Dragon's Dogma II - "They’re masterworks, all – you can’t go wrong"

[Anonona]

I think it's just that at levels 20-35 there's been a huge reversal in those hopeless moments that lead to great stories

There is something fucked up about the power level curve in the game. I'm replaying the game while trying no to buy gear and just use what I find, so I played for a long while with upgraded basic gear (trusty sword, Chainmail shirt, some pants I bought from the military camp) and similar case with my pawn. Also I'm going alone with my pawn. At the beginning even a group of goblins was fucking scary and had to run away from minotaurs and trolls cause I dealt almost no damage even when my pawn used explosive arrows and enemies destroyed me in a few hits, for not talking about inflicting so much loss that in one occasion I was dying in a single hit. But each fight you could really appreciate the design of the monster and the combat shined due to having to play smarter, using the environment and all tools at my disposal. DD2's combat is truly fantastic.

But, without even buying new gear, just by leveling up, it soon went from hard to just right and now it is starting to become easy. Not quite so bad as a regular playthrough, but a far cry from when I started. It seems you gain too much power through leveling and monsters in Vermund just can't catch up. I won't exaggerate if I say that perhaps it would have been better if you didn't level up at all and all your power came from your equipment and vocation level. The economy of the game is harsh, buying and upgrading good gear requires a significant investment, if all your power came from gear, then those armors and weapons you find while exploring or receive from missions would suddenly be more valuable and feel more rewarding. The challenge of monster would be greater for longer and at least you could always equip low level gear to have a harder time.

I think, above all, the biggest flaw they should address in DD2 is the difficulty, it is really the main flaw of the game that brings down the experience. Even the low variety of monsters start being less of an issue when even a pack of wolf makes you shit your pants, or you notice how going up a hill slows you down even while sprinting and you consume more stamina, so now those two hobgoblins at the top throwing rocks are a fucking menace. Hell, due to being weaker this playthrough I have noticed even more stuff about the monsters. Trolls now can grab a party member, and instead of start munching on them, they will sometime keep fighting with one hand. If you run out of stamina when grabbed by a wolf, you cannot escape by yourself and it will kill you unless someone save you. If the same happens when a phantom possess you, you will loss shit ton of health and incur massive Loss. Minotaurs can chain their hits into a combo (which fucked me up sometimes as I don't know what triggers them going from single hits to chains of blows) and have an attack where they turn around, kick you and then start their charging attack. They really put a lot of care into the monsters.

If the damage monster did were higher, DD1's hard mode level of damage, I'll wager that game would actually be pretty fucking hard. Also, they should make it so if you die you had to start on the last inn you rested. It just makes sense with the loss and camping system, and now dying has very heavy consequences.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

People seem to like my pawn as her "adventures" in the other worlds has granted me great rewards. I can't help but feel guilty though because I fear her adventures involve black dicks and bukkake. Haven't gotten a single badge despite her popularity.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

There's been quite a few interesting mods released in the last 2 days

One that changes item descriptions
One that gives the user control over the NPC and Enemy count
Another re-balancing overhaul
One that introduces an HUD element - to indicate which vocation Warfarer is currently using
The first texture pack (unfortunately it's upscalling slop)
The first mod to disable the Adaptive Difficulty (still experimental as we don't know much about its workings)
A Bloodborn like Rally mechanic (i.e. after an enemy hit, the player has a short window to inflict damage to recover some lost HP)
A couple of loot mods - Lucky Scavanger (a sort of loot re-balancing mod) - Wild Loot (which moves most high tier equipment away from shops and out into the wild), this author says he has plans to further develop, the biggest one to learn .lua scripting so he can physically hand-place items in the world

I think DD2 might be most easily moddable REngine game so far
That Engima shit now seems nothing more than a tall tale

 

[Anonona]

I realy wonder what the fuck adaptative difficulty really does. I saw 1 comment in the disable Adaptive Difficulty mod's page claiming that by going to Bahtahl at level 20 his game bugged and started spawning only Drakes and made goblins 1 shot him. Sounds fake if you ask me, but would be interesting if true.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

I think it's just that at levels 20-35 there's been a huge reversal in those hopeless moments that lead to great stories

