Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen – Beginners Tips

Tips for New Players

Avoid playing mage on your first playthrough, some enemies will make your life hell as a mage. I’d go with warrior or strider to start with.

Advanced classes aren’t synonymous with better. They play different, so it all depends on which class you like. There is nothing wrong with playing fighter if you like it, or strider if you like climbing opponents. If you like the thought of swinging a gigantic sword aroung, great, go for warrior. But if you prefer your sword and shield combo stick with fighter.

As for pawn inclinations, just about anything is fine but…avoid guardian both on your main pawn and support pawns (support pawn inclinations can rub off on main pawns. Guardian is a super passive AI that really, REALLY sucks. Avoid nexus to a lesser degree.

Some of the inclinations don’t describe what they do very well, so here is a more direct summary:

• Scather – Pawn will go after strongest foes.
• Mitigater – Pawn will go after weakest foes.
• Challenger – Pawn will go after ranged foes.
• Pioneer – Pawn will engage in CQC quickly and aggressively.
• Medicant – Pawn prioritizes safety of itself and others.
• Acquisitor – Pawn goes after loot (I would avoid this, it means one less hand fighting in battle).
• Guardian – Pawn sits still and waits for the Arisen to get hit by something, and only then does anything at all. Not aggressive, and usually not helpful. This inclination is horrible for a bodyguard, or anything for that matter.
• Nexus – Pawn prioritizes assisting other pawns, sometimes to its own detriment.
• Utilitarian – Pawn uses items, participates in coordinated attacks with arisen and other pawns, uses buffs, etc. “Smart” AI but not the most aggressive.

Your characters (and your pawns) weight and height do have tangible effects. Larger characters move faster, have higher health, and are harder to stagger/knockdown. Smaller characters regen stamina much faster, have smaller hitboxes, and can fit in some spaces that are otherwise inaccessible. In addition larger, heavier characters can carry MUCH more than smaller characters.

If you see some floating undead mage thing in the middle of the woods at night…