Dragon's Dogma 2 Monster Culling quest guide

Near the beginning of your journey through Dragon's Dogma 2 you receive the Monster Culling quest, pitting you against groups of deadly monsters around the vicinity of Vernworth.

At the behest of Captain Brant, to begin seeding the idea that you are the true Arisen, you must prove your prowess on the battlefield by aiding soldiers scattered around the continent against various creatures.

First, you need to defeat the goblins at Trevo Mine to the northwest of Vernworth, then the saurians in Harve Village to the west, then help with a delivery over on Vermund’s eastern edge.

Monster Culling in Trevo Mine

Make your way to Trevo Mine, which is easily accessible via main roads to the left of Vernworth. If you’re still rocking the original pawns you met back at the start of the game, now’s a great time to wish them well and upgrade to someone closer to your new power level.

Once you reach Trevo Mine, hopefully without too much misadventure along the way, you find a group of goblins and wolves waiting for you at the entrance.

Defeat them, then proceed into the cave mouth, igniting your lantern so it’s not completely pitch black inside. The goblins begin to appear pretty quickly, so don’t get surprised in this enclosed space. Pick them off one-by-one until you reach a more open chamber.

The right-hand fork eventually leads to a room with a gilded treasure chest, inside I found a greatsword that unlocks the Warrior vocation. To the right of the chest is a door, go through it.

Continue along this path and you will reach a rickety bridge. On the other side you find the knights you've been dispatched to help, so jump in and help them. However, be very careful on the destructible bridge, you don’t want to find out whether you can survive the fall or not.

After the battle, speak to the knight Alex. He thanks you for the assistance and lets you loot the area by way of reward. Rustle through the nearby chest, then take your leave, heading south towards Harve Village.

Alternatively, you can also go back through Trevo Mine and explore the numerous side paths you walked past. You can find lots of treasure chests and grab XP from fighting more goblins, so it’s worth the effort unless you’re very tired or injured. It was in these chests that I got the drop for the archistaff for the sorcerer vocation.

Monster Culling in Harve Village

The road to Harve Village will likely be a difficult one, either taking you past a Griphon to the south of Trevo Mine, or past an Ogre if you wander through Rivage Cavern. Either way, you need to get used to scraping through these almighty tests, so take whichever route serves you quickest to your next destination.

At the entrance to the village a cutscene will play. Explore the village and you will find your quest marker underneath the old lighthouse to the south. Speak to Dylan about the scaly water beasts and he will tell you about the force of soldiers that went into the cavern next to him.

Enter the cave and keep your wits about you as you did the Goblins. Inside Stormwind Cave you hear the shouts of Thurston, who needs help dealing with the Saurians. Defeat them, then follow the knight further into the cave to save his comrades. Continue down the path until you reach a larger chamber and you will find Hollis, the leader of the soldiers, fighting in a battle to the death. Step in and turn the tide, then speak to him for a reward of a hefty sum of gold.

He then asks for your help reaching the entrance to the cave. As with Trevo Mine, there are myriad nooks and side passages to explore for loot before you leave.

When you do reach the cave mouth once more, talk to Dylan and tell him of your deeds. With thanks, set off for your last destination. But before you do, you’ll be approached by Fyoran and asked to help with reclaiming the whole village. Defeat the three Saurians and speak to Fyoran again. Give the villagers a few days to rebuild, then return for your reward. Hopefully this will also coincide with the Readvent of Calamity quest for you as well.

Monster Culling in eastern Vermund

Now, it’s probably time to return to the city of Vernworth to resupply, sell some loot and stash some gear - it’s on the way back over to the eastern side of the area, of course.

Either take the shoelace express all the way back to the capital before striking out east. When you reach the quest marker, cross the bridge and you find a battle underway. Jump in to help and protect the shipment from the onrushing goblin raiding party.

It’s the easiest fight you’ve faced so far, so once it’s done, speak to Haymish before returning to Captain Brant.

Back at the pub in Vernworth, chat with Captain Brant as he leans on his quiet table away from the bar. He gives you a ton of XP, Gold and a new cloak for your efforts.

Now that you've completed one of your first quests for Captain Brant, it's time to move onto either The Caged Magistrate, The Nameless Village to find more about the False Sovran, or The Stolen Throne to confront them yourself!