Is Dragon’s Dogma 2 Worth It? Review

Dragon’s Dogma 2 could be one of the best games played this year but take that with a grain of salt. Despite not being the best game ever, it still beats a lot of other games. It is a fantastic game but has flaws at the same time. Some of them are easy to overlook while others can stick like sour thumb. Some aspects like combat and exploration give players the best experience possible while enemy verity and loot leave much to be desired. There are secrets everywhere a player looks. Finding out a secret and then getting stuff from that secret feels good.

There is a sense of satisfaction in exploration but a sense of disappointment in the loot players get. In a sense, there is a disparity in the loot players get and the amount of exploration available. The way it approaches combat and lets players deal with a scenario is on the spot. There can be a lot of back-and-forth running between different spots due to its controversial fast-travel system.

It is the type of game that becomes better as you play and unlock new things. A lot of its aspect begins to make sense once you progress deep in the game. There is a lot of discussion before reaching the conclusion which begs the question “Is Dragon’s Dogma 2 worth it?” Let’s find out.

The More You Play the Better It Is

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the type of game that becomes better the more you play. It needs time to figure out the mechanics and discover things. Some of the mechanics work in the long run which makes it necessary to spend some time in the game to get to the fun part. Once you get going you will absolutely fall in love with it if you can ignore its flaws, we will get to these flaws later on.

In the beginning, it is more frustrating than fun at times. There will be a lot of back-and-forth running between different points. Exploration is a huge part of the game. There is a lot of emphasis on inventory and weight management as well. These two factors make going back and forth even worse.

Enemy variety in the beginning is shallow and that shallowness can go beyond the beginning. You will not be running into big monsters regularly until you get to higher levels or later places in the game. Even if the game gets better and better the more you play, the beginning can shake people off. If you don’t stick to it then it will not click.

Fast Travel and Exploration

Fast travel is another hot topic as it can be really bad in the beginning. The further you get into the game, fast travel becomes less and less of an issue since you get more resources. Later on in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you have more gold to buy Ferrystones and set Portcrystals which enable you to use fast travel more frequently.

You can afford more fast travel since you have the resources for it later on. In the beginning, it can be a sour thumb because you don’t have the resources for it. Which results in a lot of back-and-forth travel. Fast travel is also really important for exploration which is a major part of the game. Fast travel is also one of the reasons that the game becomes more fun once you spend a couple of hours in it

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is good from an exploration point of view. There is so much hidden stuff everywhere. Sometimes, you will walk by things without even seeing them. Such a tactic encourages you to look everywhere. You will be climbing ladders, climbing stairs, looking for different doors and even climbing or flying to the pillars just to see if it has some loot. Most of the time you will find something while looking around.

Despite the game being full of loot there is not enough weapon and armor loot. The situation becomes worse when you find mixed-match items. A thief can find staff or a mage can find a shield and things like that. The things you find will not apply to your class most of the time which makes exploration less rewarding for gear.

Combat

Combat is really good and fun but not as challenging for the most part. Dragon’s Dogma 2 uses adaptive difficulty which scales up and down depending on your performance. The backbone of mechanics for combat is good.

The stamina system is also good that ties exploration and combat together. While setting up your character, you can manage stamina through the equipment outside combat so they can perform better inside combat. The combat of the game doesn’t do anything innovative ever but it is good what the developers have done.

When combat clicks it really makes a difference and feels good. Swinging, chopping, and shooting feels solid and satisfying every time. How you fight is also impacted by location. There is always more than one way to play a location.

One can see the effect of Monster Hunter, for good reason since both are developed by Capcom. Both large and small monsters have different parts of their bodies that can be damaged for an advantage. You can even take out the entire limp which will change their attack pattern. Climbing monsters can be handicapped by the camera which is a major issue since you will be climbing monsters consistently. Players can die just because the camera is not right and their view is blocked by the body of a monster.

Weapons

Different weapons have unique features such as a dagger having a hidden buff or a staff having the ability to silence enemies. The amount of hidden features found on weapons is way less but at least there is an option. The foundation for a solid item system is there but there is just not enough of it in Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Some of the weapons or armor will say that it has an ability while it wouldn’t work that way. One of the major issues is that few weapons have special ability so there is a weapon rarity system. There are attack mechanics and a sense of discovery but could have done better easily.

Enemies You Fight

One of the major issues that the combat faces is the low variety of enemies. I have already mentioned this issue earlier but we will go into a little more detail. Most enemies are the same as the one in the first game but it has been quite some time since that game was released. They could have done things better but instead, you see few new enemies and low overall verity.

Enemies include goblins, bandits, lizards, and wolves most of the time. Variations of different enemies can make it a little more refreshing. It starts to feel repetitive once you keep fighting them over and over. In a few hours, burnout can occur. More enemy types can encourage players to use different tactics in Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Despite its medium variety of enemies, big combat sequences can really click. You could be fighting off a Cyclops and suddenly a Griffith will join the fight. They will not only fight you but each other as well. Fighting multiple enemies and changing tactics as per enemy is the meat of the combat.

Pawns Are Back

Pawns are side fighters that are NPCs helping and following you in Dragon’s Dogma 2. They are good at pointing things out that are in sight. At times, they can point to danger or enemies that you could have never seen otherwise. They will also gather resources and help you look for things. They can add harvesting spots on the map, organize the party’s inventory, and even craft on their own to add more value.

Pawns can be sent off to other players to help them with their quests allowing them to learn from their experience, and bring back items and knowledge to share with you. This multiplayer feature was really good in the original and remains the same here.

Inconsistent AI of Pawns gets them into trouble which can be a nuisance. They are often singled out by enemies who can kill them and you have to run for their revival or they will be gone forever. Pawns can even die by falling off from heights which can happen very often. You can command them to wait in place but these orders will take time which makes it worse.

The Dynamic World

NPCs are free and have their own schedule. They could be a travel merchant who is moving around a lot. Even important NPCs will be moving around a lot in the game world which breathes life into them. When you need NPC for a quest or for something else, you have to figure out what they are doing and go to them. You have to win their favor to get specific items from them. It makes them feel more like living and breathing.

The movement of NPCs makes them livelier but that is not the case for me or players like me. I absolutely hate figuring random things out. If a game is telling me to find a person without giving me their location then it is absolute madness. I don’t have enough time or patience to look for a constantly moving character. On top of that, early on in the game, the fast travel mechanics handicap you, making it more frustrating.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 does not have the most complex or interesting quest lines. However, a lot of these quests are intertwined and the outcome is tied to the actions taken in another quest. The mechanics are somewhat similar to Baldur’s Gate 3. Taking a decision in one quest could have a negative impact on the result of another quest. Making decisions is important and you have to listen to what NPCs are saying to you. It can be frustrating if you want the perfect outcome for all these quests.

Verdict

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a really good game if you are judging it by its core gameplay feature. It does a lot of things better that can make it a desirable experience for many. Despite making a lot of things better, it is being held back. It is a retelling of the ideas that were cemented in the first game and throws something new into the mix. The dynamic world and amazing combat could make it quite good. Dynamic change in the world can also throw some people off, so it is a double-edged sword.

Certain things are missed out which could have been done better. The bad AI and bad camera when climbing things or getting around in combat are some of its negative aspects. Fast travel is one of the main mechanics that can leave a sore test. Enemy verity at the base level is shallow which could have been done better. It does the complex stuff well but struggles with basics such as weapons, armor, AI, and enemies. Many negatives can turn into positives if you play the game and give it some time but some will still stay.