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Become a fearless behemoth hunter with these Dauntless tips
Dauntless is now on PS4 and Xbox One - learn how to take down the hardest foes with our tips guide.
Dauntless has finally made its way out of beta and Slayers from around the world have been busy teaming up to hunt the game’s toothy terrors. Securing the very best gear should be a top priority for any Slayers looking to take down the game’s toughest beasts, but you’ll need to have your wits about you if you wish to survive the harsh, monster-infested wildlands of the Shattered Isles.
Dauntless can be a tricky game to get to grips with and you’ll need to know about the game’s various weapons, damage types, armour modifications, and learn a few monster hunting tips in order to avoid an untimely demise.
However, to make things a little easier for you, we’ve put together a handy guide that will give you with the knowledge needed to increase your damage output, improve your survivability, and heighten your Slayer’s overall success when taking down Dauntless’ beastly Behemoths.
1. Find a weapon that suits your playstyle
Your team should be kitted out with a variety of weapons
© Phoenix Labs / Epic Games
This point may seem incredibly simple, but it’s very important that you find a weapon that you’re comfortable using. As of writing, there are a total of six weapons to learn and master, with each having their own strengths and weaknesses. From the slow but heavy hitting slashes of the Axe to the agile, lightning-fast attacks of the Chain Blades, there’s plenty of choice when it comes to slaying Dauntless’ toothy terrors. In fact, it’s incredibly important to have a party that’s kitted out with a mix of weapon types to ensure you’re dealing a variety of slashing, blunt and piercing damage as this will ensure you get the best possible rewards and quickest kill times.
Lastly, every weapon type has different elemental versions and can be crafted with materials from specific Behemoths. For example, if you defeat a Charrogg, Embermane, or Hellion, you’ll be able to start crafting weapons with the Blaze element. This element allows your Slayer to deal additional fire damage when fighting and is especially useful when taking down any of the Frost-based foes. Dauntless’ weapon types are pretty simplistic in terms of their overall moveset and combos, so don’t be afraid to take each of them for a spin and get an overall feel for how they flow.
2. Understand the different damage types
You'll need a mix of damage types to take down the Behemoths
© Phoenix Labs / Epic Games
Every weapon deals different damage types (slashing, blunt, and piercing) and you’ll want to have a mix of these damage types when hunting the game’s Behemoths. For example, if you’re looking to break specific Behemoth parts in order to get better loot drops, then you’ll want to use the Axe, Sword, Chain Blades, or Ostian Repeaters to deal the maximum amount of part-based damage.
Part damage is the damage dealt to unbroken parts of a Behemoth and is indicated by the yellow numbers that pop up onscreen. It’s important to note that this damage source does not directly impact a Behemoth's overall health pool, but it helps rack reach the specific threshold for breaking a Behemoth’s parts.
Meanwhile, Hammers boast the highest amounts of stagger damage (blunt damage), which is indicated by the blue numbers and is used to knockout Behemoths, allowing your team to get some free hits in while the monolithic monster flails around on the ground. Focus on hitting either the head or legs to deal the maximum amount of stagger damage needed to give your fellow Slayers an opening to break those all-important parts.
Lastly, the War Pike deals piercing damage (red numbers) which builds up a stack of wound points on Behemoth parts, increasing both the amount of slashing and blunt damage players deal.
The damage breakdown is as follows: slashing weapons deal +50% part damage to wounded parts, blunt weapons deal +25% part damage to wounded parts, and piercing weapons have their -25% part damage penalty removed once the part is wounded. The War Pike is a great weapon that deals decent amounts of damage and heightens the overall DPS of your fellow Slayers, especially when you’re able to coordinate your attacks. While it is possible to take down Dauntless’ roster of Behemoths by playing solo, it’s almost always better to have these three damage types covered in order to gain more favourable loot and quicker kill times.
3. Mod your weapons and armour
You can bolster your existing armour and weapons with Dauntless' perks
© Phoenix Labs / Epic Games
As you venture through the Shattered Isles and slay the beastly Behemoths that inhabit them, you’ll eventually come across Cells that you can use to augment your weapons and armour. Cells are obtained from breaking open the Cores you get from completing specific quests and levelling up your Hunt Pass. Once you have obtained a Core, simply head over to one of the many shrines dotted around Ramsgate and open it to reveal the Cells inside.
Cells provide a perk based on their rarity (Uncommon, Rare, Epic) and are categorised under defence, mobility, power, technique, or utility. For example, the Assassin’s Vigour perk is obtained from the defence tree and grants health after breaking a Behemoth part, making it a great choice for part breaker weapon types like the Chain Blades, while the Knockout King perk provides a percent increase to Stagger damage, giving Hammer users even greater lethality to their hits.
Tailoring a build around specific weapon types and Behemoth weaknesses is incredibly easy, so remember to socket your Cells into all your armour pieces and weapons before going out into the wilds. The more Cores that you open, the higher the chance you’ll get of receiving duplicate Cells, so when you have a few unwanted Cells head over to the Middleman.
The Middleman allows you to combine existing Cells and convert them into their higher rarity versions. However, you’ll need to wait a certain amount of time in order to complete the exchange or purchase the game’s premium currency to speed up the process. While not all of Dauntless’ perks are useful or game-changing, they do offer some interesting ways to bolster your existing armour and weapons.
4. Always be on the lookout for crafting materials
Tonics are useful when you find yourself fighting Dauntless’ hardier foes
© Phoenix Labs / Epic Games
Gathering crafting materials is usually the low point in most games due to the tedious nature, but Dauntless makes collecting quick and painless. When you load into the map you’ll be able to loot materials from nearby flowers, mushrooms, shrubs, and ores. It’s imperative that you pick these resources up as you’ll be able to craft various useful tonics.
For example, important materials like Skybloom and Ironthistle can be combined together by Ramsgate’s Markus Boehr to create Bulwark Tonics. By picking up these items whenever you load into a quest, you’ll ensure you have a constant supply of materials that you can craft into various consumables. These tonics are incredibly useful when you find yourself fighting Dauntless’ hardier foes, especially if you want to maximise your survivability and minimise your chances of failure.
5. Be ready to interrupt Behemoth attacks
You need to learn how to interrupt attacks in Dauntless
© Phoenix Labs / Epic Games
Most Behemoths in Dauntless have attacks that can be interrupted, giving your hunting party a brief window where they can launch a counterattack to stop a Behemoth dead in its tracks. For example, the armoured Behemoth Skarn has an attack where it stands up on its hind legs and slams them down into the ground below, but if you hit the beast’s exposed belly with enough force it will fall over, instantly cancelling the attack and stunning it for a few seconds.
To successfully interrupt a Behemoth, try to attack it with any heavy/light attack or War Pike projectile when it’s doing a charged attack. Most interruptible moves are shown by red lines that are dotted around a Behemoth’s head, so be ready to leap in and punish your fearsome foe. While interrupting the game’s various beasts can take some getting used to, it’s an important technique you’ll need to learn if you wish to maximise your full damage potential.
