the best gear possible.

2. Daimon will ALWAYS respawn whenever you enter his chamber, but the entire dungeon will get harder after his first kill. So don't do that yet.

Otherwise, feel free to explore Bitterblack at the level you feel comfortable.

The equipment you'll find on Bitterblack is better than the Everfall's equipment if you want to leapfrog ahead.

But if you find that you're getting owned, then go to the Everfall to get better gear before re-entering Bitterblack.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:29, March 21, 2016 (UTC)

1. Yes Brian, enemies respawn after 3-7 (in-game) days.

2. The Everfall is FILLED with new and unique armor that is only available there.

This is important :

ALL the chests in the game have random drops that sometimes produce rare weapons and armor.

You have to look at the Wiki map under the appropriate Chamber (suchas the "Chamber of Fate" or Chamber of Woe") and decide what each chests can drop and what you want to get.

Then you have to "Godsbane farm" to get those items because the odds are random and sometimes very rare.

Godsbane farming : Save the game BEFORE you open a chest. Open the chest. If it's not what you want, use the Godsbane (literally kill yourself). Reload the game from the last save. Open the chest again. If it's not what you want, Godsbane again and repeat this process as often as necessary (or until you give up).

The gear in the Everfall is ALL brand new to you, but you have to work to get them.

3. There are 3 boss rooms in Bitterblack (the Gazer, the Dark Bishop, and Daimon), and you can't escape them.

You're not ready for them yet. The first boss, the Gazer is about four dungeons past the first dungeon.

In an emergency you can use an item called a "Liftstone" to escape Bitterblack Isle, but not the boss battles.

4. All BBI items must be purified by Olra, which costs Rift Crystals.

You're going to need A LOT of them to get the best gear in the game.

But don't worry about that yet. Just get your Dragonforged Rusted Bow and some Everfall gear for now.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:33, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

1. The most obvious place to find a Gorechimera is literally on the beach just outside Cassardis.

The quest will accept ANY Gorechimeras you slay.

2. Dragonforged is actually NOT the most powerful enhancement.

Barroch, the creepy guy you met in the Duskmoon Tower can "Rarify" your gear to "Silver" and "Gold" enhancements above "Dragonforged" status.

Barroch is the ONLY peron who can "Rarify" your gear past the "Dragonforged" level.

3. Death has more HP than any character in the game, except for the Ur-Dragon.

It normally takes several encounters to slay Death, and he can kill EVERYONE in your party with a single stroke of his scythe.

Stay the hell away from him for now. You don't yet have the strength to scratch him. Anything you do to him now won't even tickle him.

Eventually you'll have to confront and kill it, but you'll need MUCH better weapons, some group booster potions from Fournival, and more physical strength (level up as an Assassin so that your strength stat gets over 500 by the time you hit the level 200 cap).

Even worse, Death eventually RE-SPAWNS after you think you've killed it.

Death can never truly be beaten, just like in real life.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:38, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

1. No, you can't access the upper floor of the Abbey.

2. Any chest you see can be accessed, but I don't know which one you're referring to here.

"On the road near Gran Soren" is too vague, and "the stone gate where we escorted the ox cart" I assume means the Mountain Waycastle.

If it's the one I'm thinking of, you have to walk all the way up Moonsbit Pass and DROP down onto the chest ledge.

But there's nothing really valuable in it, so I wouldn't bother, LOL.

It's a tease, though.

The most valuable chests in the game are in Bitterblack and the Everfall.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:03, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

I always assumed that everyone you don't see in Post-Game died when the center of the city collapsed, which is funny because whenever the Arisen jumps into the Everfall you just fall endlessly over and over.

Couldn't the citizens of Gran Soren who fell in just "grab a ledge" and pull themselves up to save themselves ?

If you pick up and throw one of your pawns into the Everfall, they also "die" and return to the Rift.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:11, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

Have you been to the Post-Game Everfall yet ?

If you don't press the "grab" button to grab onto one of the ledges, you will fall through the bottom and magically appear above Gran Soren and continue falling.

You have to look at the Everfall diagram to figure which ledge to grab for which specific Chamber you're looking for.

If a pawn dies, falls off a cliff, or if you throw them into the Brine they go back to the Rift and EVERYTHING they were carrying for you goes back safely into your storage.

Obviously I'm not referring to their owner's equipment, only what belongs to you.

You never lose anything in this game unless you discard it, gift it, use it, or if your save file gets corrupted somehow.

And save file corruption is a rare thing on consoles.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:28, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

LOL yeah, believe it or not the Wiki used to have a BIG tactics section for how to beat Ser Berne, as if he were some big boss fight.

Here is my version that I posted on the "Put to the Test" quest page :



SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:38, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

LOL no my pawns are all cutom made by me from different four accounts.

Their porn names are an inside joke for "adult" gamers.

I only hire my own pawns because I don't like the way most people build their pawns.

My pawns fight and look exactly the way I want.

I've never heard of Montebank "losing" or "stealing" any items for duplication.

The only way I know that you can lose an item from Montebank is if you give him something to forge, and then start a New Game Plus.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:00, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

OMG I love Eva Green.

I've never tried that hard to detail my pawn's faces because you don't really see them during gameplay.

The "camera" is too far away to make out most of the details.

The character creation engine in this game is one of the best I've ever seen on consoles, but it's not good enough to make my pawns look like the actual pornstars I named them after.

Most obviously, I can't make their boobs big enough, LOL.

I think you are carrying the Cursed Carving in your active inventory and you don't realize it.

If it says "3" when you try to forge something, then that means that you have 3 of that item either in storage and/or your active inventory.

Check you hired pawns inventories as well. It should be there.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:39, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

Maybe one day we'll have a game that you can upload a photo to character creation engine, which then extratpolates their likeness onto your character.

THAT would impress me.

I know it sounds really pervy, but I want my female characters to have comic book size boobs (at least a D cup).

This game only allows for a B cup, which is probably HUGE in Japan, LOL.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:52, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

I'll film a video for that Cursed Carving quest as soon I can get it.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:54, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah I knew you had it in either storage or your party's active inventory.

I'd just never heard of anyone having that problem, which is unusual.

And 30% of this Wiki's comment sections are people bitchin' about their problems, LOL.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:46, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

3 Wakestone Shards make one complete Wakestone.

I have two pet peeves on this Wiki : people who don't take the time to register an account and people who ask questions but don't bother to say "thank you" when people reply to them.

Maybe those people think that we're Capcom employees moderating this Wiki ...

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:04, March 22, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah Brian I wasn't referring to you, I meant that as a general statement.

I'm not a passive-aggressive person.

I feel that people should say what they mean as clearly and honestly as possible.

Things are faster that way, and it avoids confusion when we're communicating online.

Sarcasm doesn't translate very well when you can't see a person's face, right ?

And thank you for appreciating the hard work that people like myself have put into this Wiki as a labor of love for this game.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:00, March 23, 2016 (UTC)

OK I Googled "Liz Viscious". She has an interesting "goth" look.

You're not going to find anything easily in the Everfall, because all the good stuff has low percentages of dropping when you open the chests.

It's like trying to Dragonforge equipment.

You're going to have to stand in front of a chest, save the game, and open the chest.

If the treasure's no good, Godsbane, reload, and re-open the chest.

Repeat as often as needed.

You're also going to do this process in Bitterblack if you want to get the good loot.

Look at the maps on the Wiki in the appropriate Chamber to see what each chest can drop.

Then look at the equipment descriptions on the Wiki to see what armor and weapons you'd like to get.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:49, March 23, 2016 (UTC)

Pawns with a high "Acquisitor" inclination will open chests and grab the treasure even when you don't want them to.

This will be the SECOND most frustrating thing about Godsbane farming for you.

The single most frustrating thing about Godsbane farming will be the tediousness of the process.

Your own patience level (and luck) will determine the quality of loot that you'll get.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:59, March 23, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

Even if a pawn grabs the chest item, you can still Godsbane and reload.

If you find the Everfall too "grindy", then you can skip it and try your luck in Pre-Daimon Bitterblack.

Just remember what I told you about not killing Daimon until you're sure you're ready for a harder dungeon.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:05, March 23, 2016 (UTC)

It's like the Oscars. You have to walk up to a pawn and ask "Who are you wearing ?"

The best armor are in Bitterblack, but the most stylish armor is in the Everfall.

The easiest placce to find a lich is in the Everfall, in the Chamber of Woe.

There is a single Lich there that should be easily slain.

The first BBI boss is the Gazer in the Shrine of Futile Truths.

Here's the dungeon order. From the entrance with Olra, you'll enter :

The Garden of Ignominy, The Duskmoon Tower, the Midnight Helix, the Rotunda of Dread, the Vault of Defiled Truth, the Gutter of Misery, then the SHRINE OF FUTILE TRUTHS.

The Shine is where the Gazer boss is, and it will be difficult for you the first time you fight it.

It will help if you read the tactics section and watch my videos (of course) of how to fight the Gazer so that you have a strategic advantage before you start the battle.

The Gazer LOVES to debilitate you with Blindness, Torpor, Petrification and Silence, so you'll need to be prepared with debilitation curatives and debilitation-resistant armor.

And guess what ?

The Everfall has some pretty good debilitation-resistant armor !

So feel free to explore, but beware of the Gazer boss in the Shrine of Futile Truths.

In an emergency, you can escape the way you came in or use a "Liftstone" to escape the battle.

And regarding your pawn disappearing, the pawn was Petrified by the Cockatrice's breath and "died".

You need to give pawns Cockatrice Liquor. Whenever they see someone in the party get Petrified, they'll automatically use the Cockatrice Liquor to cure themselves or whomever is debilitated.

