Dauntless

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 377 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

grinding33 negative mentions

The new weapon system introduces unique abilities and talents, making combat more engaging.
The game is now available on Steam, providing easier access for new players.
The graphics and UI have seen improvements, making the game visually appealing.

The update has removed a significant amount of content, including weapon crafting and many weapons, leading to player frustration.
Progression has been reset, causing veteran players to lose their hard-earned gear and builds.
The introduction of paywalls for weapons and lootboxes has shifted the game towards a pay-to-win model.

gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
80%
5%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players enjoying the new questlines and mechanics but expressing frustration over the removal of core features and the introduction of a pay-to-win model. Many feel that the weapon swap mechanic is underwhelming and that the overall experience has become grindy and less engaging, particularly due to the lack of meaningful content and the cluttered user interface. While some appreciate the faster-paced gameplay and accessibility for new players, the consensus indicates a decline in the quality and enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
- “I was enjoying going through the new questline and re-learning the mechanics.”
- “The update introduces unique weapons with legendary abilities and talents, as well as a new weapon swapping mechanic that adds a strategic layer to combat.”
- “Phoenix Labs has introduced a plethora of changes that not only refresh the gameplay mechanics but also make the game more accessible and enjoyable for both new and veteran players.”
- “Oh and for those that were looking forward to the weapon swap mechanic, at least to me it feels very half-baked.”
- “The game still possesses no challenge as awakening did not get rid of the infinite revive mechanic introduced by reforged, meaning there is no way to actually fail a hunt; there are never any stakes, only an increasingly annoying amount of time you have to wait before the auto-revive kicks in.”
- “They reset all players' game progress to start new with more infuriating game mechanics that aren't found in any other monster hunting game.”
grinding
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
Players express significant frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, particularly due to a recent update that reset their progress and rendered hundreds of hours of effort meaningless. Many feel that the new system is excessively grindy and monetized, forcing players to either invest substantial time or money to regain lost content, which has led to a sense of disrespect for their previous investments in the game. While some appreciate new gameplay options, the overall sentiment is that the changes have made grinding feel tedious and unrewarding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “All my upgrades were also reset; have fun grinding out your armor levels again, buddy.”
- “They completely removed the fun weapons that made builds worth grinding for, they removed the reforging system, and they reset so much progress. They exchanged the weapon crafting system for a hunt-pass system where you have to pay to acquire weapons.”
- “Instead, they made the game *insanely* grindy and *insanely* expensive to play, in a last-ditch effort to bleed our wallets dry before shutting the servers down forever.”
story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
79%
11%
The story aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players describing it as poorly constructed and filled with irrelevant dialogue that detracts from the overall experience. Numerous bugs and issues have led to players being locked out of quests, further complicating progression and diminishing any sense of narrative coherence. While some players appreciate the focus on combat and gear over story, the lack of a compelling narrative and the introduction of pay-to-win elements have left many feeling frustrated and dissatisfied.
- “🔳 epic story”
- “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.”
- “There's not much of a story, but I prefer that as I'm more interested in fighting monsters and grinding gear, weapons, and upgrades.”
- “Main story is insultingly bad, but they will make you walk from NPC to NPC for irrelevant dialogue anyway.”
- “Quests are scattered all over the hub, and any sense of story is lost in banal mush.”
- “Various players being locked out of progressing due to missing the start of the new story quest - which basically locks them out of the game completely until it's addressed.”
monetization
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
33%
59%
The monetization of the game has shifted dramatically, with players expressing strong dissatisfaction over its transition to a predatory model reminiscent of mobile cash grabs. Key complaints include the introduction of gameplay-affecting microtransactions, a reset of progress, and a battle pass that now offers non-cosmetic rewards, leading many to feel that the game has lost its original identity and become a soulless cash grab. Overall, the monetization strategy is viewed as exploitative, prompting players to recommend avoiding the game in favor of more consumer-friendly alternatives.
