Grigori

"Take up arms, newly Arisen. For my kind do not heed the toothless."

"And now again, the choice is yours, Arisen." This article provides information and/or facts that contain spoilers. Please read with caution or refrain from proceeding further.

Overview

Grigori is a giant red, firebreathing Dragon. He attacks the village of Cassardis at the beginning of the game during Harbinger of Destruction, taking the incipient Arisen's heart and initiating their quest to get it back.

Though he then disappears, the whole of Gransys and the wider world is set into panic by his appearance. Allies send aid to each other, whilst kings and dukes make preparations for war; others run and hide.

Despite this, no more is heard of the Dragon for some time, until he strikes without warning at the keep of The Greatwall, ruining the fortress.

He then retires to The Tainted Mountain, where the Arisen and their allies must face him down in The Final Battle.

General Info

Type	Dragons
Experience gained	Base Experience of 80,000 Can be more or less depending on a few factors such as: Having fewer pawns Being under the effect of Weal Use of the Bezel Crown bow Being in Hard Mode Having higher or lower level pawns
Location	*Cassardis during Harbinger of Destruction The Greatwall during Deny Salvation The Tainted Mountain & The Tainted Mountain Temple during The Final Battle
Items	On destroying a horn Great Dragon Horn (70%) or Dragon Horn (30%) On destroying the wings Great Dragon Alula (90%) or a Crimson Dragon Scale or Dragon Scale (each 5%) On victory Godsbane Crimson Dragon Scale. A weapon matching the Arisen's primary weapon - either Dragon's Dogma (Sword). Dragon's Bite (Longsword). Dragon's Vein (Daggers). Dragon's Toll (Mace). Dragon's Repast (Warhammer). Dragon's Nous (Staff). Dragon's Wit (Archistaff). Plus a weapon matching the Arisen's secondary weapon, if carried Dragon's Rancor (Bow). Dragon's Blink (Longbow). Dragon's Breath (Magick Bow). Dragon's Aegis (Shield). Dragon's Faith (Magick Shield). On victory, all items currently equipped by the Arisen, regardless of equipment grade, will be Dragon Forged.

Stats

Stats Health Attack Defense Magick Attack Magick Defense Weight 100,000 1,250 260 600 280 100,000

Relative Damage Taken Slash Bash Fire Ice Thunder Holy Dark 100% 100% 20% 100% 100% 50% 130%

Debilitation Resistance

Sources: Dragon's Dogma - ドラゴンズドグマ ＆ Dark Arisen (www10.atwiki.jp), the Dragon's Dogma Signature Series Guide, List of Creature Debilitation Resistances, and in-game testing.

Attacks

Attack	Type	Description
Fire Breath	Mag	A stream of fire is let loose from his mouth. Can be shot straight forward while walking, or in a stationary sweeping motion in front of him.
Backdash and Fireball	Mag	A quick leap backwards followed by a fireball launched at the previous location.
Dive	Phys	A powerful lunge from the air.
Stomp Attack	Phys	A powerful attack with his two front feet.
Body Slam	Phys	Flies straight up into the air and then quickly drops, slamming into the ground on all four legs and crushing anyone beneath.
Sweeping Backhand	Phys	A sweeping blow with either one of the front arms that knocks targets away from him.
Tail Whip	Phys	A powerful sweeping attack with his tail, only striking targets behind him.
Tail Sweep	Phys	Spins himself around using his tail to attack targets in a wide radius around him and near his feet.
Heart Grab	Phys	Reaches for anyone climbing his heart and grabs. Then follows with a regular grab routine.
Grab (Arisen)	Phys	Grabs the Arisen and smashes them into the ground.
Grab (Pawn)	Spec	Grabs a Pawn, and tries to possess them, directing them to attack the Arisen.
Jaws grab	Phys	Performs a side snap grabbing anoyone hit with his jaws.
High Levin	Mag	Creates a series of fast lightning bolts with the ability to stun those who are hit.
High Frigor	Mag/Status	Creates three spires of ice that can throw those it hits into the air and freeze them.
High Bolide	Mag	Ten meteors are summoned to indiscriminately barrage the battlefield for a short period.
Holy Furor	Mag	Grigori remains motionless for a short period, and then unleashes a sigil that causes rapid beams of light to seek out and damage any present in a large area of effect.
Long Range Fireball	Mag	When perched upon the rock, Grigori will shoot long-range fireballs at the party.
Flame Eruption	Mag	Rears on two legs to charge energy, then unleashes in front of him a large stream of fire that sends out many smaller fireballs that drop in an area around the initial impact site. Possibly his most powerful attack.
Fiery Drive By	Mag	Flies into the sky and then dives past a target, breathing fire at the ground near them as he passes. Does multiple passes before landing again.
Wing Buffet	Spec	Flaps his wings hard at the party, knocking back everyone with high force winds but dealing no damage. Uses it to give himself more room for other attacks.
Fly Back	Phys	Flies backwards for space but will deal massive damage if caught under him.
Maul	Phys	Sweeps the ground with his head and ensnares a target in his mouth, dealing minor damage but leaving the ensnared target susceptible to his physical and firebreathing attacks. The ensnared target may be freed if allies strike the mouth, or by wiggling the L-stick.
Roar	Spec/Status	A roar that kills all pawns within range, staggers the Arisen and can cause Skill Stifling.

