Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen may not be on many players’ radar, but for fans of the open-world action RPG, it’s been a long time coming. Beyond new activities, including hunting for relics that can be appraised to obtain new armor and weapons, it’s also adding 12 new dungeons to the base game, each promising sick loot on October 9th.
But what about those who seek a tougher challenge? Director Kento Kinoshita and producer Naoto Oyama said that Hard Mode was under consideration, but in a new Steam Q&A, they confirmed that it’s indeed in the works.
“We’re working on a Hard Mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap,” said the former. The latter added, “Please stay tuned for further updates regarding the details of Hard Mode and its release window.”
This indicates that it won’t be available when the expansion launches, as expected. That said, Kinoshita said that aside from the new difficulty, the team is also “adjusting the balance so that everyone can enjoy the experience—whether they’re just starting their adventure, still progressing through the game, or have already completed multiple playthroughs.”
But don’t take that to mean that your journey through the new region will be easy. “Even in Normal Mode, the difficulty gradually ramps up as players progress through the expansion content, with enemy encounters becoming increasingly challenging along the way. As players reach the middle and later stages of the content, we’ve balanced it so that even those who have already hit the stat cap can still enjoy a meaningful level of challenge,” he noted.
Whether Dark Arisen will offer a meaningful endgame remains to be seen, but the story and new dungeons should offer more than 25 hours of new content. It’s an especially meaty experience for those who haven’t played the base game, which has since received a permanent price drop. A major update is also coming in August with even more improvements, including 60 FPS Performance Mode on current-gen platforms, so stay tuned for more details.
