Dauntless

 PC
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 248 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 248
  2. Mixed: 50 out of 248
  3. Negative: 105 out of 248

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SQLOwns
    Apr 25, 2019
    4
    Extremely repetitive. Still has a few bugs, hopefully they are fixed if this game is ever released. Gameplay is okay, there are issues with the hit boxes which is very annoying. Especially since you can get 1 shot in later stages. They need to fix the bugs and hit boxes if they want me to give this even a mediocre score. If they want my money, well they are going to need to change MUCH more.
  2. NutZdk
    Aug 24, 2018
    4
    This game starts out really really slow, but not bad - it becomes halfway interesting around island 2 or 3 - but then just goes **** retarded when you get to island 4. Stunlocked, cant use items because of behemoth abilities, them "building" turrets 1-2 shotting you from whereever that takes a full 10-20 seconds of attacks to destroy 1 of them. Sad way to ruin a game that could have beenThis game starts out really really slow, but not bad - it becomes halfway interesting around island 2 or 3 - but then just goes **** retarded when you get to island 4. Stunlocked, cant use items because of behemoth abilities, them "building" turrets 1-2 shotting you from whereever that takes a full 10-20 seconds of attacks to destroy 1 of them. Sad way to ruin a game that could have been interesting.
    On top of that, the worlds you run around in feel empty and boring, you can pick herbs but not a single thing else - theres no way to get off an island without killing the behemoth, or alt-f4ing the game. Which again just seems stupid.
    Theres so many stupid faults here and there, but it seems like they have spent alot of time on the ingame store - so at least you can go broke quick while looking your best in bought equipment while the game is boring, broken, laggy and unbalanced.    … Expand
  3. BustyChicksFTW
    May 21, 2019
    4
    Currently fanboys are camping Metacritic and downvoting bad reviews. This is a concentrated effort from /r/dauntless/ members.

    Pros: - Free - New content is being added and is being kept somewhat relevant - Transmog are nice if you care about looks. Which some do in a 3rd person game. - Okay weapon variety combat styles - Incoming cross-platform play is pretty dope Cons: -    Currently fanboys are camping Metacritic and downvoting bad reviews. This is a concentrated effort from /r/dauntless/ members.

    Pros:
    - Free
    - New content is being added and is being kept somewhat relevant
    - Transmog are nice if you care about looks. Which some do in a 3rd person game.
    - Okay weapon variety combat styles
    - Incoming cross-platform play is pretty dope

    Cons:
    - Feels like the poor man's Monster Hunter: World: This resulted in the game being filled with kids that can't afford MH:W from Fortnite
    - UI is obviously made for consoles. The menus are humongous, your character is very close to the screen, etc.
    - Microtransactions in your face at every shop
    - Terrible graphics, terrible distance rendering on details. The game feels like a stretched out 480p YouTube video on max graphics. The depth of field is atrocious. Blurs objects 5m out. Objects are only clear 2m away in towns. My eyes hurt in town sometimes. This feels like a mobile game put on the PC.
    - Laggy servers (most likely will be fixed with time)
    - Bugs, clunky movement, attacks that don't connect well, clipped 3-4 times through the ground (it IS a Beta to be fair)
    - Easy game if you're not stun-locked to death by a behemoth ability (Island 4 - that's when I stopped playing)

