Dragon's Dogma is the dark horse of the roleplaying game genre, courtesy of Japanese games developer and publisher Capcom. Despite not being as popular as some of the bigger Western AAA titles, Dragon's Dogma continues to be a cult classic with an ever-increasing player base, one that keeps coming back and finding new things to do in-game. You could even think of it as a precursor to Elden Ring, with a complexity surpassing many other Western RPGs.
The developers of the game have put plenty of incentives for exploration to keep you occupied. Some are so obscure that you might miss them, even after several playthroughs! Some will make your time on Gransys a little easier, but others are just good to keep in mind. They might even warrant a second playthrough.
Update June 22, 2022 By Dan Christmann: With the recent announcement that Dragon's Dogma 2 is in the works, new interest is being shone on this classic RPG. Though the game is over a decade old, Gransys is a massive place, and the developers do not hold your hand when it comes to game mechanics. This means it is still rich with hidden gems that may take a playthrough or two to find out on your own, especially if you are new to the hard-core challenge that it represents.
Fortunately, these tips and tricks are as good as ever. They won't make magically make the game any easier, but they will ease your burden, sometimes literally. Whether you're new to the series, are booting it up again, or never stopped playing, they will help you whet your appetite while you wait for a sequel.
13 Riftstones Heal Your Pawns
Healing doesn't come easy in Gransys. Sure, mages can top up your health, but every time you get hit, they can heal less and less. If your health drops below a certain point, you'll have to grab a healing herb or three and toss some to your pawns as well. This makes resource management an extremely important, and expensive, aspect of the game.
You could drag your arrow-ridden body over to the nearest inn, or top your crew up with valuable items, but don't waste them if you're near a riftstone. These swirly, pawn summoning pieces of rock give off a healing aura that will quickly get the gang back in shape. Sadly, it doesn't work on you, but it's still very useful, and lets you keep all of that delicious harspud milk to yourself.
12 Switching Vocations Is A Good Idea
Because most RPGs will corner you into a single class, you might be tempted on your first run to stick with one vocation so you can get really good with it. Don't. Vocation radically alters gameplay, so it's a good idea to experiment and find which one you like best. If you're not comfortable with a huge change, like going from Strider to Sorcerer, pick a class that uses similar weapons. Chances are, some of the skills will transfer over.
The best thing about switching vocations throughout the game, though, is that augments transfer over. Feel like your health is too low as a mage? Use some of your spare discipline points, grind out a few levels in Ranger, and grab longevity, an augment that permanently increases it. Mix and match enough, and you can create your own versions of each class with the advantages of them all.
11 There's Free Stuff In Your Storage Box
Unless you're playing the unexpanded version of Dragon's Dogma released in 2012, you'll want to check your storage box carefully before leaving Cassardis. Talk to the innkeeper, and you'll find that there are a full seven pieces of armor sitting there that are far better than anything you can purchase, even in the capital. Originally, you'd have to buy these items for exorbitant prices from the Black Cat, a totally legitimate shop that is not at all full of forgeries.
Now though, thanks to the miracles of porting, you can just have the Tiara of Enlightenment, Ruminator's Monacle, Jester's Cap, Robe of Enlightenment, Wavering Cloth, Vagabond Armor, and The Lion's Spine for free. These sets won't work for everyone, but they're a serious improvement on anything you'll find for a while.
10 The Missing Berserk Armor
Someone at Capcom must have really liked the manga Berserk, because it sure likes to reference it. In the original release, you could even buy armor sets that look like they could have belonged to the protagonist and antagonist of the series. The witch, Seline, is also a reference.
Unlike the cool stuff in your storage box, you probably won't find the Berserk armor at all, because it doesn't exist anymore. When the game was released in 2016 on the PC and eighth-gen consoles, the developers were forced to take out this faithfully represented manga reference due to expired copyright. So, Griffith's and Guts' armor sets are sadly gone from the PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Switch versions.
9 Pawns Are Free Labor
Pawns are one of the best mechanics implemented by Dragon's Dogma. They are essentially customizable and shareable party members, powerful in their own right. But, you can also put them to work in the mines, if you feel like it. Mining ore can be a tedious task in Dragon's Dogma but you can soften the blow to tedium by making your pawns do it.
Give your pawn a pickaxe. If they do have one in their bag, they'll start helping you as soon as mine ore without even being asked. It'll give you time to focus on the exciting parts of the game, but it also means you'll be treating your pawns like children living in the industrial revolution. Is it ok if they technically have no soul?
