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Dauntless

Mick Fraser: "The variety of bosses is strong and the combat/reward loop is wonderfully addictive. If nothing else, the fact that every Behemoth, armour set and weapon can be unlocked without spending a penny makes it well worth checking out."
Dauntless Game Cover
45%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
grinding, story
16% User Score Based on 1,253 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 26 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5CloudPlaystation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
Dauntless Game Cover

About

Dauntless is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Phoenix Labs and was released on May 21, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and negative reviews from players.

Dauntless is a fantasy role-playing game that offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, with a focus on co-op gameplay. In the game, players become Slayers, tasked with hunting and defeating Behemoths, large monsters that have emerged after a cataclysmic event. Defeating Behemoths provides loot, which Slayers can use to craft and upgrade weapons and equipment for taking down even stronger foes.

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16%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,253 reviews
gameplay31 positive mentions
grinding114 negative mentions

  • As a free game, it's an incredible experience with solid overall gameplay.
  • The art style, combat, and music are brilliant, providing a fun experience.
  • The game offers a unique monster hunting experience that can be enjoyed casually.
  • The update removed core mechanics like weapon crafting and introduced paywalls for weapons.
  • Progression has been reset, making it tedious and frustrating for returning players.
  • The game is plagued with bugs, crashes, and performance issues, making it less enjoyable.
  • gameplay
    173 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has undergone significant changes, with many players expressing disappointment over the removal of core mechanics and the introduction of monetization strategies that lock essential gameplay elements behind paywalls. While some still find the combat engaging and the core gameplay loop enjoyable, the overall experience has been marred by technical issues, clunky mechanics, and a sense of grindiness that detracts from the fun. Many veteran players feel that the updates have hollowed out the gameplay, leading to frustration and a loss of the game's original charm.

    • “The gameplay mechanics and fighting felt smooth.”
    • “The gameplay of this game compared to Monster Hunter is far quicker, weapons had tons of unique special attacks, and it was honestly a blast to just pick up and play.”
    • “The game's accessibility shines with its free-to-play model, cross-platform compatibility, and intuitive mechanics that cater to both newcomers and seasoned gamers.”
    • “The rework has been a complete disaster, removing several core mechanics and making others not even worth using.”
    • “They completely threw out any semblance of gameplay loop, there is literally no reason to play this game after the update, there is no progression.”
    • “Worst of all, this game (which used to have monetization only through cosmetics) has now begun selling weapons/items that directly affect gameplay.”
  • grinding
    115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has become excessively tedious and frustrating, with many players expressing dissatisfaction over the removal of previously earned weapons and the introduction of a pay-to-win model. Players now face a significantly increased grind to progress, often requiring weeks of effort or monetary investment to unlock new weapons and upgrades, leading to feelings of wasted time and diminished enjoyment. While some players still find enjoyment in the grind, the overall sentiment is that the recent updates have turned a once rewarding experience into a burdensome chore.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Many weapons were also straight up removed from your arsenal completely, meaning that many players, including myself, who spent hundreds if not thousands of hours grinding for them, had a giant middle finger handed to us by the devs.”
    • “The new update was the biggest piece of shit there has ever been on the entire gaming community, it's entirely unnecessary and completely ruined the game, I don't get what 'big changes' on the main story you could have made that required you to erase everyone's progress, but thanks to it you have now killed your only good game, making everyone just abandon this shit.”
    • “They completely removed the fun weapons that made builds worth grinding for, they removed the reforging (prestigious) weapon system, they make you start from the beginning, they have reset so much progress, they exchanged the weapon crafting system by putting weapons in a hunt-pass system to where you have to pay to acquire said weapon.”
  • story
    93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect of the game has been heavily criticized, with players expressing frustration over a lack of meaningful narrative and engaging quests. Many feel that the game has lost its identity, shifting from a semi-story-driven monster hunting experience to a grind-heavy simulator filled with mundane fetch quests and poorly structured progression. The removal of previous content and forced resets have left veteran players feeling disconnected and dissatisfied, leading to a general consensus that the story is now weak and uninspiring.

