Dragon’s Dogma 2 Medusa Head: How to Get the Preserved Head
Medusa is a formidable foe in Dragon’s Dogma 2, offering valuable loot and achievements upon defeat. Finding her lair isn’t tied to a specific quest, so you might stumble upon her even without actively searching. While battling the gorgon is a challenge, securing a Preserved Head is an even greater accomplishment. Careless attacks can result in a simple severed head. This guide details how to acquire the highly sought-after Preserved Medusa Head.
Medusa Location
Medusa resides in the Wyrmblood Forest, southwest of Bakbattahl. Her lair, the Nera’Battahl Windrift, also known as the Caliginous Depths, is one of the initial cave systems you’ll uncover upon entering the area. While you can find her without accepting “A Case of Sculptor’s Block,” doing the quest yields worthwhile rewards and provides context.
To initiate the quest, locate Klark in the Noble Quarters of Vernworth. He’s typically found around his residence. Upon meeting him, he’ll task you with finding a sculptor in Battahl.
In Battahl, find Fulvio, who will engage in a brief dialogue, eventually requesting your assistance in battling a Griffin. He implies, but doesn’t explicitly instruct, the need for petrification, suggesting that using a Medusa Head will aid his work. While completing the quest is possible without it, acquiring a Medusa Head beforehand simplifies the process greatly.
How to Get the Preserved Medusa Head
Although defeating Medusa isn’t overly difficult for experienced players, obtaining a Preserved Head requires a specific approach. The item’s pristine condition relies on meeting precise criteria during the fight. Here’s the necessary process:
- Focus your attacks on Medusa’s head using sharp weapons until it detaches.
- Ensure the head is severed before Medusa loses her final health bar segment.
Meeting these prerequisites ensures a Preserved Medusa Head. While seemingly straightforward, several factors can inadvertently damage the gorgon. Therefore, a focused strategy that targets the head and neck, dealing minimal overall harm, is critical.
Detaching the Head
Severing Medusa’s head can be achieved in two ways. The common method involves scaling Medusa and directly attacking the head with slashing weapons until it’s separated. However, this drains stamina quickly, often requiring multiple attempts. Alternatively, inducing sleep with Sedative Bolts from a bow can provide an uninterrupted attack window. This removes the stamina constraint, providing an opportunity to inflict severing damage more easily.
Ensure Minimal Damage
Controlling damage output is crucial for obtaining a Preserved Head. Your chosen vocation and weapons significantly affect damage per second (DPS). Ideally, you want to inflict enough damage to sever the head without depleting Medusa’s entire health bar.
Lightning-aligned weaponry can expedite head severing, so consider equipping such a weapon before entering the cavern. The Ring of Derision, acquired from the Sphinx riddles, further assists by minimizing damage output, letting you attack Medusa with lowered risk. Consider using Thief daggers. The thief vocation enables a higher hit rate, along with low-rank weapons that further minimize overall damage output. Given the bow and dagger focus, the Thief or Magic Archer vocation become suitable choices. Minimize your pawn involvement to prevent undesired damage.
Other Tactics in Fighting Medusa
Medusa’s primary threat is her petrifying gaze. Direct exposure will lead to petrification, leaving you vulnerable to attacks. Climbing onto her back minimizes exposure to her gaze. Alternatively, if using a bow, utilize the cave’s pillars for cover, breaking her line of sight. Consider using items that increase resistance to petrification to enhance survivability.
Looting the Body
After successfully defeating Medusa, search her body for the Preserved Medusa Head. You can also find weapons, which can be either used or sold for a profit. Possible loot includes:
- Granite Medusa Bone
- Monster Hide
- Hunk of Rift Crystal
- Ring of Motility
- Dragon’s Gaze
- Ferrystone
- Blighting Arrow
- Medusan Spellbow
The Medusa Head decays over time, progressing from Preserved to Withered, with accelerated decay in your inventory. Storing the head slows this process. Complete any head-related quests quickly. Medusa respawns after seven days, so you can repeatedly acquire Preserved Medusa Heads.
Using the Medusa Head for the A Case of Sculptor’s Block quest
With “A Case of Sculptor’s Block” active, promptly bring the Medusa Head to the Griffin battle before decay sets in. When using the head, command your pawns to avoid attacking the Griffin to prevent shattering it prematurely. Maintain the petrified state to give Fulvio ample time to sketch. Be mindful of the head’s decay rate and plan your travel accordingly.
Players have reported some bugs with this quest. If problems arise, prolong the Griffin fight even if Fulvio indicates completion. Minimize damage to prevent premature escape. Once Fulvio repeats his completion remarks, you can allow the Griffin’s escape or choose to defeat it.
Unlocking the Achievements with Medusa Head
You can earn three Medusa-related achievements in a single playthrough. However, “An Eye for an Eye” requires the Daughter of the Evening shield. Otherwise, two Medusa encounters are necessary. The achievements are unlocked as follows:
- Off With its Head!: Sever Medusa’s head, irrespective of its condition.
- Getting a Head: Acquire a Preserved Medusa Head.
- An Eye for an Eye: Petrify Medusa. Use the Daughter of the Evening shield to reflect her gaze or petrify yourself with the Medusa Head.
Note: For “An Eye for an Eye,” if using the Medusa Head, store it for seven days after obtaining it to prevent the quest NPC shattering the statue early. Storage slows decay, so it remains usable upon Medusa’s respawn.
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