Cockatrice Liquor is one of several "group curatives" which enable you to not worry about getting debilitated because pawns will cure you (with no Mage necessary).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:53, March 23, 2016 (UTC)

I try not to overload you with too much information all at once but that's what you come to me for, isn't it ?

There's a lot to know about this game, but I try to tell you in small doses when I feel that you're ready to handle it.

If you see Death again you can TRY to run, but he'll probably put your party to sleep and/or annihilate them with his scythe.

But you learn by doing, and fortune favors the bold.

You're never going to get better by playing it safe.

Study up on your tactics before you fight Death, and see how well you handle him.

Eye Drops only cure the individual that uses it, so I recommend you bring Vigilite and other GROUP curatives.

Even if it's you that gets blinded, a pawn carrying Vigilite will use their Vigilite to cure EVERYONE in the party of blindness all at once.

The other group curratives are Peppermint Seed (to cure sleep), Placative Bew (to cure Possession), Oak Leaf Oil (to cure Torpor), Drop of Deliverance (to cure Skill Stifling), and Cockatrice Liquor (to cure Petrification).

I recommend giving at least 2 of each to your Main Pawn.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:03, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

Your Beloved will only follow you a short distance away from your house in Cassardis.

She'll never be in danger by leaving Cassardis or entering Bitterblack.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:32, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

You have to give curatives to pawns BEFORE they get debilitated.

When someone in the party gets hit with a debilitation, pawns scan their inventory to see if they have a curative to cure it.

After their initial scan, they continue fighting.

If you give them a curative AFTER the debilitation gets inflicted, it's already too late.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:28, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

All debilitations have a fixed time limit, whether it's inflicted by your party on enemies or vice versa.

There is armor which will speed up the time that a character is debilitated, but carrying group curatives is the best way to go.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:13, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

Daimon can be slain an unlimited number of times. You can continuously run past all the enemies on BBI and repeatedly slay Daimon in order to get the best treasure in the game.

This is called "Daimon farming."

He only gets harder once, after the first time you slay him.

The online Ur-Dragon is the only monster in the game that gets stronger every time it gets killed.

Right now we're on Generation 1004 of the Ur-Dragon, but thankfully his strength and HP was capped a long time ago.

The big worm in the chest is called a Maneater, and it will RANDOMLY appear in chests.

So DON'T open chests yourself because sometimes pawns are too slow in rescuing you. Let pawns open the chests, so that you can rescue them.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:30, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

When enemies cast spells to attack you, you have to pay attention to the sound of the spell about to strike and the ground indicating where the spell is going to hit.

Then you move away from that spot.

The game always gives you audio and visual clues about incoming enemy attacks.

Pay close attention and learn those audio and visual clues and you'll get hit A LOT less.

With enough practice, you'll never get hit.

And don't neglect this Wiki as a tactical resource.

If there's anything I could think of to help give other players a tactical advantage, I either wrote it in the Wiki or I filmed a demonstration of different techniques.

There's no need to feel frustrated or to go into a battle "blind".

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:57, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

OK I should have told you this sooner : Save your Rift Crystals and STOP purifiying right now.

Because Rift Crystals are not easy to come by, you have to prioritize your equipment needs.

I recommend that you save you Rift Crystals to purify BBI Level 2 weapons.

Purifying a SINGLE level 2 weapon costs 11,200 RC.

Having level 2 BBI weapons will prepare you to fight Daimon and the other 2 BBI bosses.

After you slay Daimon, you'll be able to get your hands on Level 3 weapons.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:51, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

BBI Level 1 weapons can be found for free by Godsbane farming in the Everfall.

If you want Lv. 1 weapons, just go to the Everfall.

Purifying Level 2 and 3 weaopns is VERY expensive, so I recommend saving up for them NOW.

By the time you get your hands on a Lv2 or 3 weapon, you STILL may not have enough RC to purify them.

You can also use the Moonbeam Gems you find in BBI to open the doors in Duskmoon Tower to get Lv. 2 weapons and armor for free.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:52, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

DON'T waste RC on lighting the torches or repairing the Rift Stones yet.

One of the most common complaints that people bitch about on this Wiki is how hard it is to get Rift Crystals.

Resist the urge to spend them on anything but Level 2 weapons. THAT should be your RC priority right now.

You'll be amazed at how much more powerful Level 2 weapons are compared to what you're currently wielding.

I didn't have anyone to advise me of what I'm telling you now.

You'll thank me for it later when you get those Level 2 weapons.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:51, March 24, 2016 (UTC)

Once you've acquired some Level 2 weapons for the vocations you normally play, I'd suggest that you then purify some Bitterblack Gear Lv 1-3.

Bitterblack Gear turns into skill rings that magnify your abilities, such as bonus strength or magic, enhancing Hundred Kisses into Thousand Kisses, or enhancing Skull Splitter into the almighty Brain Splitter skill.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:37, March 25, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

The Ur-Dragon is in the Everfall, in the Chamber of Lament.

The online Ur-Dragon has the most HP in the entire game and he awards unique Holy enchanted weapons when you kill him, like the Ascalon sword and Heaven's Key daggers. It takes at least 4 days and the combined efforts of players all over the world to kill it.

The offlline Ur-Dragon is a pussycat by comparison, and you can kill it in 6 minutes. He awards "lesser" gear, but it's still worthwhile.

You can switch between online and offline by going into "Options" and switching the mode BEFORE you enter the Chamber of Lament.

The black Dragon you saw with a purple heart is called a Cursed Dragon.

It's really hard at first, but nowadays I can beat it with only Rusted Daggers and no armor. I can beat it as a solo Fighter with no shield or armor, and sustain no damage whatsoever.

It's all a matter of practice, and yes I have videos of both on the Wiki.

Learn the names of the dungeons on Bitterblack so we can communicate your battle experiences more clearly.

In the Midnight Helix, there are Skeleton Sorcerers in the room that you should slay first or they'll keep raining down spells at you.

IMPORTANT : The battles on Bitterblack can get chaotic, so remember to ALWAYS slay the lesser enemies first and engage the biggest threat last.

If you don't, you'll get quickly overwhelmed.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:08, March 25, 2016 (UTC)

What vocation are you playing right now ?

Slaying the OFFLINE Ur-Dragon can (relatively) easily get you some good mid-game Holy enchanted weapons right now.

If you want to get your hands on a Bitterblack Lv. 2 weapon right now, RUN THROUGH Bitterblack (avoiding combat), grab the Void Key at the top of the Midnight Helix, open the gate to the Vault of Defiled Truth, and grab a Moonbeam Gem from the Warrior's Respite in the Gutter of Misery.

Then run back to the Duskmoon Tower and open one of the chambers to get a Dragon's Ire (fire enchanted bow) or a Dragon's Glaze (ice enchanted longbow).

Those 2 weapons are the second most powerful weapons in their class in the entire game. It's possible to get them without combat.

Sounds easy, right ? = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:36, March 25, 2016 (UTC)

Pause the game, go to "Status" and go to "Offenses".

The strength stat in parentheses is your "base" strength, and that's the number you should get over 500 (if possible).

Same for your magick, if possible.

You're doing great so far for Level 90, I think.

Keep going ! At this rate, you'll have a pretty badass Arisen at Level 200.

Remember that you can carry around a Blessed Flower to DOUBLE your XP gains for an entire game day, if you have one.

If you do, you should duplicate multiple copies like the Ne'er do part flowers that Quina gave you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:21, March 25, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah the Blessed Flower was the one that Quina gave you.

Other Weal items aren't nearly as good because they only last 30 seconds or so, wheras the Blessed Flower lasts a WHOLE DAY.

But there's always New Game Plus, like you said.

Or you can just grind the old fashioned way.

I didn't even KNOW about the Blessed Flower until my third New Game Plus.

And by the way you also gain more experience with less pawns in your party, and in Hard Mode (double XP).

I added a Cursed Carving location video today if you're still curious about those.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:55, March 25, 2016 (UTC)

One thing you can do to gain more XP is to dismiss the 2 hired pawns before you "turn in" a quest to Aldous or give a "fetch quest" item to Arsmith.

All of the XP from quest will go to you and your main pawn, and not divided 4 ways to the other 2 pawns.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:27, March 26, 2016 (UTC)

Yes Brian, offline pawns count against your XP gains.

Even worse, since they're not even owned by real players, no one earns Rift Crystals from the rental.

When you rent other "real" people's pawns, thye earn Rift Crystals proportionate to the XP they earned while you had them in your party.

Offline pawns earn no one Rift Crystals at all.

Remember this fact, because it applies to you when other people rent your main pawn.

Having your pawn rented by other players is the FASTEST way to earn RC.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:16, March 26, 2016 (UTC)

Purifying Lv.3 weapons and armor costs 28,800 RC each, and you don't always get what you want so it adds up very quickly.

I'd suggest playing "online" and joining the Gamefaqs "Rent my pawn" board now.

There's no penalty or consequences when people rent your pawn and you'll start earning RC now.

Also, your main pawn can learn tactics and bestiary knowledge when other people rent them.

Online pawns are also MUCH better than the game's "generic" pawns because they were designed by real players trying to make the best pawns possible.

It's one of the reasons I made 4 pawns of my own.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 12:15, March 26, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

You can Godsbane after purifying and change your vocation "color" in order to change the results.

Purification is the SINGLE most confusing subject for people here.

I'll have to explain more about it in future conversations, because it's a lot to explain here.

Bitterblack may be a harder dungeon, but the monsters you slay there are worth more XP.

