Dragon's Dogma 2

Action RPG with a free camera, dynamic combat system, and mechanics typical of slashers — Dragon's Dogma 2 continues and develops the ideas laid out in the original 2012 game, offering reimagined gameplay and a new story within the local fantasy multiverse. Despite borrowing elements from popular RPGs released between installments, it has retained its individuality thanks to the pawn system and an unconventional lore concept. Fans exploring new locations and trying out new possibilities will also see familiar elements from past games.

The concept and lore of Dragon's Dogma are built around an ancient cycle that repeats every era. A powerful dragon is reborn, spreading terror, destruction, and death. It chooses a warrior worthy of challenging it, taking their heart and transforming them into the Arisen — a hero who has lost their humanity but gained Destiny. The dragon leaves a hint for the Arisen about a future meeting when they become strong enough to reclaim their heart.

Together with pawns — mysterious allies from another world — the hero must undergo numerous trials, explore the world, and level up enough to ultimately confront the dragon. This cycle is known as the Dragon's Dogma, so the plot is clear from the very beginning. As is the ending: lose and fade into oblivion, win and repeat the cycle, or break it at the cost of destroying all existence. The narrative takes on an epic scale after the first act when the player learns about a liar who ascended to the throne disguised as their hero.

The protagonist, by the will of fate becoming the chosen one, dragon slayer, and king of the local lands, engages in everything and nothing: from helping commoners and battling monsters to political intrigues and grand battles with the dragon. Characters, aside from giving quests, possess individuality and a certain degree of depth, telling decent stories in dialogues, and in engine scenes, one can see relationships between townsfolk and aristocracy.

Each story in the Dragon's Dogma universe is canonical within its world, and parallel realities have their unique features, such as setting, heroes, and available races, which can be learned from the pawns. However, the action always takes place in a classic fantasy-mythological setting, full of unusual creatures: griffins, hydras, cyclopes, goblins, ogres, skeletons, lizards, and other undead. Magic permeates reality, and wizards, along with powerful artifacts, play a significant role in the unfolding events. Meanwhile, technology is quite rudimentary, characteristic of the early Middle Ages.

The open world of Dragon's Dogma (2024) is four times larger than the first part, seamless, and structurally consists of numerous locations connected by various design techniques. Narrow passages and "serpent" trails, scattered heights, layering over each other, natural barriers (rivers), and many other elements of the environment create a feeling that the world is significantly larger than it actually is. Over time, everything changes — a blockage can be cleared, a bridge restored, and a hidden pass opened through a quest, adding new paths and passages. At the time of release, the world impressed with its landscapes and the good work of the RE Engine with lighting, but the locations did not differ in visual diversity, as they were located in three main biomes (forests, mountains, and deserts) and the level of detail.

The action unfolds in two kingdoms with pronounced cultural and geographical differences: Vermunt and Battal. Vermunt is a fertile land surrounded by majestic mountains and green hills, where cities and farms thrive. The locals live with the awareness of the inevitable return of the dragon and fall into fear of its destructive power. Therefore, they revere the Arisen as the King and protector from disasters.

On the other hand, Battal is a harsh and hostile land of endless deserts and deep canyons. Survival requires tremendous effort, but among the deserts are oases that serve as important trade and cultural centers. Here, the Arisen is not a hero, but an outcast who brings calamities. The priestesses ruling Battal worship the sacred flame, which, according to their belief, protects against the dragon's wrath. And deep in the forests hide ancient elven tribes that have avoided contact with the outside world for centuries.

Dragon's Dogma (2024) breaks established stereotypes of open world action-RPGs. The player must truly immerse themselves in the process: leisurely travel through the open world, explore it, complete random events and quests, rather than rushing through key points and quests, missing the work of the authors. For better immersion, fast travel has been limited. There are teleports, which allow you to jump instantly to any part of the world, avoiding time waste, but they are expensive and limited in number throughout the game. More accessible travel with a caravan frees you from gameplay but fast-forwards time.

