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Dragon's Dogma SPOILER THREAD | Once Upon a Pawn

If you want to romance Julien, you'll most likely have to kill him during his duel with Mercedes and then use a Wakestone to revive him afterward.

Julien is gay! - not that there's anything wrong with that, but i hate the way he speaks. He's the second person to hate in this game, after feste of yourse O,o
Honestly, other than maybe Aelinore who is terrible in every way, it's hard for me to hate any of the major characters. The characters and the dialogue(Feste and Julien are great examples) are just written so well that I'm happy when any of them are on the screen.
 
If you want to romance Julien, you'll most likely have to kill him during his duel with Mercedes and then use a Wakestone to revive him afterward.

Honestly, other than maybe Aelinore who is terrible in every way, it's hard for me to hate any of the major characters. The characters and the dialogue(Feste and Julien are great examples) are just written so well that I'm happy when any of them are on the screen.

i agree. but really, the way julien speaks (outside the cutscenes) is horrible. The way mercedes speaks is way better.
but the difference between several people, how they act, how they speak is great. capcom did a really good job here. normally, a game with so many dialoguelines is not released simultanously worldwide!
 
The characters and the dialogue(Feste and Julien are great examples) are just written so well that I'm happy when any of them are on the screen.

Uhm, seriously? I enjoyed the ending 'twist' but most of the dialogue was terrible and the characterizations were in an awkward place that stands between cliche and cartoonish. The only character that *kinda* resonated with me were Mercedes and the Seneschal, and I'd still say they both fall squarely in the cliche category.
 
Uhm, seriously? I enjoyed the ending 'twist' but most of the dialogue was terrible and the characterizations were in an awkward place that stands between cliche and cartoonish. The only character that *kinda* resonated with me were Mercedes and the Seneschal, and I'd still say they both fall squarely in the cliche category.
While some of it was bad(LINORRRRRE!), I thought a lot of it was really good. It's hard to describe, but there's a sharp difference between this game's dialogue and forced generic medievalish crap. It just feels like there was more effort put into it.

Granted, part of it might be that my expectations were in the gutter. For a long time, I was laughing at it in a so-bad-it's-great kind of way, but at some point everything started clicking for me.

Although Mercedes started off cliched, I feel that quickly changed. She suffers so much, and there's no Hollywood GRRL power moment or any kind of consolation for her. Most of her former soldiers are dead, her pride is crushed, and the world could not give less of a fuck.
 
I never did the Selene quests my first playthrough, so I think I missed out on some really interesting stuff with her. I read that she's basically like your pawn is at the end of the game, having inhabited her master's body. Does she say this during a quest or at the very end if you romance her?

Where are people getting that the pawn "inhabits" the body of the Arizen? On two occasions they mention that the pawns took on the Arizens appearance and looked different beforehand. For all we know Selene may have been a hulking dude.

Late response here but I didn't see anyone address this yet: the reason people think this is because Selene says it. I got Aelinore as my love interest the first time around, but when I killed myself with the Godsbane and my pawn took over, Selene was on the beach and says something along the lines of "now, you are like me."

Anyway, I felt bad when I killed myself in that scene and realized I didn't even consider my pawn's feelings on the matter, despite the fact that I had been adventuring with her for quite some time. Then, to have her chasing after me, yelling "Master!". :(

Great game.

What's the deal with the Dragonforged, though? I never understood his origin. He's clearly an Arisen of the past, but if he did not become Seneschal or the Dragon, then what the fuck is he? A product of the Illusion ending?
 
Late response here but I didn't see anyone address this yet: the reason people think this is because Selene says it. I got Aelinore as my love interest the first time around, but when I killed myself with the Godsbane and my pawn took over, Selene was on the beach and says something along the lines of "now, you are like me."

Anyway, I felt bad when I killed myself in that scene and realized I didn't even consider my pawn's feelings on the matter, despite the fact that I had been adventuring with her for quite some time. Then, to have her chasing after me, yelling "Master!". :(

Great game.

What's the deal with the Dragonforged, though? I never understood his origin. He's clearly an Arisen of the past, but if he did not become Seneschal or the Dragon, then what the fuck is he? A product of the Illusion ending?

He didn't beat the dragon. Since he's not a king like Edmun, he probably chickened out and never met him. That's why he turns to dust when all the Arisens get their hearts back, he's very very old.

edit: just made it to the final battle on NG+, goddamn innkeeper in gran soren is MISSING, I guess that means I'm gonna be making out with him in about 30 mins. Also, if this means he's gonna be packing his bags and moving to Cassardis for post game, I will fucking scream.
 