Go up to the Rotunda of Dread in the Duskmoon Tower and you can repeatedly spawn new monsters to slay by simply entering the room, killing everything, exit, re-enter, kill everything, repeat.

You can gain levels VERY quickly this way.

Those big dogs are called "Garm", and they're pussycats if you GET YOUR DRAGONFORGED RUSTED BOW and inflict them with Torpor.

I have a video on the Garm page, where I slay 5 Garm with only Goldforged Rusted Daggers, no armor, while sustaining no damage whatsoever.

Torpor is the sh!t.

"Difficult" fights are MUCH easier when you use Torpor to your advantage.

Regarding pawns, I never use commands.

Get your pawn's inclinations in order, and let them do their thing.

My pawns are all Mitigator/Challengers. They go after the enemy archers and spellcasters before going after the biggest threat.

If I get grabbed, they don't help me. Thankfully, I rarely need help. I want each pawn to act independently, without awaiting my orders.

Depending on ordering pawns will only frustrate you. Do your thing, and let pawns do their thing.

The only things I feel are "cheap" are things that I can't block or evade, like Dragon roars (which instantly knocks your pawns unconscious) and Death's scythe (which instantly kills all you pawns).

Everyting else can be blocked or evaded with practice.

A powerful enemy attack is not necessarily "cheap" by itself. It's when you CAN'T block or evade an attack that makes it "cheap".

Every attack in the game can be blocked or evaded, except for Dragon roars.

Death's scythe has a limited range, so you can dodge it by running away from the swing.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 05:29, March 27, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

Garm can only attack you from one direction : Forwards.

Their mouth is the ONLY way they can hurt you.

Even after they die, they'll exhale poisonous gas with their last dying breath.

The problem is that they're fast AND powerful.

A Dragon's Roost shield can debilitate them with Lowered Strength (-20% attack). My Fighter pawn wields this shield for this reason.

And of course, the Rusted Bow can completely nullify their speed advantage and it works on ALMOST every enemy in the entire game.

The higher a weapon is enhanced, the higher chance it will debilitate with each strike.

The Garm attack that can one-shot you is a jumping forward lunge, which is hard to "read" (unless they're moving in slow-motion, wink wink).

The head is their weak spot, but you should only attack Garm from the side, rear, or while mounted.

At some point, try to get the secret augment "Adhesion" by purifying Bitterblack Novelty Lv. 2 and 3.

Adhesion is the most important climbing augment, because it makes it almost impossible to get shaken off.

Garm can't hurt you while you're mounted on their backs.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:00, March 27, 2016 (UTC)

Brian,

Most enemies in the game will go after the last person who attacked it.

DON'T approach Garm from the front. That's crazy.

WAIT for Garm to turn away from you and go after one of your pawns.

Then run up to it, double jump, grab on, climb to the head, and attack.

You need to master this skill, because it applies to most major enemies in the game : Daimon, ALL dragons, Condemned Gorecyclops, Garm, Elder Ogres, etc.

The Adhesion and Arm Strength augments will REALLY help you while climbing.

And yes, all enemies are EASY to dodge and climb while they're Torpor'ed.

Making a shopkeeper like Fournival is the most useful Beloved, because he's difficult to find in Post-Game.

You need to buy his Tagilus's Miracles and Salomet's Secrets for when you fight difficult enemies.

You can stack these potions up to FOUR times each in order to DOUBLE your party's strength and magic attacks.

They're AWESOMELY powerful against Daimon and the Ur-Dragon, in particular.

If you can ignore the cutscene makeout session with Fournival, he is indeed a portable store, LOL.

You should face the Ur-Dragon when you're prepared.

You'll need to do your homework : Bring those Fournival potions I just mentioned and stamina curatives.

You'll need to bring the right pawns as well.

Learning how to fight the Ur-Dragon is a LOOOONNG conversation in itself.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:00, March 28, 2016 (UTC)

The offline Ur-Dragon can be slain in a single encounter, so it's much easier than the online Ur-Dragon which takes a week to kill.

A Magick Archer Arisen might be the easiest way to kill the offline Ur, using Hunter Bolt.

Hunter Bolt targets 10 of the Dragon's weak points at a time, and if you buff up with 4 Salomet's Secrets it's even more effective.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:24, March 28, 2016 (UTC)

1. The Ur-Dragon is the game's "biggest" boss, but nothing really happens when you slay it.

You can kill it an unlimited number of times, just for the rewards and for fun.

Every time you kill it you get 20 Wakestones and one random Holy enchanted weapon.

Selling Wakestones is a fast and easy way to make money.

2. You don't need a double jump to climb Garm.

Hell, you can just walk up to it from behind, grab it, climb to its head, and attack.

3. Keep building up your strength and magic attack like we discussed.

All those levels you're grinding as a Sorcerer will pay off, because you'll be awesome with any vocation you want after you hit the level 200 cap.

The Magic Archer's skills require high magic attack, which the Sorcerer vocation level-ups will give you.

Remember that we're aiming for 500+ strength and magic attack by level 200.

You don't have to be perfect, but do your best to get close to those goals.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 07:44, March 28, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

Ultimately, it's your call whether to adjust your Arisen or Main Pawn's stats.

But because pawns can be revived indefinitely I never worry about their HP or defense, only how much damage they can inflict.

Honestly, the only way my pawns ever get knocked unconscious nowadays is from Dragon roars, which cannot be overcome by armor, defense or having lots of HP.

I firmly believe that one of the best ways to stay alive is to have a party of killer pawns that can quickly inflict a lot of damage to end fights as fast as possible.

When you get to level 200 and have level 3 Bitterblack armor, your pawns will also rarely need reviving.

But you'll ALWAYS wish that you and your Main Pawn were more powerful.

High strength makes you feel like a boss, but the ability to absorb a lot of damage would remind me that I suck.

Go with your heart, but if I were going to build a fifth pawn today I would build her with either super high strength or balanced strength and magic attack.

The Warrior vocation is the highest strength building vocation for pawns, while Assassin is the highest strength building vocation for Arisen.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:51, March 28, 2016 (UTC)

When I say that Bitterblack will get "harder" after you slay Daimon the first time, I mean that Post-Daimon Bitterblack will have more of the tough enemies more often.

But the monster's strength, speed, and other stats never change.

A Pre-Daimon Garm is the same as a Post-Daimon Garm, but you will be facing 3 at a time instead of just one at a time.

Death will appear randomly.

The Gazer and Dark Bishop bosses respawn every 5 days.

Instead of a Drake, you'll face 2 Firedrakes. Instead of a Wyrm, you'll get 2 Frostwyrms and 5 Phantasms.

You get the idea.

The best way to handle all of these fights is to build your strength and magic attack so you can slay them quickly.

Wearing Bitterblack level 3 armor will compensate for any of your defense and HP deficiencies at first, and then eventually you'll (hopefully) be skillful enough to not even need any armor at all (like me!)

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:57, March 29, 2016 (UTC)

Huh. That's very observant, Brian.

I haven't tweaked my pawns in the player creation menu since the beginning of my current New Game Plus.

But I never noticed that the music matches the Everfall's music before you mentioned it.

Good one.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 09:25, March 29, 2016 (UTC)

Hi.

Not sure if you left a message to me or replied to a conversation on my talk page ( still getting confused with this wikia, sorry).

I tried that technique of jumping in the everfall, bu still, i end up mashed on the wrong chamber.

I wonder if with my current assassin things will improve, but my arisen is only lv. 42 atm, and i started playing only last november ( on xbox, now on pc), so my knowledge of the general game is quite limited. Right now i am maximizing the branches of archery ( ranger, assassin, strider, magik archer) Renger ans assassin are maxed, strider and magik not yet. My pawn instead is doing the magic branches ( maximized mage, sosrcerer is on the go). I would suggest to take the archer class, it's so much fun, but also the fighter, switched to mk.

I can't tell, as i said i am quite a noobie. ^_^'

Hi there.

I am new to wikia as well, sorry for the crossed messed up messages. ^_^'

Grim-Red 00:29, March 30, 2016 (UTC)

(Grim-Red)

Hey Brian,

I've just started corresponding to this new guy named Grim-Red who's also been asking questions and he didn't know how to send me a message.

So he clicked your name in the talk page instead and sent a message to you by mistake.

He'll get it right ... eventually, LOL.

We've all got to start somewhere, right ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:50, March 30, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah I enjoy helping out the new guys, because when I started out NOBODY mentored me.

I finished three playthroughs before I even found this Wiki and learned about the exploits and secrets I've shared with you.

Since then I've co-written and re-written most of the articles here, and filmed 95% of the videos as a way of giving back what the DD community has given me.

Veterans of any niche have a responsibility to share their knowledge and help out the people who come behind them.

And that's what I'm all about.

You're a good "student", Brian.

You listen well and aren't afraid to ask questions.

Guys like you are why I do what I do here. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:43, March 30, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

The Ur-Dragon never heals, both online and offline.

I wanted to mention that another reason that online pawns are superior to offline pawns is that offline pawns are never euqipped with top tier equipment.

Even at level 90, you'll find online pawns with level 3 Bitterblack weapons and armor.

I also wanted to mention that Ur-Dragon drops sell for A LOT of gold, even more so if everyone in your party has the "Suasion" augment equipped.

You should hire pawns with this augment before you sell stuff, then you can dismiss them and re-hire your other pawns.

Last night I filmed this video, just for you.

It's my solo Magick Archer slaying the offline Ur-Dragon in under 5 minutes :



I thought you might find it interesting. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:42, March 30, 2016 (UTC)

Hey, Brian.

