The award for Dragon's Dogma 2's biggest jerks goes to the griffins
Somehow the ogres are more pleasant.
Not since Elden Ring have players been posting as many Ls as they have with Dragon's Dogma 2. It's another open world RPG where everything can and will go wrong. If it's not pawns, the game's clumsy NPC party members, getting themselves killed, it's players minding their own business when a griffin swoops in for a surprise boss fight.
Actually, most of the clips are about the griffins, Dragon's Dogma 2's biggest jerks. They do not care what quest you are on, what state your party is in, or how long you've spent with your current pawns. They always find you when it's the least convenient.
I've fought a griffin. They're not particularly scary when everything is under control. They even fly off if their health gets low. I've not, however, been dive-bombed by one while peacefully riding in an oxcart like these players:
🗣️: Hey D.J., how’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 treating you.Me: pic.twitter.com/9OiXMwZso6March 25, 2024
@abigtito ♬ original sound - Tito
Don't worry, griffins don't actually care whether or not you're in an oxcart. They will find you no matter what.
Elevators, too.
These heat-seeking missiles with claws are also rideable if you're lucky, and they can take you to places you've never been before. It's almost like fast travel except you could die at any moment and it's not particularly fast. But, hey, you don't have to spend a cent on fast travel items.
I absolutely was not expecting this guy to take me with him. pic.twitter.com/CV9AqRfbAcMarch 23, 2024
In this clip, which currently has over three million views on TikTok, a player is "saved" from falling off a griffin by their pawn Frank. But if you roll back the tape, I'm pretty sure Frank shot the explosive arrow that caused them to fall off in the first place. You're not fooling anyone, Frank!
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@yautrek ♬ Holding out for a Hero (from "Footloose") - Bonnie Tyler
Maya here is an actual hero and wasn't simply doing it for the clip. (I'm not going to interrogate why Maya's minimap icon magically teleports underneath MissMikkaa as she falls.)
Believe it or not, the griffins are mortal and you can kill them. They tend to flee from battle but they can't run away from you if you're already on their back. The trick is to take them out without taking yourself out at the same time.
If you can get them to fall in water, you'll be the only one crawling back out as the "The Brine" can't kill your Arisen. It will kill your pawns, though, so be careful.
The only nice thing I can say about griffins is that they won't infect your pawns with Dragonsplague. So, they're not the worst thing that can happen to you in Dragon's Dogma 2, they're the second worst thing that can happen to you in Dragon's Dogma 2. But the dragons don't spend all day thinking of pranks to pull on you like griffins, which, in my eyes, makes them easily Dragon's Dogma 2's biggest jerks.
Beginner tips: Arise Arisen
Dragon's Dogma 2 fast travel: Take an ox cart
How to start a new game: Start again
Dragon's Dogma 2 pawns: Build your party
How to change appearance: Makeover
Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.
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