Capcom details Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, including dungeon challenges and new region
Dark Arisen features expanded character customization
Capcom has revealed new details about Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Dark Arisen expansion, which is due to release on October 9.
The expansion’s director appeared in a live stream on Thursday. Kento Kinoshita previously directed the original Dragon’s Dogma’s own Dark Arisen, and acted as lead game designer on Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Kinoshita detailed Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen’s three main features: new story content, 12 new dungeon challenges, and expanded character customization options.
The expansion takes place in the new region of Norgan, where players track a mysterious woman as she pursues ‘the Fallen Dragon’.
According to the game’s director, the story expansion will see players “cut your path through formidable foes, gather relics, and forge stronger gear for the adventure ahead.”
He said: “Norgan is a frigid landscape filled with mystery,” Kinoshita said. “In Norgan, relics can be obtained through exploration and battle.
“Bring back relics and have them appraised – forge them into formidable weapons and armor. Not only are they more powerful in terms of stats, some even boast special effects and unique skills.”
Dark Arisen will be available as $30 DLC for existing versions of Dragon’s Dogma 2, or as a standalone $50 release on Nintendo Switch 2.
Earlier this month, Capcom released a quality-of-life patch for the RPG, which added numerous adjustments and tweaks. At the end of August, a second update will be released, which Capcom says will improve performance, the save system, adjust Dragonsplague, and increase weapon skill slots from four to six.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 received a strong critical reception from reviewers when it released in March 2024, though it didn’t resonate with every player. Notably, the game has a Metacritic score of 86, compared to a user score of 6.5.
Last year, VGC asked the game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, about the reception to Dragon’s Dogma 2. Itsuno said he was proud of the game but not surprised to see a mixed reaction from some players, since he designed it that way.