Yes, Seeker Bolt is the only muti-target skill in the game and only Magick Archers can have it.

The online Ur-Dragon has literally fought thousands of players/Arisen, and some players die in the attempt to slay it.

I guess that's how his hearts are made up of Arisen hearts ? I dunno, LOL.

I generally don't bother wearing armor because I don't get hit, and I like seeing my Arisen as a sexy badass in Silk Lingerie.

A single hit from a Condemned Gorecyclops can potentially kill me in Hard Mode, but it taught me how to completely avoid taking damage.

That's the best way to get "good" at this game.

When I ocassionally do get hit, I'll Godsane and reload.

Practicing perfection is the best way to actually become perfect at anything.

This is a "skill" based game. I can watch someone else's gameplay and see of they're good or not in a few seconds.

Any honestly, all but two people I've seen on YouTube don't seem to know what the hell they're doing.

They spam skills, have slow reflexes, poorly manage their stamina, they miss a lot, or they're too reliant on armor, curatives and Wakestones.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 22:18, March 30, 2016 (UTC)

The objective is to get better.

It took me a lot longer than level 200 to get "good".

When I started playing there were no demonstration videos here, and the Tactics sections were sorely underdeveloped.

We all had to figure out a lot of stuff on our own, because some players were hoarding their gameplay secrets for some reason.

I try to spill my guts on the Wiki with every secret I know, and people still complain that they can't figure out how to kill a Griffin, LOL.

I guess at the end of the day, nothing beats practice.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:20, March 30, 2016 (UTC)

The Magick Archer's Seeker Bolt skill is useless against the online Ur-Dragon, but against the offline Ur-Dragon it's a revelation.

Seeker Bolt automatically targets and locks onto the dragon's weak points for you.

If you're having trouble finding the last few hearts, check the diagram on the Ur-Dragon page.

The Dragon has hearts in its wing tips and in its tail that you may have missed.

The hearts glow purple, and it should bleed purple blood when you're hitting a weak spot.

If it bleeds brown, you're not doing any damage at all.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 08:30, March 31, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

1. Every time you purify an item, there are only 3 possible outcomes.

Those 3 outcomes are determined by the Arisen and Main Pawn's MATCHING vocation "colors".

So you have to change both the Arisen and Main Pawn into Fighter/Warrior, Mage,Sorcerer, or Strider/Ranger to see those results.

This is the ONLY way that you an manipulate your purification results.

Don't waste your time trying other methods, like selling or discarding unwanted cursed items.

2. If you want to fight the online Ur-Dragon, you'll need to track his health so that you can catch him during the "grace" period, when he's already about to die.

Go to the Gamefaqs website here to track it : gamefaqs.com/boards/

Climbing the offline Ur is the HARD way of doing it ; I'd do it as a Magick Archer or Ranger.

For Online, climbing is a good strategy ; I like to do the online Ur as a Strider.

3. I personally never use Mighty Bend, but you have to time your shot with the "flash".

For maximum power, you have to release the arrow EXACTLY when your Arisen's body flashes white.

As an Assassin, I use Lyncean Sight, Fivefold Flurry, and Pentad Shot.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:57, March 31, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

1. The bow skill that inflicts Torpor is too slow to load, and it only fires one shot with no guarantee of debilitating.

Against advanced Bitterblack enemies you'll need a faster way to inflict Torpor.

Hence, the Rusted Bow with Fivefold Flurry or Hailstorm Volley is far more effective because it lets you quickly fire a lot of arrows to inflict the Torpor debilitation faster.

NOTHING beats the Rusted Bow as the most effective way to inflict Torpor against multiple foes as quickly as possible.

2. I like fast casting spells for my Sorcerer. Nothing that takes longer than 5 seconds to charge.

So I don't use Bolide, Maelstrom, Gicel, Seism, or Fulmination.

A pure Sorcerer build can still wreck enemies with High Comestion or High Frigor, which cast much faster.

You've probably noticed that sometimes a Sorcerer will stop casting a spell and jump away when danger is near.

That pisses me off !

I rectified that problem by giving my Sorcerer pawn only spells that cast quickly, like Miasma and High Ingle.

But no matter what spells you choose, I HIGHLY recommend the Acuity, Attunement and Stability augments.

The "Emphasis" augment isn't a must, but it helps your Sorcerer pawn stagger enemies easier.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:53, April 1, 2016 (UTC)

The Rusted Bow is weak, yes, but it will gives you a big tactical advantage.

The battles that you find difficult now are a joke if you use Torpor to your advantage.

I just posted several Strider videos where I take on Daimon, Death, Firedrakes and Frostwyrms.

I'm wearing no armor (only the Silk Lingerie), and I only have two weapons : Framae Blades and A RUSTED BOW.

I sustain absolutely no damage in those videos.

Hard mode, with no buffs, curatives or Wakestones.

I can do it without the Rusted Bow, but I'm trying to make the point that the Rusted Bow is tactically SUPERIOR than the most powerful short bow in the game, the Darkening Storm.

I never even use that bow !

I'm trying to give you a GAME BREAKING tip here, and the Rusted Bow is cheap and easy to get Goldforged compared to the Darkening Storm bow.

The Rusted Bow is most effective when you get it Goldforged, but if you're tired of hearing about it now, I'll stop mentioning how it'll make the game much easier for you.

My videos are living proof of the Rusted Bow's true usefulness. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 08:58, April 1, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

Everything the pawn in the Everfall sells can be found for free in Everfall chests.

Just search the Wiki to see where that item is and Godsbane farm for it.

Otherwise, farm the offline Ur-Dragon and sell his drops and Wakestones for fast cash.

Remember that the drops from "difficult" monsters are more valuable to sell than those from "weak" monsters.

And having all four party members equip the "Suasion" augment to boost your earnings whenever you decide to sell things.

When you hire pawns in the Rift before a sale, look specifically for this augment because it will increase your earnings by a whopping 75% !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:16, April 1, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

1. Your pawns can't sell anything, only you can.

So the Suasion augment stacks cumulatively in your party, no matter who is equipped with it.

But 75% is a HUGE gold bonus if you have all party members equipped with it. Be sure to take advantage.

Sorcerer pawns around level 20 should have this augment in the Rift.

2. You don't lose anthing in New Game Plus. Including the Godsbane.

You can even get multiple Godsbanes from multiple playthroughs, although it doesn't help you in any way.

It sells for 1 Gold, LOL.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:40, April 2, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian.

1. The skulls floating around your pawn is not a status, it's the Necormancy spell.

The floating skulls will attack any enemies that get too close to your Sorcerer pawn.

2. Next time you slay the Ur-Dragon, use a Weal item like a Pilgrim's charm to double your XP before you land the final blow.

3. No matter who's carrying something, everything is the Arisen's stuff. So yes Suasion applies.

4. The Heaven's Key is a GREAT end game weapon when Goldforged, especially against enemies weak to Holy (such as Living Armor, the Ur-Dragon, Undead enemies, Skeletons, etc.

5. Maelstrom can obscure your vision if you're standing near its center, sometimes causing you to fall off cliffs or to get hit by incoming enemy attacks you can't see.

6. My augment preferences are always offensive and not defensive.

As an Assassin on Bitterblack, I equip :

Clout, Vehemence (to boost strength)

Acuity, Attunement (to boost magic attack)

Adhesion, Arm Strength (for climbing)

You know my philosophy about the best defense is a strong offense, but the best defensive augments are Sanctuary and Tenacity IMO.

7. Playing as a Sorcerer is very different than what you're used to.

I also like to just jump into the action, but as a Sorcerer you have to play more cautiously and attack from greater distances (preferably when the enemy is unaware of your presence).

But High Maelstrom alone can let you clear entire rooms with one spell.

You can grind the Rotunda of Dread repeatedly with just High Maelstrom and level up fairly quickly.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 11:30, April 2, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

Just as in real life, rare and precious things cost more money based on scarcity and demand.

At least it's an easy way to instantly see a weapon's power : the more it costs, the more damage it inflicts.

Did I mention that one of the random Ur-Dragon weapon drops is St. George's sword, the Holy enchanted Ascalon ?

Just like in Final Fantasy and other RPG's, the developers of DD borrowed ideas from the mythology of different cultures.

Many of the weapons have cultural references in their names, like the Almace sword, Cinqueada sword, Framae Blades, etc.

I actually researched the all references and wrote them in the "Trivia" section of all the weapons in the game with interesting histories.

Why ? Becuase it gives the game more depth to know where the names of some things came from.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:46, April 2, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

Yeah some days I feel like I should be paid for all the work I've put in here, but it's really a labor of love.

Inspired by the Ascalon story, I just added some "Trivia" notes about the Eden's Warden sword and its biblical historical reference.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:28, April 3, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

I was referring to weapons when I said that the higher the cost, the more damage it inflicts.

Armor is very different in this regard, because all armor grant different resistances to debilitations.

I think you should avoid investing your precious resources on armor.

Focus on WEAPONS (offense).

You're NOT going to win battles with defense.

No army or sports team in history ever won because they had superior defense than their opposition.

OFFENSE is the key.

Practice your dodge roll evasion skills and you'll rarely ever get hit.

Your evasion skills can totally compensate for a lack of defense, but NOTHING replaces having powerful weapons.

I have no idea what your final armor choices will be when you get to level 200, because your personal style will dictate your armor choices.

But I know EXACTLY which weapons you're going to use at level 200, because EVERYONE goes for the level 2 or 3 Bitterblack weapons of their respective vocations.

Save your Gold and Rift Crystals for those weapons.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 04:06, April 3, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

1. 90% of the game's enemies inflict physical damage, so focus on physical defense over magic defense.

