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The world of Dragons Dogma 2 is filled with dangerous and vile creatures who are eager to attack you at every turn. While upgrading your gear and leveling up will definitely make you a stronger fighter, there's more strategy to slaying a monster than just whacking it, shooting it, or casting magick at it.
Each Dragon's Dogma 2 monster has its own weaknesses and resistances. For instance, aiming at a specific body part or using a specific elemental attack on it could bring it down faster. If you're clever, you could even topple your foe, or debilitate it in some way. The trick is knowing the best tips, tricks, and weaknesses so you can defeat these beasties faster.
There are a lot of different monster types to keep track of, so it can be hard to keep each ones' weaknesses straight. Don't worry! I'm here to help with that. I've listed Dragon's Dogma 2 monsters in alphabetical order, so simply click on the monster you want to learn more about and you'll be taken to that section of this guide.
NOTE: There will be spoilers for certain bosses in this article, naturally.
Chimera
Description: Four-legged, three-headed monsters bearing the visage of a lion, a goat, and a serpent. Each head has its own method of attack, including the ability to bite, cast magick, and poison foes.
Weakness: Lion head is weak to magick, Goat head is weak to physical attacks, Snake head can take damage from both. The snake is susceptible to slashing attacks, and can be cut off.
Locations: Can be found throughout the map in caverns or outdoor paths.
Attack pattern: The Lion will lunge after you, swiping its claws and doing devastating physical attacks so be prepared to run out of its way. Meanwhile, the goat will cast magick attacks that can put you to sleep. It can also shoot fireballs or otherwise cause damage, so keep moving around to avoid its influence. Lastly, the snake tail spreads poison, so keep away from its vile miasma whenever it is active.
How to beat it: I suggest taking down the goat head first to stop its ranged attacks. Shoot arrows at the goat or whack away at it with a melee weapon until it falls unconscious and no longer attacks. You might also want to defeat the snake head using arrows or magick attacks to stop the spread of poison. After that, focus on dodging the lunging lion and try to topple it. When toppled, go to town on the lion face until the creature is defeated.
Chopper
Description: A type of goblin that lurks in the shadows of the deep forest. Quick on their feet, these pesky foes excel at ambushing and taking advantage of the terrain in which they dwell.
Weakness: They are susceptible to fire elemental attacks.
Attack pattern: Choppers tend to work in groups and like to hide in tall grass or on top of cliffs so they can take you unawares. They can be quick and strike with their long sticks covered in metal.
How to beat it: Make sure you don't get surrounded by them as they can be a pain to deal with out in tight spaces. Keep the Choppers grouped together by luring them next to each other and then use AoE attacks to blast them away. Also, keep Choppers out in the open so they can't hide behind cover to launch sneak attacks.
Cyclops
Description: Monstrously strong one-eyed giants. They wield huge weapons with ease and won't back down from a fight. Strike their lone eye with ranged attacks, or test your bravery by climbing and attacking the eye directly.
Weakness: Hit them in their eye to blind them and deal massive damage. Precision magic like High Levin can also help here. Cyclopses can be set on fire.
Attack pattern: The Cyclops is a lumbering beast that attacks with slow but hard-hitting strikes with its giant club. The Cyclops will also attempt to sit on and crush anyone with its heavy weight if they're attacking its back legs. In addition, the Cyclops will attempt to grab players or Pawns with its free hand to crush them and throw them across the battlefield.
How to beat it: Your main strategy is to hit the Cyclops's eye to cripple its vision and deal extra damage as its thick is resistant to most forms of damage. You can attack the eye through ranged attacks using arrows and spells or by climbing onto the beast, and stab him directly the eye with your melee weapon.
Attacking the legs is also a valid option as damaging them can knock the Cyclops off balance. While it's stumbling on leg, use the Grab button to push the Cyclops so it will fall to the ground. If you're lucky, you will be able to knock it into a wall or off a ledge to deal lethal damage if there is one nearby.
Once the Cyclops has fallen to the floor, your entire party will be able to rain close-range destruction while the beast is enable to fight back.
Drake
Description: A monster of the dragon family, the Drake spits out powerful flames. It also possesses the intelligence to skillfully manipulate magic. If you encounter one, be prepared for an all-out battle.
Weakness: It's biggest weakness is its heart, which is exposed after dealing enough damage to its chest. It can also be susceptible to ice spells.
