Dauntless (PC/PS4/XB1) - May 21, 2019

[Jamison]

Dauntless went into open beta this weekend. I've only played a couple of missions but so far it's pretty great. Figured the Monster Hunter folks might want to give it a look. Not at all weapon types are in the game yet.

Free to play with IAP, although I don't know the scope of what's for sale and if that makes it pay-to-win or not. If there's enough interest we can look at starting a guild.

https://playdauntless.com/

[Cantih]

I feel bad for the Dauntless team.

Capcom treats MH poorly in the western market for a number of years, especially in the console & PC sections. Dauntless announces in winter 2016 for a late 2017 beta.
Then not six months later Capcom drops their dick on the table with MH:W and beats them to the market on consoles, with a western PC announce.

But I hear the open beta has enough people trying to get in that it's pushing their server's shit in, so they got that going for them.

[6souls]

[Insanecyclone]

Started playing it yesterday and it's pretty fun for a hunting game. Sword feels good to use on first time behemoth fights to learn the mechanics of the fight out. Hoping they add a sword and shield style weapon like from toukiden 2 or MH in this.

[Korialstrasz]

MH:W is arguably better all around in most aspects (currently), but Dauntless does have one thing going for it that MH doesn't; it's free.

I've been playing the shit out of it lately and it's been more than worth the $0 price tag.

[Cyn]

I'm one of the few people waiting for the PC version of MHW, so fuck it, I'll definitely give it a try. The graphics look cheesy and cartoony but if the gameplay is good it'll tide me over until... whenever Capcom decides to stop fucking around and release MHW PC.

[Jamison]

I've just started Heroics (basically tempered monsters) and am still having a blast. It's basically MH-lite... it strips out the complex systems that MH has, but it also lacks a good bit on depth. Jump in, kill a few things, craft a few things, jump out. I really like the timings on combos and evades, for me it's much easier to pull off; and they have a much better use of color and sound for the monsters' tells.

It's not perfect and there are still a few bugs. Turns out the last tier of monsters is on a rotation and are not all available all the time. Feels like the balance of elemental strengths and weaknesses needs some work, and I'm pretty sure they still plan to completely revamp the current slot system.

All in all good stuff for the low, low cost of free.

[Gryffes]

MH:W is arguably better all around in most aspects (currently), but Dauntless does have one thing going for it that MH doesn't; it's free.

I've been playing the shit out of it lately and it's been more than worth the $0 price tag.

Also it's actually playable now on pc.

[Korialstrasz]

That's an additional +150% stamina regen right there.

[Jamison]

I'd love me one of those...

I wanted to mention one thing I love that Dauntless does really well, and that's party-forming for hunts. There are three types of explorations outside of the main story ... 2 of those give you a random target from the region (with bonuses for the randomness) and 1 lets you pick a specific target. The key is that all of those are backfill for people also doing their main story. The 4 people on any particular hunt may all actually be doing a different quest but still can be grouped together. It's rare the a party doesn't fill up within about 30 seconds, which is awesome.

[Korialstrasz]

I don't understand how there are so many people in full Rezakiri/Shrowd gear with exotics and whatnot that can't dodge their way out of a wet paper bag. Like I get that carries are a thing but damn, you gotta get carried hard to get enough wins to push that gear to lvl 10 and still have no idea how the fight works.

[Jamison]

I finished up the Razorwing weapon and Frostback armor. Funny how some heroics are barely harder than T5 and some others are near-impossible for a PUG to kill. I had the epic tooth from Frostback drop three times but the party wiped before I could continue upgrading gear.

[Cyn]

Hammer boops are the bestest boops. It's so fun and addicting.

Kind of on the fence about the game in general. It's pretty fun, but really shallow. It's like MH for people that always forget Cool Drinks.

[Cyn]

Got 2 Weighted Strikes +3 cells today. I think I might make a CB boop build.

[6souls]

[6souls]

Press Release

Phoenix Labs has announced that Dauntless, the fastest-growing online Action RPG of 2018, will be expanding the hunt to console, mobile devices and Epic Games’ new platform in 2019. Announced on stage at The Game Awards, Dauntless will launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in April, 2019. Dauntless is also expanding its audience in April when it launches on the Epic Games store, the home for new and exciting games on PC including their global sensation, Fortnite.

The upcoming platform launches also bring the game closer to One Dauntless, a vision that provides players with seamless cross-platform play, progression and account management across all platforms, worldwide.

“At Phoenix Labs we define ourselves through a transparent development relationship with our community and strong focus on inclusivity, both at the studio and in our game,” said Jesse Houston, co-founder and CEO of Phoenix Labs. “With our upcoming platform launches in April and One Dauntless, we will soon be able to welcome and connect players worldwide like never before. The journey of Dauntless is just beginning in the ever-evolving online world of the Shattered Isles, and we’re excited to share many more years of experiences with our players.”