He didn't beat the dragon. Since he's not a king like Edmun, he probably chickened out and never met him. That's why he turns to dust when all the Arisens get their hearts back, he's very very old.
heh, I didn't even consider not confronting the dragon an option. Why "dragon forged", though? That makes me think that he has confronted the dragon a second time and got burned... literally, like your maxed out armor. Hmm..
 
heh, I didn't even consider not confronting the dragon an option. Why "dragon forged", though? That makes me think that he has confronted the dragon a second time and got burned... literally, like your maxed out armor. Hmm..

Well, naming him "gutless old arisen" would give the plot away I guess? But maybe you have a point, his arms are toasted.
 
Julien is gay! - not that there's anything wrong with that, but i hate the way he speaks. He's the second person to hate in this game, after feste of yourse O,o

All the NPCs are Arisen-sexuals, they'll put aside any preconceived notions of sexual attraction to get with you. It's like a Bioware game up in here.

I don't mind the system in place, but it needs major overhauls in the sequel. We should be able to choose who, exactly, we end up with. "Unfortunate" options like Asalam or Caxton shouldn't even be in the drawing if they fuck your game up.

And being able to make out with or kill children on a whim sounds like the sort of thing Fox News would have made up, but it's real. It doesn't offend me - I find it more shockingly hilarious than anything else - but Capcom risks a huge firestorm the next time we have a slow news day. Just thinking out loud.
 
the best thing about Asalam in your house in Cassardis: you pay 500G to sleep at home >_<

The first thing I did after he showed up there was to carry him to the nearest cliff, and throw him off. His body now respawns in random locations inside my house.
 
The first thing I did after he showed up there was to carry him to the nearest cliff, and throw him off. His body now respawns in random locations inside my house.

wtf? xD i used a lot of ferrystones to withdraw items from the storage and to change locations. on my second playthrough i draw my weapon a lot in front of him and now he is at the pawn guild as he should ...
 
In the postgame Everfall, the merchants refer to a female Arisen who instructed them to remain there and assist future Arisen. Do we know anything about this female Arisen?
 
In the postgame Everfall, the merchants refer to a female Arisen who instructed them to remain there and assist future Arisen. Do we know anything about this female Arisen?

Not as far as I know. I'm kinda wonky on the timeline, because that's the same support pawn you can summon in the tutorial, so it should be from.. a parallel Arisen to the Seneschal? Uh, my brain.
 
Not as far as I know. I'm kinda wonky on the timeline, because that's the same support pawn you can summon in the tutorial, so it should be from.. a parallel Arisen to the Seneschal? Uh, my brain.
Right? I'd love for them to release more details about the background. I wish the DLC quests had you finding texts or memorabilia that include information about the world.

Also, HOLY SHIT! If you visit the Slums as Seneschal, you'll find someone there alone sobbing, wandering around, and sleeping on the cold, damp stone. Who?
Symone. Fournival's daughter.
This fucking game, you guys. This fucking game.
 
In the postgame Everfall, the merchants refer to a female Arisen who instructed them to remain there and assist future Arisen. Do we know anything about this female Arisen?

maybe it's regarding the NG+ Seneschal, which is not the one from the first playthrough (depending on if you're online or not, what i've read here.)
 
Also, HOLY SHIT! If you visit the Slums as Seneschal, you'll find someone there alone sobbing, wandering around, and sleeping on the cold, damp stone. Who?
Symone. Fournival's daughter.
This fucking game, you guys. This fucking game.
You don't really have to be a Seneschal to see that. She goes there once Fournival is arrested and found guilty. I believe she asks for 100k gold to get her house back in the Noble Quarter. But yeah, seeing stuff like that was so painful. I wonder what else Capcom has put in the game that you can only see if you're a Seneschal.
 
You don't really have to be a Seneschal to see that. She goes there once Fournival is arrested and found guilty. I believe she asks for 100k gold to get her house back in the Noble Quarter. But yeah, seeing stuff like that was so painful. I wonder what else Capcom has put in the game that you can only see if you're a Seneschal.
Woops. That's still super fucked up.

I wish there was more to do or at least see as Seneschal, but I guess that was kind of the point. Being Seneschal is dildos, and the world turns as it always has, with no regard for the life of a single man.
I went straight for the water as a Seneschal

The brine ate me, that's not the kind of god I wanted to be.
The Brine is clearly some otherworldly space deity that lies outside the reign of the Seneschal. May its tentacles forever remain mercifully waterbound.
 
