Dragon's Dogma 2

An action RPG with a free-moving camera, dynamic combat, and mechanics typical of hack-and-slash games, Dragon's Dogma 2 continues and expands on the ideas introduced in the 2012 original, offering revamped gameplay and a new story set in the local fantasy multiverse. Despite borrowing from popular RPGs released between the two installments, it retains its own identity thanks to its pawn system and unconventional lore. Fans exploring new locations and trying out new abilities will also come across familiar elements from the previous games.

The concept and lore of Dragon's Dogma are built around an ancient cycle that repeats in every age. A mighty dragon rises again, sowing terror, destruction, and death. It also chooses a warrior worthy of challenging it, taking their heart and transforming them into an Arisen—a hero who has lost their humanity but gained a Destiny. The dragon leaves the Arisen a hint of their future encounter, when they will be strong enough to reclaim their heart.

Alongside pawns—mysterious allies from another world—the hero must face many trials, explore the world, and grow strong enough to fight the dragon in the end. This cycle is known as the Dragon's Dogma, so the story is clear from the very beginning. So is the ending: lose and fade into oblivion, win and repeat the cycle, or break it at the cost of destroying all existence. The story takes on epic proportions after the first act, when the player learns of an impostor who has ascended the throne in the guise of the hero.

The protagonist, chosen by fate to become the land's champion, dragon-slayer, and king, does everything and nothing: from helping commoners and battling monsters to political intrigue and grandiose clashes with the dragon. Beyond handing out quests, the characters have distinct personalities and are developed to a certain degree; their dialogue tells some decent stories, and the in-engine cutscenes reveal the relationship between the townsfolk and the aristocracy.

Every story in the Dragon's Dogma universe is canon within its own world, while parallel realities have their own unique features, such as their setting, heroes and characters, and available races—things you can learn about from Pawns. But the setting is always classic fantasy mythology, filled with unusual creatures: griffins, hydras, cyclopes, goblins, ogres, skeletons, lizardmen, and other undead. Magic permeates reality, and sorcerers, along with powerful artifacts, play a significant role in unfolding events. Technology, however, is quite rudimentary, as is typical of the early Middle Ages.

The open world of Dragon's Dogma (2024) is four times larger than that of the first game. It is seamless and made up of numerous locations connected by various design techniques. Narrow passages and winding paths, changes in elevation, overlapping areas, natural barriers (rivers), and many other environmental features make the world feel much larger than it really is. Over time, things change—a landslide can be cleared, a bridge rebuilt, or a hidden pass opened as part of a quest, adding new routes and paths. At launch, the world impressed with its scenery and the RE Engine's excellent lighting, but the locations lacked visual variety, as they were spread across three main biomes (forests, mountains, and deserts), and varied in their level of detail.

The story takes place in two kingdoms with distinct cultural and geographical differences: Vermund and Battahl. Vermund is a fertile land surrounded by majestic mountains and green hills, where cities and farms flourish. The locals live with the knowledge that the dragon will inevitably return, and fear its destructive power. As a result, they revere the Arisen as their King and protector from disasters.

On the other hand, Battahl is a harsh and hostile land of vast deserts and deep canyons. Survival requires tremendous effort, but the deserts also contain oases that serve as important trade and cultural centers. Here, the Arisen is not a hero, but an outcast who brings calamity. Priestesses who rule Battahl worship the sacred flame, which they believe protects them from the dragon’s fury. And deep in the forests, ancient elven tribes have hidden away, avoiding contact with the outside world for centuries.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 (2024) breaks the established conventions of open-world action RPGs. Players must truly immerse themselves in the experience: travel leisurely through the open world, explore it, take part in random events and complete quests, rather than rushing from one key location or quest to the next and missing the creators’ hard work along the way. To make the experience more immersive, fast travel is limited. There are teleporters that let you jump straight to any part of the world, saving you time, but they’re expensive and limited in number throughout the game. Traveling by caravan is more affordable and skips the gameplay, but fast-forwards time.

