Full disclosure: Fan of this game ever since its console release back in 2012, having bought both the original Dragons Dogma and the re-release with Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen. Now buying it for the third time with this PC release. Should say what caliber of fan I am about this game :)

B'z (Into Free -Dangan-)[dragonsdogma.wikia.com]
Original game start screen and title song from PS3/360. Yes, not joking, this is the TRUE title theme song.

Welcome to Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, a 2013 PS3/360 console expandalone (contains original Dragon's Dogma, released 2012) developed and published by CAPCOM, now brought to the PC this January of 2016. Directed by Hideaki Itsuno and other CAPCOM staff who worked on games like Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Breath of Fire, and Devil May Cry, this game is unabashedly Japanese in concept, in scope, and in execution, as a Western-style dark fantasy RPG. Fans of Demon/Dark Souls and previous aformentioned games may find something here, as well as fans of more open-world games, and for those going in blind, I bid thee welcome. May you find what you seek..

Welcome, novice Arisen. Let us begin.

Dragon's Dogma is one game that rewards deep play, the kind you'll only find from something like Demon/Dark Souls, and in the beginning (and during Dark Arisen content), will be just as difficult. Sure after long enough you'll become familiar on which goes where and what does which, but even then unless you're severely over-geared and over-leveled, each encounter is still a tactical puzzle you must be on-point to solve on the fly, lest you falter on your quest before you've even begun. Preparation is a sizable part of this puzzle, as well as your party composition and capabilities. If you have the willpower to keep going, the game keeps giving. This statement is more true than you think.

As someone who played Skyrim to death on PC (its then-current competitor on the consoles with the original game) and even wrote a guide on safe modding practices for Skyrim(OLD/INVALID), I found Dragon's Dogma to be the superior dragon-slaying game, and arguably the best executed in terms of combat mechanics, game-play, and party mechanics.

Oh, New Game Plus is a thing, and arguably a real thing to consider before completing everything in the game, as the game opens up more avenues of game-play to consider after beating the game once. You can take as much or as little time between game cycles, or work to complete things in the following play-through. This includes the decisively difficult Dark Arisen content, which have enemies dedicated to outright One-Hit-Kill you and any of your party mates, even at max level with top-level gear. Don't stress out missing things the first time through, unless you dislike missing things out to begin with :)

Dragon's Dogma's character creation is more extensive than Skyrim, and arguably better thought out. Things such as build, height, and weight all have actual game-play effects. Shorter, thinner characters are faster, regenerate Stamina quicker, but suffer by being more prone to Knockback effects and can carry less, and the opposite is true for larger, weighter characters. Lighter characters may not have as good luck holding down and immobilizing enemies vs heavier characters. The size of the character also influences their hitbox, so smaller characters can naturally avoid more damage if evading vs larger characters.

Not to worry about being "locked in" your character creation choices. Not counting the barber shop in the central hub, you and your Main Pawn's looks can be changed once you purchase the Art of Metamorphosis[dragonsdogma.wikia.com] for a decisively high sum from a certain NPC early in the game (where you get your Main Pawn). If you wish to do it more than once per game play-through, buying the Secret of Metamorphosis[dragonsdogma.wikia.com] from the same NPC will unlock this capability for an even higher sum, unlocked after defeating the Dragon.

Dragon's Dogma allows you to swap class choices (called Vocations) once you get to the central hub of the game (about 4-15 hours in, depending upon one's proclivity to be sidetracked), and you lose no progress when doing so, so relax and pick a Vocation you think you'll have fun with when it suits your fancy. For the more min-max-based mindset, there is some correlation between what class you picked per level-up, and the ensuing base character stat growth[dragonsdogma.wikia.com].