    Buy MH:W. This is a rip off.    … Expand
  4. Levyathan
    May 24, 2019
    4
    actually, getting onto the game can be a pain (I'm putting it down to beta servers since that waiting list had 3,000 others on before me)
    this is an issue as the times I've attempted to play the game I'm unable to which is a bit annoying, to say the least as the game looks great but the devs haven't put up enough servers (or large enough) for the people who want to play to the beta.
  5. LuanMaxSV
    May 29, 2019
    4
    Open the game. Make your generic character. Walk to the monster. Kill him. Do this a million times. And that's it.
  6. LewXgaming
    Jun 11, 2019
    4
    The game is fairly fun to play as there is a lot of thing you can unlock whilst playing considering how many behemoths there are and each one has weapons and armour based off of them. However after playing it on Xbox every night for 1 week i have found a lot of things that are wrong with the game. The game is poorly optimised on console, the frame rate is low whilst in the social spaceThe game is fairly fun to play as there is a lot of thing you can unlock whilst playing considering how many behemoths there are and each one has weapons and armour based off of them. However after playing it on Xbox every night for 1 week i have found a lot of things that are wrong with the game. The game is poorly optimised on console, the frame rate is low whilst in the social space however it does get better once in a hunt, i had problems when trying to hold A on things. I would hold A and then it just wouldn't do anything and it would take me several attempts for it to work. Also there was not any variation in behemoth attacks they would always do the same moves and after a while you could learn what they were going to do and the game got easier and easier to complete solo. I believe this is supposed to be a team game however if you are an advanced player then you can play every hunt solo as the behemoths get predictable and repetitive. Overall i believe this is a fun game for the first few hours however it gets very repetitive and boring so that is why i give it a 4/10.… Expand
  7. SaltyFoot
    Dec 27, 2019
    4
    You have to do the same missions everytime, and its all the same; find the monster, he knocks you with a attack that almost dont have an animation, you get res, kill the monster, back to lobby, upgrade you weapon and do this all the time. The first quests are good, but after this, its just some overpowered creatures trying to kill you.
  8. no_uu
    Apr 3, 2020
    4
    Anyone remembers this game in **** boring,if you don't know it,well,don't play it.this game has some good customizations,and damn the weapons are really cool.the graphic is awesome and its well made,i really like the grapich.but its ALWAYS the same thing. 1)find bad boi 2)kill 3)repeat.it would have been nicer if it had at least pvp,but no,only monsters.
  9. Zelgadis1987
    Jan 19, 2022
    4
    I really like the art of the game, but the game play gets repetitive very very quickly. The game loop consists of getting a quest in the central hub, go to a selected planet (which is basically just some empty land with spawn points), find the monster you need, smash attacks until said monster is dead, go back to the hub and craft better weapons/armors.
    It wouldn't be a problem, IF the    I really like the art of the game, but the game play gets repetitive very very quickly. The game loop consists of getting a quest in the central hub, go to a selected planet (which is basically just some empty land with spawn points), find the monster you need, smash attacks until said monster is dead, go back to the hub and craft better weapons/armors.
    It wouldn't be a problem, IF the bosses felt like something more than health sponges, IF it rewarded skilled play instead of button smashing, IF the worlds were more entertaining to visit, IF the NPCs giving out quests felt less like floating text boxes.    … Expand
  10. psyduck86
    May 26, 2019
    3
    It's true that Dauntless is not a MHW clone, it's more 'inspired by' rather. However, on balance i feel that the mechanics are considerably more shallow, lacking the nuance and depth of MHW. To be fair MH has had the benefit of several generations worth of experience in getting it right, but regardless Dauntless's combat feels sub-par.

    Not a big fan of the visuals and the world building    It's true that Dauntless is not a MHW clone, it's more 'inspired by' rather. However, on balance i feel that the mechanics are considerably more shallow, lacking the nuance and depth of MHW. To be fair MH has had the benefit of several generations worth of experience in getting it right, but regardless Dauntless's combat feels sub-par.

    Not a big fan of the visuals and the world building either, though that's likely down to budget.

    All in all, just made me miss MHW. Also promptly uninstalled the epic launcher after.    … Expand
  11. FGM
    Sep 29, 2019
    3
    Utter crap, game managed to freeze 3 times in 30 minutes from starting it. Including me spawned in middle of the world textures. Constant disconnects, long loading times, sorry but no. Mediocre graphics.
  12. death12123
    Jun 1, 2019
    3
    Monster Hunter but way more casual with a toxic community. Terrible UI, ugly graphics and characters that look as crap as Fortnite, simple features like blocking a character or cancel matchmaking don't exist, Pay to win, Epic Games Exclusive, poor servers, poor hub, constant crashes, alt+F4 is your best friend, etc.

