I was slicing and dicing my way through Vermund’s most fearsome monsters, completing every quest sent my way with ease, and was ready for a new challenge. Again. And again.
It wasn’t just the griffins (which are numerous) this time. I was getting battered by goblins and bandits and harpies and anything that even looked at me. Was I underlevelled, despite the quests indicating that it was time to head south?
So I made the difficult decision to break up with them, but Agnes and Tiger had been with me for nearly as long as Leloina, my main Pawn. They were my party, my ride-or-dies. But, in Battahl, they were far more die than ride.
No wonder they were struggling against the beasts of Battahl. It was a difficult conversation, but I said my goodbyes and entered the Rift once more. I settled on a Warrior to help against big beasties and a Mage who had all of Agnes’ spells but levelled up.
I still miss her. A kind email told me that I could favourite a Pawn and fire-and-rehire them like some kind of horrible boss. It would mean they’d be levelled up upon the rehire though, provided their Arisen has kept playing.
Sadly, this came too late for poor Agnes. It was time to move on. I recruited Gladiolus, a Beastren Warrior with an almighty health pool and Buster-sized sword.
Violet also joined the fray to replace Agnes. A younger Mage, she was mostly recruited because of the sick-ass wolf pelt she wears as a hood, but her spells and abilities were also top notch. What can I say, I’m a fashion souls player at heart.
However, our journey was interrupted by a Cyclops. Our first test. The monstrous creature had armoured legs and was making a mockery of the Oxcart’s guard.
However, the dream team made it crumple like tin foil in our hands. Gladiolus swung wildly, I pierced and thrust, and Leloina fired arrows into its sole eye from afar. Violet barely had a chance to heal us, we made such quick work of the pitiable creature.
Battahl, the Arisen has come. My properly-levelled party stormed through Battahl. Routes that had been obnoxiously difficult before fell underneath our swords and arrows.
A griffin attacked us as soon as we left Bakbattahl, but we took it down. It’s the first griffin I’ve defeated, and my health didn’t once drop below half. Next up was a hulking stone golem.
A second golem awoke, and suddenly a winnable battle looked impossible. Gladiolus was knocked down for the first time since I’d hired him, and Violet followed. What unfolded was a strategic battle of gargantuan proportions.
I focused on one golem, dodging its deadly stomps as I revived my Pawns and clambered onto its shoulders to hit its weak points. All the while, the other golem lumbered through the ruins to try to open up another angle of attack. With some clever kiting, impressive dedication, and plenty of healing from Violet, the first golem fell.
We needed a rest at a campfire after such a battle, but we were victorious nonetheless. This is what Battahl should feel like, as exciting and challenging as Vermund but with a new environment to explore. The thoughts of frustration had vanished, and so had any thoughts of Agnes and Tiger, my former Pawns.
I’ve got a new dream team now, the Dragon’s Avengers. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is fun again with a capable party. I just don’t want to think about saying goodbye all over again.
