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

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  1. Viole
    Jun 10, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game has potential in monster hunting genre, but lacks in delivery on so many aspects.

    In short, this game is too repetitive and unrewarding, but, it's free. It has potential though, give it enough time and polish, and maybe it'll get better.

    In details:

    Character customization is nice. No gender-locked classes, and so many options to customize.

    The game is built in the graphic style similar to Fortnite, but it seems lacking in performance optimization. Some users are struggling to get a stable 60 fps in the town. And in the actual hunt, the fps can spike to around 30-40 fps.

    This game is somewhat pretty, the town looks pretty, character design is good, armor and weapons look nice, but it is disappointing that it is feel so empty, even in hunt or in town. There is only a handful of NPC that you can interact in town, and they communicate with text rather than voice mostly.

    Though hunting behemoth feels nice at first, but it wear down quickly from exciting to repetitively boring in a flash. There are no other enemies or minions present in the map where you hunt the behemoth. It's just your squad and a single behemoth, except those summoned by some behemoth. Or in short, you go to a map, kill a behemoth, rinse and repeat, no minions, no obstacle, no in-hunt story. At first few hours of gameplay, it is exciting to see new behemoth, new area, using new weapons, crafting new armor, but the repetitiveness and lack of variation in the hunt, makes each hunt feels more and more boring.

    After those hours you put in hunting the same behemoth to get it's part, the reward from your grind is not too satisfying. Every armor (at least so far in my gameplay) has the same amount of defense rating at first level when you crafted it. It doesn't make sense, that the armor crafted from the very first behemoth you slay, has the same defense rating of a behemoth that took your squads almost half an hour to slay. There's no reward in crafting other armor rather and it the embedded armor skill in each piece, which turns out you can just use some armor and embed it with cells - in short, an item with a skill to embed in your armor or weapon - to get the skills you wanted. Same goes for weapon, a basic weapon crafted from your very first behemoth has the same damage rating as the weapon crafted from the behemoth that can one shot you and your squad. And even though you upgrade those armor and weapons to its very limit, nothing changed except for the resistance rating; no visual improvement to tell you that this armor is maxed out, just a bunch of numbers telling you this is stronger and this is not.

    Behemoth variance in this game is also small. There is only around 14 original behemoth and another 14 variance with difference in color, damage and a few move sets. This is somewhat so little, considering there is no other entities to fight in the hunt rather than the behemoth itself.

    This game will probably be improving, given the developer is currently active in checking for issues surrounding the game, but I think it'll need months, maybe years to improve to a more fun, challenging and rewarding.    … Expand
  2. Austin12157
    Sep 18, 2019
    6
    This game isn't bad. People give it crap because micro transactions but when a game is free like Warframe I not only am ok with it, I'll reward the company with money if I think they deserve it. Controls need a little fine tuning but the game is decent. Prefer the visuals to mhw. Never liked the native vibe.

    That being said the microtransactions are not pay to win in any form. you get a    This game isn't bad. People give it crap because micro transactions but when a game is free like Warframe I not only am ok with it, I'll reward the company with money if I think they deserve it. Controls need a little fine tuning but the game is decent. Prefer the visuals to mhw. Never liked the native vibe.

    That being said the microtransactions are not pay to win in any form. you get a little extra drop from monsters if you pay the battle pass but thats it, everything else is cosmetics.

    All things considered if this game had come out between monster hunter titles as apposed to going head to head with monster hunter people would be a lot more positive than they are now. if you want to do a hunter like game with out droping sixty bucks give this one a try.    … Expand
  3. AuroraSolaris
    May 22, 2019
    5
    Recent PC release gives me opportunity to play a free Monster Hunter game with Fortnite graphical style... what can go wrong, right? Well actually pretty much everything. Game is not bad by any means, but it is pretty much unpolished and lack at everything. Yes, I did not reach "end game", but I see no reason to force myself if game is not good or rewarding enough.
    Biggest dissapointment    Recent PC release gives me opportunity to play a free Monster Hunter game with Fortnite graphical style... what can go wrong, right? Well actually pretty much everything. Game is not bad by any means, but it is pretty much unpolished and lack at everything. Yes, I did not reach "end game", but I see no reason to force myself if game is not good or rewarding enough.
    Biggest dissapointment is a crapton of monetisation. In main city you will encounter more premium shops than actual NPC. LIke really, there is couple of spots where you can spent your money and few spots where you can open your lovely lootboxes.
    But let's say a word about gameplay itself. It is kinda dumbed down version of any game where you fighting bosses. You have few weapon options, later on you can upgrade them to boost their stats. And that's basically it. Then you go on a mission looking for a boss (kinda similar, and again: dumbed down, version of Evolve hunting) and then you beat it with 2 buttons to death. Biggest issue with controls is COMPLETLY CRAPPY CAMERA. Who the hell did not include aim lock in this type of game? I understand, it is PC realease, but game is very playable on gamepad and lack of lock-on-target is undefendable. You only have button to turn camera once, for more hectic fights where boss jumping around, this is not enough.
    And this is much it. It works nice, looks nice (if you like Fortnite), customisation is mediocre, but manageable. Plot... exists. It is as plain and boring as it can be, and pretty they could just throw you right into action without a single line of dialogue and everything could be same. Biggest pros. of Dauntless is being F2P. If you don't mind spending money, there are much, much better choices out there, with more content, replayability and much less repetiveness. Monster Hunter World is an obvious choice, but pretty much any "boss-fighers" done combat, camera and overall everything better. Witcher 3 on highest difficultes can change most battles into more polished version of Dauntless. There are also Souls games, or even Final Fantasy XV.

