What makes the Arisen special?

[Vic]

The only thing that the main character does in the story to warrant the attention of the Dragon is that they make a stand against them. But if that was the only qualifier, then there would be hundreds more people willing who would also become Arisen in the same storyline. Instead we only see a few, if you take into account the enlistment corps and we assume that even half of them would swing their sword at the dragon, then we'd have half a corps of Arisen.

You could expect that all of those who were willing to fight the Gryphon and did so would also be willing to fight Grigori (probably).

[Greb]

I'm pretty sure the Dragon is meant to raze the land until it detects / senses an individual who has the chops to become a hero, who takes up arms to stand up against the terror instead of running from it. A guard or a soldier might do this simply because it's his duty or because he's being paid, but the Arisen did it because to them there was no other choice other than defending themselves and their loved ones, no monetary value or concept of duty / honour attached. To them it probably felt natural, no incentive needed.

Just a poor fisherman wearing simple rags deciding to grab a soldiers weapon and then charge the towering Dragon despite it being more or less a suicide mission, without any pause for self preservation, just willpower or whatever. Maybe a bit of anger in there too. Either way they managed to actually land a blow to "harm" the Dragon, such as it is, by sticking the sword in his hand. That shows promise, or drive, or whatever I guess. Dragon had found his potential mark and I dunno through some awesome power could see / sense the destiny of the player then and there and decided to make them the Arisen. It's probably the only free will the poor guy has, really.

Or perhaps he's a lazy Dragon and just wanted to get it over and done with quickly so he just Arisen'd the first non-combatant that took up arms against him and called it a day, while flipping off the Senseschal in the process?

I remember discussing this kind of topic with my friends before, actually. Namely in relation to Mercedes - she gets a terrible, terrible deal in the game and we considered that she may have even become the Arisen herself, despite already having "taken up arms" prior so her engaging the Dragon would have been nothing special or drawing out any inner strength, no doubt the Dragon would have attacked the Encampment after Cassardis and she could have possibly proved herself and had a much greater story instead of what she ended up with, lol. Just one more thing the Arisen potentially overshadows her with.

[Grr. [SG CMD] Majah Lazah]

The Arisen is set to test humanity's mettle. Literally.

Dragons are failed Arisen. Arisen that succeed choose to oversee humanity for a time and they willingly select a successor by testing, or they are overthrown by force when a new Arisen is strong enough to do so.

All those brave mans who braved the Gryphon don't have ALL the qualities needed, else they could outright kill the Gryphon without needing the Arisen. The point of three tiered Gryphon fight is a WISE and strong Arisen will end the fight the first time, or learn enough to kill the Gryphon at the trap, which is why men die at the third time... there's not supposed to be a another time.

Also to note, Grigori outright says the test is rigged, so not only do you need to be Arisen you need to be THE Arisen, an absolute icon of one or several of humanity's positive qualities. Because just having martial strength turns you into Edmun, and nobody wants that.

[Texus]

Sorry, but I just had to ask somewhere, it doesn't feels like it'S enough for it's own discussion.

Not sure what makes me think that all the time, but had this game a relationship system?, friend or romance?
Maybe it's something from a few years back, otherwise I only know that it can be hard or frustrating for some.

[Grr. [SG CMD] Majah Lazah]

There is a VERY limited relationship system both interpersonal and arisen-task-specific.

Protip: sometime doing the right thing is not always the right thing to do.

[Vic]

Originally posted by Greb:

II remember discussing this kind of topic with my friends before, actually. Namely in relation to Mercedes

She was one of the first people I thought of who would perfectly fit the bill but she got snubbed entirely throughout the game.

[JonWoo]

They need to be strong but more than anything they need the willpower and drive to see things through no matter what. Savan talks about it at the end, it's the Arisen's willpower that keeps things going. Once they start to lose the will to keep the wheel turning the dragon seeks out another to take their place. That's why I don't think Mercedes would have been an Arisen, at least not a successful one. She goes through a lot but in the end she loses heart with her duel with Julian no matter what and if you don't interfere she loses the fight so she's also not strong enough either.

[Dodowingster]

The Arisen is special due to the nature of their will. The Dragon's role is to temper the Arisen's Will so he/she will able to overcome the next hurdle. Anyone can be an Arisen but not everybody lasts as a successful one.

The dragon chose you based on the actions it saw. While everyone was running away from the dragon attack, a brave soul instead attempts to fight back, hence the dragon saw that your will have the potential to be tempered into something so strong that it can challenge the challenges in the cycle or better might even break it

Dragon's Dogma's main theme is the willpower of one's heart further proven in the Bitterblack Isle DLC. Once you understand the importance of one's will in the world of Dragon's Dogma, you will be torn apart in the Bitterblack isle seeing the fate of the Arisens there

[Guh~hey~hey~♫]

he's the player character :o

[t]

I think it has to do with the fact that the Arisen was a literal who nobody fisherman with no combat experience that instinctively picked up a sword and faced the Dragon without fleeing like everyone else around them.
Your character was likely the first person who challenged the Dragon in the current Cycle, and if you died on the journey then the Dragon would have picked someone else they deemed worthy of being the Arisen.

[Vic]

Originally posted by Guh~hey~hey~♫:

he's the player character :o

Damn I never thought of that.

[shoopy]

The Arisen has the player. To them it would probably be a gut feeling that pushes them on to do things, but it's actually you.

