Is Dragon’s Dogma 2 Worth Returning To?
Before you buy anything, load your old save. That is our advice for anyone tempted back to Dragon's Dogma II by this week's new expansion. Spend an evening with your party, try a fight and remember whether this is the kind of adventure you want occupying your autumn. New territory is a good invitation. It cannot make that decision for you.
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Expansion launches Friday, October 9. On Steam, the unlock is 1am British Summer Time, which falls on Thursday, October 8 at 5pm Pacific. The basic distinction is simple: existing owners can buy the expansion separately, while newcomers can buy a bundle containing the base game and expansion. Check what you already own before paying for the same adventure twice.
What would bring you back?
Capcom's new story takes your party into Norgan, an abandoned northern region. You join Eir in investigating the undying Fallen Dragon, and recover relics that can be appraised for weapons and skills. The appeal is clear enough from the official screenshots: freezing ruins, enormous creatures and a party that looks painfully small beside them.
The more interesting addition for an established character may be closer to home. Lost Rites adds twelve dungeon challenges in the main area, with equipment left by earlier Arisens among the rewards. For someone attached to an old character, that is the part to investigate first: new fights for the party you already know.
We would start by deciding which of those invitations matters more to you. If you want places to get lost in, investigate Norgan. If you mainly miss working out how your party should handle a difficult encounter, the dungeon challenges are the stronger reason to return. A larger map alone would not get me to reinstall it.
What waits beyond the next fight
Try the return before you pay for it
The expansion also adds hairstyles and tattoos. Enjoy those if you like rebuilding a character; there is no need to turn a return visit into another evening in the creator.
We have not played the expansion. This is advice about whether to reopen the save, based on Capcom's announced features. Load the base game, take your party out and try a fight. If it still pulls you in, watch footage of the new encounters and consider the expansion. If it feels like a chore, more territory can wait.
Newcomers should begin with Dragon's Dogma II and learn how vocations and Pawns fit together. Returning players should check which edition they own before purchasing the extra content. Either way, buy an adventure you want to play, not an obligation to finish the one you left behind.
