The reveal of a Dragon’s Dogma 2 port for Nintendo Switch 2 was one of the biggest surprises in yesterday’s Nintendo Direct. Moreover, it’s the Dark Arisen version that includes a new expansion also coming to other versions of the game. And Capcom is taking the opportunity to do some major work on fantasy role-playing game.
After more than a year without any updates to fix the game’s various performance issues, or to improve other areas such as a lack of enemy scaling in New Game Plus, Capcom has presented a two-part roadmap to get the game in better shape ahead of Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen’s 9th October launch.
Title Update 3.1 is already out, and the full patch notes lay out substantial quality-of-life improvements and fixes, such as the addition of the Eternal Ferrystone, which can be used repeatedly to teleport across the map without consuming it.
This change mirrors what happened with the original Dragon’s Doma. Fast travel was costly and tied to limited Ferrystones until the eternal variant was introduced. Moreover, more permanent Portcrystal fast travel points are to be found on the Melve, Checkpoint Rest Town, and Volcanic Island Camp locations now.
Oxcarts – a more traditional method of travelling – are getting a bunch of improvements too, from clearer map icons to extended departure hours and stopovers. Pawns can now also prevent “oxcart raids” with their new Guardian specialisation, which also makes them better defenders at camps. And these NPC companions at the centre of the experience have received many tweaks and fixes beyond that, including better pathing when moving and more visible Dragonsplague – a condition that infects Pawns, potentially decimating entire locations – effects on the status screen.
Beyond those key points, the Dragon’s Dogma 2 update largely seems to make the game more approachable with better gold rewards and more pointers. I wonder if this will bother those who enjoyed the original version’s friction and more unique and punishing elements.
The update coming in August, meanwhile, seems even more transformative, as Capcom has already shared many of the changes and improvements coming to the game. Players will be able to cure Dragonsplague, for example. Save slots – somehow absent from the game – are coming as well, and so are equipment filters for better sorting your bags. And when it comes to Pawns, the list of additions is massive. We’ll have to wait for the final details though.
