| Dragon’s Dogma 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | DLC & Pre-Order | Review |
Dragon's Dogma 2 Gameplay
The core gameplay is retained and enhanced through the numerous video footage that Capcom has released. Climbing monsters, exploiting weaknesses, and cooperating with your Pawns is the focal point of the gameplay in Dragon’s Dogma 2. It also improves upon the old combat system with new skills and environments that affect the way you play and reward for using the world as your weapon.
Last January 4, 2024, IGN posted their extended gameplay footage showcasing the Fighter, Thief, Sorcerer, and Fighter all in different situations and enemies. They showcase the game's expansive environment interactions as well as the different specialties the different vocations have in combat. For a more detailed look of the gameplay footage, click on the button link below.
New Vocations - Trickster and Magick Spearman
New vocations were revealed in the showcase on November 28, 2023. The Trickster is a support class that uses its unique weapon called the Censer. They create illusions to deceive enemies as well as the ability to increase the power of Pawns beyond their limits. The Magick Spearman is a balanced vocation of both martial and magical prowess making it an effective combatant at any range. Its Duospear using the Duospear and magick at their disposal they can dart around the battlefield, paralyze enemies, and even hurl multiple objects at them.
In IGN's Trickster Vocation Breakdown, they further explain the newest addition to the game's vocations of the Trickster. It's confirmed to be primarily a support vocation dealing very little damage with their Censer as compared to the other vocations. Its skills and attacks simply serve to draw aggro from the opponents and lure them to more advantageous positions and even environmental hazards. With the right preparation and your imagination as the limit, the Trickster is quite literally one of the most creative classes that you'll use in an open-world action RPG.
Drawing the enemies' aggro and luring them using your "Effigial Incense" spawns a simulacrum or smoke clone, which enemies will perceive as the player. Other skills like "Tricky Terrace" and "Illusive Divider" quite simply create smoke obstacles that enemies perceive as real floors or walls. Before encounters, you can use "Visitant Aura" to create a smoky astral projection of yourself to scout enemy encampments and locations without your physical body at the limit of your stamina. These may be used in tandem with your smoke clones to control the battlefield at will.
New Special Hidden Enemy - The Sphinx
On January 12, 2024, the game's director Hideaki Itsuno, revealed through IGN a special new enemy hidden within the game – the Sphinx. Itsuno estimates that most players who will go through the game will never even encounter the monster, as she's very well concealed and isolated in the world of Dragon's Dogma 2. The Sphinx is a peculiar monster, as her combat encounter is done through solving her riddles. They aren't straightforward riddles, as Itsuno states, "I wanted players to solve the Sphinx's riddles, but through action, as this is an action game."
Behind the Sphinx will sit five treasure chests, and she will give a corresponding riddle for each. For IGN reporter Mitchell Saltzman, their riddle went as follows:
"Our eyes are our allies, yet oft do they betray, for eyes tell lies, so I advise, and thence do lead astray."
The player will then be tasked to venture through a dungeon and retrieve an item that best represents the answer to the riddle. Bringing back the correct item will grant the treasure chest reward; not doing so will bar the player from claiming it.
Of course, you could also always just try violence, but seeing as the Sphinx is a great enormous monstrous with doubtless dexterity and ferociousness, maybe if we find her, we should stick to solving her riddles.
Returning Vocations - Warrior and Sorcerer
Returning vocations such as the Warrior and the Sorcerer were also shown during the gameplay showcase. Warrior is back with its giant two-handed sword or hammer that is known to be the hardest single hit class in the game. Warriors are able to withstand punishment and endure enemy attacks while charging their power to be able to unleash a devastating strike. Sorcerers are the offensive upgrade to Mages in the game. They are able to cast more potent magicks that require a longer time to cast which means that they will need to be kept away from combat before they can strike. Fellow Sorcerers can even share their casts to be able to unleash spells quicker and stronger than the single counterpart.