There is something fucked up about the power level curve in the game. I'm replaying the game while trying no to buy gear and just use what I find, so I played for a long while with upgraded basic gear (trusty sword, Chainmail shirt, some pants I bought from the military camp) and similar case with my pawn. Also I'm going alone with my pawn. At the beginning even a group of goblins was fucking scary and had to run away from minotaurs and trolls cause I dealt almost no damage even when my pawn used explosive arrows and enemies destroyed me in a few hits, for not talking about inflicting so much loss that in one occasion I was dying in a single hit. But each fight you could really appreciate the design of the monster and the combat shined due to having to play smarter, using the environment and all tools at my disposal. DD2's combat is truly fantastic.

But, without even buying new gear, just by leveling up, it soon went from hard to just right and now it is starting to become easy. Not quite so bad as a regular playthrough, but a far cry from when I started. It seems you gain too much power through leveling and monsters in Vermund just can't catch up. I won't exaggerate if I say that perhaps it would have been better if you didn't level up at all and all your power came from your equipment and vocation level. The economy of the game is harsh, buying and upgrading good gear requires a significant investment, if all your power came from gear, then those armors and weapons you find while exploring or receive from missions would suddenly be more valuable and feel more rewarding. The challenge of monster would be greater for longer and at least you could always equip low level gear to have a harder time.

I think, above all, the biggest flaw they should address in DD2 is the difficulty, it is really the main flaw of the game that brings down the experience. Even the low variety of monsters start being less of an issue when even a pack of wolf makes you shit your pants, or you notice how going up a hill slows you down even while sprinting and you consume more stamina, so now those two hobgoblins at the top throwing rocks are a fucking menace. Hell, due to being weaker this playthrough I have noticed even more stuff about the monsters. Trolls now can grab a party member, and instead of start munching on them, they will sometime keep fighting with one hand. If you run out of stamina when grabbed by a wolf, you cannot escape by yourself and it will kill you unless someone save you. If the same happens when a phantom possess you, you will loss shit ton of health and incur massive Loss. Minotaurs can chain their hits into a combo (which fucked me up sometimes as I don't know what triggers them going from single hits to chains of blows) and have an attack where they turn around, kick you and then start their charging attack. They really put a lot of care into the monsters.

If the damage monster did were higher, DD1's hard mode level of damage, I'll wager that game would actually be pretty fucking hard. Also, they should make it so if you die you had to start on the last inn you rested. It just makes sense with the loss and camping system, and now dying has very heavy consequences.

Archer seems like the absolute worst pawn class. The AI just doesn't know how to use it and it's behavior varies wildly. It's fun af to play as though. I've been using the kick alot more which I mostly ignored in early game. Ninja kicking a MFer and curb stomping it is funzies. I had one archer pawn and I'm pretty sure that cocksucker was holding it's bow backwards the entire time.

 

[Anonona]

Archer seems like the absolute worst pawn class

It may be, they seem to cancel their skills a lot and sometimes just don't shoot. Could be related to the pawns personality though. In my first playthrough my pawn was calm, now in this one she is straightfoward and seems to fight better, even sometimes going for grabs and using explosive arrows against slimes and phantoms without wasting time trying to use regular attacks, though she stills gets retarded sometimes.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Archer seems like the absolute worst pawn class

It may be, they seem to cancel their skills a lot and sometimes just don't shoot. Could be related to the pawns personality though. In my first playthrough my pawn was calm, now in this one she is straightfoward and seems to fight better, even sometimes going for grabs and using explosive arrows against slimes and phantoms without wasting time trying to use regular attacks, though she stills gets retarded sometimes.

Probably has something to do with it's ranged attacks needing to be more precise and situational shit. People itt complained about them struggling with harpies which it's supposed to be the best at dealing with. The mage/sorce would probably be just as useless without their AOE.

 

[SmilingGorion]

The character and monster design is fine. However the environments are a dissapointment so far. Very basic, very repeatable.
This has nothing on the Witcher 3.

I only messed around with the upgraded Witcher 3 for maybe an hour. It looked really good, similar to DD2. Still it's a 9 year old game with a bunch of modern makeup smothered over it. Seems like a goofy comparison. It can't compete ya dork.

