Dragon's Dogma (Series)

[Moonface]

Dragon's Dogma 2 Showcase Announced for Nov. 28
Capcom has announced that a Dragon's Dogma 2 showcase will air on November 28 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm GMT. The showcase will last for approximately 15 minutes and will feature brand new gameplay reveals:

On a separate note, the release date for Dragon's Dogma 2 may have leaked due to the game being rated in Europe. For anyone curious, the leaked date is as follows: March 22, 2024

[Mr EliteL]

Ah something to look forward to that Tuesday evening, nice. I won't look at the leaked date just in case it's revealed in the showcase and even if not, I can wait either way!

[Moonface]

Something I forgot about that I disliked about DD1 until a few hours ago is the dialogue of Pawns being incredibly repetitive to the point that I found it incredibly annoying and had to set their dialogue volume to mute. I'm hoping the sequel makes their dialogue a lot better.

[Dragon Lord]

So a gaming news site I frequent posted an article about things people would like to see in DD2, and I made a post saying this:

I was actually thinking about this earlier today myself, and one thing I thought of was if they bring back the Ur-Dragon, or make an equivalent of it in DD2, it'd be cool if the online version was an actual multiplayer lobby where players (no pawns) could team up an fight the boss together, rather than just being instances of it that contribute to the overall damage to the boss.

Since they don't want to put co-op into the main game, it'd be a cool way to get some co-op out of the game at least.

Got a reply from someone saying that Dragon's Dogma doesn't need multiplayer because the pawn system is "excellent" as a substitute.

Bruh, that's some extreme levels of copium there. I love DD as much a any body, but the pawn system is anything but excellent. Also I'm sure 95% or more of the players who will be playing DD2 would love to have a multiplayer post-game raid boss to enjoy and flex their builds.

[Moonface]

I think an actual multiplayer component to the Ur-Dragon could work fine since it would be like those raid battles in the newer Pokémon games where multiple players can fight together against whatever Pokémon is in it. I've not seen the Ur-Dragon to know how the fight itself looks or anything but I doubt it's a big spectacle fight like Grigori is where multiplayer could be tricky to run smoothly.

[Dragon Lord]

Yeah, there was no flashy cinematics during the fight or anything. It's just like fighting the normal Ur-Dragon, except that it has a lot more health, you can't see how much health it's lost until the next time you fight it and you're on a time limit until it leaves.

It would work perfectly as an online multiplayer raid boss. It would also bring at least some kind of player to player interaction without impeding on the experience they want for the main game. People could still do the raid boss offline too, so it's not like it'd be something forced on players who won't want to play with other people.

[Moonface]

The stream is starting soon and I saw that the release date is going to be revealed during it. I wonder if they'll reveal any special editions alongside the date since this would be the time to get pre-orders going for such things.

[Moonface]

Dragon's Dogma 2 Showcase 2023 Summary
Here's a rundown of everything that was covered during today's Dragon's Dogma 2 Showcase:

Release Date Trailer | Video
Kicking off the showcase is a brand new trailer that gives a small glimpse into the story of Dragon's Dogma 2, along with a plethora of new gameplay footage showing off new locales, allies, and enemies. At the end of the trailer we get an official reveal of the leaked release date: March 22, 2024.

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Talos Monster Gameplay | Video
One of the new monsters in Dragon's Dogma 2 is the Talos, a giant enemy that moves slowly but appears to have the potential to inflict incredibly destructive power on certain environmental targets. Players must target the glowing weak areas found across the Talos' body, and can do so by either using ranged attacks or climbing the towering Talos themselves to target these areas with melee attacks.

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Story Overview | Video
Dragon's Dogma 2 is a tale of the Arisen, whose heart is taken by the dragon. While this sequel mirrors the world setting of the first game, the adventure takes place in a parallel world. Vermund is the human kingdom, where you will be drawn into the power struggle for the throne. To have her son take the throne, the Queen Regent Disa plots to set a false Arisen. But why are Pawns serving a false Arisen? On the other hand, the beastren nation of Battahl treats Pawns as the source of misfortune, and instead worship the Lambent Flame to ward off calamity with empress Nadinia at its center. Both kingdoms recognize the Dragon as a threat, but their thoughts towards Pawns and the Arisen differ. What will happen to the player, caught between the beliefs and plots of these two nations?

More information about some of the games intriguing characters can be found over on the official website: https://www.dragonsdogma.com/2/en-us/

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Side Quest Gameplay

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Character Creator | Video
Just as in the first game, the player can freely create the Arisen and the main Pawn using the character creator. However, for Dragon's Dogma 2 the developers have used photogrammetry technology to increase photorealism, while also adding a way to simplify the process of creating characters. To provide a more intuitive way to create your ideal character, players can select images that resemble the look they have in mind.

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New Vocation - Trickster | Video
The Trickster is exclusive to the Arisen, and is a new vocation that wields the Censer and uses the smoke it produces to conjure illusions. By confusing the enemy into fighting themselves through illusions, or increasing the power of Pawns beyond their normal parameters for a limited period of time, this vocation focuses on support and use of unique strategies. This is a devious vocation that takes advantage of the enemies' enhanced behavior AI. It's a great fit for players who prefer to step back from the action and manipulate the battle from the sidelines.

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Drake and Dullahan Monster Reveal Gameplay | Video
Bandits, Cyclops, and Griffins aren't the only enemies you'll be facing in Dragon's Dogma 2. Check out the reveal of the Drake and Dullahan enemies, which are new additions coming to Dragon's Dogma 2.