    My recommendation: try it by yourself, it is free. Game is as much mediocre as it can be. There is literally nothing exceptional here. Every aspect of of this game you can find elsewhere, with more polish.    … Expand
  4. RadLad
    May 21, 2019
    5
    It had me for the Intro and first few hunts, then I realized that this game doesn't offer anything but microtransactions and bare gameplay (nothing new I haven't seen in previous MMOs). The style and armors etc are pretty cool, but that's about it.

    What really disappointed me most was the fluidity of battling. Jumping and attacking feels really rigid and the mapping is off and odd.
  5. Obama-chan
    May 31, 2019
    5
    The game has potential but it falls flat when compared to Monster Hunter World. As a free to play it's okay, in-game store shows up too much in my opinion. If you have 60 bucks to drop or whatever price Monster Hunter World goes on during sales just get that and you'll have a better experience.

    P.S the holding interact button in the game is just terrible. Half the time it doesn't work    The game has potential but it falls flat when compared to Monster Hunter World. As a free to play it's okay, in-game store shows up too much in my opinion. If you have 60 bucks to drop or whatever price Monster Hunter World goes on during sales just get that and you'll have a better experience.

    P.S the holding interact button in the game is just terrible. Half the time it doesn't work when mining or even sometimes when talking to NPCs.    … Expand
  6. XDashRipRockX
    May 21, 2019
    7
    Fun!

    Crashes tho still upon changing resolution.

    That aside the game is Very Very Fun!!!
  7. thefakepierre
    May 27, 2019
    7
    At it current state it is a fun game. There are still a lot of improvements left but its still fun.
  8. pmant
    May 16, 2019
    7
    Nice game. Compelling in the begining, only time will show what wiil the end game look like. If you like hunting and grinding bosses, without the fuzz of trash killing this game might give you some hours of nice gaming. Personally I liked the combat mechanics that felt like something between arcade and true action combat. I would like and I hope for more player synergies in the future, beNice game. Compelling in the begining, only time will show what wiil the end game look like. If you like hunting and grinding bosses, without the fuzz of trash killing this game might give you some hours of nice gaming. Personally I liked the combat mechanics that felt like something between arcade and true action combat. I would like and I hope for more player synergies in the future, be it in the form of buffs, synergetic debuffs, combinational attacks etc.In general I feel that it will keep me engaged for several hours and feels even better and more fun when playing with friends. Down side is the micro transactions part, but it is a free to play game after all. Expect heavy grind unless you pay real currency. Apart from that, thumbs up, give it a try !… Expand
  9. GoldfingerXL
    May 27, 2019
    7
    I have played the game for about 10 hours. During my playtime I have hunted around 20 monsters and collected multiple armour sets and weapons. I have played solo and with random players. I am using a PS4 controller.

    So far, my experiences with the game have been good. Apart from some minor bugs (mostly visual glitches) the game runs smoothly at 60 fps on my pc. I like those cartoony    I have played the game for about 10 hours. During my playtime I have hunted around 20 monsters and collected multiple armour sets and weapons. I have played solo and with random players. I am using a PS4 controller.

