So, you’ve finally done it. You reached the end of Dragon's Dogma 2, ignored the shiny throne, and decided to stab yourself in the heart with the Godsbane while riding a dragon. It's a bold move. Honestly, it's the only move if you want to see what the game is actually hiding from you. This triggers the Unmoored World, a bleak, red-tinted post-game reality where the oceans have vanished and the sky looks like it’s bleeding. This is where you find the Dragon's Dogma 2 Halls of the First Dawn quest, and if you aren't prepared, you’re going to have a very bad time.
The Halls of the First Dawn isn’t just a quest. It’s a desperate evacuation effort. The game stops being an open-world adventure and turns into a race against a literal ticking clock. You’ve got a limited number of rests before the fog consumes everything. No pressure, right?
What the Halls of the First Dawn Actually Requires From You
The moment you wake up in the Unmoored World, your priorities shift. Forget gold. Forget that one side quest you left in Checkpoint Rest Town. Your only goal now is survival—not just yours, but everyone’s. The quest "Halls of the First Dawn" kicks off once you meet up with the Pathfinder and realize that the Seafloor Shrine, which just rose out of the dried-up ocean, is the only safe spot left in Gransys.
You need to convince the leaders of every major settlement to move their people to the shrine.
It sounds simple. It isn't. People are stubborn, especially when the world is ending. You’ll be visiting Vernworth, Bakbattahl, Sacred Arbor, and even the Volcanic Island Camp. Each location has its own mini-crisis you have to resolve before they’ll agree to pack their bags.
The Vernworth Evacuation: Dealing with Sven
In Vernworth, you’ll find that Brant has stepped back and young Regent Sven is trying to hold things together. You need to talk to him in his chambers. Most players expect a fight or a long fetch quest here, but it’s actually a test of your previous choices.
If you helped Sven earlier in the game—specifically with the ornate box—he’s much more receptive. You’ll need to "convince" his mother, Disa, to cooperate. You can literally just pick her up and carry her to him if you want to be efficient, or just grab her favorite box from her room. Once Sven sees her and the oxcarts are ready, Vernworth is safe. It’s one of the easier legs of the journey, but it sets the tone. The world is dying, and you're the only one with a plan.
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Why Bakbattahl is a Total Headache
Bakbattahl is a different story. The beastren are proud, and they don't exactly love the Arisen. You need to find Nadinia or Menella. Usually, Menella is near the oxcart station or the research lab. She’s overwhelmed. To get the people to leave, you have to settle a few disputes.
Basically, you’re playing referee. You’ll find citizens arguing near the entrance; you need to stay calm, maybe take a hit or two without fighting back, or find a peaceful resolution to show them that cooperation is the only way forward. If you just start swinging your sword, you're going to make things worse. Honestly, after fighting drakes and chimeras, breaking up a street fight feels a bit beneath an Arisen, but that’s the job.
The Sacred Arbor and the Stubborn Elves
This is the one that trips people up. The Elves are elitist. They love their tree, the Talos-sized Arborheart, and they aren't leaving it behind. To finish the Dragon's Dogma 2 Halls of the First Dawn requirements here, you need to speak to Taliesin.
If you’ve already done the questline involving the Glimmercoal and the Dwarven blacksmith back in Bakbattahl, this goes much faster. You need to prove that a cutting of the Arborheart can survive elsewhere. If you haven't done those quests... well, you might find yourself running back and forth while the red fog inches closer. It’s a classic RPG "did you do your homework?" moment. Don't skip the Elven quests in the mid-game, or you'll regret it here.
The Volcanic Island and Excavation Site
Down south, things are even more dire. At the Volcanic Island Camp, you’re looking for Ernesto. He wants you to rescue a couple of NPCs, Gautstafr and Cliodhna. If you’ve unlocked the Magick-Archer vocation, you already know these two. They’re the old couple living in the isolated hut.
Getting them to the camp is a bit of an escort mission, which we all love, right? Use a Ferrystone if you're feeling impatient. Once they're safe, Ernesto agrees to move.
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Then there’s the Excavation Site. This is where you started the game as a slave. Talk to Henrique. You’ll need to find a key—usually located in one of the nearby buildings—to open the gaol cells and let the laborers out. There’s a Magick Golem nearby that usually needs killing. It’s a heavy fight, but at this point in the game, your build should be deleting health bars anyway.
Managing the Red Clouds and the Timer
Here is the thing nobody tells you until it’s too late: you cannot stay in the Unmoored World forever.
Every time you sleep at an inn or a dwelling, time passes. If you sleep too much, the red fog destroys portions of the map. If a town gets swallowed by fog before you evacuate it, those NPCs are gone. Permanently.
- Priority 1: Kill the red beacon bosses first. These look like massive pillars of light hitting the ground.
- Priority 2: Only rest when your "loss gauge" (the black part of your health bar) is so bad you literally can’t survive a goblin poke.
- Priority 3: Use Allheal Elixirs. They are worth their weight in Wycrystals right now because they restore your max health without needing to rest.
If you handle the beacons quickly—there’s one in the Seafloor Shrine, one in the Vermund region, one in Battahl, and so on—you actually stop the fog from spreading. This gives you all the time in the world to finish the evacuations. If you ignore the beacons and just try to evacuate people, you’re going to lose half the map.
The Loot and the Dragon Forged
Since the water is gone, you can walk into areas that were previously off-limits. The seafloor is littered with chests containing the best armor in the game.
Visit the Dragonforged at the Seafloor Shrine. He’s no longer just a guy who upgrades your gear; he’s a vendor selling "Endgame" equipment. We are talking about weapons like the Dragon’s Dogma sword or the Heaven’s Key daggers. These cost Wyrmslife Crystals (WLC). Luckily, the Unmoored World is crawling with lesser dragons and drakes. Farm them. You’ll need hundreds of crystals to fully kit out yourself and your Main Pawn.
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Getting the True Ending
Once every leader has agreed to move to the Seafloor Shrine and you’ve dealt with all the red beacons, a final beacon will appear at the shrine itself.
Do not touch this until you are ready to finish the game.
Touching this beacon triggers the final cinematic sequence. There is no turning back. If you have unfinished business—like finding the Sphinx or maxing out a vocation—do it before you interact with that light.
Actionable Strategy for Success
If you're staring at that red sky right now and panicking, follow this exact order to ensure you don't miss anything in the Dragon's Dogma 2 Halls of the First Dawn questline:
- Immediate Combat: As soon as you can move, head to the nearest red beacon. There is usually one right near the Seafloor Shrine. Kill the boss. It’s typically a worm-like dragon entity. Target the purple glowing spots.
- The Vernworth/Bakbattahl Loop: Use your Ferrystones. You should have been hoarding them. Warp to Vernworth, talk to Sven, solve his Disa problem. Warp to Bakbattahl, find Menella, settle the three civilian disputes.
- The Arborheart Shortcut: If you can't speak Elvish, grab a pawn from the Rift with the "Woodland Wordsmith" specialization. It makes the Sacred Arbor evacuation ten times less annoying.
- The "No Rest" Rule: Try to complete at least two evacuations before your first rest. Use Wakestones if you die. Using a Wakestone is actually better than resting because it doesn't advance the world timer.
- Farm the Seafloor: Before you end the game, walk the trenches between Harve Village and the Seafloor Shrine. There are unique capes and helmets in the chests there that don't drop anywhere else.
The Unmoored World is stressful, but it’s the most rewarding part of the game. It’s where the narrative finally stops holding your hand and asks if you've actually learned how to be the Arisen. Save the people, kill the beacons, and get your gear upgraded. You’ve got a world to save, or at least, what’s left of it.