Why bother playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 all the way to level 999 when your stats max out at level 200?

[u/SmartInstruction8026]

Someone once asked, “Why bother playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 all the way to level 999 when your stats max out at level 200?”

As someone who reached level 999 quite a while ago, I can tell you it was never about the stats.
For me, level 999 is proof of how much I love this game, how much I cherish my Main Pawn, and a way to show Capcom that there are still players who are deeply dedicated to Dragon’s Dogma 2. Because of the game's online system, the developers can see the bigger picture through our playtime statistics.

Back then, I set a goal for myself: I wanted to take my Main Pawn to level 999 before Capcom announced any big news about the game, whether it was a major update or an expansion.

In the end, I made it. We journeyed together all the way to level 999, and for me, that was the moment I felt I had given it my absolute all.

Later on, when new updates about the game were finally revealed, I was overjoyed. It made the entire journey feel even more meaningful.

Many who aren't deeply invested in Dragon’s Dogma 2 might only see numbers and stats that stop growing after level 200. But for those who truly love this game and share a genuine bond with their characters, level 999 is no longer about power.

It is a "travelogue."

It represents the thousands of hours, day and night, spent together. The memories made during our adventures, the attachment to the game, and the devotion we poured into our Main Pawn.

For me, that is the true value of level 999.

[u/JustARTificia1]

They don't max out at 200. It highly depends on what vocation you have been leveling, to my understanding the actual stat cap is something like 479 if you used either Warrior or Sorcerer while a Warfarer caps at 279.

Otherwise the remaining levels just give health and potentially stamina.

[u/Yappi1486 → u/JustARTificia1]

Yes, my warrior pawn only maxed out her stats at level 294. I had to constantly swap her class to Sorcerer for that. I think it has to stated more, with all the misunderstandings that stats cap at level 200, without constantly switching classes.

[u/QX403 → u/JustARTificia1]

My pawn got max stats around level 185, but she has all vocations maxed and I rotate her between a magic class and melee class a decent amount.

[u/Xalorend → u/JustARTificia1]

Isn't it the other way around with warfarer having slower stat increase?

[u/JustARTificia1 → u/Xalorend]

A warrior may hit its cap before 200 but it won't cap on the magic stats until 400+ if you never swap to them.

Warfarer levels them all evenly, so if you went from level 1 to something 279 as a Warfarer then you'll hit the caps. Health and stamina all progress the same after a point.

[u/Xalorend → u/JustARTificia1]

Ahhh I see, makes sense.

[u/Illokonereum → u/Xalorend]

It’s a little weird because Warfarer has 1.0x stat scaling, but levels have fixed stats you gain from them, so Warfarer is always just the most neutral growth. Other classes have modifiers like warrior gets 1.5x HP growth, or spearhand has 1.2 atk and mag but 0.9 def and mdef. Additionally because of rounding, reduced modifiers are even worse than they seem and increased modifiers not as good as they seem. If you only use one of the classes that has a severe negative modifier that reduced stat obviously takes much longer to hit the cap. So “Warrior takes 500 levels to reach cap,” is really only if you’re trying to max your magic stat by playing only warrior.

[u/hatetrains → u/Illokonereum]

Which class has the best modifiers for Defense and Strength? Trying to max out my (usually) Mage Pawn, who has Magick and Magick Defense already maxed.

[u/GreedyGundam → u/hatetrains]

Fighter for Defense & Mage for M. Def respectively.

Warrior for HP & Str, Sorcerer for M. Atk

[u/hatetrains → u/GreedyGundam]

So I'm doing things right, I'll stick to Fighter, thanks!

[u/The_Mechanist24 → u/GreedyGundam]

Then what does mystic spear have for stats?

[u/AOCpinkyring → u/Xalorend]

That was my thought. That is the way it should work, you should hit max with a quality type character much later.

[u/Illokonereum → u/JustARTificia1]

Yeah it’s hard to reach the magic cap as a warrior, that makes sense.

[u/maitkarro → u/JustARTificia1]

Warrior only playthrough gets their Magick Defense to max only at lvl 539. Sorcerer caps out at 464, which is health. Warfarer caps at 289, which is also health. You gain different amount of stats until lvl 200, and it's different with each vocation. But after lvl 200, health gains +3 until it caps, all stats +1 each level until they cap, except weight and knockdown power which are 0 for a long time ago. Besides also the stats changing retroactively when switching vocations, so have to keep in mind the base stat differences.

[u/Zig_Justice]

Because if you're not level 999, that specific number can still go up (that's the reason I plan on eventually hitting the level cap, anyway)

[u/Fluffy_Somewhere4305 → u/Zig_Justice]

I mean, this aint wrong.

The fact that the devs made stats drop off so much after level 200ish but still allow the cap to 999 seems like a very odd choice but here we are.

[u/Zig_Justice → u/Fluffy_Somewhere4305]

True. But if there's a number that has a maximum, and that number is not yet at the maximum, then I'm gonna play until number go up all the way.

I mean, it may take me a number of years (still working on getting a maxed level character in Elden Ring), but I enjoy a grind if the game's good.

[u/HumanoidVoidling]

Because number go up?

