Dragon’s Dogma 2: How to defeat Gigantus in a short span of time

One of the hardest achievements in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is “Gigantus, I Hardly Knew Ye,” which challenges you to defeat Gigantus in a short span of time. But the game doesn’t specify how long that is. I’ve unlocked this achievement, and here’s how you can do it too.

Preparing for the achievement

For this strategy, it’s crucial that your Arisen is an Archer at any level because you’ll also need an Unmaking Arrow. The Unmaking Arrow, a very rare type of arrow in Dragon’s Dogma 2, is only available from the Sphinx or purchased from The Dragonforged in exchange for eight Wyrmslife Crystals. Its unique property is the ability to instantly kill any enemy, which explains its rarity and difficulty to obtain. But simply using it isn’t enough to secure the Gigantus achievement.

These are the only prerequisites. You can buy the arrow from The Dragonforged, located northeast of Bakbattahl in the Bay Wayside Shrine where you met him during the storyline. Alternatively, you can hunt dragons for the crystals, if you don’t have enough, or complete The Riddle of Recollection quest at the Sphinx to get an Unmaking Arrow as a reward.

If you’re aiming for the achievement without wanting to use up your Unmaking Arrow, save your game at an inn before facing Gigantus. Then, follow the steps below using the Unmaking Arrow. Once the achievement notification appears on your PC or console, reload your game to the last inn save. This will reset to just before Gigantus’ defeat, keeping the Unmaking Arrow in your inventory and your achievement unlocked. Later, you can choose to defeat Gigantus in a standard fight or let the NPCs handle it—though the latter option takes longer and forfeits the rewards for defeating the giant.

How to get the Gigantus, I Hardly Knew Ye achievement in Dragon’s Dogma 2

With your Archer Arisen and an Unmaking Arrow ready, head to the Flamebearer Palace Spellseal Door and make your way to Gigantus. After crossing the bridge and reaching the hill while it’s still traversing the water, open your Items menu—not the Equipment menu—and choose the Unmaking Arrow. Hit your confirm button to access its menu and choose to Equip it. Your next shot will now be with the Unmaking Arrow. Approach Gigantus as much as possible and wait for a moment when it’s stationary, right after taking a step, to shoot. If your shot connects, you’ll see all the spikes around Gigantus’ body drop off, though it will continue to move.

Next, proceed along the path shown in the cutscenes until you’re going up the hill to the right of Gigantus’ ground path. This area has several enemies, so try to get rid of them quickly. After climbing, go past the bridge—don’t cross it—and stick to your left until you spot a ballista on the hill. This is the only ballista available before reaching the series of ballistas the NPCs will use. Interact with this ballista to start using it, and wait for Gigantus to enter your crosshairs.

Now, fire the ballista, aiming for any of the purple spots around Gigantus’ body—his eye, shoulder, or chest are the easiest to reach. Pay attention to the sound of the ballista as you prepare your shots because it has three levels of power, each marked by a light sound resembling steam or smoke release, though there’s no visual indicator. You can shoot after the first sound since it’s powerful enough to reach Gigantus. Shoot it as many times as you can.

When Gigantus is just past the reach of your ballista, if you’ve done everything correctly, it will stop and die before reaching the Volcanic Island Camp. This should be the point where you get the Gigantus, I Hardly Knew Ye achievement. If you’re on Steam and don’t get the pop-up, check it directly on the platform since I got the achievement but never got the notification.

Can you get the achievement without using an Unmaking Arrow?

You can technically earn the Gigantus, I Hardly Knew Ye achievement in Dragon’s Dogma 2 without the Unmaking Arrow, but it would probably require you to be an Archer with exceptionally good aim. This is because you’ll need to destroy all of Gigantus’ spikes before it gets to the first ballista, a feat that might require hours of practice to achieve.

Achieving it this way could be considered an even greater accomplishment, so best of luck if you decide to attempt it. But I don’t recommend this method.