Tactics

Offensive

• Grigori's heart is the primary weak spot, it must be exposed and struck in order to inflict significant damage.
• Grigori cannot be defeated until the Arisen lands a final blow on his heart.
• Immune to almost all debilitations except Poison.
• Strong against Fire- and Holy-enchanted weapons and spells.
• Weak against Dark-enchanted weapons and spells.
• Climb up the Dragon's legs and attack his heart. For tips, see Climbing.
• The ideal climbing position to attack the heart is at the bottom left, where the Dragon cannot grab the Arisen. Sparkly yellow-orange blood spews forth when damage is being inflicted. The Dragon will stay grounded once sufficient damage is dealt.
• During the Dragon's fiery dive attack, it is possible (with impeccable timing) to grab onto him as he nears the ground. If successful, the Dragon will hover high in mid-air and remain aloft. Climbing up and striking the heart will cause him to crash to the ground. The Arisen will not take fall damage from the resulting impact.

Class specific

• Consider hiring or being a Sorcerer or Mage with Dark Affinity.
• Mystic Knights : Abyssal Anguish can be very effective.
• Consider preparing dark based spells with great power such as Great Sacrifice (Magick Archer), or High Maelstrom (Sorcerer).

Defensive

• The warning sign for the Dragon's fireball barrage is that he rears back on his hind legs and his mouth will begin to glow white while charging.
• If the Dragon flies away beyond the party's attack range, mount one of the Ballistae located around the battlefield to ground him, aiming for the heart. Beware that the Dragon will assault the Arisen while mounted on the turret, destroying that Ballista.
• Be careful when clinging to the Dragon when he flies up; the Arisen can fall to their death, even with a full stamina bar.
• The augment Stability or armor with the bonus enhancement "Prevents wind from affecting mobility" prevents being staggered or knocked down by a Dragon's wing's wind buffet.

Lore

Dragons are creatures wreathed in mystery.

Though they have appeared a handful of times in the long history of the continent, it is still not clear how they are born or what brings them to attack men’s civilizations. The small amount of knowledge that has been gleaned from their sporadic attacks reveals little more than the facts that dragons possess dreadful power and are intelligent enough to understand human speech.

Dragons appear without warning, sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds of years apart, bringing chaos in their wake and destroying men and nations without distinction.

Their actions are inhuman and atrocious, but given their high level of intelligence, it is hard to imagine that their violence is without purpose. Many times in the past have they brought the world to the edge of destruction, but they have never completely wiped out mankind.

In every age that they appear, the dragons commit a short-lived but ferocious assault upon the world. Then they cease their attack and alight atop a mountain or other visible location, as if waiting for something. Given these strange actions, it is possible to think that the dragons are fulfilling some sort of role or duty, serving some greater function in the world, yet at present there is simply not enough evidence to make any sort of theory about the dragons’ purpose.

It is also clear from past records that the number of monsters in the world seems to sharply increase around the time that a dragon appears. This could be nothing more than coincidence, but if it is somehow an effect of a dragon’s imminent appearance, then this would be another example of dragons’ peculiar place in the natural order of the world.

Capcom official description

Grigori is a giant red dragon, similar to the fire breathing Drake, but many times more powerful.

It is thought that the Dragon's corporeal strength is made up of the hearts of his victims, the Arisen. In truth it is later revealed that he was once a "pawn", and furthermore, a former Arisen. His purpose is to serve as a test for persons of strong character who might one day take up the post of Seneschal. The Dragon himself was created from an Arisen who failed at the final step - vanquished by the Seneschal.

As holder of the hearts of Arisen, they, through the Dragon's protection, are given virtual immortality, and do not age - however, should the Dragon be slain, their age catches up with them, as the release of the hearts the Dragon holds makes them mortal again.

Arisen meeting the challenge of the Dragon are traditionally given a Faustian choice: face him in battle, or exchange the life of a loved one for any worldly power they could desire. By accepting the bargain, an Arisen becomes the thrall of the Dragon and their quest ends. But if the Arisen accepts the challenge, they have the opportunity to defeat him, win back their heart - or die trying.