2. Assassins can dodge roll while they're wielding daggers, like any other dagger vocation.

3. All Sorcerer armor is pretty weak. But being a Sorcerer teaches you some defense strategies :

As a Sorcerer, you have to get accustomed to finding safe distances to spellcast from the EDGE of the battlefield.

Put your back to a wall to limit your exposed flanks.

Rotate the camera occasionally to check your blind spots.

Securing an elevated position is the safest spellcasting perch.

When in doubt, cancel your spell casting with the jump button and levitate away.

Before a you enter battle, you can cast High Necromancy to protect you from encroaching enemies.

Stay alert and listen for the sounds of enemies behind you.

Always pay attention to how many enemies are on the battlefield, where they are at all times, and what they are doing at any given moment.

These techniques are relevant, no matter which vocation you are.

Here's a technique I like to use for fun : Wielding a Goldforged Rusted Archistaff, I like to walk around Bitterblack casting Miasma. It casts quickly and easily debilitates and damages groups of enemies in a Torpor / Poisonous gas cloud. Then I'll either switch to my Goldforged Sanguine Stalk or I'll just stand around watching my girls annihilate the slow motion enemies for me.

4. Checking the Wiki before you make big decisions will save you a LOT of wasted time and money.

I've actually tried to add warnings for people in all the quest walkthroughs, but every other day I read someone's complaint and I want to respond with : "You could've watched the walkthrough video or read the Wiki and saved yourself some time."

In the age of the Internet, there's no excuse for ignorance. All human knowledge is now immediately available at all hours of the day with just a few keystrokes.

When I was a child, we actually had to go to a library, find a relelvant book, read the book, and research things toget answers.

Nowadays people can't even be bothered to ask Siri a question or to just type a few words into a search engine.

5. Some vocations can evade damage easier than others, but I'm telling you that there's ALMOST no enemy in this game that I can't beat wearing only Silk Lingerie and NOT take any damage.

It boils down to practice and skill, which I'm sure you'll eventually achieve if you work at it.

But you've given me an idea.

I don't know how, but maybe I could film a dodging and evasion video series ...

6. Reynard randonly moves locations (always near a rest camp or inn), which is why you have to take advantage of his services while he's around).

7. Carry around a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Idol (real or forged) for shop discounts.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 07:51, April 3, 2016 (UTC)

You're always welcome, Brian. = )

1. Enchanted weapons and shields can be "overwritten", but not spells.

Your Heaven's Key daggers are Holy Enchanted, but can become Ice or Fire enchanted instead.

As a Sorcerer, your staff can become enchanted with Holy and your BASIC attacks will become Holy, but not your spells.

2. Discount items like the Badge of Merit and the Idols do NOT stack (for buying or selling).

The Suasion augment DOES stack, but only when you sell things.

3. Reynard sometimes only appears during certain hours of the daytime (about 10 minutes after sleeping at a nearby inn or rest area), but always near an inn or rest area.

Reynard and other other Gransys characters NEVER go to Bitterblack.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 09:56, April 3, 2016 (UTC) aka JonGGonzales1

LOL That is funny.

Death only has two scripted appearances in Pre-Daimon Bitterblack.

You've seen him once already, and the second time will be after you slay the Gazer boss.

After that, you won't really see Death anymore until after you slay Daimon (Post-Daimon).

Death can indeed sneak up on you, but it makes a VERY grand appearance and the music dramatically changes when it appears.

In some areas, Death will have "warning" music to let you know that he's nearby.

Another good reason to exercise those "listening" skills we always talk about !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 05:51, April 4, 2016 (UTC)

Hi Brian,

I never got into the Resident Evil games, but it sounds like you get my drift about Death's music change.

Depending on my vocation, my augments are different.

I don't normally play solo, so I don't use the Autonomy augment.

The only strength augments I ever use are Clout, Vehemence, Opportunism (for climbing), Ferocity (for basic attacks), Eminence (for jumping attacks).

Add Acuity and Attunement if I'm using an enchanted weapon like the Heaven's Key daggers or Almace sword.

After all the time I spent building my four pawns, I'm not about to leave them in the Rift, am I ?

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:57, April 4, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

1. I alone play alone to film solo videos with the intention of demonstrating that such a thing can be done.

When players complain that a battle is "too hard", I handicap myself in different ways to prove them wrong.

It's meant to inspire people, and not to show off (well maybe a little, LOL).

I definitely prefer to play with my pawns that I painstakingly built from scratch.

If I wanted to play solo, I'd play Dark Souls, right ?

2. As a Sorcerer, YOU should have the Wymking's ring in inventory because YOU will always be the primary damage dealer in your party.

Pawns will almost never be more active than you are in battle.

3. Pawns aren't programmed to "commit suicide" by entering the Brine.

That would be funny to see though.

You can throw the people in Cassardis into the Brine for fun, with little consequence.

4. There are 3 archistaves I would recommend, all Goldforged :

Ultimately, you should have a Rusted Archistaff (which can simultaneously debilitate with Torpor when you damage enemies with spells), a Keen Dragon's Wit (specifically to inflict Silence against Frostwyrms and the Dark Bishop boss), and the Sanguine Stalk (the game's most powerful archistaff, a level 3 Bitterblack weapon).

For now, go with the most powerful archistaff available from the Everfall, the Dragon's Risen.

The pawn vendor Delec also sells it in the Everfall, in the Chamber of Estrangement.

5. Congratulations on your Drake kill ! You said you did it as a duel ? As in solo ?

Great job !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 14:42, April 4, 2016 (UTC)

Aww well you'll eventually graduate to a level where Drakes are as easy as Cyclops to take down.

NPC's and pawns won't enter the Brine voluntarily, so don't worry about Pipa.

Mage and Sorcerer pawns will stop casting spells whenever an enemy gets too close.

It's quite infuriating when they stop spellcasting, because sometimes they will finish casting their big spell at THE END OF THE BATTLE when everything is already dead.

That's another reason I only give my Sorcerer pawn fast spells.

The Arisen should be given priority with the best gear (like the Wyrmking's ring) because it's game over when YOU die.

When pawns die, you can easily revive them infinite times.

And pawns do not spam skills. You can.

Pawns hesitate a lot. You don't.

You're doing less damage per second by giving the Wyrmking's Ring to your pawn.

But it's up to you. If and when you decide to try Mystic Knight or Magick Archer in the future, the Wyrmking's Ring will be a very valuable asset to you.

In Post-Daimon Bitterblack, a 2 second shorter casting time is a big deal.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:07, April 5, 2016 (UTC)

Yeah I find it funny that you care about a non-existant person at all.

Other than for fun, it doesn't have a direct impact on the game itself, just for your immersion in the story.

I wish that the Beloved could adventure with you and help in battle.

Quina can cast basic Sorcerer spells and Julien wields Mystic Knight maces and shields.

Mercedes is a crappy fighter but she's got decent armor.

I think that would've been a cool idea, but oh well.

You're right about getting another Wyrmking's Ring in NewGamePlus. The effect doesn't stack but you can indeed have one for yourself and your Main Pawn.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 03:15, April 5, 2016 (UTC)

Fournival could throw Gold coins since he's all about money.

Maybe Symone could morph into a demon boss.

I really wanted to fight the Duke in a fair battle, but unfortunately you never get the chance.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:05, April 5, 2016 (UTC) aka Jon

Hey Brian,

The game doesn't learn or adapt to your behavior.

A Chimera at Level 1 fights exactly the same when you're at Level 200.

Enemies act very predictably once you figure out the AI's programming.

That's how I manage to win the most difficult battles in DD unscathed.

If something is programmed by a human, then another human can figure it out.

Anything designed by man can be beaten by man, whether it's the Great Wall of China or copy protected movies.

As a Sorcerer, your best bet to fight Hellhounds is to pre-cast High Maelstrom and lure them right to it.

You can also use High Necromancy to slay them if they get too close to you.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:02, April 6, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

Enemies in DD react predictably in 2 ways :

1. At the beginning of the battle they randomly select a target, usually whomever is closest to them or whomever struck them most recently.

If you want an enemy to turn away from you, stop attacking it and let a pawn strike it !

2. Enemy will use an attack in their arsenal that can strike their target based on the distance and position of their target.

When I fight a Drake (or ANY dragon), for example, I can literally bait the dragon into doing what I want by standing in the correct position relative to their body.

If you're standing under a dragon (while you are its target), it has 3 normal responses : a 360 spin, a breath attack walking backwards, or it'll fly straight up and crash down on you.

If you're standing behind it (while you are its target), it has 2 responses : a tail swipe or a 360 spin.

If you're standing beside it (while you are its target), it has 1 normal response : a backhand swipe.

If you're standing in front of it (while you are its target), it has 3 normal responses : a breath attack, a forward bite, and a forward dash.

Get the picture ?

EVERY enemy can be predicted in this way. You just have to observe their patterns and LEARN.

I study my own videos and practice a lot.

After I win a battle, I'll sometimes Godsbane and start over just for practice (or for fun). = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:06, April 6, 2016 (UTC)

For the longest time, I did my Dragonforging mainly from the Devilfire Grove Drake because I didn't know better.

But by FAR, the best way to Dragonforge a lot of gear quickly is to farm Cursed Dragons.

Cursed Dragons are MUCH harder to slay than a Drake, but they offer the best (non-boss dragon) chances of Dragonforging EVERYHING you're wearing.

Here's a comparison of a Drakes odds compared to a Cursed Dragon :

0 star enhancement :   0% Drake, 40% Cursed Dragon

3 star enhancement : 18% Drake, 75% Cursed Dragon

That's a HUGE difference !