Everything around lives its own life; the principle of "I helped as soon as I wanted" does not work here. Quests can only be taken, completed, and turned in within a certain time. It is impossible to see everything the game offers in one playthrough — there are too many events that can easily be missed. Simply because an NPC capable of starting or pushing forward a branch got drunk in a tavern, died on the road, or suddenly ran away somewhere. Although they usually follow a daily routine and basic behavior patterns.

The highlight of Dragon's Dogma 2 is the absence of quest markers on the map and publicly available hints. This additionally encourages the player to listen to the chatter in the surrounding world, to notice everything, to reflect on their actions and the next step. There is no single correct path, which adds replayability: each new playthrough reveals something new, changes already familiar quests, or opens new ones.

The quests are set up as follows: instead of a linear chain of events — separate episodes that develop as the player's adventure progresses. The most intricate quests start as mundane tasks (fetch quests, find and kill, etc.), but over time they evolve into more complex and intriguing stories. Their outcome — success or failure — will affect other aspects of the world, the fates of characters, or the overall development of the plot. The number and variety of quests is vast: from random events and simple quests to large-scale, branching stories.

The role-playing component of Dragon's Dogma (2024) is expressed through the combat system. Each battle involves squads rather than individual characters, and victory is determined by organization, level of upgrades, and team balance against a specific set of opponents. The optimal composition that allows for effective handling of various challenges constantly changes depending on the play style and specific tasks.

The player's squad consists of the main hero and three pawns. The main pawn is a personal companion created and customized by the player, who chooses the class, equipment, and development throughout the game. There are also two other pawns in the squad that are borrowed from other players, embodying asynchronous multiplayer. These foreign pawns do not develop but bring valuable knowledge — they can provide hints about locations, chests, or enemy weaknesses based on their owners' experiences. Regularly replacing them helps adapt to new situations and maintain a high level of team effectiveness.

When creating the protagonist, you can choose from four vocations: Fighter, Mage, Archer, and Thief. Each represents archetypal classes that differ in unique combat styles, health and stamina stats, as well as the ability or inability to climb large monsters. Characters cannot use weapons and armor from other classes, but you can change classes at any moment, which simplifies experimenting with different play styles and allows trying out various combinations. In total, there are 10 vocations (classes) in the game, and by leveling up one class, you can take another while retaining passive skills from the first, becoming more powerful.

Enemy monsters, although not very diverse, are well-prepared and exhibit realistic and dangerous behavior. They actively respond to the player's and their team's actions, requiring good coordination and knowledge of their weak points. During battles, it is important to interact with the environment — you can knock an opponent off a cliff or throw a rock at them, climb onto a boss, or bring an NPC to the desired point, set up a magical barrier.

With a free camera that adapts to any situation, the absence of a fixed enemy targeting system, and dynamic combat, Dragon's Dogma 2 goes beyond traditional action RPGs. The gameplay combines elements typical of slashers: stamina management, correct attack timings, area strikes, shield stunning, circular attacks, bow shooting, and much more.

Physics plays a special role, making interactions with the environment and enemies more realistic. With a single swing of the sword, you can scatter enemies aside, set them on fire with flames, or freeze them with ice. The mass and size of characters affect their combat abilities: larger heroes can more easily grapple with enemies and reach their vulnerable spots faster, as well as lift and throw objects, small opponents, and even other characters.

The mage is a crucial class, dealing damage, healing allies, and applying buffs. However, magical spells require time to prepare, making the mage vulnerable without the support of a fighter or thief who can hold and distract enemies. The game also allows for the application of magical effects to weapons: you can enchant a sword with fire to ignite enemies, apply ice to an archer's arrows to freeze foes, or add lightning to a thief's daggers for quick and powerful attacks.

The inventory is bottomless, but the weight of the carried load balances it. Overloading slows down the character and speeds up stamina consumption, so it's better to drop excess items on pawns. There is a basic crafting system — you can brew healing potions or gather arrows, but you cannot create weapons and armor. Time affects not only quests and NPCs but also items in the inventory: food can spoil, quest items can rot, and weapons can rust.