Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is Capcom’s big 2026 sendoff. It’s not a new game per se, but looking at everything it introduces and considering the many quality-of-life updates the game has received in the past months leading up to the DLC’s launch, it might as well be.
Full disclosure here: I wasn’t a Dragon’s Dogma fan up until now. In fact, my perspective will likely help those who are thinking about whether jumping into Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is worth it. The answer is a wholehearted yes. I’m not going to pretend that Dragon’s Dogma isn't a bit of an acquired taste, but it’s got its claws in me, and I won’t put it down for the foreseeable future.
Before we get into Dark Arisen itself, let’s get some basic facts for the uninitiated: Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t your typical RPG. On the outside, it may look like Capcom’s take on something like The Elder Scrolls, but there are many unique systems in play and a combat system that trumps anything Bethesda’s done with The Elder Scrolls.
Playing as the Arisen—a ‘chosen’ one set to take down an elder dragon after it takes your heart out—you’ll venture forth exploring several regions, trying to reclaim what’s rightfully yours, starting with your heart. You’ll deal with some political shenanigans, including a queen regent trying to set up a fake Arisen to claim the throne for her son, and a struggle between two regions at odds with each other.
I know, I know, it’s a gross oversimplification, but frankly, the story is not one you’ll be playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 for. It’s serviceable at best, but what will make you care for its world are the little things: it just feels like it’s alive. NPC behavior isn’t as on-rails as other games, and taking too long to fulfil certain side quests can lock you out of completing them.
Passage of time matters; who you help and interact with matters. I helped an elf with a bow trial he needed, and over the course of a few hours, that evolved into a friendship after I helped him rescue his sister and complete the trial, rewarding me with a very powerful bow during my early hours of play.
I’m aware this is nothing new for Dragon’s Dogma veterans, but it doesn’t cease to amaze me how good it just feels to venture into the wider world and explore to my heart's content.
The combat (more on that later) and the Pawn system are something I never expected to love as much as I have. I usually hate stamina-based restrictions in video games; I find them to be lazy cop-outs to neuter what players can do with a combat system. Here, however, it’s designed in a way that makes you and your Pawns work like a team.
The mixing and matching of abilities, melee combat, giving orders to your Pawns, and watching them act independently and either clutch or choke in the most hilarious of ways—it’s incredible. An early moment in my journey that will forever stick with me is when a Pawn rescued me from a wolf that was dragging me along the ground. He swooped in like a hero and stabbed that wild little beast right in the chest, then proceeded to heal me with an item I had given him to carry after I used a tome to learn that skill.
Pawns are beings the Arisen can essentially manifest into existence, becoming loyal servants. You have your government-mandated main Pawn, which levels up alongside you and can learn skills as well; the other two act kind of like mercenaries you hire to fill a niche in your party. Maybe your main Pawn is a soldier; you'd better hire a magick user for those healing spells.
Even if you’re lapsed and haven’t played in the last few months, you’ll find something to love here. As mentioned, Capcom has been continuously optimizing how the game runs, making it much more stable and providing a smoother gameplay experience. QoL options have also been added; one of the biggest (and most controversial, according to the community) changes includes a permanent Ferrystone. These are stones used to fast travel to key locations across the map. Before, if you didn’t have a Ferrystone, it was either walk to the location or grab an Oxcart if you were lucky enough to have one near you.
Enough about that: how’s the Dark Arisen expansion? Well, this expansion has now become the definitive way to enjoy Dragon’s Dogma 2, and I’m so glad I waited until now.
Story-wise, you’ll be tasked with visiting the brand-new snowy region of Norgan, as there’s a new Fallen Dragon roaming the land.
One thing to note for newcomers is this: don’t expect to jump into the expansion as soon as you purchase the game, as it’s aimed at more experienced players. The recommended level to tackle it is 40; however, Capcom added more meat to the DLC’s bones, including 12 unique dungeons called Lost Rites, which can be accessed starting at level 20.
The Lost Rites dungeons aren’t tied to the new region and are their own separate quest, which you can pick up from Brant at Vernworth relatively early in the story. From a fresh file up until reaching level 20, it took me roughly 10 hours of grinding, so if you want a bit of new content to grind while leveling up, you've got plenty to do—not that you’ll lack quests or side content to tackle if you’re new to Dragon’s Dogma 2.
These dungeons are no joke; once you do the mandatory one to access the rest, you’ll need to utilize a compass to mark the approximate locations of each trial. A few have no conditions, meaning you can tackle them without fulfilling any prerequisites; others will be harder. One requires you to have all party members with a Weight Carried status of Very Light; another one will only let you equip two weapon skills; and one more will require you to complete it with a specific vocation.
The trials are hard combat challenges that will really test you and your build, especially if you’re playing on the brand-new Hard mode, which will be added as a free update when Dark Arisen launches. The rewards are mighty valuable, however, and they’re overall really fun to do. Dark Arisen doesn’t introduce new vocations, but it does add powerful new abilities to existing ones. It does feel like players have only been scratching the surface of what you’ll be able to do with some of the new tools at your disposal.
I wish I had more time to test out other vocations, but during my time, I hyper-focused on becoming an archer as good as Legolas, and seeing that I had access to more movement options and powerful versions of core skills like Tempest Shot really breathed new life into the class.
Exploring Norgan is not for the faint of heart, and you’ll need to properly assess what type of Pawns you have in your party and optimize your builds carefully. It’s a welcome challenge for veterans, but even as a newcomer, it’s made things much more engaging.
Even your regular enemies pack a punch, and the big, epic, cinematic boss fights are a proper joyride. As I said, the expansion isn’t tailored for newcomers, so you’ll have to pay your in-game dues to experience it. But it’s absolutely worth it.
Whether you’re a lapsed Arisen returning to the world of Dragon’s Dogma or a curious newcomer finally taking the plunge after Capcom’s stellar track record convinced you it was worth it, Dark Arisen proves to be an absolute delight. It builds upon the excellent foundation Capcom’s been polishing for the past two years, with sharp combat and engaging exploration. It challenges you with brutal new trials, all the while making the grind less unbearable. It cements Dragon’s Dogma 2 as an unforgettable experience.
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is releasing this October 9 for PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
A code was provided by the publisher for this review.