I can Dragonforge 20 or so items by using a single Rancid Bait Meat in the Duskmoon Tower.

Wear what you want to Dragonforge and have your pawns carry all the extra armor and weapons you want to Dragonforge.

Slaying a Cursed Dragon can potentially Dragonforge 8 items in one battle.

Deploy the Rancid Bait Meat in the Duskmoon Tower, slay the Cursed Dragon, get Dragonforged, change into new gear, exit, re-enter, slay another Cursed Dragon, repeat.

The Cursed Dragon will spawn continuously, although you may need to exit and re-enter the room several times before it will re-spawn.

The hard part is learning how to slay Cursed Dragons quickly and effieciently while suffing minimal damage.

It's a hard dragon to master, but its worth it for the Dragonforging benefits.

Also, Dragonforged gear sells for much higher prices than unenhanced gear.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:20, April 6, 2016 (UTC) aka Jon

The Griffin battle was at Bluemoon Tower.

Duskmoon Tower is in Bitterblack, where you met Barroch for the first time.

There's actually a "Blind spot" that you can cheese the Cursed Dragon to death with only Comestion.

He can't hurt you at all in this spot.

Watch this :



SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:07, April 6, 2016 (UTC) aka Jon

Videos are the best way for most people to learn, second only to actually doing it hands-on.

I could try to explain how to beat a Cursed Dragon in a hundred words, or you could watch a 5 minute video.

Anyways, I thought it would help you Dragonforge faster and easier. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:25, April 7, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

Perhaps I shouldn't have called it a "blind spot" because that suggests that the position is relative to the Dragon.

It isn't.

You have to be standing in this exact spot in the Duskmoon Tower where you met Barroch, populated by rabbits and deer (Pre-Daimon).

The area you're referring to is the adjacent dungeon called the Midnight Helix.

Learn the names ! = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 09:34, April 7, 2016 (UTC)

Sometimes I forget that people have a life outside of Gransys. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 10:38, April 7, 2016 (UTC)

Hey, Brian.

Levitate doesn't mitigate intertia. The laws of physics still apply in DD.

There are 2 augments that let you fall LONG distances without taking damage, but it's best to just NOT FALL.

What level are you now ? I'm guessing you're at 100 or higher.

If you're still having problems with normal Gransys enemies then we seriously need to get you some better weapons and tactical training.

I have no idea what your gameplay looks like, but maybe we should discuss elemental weaknesses (as a Sorcerer).

As a Sorcerer, you have all the spells necessary to own every enemy in the game except for Death (that's another conversation). It's just a matter of knowing which spell to use against which enemy.

Every enemy is particularly weak to one particular element (fire, ice, holy, dark, lightning). Each spell is imbued with one of these elements.

You can switch to an archistaff that is permanently enchanted and use BASIC light attacks. An ice staff will freeze saurians, hellhounds, and other ice-vulnerable enemies solid. A lightning staff will stun a Cyclops and force it to drop its club. A fire staff will set Griffins ablaze with just basic light staff bolts.

You've got to memorize which spell is the Achilles heel for each enemy, then the battle should be a breeze.

In outdoor Gransys, High Maelstrom can handle everything except ghost enemies, Golems and Dragons.

When you see enemies on the horizon, get close enough to pre-cast High Maelstrom, then lure them into the center of the hurricane.

There are NO random battles in DD at all, unlike Final Fantasy. That is, enemies will ALWAYS spawn in the SAME predictable areas (although enemy types can change in Bitterblack).

Memorize the enemy spawn areas and prepare yourself with High Necromancy, enchantment spells, and pre-cast a big spell to unleash.

I'm sure you know that you can click down on the L-stick to aim spells and toggle between auto and manual targeting.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:09, April 7, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

1. Madeleine sells a ring called a "Violet Ring", which offers Thundershock pretotection.

I've never needed or tested it because I know how to avoid getting hit by Lightning (the ground crackles beneath you for 2 seconds before the spell hits).

But try that out.

If it works like I think it does, you'll get damaged by Lightning but you won't fall down or get stunned by it.

2. I shouldn't have to tell you that in a battle, you always want to eliminate the spellcasters first for exactly this reason.

3. Depending on the spell, you'll want to toggle between manual and auto targeting to suit the situation.

Don't feel bad, because for some reason MOST people don't figure out that "clicking on the L-stick" trick.

The L-stick click toggle is used in most other video games of this generation, so it's commonly used.

Knowing this now should solve A LOT of your problems (I hope), because that means that up until now you've basically been fighting without aiming your spells, LOL.

4. My personal spell choices for my Sorcerer Arisen are : High Ingle, High Comestion, High Frigor, High Maelstrom, High Miasma, High Levin.

For my Sorcerer pawn, I switch out High Maelstrom for High Voidspell (to cure Petrification if necessary).

I don't use the Torpor spell because it gives low odds for inflicting Torpor on enemies.

A MUCH more effective way to inflict Torpor is to use a Goldforged Rusted Archistaff and High Miasma.

With a Rusted staff (as a Mage or Sorcerer), ANY spell you cast with it can inflict Torpor.

The higher the enhancement of the Rusted staff, the better the odds of debilitation.

And as with the Rusted Bow, multi-hit skills give you more chances to debilitate.

High Miasma eats away at enemies like Hundred Kisses, so it's a perfect spell to try to debilitate with.

5. The save system is indeed a little confusing, but remember that there are only 2 saves per file.

A "soft" save which is your most recent, and a "hard" checkpoint save which is the last time you slept at an inn or entered a Rift Stone.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 01:29, April 8, 2016 (UTC)

High Miasma doesn't look like much at first, but it casts very quickly and continuously eats away at a group of enemy's health while they stay within the field.

Cast High Miasma on a Dragon's heart and watch what happens.

Its pretty effective, and it's generally the best spell to use against dragons (although Comestion against a Frostwyrm and High Frigor against a Drake/Firedrake work better against those particular dragons).

High Necromancy is useful, but I agree it takes too long to cast before a battle, so I personally don't use it for that reason.

Torpor lasts only 25 seconds, then it must be re-inflicted.

But I often only need 25 seconds to end a battle. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:26, April 8, 2016 (UTC)

Ah yes, the infamous Chamber of Fate.

That's a battle that SOOOOOOO many people complained about that I filmed numerous vocational battles for the Wiki page. Check them out.

As a solo Mystic Knight, I beat it in 24 seconds. In 45 seconds as a solo Strider. In 68 seconds as a solo Fighter.

Rusted Daggers only ? 45 seconds !

No damage sustained in any of those battles.

The key to that battle is speed speed speed. You need to switch vocations for certain Everfall battles, and that's one of them.

You've got to react quickly and take them out in the correct order : Wight, Chimera, Gorechimera.

If you do it well and fast enough, you won't see a single hellhound.

Slaying the Wight first prevents it from summoning Hellhounds from the outset.

As a solo Strider, I use the Rusted Bow for a big tactical advantage. Watch that video for further proof of its effectiveness. 2 Torpored Chimeras and a room full of Hellhounds can't touch me.

Sorcerers are only fun too play when you have an advantage. You could have started the battle by pre-casting High Maelstrom in the center of the room and then run into the center to spawn them.

Otherwise, that battle is hell for Sorcerers. If I were to do that battle as a Sorcerer right now, I would probably go in with a Goldforged Rusted Archistaff and Miasma. Maybe I'll film that ...

Lastly, remember that you can can switch back to Fighter or Assassin if you want, but KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR STATUS PAGE at the "XP needed until next level up" number.

When you get close to leveling up, switch back to Sorcerer so that you get the Sorcerer magic attack gain level up bonus and not the Assassin's strength gain level up bonus.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:21, April 8, 2016 (UTC)

The Wight doesn't go anywhere, he just levitates higher.

You can still hit him with spells like Ingle and High Miasma.

If you don't take out the Wight first, he'll just spawn Hellhounds endlessly.

Remember what I told you to ALWAYS take out spellcasters first in ANY battle.

On Bitterblack, enemy Sorcerers can cast Maelstrom and Bolide AGAINST YOU.

When fighting Chimeras, I usually like to eliminate the snake first because it's a guaranteed easy way to stagger and knock down the Chimera.

It also feels really cool to decapitate it.

The idea is to kill the Chimera BEFORE the snake regrows, if not, just cut it off again to stagger and knock it down again.

But the strategic concept is the same : eliminate the weak targets first and work you way up.

The only DD battle that this doesn't apply to is Death, because you have to quickly inflict as much damage as possible to make him flee (or else he'll unleash his scythe attack).

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:23, April 8, 2016 (UTC)

Hey, Brian.

1. I don't recommend Frazil at all, although it does cast quickly.

It seems to have low freeze chances and it doesn't do much damage compared to High Frigor.

Against Living Armor, Eliminators and Drakes/Firedrakes, you can't beat High Frigor.

2. I don't see the point of doing New Game Plus just yet, because you'll be repeating the same quests that aren't worth much XP. You're supposed to do New Game Plus when there's nothing left for you to do.

There are only 2 advantages for you to do that right now : It unlocks all vendors inventory to max (as if you gave them all a Gold Idol), and you can reach the Ur-Dragon easier from the special Rift Stone on the Cassardis beach.

Besides that, you're missing out on certain Post-Game quests which are worth a lot of XP : The Wages of Death, In Aid of the Emerald King, etc.

There are still a lot of quests you haven't seen or tried yet (most are obtained on the 3 Bitterblack Isle notice boards).

You'll lose access to the Post-Game Everfall (until you slay Grigori again) and Bitterblack will reset again.

