How to Beat the Dullahan (Before Dawn Breaks Trophy Guide)

The dullahan is a figure from Irish mythology that features in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Also known as a headless horseman, the DD2 dullahan doesn’t have a mount, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most dangerous monsters in the game.

As an undead monster, the dullahan only appears at night, and one way you can tell one is near is when an unnatural fog rolls in. Wights are another major undead monster that can appear in the night, but dullahans are the more dangerous Dragon’s Dogma 2 enemy.

Where to Find a Dullahan

Dullahans are dangerous, but they’re also rare. This makes it hard to stumble across one accidentally, especially if you avoid wandering around after dark. However, there are a couple of dullahans you can encounter relatively early in any given playthrough. Either of them will do if you’re looking to complete the “Before Dawn Breaks” achievement.

First, there’s a dullahan on the road from Vernworth to Checkpoint Rest Town, specifically on the stretch of road in the image above. All you have to do is wait until night in Vernworth, leave town from the west exit, and follow the road northwest until a fog sets in. You should see a humanoid figure glowing in the distance: this is the headless horseman.

Second, a Vernworth side quest involves fighting a dullahan, at least if you complete it fast enough. The quest in question is “Till Death Do Us Part,” which you can start after visiting the Nameless Village and listening to a rumor about Ser Ludolph from a messenger near the Stardrop Inn.

You must then visit Margit, who lives in the Watchhead’s Home (noble quarter, look for a building by the staircase with two benches out front). Her husband, Gregor, was sent by Ludolph to kill a dullahan at the Illdoers’ Resting Place, which is in the heart of the Misty Marshes northwest of Vernworth. Fighting this dullahan is easier since Gregor and his men are there to help, but if you can’t deal damage fast enough, this dullahan may retreat before you can destroy it.

As for the late-game, dangerous enemies tend to appear more often in the Unmoored World, so keep your eyes peeled for the ghostly glow of a dullahan as you’re exploring.

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How to Fight the Headless Horseman

The dullahan has a variety of attacks, dodges, and defenses that make it unpredictable and hard to damage. In fact, the dullahan is much more like a Dark Souls boss than any cyclops or griffin, and that’s a problem in a game where coming back from the dead isn’t a core mechanic. As such, be sure to bring a few Wakestones when you go dullahan hunting.

Here are some of the major attacks and strategies to keep in mind when fighting a dullahan:

• The dullahan has a high defense, and this seems to apply to both regular weapons and magical elements. Light skills like the Mage’s Empyrean will deal extra damage to dullahans since they count as undead, but it has no other weaknesses.
• The dullahan can teleport around the battlefield, and it can attack immediately after teleporting. If you see it vanish, start running.
• The dullahan has a special scream ability that causes everyone close to it to fall over. This effect isn’t sleep or unconsciousness, so those affected can quickly stand back up, but it lasts just long enough to leave you and your pawns vulnerable to the dullahan’s next attack. On the bright side, the scream also needs a couple of seconds to take effect, giving you time to run away and avoid the knockdown.
• If the dullahan catches you on the ground (either after a scream or a punishing attack), it can “grapple” a character, pulling them into the air and sucking out their life. This attack deals equal damage to the target’s health and loss gauge, so avoid it whenever possible.
• You can trip a dullahan, but doing so is unusually difficult and only forces the dullahan down to one knee. Other attacks that might let you grapple or move enemies don’t work on a dullahan.

How to Get Cursed Dullahan Bones

When defeated, dullahans can drop the unique material Cursed Dullahan Bone. You can get multiple bones from a single dullahan, but they aren’t a guaranteed drop. Another way to get the Cursed Dullahan Bone is from Folkes, a wandering trader who moves between Checkpoint Rest Town and the Ancient Battleground. He sells them for 3,000 gold each. Dullahans also provide well over 10,000 XP, and the first time you beat one you’ll get the achievement/trophy “Before Dawn Breaks.”

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Released

March 22, 2024

Genre(s)

Action RPG