Without the monsters, Netflix's Dragon's Dogma will likely not be as serviceable. After all, much like its video game source material, the main allure of progression and gameplay were the enemies. It just so happens that the enemies in the game are varied, mythical, and terrifying. It's a good thing the show adaptation stayed faithful to these creatures.
The monsters in Netflix's Dragon's Dogma make each episode progressively unique and thematic. They also threaten the protagonists well enough in varying degrees of injuries and danger both psychological and physical. Still, one might wonder how well they stack up against one another and which of them are actually real dangers to the protagonists. Let's find that out.
WOLVES
The very first Dragon's Dogma didn't shy away from showing some of the earliest and weakest enemies in the game: wolves. Wild wolves are at the bottom of the food chain in Dragon's Dogma's world. They're some of the very first few fodder enemies that will stand in the players' way as soon as they step out of Cassardis in the game.
That is also true for the show. As soon as Ethan steps out to hunt in the mountains near Cassardis, it would seem that running into wolves is a common occurrence-- well at least common enough to fit in well with the narrative for the first episode. Anyway, they didn't really seem to pose much trouble seeing as Ethan quickly ran away from them and likely could have dealt with them with the appropriate weapons.
GOBLINS
Next to the wolves are a staple enemy monster race in fantasy worlds, goblins. They're very much present here in numbers like their usual counterparts in other intellectual properties but their appearance is a bit different, featuring red skin instead of green. Still, that doesn't matter much as these goblins are weak and useless by themselves.
Their strength is in numbers and can be easily killed by an untrained man with a sword. Ethan also made quick work of them though he was likely way over-leveled when he dealt with them as they seemed nothing more than pushovers or petty annoyances in his way.
SKELETON
The undead are a little trickier than wolves or goblins. While they do also rely on strength in numbers and conventional weaponry, they appear to be endless and persistent thanks to their source which is a necromancer that can summon them. Even the combined force of Ethan and Hannah couldn't take on an endless swarm of skeletons in a corrupted church ruin.
They had to run away from them. This would put the skeletons much higher in the food chain, however, they do have one weakness that is easily exploited which is how easily they crumble in direct sunlight. That means they're really only threatening during one half of the day out in the open. Not that dangerous anywhere else, really.
BANDITS
Well, technically they are monsters if we go by that word's many other definitions. The bandits in the game are a little different from the show since the latter displayed them more as mercenaries or lackeys of a corrupt town leader. In a sense, they are bandits to the poor people of the town.
Anyway, there's also no doubt that the hired bandits of the said town leader are deadly even if their gear is crude. They're mostly unarmored and wield only the regular sword and shield or even a whip to be useful to their highest bidder. They got wiped out quickly thanks to Hannah's tactical prowess.
SUCCUBUS
Unlike the other monsters or enemies that rely on squads and overwhelming their victims, the Succubus in Dragon's Dogma, apparently, is a solitary worker and prefers to hunt alone. Its victims, as expected, come in the form of healthy men who are in dire need of a sexual release it seems.
The only shown Succubus in the show got close in more ways than one to Ethan and even shapeshifted into his dead wife. However, it was easy for Ethan to call the Succubus' bluff that way and he managed to kill her without any weapon at all and just by strangling the creature. There's also the fact that Succubi pose no danger to women so they're not really that powerful against someone like Hannah.
CYCLOPS
Now on to the heavy hitters. The cyclops is one of the most imposing enemies in the game and taking one down with a party of four in the video game is already a daunting and deadly task. Ethan and Hannah took one down with just the two of them, proving that they are quite the team.
It was also the cyclops who took out most of the bandits or mercenaries attacking Ethan and Hannah, doing so in just a few fell swoops. The cyclops would have placed higher in the hierarchy only if it wasn't so dim or had one glaring weakness that it defends poorly.
LICH
The source of the Skeletons and usually most of the undead in Dragon's Dogma? These things. Straight out of other fantasy universe's villain book is the lich or commonly known as a necromancer. Dragon's Dogma put its own twist to this infernal undead and made them represent greed.
The lich in the show is a treasure-hoarding undead priest who had the ability to summon a vast skeleton army and is also virtually impervious to any attack. It cannot be killed in its own lair and under the cover of darkness. Too bad it shares the same weakness as its minions and is easily dispatched with a bit of sunlight. Nevertheless, an immortal and often unkillable necromancer is always a huge threat.
GRIFFON
Here's another monster that could have turned Ethan the Arisen into food without Hannah's help. The griffon is a notorious beast in the video game and something that's even more perilous to fight than the cyclops. It loves to snatch a party member and take them out of the fight.
As expected, defeating the Griffon requires a full party of four just as how it was in the video game. Ethan and Hannah certainly wouldn't have succeeded without the help of Balthazar and Simon. Hannah had to burn the Griffon's feathers with a charged flaming bow shot but even then, it only drove the monster away.
HYDRA
The hydra is one of the most iconic creatures in the Dragon's Dogma lore and it's even promptly featured in the show's opening sequence. Anyway, it was as hard to deal with in the show just as its video game counterpart due to how resilient it is against attacks.
Often, the hydra has to be killed many times, and even then, it might regenerate back to full strength. The show thankfully remained accurate to the lore and even had the hydra kill Hannah. While Ethan did manage to slice off all the heads and slay the beast, he sort of cheated with his dragon-bestowed ability.
THE DRAGON
Finally, the most powerful being in Dragon's Dogma, the dragon itself. The show only gave the viewers one dragon (there were many in the game) but it did give the strongest of them all. The red dragon is the main boss himself and was once an Arisen who transformed into the evil creature.
They can destroy whole cities and towns with ease and the only way to kill them is with an Arisen who will soon after take its place and succeed it. That's not exactly a victory since the dragon pretty much reincarnates itself immediately upon death. That's just plain unfair. Now the title makes more sense.