    Save your space and ignore this crappy game. Also played on PS4 and    Monster Hunter but way more casual with a toxic community. Terrible UI, ugly graphics and characters that look as crap as Fortnite, simple features like blocking a character or cancel matchmaking don't exist, Pay to win, Epic Games Exclusive, poor servers, poor hub, constant crashes, alt+F4 is your best friend, etc.

    Save your space and ignore this crappy game. Also played on PS4 and PC... no difference outside of Frame Rate and Graphics. Deleted them both.    … Expand
  13. MTrueno
    May 23, 2019
    3
    Pese a ser gratis, no lo recomiendo. Artísticamente es muy bonito, pero poco más bueno se puede decir. Las mecánicas son tremendamente simples, tanto, que jugar no genera ningún tipo de satisfacción. Resulta divertido las primeras horas, pero la falta de complejidad acaba aburriendo.

    Si tuviera que resumirlo en una palabra: Mediocre.
  14. Neessa
    Apr 11, 2019
    3
    Even in this state the game is still completely struck by bugs that should not be permitted, even for an open beta. Besides the content is very, very, poor.
  15. Bobveela
    May 27, 2019
    3
    I love Monster Hunter, so I had high hopes for this game since Iceborne for PC is some time away. Sadly many stupid things block the way to enjoying this game.

    Dauntless has a strong start, the first fight is pretty easy and lets you play around, and weapons have been vastly improved upon since I last played, you feel epic but don't really feel like your hand is being held. Then RIGHT    I love Monster Hunter, so I had high hopes for this game since Iceborne for PC is some time away. Sadly many stupid things block the way to enjoying this game.

    Dauntless has a strong start, the first fight is pretty easy and lets you play around, and weapons have been vastly improved upon since I last played, you feel epic but don't really feel like your hand is being held. Then RIGHT after the first mission it introduces you to the season pass, **** you don't propose to someone right after meeting them, let me get to know your first. Then comes some silly intro quests that kind of block off your road to enjoying the game, long load times (compared to how long a hunt takes), long down times going around grabbing side quests. It just gets really boring really fast, the saving grace of this game is its gameplay, everything else just falls so flat.

    If the devs see this TLDR: Cut down on downtime and load screens and focus on your gameplay, if anything that is what will make your game succeed as it truly is good. Hold off on introducing season pass too until players are commited to the game and are enjoying themselves.    … Expand
  16. Shadowmoo
    Jun 12, 2019
    3
    'Not pay2win' pay2win Monster hunter clone. The devs glossed over or outright lied about the monetization. Now with the game's lifespan expectations diminished they have walked back their promises of no pay2win and you can now buy gear mods, extra loot, or even character levels with real money.
  17. matsuwu
    Mar 8, 2020
    3
    Monster Hunter World is as close to a masterpiece you can get in modern gaming. A game where you, a tiny human and a little kitty, go on to hunt the fiercest of monsters with minimal resources. The HUD and UI are neatly crafted. Music is amazing. Characters are memorable. Monsters have personality.

    Dauntless is a game along the lines of Fortnite. Taking the concept of a popular game,    Monster Hunter World is as close to a masterpiece you can get in modern gaming. A game where you, a tiny human and a little kitty, go on to hunt the fiercest of monsters with minimal resources. The HUD and UI are neatly crafted. Music is amazing. Characters are memorable. Monsters have personality.

