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Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes an unorthodox approach with many of its gameplay systems, from its reliance on slow travel to its loss gauge system that punishes players for dying repeatedly. Another aspect of Capcom’s game that’s similarly onerous is it save system. Dragon’s Dogma 2 bucks tradition when it comes to player choice concerning saves — there’s no save scumming in this role-playing game.
You only have one save file in Dragon’s Dogma 2, so don’t expect to play with a variety of characters or simply whip up a new save file if you want to quickly start over. There are two types of save files: a save that will record your most recent progress, and a kind of backup save that can get you out of serious trouble but may result in you throwing away some game progress.
Understanding saving in Dragon’s Dogma 2, and which type of save you should load when you need to, can be confusing at first but is crucial to survival.
You can save your game at almost any time by going to the main menu and selecting the System option. From there, you can save manually, and then either continue with your journey or exit to the title screen. Dragon’s Dogma 2 will also frequently autosave your progress.
When restarting the game from the title screen, or upon dying, you have two options:
- Load from Last Save
- Load from Last Inn Rest
When you should load from last save
Your last save is just that: the most recent time the game was saved, either manually or through an autosave (represented by the orange circle in the upper-right corner of the screen). Loading from last save is generally what you want to do when loading the game from the main title menu; it’ll pick up right where you left off.
If you’re killed during a battle in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you’ll probably want to reload from your last save. But be mindful of your health status when you do. When you take damage in the game, your overall maximum health will decrease. (This is called the loss gauge.) You can only restore your health back to maximum by resting at an inn, a campfire, or your private residence.
Repeatedly dying in battle will whittle your maximum health down dramatically, thanks to the loss gauge system. I’ve found myself in a few precarious situations in which I’ve been overwhelmed by monsters in Dragon’s Dogma 2 and my max health has dipped to about 25%.
When you should load from last inn rest
If you’ve found yourself in a really sticky situation, and the loss gauge has decimated your health (or that of your Pawns), you may want to load from your last inn rest. Additionally, if you’ve failed a particular quest or want to pursue another outcome for that quest, you may want to load from your last inn rest.
Keep in mind that the game is particular about what your last inn rest is. It’s the most recent time that you’ve paid to stay at an inn or rested at a private residence you own. Your last inn rest save is not the last time you’ve rested at a camp.
That’s why you should both save and rest at inns often in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
What to do in an emergency
Use a Ferrystone. These teleportation stones are few and far between in Dragon’s Dogma 2, and they cost a pretty penny (10,000 gold, typically). So use them sparingly. But you may find yourself in a situation while exploring the wilderness where you’re surrounded by monsters, unable to safely reach camp, and too far away from a town with an inn to reasonably survive the journey. In such emergencies, the Ferrystone may be your only way out. Otherwise, you may need to load from your last inn rest, potentially losing hours of gameplay progress.