Did you get all the gear you needed from the Everfall ?

Have you maxed all your vocations using the Post-Game Noble Quarter exploit ? Get all the skills and augments in the game NOW.

The Ancient Quarry will need to be cleared again.

You'll lose Pipa as your Beloved and you'll have the chance to pick a new one.

It's up to you, of course, but I don't see the point of starting over yet.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 05:04, April 10, 2016 (UTC)

Hi Brian.

If the game feels repetitive to you now, I don't why you'd want to start over and do the same quests all over again when there are quests you haven't found or done yet in your current playthrough.

There are no "new" quests in New Game Plus. It's the ultimate "repetition" in this game.

If you're bored with the Everfall, go straight to Bitterblack, slay Daimon and let the chaos ensue.

THAT should keep you entertained for a while, LOL.

I would be sure to at least get all the game's skills & augments, and max out all your vocational rankings using the Noble Quarter exploit if I were you.

Getting Discipline points (DCP) is a slow prcoess otherwise.

Enemy spawns are triggered by the Arisen's proximity to the spawn point. That's why it's good to memorize where enemy spawn points are, especially on Bitterblack.

You can use the "empty" areas between spawn points to heal or save your game before encountering the next enemy spawn point.

While you're in Pre-Daimon Bitterblack there aren't many enemies and you should use this opportunity to get VERY familiar with the layout of the dungeons while it's relatively safe.

In Post-Daimon, things will be more chaotic.

Yeah, Barroch does resemble the creepy guy from Dark Shadows, yeah. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:05, April 10, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian.

Yes, the map remains exposed in New Game Plus.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 21:13, April 10, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian,

OK don't get frustrated.

You clearly need some better online pawns because the ones you have sound ineffective.

If you're having trouble adapting to Sorcerer and you still care about building your magic stat, switch to Strider, Magick Archer or Mystic Knight.

You'll only earn 1 magic attack points per level vs 3 magic attack points per level, though (in other words, Sorcerer give you TRIPLE the magic attack points per level).

But have you not heeded my words when I mentioned that you can switch vocations and SWITCH BACK to Sorcerer just BEFORE you level up ? You don't have to play Sorcerer the whole time. Just when you level up.

Just pause the game, go to "Status" and the "General" tab tells you how many XP you need until the next level up.

When you get close to leveling up, SWITCH to Sorcerer.

It's not difficult. If you're stil confused just ask me, bro.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 06:07, April 12, 2016 (UTC) aka JonGGonzales1

Good morning, Brian.

Maelstrom doesn't affect every enemy, as some enemies are strong against Dark element spells like Maelstrom.

Unless there is a physical barrier between them, Hellhounds and most other small enemies should get sucked into the Maelstrom's eye and slain.

Regarding pawns, you can go online to hire the pawns, then go offline if you want.

Your online pawns will stay with you until they fall into the Brine or die (not fall unconscious), just like offline pawns.

Because you'll need to re-hire online pawns that die, it's a good idea to "Favorite" the pawns you like.

Mystic Knights and Magick Archers can cast certain Mage spells while wielding a Mage staff, so yes you'd have to switch weapons. In the same way that you can only dodge roll while wielding daggers, you have to switch weapons to get the benefits and skills of wielding specific weapons.

Mystic Knights also have the unique and super-useful Sopor sleep spell, while Magic Archers have the useless Perdition curse spell. Both can obviously levitate while wielding a staff.

And no, you can't wield a staff and sword simultaneously. Just carry a staff and sword in your inventory.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 16:34, April 12, 2016 (UTC)

The Mystic Knight's trance spells enchant the ENTIRE party's weapons, as long as they are standing within 6 feet of the Arisen when you cast it.

Now you may think your Main Pawn has "high" magic now, but that's shortsighted.

On Post-Daimon Bitterblack, there's no such thing as "too much magic" or "too much strength", LOL.

Switch your pawn to Mage if you want, but I'd bet that you'll wish she had more magic attack later.

You should hire a Mage pawn with the "Medicant" primary inclination, get better at avoiding damage, or carry more Harspud Sauces.

At least that's my suggestion. Don't become reliant on Mages or curatives. They're a crutch holding you back from improving your skills.

I've become so well-practiced at avoiding damage, that I only carry 3 Panaceas as backup to cure debilitations when I enter Post-Daimon Bitterblack.

I know you're not at that level yet, but you'll get there.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:49, April 12, 2016 (UTC)

I spend most of my time on Bitterblack because the enemies and treasure are worth 3-5 times more than outdoor Gransys.

Need more Gold, XP, Rift Crystals, secret augments, advanced skills, Elite lanterns, or equipment ? Bitterblack.

It gives the most of everything.

But I think you've got it backwards, Brian.

The Sorcerer is nimble enough with Levitate to avoid any damage. You're just not adapting to its skill set.

Evasion is more than just dodge rolling and blocking. It's about predicting enemy attacks and being alert to your surroundings.

I can evade damage with a Sorcerer almost as easily as I can with a Strider. Are you "Light" or are you carrying around too much stuff ? Weight affects your character's speed.

Have you wisened up to using the Wyrmking's ring and the Articulacy augment together ?

Have you learned the limitations and proper combat usages of the Sorcerer's spells ?

You've got to use the right spell for each situation and enemy encounter.

Which specific enemy battles are giving you trouble ?

Mystics DO have a ranged attack.

It's called "Great Cannon" and it's a MUST for every Mystic Knight layout.

Watch these combos where I slaymy enemies with only 1 Perfect Block, using the Great Cannon/Blessed Riposte combo :





"Ripostes" enchant your shield to activate counters when you Perfect Block, while "Trances" enchant the ENTIRE party's weapons.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:20, April 12, 2016 (UTC)

Hey, Brian.

1. There's a lot more to a Perfect Block than just holding down the block button. Look up "Perfect Block" on the Wiki.

I made an entire video series on the subject.

You've got to time the enemy attacks perfectly in oorder to activate the riposte or nothing will happen.

2. You have pawns, Brian. They should do all the carrying for you.

Your Arisen should never be heavier than "Average", preferably lighter.

Use the Sinew augment to make yourself lighter.

3. Combining the Wymking's Ring with Articulacy will shave off 2 seconds from spellcasting times. That's a huge difference, whether you realize it or not. It's the difference between completing a spell or having to cancel it and levitate away during a crucial battle.

4. Where you find "Great Cannon" ?

You just learn it from "Asalam" at the Gran Soren Inn, Olra on Bitterblack, or Ecbal at the Encampment, just like any other skill.

Great Cannon is sometimes better than a bow because it auto-aims for you.

Sometimes it's bad because it can target enemies you don't want to antogonize.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 23:59, April 12, 2016 (UTC)

Good job getting the Dragon's Pain daggers, they're Level 1 Bitterblack daggers.

With the stats you're building you can do well with either those or the Heaven's Key daggers (add the Acuity and Attunement augments if you want to wield an enchanted weapon like that).

The next step up are the Level 2 and 3 weapons.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:03, April 13, 2016 (UTC)

Hey Brian.

Sword and mace skills are the same.

Use the Noble Quarter exploit we discussed to max out your Mystic Knight (and all other) vocation ranks so that you can get ALL the skils and augments.

It doesn't matter if pawns die or disappear. Your stuff is your stuff.

If they die or disappear, your stuff goes straight to your inventory. Period. You never lose anything.

So let the pawns carry your crap, LOL.

The best Everfall weapons are only Level 1 Bitterblack weapons, but it's worth farming for them because they're free.

Level 2 and 3 Bitterblack weapons are best, but they're only found on Bitterblack.

Ghost-type enemies are weak against all magic, but Holy is the most effective.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:00, April 13, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

1. In outdoor Gransys and the Everfall, you really shouldn't be losing pawns at all.

How are they dying ? Are you not reviving them ?

Are you giving them Harspud Sauces to heal themselves ?

I think we've gotta work on your tactics and gameplay if you're still losing pawns at level 100+ in outdoor Gransys, LOL.

2. Great Cannon works OK on the Ur-Dragon, yes. But since you can't aim it, it doesn't always target where you want.

3. I made three new Sorcerer videos yesterday, just for you. I hope they're helpful :







SphericalMass49 (talk) 15:08, April 13, 2016 (UTC) aka JonGGonzales1

Hey, Brian.

1. The spell my Sorcerer pawn cast at the beginning of the battle was Fulmination. It adds an electrical shock when allies climb the dragon and it stuns it. It's the best Sorcerer spell against the Ur-Dragon.

2. My pawns are smart because they were built by an intelligent human, not by a random AI engine. Online pawns are made by humans and are generally better than the offline pawns, which is what I've been trying to goad you into getting.

3. I think that Mages and Warriors are the worst pawns.

Warriors attack too slowly, their skills take too long to charge and they miss a lot.

Mages deal relatively low damage, and are best for elemental buffs and healing, which my party doesn't need because they have enchanted weapons, HP regenerative armor, Harspud Sauces, and Panaceas.

DAMAGE DAMAGE DAMAGE is the best defense. As you saw in my videos, my girls can destroy anything before they enemy can hurt them (and me).

My preferred party comprises the Arisen, a Strider pawn (wielding an enchanted weapon), a Fighter pawn (wielding an enchanted weapon), and a Sorcerer pawn. This party composition can handle any enemy type in the game.

If you maximize/balance your Main Pawn with the build you're currently on, she'll be able to wield enchanted weapons, physical weapons, or magic very well. She'll be good at every vocation with maximum balanced strength and  magic attack. All my pawns have the same build :

Level 1-10 Fighter, 11-100 Warrior, 101-200 Sorcerer.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 18:55, April 13, 2016 (UTC)

Hey, Brian.