I went straight for the water as a Seneschal

The brine ate me, that's not the kind of god I wanted to be.
It did? That's weird. I guess game limitations reigned supreme over logic.
The game positions the Seneschal as God within the confines of its "functional perimeters" (the area of Gransys throughout the game, and, later in invisiform, only Cassardis and Gran Soren) and as master over all AI machinations both pawn and NPC. Considering all the meta crap that crops up when speaking with the Seneschal prior to you (affirming an unknowable existence beyond his awareness...ex. our real world where the player is the spark of will that guides every Arisen each game cycle), the Brine is merely an execution of this perimeter. We, the players, are outsiders but know it is a limitation of that world's "development" (because it is a game). It is both a tech thing and a lore thing because they are one and the same. We inhabit a world created just for the player every time Dragon's Dogma is turned on.

To help explain, the Arisen is the avatar through which we outsiders interact with the game, while the only other people aware of the entire facade (Savan, Selene, maybe the Duke and Dragonforged) are usually either oblivious that they are also creations or driven partially insane by that knowledge. They are torn between a role that they supposedly serve (their backstories/history with Arisenhood) and a role that they actually serve (not actually to the same degree of consciousness as the player; they are preprogrammed). People like Mercedes who go back to their neighboring demesnes are destined to simply disappear after carrying out what they're meant to every cycle/playthrough unless the player intervenes by raising affinity. They may or may not be susceptible to the Brine like we are. You are, after all, inhabiting an Arisen who previously made life in a fishing village. So while pawns get around from multiple dimensions (game copies) in the rift, NPCs are stuck to play out predetermined things, much like characters a storybook. Your main pawn and everyone else's are the only exceptions as they flit freely from adventure to adventure, whether you are playing or not. As servants to the Arisen, they will never be able to cross the Brine, either, though. The Brine could also be something that appears in the world the second the player enters it, but we are not privy to a Gransys that lacks the Brine since it must show up every time we play.

There's a lot of wiggle room for interpretation, but, yeah, the Brine is definitely the Brine. *aspirin*

The Brine is clearly some otherworldly space deity that lies outside the reign of the Seneschal. May its tentacles forever remain mercifully waterbound.
This is the easiest way to explain it. :lol
 
What a wonderful game. Just started NG+, but I feel like I missed out on a lot during the first run. I only did a few escort quests, I didn't really explore the affinity system, I didn't understand the pawn persuasion system, didn't see the Ur-Dragon, not sure what Dragonforged stuff signifies. Probably more.

But what a ride. Incredible set-piece battles, immensely satisfying combat, lots to explore and discover, and a deceptively deep, complex, well-written and maturely presented story that ends in a truly satisfying conclusion.

Can't wait to go for round two.
 
What a wonderful game. Just started NG+, but I feel like I missed out on a lot during the first run. I only did a few escort quests, I didn't really explore the affinity system, I didn't understand the pawn persuasion system, didn't see the Ur-Dragon, not sure what Dragonforged stuff signifies. Probably more.

But what a ride. Incredible set-piece battles, immensely satisfying combat, lots to explore and discover, and a deceptively deep, complex, well-written and maturely presented story that ends in a truly satisfying conclusion.

Can't wait to go for round two.

I had so prepared myself to be one of a few fighting against a current of hate for this game. Every single positive impression from people that play it/see it makes me actually smile. I have talked for literally years about just this type of game. A true third person action game that is at the same time a deep and true RPG. The finer touches of skill selection and the FFjobs like Vocation system just knocked it out of the park for me.

My wife's birthday was like 3 weeks ago and we threw a huge party. Every few hours or so I would sneak upstairs into the smoking room/game room to roast a few and work on my assassin. Every time a different group of people - some gamers, some coffee house chics, a small group of lawyers, bar flys.... every single group had at least 3 people who, without fail, would ask what game this was. Mention skyrim or something of the sort and then listen to me list the ways this game makes skyrim it's bitch. At the end of the night i had sold 5 copies. Only wish i could have done more.

Sick ass game. i'm stalling as long as i can before I new game+ it. I want to walk through the game and do every quest and side quest as a god. A GOD. >:)
 
Finished finished the game. What a wild ending that was. Certainly took the game to places I didn't expect.

Also, perhaps intentionally, when Savan is in super-glowy messiah mode before the reveal, I'm pretty sure he's channelling Wesker there. Did Wesker's VA do work on this game? Some of the things he says in a certain voice... I expected a "Five minutes... five minutes is all I can spare since I'm busy being GOD" ultimatum.

Kinda pissed I seem to have missed plenty of stuff like the Mense, and 'special' dragons at Blue Moon and Water God Altar. Game's quest system was all sorts of broken. Map icons shoulda been shown for all people with potential available quests.
 