- “Every progression system now is gated behind microtransactions.”
- “Monetization has gotten way more predatory, the battle pass no longer features only cosmetic items with level 1 of the premium pass giving a repeater weapon, not a transmog.”
- “Everything else is questionable or straight up bad, starting with the worst is the monetization.”
- “Worst of all, this game (which used to have monetization only through cosmetics) has now begun selling weapons/items that directly affect gameplay.”
- “Everything is heavily monetized and the systems are built around getting you to spend as much as possible...the CEO clearly told the devs to make it a cash grab hoping to get some of that Steam money.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting severe performance issues across all platforms, including low frame rates, lag, and crashes. Many users feel that recent updates have worsened the situation rather than improved it, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from gameplay enjoyment. Despite some positive aspects, such as engaging encounters, the persistent optimization problems overshadow the game's potential.
- “The once smooth and optimized experience is now plagued with lag, crashes, and frustrating bugs.”
- “We deserve a game that runs smoothly and delivers on its promises.”
- “The behemoths have a lot of depth and learning each encounter is very satisfying; learning how to bait out and react to specific behemoth behavior drastically improves your performance more so than an actual build does, so the real end game grind is just getting actually good, which feels very rewarding.”
- “Bad optimization, terrible FPS, lots of monster attacks are invisible until they hit you.”
- “The game's performance has nosedived so drastically that I can't even get a stable 30 FPS when I was getting 150-180 before.”
- “From PC to consoles, the game is riddled with performance issues.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the aesthetics and new visual elements, while others criticize the low resolution, performance issues, and a general decline in quality compared to previous versions. Many users note that the graphics feel inconsistent, with some aspects looking nice but overall lacking the crispness expected, especially on certain platforms.
- “Truly enjoying the aesthetics and feel of the combat.”
- “The visuals are still really nice on the eye, I like it a lot.”
- “Personally, I love this style of graphics and the music is good too.”
- “Stuff feels messy, a lot of good and very terrible ideas put together. The graphics and the low resolution on my side make me feel like I'm playing a leaked build or something.”
- “The graphics don’t look nearly as crisp as they do on my Xbox, and the deck gets really hot, but it’s definitely playable on the Steam Deck!”
- “The graphics somehow look worse, and my resolution is also locked to 1680.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been heavily criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, frame drops, and a poorly implemented update that has rendered core features non-functional. Many users describe the experience as a "buggy mess," with issues such as locked resolution and desynchronization, leading to a perception that the game feels rushed and lacks substance. Overall, both new and returning players express disappointment in the game's current state.
- “The 'awakening' update's poor implementation alone is enough to write it off as a failure (frame drops, extreme lag, new and returning bugs, and many core features broken/buggy).”
- “Overall this is a seemingly rushed and very flawed, buggy mess of an update with little to no actual substance to keep players invested, which is crazy because this has been in development for at least a full year.”
- “This game has tons and tons of bugs, desync, and glitches.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is praised for being bright, colorful, and featuring decent soundtracks that enhance the overall experience. However, some players express disappointment with the developers for locking certain content behind a paywall, which detracts from their enjoyment of the game.
- “It's bright, colorful, and has some decent soundtracks as well.”
- “I cannot recommend the game enough due to both how nice it looks and the gorgeous soundtrack.”
- “Personally, I love this style of graphics and the music is good too.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is overwhelmingly negative, with users expressing deep disappointment and heartbreak over its perceived decline from a promising title to a poorly executed product. Many feel betrayed by the changes made, leading to a strong reluctance to recommend it.
- “I don't even care about linking the epic account, but to see something that had so much promise, so much potential, and waited patiently for to be released from its epic exclusivity for 6-7 years to be gutted, ruined beyond all recognition is heartbreaking and I cannot in good conscience recommend this game.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be amusing, with players finding it entertaining, though some suggest that it may not be enough to outweigh the appeal of similar games like Monster Hunter. Overall, while the humor is appreciated, it seems to be a secondary feature rather than a standout element.
- “Hahaha, very funny! Dauntless, you got us!”
- “Long story short, it is funny, but play Monster Hunter instead.”