Dauntless

Dauntless has been in its beta form for a while now, but it is getting real close to getting a full release on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There is even talk that a Nintendo Switch port is in the works! The reason that Dauntless has captured so many people’s attention is that it is clearly inspired by the Monster Hunter series.

The End Of The World

One thing that is rather lacking in Dauntless is the story. The basics of it are that the world has been decimated and split into pieces, this has led to these monstrous creatures (behemoths) roaming the land. The story is very bare bones and to be honest in a game like this that is not really the end of the world.

Fight, Kill, Loot, Repeat

If you have played Monster Hunter you will get the hang of the gameplay and what they were going for right away. You need to track down these monsters, fight them, kill them and then harvest them. You do this to get stuff that you can then craft with to make better stuff that you can then use to hunt and kill more powerful monsters.

This is something that is a lot of fun and it is also something that makes these games be something that you either love or hate. For example, if you love this kind of grind, you will be in your element here. However, Dauntless is not exactly super happy to give you the best stuff. Even when you get a loot box and you think that you will get something cool, you get the bare minimum. This means that there is a very long grind in Dauntless before you can get the more powerful stuff that is going to make slaying monsters easier.

Enter The Slayers

This can be played on your own or with some buddies and I highly recommend that you play with others. You are called a “Slayer” and it is your job to take down the monsters. You have different weapons to use and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. The combo system is very weird and you kind of create your own combos and these can be really cool when you get them working and start dishing out some major damage. Fighting monsters on your own can be really tough, but when you are part of a team and you guys to a coordinated attack and have a plan it is really thrilling when it all comes together.

Is It All About Crafting? The progression system in Dauntless is all about your loot and crafting items. You do not have any skill trees to worry about and leveling up is not exactly something this game cares about. So it really does all rest on its combat and if you love looting and crafting. Those who put in some serious hours will be rewarded with the best gear. Those who are not willing to invest that kind of time will probably be left feeling a little disappointing.

Pros:

• The monster designs are really cool
• Combat is fun once you get it down
• No complicated class or skill system
• It is a fun game to play with friends
• It is free to play

Cons:

• The game is very stingy with what it gives you
• Not a lot to it at all

There have been a few games that have tried to be like Monster Hunter, but Dauntless here is taking a free to play approach to it. While it is not fully released as I write this, you can play the beta right now.

What Ties The Game Together?

One thing that I really wish Dauntless had more of is the story. The idea of the game is that the world has been split into four different sections, I mean this literally as well, the world has actually been split. As a result, there are these monstrous behemoths that are all over the world. The premise is actually pretty cool, but I do wish it went into a little more depth with the lore.

You Are A Killing Machine!

The way that Dauntless takes inspiration from Monster Hunter is with its play style. It does play quite similar to the Monster Hunter series. The idea of the game is that you need to head out and find different monsters. You then will take on these monsters in combat, hopefully, kill them and then you get to loot them. You are doing this so that you can get better equipment that is going to let you get further into the game.

The actual gameplay is very addictive if this is your kind of thing. I can easily see the flip side where some people will not be into the game and find doing the same thing over and over again boring. There is one heck of a grind here. Dauntless, after all, is a free to play game, but I do feel that they could be a little more generous with the way they give you loot as sometimes it can feel like the grind is a little unfair. I feel that this will be something that does make a lot of people lose interest.

Team Up With Friends

Dauntless allows you to play the game on your own if you want. However, it is even more fun if you team up with some friends. You guys make up a team of Slayers and each one of you has a different weapon and your own skills, strengths and weaknesses. You guys can do team combos, plan attacks and I found that playing with people you actually know made taking down some of the more difficult creatures easier.

Progression? What Progression?

One of the things that may surprise you about Dauntless is that there are no skill trees and the leveling up system is very basic. Instead, the progression in the game is all about looting and then using the items you get to make new and better stuff. The game as I said, requires a lot of grinding and the players who are willing to do this will end up with the better stuff. If you like grind fests then you are really going to be in your element here. However, I will say that if grinding nonstop is something you do not find fun that Dauntless will lose its appeal pretty quickly.

Final Thoughts On Dauntless

Dauntless is a great idea for a game and it is a free to play game, but I do feel that the grind here is going to be what puts some people off. It is far too slow at giving you access to the best stuff and it asks a lot of you in order to get that best stuff. I think had the way it dished out the loot been a little fairer I probably would have scored this higher.

6.5/10

Pros:

• The combat is actually pretty fun
• Some of the monster designs are cool
• You do not have to worry about a skill tree
• It is quite simple to get into
• You can play it for free

Cons:

• You need to do some serious grinding to get the best stuff
• Kind of barebones