Dragon's Dogma 2: How to Get Past Northern Vermund Checkpoint Gate

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

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Like many other open-world games, Dragon's Dogma 2 begins by locking you in a corner of the big map. This is so new players don't get overwhelmed or wander off in a dangerous direction before they understand the basics.

For Dragon's Dogma 2, this "lock" is the Northern Vermund Checkpoint Gate. Or that's the obvious lock, at least. The game also features a second "lock," which is the dead griffin next to where you land. To make both of them go away, all you have to do is complete the first couple of Dragon's Dogma 2 main quests.

How to Complete Tale's Beginning and In Dragon's Wake

After the griffin lands and your companion, Rook, falls into the water, you'll need to head downhill to the Borderwatch Outpost. Once there, follow the "Tale's Beginning" quest to learn how to fight, how to summon your pawn, and how to rest and recover your health. Once you're ready, the game will tell you to head to the nearest town, Melve.

Follow the quest marker to reach the town. Specifically, walk to the well in the ruined area to see a cutscene that explains how your protagonist became the Arisen. After that, you'll wake up in Ulrika's home, and some guards from the capital city will appear at the door and demand you go with them. Before leaving, you'll need to speak to Lennart to learn about the four basic vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2. However, you can exit the conversation without listening to anything he says and continue the quest.

The guards will stand by the entrance to Melve and demand you go with them whenever you get close. Once you do so, you'll need to follow them to the Northern Vermund Checkpoint Gate where they tell the guard to open the gate and let you through. The quest continues as you follow the guards to a rockfall and fight a wounded cyclops, but the Checkpoint Gate will remain open for the rest of the game.

The Griffin and the Waterfall Cave

There's also a second way into the Borderwatch Outpost/Melve region. It's called the Waterfall Cave, and it's one of the biggest cave systems in the early game. The north entrance to the cave is by the Ultramarine Waterfall marker, and the south entrance is straight east from the Borderland Campground and Riftstone of the Kindhearted.

Before you finish the "In Dragon's Wake" quest, the entrance to this cave is blocked by the body of the griffin you rode in on. After the quest, someone clears away the body, so you can explore this cave from either entrance. Be careful when exploring, because the cave is full of monsters and features a chimera and a wight that are both deadly if you haven't reached level 10.