Attack pattern: All of the Drake's attacks can kill you in one shot if you're not careful. Its melee attacks consist of lethal claw strikes, devastating tail whips that will send you flying when hit, and a divebomb attack where the Drake will fly in the air briefly before crashing down to squash anyone underneath it.
Like any draconic foe, the Drake has the ability to breath fire and scorch any living creature within range to ashes. However, the Drake's deadliest ability is its mastery of arcane magic. It can summon lightning bolts, fiery eruptions from the ground, and even metorites that are guaranteed to kill you in one shot if you don't get out of the way.
Thankfully, all of the Drake's spells will mark you with an colorful AoE marker around when you're about to be targeted, giving you a few seconds to dodge out of the way.
How to beat it: Defeating the Drake is a very difficult task but not impossible. For starters, you will need to concentrate your attacks on chest, or the head if the chest is unreachable. By attacking its chest, you will eventually expose the Drake's heart.
Once the Drake's heart is out, focus all your attacks upon it as damaging the heart will deal double damage to the beast. Fair warning: the heart won't stay open for long so make sure you land all your attacks perfectly before it retracted back into the Drake's chest and forcing you to start the process of exposing the heart all over again. Spells like High Seism, High Frigor, and Maelstrom can do huge amounts of damage to the heart. High Seism in generally a great spell for knocking him over.
If you deal enough to the heart damage fast enough, you may even cause the Drake to topple over, granting you a huge opportunity window to lay waste it while it is vulnerable.
Dragon
Description: The Great Dragon is the central antagonist of the game, and culminates in a boss battle at the end of Dragon's Dogma 2. He is a huge flying serpent with a variety of devastating magic and physical attacks.
Weaknesses: Like all dragons in Dragon's Dogma 2, the heart is your main point of attack. Ice is also a good option, including High Frigor and High Hagol. Maelstrom is also a solid option when the dragon is flying.
Attack Pattern: The Dragon is basically a regular drake on steroids. He uses similar spells, including periodic lightning attacks, meteor summons, and even debilitations including silence. Avoid these area of effect spells when they're being cast. He makes it a bit obvious when he's casting, with raised claws.
He will also bite and stomp, as well as breathe fire in swirls. Upon losing certain amounts of health, he will fly up into the air and do bombing runs with fire breaths.
He also will cast a huge meteoric spell, raising his wings and summoning many fireballs. There are a couple of places you can hide to line of sight this attack, but running, dodging, and shield spells also work to avoid them.
How to beat: After he's performed his major attacks, he's relatively easy to dodge, given his huge size and slow speed. Weave around his legs and try to target his heart, while using spells like Maelstrom and High Hagol to chip away at his health.
Nimble players can try to climb upon his back when he flies, and then jump off at a ballistae platform to bring him down. I found this quite hard to pull off as a sorcerer, but you may fair better. Eventually he will tire and land of his own accord. Targeting his head and his heart will eventually bring him down for double damage attacks. Spare no effort in using your most powerful maister abilities in this scenario. Despite being the "final" boss, the Dragon is quite easily felled.
SPOILER: During the initial flight scene to the battle arena, you can use the Godsway Sword while climbing near his heart to effectively skip this fight. Although, there may be certain ... consequences ... for doing so.
Dullahan
Description: Dullahan is a knight covered in spiritual purple flame, cradling his own head in his arm. He engages in deadly swordplay with a firm stance. In the dark, he transforms into black mist and stalks the living.
Weakness: Holy magic.
Attack pattern: The Dullahan attacks sporadically slashing at your party with his one-handed scythe. What you need to watch out for especially is his grab attacks, which will drain the target's health.
How to beat it: Dullahan mobs have few discernible weaknesses. Headshots to the knight's severed head he's carrying help, but also holy spells and enchantments. This one is a bit of a battle of attrition.
Goblins
Description: Armed demons that are smaller in stature than most humans. They possess limited intelligence, but are ferocious and move by instinct. They become hostile and attack in packs if their turf is invaded.
Weakness: They weak to fire-elemental attacks.
Attack pattern: Goblins attacks with reckless abandon, swinging their spears and swords like hooligans and using their horde's shear numbers to overwhelm their prey.
How to beat it: Goblins are fairly to simple to beat. Make sure you don't surrounded by them and attack them with your mightiest skills and spells. Fire spells in particular are nasty to Goblins as they can cause to be set on fire, and make writhe around in agony unable to fight back.
Golems
Description: Artificial life-forms created by sorcerers, made of a strong, impenetrable rock structure that repels magick and physical attacks. The only way to halt its movement is to break the magic seal (which look like giant, glowing medals) on its body.