    So far, my experiences with the game have been good. Apart from some minor bugs (mostly visual glitches) the game runs smoothly at 60 fps on my pc. I like those cartoony graphics, but I guess it's not for everyone. At the moment, the grind for armour and weapons is still fun to me, since all armour sets look very stylish and the weapons play differently. You can create different gear sets according to how you want to tackle the different monsters and min-maxing elemental damage is a big factor in preparing for the hunts. It's actually quite fun and engaging. Also, all the monsters I hunted looked cool and had interesting abilities. A very big positive for me is the possibility of crossplaying with PS4 and XBOX. Although I haven't played with friends yet, they only own consoles and it is nice that the platform of choice is not a limitation for playing together.

    Unfortunately, the sound effects are pretty basic and not do not build up any atmosphere. The central hub is also pretty void of life and apart from your basic crafting stations there is not much to do or see. Combat can be clunky and getting stunlocked is an issue sometimes, but wer never bothersome to me. Since this is F2P, there are obviously microtransactions within the game which the developers are trying to push. In the hub you will see a lot of references to the shop. Items are mostly cosmetic, but there are some pay to win ones as well. I have no intention of buying any of these, so it doesn't bother me that much, but I did notice the steep prices for the items on display. In my opinion, €5 for a weapon skin and €10 for an intro seem overpriced. There is also a battlepass, but the rewards did not really appeal to me.

    Some small issues aside, I think that Dauntless is a solid game that is worth checking out.    … Expand
  10. Oni_nomad
    Jun 1, 2019
    7
    With the previous issues and lack of trading system I give dauntless 7 out of 10 over all it is a fun game to play and in the future I hope to see plenty more content to come the dev team have been working frantically and listening to the community and keeping us up to date daily with sate of game updates but it lacks a few key features to revive a 10/10 but as stated its a good monsterWith the previous issues and lack of trading system I give dauntless 7 out of 10 over all it is a fun game to play and in the future I hope to see plenty more content to come the dev team have been working frantically and listening to the community and keeping us up to date daily with sate of game updates but it lacks a few key features to revive a 10/10 but as stated its a good monster hunter like the monsters monster designs are fun but lack much variation on the higher threat levels I hope the devs add new interesting monsters and features in the near future I will re review then and possibly be able to give it that deserved 10… Expand
  11. italoipo
    Jun 4, 2019
    7
    I gotta say..didn't expect to enjoy it as monster hunter fanboy. But love it, its a nice pass time until iceborn. Its faster and more casual, perfect for some quick hunts. But you almost have to buy the hunt pass or its a really grindy exp. a bit later in the game. But its cheap and you get a good polished game
  12. nusco
    Aug 1, 2020
    5
    I always felt that the free to play model is poisonous. A game can be good on paper, but as soon as you add FTP dynamics to it, it starts morphing into a boring grindfest. If I ever need a case study to prove this theory, Dauntless is an excellent one.

    As far as FTPs go, Dauntless passes for a generous game. You don't necessarily have to fork out money to progress, and the game doesn't    I always felt that the free to play model is poisonous. A game can be good on paper, but as soon as you add FTP dynamics to it, it starts morphing into a boring grindfest. If I ever need a case study to prove this theory, Dauntless is an excellent one.

    As far as FTPs go, Dauntless passes for a generous game. You don't necessarily have to fork out money to progress, and the game doesn't pester you with nag screen to convince you to pay. Aside from that, however, Dauntless isn't afraid to use every trick in the old FTP book, including one of the most obnoxious: a crafting system based on loot boxes, and crippled by artificial waits that can be skipped by paying real money.

    When you start exploring Dauntless, and after you get over the slightly ugly graphics, you're overwhelmed. There are so many systems, ticking all the boxes of its business model: armor upgrades, weapon upgrades, ability upgrades, a skill tree, multiple types of consumables, weapon modifiers, loot boxes, paid cosmetics… the works. On the surface, Dauntless is a very complicated game. Remove all the grindwork, however, and you're left with a game loop so minimal, it feels skeletal: together with three other players, you beat up a large hitpoint sponge of a creature until either the creature or your team dies. In that respect, Dauntless feels like a complete reskinning of "Super Kirby Clash", an equally uninspired and boring FTP game. Sure, you want to move on and unlock the next weapon… but you never have joy while doing so. It's just a mirthless exercise in repetition.