Lore notes

See also: Dragon's Dogma World and Lore

• The Faith keeps records and scriptures concerning knowledge of the Dragon - and for this reason the Arisen's childhood friend Quina joins them in an attempt to find a cure for the wound the Dragon inflicted.
• The nihilist cult known as Salvation worships the Dragon, or at least the destruction he brings.
• According to the monk Haslett, the Dragon will 'roar thrice' - the interpretation of this is unclear, though the Arisen will encounter the Dragon only three times during their quest.
• The events leading to the ending Servitude show the process by which a new Dragon is created: If the Arisen fails to defeat the Seneschal during the quest Final Judgment, they will transform into a Dragon; thus continuing the cycle. This also unlocks the Servitude achievement/trophy.
• It is certain the Dragon encountered by Savan during the quest The End at the Beginning is not Grigori, since he must have slain a Dragon during events that occurred long ago.

Quotes

The End at the Beginning

• "Come, Arisen... Forge in my fire the next link in the endless chain..."
• "Now choose. Flee, or step forth... Take hold of what lies beyond. Claim mastery o'er the eternal ring!"

Harbinger of Destruction

• [unknown] (Latin, no subtitles)

Newly Arisen

• "If you would face me... Take up arms, newly Arisen."
• "Take up arms, Arisen... For my kind do not heed the toothless."
• "Newly Arisen... Walker of the path... Take up arms. To me... Come to me..."

Deny Salvation

• "The rantings of an upjumped zealot make for tedious listening. His ilk serves no role in what is to come. Only my death will staunch the flood of destruction... A task still far beyond your means."
• "If you would face me, seek me out and I shall allow it. But heed the zealot's lesson well-- When the weak court death, they find it."
• "Until then, I shall hold your little keepsake safe. Your "Dragonforged" will speak for my diligence in that. The choice falls not to me, nor to the whims of fate... It is yours alone."

The Final Battle

Introduction

• "What is your purpose here, Arisen? If you sought to live you had naught but run and hide yourself away. But then, tell me, child of man... what does it mean to live in truth? To wage war against the passing days? To pray to the unseen for a few breaths more? To raise grand cities from stone, and spawn new life in turn? Mankind has done this, yes, and more. But is the tapestry you weave truly of your own design?"
• [Enter goblins stage right] "Their kind is easy to fathom, they go on living from simple fear of death. But not mankind. Some welcome the end with arms outstretched, while others come to face death incarnate, arms in hand. I ask again, what is your purpose here Arisen?"
• "One path to your survival, lies in my defeat. Still my heart, and you stay the coming end. Another path before you... is to offer up that which you hold most dear. Abandon all delusions of control."
• "For the price of a single life, I shall leave this land in peace. As my vanquisher, the duchy would bow to you. Wealth and power are sweet anodyne for heartache. You'll not gainsay my terms are more than generous. If it matters aught, the man who rules this land now won that honor through just such a bargain. The decision is yours, Arisen. Now, choose!"

Making the choice

• "Though I called you here to me, It was ever your own feet, your own will that brought you. And now again, the choice is yours, Arisen. Offer up the life of your beloved, here and now, and you shall live as sovereign of this land. Your heart will remain ever in my safekeeping, and with it your mortality."
• "Take up your tiny barbs of steel and fight. And I shall respond with all of my being."
• "Or, if you would stand against me now, as at the outset of your journey, I shall allow it."

• [Sacrifice the Beloved] "Then you will renounce your bond with this human and make an offering of their death? I shall not judge you, Arisen, for weakness is your nature as a child of man. I ask this final time. Will you turn and leave this place?"
• [Fight] "You would face me, then? 'Tis a fool's choice, Arisen. But better fool than craven. I knew your mind ere you came... Still, I ask this final time. Arisen, will you stand and fight?"

• [Don't decide] "Doubt still holds you... hmmm. Very well. We have time, you and I."
• [Decide] "Your choice is made, Arisen! As you have willed it, so shall it be!"

Battle

[At the Temple]

• "Show me your power, Arisen. Awaken now in full! Still my heart and lay open the path beyond. This is not fate, nor duty's call. This battle is your own, waged of your own free will. If you lack the strength to stay my fire... to stay the fated ruin... then all shall scatter as ash."
• "Now, come, Arisen!"

[Outside the Temple]

• "Heed well this place, Arisen. Know the frailty of the works of man. This hold once stood proud and firm... 'Twas the fool's decision of a man too weak brought it down."

[At the Ballista tower]

• "Fight! Cling to life!"

Above the Tainted Mountain

• "Pitiable wingless human... return to the earth!"
• "Your life... your very heart rests here within me... Aye, reclaim that which you have lost... Take back your life... The surge of blood that tethers you to this world... It awaits you, Arisen, yearning here within me..."