    Dauntless is a game along the lines of Fortnite. Taking the concept of a popular game, adding your twist to it and release it for free with minimal HUD and UI and of course, a **** battle pass. in your first hunt you fight a BEHEMOTH (not a monster don't be silly now) that was so unmemorable that i can't remember how it looked or what it did. Then you go to the hub world where you do some really awful minimalist MMO-like mission to craft gear and hunt a new monster. In Fortnite the twist was you could build and the game was third person. It was refreshing. A new take on an oversaturated genre. Now what does Dauntless do differently than Monster Hunter World? Uhhh I guess they added a healthbar for BEHEMOTHS (still not monsters) which was specifically not in Monster Hunter because it would take away the immersion.

    Monster Hunter World has beautiful well thought out areas of a memorable island.
    Dauntless has an uninteresting world that has trees and snow sometimes.

    Monster Hunter World has tens of unique memorable monsters with distinct movesets and personalities.
    Dauntless has BEHEMOTHS who are unmemorable and generic so much so that I can't remember the appearance or movesets of a single one.

    Monster Hunter World has tons of different ways to fight and deal with a monster.
    Dauntless has one way. Punch punch punch!

    Monster Hunter World has unique skill trees for all weapons and monsters.
    Dauntless has one weapon of each class for one monster.

    Monster Hunter World has interesting weapons and fluid combat.
    Dauntless is way closer to hack n' slash.

    3/10 A truly horrible game, but being free is definitely a pro and the hack n' slash combat was somewhat responsive.    … Expand
  18. Captiosus
    Dec 16, 2018
    2
    Just awful. A severely dumbed down Monster Hunter game with Fortnite stylized graphics. Forced matchmaking if you don't have a full team of your own, meaning you have zero control over the Idiot Squad who might get placed in your group. Awful hit detection, awful AI pathing, inexplicable hitching network lag when others are around... Looks and feels more like a mobile game that was portedJust awful. A severely dumbed down Monster Hunter game with Fortnite stylized graphics. Forced matchmaking if you don't have a full team of your own, meaning you have zero control over the Idiot Squad who might get placed in your group. Awful hit detection, awful AI pathing, inexplicable hitching network lag when others are around... Looks and feels more like a mobile game that was ported to PC than a game developed for PC.

    All you need to know is that "founders" have been able to play since late December 2016 and yet the devs still consider the game an open beta. Undoubtedly so they can pass the buck on simple issues by saying "it's still just a beta!". Stay away.    … Expand
  19. 223kazin
    Aug 7, 2019
    2
    A simplistic Monster Hunter. Personally this is actually a plus, as MH:W has proven to be a massive grind fest full of all the convoluted and tedious garbage you'd expect from a Japanese game. The gameplay is fluid, there's a great ratio between accuracy, reflex, and knowledge on the boss's moves. Unfortunately, all this doesn't mean anything if the people you're playing with aren't funA simplistic Monster Hunter. Personally this is actually a plus, as MH:W has proven to be a massive grind fest full of all the convoluted and tedious garbage you'd expect from a Japanese game. The gameplay is fluid, there's a great ratio between accuracy, reflex, and knowledge on the boss's moves. Unfortunately, all this doesn't mean anything if the people you're playing with aren't fun to, y'know, actually play with.

    The community and the players there-in are absolute dog crap as of this review. 3/5ths of the way through the content, your options are: Wait several minutes for a private lobby(to kill a boss that takes 2-7 minutes), have friends willing to play with you, or grind it out with a variety of console players that are almost as interested in screwing the team as they are downing the boss. Not to say PC players can't be dick bags as well, but holy crap the number of uncooperative/lazy/malicious players you'll find from the cross-platform feature is almost awe-inspiring.

    Either find 3 other friends to play this game with or just don't even install it. You're not missing out as a new player. You have 3 options in this game: Suffer through hours of grind with absolute tools for teammates, Play the beta and be way into end-game where the server-searching dumpster-fire doesn't impact you as much, or get a squad you can queue with.

    Which is sad, because this game would probably rank closer to a 7 or 8 in my book if their playerbase wasn't so insufferable to game with.