One Dauntless will provide players with a universal ecosystem centered around their personal Dauntless experience. Players will be able to enjoy cross-platform hunts with their friends whether they are playing on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch or mobile devices. When a player logs into their One Dauntless account, they will retain all of their progression, customization and purchased items across all supported platforms.

While expanding to new platforms, the Dauntless gameplay experience also continues to grow and evolve. The next major content update, Frostfall, will reshape the Shattered Isles starting December 6. The new update ushers in brand new seasonal content as a deep freeze descends on Ramsgate, and Slayers will also have a chilling challenge on their hands with the introduction of a new Behemoth: Valomyr. Phoenix Labs is also launching the Dauntless Hunt Pass starting December 6, which will provide players with new challenges and big rewards. The Hunt Pass is a new feature offering in-game activities and challenges that players can purchase for $10.00 to earn a collection of exclusive items, emotes, cosmetics and more.

[Jamison]

I enjoyed my time with Dauntless even if it was a little bit incomplete. I'll likely revisit it when the game releases on Switch.

[6souls]

Delayed to May, PC Version is an Epic Store Launch Exclusive

Phoenix Labs today announced the release date for its flagship game Dauntless. Launching May 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC through the Epic Games store, Dauntless is bringing its cooperative, Behemoth-hunting action to a new worldwide audience. With over 3 million Slayers to date, there’s never been a better time to Live For The Hunt.

To celebrate the launch, a new Hunt Pass season will arrive in the Shattered Isles. Hunt Pass Season 5: Hidden Blades transforms the world of Dauntless into a Moon Blossom Festival and offers Slayers a huge variety of thematic gear to flaunt their inner ninja. As with previous Hunt Pass seasons, Slayers can work through 50 levels of content across both the basic and Elite tracks, earning cosmetic rewards as well as premium currency along the way.

Dauntless will also launch with numerous new improvements and content updates that recently arrived in the PC Open Beta. The Mastery system offers a new way for Slayers to hone their skills, earn experience, unlock achievements, and acquire new rewards. Each Behemoth and weapon has its own unique Mastery card for players to delve into.

Slayers can also look forward to a massive campaign rework. Everything from questing and crafting to meeting other Slayers and pursuing Behemoths has received massive updates. The rework also introduces a brand new “End of Hunt” screen, providing Slayers with a wealth of information, including progress made in various Mastery cards, quest rewards, Behemoth break parts earned, and more.

New players who’ve yet to experience Dauntless can kick start their Slayer journey with the new Arcslayer Pack, which introduces a brand new mech-inspired armor set and includes premium currency and a number of consumables. This also marks the last chance for current PC Open Beta players to pick up the Ramsguard set before it is locked away in the vault.

https://playdauntless.com/news/

[Jamison]

Anyone pick this back up now that it's been released? I played a little last night and today and (mostly) liked what I saw. They've added and changed so much it was fun to get back into it. A bunch of random thoughts both good and bad:

• You get one chance when first launching to connect your open beta account to the Epic Store. Skip that step and you've missed your chance.
• True cross-play between PC, PS4 and Xbox. Very cool to see the platform icons beside all the names.
• Speaking of names, a lot of people (myself included) lost their name because of conflict with an existing Epic name. Obviously not the end of the world but still frustrating for some.
• Elemental system reworked and updated. Several monsters updated to "terra" type with new moves, animations and coloring.
• Two new behemoths.
• The graphics look improved with more contrast and, in some places, look more cartoony.
• Cells revamped. No penalty for swapping out a cell. Can merge cells to improve them and even buy some outright.
• Weapon combos are the same, but there is one new weapon. Also weapons specials were revamped some, and each weapon can equip an additional special ability from a list.
• All the weapon & behemoth achievements were wiped in favor of a new mastery system.
• Looks like quest progress was wiped, but the system revamped so 6-8 quests are available and active all the time. Can make progress on multiple quests at once.
• Picking a hunt or patrol significantly streamlined. Much better now.
• Low-to-mid level upgrades don't seem (?) to take monster parts anymore, just generic elemental orbs so you can fight any monster of an element to work on other items of the same element.
• This is kind of BS, but I think some of my weapon and armor levels were lowered from 8-10 down to 6. Also there's an artificial cap of max armor/weapon level and that progress is gated behind your hunter's mastery level.

Overall they've made it a much better game. I could gripe about a few things, and a few others aspects I feel are below standards, but IMO they've rounded it out nicely. Can't stress enough that for free-to-play, it's pretty darn good.

[Cyn]

I've been playing it a bit. And yeah, when I set it aside for MHW, I had every set of armor and several weapons for each behemoth at level 10, came back to literally everything other than Shrowd and Rezakiri gear dropped down to level 6 and a bunch of cells missing it seems like. I've already gotten to the point that I can level armor up to 13 or so, and swords 14, but the materials to do it seem like a pain to farm.