At the Tainted Mountain

• "The hour for turning back is past. The world will have its answer: you or me? Death, or life beyond? If you would gain aught, give your all here and now! Such is the contest you have chosen! Aye, raise your weapon... Your teeth of steel, your blood-red voice... Show me your power, Arisen! Prove yourself worthy of what lies beyond my corpse! Show that you possess the strength to still my heart. The will to do it. The soul! Slay me, and with me death itself. Stay the fires of destruction!"

• "Tis the will of the master that shapes the soulless pawn. You've trained them well, Arisen."

• "Yes, this fire! This pain!"
• "Yes... I remember now. This sensation, this pain... I know it well. The hurt you visit upon me is the selfsame pain I once inflicted! This battle is mine, just as it is yours. It is aught I began long ago."

"Have you come so far to be stricken with cowardice, Arisen? You have chosen your path! This battle you have begun sits at the very heart of all creation. We are the axis about which the world turns, Arisen. Time itself flows with your footsteps!"

• "Show that you possess power fit to best me, or your world is forfeit unto ruin. And by your own choosing, what is more. The one you refused to offer up shall die as sure as the rest."

• "There is naught beyond this moment for those who will not give themselves whole to their cause."
• "Hollow vessel in the form of man, heed the will of your new master..." (When trying to possess a Pawn)
• "Come, Arisen. If you are truly awakened unto the world, you shall weather the fires of perdition unscathed!" (When charging 'Flame Eruption' for the first time.)
• "Surpass me, if you would truly be the one to take up the endless chain."

[Arisen dies]

• "A false hope, fallen short..."
• "Then I must seek another ready to awaken... ready to walk the path to its end."

Death

• "Ugh... Stubborn child... whate'er meaning life holds... It makes men deaf to all reason. Heed me well, Arisen. In my death, you've won a future for this world... But what that future spells for you... For all men... Is a truth you'll find staring back from this world's utmost depths..."
• "Arisen... You have earned back what is yours! Your life belongs now to no other. You've won it by rights... It is yours to use or cast away as you see fit. Remember that..."

Pawn Bestiary Knowledge

For full information, refer to the Bestiary page or the according section on the Drake page.

Enemy Specific :

• Weak to Dark.

In addition to witnessing these techniques, it is necessary for Pawns to participate in killing Grigori a total of three times either with their own Arisen or while travelling with others.

Notes

• It appears that it is Grigori who speaks to the Arisen during the quest Newly Arisen. If the Arisen attempts to leave the Chief's room without choosing a vocation, the voice will stop the Arisen, warn them against doing so, and will beckon the Arisen onward if they linger. He relents after stopping the Arisen three times. The default vocation is Fighter if the Arisen refuses to choose.
• Killing the Dragon with no weapons equipped (by punching his heart) will result in getting no weapon rewards at all.
• Grigori and the Ur-Dragon share many attacks, though the Ur-Dragon is more powerful.
• (Exploit) The Dragon can be slain with a single Maker's Finger at the initial confrontation in the Tainted Mountain. This exploit gains little, and forfeits any loot or bestiary knowledge that might have been obtained later in the battle. However it is an essential part of any optimized Speed Run.

Speculation

• Grigori's speech:

  "Yes... I remember now. This sensation, this pain... I know it well. The hurt you visit upon me is the self same pain I once inflicted. This battle is mine, just as it is yours. It is aught I began long ago."

  likely refers to that Grigori himself once was an Arisen who battled The Dragon and later, apparently, had been defeated by the Seneschal and had been in turn transformed into a Dragon. This suggests that memories of his former life as an Arisen were lost or clouded on becoming a Dragon.
• Refer to the Arisen page for more possible speculation on the Arisen timeline, and on characters that may have faced Grigori.
• The Elysion refers to the Dragon as "Grigori", a name which the Dragon also mentions whilst taking the Arisen's heart. It is therefore assumed that Grigori was his name when he was once human.
• Some refer to the language of the Dragons as Wyrmspeak, represented in-game as Latin. Grigori speaks Latin during the first encounter with the Arisen, then later speaks in English. It is possible that the Arisen may be able to understand Wyrmspeak through their link to the Dragon.

Trivia

How to slay the Dragon with a single arrow (Maker's Finger Speed Run technique)

• Grigori is the name given to the angels referred to as "the watchers" in the Books of Enoch in Biblical mythology (see Wikipedia:Grigori (angel)). The Dragon's winged appearance, his resistance to Holy magick, and the image displayed in the loading screen (revealed in full during the credits) completement this angelic motif within the mythology of Dragon's Dogma.
• European Dragons have always been depicted as the ultimate evil, but have nevertheless always been used to transcribe challenges or hardships. One example of this is the classic tale of a knight saving a princess from a dragon - this theme is referenced somewhat in rescuing the Arisen's beloved from the Dragon.
• During the pre-game start-up screen Grigori (or a very similar Dragon) can be seen roosting on The Ruins of Aernst Castle.