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Editions and Pre-Order Bonuses
Dragon's Dogma 2 will have a Standard Edition and a Deluxe Edition, along with a selection of pre-order bonuses:

• Deluxe Edition
  • Explorer's Camping Kit - A special camping kit becomes available for purchase at shops in-game.
    
  • 1500 Rift Crystals - Can be used to hire pawns or purchase special items.
    
  • Dragon's Dogma Music & Sound Collection - Enables to change some in-game music and sound effects to those of the original Dragon's Dogma.
    
  • Wakestone (Item) - Restore the dead to life.
    
  • Art of Metamorphosis (Item) - Edit the appearance of the Arisen or of a pawn.
    
  • Harpysnare Smoke Beacons (Item) - Emits a scent enticing to harpies.
    
  • Ambivalent Rift Incense (Item) - Change your pawn's inclination.
    
  • Heartfelt Pendant (Item) - Can be offered as a gift.
    
  • Makeshift Gaol Key (Item) - Key to the gaol.
    
  
  
• Standard Edition Pre-Order Bonuses
  • Superior Weapons Quartet - A bonus weapon for each of the four vocations available at the start of the game.
    
  
  
• Deluxe Edition Pre-Order Bonuses
  • Superior Weapons Quartet - A bonus weapon for each of the four vocations available at the start of the game.
    
  • Ring of Assurance accessory.
    

[Mr EliteL]

Darn it I completely forgot about watching the showcase live, I knew earlier in the day but forgot when it came to the evening. >.< AH well just watched it, tried to skip the Talos bit because I wanted to figure out when I'm actually playing but I think I got the gist of it from what I saw unfortunately. Would've been a cool encounter if I found it without seeing it here first, ah whatever. I'm hoping there's no more showcases between now and release, I won't any more unless it has a certain thing in it which I'm about to talk about.

Disappointed in the Deluxe Edition, just in-game items to start you off and looks like they'll be available from in the game anyway. I wonder if there'll be a version with actual physical items alongside it, but I won't put too much hope in it as there was no Edition like that here. Worried about Rift Crystals that could become like a real money purchasable item seeing them in the Deluxe Edition, but it might not and it's just a quick boost from the get-go. Also Art of Metamorphosis, although I'll make sure I won't need to change either my Arisen or Main Pawn's appearance as long as the Creator includes in-depth sliders like the original game and not rely on the photo-thingy.

I really want to go into this blind like I did for the original, it's been too long since I started a game like that and looking at these showcases isn't helping. Eh. Was good to know about the Trickster though, not a vocation I'll main, but I'll give it a use here and there perhaps just to enjoy watching a fight between two, or hopefully a group of large monsters.

[Moonface]

I'll make sure I won't need to change either my Arisen or Main Pawn's appearance as long as the Creator includes in-depth sliders like the original game and not rely on the photo-thingy.

I think the premade options are just suggestions it gives you if you don't want to take the time to use the sliders. I think Elden Ring has a similar feature where you can pick randomly generated premades and that works by giving you a choice of options that are slight alterations to the current character model you have, and it will change those options again every time you pick a premade or edit the sliders manually.
Going by the video, it looks like it'll start you off with an initial choice, then try to refine it in the second and third steps with further options based on the first one you chose.

As for the new class, it sounds funny to mess about with but I can't say it appeals to me enough to use it at all. If I wanted a class that does stuff from a distance I'll go with an archer like I did in the first game so I can actually hit things. Standing and directing Pawns and watching their work unfold just seems dull and if I wanted to do that I'd go play a game like Total War where you command people and watch what happens.

I'm surprised at how basic the deluxe edition turned out to be too.

[Moonface]

Dragon's Dogma 2 | 18 Minutes of Fighter, Thief, Warrior, and Sorcerer Gameplay
Dragon's Dogma 2 is being featured on IGN First for this month, and to kick it off they've released exclusive gameplay footage of four classes in the game.

[Mr EliteL]

Didn't watch all of it as to not spoil too much for myself, just brief moments in the video. They've given basic attacks proper titles in the UI, I was confused at first thinking it was two skills and "Dash" but then noticed the switch to the skills which are still three slots. Although wondering what happened to the roll dodge, didn't see it on Thief, so the dodge is now "Dash" or perhaps a quick roll is an unlockable Core Skill. Didn't watch enough to see what the "Dash" looked like though so it might be a replacement. Saw a bit of the Ogre fight with the Warrior, Warrior still looks slow so not a class I want to use much. Ogre looks relatively the same, but did see a combo on the Warrior there. At least they weren't OHKOs on the player but still beefy hits.

[Moonface]

Dragon's Dogma 2 | Trickster Vocation Gameplay
If you wanted a better insight into the new Trickster vocation that was announced back in November, the newest IGN First video for Dragon's Dogma 2 shows it in action:



On a side note, a Steelbook listing has appeared on Best Buy and it has some pretty sick artwork:

[Mr EliteL]

HISSSSS Best Buy....where is UK Steelbook, hm? I've still yet to pre-order but I'm not desperate for it so if I end up with the standard cover only then I don't mind.

[Moonface]

HISSSSS Best Buy....where is UK Steelbook, hm? I've still yet to pre-order but I'm not desperate for it so if I end up with the standard cover only then I don't mind.

Best Buy is showing a listing for just the steelbook without the game included for $10, but it weirdly says it isn't available for individual sale so I don't get why they even have it listed. In the event they do actually sell just the steelbook by itself though I could always grab one for you if you wanted it and there's no option in the UK to get one.