Forum:A story to share

Hi everyone. This is my first post on this wiki, and my experience just had to be shared from the realization I learned. In my opinion, Dragon's Dogma can become almost like Dark Souls. Whether you believe me or not, sit back and listen to my tale. CAUTION: Vulgar language will be in this story.

I had just come from a bit of level grinding the Wight and Skeletons beside The Great Wall encampment. I had played with some tougher pawns by my side until that point. Figured I can get through the baddies with a strong tactic. The Assassin's Fivefold Flurry proved very effective while stuffing my face with mushrooms.

I have started a handful of New Games in Dragon's Dogma. My displeasure with my initial build and playstyle kept conflicting one another, always leading me to the same Arnold Schwarzenegger archer Arisen. (Any hints on a tall, leggy and slim female Arisen that can carry 100 units of weight would be appreciated) The farthest I ever got involved only beating Grigori once, and playing around in The Everfall. Even that game was spoiled because I always killed the bandits in The Ruins of Aernst Castle, thinking I can't get Salomet's Grimoire otherwise. That botched that playthrough for The Hero achievement. Then that playthrough was deleted! Go figure.

I have only ever been in the Flayersoul Canyon once, remembering the chasm of slides and stupid harpies in there. I figured I might as well grab what I can from there then head back to Gran Soren. Entering the cave after the level grinding, I only had my main pawn with me. (She was a Sorcerer, btw) With how easy the skeletons were, I figured this would be a piece of cake. And it was...for a bit. Entering from the Eastern Entrance, I shot the harpies, killed the spiders, and tossed the goblins over the ledge. Then I came to the Sulfur Saurians. These guys were tough, but not beyond my ability. Was still new to the Assassin class. Then some damn phantasms started floating around. I figured, "Well they will be an annoyance, but I will deal with them after the lizards."

Lo and to my discontent, my pawn was SWALLOWED BY A BLACK HOLE! I shit you not. The camera pans over the my pawn, sinking into a dark red hole in the ground. I press Select, and, what do you know, she is gone. I realized my sense of despair, and the connection to Dark Souls, in that moment. She had most of the resoratives, including the 3 Wakestones in the party. I had mushrooms coming out of my ass and anything I gathered along the way. I, ladies and gentlemen, was boned.

So I killed the Saurians and pondered my situation. I was a lone Assassin, with no pawns with me on my journey. I had a few Ferrystones, I can just zip back to Gran Soren. That was the easy way out. I had a shit ton of mushrooms, and confidence to kill everything in the cave, and greed equal to a junkie for his next fix for loot. So I sucked up my loss and moved on, thinking how to avenge my pawn and kill the damn phantasms.

I cautiously made my way through, filling every bird and ugly goblin with over a thousand arrows (because that Flurry is badass), seriously missed the annoying comments that pawns made over everything, and came across a phantasm. Bastard merely swooshed through one wall and wooshed out the other. Since there was no engagement, I SAVED MY GAME. Exited out the tunnel to the bottom of the canyon with another phantasm... One that wanted a piece of me. I knew magic was most effective against them, but I didn't have any magic, only the Caladbolg I got from earlier in the cave. So I figured what the hell. For the 2 hits I did connect with, they did an incredibly pathetic amount of damage. They must have done 1 point each. So I thought about how to kill this bastard.

I noticed in my tool section some Dragonspit and Throwblast, which I purchased from Mathias at the GW camp. Knowing I can't throw worth shit at anything floating above the ground, and that bitch is vinerable while possessing someone, I tried something crazy. I grabbed some Dragonspit and waited by a wall, waiting to be possessed. As soon as he did, I tossed the bomb not 1 foot away from me and fried his ass for a nice 1500 experience points. The Astracite Shard he dropped made me happy too.

So my confidence swelled like a tire with too much air from that experience. I can kill a ghost on my own with an explosive and a nearby wall. Nothing could stop me now. So I continued along my merry way, shooting 500 arrows into the eye of the ogre on the bridge, running from the harpies that suddenly appeared then, backtracking all the way to the other side again because I missed a ledge during a slide, and had one more terrifying moment.

Near the Western entrance is a few hobgoblins and harpies. Shot the harpies to shit and had some fun with the goblins. There were only 2 left, one almost dead. After knocking him down, I picked him up and tossed him over the edge...ONLY TO HAVE HIS FRIEND KNOCK MY ASS OFF TOO! This is when Epic Fail videos slow things down to relish the inevitable death and lose the hard work the player just did. I merely watched, mouth agape, as my Arisen flew to her death, head first into the fall, and waited for the crunching splatter of my skull on the rock bottom...

SPLASH! I was knocked RIGHT INTO THE WATER! 5 more feet the other way would have meant a gruesome death. My brain kick started, "The Brine doesn't kill you, the Brine doesn't kill you, the Brine doesn't kill you-" As my Arisen was eaten alive, the screen goes black.

And I wake up not 10 feet from where I landed in the water. I must be the luckiest sonofabitch gamer alive right now. I make my way back up the far side, pull out my bow, walk around the corner, and Mighty Bend the fucker right between the eyes. Then tossed HIS ASS over the ledge. Gathered some shrooms and sticks, walked outside, breathed in the fresh stench of sickly water that debilitates the shit out of everything, and Ferrystoned to Gran Soren. Got to the Rift Stone, summoned my pawn, and realized, "Pawns are fucking awesome."

If Dark Souls had a partner (check p.s.) tag along like Main Pawns do, I think, and I seriously mean I THINK, it would be even better. They can compensate the difficulty by cheap trolling fashion deaths every 5 minutes, but the feeling of having a buddy beside you every step of the way is something special. Hope you all enjoyed my little (effing long-assed) story. Please respect my opinion on this matter, and share your own opinion if you feel like it.

p.s. Good companions like Pawns from this game or Diddy from Donkey Kong. Effective and smart A.I. makes good companions. I felt like kicking my dogs in Fable 2 and 3 and strangling Sheva from RE5.