Challenge Pack: A Trial for Adventurers

A Trial for Adventures is a free DLC available for Dragon's Dogma. It was released by Capcom on the Xbox 360 and PS3 on Tuesday Dec 4th, 2012. The DLC includes two game modes Speedrun Mode and Hard Mode.

Overview
This pack adds two new modes to the game and changes the main menu screen changing the first screen to "Main Menu" and "Extras".

Speedrun Mode can be selected only by selecting "Extras" in the first menu screen and then Selecting "Speedrun Mode".

Hard Mode can be selected in two ways:
 * By starting a new game by selecting "New Game" from the main menu and selecting Hard Mode as your difficulty. Please note that this will remove any active play-through!
 * By loading an active game and selecting Hard Mode from the options menu. Please note that this will quit the active play-through and start a new game. Items, Levels and such are carried over effectively creating a form of new game+. Note that all other benefits of New Game+ are not generated if the player has not qualified for them. (i.e. finising post game main quest).

Speedrun Mode
Overview

Speed Run Mode is one of the two feature modes available.

In Speed Run Mode, player races against the clock to get the fastest time possible to beat the game.



Beating speed mode under a certain time limit nets two rewards. Actual Time Needs Confirmation, longest confirmed is 2 hours.
 * You cannot save during speed run, you have to complete everything in one sitting.
 * All of your inventory from your main game is available at your disposal, including items, money, ferrystones, portcrystals, etc.
 * You and your pawn retain all of the stats you have in the main game.
 * There is a counter on the side of the screen that counts when you control your character. The counter stops during cutscenes, in your inventory and in the rift.
 * You cannot access online pawns, only use the prebuilt Capcom ones.
 * Difficulty is set to normal and cannot be switched.
 * Pausing the game pauses the timer allowing to take breaks if needed.Selene.jpg
 * It is advisable to turn off tutorials in the menu as they will all reset in speed run mode, which interferes with the playing process way to much.
 * Speed run is also done in a contained world, none of the items you use or obtain, along with XP, vocations, levels, gold etc. will be taken from or transferred to your save file.

Rewards Completion of the Speed Run feature grants the following rewards:
 * Forest Tunic Set
 * Set of Caretaker's Garb

Tips

The tips below provide information to complete the speed run under an hour. Minor spoilers are displayed in the content:


 * Make sure everything is prepared in the main save file, anything that is currently in the save file will be transferred to the speed mode as is, except your current inventory, that will be treated as a normal NG+ and will be needed to pick up from the storage. Additionally, at least 21 wakestones should be ready for an optimum run.
 * Make sure portcrystals are placed in all the key story locations to be able to move through the areas fast. Waycastle, Greatwall Encampment, Northern entrance to the Catacombs or The Shadow Fort, depending which quest is planned to be chosen, Windbluff Tower, entrance of Hillfigure Knoll, Bluemoon Tower if the player is unable to kill the Griffin right away.
 * Begin the game, following as normal, make sure you kick the ox to make it move as fast as you can, cheap way to do this is kick it while facing it, so you get knocked over it, then make your pawns heal you and get the ox healed in the process to ensure a smooth ride.
 * On your first visit to The Everfall for the quest, grab a wakestone and jump from the top, die and use a Wakestone, it saves about 3 minutes instead of running down through the Pawn Guild.
 * During the Wyrmhunt quests, pick The Cypher and teleport right to Hillfigure Knoll, easy way to skip the whole quest.The second quest is a personal choice. Make sure the other two are skipped.
 * In Griffin's Bane it is possible to kill the griffin before it flies off, however its a bit tricky, setting its wings on fire seems to help matters a lot as it can't fly off fast.
 * Sleep through Trials and Tribulations, make sure the Maker's Finger is obtained prior to that, it would be optimum to possess it from the start to save time.
 * Wyrmking's Ring quest can by bypassed completely by having an original or forged copy of it in the inventory and giving it right away.
 * Pride Before a Fall duel can be cut short by entering the building during the duel, saving time.
 * If possible, using the Maker's Finger on The Dragon shaves a lot of time when you enter the second stage; just after he chases you through a long corridor but before he flies off.
 * During Post-Game, teleport to the city, grab 20 wakestones, ignore anything else and just go right to the final quest, unfortunately there isn't much you can rush here, the fights will drag on till the scripted dialog is finished even if you take away all the HP, the walking through section can be sped up a bit by using the dagger dash as it doesn't seem to be affected by the walking slowdown you receive.
 * Large Mushrooms are your best friend, buy, lots and lots as they are pretty light weight for their stamina restoration, cheap and sprint should be active at all times for optimum speed.
 * Pick pawns very carefully, as they are limited to the offline ones, picking a mage with holy and/or fire will help to speed up the games process.
 * About 20 ferrystones should be purchased before hand.
 * Make sure to have a couple Secret Softener for the Cockatrice fight, as waiting to get petrified and using a wakestone consumes about one minute.
 * Attention to small things should be given, a lot of small mistakes will stack up to several minutes in the long run.

Hard Mode
Overview

Hard Mode is the other feature mode available.

In Hard Mode, players take more damage and add an increase in stamina usage, hence the name Hard Mode. Pawns are unaffected by increases in damage and take damage and stamina drain as they would in Normal Mode.
 * There are significant increases in gold drop rates, even the basic enemies can drop the Giant Coin Pouch, worth 10,000 Gold, with ease.
 * Additionally the XP rate is increased 2x
 * Vocation leveling may be increased. Need confirmation.
 * All New Game+ data can be safely transferred if you wish to retain all of your items by simply picking hard difficulty when you load your save file.012831.jpg
 * Enemy stats and HP are unchanged.
 * No noticeable changes done to the enemy AI.
 * Rumors speculate that the enemy stagger limit is increased.  Need Confirmation.
 * The amount of stamina draining and damage increase seems to be roughly two times of normal mode also. Stamina drain is not increased when running.
 * There are no difficulty differences in hard mode for the offline Ur-Dragon, entering the fight will make it seem like you are on normal mode, netting the same rewards as Normal and Easy mode.

Rewards

Completion of the Hard Mode feature grants the following rewards:
 * Abyssinal Outfit
 * Set of Duke's Clothing