Character Creator
In Dragon's Dogma 2, you will be able to create and customize both the Arisen (your character) and your main Pawn. The engine allows the creation of photo-realistic characters. You can either choose to create your own character with great detail or choose a preset instead to make it simpler. While there is no confirmation yet on the effect of Character Creation on the character's base stats, it may be a good guess to assume that it will follow the previous game's system where your character's features will directly affect your stats like Stamina, Strength, etc. Additionally, the Beastren race is now an additional choice for the Arisen or your main pawn's race, as before you were restricted to making only humans.
Hideaki Itsuno and his team's goal is to strike a balance between a simple creation method as well as a robust access to every detail so that they both take advantage of the better hardware and letting players make their ideal character. There are 2 body types for each race (Human and Beastren), 9 base bodies per type, and numerous head presets so that you can make the process of making your character easier. Afterwards, you have full control of the minute details of your character's body, giving you multiple sliders to help you make that ideal character.
New Races - Beastren and Elves
The first trailer showed the new Beastren
which are somewhat like half-human half-beast people who are situated in the nation of Battahl. The live showcase back in November showed off that Elves are in the game and they speak their own language. Similar to quests, if a Pawn in your party knows how to speak Elvish, the Pawn will translate what they're saying for you.
In IGN's In-Depth Look at the Character Creator video, players can now choose to be a Beastren in the new game. Itsuno revealed that they wanted to add the Beastren in the first game, but couldn't due to hardware limitations on rendering the Beastren's fur on many of them on screen at once. Daigo Ikeno, the game's Art Director, explained that they looked at different kinds of patterns and colors at felines that players would possibly want, so that they could make the Beastren as diverse as making a human character.
Questing and Day and Night Cycles
There will be a multitude of characters in the game going about their daily lives. Some however will ask you for a favor to help them. These quests will lead you to different events as well as being able to deepen your relationship with these people as well. It's also important that if a Pawn that you hire has any knowledge on the quest that you're currently undertaking, the Pawn will guide you on these as well.
The game will have regular day and night cycles where light sources will be important when going out at night. You will want to be more prepared and well equipped for the challenges and perils of the night as new foes will emerge. You can also find a campsite, to camp out and wait for the night to pass to chat with your allies and recuperate your strength.
Restricted Fast Travel System
Having both a large map and a fast-travel system that doesn't impede gameplay is a balancing act that developers have had a rough battle with. In an interview with IGN, Itsuno explained that he wanted the game to have less fast travel points than the run-of-the-mill open-world games to encourage players to experience the world on your own characters' feet. He highlights that they aim to make travelling fun in the game and that they want the players to make constant decisions of having different points of interest and experiences while on the road.
"Just give it a try. Travel is boring? That's not true. It's only an issue because your game is boring. All you have to do is make travel fun."
Itsuno also explained that they added Oxcarts in the game as a means of safer travel, as opposed to walking on the road. He also highlights that they added the Oxcarts as an additional way of experiencing the world and not as a primary means of transportation. This doesn't mean however that you're completely safe, as you could encounter a group of goblins blocking the way or even worse, a Griffin swoops down and destroys your cart, and they admitted that they don't set these experiences up in advance.
He explains that Griffins have an inclination towards attacking cows in the game and they create natural situations which could upend your cart on the road. Itsuno does make it clear that he doesn't hate fast travel but actually likes it as he thinks "it's convenient and it's good." However, he wants to stress the importance of distance in the game which is why they restricted fast travel.
The series is no stranger to having a limited fast travel system, but it has a unique way of making it your own map. You are able to teleport around the world using "Ferrystones" which are a limited consumable item able to teleport you to specific landmarks called "Portcrystals." What makes Dragon's Dogma's fast travel special is that these Portcrystals aren't actually fixed points in the map, but are items that you can pick up and place in the open world.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Story Plot
The Dragon, or the symbol of the world’s destruction, calls out to the Arisen to best him and fulfill their destiny. Accompanied by Pawns, the Arisen must slay the dragon to take back their heart and claim the throne. You will be embroiled in a power struggle for the throne as the kingdom of Vermund have planted a fake Arisen as their King and will be cause for a political fallout. On the other side of the world, the Kingdom of Battahl believe that the Arisen is the cause of misfortunes, yet will be needing your help to protect their Empress and to slay the Dragon as they believe it to be a threat as well.
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