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  • What Exactly Is A "Ferrystone"?
  • What Are "Portcrystals"?
  • A Bit Of Extra Info

Dragon's Dogma is quite an interesting game, only it's also one that a lot of people slept on. This can be attributed to a variety of things, simply a lot of information technology has to do with mechanics that are poorly explained or left entirely unclear causing, new players to bounce off of it inside the first couple of hours.

The list includes the Pawn organisation, the Class arrangement, Subject Points, or fifty-fifty the way its hack-and-slash combat works in general. But Fast Travel was e'er one of the bigger aspects new players were dislocated about, then permit's clear that up a bit.

There's only one "method" of Fast Travel in Dragon'due south Dogma, and that's by using what'south called a "Ferrystone" to teleport to any of the diverse "Portcrystals" spread throughout the world of Gransys. It's non as like shooting fish in a barrel or attainable every bit the Fast Travel methods in a lot of other modern games, but it'south part of what makes Dragon's Dogma so unique.

What Exactly Is A "Ferrystone"?

Dragons Dogma - Image Of Ferrystone Overlaid On Blurred Image Of The Arisen Using A Ferrystone To Fast Travel

As mentioned, players must use a "Ferrystone" in order to use the Fast Travel system in DD, for the most part. Just, what exactly is this mystical particular?

A Ferrystone is a consumable in the Arisen'southward inventory that can be used to quite literally "whisk" them away to a variety of locations, but merely if those locations have Portcrystals, whether these are Portcrystal rings or Placed Portcrystals the Arisen put downwardly themselves.

There are also two types of Ferrystones:

  1. Regular Ferrystones: These are one-time use consumables simply are thankfully found in a variety of different locations and are purchasable from a few dissimilar NPCs, then you shouldn't be hurting for them all also often.
  2. Eternal Ferrystone: This was added in the Dark Arisen version of the game and is an infinite-use variant of the regular Ferrystone, almost entirely replacing the need for Regular Ferrystones altogether.

Both types of Ferrystones aren't usable/bachelor until later the player reaches Gran Soren for the first time, fifty-fifty on NG+. Just, since Dark Arisen is the version of the game 99% of people volition be experiencing, the Eternal Ferrystone added in information technology almost entirely replaces the need to hunt/buy Regular Ferrystones.

What Are "Portcrystals"?

Dragon's Dogma - A Portcrystal Ring Seen During One Of The Loading Screens

If Ferrystones are like cell phones, Portcrystals are similar landline phones. Portcrystals are the really magical "items" the Ferrystones are connected to and are required for players to even fast travel in the first place. These restrictive fast travel guidelines are rarely seen these days, as even games like Elden Ring are using more than modern fast traveling systems.

Anyhow, in that location are a diversity of Portcrystal "Rings" in the game that are similar guaranteed spots, every bit well every bit purchasable Placeable Portcrystals that allow players pick their own spots to fast travel to at any time.

A few things to know about both variations:

  • The Dark Arisen update/expansion added a couple of boosted locations where Portcrystal Rings spawn, in the original Dragon's Dogma there were simply 2-three spots, which was pretty rough.
  • Placed Portcrystals are a finite (and expensive) resource for a first playthrough. Luckily, they're infinitely purchasable in NG+ and can exist picked upwards and re-placed down in both a regular run and NG+ as many times as needed.
  • Placed Portcrystals don't disappear when starting NG+, making their placement incredibly important correct before players transition from NG to NG+.
Dragon's Dogma - An Image Of A Placeable Portcrystal Overlaid On Map Showing Portcrystals As Well

Some final things of note when it comes to fast traveling in Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen:

  • Players can't activate fast travel while jumping, falling, or while being knocked dorsum. Just y'all tin can use information technology in combat, which is commonly something that other games restrict.
  • The Blackness True cat can "forge" a Placeable Portcrystal for 300K, merely Forged Portcrystals do not work, then don't even bother trying it.
  • Bitterback Island, the area with a bunch of extra story and content added in Dark Arisen, doesn't employ Portcrystals and uses Liftstones instead.
  • Players can but place 10 Placeable Portcrystals at once, after that they'll need to get dorsum to former ones and move them around.
  • Placeable Portcrystals can really only exist put down in "open" areas, so no cities, caves, dungeons, etc.
  • Portcrystals can be gifted to friends and other players using the Pawn system also.

And that'due south about it! Fast Traveling takes a bit of getting used to in Dragon'south Dogma, and can really be used to exploit some quests in certain means (especially escort side quests). But once you get used to it, it's a pretty unique attribute of the game that adds a decent amount to the temper and tone of this massively underrated game.

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