8 Pawns Are Free Lanterns
In addition to having a set of extra hands that will help you with monotonous tasks, pawns can also be your light in the dark—literally. Give your gophers a lantern, and they will automatically hold them out in dark places, letting you focus on stabbing or shooting things that go bump in the night instead.
With the number of things you'll be carrying, you'll be thankful for the extra encumbrance. Even better, though, the lanterns of your pawns do not consume oil, and they don't need to refuel. Pawns have an unlimited supply of lantern light. No longer do you have to worry when the lantern gets snuffed out by water. Just let your pawns deal with it—they've no emotion or personality anyway.
7 Your Pawn Will Catch You
Do you love jumping off of high places? Do you like to see what height you need to leap from to die instantly? Too bad. Dragon's Dogma makes this more difficult to pull off successfully because your pawns will often be there to catch you when you fall.
Whenever they are near you and you try to jump from a high place, pawns will try and save you. While it's annoying if you want to be Gransys one and only master of parkour, it's pretty useful when you're in combat against huge, flying monsters. They'll even you if a creature shakes you off, so try to stay near them during fights. You never know when that fall damage will kill you.
6 Pawns Can Learn From You
The AI in Dragon's Dogma leaves something to be desired, but paws are the highlight of the bunch. It seems pawns, especially the one you made, were programmed to learn a lot from player behavior. It's pretty much monkey see, monkey do for your companions. It's as if they're toddlers learning to be adults.
Have a habit of breaking crates and barrels? They'll pick it up. Do you prefer certain combat abilities or spells? They'll start making attack patterns similar to yours. Other times, they will try to complement your finisher or heavy attacks and even set an enemy up for you to dispatch. Play well, and they'll grow up to power through your enemies.
5 You Can Mug Wandering Pawns
If you're feeling a little extra evil or are strapped for cash in Dragon's Dogma, do know that you can always turn to a life of crime. You probably don't want to do it in the city streets or to the regular non-player characters lest you get outlawed or barred from undertaking quests. But the lone pawns wandering the roads? Completely fair game.
You can mug or pickpocket them given you have the pilfer/master thief skills from your time as a Strider. The items you can steal depend on the class of the pawn you're stealing from but if you're lucky, you can "acquire" some rare weapons from the pawn in addition to consumables and ammunition.
4 You Can Pin Down Harpies
Harpies can be a lot peskier than monsters larger than them, especially if you're a melee character. They tend to stay out of range and use their flight advantage to harass you. Instead of feeling useless and relying too much on your ranged pawns, however, there is a proactive option for you.
You can grab onto those pesky flying beasts. Doing so will slow or pin them down enough for other melee party members to do quick work with them. The heavier or bigger your character, the more you can hobble the harpies. Soon, your pawns might even join in on the fun.
3 Rushing Can Make You Miss Quests
Dragon's Dogma is a long game, and became even longer with Dark Arisen. You might try to rush through, especially for those who have jobs or are busy with school. But the game rewards you when you take it slower instead of powering through the main questline like there's no tomorrow. That's because speedrunning will permanently block some events, questlines, and areas that you might have wanted to see.
A certain quest called Lost and Found opens up a new area of the game called Witchwood, where you'll try to rescue your childhood friend, Quina. The quest will automatically fail if you complete Lure of the Abyss which becomes available late-game. If you're already there, however, no worries, you can always start over again in New Game Plus.
2 Don't Get Excited About Chests In The Open World
There are treasures to be found in every nook and cranny of Gransys, but not all of them are worth your time. Open-world chests don't usually have much in them, except for a small sack of gold or two. If you have limited inventory space, you'll want to go after the chests in dungeons and in-game instances like mines or caves.
There, the treasures in chests are a lot more rewarding. They're prime locations for some of the rarest and class-specific items in-game which can be of immense help to your character or pawns. Make sure to practice a bit of climbing or jumping acrobatics when it comes to traversing instanced areas—some chests are more hidden than others.
1 Size Matters
During your first few minutes in Dragon's Dogma, you'll be greeted by an extremely robust character creator. Unlike many other games, though, the choices you make aren't just cosmetic. Your size matters. Smaller characters can fit through holes, and taller characters can easily reach ledges that the pint-size won't reach.
Size also extends to your stats. Bigger characters tend to have a better physical disposition while smaller characters are better at magick. Bigger characters have better physical resistances and damage capabilities but poorer magic defense and spellcasting. If you don't know what you're playing, medium size works just fine. Regardless, this is just one of the unique game mechanics that helps set Dragon's Dogma apart.