Your unsavory combination of autism and cataracts prevents you from seeing that W3 blows this Jap-slop out of the water.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

The character and monster design is fine. However the environments are a dissapointment so far. Very basic, very repeatable.
This has nothing on the Witcher 3.

I only messed around with the upgraded Witcher 3 for maybe an hour. It looked really good, similar to DD2. Still it's a 9 year old game with a bunch of modern makeup smothered over it. Seems like a goofy comparison. It can't compete ya dork.

Your unsavory combination of autism and cataracts prevents you from seeing that W3 blows this Jap-slop out of the water.

I'd tell you not to be stupid but it's a waste of time. They never remade Witcher 3. It's the same 9 year old game with a big shiney coat of paint. You're beyond retarded if you think it can compete with a current year game. The animations alone would be a dead giveaway.

The only thing Witcher 3 has over DD2 in terms of visuals is Yenn.

 

[Haplo]

Well, at least you have some semblance of good taste.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Dragon's Dogma (series) is the only game, certainly the only action RPG, that makes me feel like this.

It really summarizes why I love these games so much.

 

[Anonona]

Dragon's Dogma (series) is the only game, certainly the only action RPG, that makes me feel like this.

It really does, even with the all the flaws, and even if there are games that may be considered objectivelly better than it, Dragon's Dogma is the only arpg that really comes close to give that ideal high fantasy adventure experience.

It is also surprising how many little hidden details and mechanics the game has. A couple of examples:

Did you know that...

pawns have a hidden affinity mechanic?

Or...

...that if a golem loses his head after falling down, the head wil still shoot beams and you can push it and rotate it to damage the golem with his own head?

Also stuff like this

Spoiler

 

[Raghar]

Dragon's Dogma (series) is the only game, certainly the only action RPG, that makes me feel like this.

View attachment 48308

It really summarizes why I love these games so much.

That's very multicultural image.

 

[Artyoan]

I'm not sure how much but I believe that those high fives on your own pawn helps build affinity. Also, getting them a new haircut.

I've now had a dozen or so times that pawns showed me the way to treasures or rift stones that I had not yet seen. They do remark about showing their own masters the way to seeker tokens but I haven't had one guide me to one of those yet.

Also, not sure if it is random that a pawn says what killed them in another player's world. Mine still says goblins did so and at level 38 I find that hard to believe. Tis a jape, surely.

 

[Zariusz]

I cant be the only one who thinks that there are too many ruined riftstones around the world? It reminds me of how close DS3 bonfires were, there is just too much of that stuff.

 

[Raghar]

DS3 bonfire was next to the archive, and in like 14 meters away there was another bonfire.

It's very hard to beat DS3 bonfire density.

 

[Anonona]

I'm not sure how much but I believe that those high fives on your own pawn helps build affinity. Also, getting them a new haircut.

Correct in both accounts. Taking thermal baths with them also does it (the game hints at this by saying it heals their scars). Supposedly talking often with them helps. Also...

Spoilers for the Sphinx

...choosing your pawn as your most important person raises the affinity

They do remark about showing their own masters the way to seeker tokens but I haven't had one guide me to one of those yet.

Yeah, I don't know what triggers that. I did have them pointing out the location of some of them by pointing with their finger and saying something like "What is that thing, master?", but they do so rarely.

Mine still says goblins did so and at level 38 I find that hard to believe.

I guess it depends. If they went to Bahtahl at that level there are some nasty encounters with the goblins variants, such as the Grotto.

 

[mediocrepoet]

They do remark about showing their own masters the way to seeker tokens but I haven't had one guide me to one of those yet.

Yeah, I don't know what triggers that. I did have them pointing out the location of some of them by pointing with their finger and saying something like "What is that thing, master?", but they do so rarely.

They remember things they've come across when rented, so sometimes they'll remark that they've seen things in other worlds and try to lead you to them. Generally, if you use the Go command when they're talking about it, they'll get an exclamation mark above their head and go to lead you there. Other times they'll put an exclamation mark on your map about whatever they're talking about.

 

[Zero CHAR]

I'm gonna wait for the complete edition which will come with the inevitable expansion.

It's never coming because of scumbags like you. Drive off a cliff with your entire family packed in the car, plz and thx. Burn in hell for ruining the one good thing the gaming gods decided to give us.