    • “Dauntless itself is a good game and it would have been better if it was a single-player game with story content.”
    • “The talent and armor upgrade system are cool; the only downside is that it is locked behind the story, which, if you are a veteran, is just a recap of what people already knew.”
    • “The game looks the same, the game sounds the same, the game's monsters have the same mechanics, but quests and weapon systems have changed, and I think it's a really really good thing.”
    • “This game got ruined and I hate it. It had an identity crisis, and the devs had no clue what to do with it. It went from a semi-story-driven, somewhat difficult monster hunting game to a reforging simulator with no story and not really that difficult of a game anymore.”
    • “Quests are scattered all over the hub, and any sense of story is lost in banal mush.”
    • “The main story is insultingly bad, but they will make you walk from NPC to NPC for irrelevant dialogue anyway.”
  • monetization
    90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of the game has shifted dramatically from a player-friendly system to a heavily predatory cash grab, with many players expressing frustration over the introduction of microtransactions that affect gameplay, such as locking weapons behind paywalls and removing core progression systems. The community perceives the recent updates as a blatant attempt to maximize profits at the expense of player experience, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and a decline in player engagement. Overall, the game's transition to aggressive monetization tactics has alienated both new and veteran players, resulting in a negative reception.

    • “If the monetization wasn't this predatory now, I honestly would recommend this game because in fact it's still really fun and the gameplay's still engaging.”
    • “A game that used to thrive on its accessible, fair monetization has now devolved into a predatory mess.”
    • “They're making efforts to adjust monetization and lost progress for veterans.”
    • “But over time, updates slowed down, and it felt like the focus shifted more to monetization than actual improvements.”
    • “Years of progress have been wiped out, meaningful build diversity has been obliterated, and the game has been shoved into a monetization-heavy grindfest that spits in the face of veteran players and newcomers alike.”
    • “This isn’t just a slap in the face; it’s a blatant cash grab.”
  • optimization
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting severe performance issues, including lag, crashes, and low frame rates across all platforms. Many users noted that recent updates have exacerbated these problems, rendering the game nearly unplayable, particularly on older systems like the Nintendo Switch. Overall, the consensus is that the game's optimization has significantly declined, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.

    • “The performance also needs tweaking.”
    • “The once smooth and optimized experience is now plagued with lag, crashes, and frustrating bugs.”
    • “I really thought they had put some thought into it and optimized what has been a very solid game so far.”
    • “Then I had to stop playing because of an update where performance was just so bad that I couldn't bear it anymore.”
    • “I can't change the resolution of the game no matter what I do, and having it installed makes the Windows taskbar half the screen. I don't know how a game can be this horribly optimized and be available for download. I've tried like six different 'fixes' from Reddit and YouTube, and none of them work. Until this is fixed, which I doubt it ever will be given this game is a decade old and still runs this way in 2025, it gets a 0/10 because it's unplayable. Absolutely disgusting.”
    • “The awakening update was the nail in the coffin... mechanics that had been well developed and liked by the community were cut back or removed entirely. Additionally, performance has taken a significant hit, and the game is no longer playable on the Nintendo Switch due to low framerates and extreme micro stuttering issues.”
  • graphics
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the vibrant art style and distinct aesthetics reminiscent of titles like Fortnite, while others criticize the performance issues and graphical downgrades following updates. Many players noted that the visuals can appear unoptimized, leading to lower frame rates and graphical glitches, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some still find the graphics appealing and well-suited for a free-to-play game, though they acknowledge that improvements are needed.

