Elements

Learn about Darkness, Fire, Holy, Ice, and Lightning elements in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Discover weaknesses, resistances, and offensive/defensive uses to dominate your foes.

Alright, let's break down the elements in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Knowing what works against what can seriously turn the tide of battle, so pay attention!

Darkness is one of those rare elements. You won't see it used against you too often, but when you do, it's usually from some seriously tough customers, like the Ur-Dragon. If you're planning to take on that beast, definitely stack up on Darkness resistance. Offensively, though? It's not your best bet. Most undead enemies, and a ton of other creatures, are resistant to Darkness, and there are a lot of them in the game.

Fire is your bread and butter, the most common element around and super useful. Set enemies on fire, and they'll have a rough time. This is especially hilarious against flying enemies like Harpies, Snow Harpies, and Griffins – burn their feathers off, and they can barely stay airborne. Hydras and Archydras are also prime targets; hitting their heads with fire can make them stay dead longer, and if you manage to cauterize all their heads, the Hydra might even go dormant and become vulnerable. While lots of other enemies are technically weak to fire, they're often weak enough that it doesn't matter much. Defensively, though, lots of enemies use fire against you, so having good fire resistance is a smart move. In Dark Arisen specifically, fire damage isn't as strong offensively because many enemies resist it.

Holy is another rare one. Only a few creatures in the game actually use Holy magic on you, but when they do, it hits hard. Still, it's not common enough to build your entire defense around. Offensively, Holy has more going for it. It's fantastic against all sorts of undead, whether they're solid or spectral. Just be aware that Sirines are one of the few enemies that actually resist Holy damage.

Ice is the opposite of fire, all about slow molecular motion. It's uncommon and doesn't have a ton of uses. You can rely on fire for a lot of enemies, but ice is a bit more niche. Think about it: cold-blooded creatures probably hate it, right? And anything that breathes fire is likely not going to enjoy being frozen. Plus, ice attacks can freeze enemies solid, and shattering frozen foes is always satisfying. Defensively, you can pretty much ignore ice resistance. Snow Harpies and the occasional Mage are about the only ones who'll use it against you.

Lightning is just plain cool, and Dragon's Dogma does it justice visually. While its raw damage output isn't always the best, it has a great chance to stun enemies – making even hulking Cyclopes a joke. It can also arc between enemies if they're close together. In Bitterblack Isle, a lot of enemies are weak to lightning, making it a really potent choice for late-game play. As for enemy use, you might get zapped by hostile magic-users occasionally, especially in Bitterblack Isle. Skeleton Sorcerers, Goblin Shamans, and even some bosses there like to throw lightning around pretty frequently.