Weakness: Attack the magic seal medals littered all over its body as thats' the only to damage them, particularly with explosion-type damage. Seism damage works too.
Attack pattern: The Golem's attacks consist of swinging its rocky arms around like clubs and trying to crush players and Pawns with its giant feet. It even has a special attack with use the magic within its seals to charge up and fire a laser beam from its head. When its approaching death, the Golem will starting conjuring random explosions around itself to take out its enemies in a desperate last stand.
How to beat it: A Golem's body is impervious to all forms of attacks and the only to damage it is by breaking the magic seals on its body. Explosive attacks from the Archer's Explosive arrows and the Thief's Powder Charge skill will deal significant damage to the medals as they are weak to explosion damage.
Griffin
Description: Giant monsters with the wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. They soar high and circle in the sky, striking once spotting their prey. There is nowhere to hide in this giant bird's territory.
Weakness: The Griffin is weak to fire-elemental attacks.
Attack pattern: The Griffin is a vicious foe and likely your first major roadblock on your adventures. Its attacks consist of deadly claw swipes, kicks with its hind legs, bite attacks with its peak, and aerial divebomb attacks. The Griffin will use its wings to blow its opponants off their feet so it can attack them while they're knocked off balance.
How to beat it: Defeating the Griffin will take considerable teamwork with your Pawns and lots of fire attacks as its weak to fire. Particulary if you aim your fire-elemental attacks at the Griffin's wings, they will catch fire and cause the Griffin to panic. While its wings are aflame, the Griffin will be unable to fly and use its deadly aerial divebomb attacks.
When you have the Griffin grounded aim the rest of your attacks toward the head to knock it off balance and topple it. Once its writhing on the ground, unleash all your best attacks and spells to finish off the feathery fiend.
Harpies
Description: Eerie, flying creatures with an upper body that resembles that of a human female. They often hover above in the skies, ready to strike. Their hypnotic screeches can lull you to sleep, exposing you to their sharp bird-like talons.
Weakness: Harpies are weak to fire damage and ranged attacks.
Attack pattern: Hapries will attack you by constantly flying in the air and performing aerial divebombs to knock you down or grab you to lift you in air before dropping you to ground from fatal heights. They will also attempt to put you to sleep with hypnotic singing so get away from them when they start serenading.
How to beat it: Harpies are annoying buzzards to deal with but can be quickly dispatched with the right tools. While they're in the air, use ranged attacks from an Archer's bow and arrow and a Mage's fire spell to shoot Harpies out of the sky. In addition, you can use the Thief's Ensnare skill to fire a rope at a Harpy and pull it to the ground so your party's melee fighters can attack it.
Hobgoblins
Description: A higher class of Goblin with a more developed stature. They are experts at hunting prey with flawless movements, and also skilled at handling weapons. Beware not to underestimate them and approach with caution.
Weakness: They are weak to fire elemental damage.
Attack pattern: Hobgoblins attack may seem like they attack recklessly like Goblins but they are cunning than they let on. They will attack with by leaping into the air to smash your skull with their weapons and use their superb to strength to knock you off their feet. Sometimes they will even co-ordinate their group and perform team-up attacks to overwhelm you.
How to beat it: Like with any member of the Goblin species, don't get surrounded and lure into them a group to obliterate with aoe spells and skills. Also, if you're fighting armored Hobgoblins, attack them from behind so your weapon doesn't bounce off them.
Knacker
Description: The Knacker is a type of goblin that wields a long weapon. They are agile on elevated terrain, and good at raiding from higher ground. Underestimate their mobility and you may be easily overpowered.
Weakness: Since these are arid-type Goblins, it is best to tackle them with ice or lightning elemental attacks.
Attack pattern: The Knackers employ hit and run tactics where they will run to stab you with their spears before running off to avoid your attacks.
How to beat it: Knackers are agile little freaks so the best way to deal with is to cripple their movement. A Thief's Ensnare skill can pull Knackers running away back into melee range and Ice-elemental spells will be able to freeze them solid so they can't move.
Minotaur
Description: Ferocious and extremely fierce bull-headed monsters. A single hit from their battle axe or charge attack can prove to be fatal.
Weakness: Minotaurs are weak to fire elemental attacks.
Attack pattern: Minotaurs attack their foes by attempting to cleave them in two with their giant battle axe. Once a Minotaur rears back and starts kicking the ground, that's the sign its getting ready to use its charge attack. Once it starts, the Minotaur will run around the battlefield three to four times in a row to gore you with its sharp horns.
How to beat it: As Minotaurs are covered head to hoof in fur, they are susceptible to catching fire from fire elemental attacks and take continous damage-over-time. In addition, you can use the Minotaur's charge attack by tricking it into charging into a wall or object, bashing its head against and knocking it off balance. Once its struggling to stand thanks to the self-inflicted concussion, attack the Minotaur to knock off its feet so it falls to the ground, leaving it vulnerable to your ultimate attacks and spells.
Ogre
Description: The heinous-looking ogre is known for its formidable strength and its liking for women, whose smell it pursues relentlessly, captures, and then attempts to devour. Although large in size, be way of its speed as it rushes towards you.
Weakness: Ogres are weak to fire elemental damage and are easily distracted by the sight of women.
Attack pattern: The Ogre attacks consist of swinging its fists like a madman, grapping players and Pawns so it can eat them, jumping in the air to perform missile dropkicks like a professional wrestler, and jumping onto walls before coming back down to perform a devastating body slam.
How to beat it: Use fire elemental attacks to set the Ogres on fire and deal lethal damage-over-time effects on them. Keep on the move and make sure you don't take your eyes off the Ogre so it doesn't blindside with a dropkick as it moves very quick.
Now, this may sound crude but if you're playing a female character and you happen to be have male Pawns only in your party, you can use the Ogre's insastible hunger for women against. As a woman, the Ogre will aggro mostly towards you, so you can lure it from your male teammates so that they're free to damage to it without too much risk of getting hurt. You can even lure the Ogre into precarious environmental traps and hazards as its hunger outweigh its survival instincts.
Phantoms
Description: Phantoms are evil spirits that stalk unsuspecting players and NPCS during the night or in dark places like caves and ancient ruins. If you hear the sound of otherworldy laughter while travelling at night, a Phantom is close by.
Weakness: Phantoms are weak to holy elemental magic, but any elemental magic will do.
Attack pattern: Phantoms attacks by smothering you with ghostly bodies and choke the life out of you.
How to beat it: Phantoms are extremely resisitant to most forms of attack and can even phase through walls to avoid getting hit by you. The best way to dispatch a Phantom is by casting holy magic attacks as they extremely weak to them.
Rattlers
Description: Four-legged beasts whose back seems to be covered in rocks. They appear in mountainous terrain, and can be mistaken for a giant, rolling boulder. Try to knock them down and aim for the weak spot on their stomach.
Weakness: They soft under-bellies where they will take double damage. Try to knock them down with spells like High Frigor.
Attack pattern: Rattlers attack rolling around like bowling balls to crush their foes with rocky bodies and use bite attacks to chop your head off.
How to beat it: Attacking a Rattler won't do you good as their rocky hides are resistant to most forms of damage. To defeat a Rattler you will need to knock them off their feet by using explosive damage or magic spells. Once a Rattler is lying on their back, attack their exposed under-bellies to deal lethal damage to them.
Saurian
Description: Evolved from the lizard family, the scaly saurians mostly dwell near water and wield spear-like weapons. Dismembering their tails can weaken them and make them lose their will to fight.
Weakness: Chop their tails to knock them off balance. They also dislike ice spells like High Frigor.
Attack pattern: The Saurians attack by stabbing you with spears, biting your head and spitting acidic saliva in your face.
How to beat it: The quickest way to defeat a Saurian is by chopping off their tail. Once the tail has been removed, they will lose all sense of balance and their defense stats will crumble.
Skeletons
Description: Immortal monsters that perpetually wander in death. Though they are nothing but bones, the curse placed upon them allows them to keep moving. Beware their fast movements, lest you wish to get hurt.
Weakness: They are weak to holy magic and daylight.
Attack pattern: Skeletons fight like humans using swords, spears and bow+arrows to slay their enemies. However they attack with relentless speed you will need to watch out for their their quick strikes.
How to beat it: Use holy magic to quickly obliterate the Skeletons. If you're fighting Skeletons in a cave or ruin and its still daytime, you can attempt to lure the Skeletons outside so the sunlight will kill them. Be warned, if you manage to destroy a Skeleton's body but their head remains intact, they will quickly revive themselves so you must destroy it quickly.
Slimes
Description: Slimes can crawl slowly through complex terrain as the substances in their bodies dissolve enemies that get in the way. Physical attacks have no effect against this monster.
Weakness: They are extremely weak to fire magic and fire-enchanted weapons. They are also susceptible to other elements such as lightning or ice.
Locations: These monsters usually lurk in dark caves, the beach of lakes
Attack pattern: The Slime's only means of attack is to smother you with its acidic body. Once you are enveloped by the Slime, your movement speed will be crippled and your health will be slowly drained until you escape its grasp.
How to beat it: Since Slimes are immune to raw physical attacks, it is best to attack them using magical fire spells or by enchanting your melee with the fire element. Explosive arrows from the Archer and the Thief's Powder Charge skill are also effective non-magical methods of destroying them.
Sphinx
Description: A four-legged creature with an upper body that resembles that of a human female, but with the lower body of a lion, and large wings on its back. It protects treasure chests and will only open them for those who correctly answer its riddles.
Weakness: None.
Attack pattern: The Sphinx typically just flies away and escapes if you attempt to fight her.
How to beat it: The Sphinx is essentially more of a puzzle than a typical boss battle. To defeat the Sphinx, you must answer the Sphinx riddles. Use our guide to the Sphinx riddles in Dragon's Dogma 2 to help you out here. You can also use the Arrow of Unmaking to one-shot her, but you will sacrifice various powerful rewards for killing her in this manner.
Talos / Gigantus
Description: Introducing Talos / Gigantus, the bronze giant from the legends. Rising from the sea, its massive frame can walk over valleys with ease. Just like a divine punishment, it mercilessly brings chaos to the land.
Weakness: Attack the weak points by climbing atop Talos, or attacking him with ballistae or ranged attacks.
Attack pattern: Talos is a set piece event boss that slowly walks from the sea across the Volcanic Island. He doesn't attack generally, but he does smash through certain platforms along the way, so be careful where you're standing.
How to beat it: Use ranged attacks or climbing melee attacks to destroy his glowing weakpoints, spread out across his body and his ankle. Spells like Maelstrom absolutely devastate him, but they are incredibly slow to cast, and by the time you've casted them he might've moved. Use rings that increase casting speed like the Ring of Articulacy to speed up the process.
Undead
Description: Rotting corpses, reanimated by the forces of evil. They appear in the darkness, sniffing out and attacking the living. Fortunately, they are vulnerable to fire and holy attacks.
Weakness: They are weak to fire and holy magic.
Attack pattern: Zombies shamble about in hordes and attack their prey by grabbing them before biting them.
How to beat it: Zombies are somewhat resistant to physical attacks. To destroy them, you will need to incinerate them with fire elemental attacks or purge them with holy magic.
Wight
Description: A Wight is a priest's spirit that still holds a grudge, eventually becoming a monster. It hides in darkness, casting powerful spells in succession from the sky. It makes upfront fights difficult by wielding a huge amount of magick.
Weakness: Wights are weak to holy magic.
Attack pattern: The Wight attacks by floating out of range of melee attacks and unleashing a torrent of magic attacks. These attacks firing magic arcane missiles and lightning bolts. Be warned, once wind starts to gather the Wight it conjure a gigantic tornado that will sweep any unfortunate player who gets caught up in it.
How to beat it: When the Wight is flying in the air, attack it with ranged attacks to bring it down. Holy elemental magic in particular deals a considerable amount of damage to Wights. If you have a Thief in your party, you can use its Ensnare skill to drag the Wight to the ground so your melee-users to attack it.
Wolves
Description: Wolves hunt in packs! They are often found roaming the nearby forests and mountain areas.
Weakness: Wolves are weak to fire elemental attacks.
Attack pattern: Wolves will run in circles to confuse your senses and lunge at your blind spots to bite you. They also a have a grab attack where you drag to the ground so the rest of the pack can rip to you shreds.
How to beat it: Don't get surrounded by Wolves and chase after them so they don't get a chance to lunge at you. If you happen to fire elemental attacks on hand, use them to set the Wolves' fur on fire and deal damage-over-time damage.
Take down those monsters, Arisen!
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Remember, each creature has different weaknesses so you can't just mash through the same attacks when dealing with different foes. Not to mention, you'll eventually go up against some insanely powerful creatures so you need to be prepared for anything.
As you probably know by now, some of the monsters and beasts in Dragon's Dogma 2 are extremely difficult to best at first. But if you employ the right tactics and have a good party that's filled with different Vocations you'll be able to take down any devilish creature that comes your way in one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of 2024.