However, one's level-up stat growth means little in the long run, thanks to Dark Arisen's larger focus on better stat gear in general, so play what you want, when you want, and unless you're one of those who already plan to stick to a certain class, or already have stuck to a certain class to like, lv1-180+ from the start, you shouldn't have any issues in switching around, so try everything for a while and decide which fits your playstyle the most :)

And as for Vocations themselves, gaining the Vocation's Augments (customizable passives) is indeed a thing in Dragons Dogma, as Augments are usable for all Vocations, without restriction. This is the key to creating powerful Vocation builds, arguably vital to survive top-end content. Because of this, it is advisable to try out all Vocations to unlock their Augments, versus sticking to a single class or archetype your entire play-through.

But for a newcomer, this is all snow on the mountain you'll climb, and you're nowhere near the boundary between the lush greens and the rocky ice. Pick a Vocation that you find the most fun, when you want, how you want.

Early in the game (after the Prologue and initial story-line segment), you will be led to another location nearby, and herein you gain your Main Pawn. Your Pawn is a constant member of your party, and is molded from your words and deeds, actions and in-actions, directly and indirectly. Since Dragon's Dogma is a party-centric RPG, built and balanced around you not being alone, its best to keep them around at all times. As a good friend said once, they are the Shadow to your Light.

As your Pawn is always going to be by your side, it is wise to set up your Pawn to be a compliment to your play-style. For example, if you choose to be a trickster Strider who prefers to stun and slash with one's daggers, having a Fighter Pawn to draw aggro may be a good choice. A supportive Mage Pawn can keep you as a Fighter from suffering too much from being the party's tank and provide weapon enchantments, and so forth.

Not only is it a good idea to set up your Pawn to be a compliment to your play-style, it is also a good idea to make sure the Pawn is fighting fit as best as you can set them up to be. Not only in equipment, Vocation, and fighting style, but in what the Pawn learns from you, what tactics, behaviors, and more. Pawns who have pre-knowledge of quests, locations, and enemies you face will oftentimes state hints and tips when appropriate, and the best way to make the most attractive-to-hire Pawn is to have a well-equipped, well-trained Pawn in the Rift.

A good Arisen takes care of one's Pawn, and they in turn gain you favor in the Rift.

Dragons Dogma is a tough beast of a game, one that can easily catch novice Arisen unawares with how quickly the tide can turn against you during each expedition out of a town. Take time to explore each safe zone or town you run into, not only for loot, but for information and potential quests. Take time to rest up. Consider the starting time and eventual time of day during your planned expedition, as the night carries unique challenges that can and will even catch the most veteran of Arisen unawares if they let slip their respect of the night.

Not only that, it is actually surprisingly easy to miss out on side-quests the moment you step forward in the main quest. Consider whether or not to take time at each step to knock out things, or just explore. The game is rewarding in that own way either by rewarding you with loot found out there, experience via side-quests or just fighting the enemies you face, and player experience of going through areas in general.

Things you must consider before setting out on an expedition are:

• Reason. Are you on an important quest? Or is this purely exploration in preparation of a quest? Will you gain something of value by doing this? Are you in danger of missing out on quests or unexplored areas by moving forward?
  
  
• Preparation. Are you equipped with the gear for such an expedition? Do you have the tools and the knowledge? Do you have the means to go to the areas you will go through? Are you capable of fighting off the eventual enemies you will face on the path? Do you have enough curatives for everyone, not just yourself? Are you too weighed down by gear and items and need to deposit stuff at the inn first? Are you and your party fully rested (with max HP) and not tossed together with Anodyne healing (and whatever HP is left)?
  
  
• Party Composition. A well-balanced party can handle more than the sum of their capabilities. A good Fighter can draw aggro and keep enemies distracted as a good Strider provides long-range support fire as well as close-range stuns, with a Mage providing more magical offense and support. Do you have said balanced party composition? Are the support Pawns as leveled as you? Do you need to swap out under-leveled Pawns? Do you need more magical support? Do you need more offensive ranged fire? Do you need another tanky or damage Fighter?
  
  
• Means of Travel and Escape. Dragon's Dogma does not level enemy encounters to you unlike more popular Western RPG offerings, so great care must be taken when exploring the unknown. Are you familiar enough with the paths in and out of the areas you will traverse? Do you have an exit strategy in the long and short term? Is there a possible extra path on the map you haven't noticed? Is there a possible Ferrystone point nearby?

