"The motivation for this project was the passionate feedback we received from fans" - Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen's developers on the expansion's new gameplay loop, how it affects the Unmoored World, and more
After two years of waiting, Dragon's Dogma 2 is finally getting new content — a massive-sounding expansion simply called Dark Arisen. Alongside a title update coming in August, Dark Arisen adds an entirely new region to the world of Dragon's Dogma 2, the frozen North known as Norgan. But it also brings brand-new story threads, a new Relic system, character customization enhancements, and much more. By all regards, it seems as sizable as the Dark Arisen version of the first Dragon's Dogma, and using the same name is no coincidence.
Ahead of the launch of the expansion and the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game in October, we talked to director Kento Kinoshita and producer Naoto Oyama, digging into all the ways Dark Arisen will alter or enhance Dragon's Dogma 2.
RPG Site: I’d first like to ask why you chose to call this expansion “Dark Arisen.” Obviously, that’s the same title as the first game’s expansion. Are you trying to draw a parallel?
Oyama: First off, talking about when we decided the title, it was after finishing the content we were creating for the expansion. It wasn’t titled at first – we decided to name it after looking at the content we were planning to add. And there were three main reasons why we named it Dark Arisen.
The first is its strong affinity with the story that will unfold in the new area, and the second is the presence of a loop-based gameplay cycle you can experience similarly to the original Dark Arisen. The third one is that we chose a familiar name that will be the easiest way to convey to everyone what kind of elements players can expect from the expansion. The name sounded good to the development team as well.
As you mentioned earlier, is there something in parallel to the first Dark Arisen, like the content for the first game? In the first Dark Arisen, there was Bitterblack Isle, the dungeon crawler experiment, where you can explore the dungeon, bring back items, uncurse them, and then go back for another adventure. In Dragon’s Dogma 2, rather than a closed dungeon crawler experience – you’ll experience that kind of loop-based gameplay in an open field. So there is some kind of similarity between those two, but we’ve evolved and expanded that part.
Oyama: First off, talking about when we decided the title, it was after finishing the content we were creating for the expansion. It wasn’t titled at first – we decided to name it after looking at the content we were planning to add. And there were three main reasons why we named it Dark Arisen.
The first is its strong affinity with the story that will unfold in the new area, and the second is the presence of a loop-based gameplay cycle you can experience similarly to the original Dark Arisen. The third one is that we chose a familiar name that will be the easiest way to convey to everyone what kind of elements players can expect from the expansion. The name sounded good to the development team as well.
As you mentioned earlier, is there something in parallel to the first Dark Arisen, like the content for the first game? In the first Dark Arisen, there was Bitterblack Isle, the dungeon crawler experiment, where you can explore the dungeon, bring back items, uncurse them, and then go back for another adventure. In Dragon’s Dogma 2, rather than a closed dungeon crawler experience – you’ll experience that kind of loop-based gameplay in an open field. So there is some kind of similarity between those two, but we’ve evolved and expanded that part.
RPG Site: Can you give me a general idea or timeline of when development started on Dark Arisen? And, if you’re able to say, was Hideaki Itsuno involved at all?
Oyama: After we released the base game of Dragon’s Dogma 2 for just over half a year, following the launch, we focused on delivering title updates. And after that, we kicked off this project. From the very beginning, we had Kinoshita-San as the director for this project – leading the direction of this game. So it’s kind of a new project led by Kinoshita-San.
Oyama: After we released the base game of Dragon’s Dogma 2 for just over half a year, following the launch, we focused on delivering title updates. And after that, we kicked off this project. From the very beginning, we had Kinoshita-San as the director for this project – leading the direction of this game. So it’s kind of a new project led by Kinoshita-San.
RPG Site: I want to ask about the new region of Norgan. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a very systems-heavy game. So I’m curious why, first of all, you wanted a northern snowy locale, and how that location ties into the systems or experience of the game?
Kinoshita: The motivation for kicking off this project, the major factor was the passionate feedback we received from players – that they want to play the game more and explore more in the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. So we were thinking about how we could expand the game more, with something new and enjoyable for those players. Considering the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 and creating something new, we realized we wanted to have a harsh environment for the new area. That’s why we landed on an area covered in snow.
In terms of how it ties into the game system, as I mentioned earlier, it’s a harsh environment. So, you can imagine what kind of obstacles and accidents you’ll expect in that snowy area. The weather will be pretty harsh, so there will be blizzards that block your vision, and there will be gimmicks on the field – for example, there will be something related to icicles and something related to avalanches. In that kind of environment, we designed the game so players can think of how they can progress through that area.
Kinoshita: The motivation for kicking off this project, the major factor was the passionate feedback we received from players – that they want to play the game more and explore more in the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. So we were thinking about how we could expand the game more, with something new and enjoyable for those players. Considering the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 and creating something new, we realized we wanted to have a harsh environment for the new area. That’s why we landed on an area covered in snow.