Sure, they could write that level of will into another character, but then that would compete with the player.

[Shun]

Grigori chose him because a smol man with a fluorescent green afro and pink skin wielding a smol sword in fisherman's garb is the most epic sight he's ever seen.

Also his name is ***** ******. Coolest ♥♥♥♥ ever.

[Lavian]

SPOILERS, obviously

As far as I understood it having played the game twice offline before going online:

The world in Dragon's Dogma works on cycles. the Arisen that successfully becomes the Seneschal is largely always the same person in the same situation in history. If they fail, the cycle will repeat exactly as it did previously, with the same setup, until one succeeds.

It's notable that the tutorial of the game has you play as Savan. The battle gauntlet he faces to reach the dragon is exactly the same gauntlet you will face to reach the dragon. When you finally reach the heart of the world through the Everfall you find that he was successful, and became the next Seneschal. Having been worn down over the many cycles he's presided over, he set up the trial to bring upon the next Arisen that will take his place. You defeat him in combat, he pulls Godsbane from his heart, and you use it to strike him down and become the next Seneschal.

The Arisen, believing he or she will end the cycle by killing themselves using Godsbane, plunges the blade into their own heart, to let the world continue onward without being overseen by a Seneschal. The Arisen was wrong. That's simply the last step in becoming the Seneschal.

If you play through the end of the game again offline in new game+, then the next Seneschal you have to fight is not Savan. It's not someone's online character. It's your previous Arisen. Having grown weary of the task, just like the Seneschal before him or her, the previous character had called upon the Arisen to take their place, and pulls Godsbane from their chest to be stuck down by the next Seneschal. Thus the cycle of Eternal Return continues.


Basically, the Arisen was specifically placed into the position and designed to be the Arisen that actually succeeds. The Dragonforged, Edmun, and so forth were simply part of the set piece conditions laid down to be part of the trials for the true Arisen.


I'm interested into seeing where Dragon's Dogma 2 takes all this.

[Dodowingster]

Originally posted by Lavian:

The Arisen, believing he or she will end the cycle by killing themselves using Godsbane, plunges the blade into their own heart, to let the world continue onward without being overseen by a Seneschal. The Arisen was wrong. That's simply the last step in becoming the Seneschal.

Actually your Arisen is the last Arisen in the game's world. The plunge to the gosbane blade is the way to end the cycle as there will be no more seneschal. Since the game didnt even prompt a quest for you to use the Godsbane Blade. Otherwise it will prompt you to use it as others before you did.

This is where Savan's will is at his limits. He doesnt have the will strong enough to end the cycle as it will lead to a world with no steward. The cycle is strongly proven in the Dark Arisen expansion when fighting the last boss of the isle. Stating that its Will is the strongest off all beings hence you see dead arisens(will not strong enough to challenge the boss) scattered everywhere. Implying that your Arisen's will is different and stronger.

In the song Eternal Return, contains major foreshadowing for what is to come to the fate of your Arisen. In conclusion, your Arisen is the first and the last Arisen to break the cycle of this world. However, implied by Bitterblack isle is that there are multiple worlds and dimensions further being proven by the Everfall as said by the pawns. So DD2 might take events elsewhere.

[Lavian]

Originally posted by Dodowingster:

Originally posted by Lavian:

The Arisen, believing he or she will end the cycle by killing themselves using Godsbane, plunges the blade into their own heart, to let the world continue onward without being overseen by a Seneschal. The Arisen was wrong. That's simply the last step in becoming the Seneschal.

Actually your Arisen is the last Arisen in the game's world. The plunge to the gosbane blade is the way to end the cycle as there will be no more seneschal. Since the game didnt even prompt a quest for you to use the Godsbane Blade. Otherwise it will prompt you to use it as others before you did.

This is where Savan's will is at his limits. He doesnt have the will strong enough to end the cycle as it will lead to a world with no steward. The cycle is strongly proven in the Dark Arisen expansion when fighting the last boss of the isle. Stating that its Will is the strongest off all beings hence you see dead arisens(will not strong enough to challenge the boss) scattered everywhere. Implying that your Arisen's will is different and stronger.

In the song Eternal Return, contains major foreshadowing for what is to come to the fate of your Arisen. In conclusion, your Arisen is the first and the last Arisen to break the cycle of this world. However, implied by Bitterblack isle is that there are multiple worlds and dimensions further being proven by the Everfall as said by the pawns. So DD2 might take events elsewhere.

The issue with this idea is the fact that, in new game+ played offline, your previous Arisen is actually the Seneschal you face at the end of the game. All of the Seneschals pull Godsbane out of their own heart, suggesting that every single one of them tried to end the cycle by plunging it into their own heart, only to find that they were destined to preside over the cycle, regardless of their desire to put an end to it.

This would also explain why it's only when the Arisen plunges Godsbane into their heart that their pawn descends to take their place in the world, completing the imprinting process. Pawns are imprinted with the behaviors and likeness of the Arisen they were created by and they follow as they travel with them (as is explained during Selene's questline). Once the Arisen has completed the task and become the Seneschal, the pawn takes their place in the world, keeping the Arisen's loved ones from mourning their loss from the world (though this doesn't work in one case).

As far as fallen Arisen are concerned: That's just to be expected. There's plenty of failed Arisen before you. You may even be one of them, should you take the Dragon's bargain, fail to defeat the Seneschal, or simply fall on your journey.