Take your time, be prepared, and remember, it is better to arrive late, than to never arrive at all.

As with any RPG, loot is a thing in this game. Take time to spread your loot net wide, but consider the eventual inventory management that may ensue from having too much loot. Perishable items like food can grow moldy and become useless. Certain items can only be found during the night, which can lead you to being overburdened during a night return trip back to town. All of these factors can contribute to one's survival, as inventory management and weight have immediate effects upon one's combat performance. Being weighed down can reduce both grapple time and stamina regeneration, and slow you down.

Take time to distribute your loot across your party. You don't need to carry everyone's gear. This should allow you ample room to pick up all manner of things from the world, as well as let you move faster. This will prove useful for the weapons and armor upgrade system found in the central hub of the game, letting you upgrade your weapons and gear using the unique things you can find out in the world, if not find brand new gear to begin with. If you must store things at the Inn, do so, as said weapon and armor upgrade system can draw from that pool as well as your inventory.

Saving one's progress is a habit I recommend you enact frequently. Sadly, this is hampered by the singular save-file and auto-save structure of Dragon's Dogma, in certain conditions requiring you to save and quit to the title screen. I would still recommend doing so on a regular basis, not only because taking breaks is a good habit to form as well, but because of how sparse Dragon's Dogma auto-saves. One can end up losing a 3 hour trek due to a stupid mistake.

Combine this with a more restricted and expensive form of fast travel (one that only becomes more and more usable as you go much farther into the game and not something you start off with), and you have a recipe for a game that becomes quite punishing to the lax saver.

Safe frequently, save often, and save!

Don't expect the end to be the end. Dragon's Dogma is a game that one could argue never ends. In fact, you must "defeat the game", to Defeat the Game.

Why do I say this? Well that's because defeating the Dragon isn't the end of the game, this much I will spoil. You have to consider NG+ into the equation as well as the extremely top-end content of Dark Arisen. There is (lots)more between those, but to spoil more would be evil.

So why say that defeating the Dragon isn't the end of the game? Its because the game itself is structured to be this way, in both game-play, story, and lore. The game goes from 0-100 very quickly in this regard.

That and the game gets harder. Much harder.

But as the game itself as a whole, the saying is true. To survive at all levels of this game, especially in the top-end, you must become very familiar with combat mechanics, character Skills and Augments, have well-trained and well-equipped Pawns in your party that work well together, and be properly geared and skilled out, and for you to not suck. Player skill is 90% of this game. Nothing (no levels, gear, skills) will help you as a Fighter if you cant block properly, or draw aggro from the rest of your party. Nothing will save you if you can't time and position your spell-casting to prevent being interrupted. Nothing will save you if you cant shoot straight as a Strider or a Ranger. Nothing will save you if you did not properly prepare before setting out from town.

Thus, you must "defeat the game" to Defeat the Game.

Mastery of the game is a continual (and arguably unending)process. The game never ends, if you have the willpower to keep going.

Bitterblack Isle (Dark Arisen content) is an extremely difficult challenge not for the faint of heart, nor the under-leveled and under-geared. Even for the max-geared and max-leveled, Bitterblack Isle is a challenge worthy of games it is compared with, like Dark Souls. Whilst one can visit this after fulfilling simple, arguably unintentionally easy-to-stumble-into requirements, it is not for the novice, nor the journeyman. It is for the true veteran Arisen, and even then, Bitterblack Isle can leave you all black and feeling very, very bitter, alone like an island against the raging tides.

As stated by CAPCOM themselves in their posted FAQ on Steam:

"You must complete the early quest at the Encampment, create your main pawn, and then return to Cassardis at night time. Follow the purple marker on the mini-map to the dock area and talk to Olra. Be warned that BBI is considered post-game content. Players are advised to beat the main story before visiting BBI."

Because of its ease of unlocking (sometimes unintentionally so), it can end a play-through of Dragon's Dogma. Be warned, Arisen. This is not for the faint of heart. Certainly does not help that Bitterblack Isle's story-line and lore is meant for those who have finished the game once, else it wont make any sense whatsoever.

