How Dauntless Helped Me Make It Through a Pandemic

I did not relax enough during the pandemic years of 20-22, but when I needed to, I mostly played Dauntless.

Hi. My (gaming name on PS5) is MightyBEE (paraphrased-shortened). The name is an influence of Mighty Mouse and Aunt Bee from The Andy Griffith Show. Let me begin by explaining that I am not in the typical gamer age demographic. Every questionnaire I’ve ever taken about video gamers usually does not have a category above age 50. That’s because according to gaming companies, we don’t exist (much) or enough to ask questions to. That’s ok. I get it. Hey, there is something I can fill you in on. There are so many of us over 50, and yes, over 60! Wow.

Here is how I entered the fray.

Background: Sometime after college and entering work life, my husband and I strolled through a big box store and saw some kind of demo happening on a large screen. People gathered to watch a very pixelated baseball game. The only sounds were crude audio crowd cheers. It was a new video game console, and it didn’t take long for me to buy my first system, the “Atari Intellivision” by Mattel©. I soon had a large collection of giant game cartridges. Fast-forward to when my daughter was little, we got her the N-64 along with the game that would change my life. The Legend of Zelda would end up being a game I played when she wasn’t home. I sort of took over the system and bought my own games, eventually playing every Zelda game ever made. In the coming years, we upgraded to every new Nintendo system, even adding a PS 2. I found that in my mommy years, gaming was challenging, had funny dialog and the characters were super entertaining. Even on my online bio, I had (still have) this tagline in my ABOUT: Loves to browse video game aisles and upon seeing a Jr high kid playing a demo, has been known to whisper over their shoulder, “That weapon won’t work on that boss”.

So how did I arrive at Dauntless? Christmas 2019. I learned of a new game available on the Nintendo Switch that had previously only been on the PC. Soon they added other gaming consoles. Reading that Dauntless was a multiplayer game scared me a little. By now, I was retired. I’m a bit of a loner, so playing with other people sounded intimidating till I learned I could play this game solo if I preferred. I preferred. At least for a year.

The pandemic came in hard in 2020 and I spent a LOT of time alone at home. I kept myself busy with other hobbies but in the evening and weekends, loved playing this game comfortably on my couch and big tv. As time went on, the game added changes for players to choose solo or play in a group. That intrigued me. After learning the lay of the land (or up in the shattered aisles) and figuring out proper team etiquette, I entered yet another level of fondness for the game. Playing with people was actually fun as long as I didn’t embarrass myself and die too often.

As more time went on, the love of something else began for me. Outfits. And color choices! I am an artist, so I cherish color. I have never seen a game with so much choice in color and detail for clothing and hair etc. Wait. Am I looking at color palettes in Photoshop? No, just dozens of hair color choices for the many “wigs” as I call them. The Dauntless creatives/artists are incredible. The animations of the battles never get old (almost never). Some of the behemoths when starting out ridiculously hard, over time, get easier, and more fun as you can decimate a beast in record time. That has been my journey, and now in the endgame stage, you kind of float up among the few who have reached so many levels, you just wait for holidays, crowns, and additional storylines. And more armor skins. It all remains quite fun.

So, I continue on. Sometimes it’s nice to join in an event just to help a person out, a satisfying accomplishment for sure. (and to show off my new outfit)

In conclusion, I include a digital art fan piece I have been thinking about for months and finally got around to. Created mostly in Corel Painter and a little Photoshop, I took all the love of my favorite colors (which is a turquoise explosion) and placed my player in the surreal bright colors on the island of Conundrum Rocks. I have been wanting to create a scene showing my favorite behemoth, the Moonreaver Shrike—always a blast to fight with his loud screech as he comes to a grinding halt when you boop him. Every move is entertaining. The way he dies never fails to be funny. On the final blow, the Shrike lifts up one wing and in a giant swoop, in his last ballet-like swansong, falls gracefully backward as if he has merely fainted, and then lays flat out on the ground before disintegrating. Kind of a graceful way to go I say. In the scene I made, I am standing in the foreground mimicking him as he falls.

I am wearing:

• Weapon –  Pike Treasured Spear skin
• Coat      –  Treasure Hunter’s Cloak
• Pants     –  Treasure Hunter’s Boots
• Gloves  –  Farsleyer’s Reach
• Lantern –  Spark of Genius
• Armor Skin colors – Knowledge, Alabaster, Sandstone for trim
• Hair color – Light golden gray

In my head, I can fight and be victorious over any enemy a behemoth can represent like some in real-life. Time can be one of those, but I am forever young as my character. I fight with my comrades, a community of people who gather to fight together toward the goal of peaceful life.

I am showing my gratitude while I am still here to play and enjoy the fruits of my imagination and creativity. Never give up the fight, slayers. Someday we will win.

Current bio most sites: A featured artist with Corel Painter Software – Published memoir articles- Freelance photography – Film Buff – Active hanger-outer/social media –

(4EVR) Gamer (particularly fond of Dauntless and all Fire Emblem titles)