Dragon's Dogma 2: How to Complete Claw Them Into Shape Quest

This article is part of a directory: Dragon's Dogma 2 Guide Hub - Quests, Vocations, Pawns, Equipment, & More

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One of the first tutorials you get from Dragon's Dogma 2 mentions that NPCs have schedules and will go do different things during day and night. A good example of an early-game NPC who follows this schedule is Beren, the combat instructor of Borderwatch Outpost.

While Beren spends his days in the outpost training his charges, at night he heads to a remote location to enjoy some solitude. If you can catch him when he's on his own, you can start the Claw Them Into Shape quest with Beren that ends with some very useful rewards for early Dragon's Dogma 2.

Main NPC for the Vocation Frustration quest in Dragon's Dogma 2

Dragon's Dogma 2: Vocation Frustration Walkthrough (Archistaff & Greatsword Locations)

The Vocation Frustration quest is the only thing keeping players from the Warrior and Sorcerer classes in Dragon's Dogma 2. Here's how to complete it.

Where to Find Beren at Night In Dragon's Dogma 2

During the day, Beren is in the training grounds of Borderwatch Outpost. However, he's too busy with his job to speak to the Arisen. To start "Claw Them Into Shape," you'll need to visit the location at the center of the above map. To reach it, head west from the Outpost to the campfire, go north across the stone bridge, and then turn right and cross the Moonglow Garden. Beren's tent is on the rise past the glowing flowers.

Once you speak with Beren, he'll complain about the condition of the soldiers at the Outpost. He wants new weapons for them to use and a fresh recruit who's ready to learn and grow. Now that you've started the quest, you can speak with him at any time when you're ready to continue.

Where to Get Swords for Beren

Gathering the swords for Beren is the easiest part of "Claw Them Into Shape." All you have to do is find or purchase any three swords in the game. The starting swords from the Borderwatch Outpost shop are good enough, and three of them together only cost around 4,000 gold.

Where to Find Beren's Recruit

The recruit Beren wants is a little tougher to find, mostly because he's in the capital city of Vernworth rather than nearby Melve. To reach Vernworth, you'll need to complete the main quests "In Dragon's Wake" and "One-Eyed Interloper."

While in Vernworth, a young man will approach you and mention that he saw you fighting a cyclops. He'll mention that he's looking for a good instructor, and if "Claw Them Into Shape" is active, you can tell him about Beren. The player location on the map below is around where you can find Humphrey:

How to Beat Beren in a Duel

When you return to Beren with the good news, he'll ask the Arisen to fight him one-on-one in a friendly duel. You don't get to choose whether you want to accept, but you also don't gain or lose anything whether you win or not. If you meet Beren at night, time will pass and the duel will begin at first light.

The goal of the fight is to knock the enemy out of the ring. In fact, if you try to reduce Beren's health to zero, he'll stop the duel and get mad at you for taking the wrong approach.

Your best bet is to use an ability or spell that can knock enemies back. If you don't have an ability like this handy, you can wait for Beren to stagger after using a powerful ability, pick him up, and throw him out of the ring. However, you should keep your distance until then, because Beren will use a swinging sword ability that can hit anyone nearby and throw them dozens of feet away.

After the duel ends (no matter who wins), a soldier will run up to Beren and ask for help with a goblin attack near a wooden bridge. You may have to fight through a few random monster groups, but you'll eventually come across the survivors of the attack: the goblins were no problem, but a cyclops appeared and attacked the soldiers. Beren will then tell the Arisen that he expects to be fired, since as a beastren he gets blamed when things go wrong. This ends the quest, but not Beren's story.

Beren's Final Lesson

After "Claw Them Into Shape" ends, wait two days and then head back to the Moonglow Garden at night. You'll find Beren here, along with a few of his formal pupils. He'll say his goodbyes with you, but then the cyclops that attacked the soldiers will appear and interrupt the farewell. The cyclops is at full health (unlike the one in "One-Eyed Interloper"), but Beren and his pupils are here to provide support. With all their help and a full party of pawns, you shouldn't have too much trouble bringing the monster down.

To complete "Beren's Final Lesson," you'll need to wait one more day, then look for Beren by his tent past the garden. Beren will thank you for everything you've done and give you Lifetaker (a greatsword), 4,500 gold, and 1,600 xp. He'll also mention that he's headed for the checkpoint rest town in Battahl. If you can find him there, you'll discover that he's become a master trainer for the Warrior vocation.