    Dauntless gives you a dozen different ways to grind. The result is a longer, more boring grind.    … Expand
  13. zNeverSleeping
    Jun 23, 2019
    5
    - Graficos: 6
    - Jogabilidade: 6
    - Historia: 5
    - Direção: 5
    - Trilha Sonora: 5
    - Densempenho (RTX 2060 + Ryzen 1600): Vsync On

    Comentario: A gameplay é chata e os monstros não são atraentes.
  14. ArcanaThe4th
    Aug 23, 2019
    5
    I can't honestly say that this game is a bad one. For all effects, it's put together, the systems work, but there's also nothing remarkable abut it. The art style is just ok, the gameplay is just ok, the story is window dressing. I'll admit I haven't gotten very far, but it's attempt at emulating Monster Hunter left and right doesn't sit well with me either. I feel like this game wants toI can't honestly say that this game is a bad one. For all effects, it's put together, the systems work, but there's also nothing remarkable abut it. The art style is just ok, the gameplay is just ok, the story is window dressing. I'll admit I haven't gotten very far, but it's attempt at emulating Monster Hunter left and right doesn't sit well with me either. I feel like this game wants to have a personality, but struggles to find anything it thrives on.

    Also, the matchmaking takes a long time and I feel like this game won't be fun as long as I can't convince my friends to play.

    If you have the cash, just buy a Monster Hunter game.    … Expand
  15. Kyshara
    Jun 2, 2019
    5
    It's an amazing game. No hp bar and having to hunt the monsters make it very satisfying.

    At the moment it's a single outpost from which you hunt single behemoth but there's so much scope for towns and cities being beseiged by packs in future.
  16. newa
    Jun 5, 2019
    6
    This game feels and plays like it was a 10/10 game that was delivered half done. Plenty of bugs, if you consider them all this is not actually a stable game, played it on 2 PCs and a PS4, it runs badly on the PS4. Very repetitive content (I'm okay with this), quite fun to play. It's one of the most beautiful games I've played. I hope in the next few months they polish the game to an extentThis game feels and plays like it was a 10/10 game that was delivered half done. Plenty of bugs, if you consider them all this is not actually a stable game, played it on 2 PCs and a PS4, it runs badly on the PS4. Very repetitive content (I'm okay with this), quite fun to play. It's one of the most beautiful games I've played. I hope in the next few months they polish the game to an extent where the bugs don't ruin it and it actually becomes an 8 or 9 out of 10.… Expand
  17. PanMrkvicka
    May 9, 2020
    5
    its not utter **** as people say but yeah its repetitive and grindy the late game bosses are pretty interesting with variety of moves but to get there is not that fun.
  18. Sammichmachine
    Dec 25, 2020
    7
    Its free which is awesome

    it has a lot of content you can reach for this price as well It is very buggy, it gets new bugs with every update The good news the updates are regular but they come off thoughtless. Very little consideration as to how their changes affect game play at all. If you invest in the wrong things early on in your game you are gonna have to grind and im not    Its free which is awesome

    it has a lot of content you can reach for this price as well

    It is very buggy, it gets new bugs with every update

    The good news the updates are regular but they come off thoughtless. Very little consideration as to how their changes affect game play at all.

    If you invest in the wrong things early on in your game you are gonna have to grind and im not talking a little grind. what i mean by this is, if you believe, for example, axe to be your favorite but later down try chain blades and discover that's something you wanna do, you are SOL on all your axe investment.

    There is a lot content the relies on other players not being garbo, which is normal for a game. However there is little to no reward for actually being good in the game. Couple of non rewards (that is to say cosmetics that mean nothing)

    Their micro transactions feel fair, have a lot of good sales and don't effect game/skill of anyone. But as we all know fashion is Bis so its up to you if you invest or not.

    overall i would say the theme of this game is potential. It could potentially be your go to evening game, but there are so many little things that are turn offs that its a more likes a once in a while game. Its worth popping into once in a while and seeing whats going on.    … Expand
  19. TKPTAZ
    Apr 9, 2022
    6
    This game not bad but
    It still trash stupid class, weak like my sh*t , only few a classes are good, balance too bad
  20. zazollo
    Feb 10, 2023
    6
    Playing this on PS5 has none of the bug issues it apparently has on other consoles, which is good. The free-to-play model is pretty cancerous as it always is, but I do feel like Dauntless is not AS bad about it as many other similar games... it is completely possible to play it and have fun with it for free. I like the idea, basically Monster Hunter stylized like Fortnite. And I reallyPlaying this on PS5 has none of the bug issues it apparently has on other consoles, which is good. The free-to-play model is pretty cancerous as it always is, but I do feel like Dauntless is not AS bad about it as many other similar games... it is completely possible to play it and have fun with it for free. I like the idea, basically Monster Hunter stylized like Fortnite. And I really like the enemy designs. But the combat gets repetitive quickly, it just lacks that extra umph that makes really grindy games (like Monster Hunter) tolerable. I played this for about 2 weeks most games I will play for months if not years.

    It's not a bad game, it's just not an especially great one either.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
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