So i just started this game... so confusing.

[Corinthas]

The quest logs is utter pants, you can accept as many as you like but can only have one active and marked? What on earth is this black island place? So you are kind of ushered to this camp and beyond, but wait there is another area you acces form the pier in the place you started?

[CrackeR]

Bitterblack Isle , recommended lvl 50 but can be accessed anytime by talking to the girl on the pier at night. just follow the main quest to the encampment , then after getting your pawns, come back to Cassardis and do the quests there before escorting Mercedes to Gran Soren.

[Karathrax]

Ignore the purple quest marker, IT'S A TRAP. That's high-level content meant for later.

Some tips to help out:

* Pay attention to the quests that are given to you by a person, not a noticeboard. These are the important ones. Anything that comes from a person will either explain some of the game's mechanics or some of the game's backstory/lore.
* This game will not tell you directly when you venture into areas that are over your head. You will simply die. Level up, maybe improve/replace your equipment, change your pawns-- and return to exact your revenge.
* Make sure you update your skills with your available discipline points. Don't forget to do the same for your pawn. Change your vocation if you want, certain abilities can be mix/matched as the player chooses.
* The "Kill N Things" quests from the Noticeboards are meant to tally silently in the background while you go about the Arisen's business. They get you the occasional cool reward and XP. Ths is why they don't show accurate markers on the map, as there can be multiple places where N creature can be found.
* Talk to people (you'll get a sense of who is important and who isn't). Every time the main quest completes and updates, go talk to them again. NPC dialog changes with each stage of the main quest, and if they have a green box over their heads, they're offering you a quest.

Most importantly, this game is meant to repeat, as many times as the player is willing to roll it over. NG+ does not make the content any harder-- but this allows you to pick up things you missed the first or even second time through. It's ok to play through it blind and later realize you missed things. The game's lore will be flung at you at almost the last minute, which... well, I'm not going to spoil it for you.

Bitterblack Isle is available any time you decide to set foot there. Again, there's nothing except your death that will hold you back. It's probably a good idea to wait until you've done one playthrough simply because you'll have seen enough of the game's lore for Bitterblack's separate story to both be more poignant and understandable. The deeper you go into Bitterblack, the more challenging its content will be...

[CrackeR]

I defer to Kara, a much better explanation!!!

[Bounce]

Man, that was a really good response, Karathrax. I stumbled in here for tips and that was a bunch of great ones.

[eulogy]

Wish someone would write a guide with recommended levels for zones/quests

[infernaldragon5]

Originally posted by CrackeR:

Bitterblack Isle , recommended lvl 50 but can be accessed anytime by talking to the girl on the pier at night. just follow the main quest to the encampment , then after getting your pawns, come back to Cassardis and do the quests there before escorting Mercedes to Gran Soren.

lv50 is good enough to start BBI and get past the *SPOILER* bigass beholder fight, but it isn't enough to really fight the cursed dragons in my experience unless if you spam throwblast and abuse health items and maybe wakestones, or possible torpor weapons (which IMO doesn't really feel like you are playing the game at this point). The enemies in BBI have WAAAY too high of defense.

I got to that cursed dragon fight and decided to just go into new game plus on hard mode so I can accumulate a couple more levels before trying again.

[76561198281852019]

I finished BBI in lv 50

Spoiler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCTmfpd7XSo&t=71s

[Zarakaï]

I knew BBI was a trap, I KNEW IT ! A mysterious girl showing up only during the night bringing you to a mysterious island ? No way it would be ponyland. I just ran in the opposite direction.

[zKoRpIoN]

Dragons Dogma was the maingame.

The standalone version Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen brought the Bitterblack Isle with it.

It is recomended you go there when you are LvL 50+