    TL;DR: A lot of words to say the game is great, but it's hampered by their players and lazy/under-staffed moderators. Much like 90% of F2P coop games. If you give it a try, don't jump the gun on paying for anything. I'd recommend giving it a good 12 hours of play(pubbing, solo, or team) before providing any sort of support for a game that's severely lacking in terms of the player-related QA department.    … Expand
  20. SJile
    May 26, 2019
    2
    This game was baffling unfun.

    Graphically, it's passable--has a Darksiders feel with an aesthetic reminiscent of Wildstar. It's not my cup of tea but I don't mind it, either. The audio levels are all out of whack, and I couldn't hear any of the voice acting, even with the sound effects and music turned down and the voices at max. Mechanically, it really gets in the way of itself.    This game was baffling unfun.

    Graphically, it's passable--has a Darksiders feel with an aesthetic reminiscent of Wildstar. It's not my cup of tea but I don't mind it, either.

    The audio levels are all out of whack, and I couldn't hear any of the voice acting, even with the sound effects and music turned down and the voices at max.

    Mechanically, it really gets in the way of itself. The movement is insufferable. The animations are uninterruptible, and combined with the high inertia, it makes for a slow, clunky, unsatisfying and just unpleasant core experience.

    If this was an MMO with tab targeting or a tactical RPG, the movement would be a negligable issue, but it's integral to the gameplay in Dauntless. It would be like making a racing game where the car physics felt bad, or a platformer where it took 3 full seconds to change directions.

    Alas, it doesn't really matter how much cool content they add if the gameplay isn't well executed at the most basic level. Definitely a skip for now.

    Maybe they'll take another crack at it post launch. I hope they do.    … Expand
  21. RiaskoFF
    Jul 27, 2019
    2
    The game is very boring. It is way to repetitive. It got boring quests (like use the weapon you didn't decide to go with thru the game to do some special attacks for 50 times (and you should queue for like 30-40 times to do it), and the thing is that you cant proceed with game's campaign with out this quest). I know the game should be repetitive and grindy, but it is the most boring grindThe game is very boring. It is way to repetitive. It got boring quests (like use the weapon you didn't decide to go with thru the game to do some special attacks for 50 times (and you should queue for like 30-40 times to do it), and the thing is that you cant proceed with game's campaign with out this quest). I know the game should be repetitive and grindy, but it is the most boring grind game i ever played.
    Art style is not very memorable, everything you remember that it is ugly, undetailed and cartoonish.    … Expand
  22. Hidanhammer
    Oct 21, 2018
    2
    This is game about side quests that u do in normal MMO... i mean u take quest from npc in town... then u go kill a monster, u loot and go back to town, u dont even travel to hunt that monster u will be teleported there... BORING.
  23. samsepiol
    Jan 12, 2019
    2
    1 point for quite nice customization and 1 point for pleasant for eyes style. Just boring.
    Attacking one mob with two animations for ten minutes? No, thank you.
  24. Rurabomber
    Jul 20, 2019
    2
    Unplayable, buggy pile of crap. Just play Monster Hunter instead. This is such a waste of time.
  25. dpowell64582
    May 22, 2019
    2
    A poor clone of MHW. They wanted to cash in on the popularity of Capcom's game, but totally failed to grasp what it is about THAT game which makes it fun. The game looks dull, there's no lock-on (a BIG part of MH's intuitive hunting), and hunter/monster attacks are all anemic, slow, and dull. There is little impact to your attacks and hunting a monster feels un-satisfying. Overall, IA poor clone of MHW. They wanted to cash in on the popularity of Capcom's game, but totally failed to grasp what it is about THAT game which makes it fun. The game looks dull, there's no lock-on (a BIG part of MH's intuitive hunting), and hunter/monster attacks are all anemic, slow, and dull. There is little impact to your attacks and hunting a monster feels un-satisfying. Overall, I cannot recommend this game in its current state. It may be free, but as we all know, some things are just worth paying for.… Expand
  26. TheLinkgirl
    Jul 14, 2023
    2
    Obviously there's some amount of effort in Dauntless, but I simply did not feel like the game had much feedback at all. Weapons felt like they went straight through monsters, as if my character was trying to slap a beast with a fist full of air. There's really no impact. When your creature hunting game fails to make the hunting part responsive, everything falls to bits.
  27. Ferawyn
    Mar 3, 2022
    2
    Crappy console grinding game, designed to milk your wallet. Dated graphics, horrible controls, monetization around every corner... Do not bother.
  28. Ashenkhar
    May 21, 2019
    1
    As a quick summary, this game is completely unplayable. Server outages, server queues, unplanned downtime.