For myself, I did not touch the Isle until after my 2nd NG+, and even then it left me black and bitter many a time, testing my patience and willpower to the limit, and even beyond. Two controllers met their untimely demise through my adventures in Dark Arisen. I will leave it at that.

But if you wish to risk the dangers (and narrative dissonance), one can choose to jump quickly into BBI for some extremely good gear and loot for a time. But be warned.

Hard Mode, originally a free DLC in the original game, is now part and parcel of Dark Arisen, and as such, can be selected when starting a new game on the Main Menu. This is a dangerous prospect for any newly born Arisen to take, and is meant for those with tenure in the game, rather than an outright setting meant to be open in the beginning. This will make the entire game harder, not just the beginning nor the end, and will significantly color your perception of the game if you choose to start at this difficulty, and as such is not recommended for a first-time play-through.

Hard Mode is usually selected at the start of the game, but if you wish to switch to Hard Mode during a live game, you will be forced to restart from the very beginning, with character level progress and inventory intact, to prevent "gaming the system" by earning the Hard Mode awards near the end.

Switching from Hard Mode to Easy/Normal can be done at any time without loss of any progress (including story-line).

Any New Game Plus progress done on Easy/Normal can be brought into a new game on Hard Mode, and is the recommended approach to it, because since you've completed the game once, you already know what to expect and know how to handle things in the game and are seeking more challenge during a Hard Mode run.

But if you choose to not follow this advice and want to start Hard Mode unprepared, it would only be proper for me to inform you of what you're getting into:

• Enemy damage is doubled. This means that even the common Goblin is a threat to high-level Arisen, and is downright dangerous to newly born Arisen to fight, and makes Bitterblack Isle nigh-impossible.
  
• Enemy numbers can increase. You may end up fighting not only far deadlier enemies, but more of them. This is thankfully not true for large enemies like Cyclopes, Chimeras, and the like, if you don't mind the doubled damage.
  
• Your character's Stamina usage is vastly increased. This has knock-on effects at all stages of the game, wherein you're not only forced to be more careful of enemies, but also be more careful about your own movement, your own Skill use, and more. 9/10 in Hard Mode, it isn't the enemy killing you, its your lack of Stamina killing you.

There are some benefits of playing on Hard Mode till the end.

• Pawns are unaffected unlike the player in damage received and Stamina usage.
  
• Enemies drop more gold when killed. Vastly more, if you can manage to survive the encounter.
  
• Experience Point, Discipline Point, and Rift Crystal earnings are doubled. About the only saving grace in Hard Mode.
  
• You will be awarded an Abyssinal Outfit at the defeat of the Dragon, part of a very rare and difficult to obtain set of high-level armor. Finishing the game awards you a Set of Duke's Clothing.

Whether or not you want to risk the difficulty of Hard Mode or not, that is up to your discretion. My recommendation is still to gain a play-through under your belt and try New Game Plus.

I hope my writings will prove useful to you, novice Arisen, and the advice herein be heeded and used in your travels in Gransys. Remember to be cautious, remain focused, take care of yourself and your party, and to keep one's expectations of your capabilities realistic. Good luck, and may your travels bring you fortune on the road, and may you find what you seek.

If you find this writing to be of use to you, please do leave tangible feedback to me as a rating or a comment. Not only does the rating help the guide in general in Steam's search algorithm, it also tells me if the guide is indeed worth your time. Comments also help a lot by telling me what sort of information you need that I may not have covered clearly enough in the guide itself, which helps me help you.

If you wish to know more about the Vocations (classes) of Dragon's Dogma, my next Writing is here:
Vocations, Strengths and Weaknesses, all Part of a Whole

If you wish to know more about your Pawn, that Writing is here:
Your Pawn, Your Shadow, Your Reflection

If you wish to know more about Debilitations and Archmagickal effects, that Writing is here:
Debilitatiions and Archmagicks