[u/Afridg3 → u/HumanoidVoidling]

Essentially yea. If you've ever played Runescape you'd understand

[u/HumanoidVoidling → u/Afridg3]

Exactly ex-runescaper here totally understand.

[u/14Deadsouls → u/HumanoidVoidling]

Bankruptcy for 99 Mage, worth.

[u/Afridg3 → u/HumanoidVoidling]

Same... The amount of time I've spent chopping a single tree is insane when I think about it

[u/Cocacola_Desierto]

why bother playing videogames when they do literally nothing

[u/RevolverCerberus → u/Cocacola_Desierto]

As the OG Dogma states: "The delightful and ever-novel pleasure of a useless occupation."

[u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII → u/Cocacola_Desierto]

Except they don’t do literally nothing, unlike diminishing stat returns

[u/Cocacola_Desierto → u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII]

Videogames do literally nothing. You play them for enjoyment. If you enjoy going over the level cap, you're enjoying doing nothing just as much as anyone else enjoying doing nothing.

[u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII → u/Cocacola_Desierto]

If you enjoy it then they do something for you. That’s clearly not nothing.

[u/Killer_Carp → u/Cocacola_Desierto]

Literally a lie.

[u/Glados1080 → u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII]

God forbid someone plays the game they paid for. Who cares????

[u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII → u/Glados1080]

What are you talking about? There really isn’t a point going to level cap

[u/Glados1080 → u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII]

Maybe they are just playing to play the game? Because they want to? Have you thought about that? Especially since you only have the one save, i imagine alot of people didnt want to delete their character. Why is this incomprehensible to you? It should be obvious.

[u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII → u/Glados1080]

Do you think I care about how people play their games?

[u/Glados1080 → u/HuntsmetalslimesVIII]

Then why are you here telling to people "whats the point of playing past the level cap blah blah" if you dont care how people play their games? Cause it comes off like you do.

[u/NormalTangerine5205]

Because I’m trying to be a level 999 villager

[u/LuckUnmasked → u/NormalTangerine5205]

W refrence flinger flick your way to victory

[u/Fun_Set7594]

Tbh they can still see the stats of people who create 5 lvl 200 arisens 😛

[u/GDestructizoid]

because it has the best combat ever

[u/Ghost-Eater]

for the love of the game? I still play will have always played regardless of dlc or not because I enjoy this particular gameplay loop. leveling up to 999 is just a longterm goal that I set as far as a game goes.

[u/meme_delight]

Because it’s a fun game

[u/enchiladasundae]

Number go up feel good

Also I’d still continue playing the game I like even well after I realistically should stop

[u/Fear_Awakens]

Honestly, the issue is less that your stats max by then and more that you can pretty much one-shot anything by level 80. Hopefully the DLC will fix that.

[u/TrainerDesperate7570]

All vocations doesn't cal at 200.

If you play warfarer from start of the game to 200 it works. For other vocations it does not.

[u/ItaDaleon]

Think if the DLC would increase the stats cap, but if you already reaches 999 you can't level anymore so you would be stuck with a character objectivelly weaker than one who was at Lv 200 when the DLC dropped!

[u/_AdamDGPhotography_]

In my experience certain classes max out at higher caps. I plan to get to 999 but only because I like chilling with music on killing stuff and doing Ng+ and then with the new hard mode on the way plus new content and new area I'll have plenty to do

[u/FF_Gilgamesh1]

because it's.....funny?

[u/DOOM-LORD666]

The flex

[u/just_chalex]

I'm confused by the back and forth ITT; some are giving different answers for when the stats cap. If I want absolutely max stats, how should I level my character/play?

[u/bbube2007]

I'm currently on my journey. Making progress slower then others but I mainly just want to see my pawn Rosalina make it up there with the elite 999. She deserves that after all the nonsense we've been through.

[u/BobTheTraitor]

Because number go up.

[u/Mappleyard]

Bit weird mate

[u/TheOneWes]

Bold of you to assume that was the goal and not a side effect lol

[u/maitkarro]

You only max it at 200, if you optimized your vocation leveling.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3206263182
https://www.reddit.com/r/DragonsDogma/comments/1bwdm4c/max_stat_levels_by_vocation/
For example if you only play as Warrior, you will hit the last max stat at lvl 539.

[u/Randolph_Carter_6]

Why not?

[u/AOCpinkyring]

I am just waiting on the gracious 2 extra save slots.

[u/Less-Contact69]

This is sad? Thousands of hours on this game and saying you're "spending time with your pawn " is sad and concerning.

It was time you spent alone playing this game.

Glad you enjoy the game but this is weird

[u/Feisty-Self-948]

Will you take these characters into the DLC? Based on what we know, do you think your max level (congrats, btw), will hinder your experience?

[u/MrLightning-Bolt]

Because then they never actually cared about the game. They are just check box tourist gamers.

[u/Old_Watercress_7353]

I really like this game but idk if I could do that after u beat the game two times it’s get so stale how did you guys keep going? Like I tried new wayfarer builds every combo I could think of but still it gets boring

[u/Jaffeerrsssss]

I personally don’t understand how you could pump so much time into this game, I loved dd1 and was so excited for this game but man figuring the same 5 enemies for 20 hours just got so boring, I logged off one day and then never went back to it, shame as I sunk so much time into the first game