    So far I've never been able to even log in. I got through the character creation process, but after that, crashed again. Well... it hard locked up apparently waiting for a server with nothing to do but alt-f4.

    1 star for effort. Should have done a more extensive beta.
  29. Zulke
    Dec 5, 2020
    1
    Afrer 1.5 update PHXL did a number on Dauntless.
    1. No more solo hunts, you either hard carried or get people who leech on you. Game dont respect your time.
    2 Hunting Ground is 6 man zone yet you can only bring 3 friends with you. 200 iq 3.You can spend plat to finish tasks( holefak) 4 Gutted progression system. You climb all they way to lvl 20 only to restart again. 5 What a point to    Afrer 1.5 update PHXL did a number on Dauntless.
    1. No more solo hunts, you either hard carried or get people who leech on you. Game dont respect your time.
    2 Hunting Ground is 6 man zone yet you can only bring 3 friends with you. 200 iq
    3.You can spend plat to finish tasks( holefak)
    4 Gutted progression system. You climb all they way to lvl 20 only to restart again.
    5 What a point to add events with difficulty on par with end-game mode aka trials for random group of people?????
    As right now Dauntless looks very uninteresting, feels like chore with unrewarding progression system. As a veteran player, i am very disappointed.    … Expand
  30. Lzyaf
    May 21, 2019
    1
    Honestly, as I first started the game I thought I would enjoy it. Its a monster hunter type game that might introduce new players into this genre of games. But after playing this entire game I have to say this does nothing to promote the awesomeness of this game type. From the awful hub system to the hollow feeling monster fights, you can tell this game was meant for children under the ageHonestly, as I first started the game I thought I would enjoy it. Its a monster hunter type game that might introduce new players into this genre of games. But after playing this entire game I have to say this does nothing to promote the awesomeness of this game type. From the awful hub system to the hollow feeling monster fights, you can tell this game was meant for children under the age of 8. After realizing this game has little to no content I feel completely cheated out of a quality game. I was hoping this would be similar to monster hunter but in fact its almost identical with weapons and animations. I do not recommend this game for anyone and if you really want an amazing monster hunting game that is user friendly with heart racing monster fights I seriously suggest purchasing Monster Hunter: World instead of this half baked pathetic copy of a game that is obviously just a cash grab. The only saving grace of this game this that its free, but that positive it immediately redacted by its in-game "Battle Pass" system. Complete and utter waste of a 20 min download.… Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
31
#31 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. PCMag
    Jun 30, 2020
    70
    Dauntless provides a streamlined, user-friendly alternative to Monster Hunter. Though repetitive at times, there’s no denying the game's solid and enjoyable core mechanics. The dull environments could use some work, however.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 25, 2019
    80
    There is a lot of fun in slashing the Behemoths, especially with others; the crafting is very well designed; and the game induces the familiar feeling of ‘just one more session’. [12/2019, p.81]
  3. GamesBeat
    Oct 15, 2019
    75
    I wanted very badly to love Dauntless, and for a time I think I did thanks to the fantastic combat and weapon variety. But the lack of any real storytelling makes the repetitive questing structure a glaring issue in desperate need of some TLC. If you’re looking for a new go-to F2P experience, you could do much worse — just don’t expect a world drenched teeming with lore and compelling characters.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »