[2022] My NEW review on Dauntless as a MH player.

So I made one of these a while back but I didn’t truly understand the game until now. I feel I got a very good grasp on gameplay loops and general mechanics. So I’m doing another comparison.

So let’s get right to it

I do implore you to read the whole thing as I make point the tldr doesn’t cover like the actual comparisons and personal notes, but the tldr is my overall opinion on it

tldr; 9/10 very accessible and fun. Good weapon and behemoth depth to where each behemoth/weapon feels unique. Locales kind of fall off but it’s negligible with a few memorable ones. Hunt pass is ignorable but is worth it for 25 bucks.

Weapons: In Dauntless there are 7 different weapons. Each feels unique in its own sense. Although none really stood out to me at first, after learning the in’s and outs of every weapon, I have a few remarks. Each weapon has a meter that needs to be managed or used as a resource. This is fairly obvious at first, but the amount of depth some meters have is insane. The sword’s valor being constantly spent and gained through combos, or the Striker’s Mantras that constantly need refreshes. Each meter feels like a part of the weapon. Which I feel is both a good and bad thing. It’s amazing because it allows each weapon to stand out and be amazing and fun to play with flashy moves and awesome damage. Probably my favorite thing about the meters is that all weapons have a big attack somehow related. Which brings me to the problem. I feel that because all weapons rely on some kind of meter, no weapon feels like a “weapon”. This is a personal nit-pick and is by no means a deal breaker. I just like how In MH there’s a few weapons that is neat a weapon, with no real meter or mechanic. It feels real and natural. But this is such a small problem I tend to forget about it, and honestly it’s not much of a bother. Another thing is that the weapons feel aggressive. Now this is attributed to Dauntless being a different game in the same genre as MH. It’s supposed to be fast paced and aggressive. It just made me shed a single tear when I count play as a defensive wall. Not saying you can’t I mean bastion omnicell and tons of shield-based cells exist which can fulfill that, but it lacks in damage and can bring down a team if you’re not constantly doing DPS.

The Monsters/Behemoths: I feel that the diversity of behemoths is very good. Each feels like a unique enough fight which feels somewhat fair. I will admit I have a few annoyances with the Drask line of Behemiths, as i find it difficult to tell if they’re about to attack. It makes me feel punished any time I fight one because I feel powerless against them. But all the other behemoths have noticeable patterns that can be learned, huge tells for a big attack/chance to interrupt, and overall each behemoth feels like a living and breathing creature that could exist in this fantasy land. And most behemoths, even variants, show their respective element in their fight. Except for maybe skarn and flameborn quillshot, each feels like the event is part of the fight. And no behemoth (except the Drasks) feel unfair to fight. It might’ve just my brain turning off when I fight a Drask but I have been slowly improving. And that is the same feeling I got when when I first started playing MH. I will admit the Monsters in MH feel more grounded and real, while still being amazing and unique fights. One last thing is that a few behemoths act similarly to others. Like skarev and shrike acting similarly but still have variations, or hellion and pangar haveing basically the same model, but it’s hard to forget that when you’re in the heat of battle, which I love. I feel that both MH and Dauntless provide an amazing hunting experience, where in MH it feels like an epic battle between a few humans and one huge threat, and in Dauntless a hunter who has honed their skills and feels unstoppable, taking down behemoth after behemoth.

Locales: The locales is where I feel the game both shines and falls flat. In one hand, you have amazing islands like paradox breaks (I think that’s what it’s called, the one with Alyra) hades reach and the blaze works. Another one I really like is the one with a huge tornado in the middle, but the name eludes me currently. However, most locales feel kinda same-y. Each has its own layout and everything, but you have a forest. A plains, a tundra. A desert. Those that feels same-y and redundant make me feel like there want any tea love put into them. Granted each has they’re own unique layout as stated before and if I go into one I could easily remember the layout, but if you asked me to describe the layout of a random seater map, I would probably draw a blank. The locales in MH feel like they have lots of time and care put into them with tons of interesting areas to fight in, and each monster sticks to areas that represent them. I feel this is a tad u fair to Dauntless and Dauntless has a crap ton of locales while MH games tend to have no more than 5 or 6, but those 5 or 6 fees so unique and memorable. If PL could show the same love to all the hunting grounds as the blazeworks or paradox breaks, it could honestly make me more untested to fight behemoths on different maps

Cosmetics and Hunt pass: This honestly is fine with me. You don’t have to buy the hunt pass or spend money. It’s sad that it makes the whole game a lot easier if you do, but it’s unimportant enough. Free cosmetics and emotes through doing challenges is a great idea and lets you look cool instead of wrapping whatever armor you have on. Weapon transmogs are really good and I love them. If you have 25 bucks lying around, gets some platinum and get the hunt pass. It makes hunting a lot easier, and if you complete it you can do another one for free. I do feel like it’s hard to ignore this aspect of the game, but because there are so many other alternatives it feels something that isn’t forced onto you.

Final score: Overall I have sunk a total of around 70 hours into Dauntless already, and will continue to sink in more. I have had a blast being able to play with my little brothers due to how accessible the game is. If you’re looking for an accessible game with fleshed-out mechanics and mechanics to keep you on the hunt, while being able to play with friends over cross play and a free price tag, Dauntless is such an amazing game and is truly a diamond in the rough. 9/10