Placing Portcrystals

Optimize travel in dragons dogma dark arisen by placing Portcrystals strategically near Barta Crags, Pastona Caverns, Devilfire Grove, and more. Avoid long treks.

Barta Crags

Place this Portcrystal in the Greatwall Encampment, right outside of Greatwall. This location is useful for early-to-mid game characters due to loot at Heavenspeak Fort and Soulflayer Canyon, escort quests ending here, and its extreme distance from Gran Soren. After encountering the Dragon, a Portcrystal here provides easy access to the Tainted Mountain Temple for its valuable loot.

Pastona Caverns

This Portcrystal goes right in front of the steps leading to Bluemoon Tower. This area is notoriously difficult to reach, requiring travel through Deos Hills, Northface Forest (with Chimeras, Griffins, Cyclopes, Direwolves, and Snow Harpies), and facing Skeleton Mages, Skeleton Knights, and strong Bandits, with a Golem encounter. While the loot is decent, its primary use is for the two quests located in Bluemoon Tower.

Devilfire Grove

This Portcrystal belongs just outside of the entrance to the Shadow Fort. Placing it here saves you the trouble of crossing the Estan Plains, Ancient Quarry, and the Hobgoblin and Saurian-infested Devilfire Grove. It is particularly useful for escort missions to the Shadow Fort and the two quests within (one story, one Notice Board). This placement also grants access to southern Gransys without traversing the mountain pass near the Encampment.

Bloodwater Beach

Stick this Portcrystal anywhere on the sandy shore of Bloodwater Beach. This placement is primarily for the numerous escort missions that target this location. Even with a Portcrystal at Devilfire Grove, reaching Bloodwater Beach is a difficult journey, involving skirting around a Drake, Cyclopes near Conqueror’s Sanctuary, and a Chimera in the woods. It also allows access to treasures on the beach, in nearby mountains, and fishing spots.

Deos Hills

Put this Portcrystal along the road just outside (west of) Windbluff Tower. This allows you to skip the Deos Hills and reach Northface Forest directly, and also makes accessing Windbluff Tower and Hillfigure Knoll easier, as you will return to these locations multiple times.

Catacombs Entrance

Place this Portcrystal just outside of the entrance to the Catacombs. This is beneficial as there is only one mandatory quest in the Catacombs, and this entrance provides better access than those closer to Gran Soren. It also shortens travel to Soulflayer Canyon and Heavenspeak, potentially reducing Speed Run times and making general playthroughs less bothersome.

Manamia Trail

This Portcrystal belongs on the bridge of the Mountain Waycastle, which connects Manamia Trail to Moonsbit Pass. This is another Portcrystal for Speed Runs, significantly reducing the time for a late-game quest and placing you close to Watergod’s Altar, which has one quest.

Northface Forest

Place this Portcrystal near the Healing Spring north of the Blighted Manse. While not essential, it is useful for the escort missions that go to this area and provides access to the Blighted Manse, where one optional quest takes place. Its main benefit is avoiding the journey through Northface Forest.

Vestad Hills

This Portcrystal wants a home just outside of the Witchwood. This placement is essentially the Witchwood Portcrystal, saving you the trek through the Wolf and Bandit-infested Vestad Hills. The Witchwood has two important, though not mandatory, quests.