Fast travel in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a luxury, not a given. If you’ve played the first game, you know that Portcrystals are your source for fast travel across the map. Once you have Ferrystones, these placeable points allow you to quickly move between different locations without having to ground travel. But you’ll need many of them to fast travel until the end of the game. So, how do you get more Portcrystals? Unlike other RPGs where fast travel is just a button press away, Dragon’s Dogma 2 makes you work for it.
Unlike the few permanent Portcrystals in towns, the ones you find and place yourself offer much more flexibility in how you move around. The base game lets you place up to 10 Portcrystals at a time, so you should carefully pick the locations across the map to set them to instantly cover almost all game world. In this guide, we’ll tell you where to find more Portcrystals, how to duplicate them, and the best locations to place Portcrystals in DD2.
Where to Find Portcrystals in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Portcrystals in Dragon’s Dogma 2 are not easy to come by. Unlike Ferrystones, which you can buy or loot from random chests, these items are rare and valuable. To set up a solid fast-travel network, you need to put in some work to hunt them down. There are two kinds of Portcrystals:
- Permanent Portcrystals – These are fixed locations that you can always fast-travel to. You don’t need to place them, and they’ll always be there.
- Movable Portcrystals – These are the mobile points you collect and place wherever you want.
Some Portcrystals are locked in specific locations, meaning you can always count on them being there. These are the spots you’ll find the fixed ones:
- Vernworth (The Capital) – The city hub has a permanent Portcrystal, so you’ll always have a way to quickly travel back here.
- Bakbattahl – The major city in Battahl also has its own fixed Portcrystal.
These are great, but if you want to cut down on travel time, these are not enough, and that’s why you need to set up the movable Portcrystals yourself. You can place them anywhere, and they’re what makes or breaks your fast-travel system. The game rewards exploration, and some of the best treasures are hidden in out-of-the-way locations. Such Portcrystals can be found in:
- Vermund Griffin’s Nest – Follow the Griffin back to its lair and take it down, there’s a Portcrystal in a chest.
- Deep in Dungeons – Some of the game’s more dangerous dungeons have Portcrystals as loot. If you find a tough enemy guarding a treasure chest, chances are, it’s worth checking out.
A few side quests also reward you with a Portcrystal. If you answer specific riddles correctly in The Sphinx’s Riddles, she’ll reward you with a one. Some factions or questlines will give out Portcrystals, so always check with important NPCs after completing major story events. Further, by giving a found Portcrystal (not a bought one) to the Sphinx, she’ll duplicate it for you. A few chests contain extra Portcrystals in NG+, but some turn into Partcrystals instead, which aren’t as useful.
Some players have even mentioned trading them through the Pawn system, but that seems hit-or-miss. Either way, between exploration, quests, and NG+ tricks, you should be able to stack up a decent amount over time. Portcrystals are also available to purchase through the game’s store as a microtransaction. It can cost you real money, so this may be the last thing you’d want to pick unless you have an amount to spare. It costs $2.99 for one Portcrystal on all platforms, including the Xbox, PlayStation, or Steam store.
Best Places to Place Your Portcrystals
Since you can only place 10 at a time, you need to think strategically. Try to cover as much of the map as possible without wasting slots in places you rarely visit. Here are some of the best places to set Portcrystals in Dragon’s Dogma 2:
- Sacred Arbor (Elven Settlement): This place is out of the way, and the closest fast-travel option isn’t convenient. Dropping a Portcrystal here will make it easy to interact with the Elves regularly.
- Medusa’s Lair: The Medusa fight is one of the toughest in the game, and if you ever need to come back here (for farming or side quests), a Portcrystal around will save you a lot of time.
- Near the Volcano Camp (Bakbattahl Border): The Battahl region is massive, and some locations are a pain to reach on foot. The area near the Volcano camp is a good choice for a Portcrystal because it lets you quickly access a few high-level enemies, quests, and loot spots.
- Near the Sphinx: For doing multiple playthroughs, leaving a Portcrystal near the Sphinx makes revisiting her much easier. Plus, to duplicate crystals in NG+, this placement becomes even more useful.
It depends on where you like to farm or grind, but placing a Portcrystal near a dungeon with valuable loot or a boss arena is a good move. It allows you to return fast, whether you’re farming materials or need to take on a boss again. Further, there’s a lot of empty space between towns in DD2, and some routes are quite dangerous at night. Setting a Portcrystal along a frequently traveled path can save you from long, monster-filled hikes. Lastly, many merchants and quest hubs aren’t near major cities, so if you return to a specific spot often, place one fast travel point there.
