In Dragon’s Dogma, Off With Its Head is a story quest activated after the fight against the hydra, in the northern Encampment.
The quest is called A Rude Awakening, and Off With Its Head is automatically triggered after we take out one of the monsters heads.
The quest-giver is Mercedes, who asks us to accompany her to the Capital.
Objective
“Under Mercedes command, you set off across the mountains for the capital of Gran Soren, to present the hydras head to the duke.”
Details
“Make for the waycastle and rendezvous with Ser Mercedes.”
Walkthrough
We begin our journey, following the road north from the Encampment (Manamia Trail), after we make the necessary preparations. Our goal is to reach Mercedes who can be found near the pass through the mountains.
The road ahead is guarded by bandits and wolves, but if our party is well equipped, they wont stand a chance.
Note: At this point, our party contains three pawns and the main hero. Since our character is a fighter, we focused on enlisting a healer, a ranged character (archer) as well as another melee unit. All pawns have fully upgraded armors and weapons.
If our heroes are not well equipped, we should start the journey during the day, and stick to the main road, to avoid as many attackers as we can.
As soon as we reach the gates of the Waycastle, we see Mercedes and talk to her. The gate behind her opens and our next task is revealed.
We have to protect the cart that carries the hydras head, all the way to the capital. There is only one road to the capital, but multiple enemies lurk around, including goblins, and harpies.
Note: Since the cart wont stop, and it must reach the capital at all costs, we make sure we clear the path, by moving ahead of it.
Combat Tip: We already know that goblins are weak against fire, and that a harpy wont take too much damage while flying. Because of this, the flying monster must be downed first, with a normal attack.
As we continue through the pass, several boulders will fall and we avoid them by standing near one of the mountains walls. Eventually, we reach a gate that blocks the road. We pull the green lever to open the gate and kill all goblins behind it.
During the second port of the journey, we stay close to the cart, because we will encounter a new type of enemy, similar to zombies. Unlike the bandits and wolves we have encountered so far, the undead are strong creatures.
Combat Tip: Their weak point is the speed. Even if they are strong, they can be deceived by moving around. When we get behind an undead we land a series of special attacks to kill it faster.
After we reach the gates of the Capital, we talk to the soldiers at the entrance and Ser Mercedes vows for us. After a short cutscene we are free to explore the Capital (Gran Soren), where we trigger a new story-quest, named A Matter of Myrmidons.