In terms of how it ties into the game system, as I mentioned earlier, it’s a harsh environment. So, you can imagine what kind of obstacles and accidents you’ll expect in that snowy area. The weather will be pretty harsh, so there will be blizzards that block your vision, and there will be gimmicks on the field – for example, there will be something related to icicles and something related to avalanches. In that kind of environment, we designed the game so players can think of how they can progress through that area.
RPG Site: With the 12 new Lost Rites dungeon challenges being added. What do those offer that isn't already in the game? And how integrally does the relic system change the experience of Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Oyama: Compared to the base game of Dragon’s Dogma 2, each dungeon has its own unique challenge. And when you reach the end of the dungeon, you’ll be able to find unique equipment that past Arisen have left. For the equipment you can get in the 12 dungeons, you’ll be able to enhance them like you can do in the base game for other equipment. But for the Relics you find in the Northern area, you can’t enhance them. You’ll be able to appraise them every time, and their abilities will be unlocked each time they’re appraised – allowing players to enjoy the flow of the random drop itself.
So there’s a difference between the Relics and the equipment you can get in the 12 dungeons. We believe it will be enjoyable for players to decide which equipment they want to use – like if they want to enhance the equipment from the dungeons or appraise more Relics in the northern area. So players have options. The recommended starting level for the 12 dungeons is level 20. And for Norgan, level 40 is recommended. But this is just the starting level; there’s a kind of difficulty gradient. So players can also choose to take on the dungeons at a lower level if they’re seeking a challenge.
Oyama: Compared to the base game of Dragon’s Dogma 2, each dungeon has its own unique challenge. And when you reach the end of the dungeon, you’ll be able to find unique equipment that past Arisen have left. For the equipment you can get in the 12 dungeons, you’ll be able to enhance them like you can do in the base game for other equipment. But for the Relics you find in the Northern area, you can’t enhance them. You’ll be able to appraise them every time, and their abilities will be unlocked each time they’re appraised – allowing players to enjoy the flow of the random drop itself.
So there’s a difference between the Relics and the equipment you can get in the 12 dungeons. We believe it will be enjoyable for players to decide which equipment they want to use – like if they want to enhance the equipment from the dungeons or appraise more Relics in the northern area. So players have options. The recommended starting level for the 12 dungeons is level 20. And for Norgan, level 40 is recommended. But this is just the starting level; there’s a kind of difficulty gradient. So players can also choose to take on the dungeons at a lower level if they’re seeking a challenge.
RPG Site: The big surprise of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is its endgame, the Unmoored World. With all the new story and gameplay content in the expansion, will that affect the Unmoored World at all? Or will the endgame stay the same?
Kinoshita: There won’t be a huge impact on the Unmoored World with the expansion, but what we can say right now is that there will be some of the 12 Lost Rite dungeons challenged in the Unmoored World. There will be some kind of influence from adding the expansion, but it won’t have a huge impact on the experience.
Kinoshita: There won’t be a huge impact on the Unmoored World with the expansion, but what we can say right now is that there will be some of the 12 Lost Rite dungeons challenged in the Unmoored World. There will be some kind of influence from adding the expansion, but it won’t have a huge impact on the experience.
RPG Site: A lot of people praise the idea of “friction” in Dragon’s Dogma- game systems that sort of push back on the player. When looking at all the feedback you’ve incorporated into Dark Arisen, how have you tried to make sure that the core identity of Dragon’s Dogma is retained while still trying to streamline it for newcomers?
Kinoshita: What we think the core identity of the game is, is that first you can venture with your Pawns into the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2, and you’ll face many difficult situations. Then it’ll be fun for the players to make decisions on how to overcome those situations. That is the core identity, the enjoyable part of Dragon’s Dogma 2.
But it’s also true that some people may consider that kind of friction as inconvenient, and they want to play the game more casually. So this time, via the title updates we’ve released and plan to release in late August, we’ve balanced them as we’ve just added more options for how to play the game. For example, we added the Eternal Ferry Stone with the June update, so there’s now an option people have for how to travel inside the world. Of course, there is still the option to just walk or run to the place you want to go. We just added it as an option – we’re not forcing players to use the Eternal Ferry Stone. That’s how we balance the core identity of the game, but also make it more accessible by adding options.
Kinoshita: What we think the core identity of the game is, is that first you can venture with your Pawns into the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2, and you’ll face many difficult situations. Then it’ll be fun for the players to make decisions on how to overcome those situations. That is the core identity, the enjoyable part of Dragon’s Dogma 2.
But it’s also true that some people may consider that kind of friction as inconvenient, and they want to play the game more casually. So this time, via the title updates we’ve released and plan to release in late August, we’ve balanced them as we’ve just added more options for how to play the game. For example, we added the Eternal Ferry Stone with the June update, so there’s now an option people have for how to travel inside the world. Of course, there is still the option to just walk or run to the place you want to go. We just added it as an option – we’re not forcing players to use the Eternal Ferry Stone. That’s how we balance the core identity of the game, but also make it more accessible by adding options.