So am I the only one who sort of had the ending spoiled for him, by the devs no less?

In a pre-release interview, they were asked if Savan would play a role in the game after the tutorial, they said "definitely". Well here I am in the Everfall, having not encountered him for the whole game, and I see his pawn Quincy. The second I see the Seneschal I knew it'd be him. Shame. I would have appreciated the twist all the more had I ignored that interiew.
 
Guys

I am a Seneschal now just running around doing nothing.

How do I end the game and go to new game +?

Oh and where is the Godsbane? I cant find it anywhere...
 
In the very best ending where you become god, you can use the godsbane to end tne Arisen/Dragon Cycle. You fall through the clouds and die. Your Arisen literally takes over your body and you start new game+.

Where is the godsbane? this is going my head in running around in circles...

I did kill the last guy with my normal weapon, maybe this made a difference...
 
Every time I go to the throne, I just get the option to sit at it and it transports me off.

It's in your inventory. Equip it and press Square or X.


The game positions the Seneschal as God within the confines of its "functional perimeters" (the area of Gransys throughout the game, and, later in invisiform, only Cassardis and Gran Soren) and as master over all AI machinations both pawn and NPC. Considering all the meta crap that crops up when speaking with the Seneschal prior to you (affirming an unknowable existence beyond his awareness...ex. our real world where the player is the spark of will that guides every Arisen each game cycle), the Brine is merely an execution of this perimeter. We, the players, are outsiders but know it is a limitation of that world's "development" (because it is a game). It is both a tech thing and a lore thing because they are one and the same. We inhabit a world created just for the player every time Dragon's Dogma is turned on.

To help explain, the Arisen is the avatar through which we outsiders interact with the game, while the only other people aware of the entire facade (Savan, Selene, maybe the Duke and Dragonforged) are usually either oblivious that they are also creations or driven partially insane by that knowledge. They are torn between a role that they supposedly serve (their backstories/history with Arisenhood) and a role that they actually serve (not actually to the same degree of consciousness as the player; they are preprogrammed). People like Mercedes who go back to their neighboring demesnes are destined to simply disappear after carrying out what they're meant to every cycle/playthrough unless the player intervenes by raising affinity. They may or may not be susceptible to the Brine like we are. You are, after all, inhabiting an Arisen who previously made life in a fishing village. So while pawns get around from multiple dimensions (game copies) in the rift, NPCs are stuck to play out predetermined things, much like characters a storybook. Your main pawn and everyone else's are the only exceptions as they flit freely from adventure to adventure, whether you are playing or not. As servants to the Arisen, they will never be able to cross the Brine, either, though. The Brine could also be something that appears in the world the second the player enters it, but we are not privy to a Gransys that lacks the Brine since it must show up every time we play.

There's a lot of wiggle room for interpretation, but, yeah, the Brine is definitely the Brine.
Didn't see this post earlier, but... that, umm, makes a lot of sense :lol
 
some pics...

Visiting the Seneschal after NG+
dragonsdogmascreenshogwgwn.jpg


easy kill!
dragonsdogmascreenshobgjfk.jpg


now i am seneschal, time to visit symone!
dragonsdogmascreensho0mm3n.jpg


this is for the golden egg you gave me!
dragonsdogmascreenshozamgp.jpg


couple hours later, i face the dragon for the third time!
dragonsdogmascreenshorxpll.jpg


hired a sorcerer, but even with the wyrmking ring, too late...
dragonsdogmascreensho09qok.jpg
 
Just finished, and wow once you piece together all the clues and hints the game drops at you about the main quest throughout the entire game it's..mindblowing...even though it felt like it really shouldn't be.

I loved how the consequences of the choices the previous Arisen(s) made in the world actually lingered.

My pawn totally earned that ending though, in the end she went from struggling in fights vs goblins to standing on her own vs ogres, griffins, and dragons.

Learning that launch ability and sending my pawn up to a hovering griffin was pretty cool.

Having my pawn launching me up to a flying griffin , was pretty awesome. It felt like my pawn was genuinely trying in fights.

Watching my pawn launch another pawn up to a griffin was nothing short mindblowing.

The overall main story felt complete, which is rare these days in which games are franchises and have stories that often stretch across multiple games
or DLC
.
 
Deified Data said:
So the Wyrm in Watergod's Altar post-game is Mason, right?

Don't think so, that's the one that recognizes you as a countryman right?. The only "twist" regarding Mason is that he's actually working for the Faith (suggesting they're as unscrupulous as Edmun is) which you get if you catch up with him at the Abbey.
 
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