The world around you lives its own life, so the principle of “I’ll help whenever I want” doesn’t work here. Quests can only be accepted, completed, and turned in at certain times. It’s impossible to see everything the game has to offer in a single playthrough—there are too many events that are easy to miss. Sometimes, it’s simply because an NPC who could start or advance a questline got drunk at the tavern, died on the road, or suddenly ran off somewhere. Though they usually follow a daily routine and basic behavior patterns.

What makes Dragon’s Dogma 2 stand out is the absence of quest markers on the map and readily available hints. This encourages players to listen closely to the chatter in the world around them, notice everything, and think through their actions and next steps. There’s no single right way to do things, which adds replayability: each new playthrough reveals something new, changes familiar quests, or unlocks new ones.

Quests are structured as follows: instead of a linear chain of events, there are separate episodes that unfold as the player’s adventure progresses. The most intricate quests begin as ordinary errands (fetch this, kill that, and so on), but eventually grow into more complex and intriguing stories. Their outcomes—success or failure—will affect other aspects of the world, the characters’ fates, or the overall plot. There are many different kinds of quests, ranging from random encounters and simple quests to large-scale, branching stories.

Dragon's Dogma (2024)’s role-playing elements are expressed through its combat system. Battles involve parties rather than individual characters, and victory depends on how well the party is organized, how developed its members are, and how well its composition suits the enemies at hand. The ideal party for handling different challenges effectively is constantly changing depending on your play style and the task at hand.

The player’s party consists of the main character and three pawns. The main pawn is a personal companion created and customized by the player, who chooses its class, equipment, and progression throughout the game. The party also includes two other pawns borrowed from other players, representing asynchronous multiplayer. These borrowed pawns do not level up, but bring valuable knowledge with them—they can offer tips about locations, chests, or enemy weaknesses based on their owners’ experience. Replacing them regularly helps you adapt to new situations and maintain the party’s effectiveness.

When creating the protagonist, you can choose from four vocations: Fighter, Mage, Archer, and Thief. Each represents a classic archetype with a unique combat style, health and stamina stats, and the ability—or inability—to climb large monsters. Characters cannot use weapons and armor from other classes, but you can change classes at any time, making it easier to experiment with different play styles and try out various combinations. There are 10 vocations (classes) in total, and after leveling up one class, you can switch to another while retaining the first class’s passive skills and becoming more powerful.

Although enemy monsters are not very diverse, they are well-prepared and behave realistically and dangerously. They actively respond to the player’s actions and those of their party, requiring good coordination and knowledge of their weak points. During battles, it’s important to interact with the environment—you can push an enemy off a cliff or throw a rock at them, climb onto a boss, bring an NPC to a specific location, or cast a magical barrier.

Thanks to its free-moving camera that adapts to any situation, lack of a fixed enemy targeting system, and dynamic combat, Dragon's Dogma 2 goes beyond the boundaries of traditional action RPGs. Its gameplay combines elements typical of hack-and-slash games: stamina management, precise attack timing, area attacks, shield bashes, spinning attacks, archery, and much more.

Physics plays a special role, making interaction with the environment and enemies more realistic. A single swing of a sword can send enemies flying, fire can set them ablaze, and ice can freeze them in place. Characters’ weight and size affect their combat abilities: larger heroes can more easily grab enemies and reach their weak points, and can pick up and throw objects, smaller enemies, and even other characters.

The Mage is a vital class that deals damage, heals allies, and applies buffs. However, magical spells take time to prepare, leaving the Mage vulnerable without the support of a Fighter or Thief to hold off and distract enemies. The game also lets you imbue weapons with magical effects: enchant a sword with fire to set enemies ablaze, add ice to an archer’s arrows to freeze foes, or imbue a Thief’s daggers with lightning for fast, powerful attacks.

The inventory has no capacity limit, but the weight of carried items balances this out. Being overencumbered slows characters down and drains their stamina faster, so it’s best to offload excess items onto pawns. There’s a basic crafting system—you can brew a healing potion or make arrows, but you can’t craft weapons or armor. Time affects not only quests and NPCs, but also items in your inventory: food can spoil, quest items can rot, and weapons can rust.