It's fitting that you're a BETA tester, and you do it for free.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Or...

...that if a golem loses his head after falling down, the head wil still shoot beams and you can push it and rotate it to damage the golem with his own head?

Fucking seriously? That's amazing if true. I gotta try this. I fought one but I never knocked it's head off.

 

[The Decline]

There's been quite a few interesting mods released in the last 2 days

One that changes item descriptions
One that gives the user control over the NPC and Enemy count
Another re-balancing overhaul
One that introduces an HUD element - to indicate which vocation Warfarer is currently using
The first texture pack (unfortunately it's upscalling slop)
The first mod to disable the Adaptive Difficulty (still experimental as we don't know much about its workings)
A Bloodborn like Rally mechanic (i.e. after an enemy hit, the player has a short window to inflict damage to recover some lost HP)
A couple of loot mods - Lucky Scavanger (a sort of loot re-balancing mod) - Wild Loot (which moves most high tier equipment away from shops and out into the wild), this author says he has plans to further develop, the biggest one to learn .lua scripting so he can physically hand-place items in the world

I think DD2 might be most easily moddable REngine game so far
That Engima shit now seems nothing more than a tall tale

Any Bantu removal mods out yet?

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

I've now had a dozen or so times that pawns showed me the way to treasures or rift stones that I had not yet seen. They do remark about showing their own masters the way to seeker tokens but I haven't had one guide me to one of those yet.

They mark seeker tokens with exclamation points. It's kind of annoying because often times they'll mark completely useless shit so you never know if it's worth wasting your time to check out, but you do it regardless because the possibility of a token.

 

[SmilingGorion]

The character and monster design is fine. However the environments are a dissapointment so far. Very basic, very repeatable.
This has nothing on the Witcher 3.

I only messed around with the upgraded Witcher 3 for maybe an hour. It looked really good, similar to DD2. Still it's a 9 year old game with a bunch of modern makeup smothered over it. Seems like a goofy comparison. It can't compete ya dork.

Your unsavory combination of autism and cataracts prevents you from seeing that W3 blows this Jap-slop out of the water.

I'd tell you not to be stupid but it's a waste of time. They never remade Witcher 3. It's the same 9 year old game with a big shiney coat of paint. You're beyond retarded if you think it can compete with a current year game. The animations alone would be a dead giveaway.

The only thing Witcher 3 has over DD2 in terms of visuals is Yenn.

On the note of retarded, evoking the "current year" as an argument doesn't really hold much water when we're talking about Japs, arguably the most backwards, quote-hire tier game devs there is. The graphics of Jap-slop DD2 look so washed out and lifeless the game has probably gone through more washing cycles than your underwear.

 

[Shaki]

I've now had a dozen or so times that pawns showed me the way to treasures or rift stones that I had not yet seen. They do remark about showing their own masters the way to seeker tokens but I haven't had one guide me to one of those yet.

They mark seeker tokens with exclamation points. It's kind of annoying because often times they'll mark completely useless shit so you never know if it's worth wasting your time to check out, but you do it regardless because the possibility of a token.

The worst part is when they mark a fucking boulder that got moved far away during the fight, but the mark stays in the place where it originally was, so you spend half an hour looking around for what might've caused that mark, as you don't want to miss a potential token.

 

[Shrimp]

I've now had a dozen or so times that pawns showed me the way to treasures or rift stones that I had not yet seen. They do remark about showing their own masters the way to seeker tokens but I haven't had one guide me to one of those yet.

They mark seeker tokens with exclamation points. It's kind of annoying because often times they'll mark completely useless shit so you never know if it's worth wasting your time to check out, but you do it regardless because the possibility of a token.

The worst part is when they mark a fucking boulder that got moved far away during the fight, but the mark stays in the place where it originally was, so you spend half an hour looking around for what might've caused that mark, as you don't want to miss a potential token.

I'm like 99% sure there are unique voice lines for pawns discovering seeker tokens. It probably depends on their inclination/voice but mine always said the same 'aught catches the light' when it marked a seeker token. The downside to this is I think it requires the pawn to have preemptive knowledge of the token's location (meaning they must've learned it from being a guest pawn in another player's party)