You've already seen my pawn build.

You want to get your pawn's strength and magic attack above 500+ (base number in parentheses) by level 200.

You can do it in any order you like, but here it is again :

Level 1-10 Fighter, 11-100 Warrior, 101-200 Sorcerer.

The way you level doesn't really matter as lon as you get those strength anf magic attack stats up to over 500+ by level 200.

Or do it your own way. Just enjoy the game.

All the advice I give you are to optimize your final results, but they are by no means binding.

At the end of the day, it's your game and you should have fun with it.

I have my own path to follow and I know what I'm doing, but I can only advise you on how to undertake yours.

Don't get hung up on stats if they're overwhelming you.

And I told you my preferred party composition. It doesn't matter which one is your Main Pawn.

Arisen, Strider, Fighter, Sorcerer.

You're always going to have a full party (except when you face the Seneschal), so it doesn't matter which of the 3 vocations above you choose.

But if you want a Sorcerer, you should build her as a "Pure" Sorcerer because she won't need strength at all :

Level 1-10 Mage, 11-200 Sorcerer.

Rangers, Fighters, and Striders can be max balanced strength and magic attack OR "Pure" strength :

Level 1-10 Fighter, 11-200 Warrior.

But this build can't use enhanted weapons, only physical damage weapons.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 02:28, April 14, 2016 (UTC)

Don't become too reliant on your pawns.

At the end of the day, they're not that smart.

YOU'RE the grown-up, the team leader, the parent, the ARISEN.

You've got ot take care of, and watch over THEM.

Look after their well being, like a good shepherd or a good general.

YOU'RE THE HERO of the story.

If you want your Main Pawn to wield a bow, I recommend Strider over Ranger for their versatile skill set.

Give her Brain Splitter, Thousand Kisses, Cutting Wind and Fivefold Flurry and Downpour Volley.

Make sure you adjust your party accordingly, because you don't usually need two archers (only against the Ur-Dragon and Daimon, really).

Finding good Sorcerers in the Rift is hard because most Sorcerers have the big, slow casting spells that I hate, so good luck with that.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 07:07, April 14, 2016 (UTC)

Good morning, Brian.

I'm not sure what emails you're referring to, but I suspect it's purely promotional spam since you're a registered user here.

Just ignore it.

There are some Bitterblack enemies where you'll find your pawns are of little help.

For example, I have 2 fully knowledgeable Strider pawns that can single handedly slay a regular DRAKE by climbing it and cut its' heart to shreds with Thousand Kisses.

But against a FIREDRAKE, they're kinda clueless. They don't climb it, and they really don't do much.

So it's good to be a badass on your own.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:02, April 14, 2016 (UTC)

Pawn bestiary knowledge is very important in determining a pawn's tactical intelligence.

Do they know that enemy's elemental weakness ?

Do they know how to Perfect Block that enemy's attacks ?

Do they know that they can climb that enemy ?

Do they know which equipped skills work best against that enemy ?

The pawn learns these behaviors by watching you, other pawns, and other Arisen that hire them.

My pawns all have full bestiary knowledge, but they're more responsive against certain enemies than others.

It's just one of the game's quirks.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 20:02, April 14, 2016 (UTC)

Hi, Brian.

The "Bestiary" and "Base Monster Experience Points" pages may be useful to you at this point.

The Bestiary page will help you acquire 3 stars for your main pawn, and the Base Monster Experience points page will help you determine how much each monster kill is worth (so you can figure out how close you are to levelling up).

Remember that in some cases, getting the third star for bestiary knowledge is for the pawn to slay a certain number of that monster type.

Regarding Perfect Blocking : It seems to be the case that a Fighter pawn can learn to Perfect Block without you demonstrating it.

My pawns all learned how to Perfect Block before I could. I actually learned the timing by watching THEM, LOL.

Over time, your pawn will learn to Perfect Block after several encounters with that enemy type.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 00:33, April 15, 2016 (UTC)

When a Fighter pawn Perfect Blocks, there is a quick flash of light and the pawn "pushes" their shield forward towards the attack.

Pawn lanterns never run of of oil, but I avoid giving them lanterns because they waste time unequipping an re-equipping the lantern when they get wet instead of attacking.

If you give pawns flasks of oil they will throw them at the enemy instead of attacking. So don't give them flasks of oil, skulls, throwblasts, or rocks.

The door in the Ward of Regret is opened from the other side, by levitating or double jumping onto a balcony.

The door only leads to a chest, but you don't have to open it to continue.

You need to get the Void Key from the corpse at the top of the Midnight Helix, then open the gated door downstairs in the Duskmoon Tower.

The Condemned Gorecyclops is the second largest enemy in the game, but as a Sorcerer you can slay it with High Maelstrom after removing its helmet with High Levin to the head.

But wait, you were "hacking away" at him ? Are you back to Assassin or Mystic Knight or which vocation now ?

And good job slaying the Gazer ! That's one of three bosses down !

Did you need the Wiki's help, or did you beat it on your own ?

Remember to save up your Rift Crystals for the Level 3 Weapons and Armor, because they are EXPENSIVE to purify !

SphericalMass49 (talk) 05:21, April 15, 2016 (UTC) aka Jon

Good morning, Brian.

There are several enemies on Bitterblack that are much easier to deal with using magic rather than a sword : Wraiths, Living Armor, Eliminators, Condemned Gorecyclops and Dragons.

You've already seen the biggest enemy in the game, the Dragon Grigori and the Ur-Dragon.

Condemned Gorecyclops are much safer to deal with using spells or ranged attacks, but if you're going to use melee you can either climb it or attack it right foot while standing inside its right instep.

Climbing is great if you have the Adhesion, Arm Strength, Opportunism, Clout and Vehemence augments equipped.

Or let your pawns do all the work :



There's a certain technique to do this. First, run up the wooden bridges and slay all the enemies in the room.

Save the game. Walk back down and let your pawns climb it (if they'll cooperate).

Stop your Mage/Sorcerer from casting spells by grabbing her.

When the other pawns reach the face, remove the helmet with High Levin to the head.

Enjoy the show !

It helps if the climbing pawns have the climbing augments I listed above.

The only other area that you'll need a Void Key will be obtained in the Pilgrim's Gauntlet.

Let me know when you acquire a "MOONBEAM GEM" and I'll give you some tips on what to do with it. It looks like a green bowling ball and it can only be found on Bitterblack.

Be conservative in spending Rift Crystals ! Don't waste them by purifying level 1 and 2 armor.

Save them for purifying Level 3 armor and weapons !

Well, maybe purify some Gear to get the advanced skill rings.

The Bitterblack Novelties can get you secret augments like Adhesion, which is INDISPENSIBLE for climbing.

I'll give you augment recommendations, but remind me what vocations you and you pawn are. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 17:32, April 15, 2016 (UTC)

OK, Brian.

1. Here are my Mystic Knight augments : Clout, Vehemence, Acuity, Attunement, Ferocity, Adhesion (for climbing Daimon, otherwise Sinew or Eminence).

To me defensive augments are wasteful, but Tenacity and Sanctuary are the BEST defensive augment IMHO.

Mage pawn augment suggestions : Acuity, Attunement, Articulacy, Stability, Emphasis, Sinew.

2. Barroch appears in the exit corridors randomly, but he'll always be in the rest areas like the Warrior's Respite.

3. Speaking of which, there is a Moonbeam Gem in the Warrior's Respite.

You can now get a FREE Level 2 Weapon ! Either the Dragon's Glaze longbow (for Rangers) or the Dragon's Ire short bow (for Striders and Assassins).

Simply use the Moonbeam Gem in the Duskmoon Tower to access the chest behind the door.

Look at the Duskmoon Tower map for the locations.

4. The Gorecyclops in Soulflayer Canyon is small. It's not a CONDEMNED GORECYCLOPS.

5. All Bitterblack monsters will re-spawn in 2 or 3 days.

6. The resting benches on Bitterblack only consume 1 hour of game time, not a day like at an inn.

7. Why would you hold your pawn for an entire battle ? Did you not watch the video or read my explantion ?

8. Death isn't too hard to fight as a Mystic Knight.

You just consume 4 Tagilus's Miracles, 4 Salomet's Secrets and a Sobering Wine, then deploy 2 Great Cannons right in front of him.

Then continuously strike the Cannons with Full Moon Slash. When done correctly, it's possible to slay Death in a SINGLE ENCOUNTER with this technique.

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:11, April 15, 2016 (UTC)

1. Some augments are "Secret", which means that you have to purify Bitterblack Novelties to get them, yes.

Some secret augments are worthless, but the good ones are REALLY good (like Adhesion and Athleticism).

2. The Moonbeam Gem in the Warrior's Respite is located on the ground, near the fireplace and a rat.

3. The Condemned Gorecyclops will repsawn in 3 days, but the Gazer and Dark Bishop bosses won't respawn until AFTER you slay Daimon for the first time.

In Post-Daimon, the Gazer and Dark Bishop respawn every 7 days and Daimon respawns EVERY time you enter his lair.

4. Before you face the Dark Bishop, be aware that slaying him and his pet Cursed Dragon have a HIGH chance to Dragonforge EVERYTHING you're wearing. So change your equipment just before you land the killing blow in order to take advantage.

In Post-Daimon, you can farm the Dark Bishop to EASILY Dragonforge all the gear you want.

5. I'm glad you liked that video. I LOVE my badass girls. = )

SphericalMass49 (talk) 19:39, April 15, 2016 (UTC)