    • “The art style is vibrant and distinct, bringing the shattered isles and its ferocious creatures to life.”
    • “Love the UE5 graphics.”
    • “The new visuals on many of them are also really nice - I like many elements of this update, the fauna (small monsters) being added are also an incredible plus to the world design.”
    • “The servers are littered with kids who don't have the $30 for MHW, and the art style is horrific; it's as if you took Fortnite and made it look even worse somehow.”
    • “Terrible update that ruined the game by locking progression behind loot boxes instead of playing the game, and UE5 is heavily unoptimized. The half-assed update graphics look worse, performance is worse, and there are lots of bugs around.”
    • “Not only does the game look worse in certain aspects, but it now runs worse, and they've managed to introduce a number of new graphical bugs because of it.”
  • stability
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and connection issues that render it nearly unplayable, especially following recent updates. Many users express frustration over the game's performance, including lag, graphical glitches, and broken mechanics, which have significantly diminished their enjoyment and interest. Overall, the game is perceived as a chaotic and poorly optimized experience, leading to disappointment among both new and veteran players.

    • “But for the first week, the game was a buggy, unplayable crashing mess...”
    • “Genuinely, I don't know what went wrong with this game; it's a buggy mess that you can't go one session without experiencing some kind of connection issue or something dumb like a shroud tail not having animations, so you can't even hit it for the part break.”
    • “The game is bad; it was okay as a free-to-play monster hunter, now it's just a horrible buggy mess. The choices they made have turned it into a poorly made mess: bugs, perks not working (when they worked before the update), pay-to-win (the new weapon is OP), and quick cash grab schemes inside this game make it one of the worst on Steam.”
  • emotional
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express deep emotional disappointment over the game's decline, feeling heartbroken about its transformation from a beloved title to a disappointing experience. Many highlight their significant investment of time and passion, lamenting the loss of potential and enjoyment, and some even vow to stop playing until substantial changes are made. Overall, the emotional sentiment is one of grief for what the game once was and frustration over its current state.

    • “I love both Dauntless and Monster Hunter with equal amounts of passion, and I'm already so emotionally invested in both.”
    • “The 800+ hours I've sunk into this game and the countless fun I've had just made this update that much more heartbreaking.”
    • “After all the time I spent playing Dauntless and to see it in this current condition is heartbreaking.”
  • humor
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find humor in the absurdities and quirks of the game, often sharing amusing personal experiences and ironic observations about updates and game mechanics. The lighthearted tone suggests that despite frustrations, players can still appreciate the comedic elements within the game's context.

    • “Instead of another 'they ruined a good game turning it into unplayable trash,' I'll just share some funny experiences I had in Dauntless a long time ago.”
    • “Hahaha, very funny Dauntless, you got us.”
    • “Funny enough, these aetherite bundles they've given to veterans for free can't even max out one of your weapons, only until level 50-ish while max rank is 60.”
  • music
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and contribution to the overall experience, with players describing it as "gorgeous" and fitting well with the vibrant art style. However, some users express disappointment with recent updates and changes to the game, which overshadow their enjoyment of the soundtrack. Overall, while the music is a highlight, it is somewhat marred by frustrations with the game's direction and monetization practices.

    • “I cannot recommend the game enough due to both how nice it looks, the weapon variety, and the gorgeous soundtrack.”
    • “I hope someone makes a funny AI song about how bad the update is.”
    • “It's bright, colorful, and has some decent soundtracks as well.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is severely lacking, with many users citing tedious grinding and the presence of paywalls as major drawbacks. The removal of key features like reforging has further diminished the potential for an engaging endgame loop, leading to a consensus that replayability is virtually nonexistent.

    • “The replayability is nonexistent, and the grind is stupid tedious.”
    • “I don't reconsider its replayability, not to mention it has a lot of paywalls now.”
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466h Median play time
536h Average play time
192h Main story
86h Completionist
300-780h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dauntless is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

Dauntless is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

The main story can be completed in around 192 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 86 hours to finish. On average players spend around 536 hours playing Dauntless.

Dauntless was released on May 21, 2019.

Dauntless was developed by Phoenix Labs.

Dauntless has received negative reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Dauntless is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.