Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is an expansion that builds on the base game in meaningful ways. It brings improvements to specific problem areas that many critics and players brought to the spotlight over the years since the original release, while making changes to its formula that work very well to refine what was already so good about it.
That these strengths apply to both Norgan and the map that we already know and love is part of the allure, and the former thus feels like a natural extension of familiar fundamentals for returning players, while new players get an experience that requires an investment in the base game before the expansion takes over.
The fact that it’s contextualised very well by the narrative on offer is something that makes you feel like your presence as the second origin in the region is actively impacting it. That’s also done through the side quests that weave themselves into what you’re doing story-wise. The pacing and the way it all unfolds are other strengths.
Exploring Norgan and engaging with its story thus intersect with a sort of flair that makes Dark Arisen the pinnacle of what read the genre’s formula can achieve so far, and perhaps be further built upon if its success makes the developer decide to return to it. That intersection is essentially the basis of what keeps you coming back to it for more. Here’s how.
A Strong Foundation
The journey to Norgan, and the preparations for it, aren’t beginning when the game releases, not for the developer at least. It began months ago with updates to the base game that ironed out a lot of complaints about it. Just like the Arisen is advised to learn all they can about the new region before they set out, the studio ensured that the game itself was ready to handle what Norgan has in store.
We can’t imagine the expansion’s exploration and combat being any good with the game’s past performance issues, considering how busy scenes can get with attacks and snow effects putting your hardware through its paces. Vocations now bring balancing changes and new skills to make combat flow smoother and feel more visceral as a result.
Those two extra skill slots might feel like a luxury to those of us who have a high-level build in the base game, but they’re going to be a necessity against the relentless assaults that await you in Norgan. We choose those words with care since that’s the only way to describe a fight where there are vicious mutants running amok, and nasty Beorcans using a coordinated strategy to overwhelm any resistance you’re able to mount.
Add in the cold and snow, and you’re going to be grateful that your Pawns are now far more willing to step in and assist you, even knocking enemies off you in case you’ve been grabbed. It immediately makes your party feel as coordinated as your opponents, and it’s that realization that makes you begin to appreciate how it all comes together in Norgan. But that’s focusing on what the developer needed to do to prepare for Dark Arisen. There’s also the matter of what it asks of you.
The level 40 recommendation is actually genius here, as it ensures that you go to Norgan with a set of gear that’s reasonably upgraded, and with your Arisen and Pawn at the peak of their respective Vocations. You soon find that you’re vastly outmatched by even the most basic enemies, but that’s where the new Relic system and the gameplay loop come in.
Building On The Base Game
The Relic system is perhaps the best showcase of how a simple change to the formula that was on offer in the base game has made Dark Arisen feel like such a meaningful upgrade. By making loot drops a part of exploration, and the often generous rate at which those drops occur out in the world, getting your hands on a viable set of weapons and armor for yourself and your main Pawn is a matter of a couple of hours of careful farming.
What it then sets off is hours of gameplay where switching your gear becomes a natural part of your time in Norgan’s frigid wastes. It’s going to be your first order of business in the area since even a fully maxed-out set of gear from the base game is barely going to leave a mark on even the lowliest of Beorcans, and you’re quickly going to find the expansion’s stronger takes on Goblins, Harpies, and Saurians entering the fray with abandon.
The new Mutant enemy type relies on superior numbers and an absolutely unpredictable loop of running around and just lashing out at everything in sight.
Going by the recommended level 40 means you’re going to be spending a lot of time farming out gear and levels, but the challenge didn’t let up even at close to level 70 in the later half of the expansion, while new enemies entering the mix create complications that continue to make you consider your position carefully at all times when you’re out exploring Norgan.
Each new piece of gear becomes an excuse to swap your Skills thanks to the upgrades it brings, and the challenge becomes a reason to tactically adjust your playstyle and keep trying out different combinations of Pawns to find something that works for the situation. You know, Dragon’s Dogma 2 as it should be, but with a layer of desperation to each fight that automatically makes it feel more engaging in the moment while making winning it very rewarding both mechanically and emotionally.
The challenge never lets up, and the way the story feeds that escalation is another part of why this expansion is another hit from the developer in an already solid year.
Paving A Path To Understanding
For anyone who loved how the base game’s take on the Arisen’s role in shaping the world turned out, Dark Arisen is a lovely way to present a different perspective on the cycle of life and death that the game thematically tackles. But it’s more than that: the story serves as the perfect motivation to get out and explore Norgan.
You’re constantly warned about the challenge even as you’re encouraged to find other ways to improve. The story also gives you everything you need to do so, starting with Freki the direwolf. She’s introduced early on and is the best way to get started with the Relic system, given that she can guide you to treasures you might not have even spotted out in the wilds.
The Lost Rites and Obelisks of Benediction are great ways to ease into the challenge that Norgan presents, while the rewards they give you can help unlock better drop rates, stat bonuses, and skill upgrades for your Vocation. All of it is designed and framed in such a way that the expansion becomes a constant loop of exploring, appraising Relics, getting better, and taking on the next big challenge that the story demands of you.
Bosses are mainly tied to story progression, although field bosses are also a thing. They’re a highlight of the whole thing, presenting immense challenges that can see you burn through a whole inventory of healing supplies before you’re able to bring them down. That immediately means more exploring and farming, which means more Relics, better loadouts, and perhaps even a side quest or two along the way.
Norgan itself is very engaging, and it’s so massive it could take well beyond the expected 25 hours to fully explore, and we’re already thinking about paths we haven’t fully explored yet; the roads they’re leading to are certain to have something interesting waiting for us when they end.
The story in Dark Arisen helps lend context to both the new region and what you do in it, while serving as the perfect catalyst to engage with the new systems on offer. That Undead Dragon might be a nasty opponent, but it sure is a very good motivator for any Arisen worthy of the mantle.
A Heady Blend Of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Best
Dark Arisen distils the best of the genre’s formula and mixes those elements together in just the right amounts to make it a powerful addition to the base game, and one that makes the open world a map that is now a very unique presence in the genre.
It does trivialize the base game once you get some momentum going, but Norgan’s new RNG-based gameplay loop can soon begin to feel like it was what should have been in place from the start. The addition of transmog works well alongside the new depth granted to the game’s RPG trappings, allowing you to craft your take on the Arisen to your liking. We’re wondering if stuff from the base game is going to be added to the RNG pool of Dark Arisen at some point, and it’s something we’d certainly like to see.
No matter the Vocation, and no matter where you’re at in the game, Dark Arisen gives you reasons to dive in, and several ones to keep you coming back to Norgan despite the cold and gloomy facade it presents. There’s nothing like a good battle to warm your blood, after all, and that’s in abundance in a region that makes you earn your keep as the Arisen.
And that’s all it needs to do before its magic takes over your gaming time.
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