Dragon’s Dogma 2 released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2024, and it landed with a score of 8.9 out of 10. The open-world action role-playing game asks players to build a party of AI companions and set out across a fantasy landscape full of monsters and choices.
The Arisen’s Journey
Players take on the role of the Arisen, a character whose heart has been taken by a dragon. The core loop sends the Arisen out with a hired band of companions to fight large beasts and other creatures in real time.
Combat is the clear high point. Fights against bigger monsters ask players to climb on them, cut at weak points, and manage energy under pressure.
Companions and Party Building
The companion system remains the game’s signature idea. Players hire companions created by other players online, and those companions carry knowledge of quests and monster weaknesses back into the game world.
Three things stand out about how companions shape play:
- Companions comment on the world around them, offering hints about hidden paths or dangers.
- Companions can be changed at rest points, letting players build parties around different roles.
- Companions retain memory of past quests, so a well-traveled companion can guide a new player through unfamiliar territory.
Classes and Combat
Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers a range of classes, each with its own combat style and set of skills. Moving between them changes how a fight plays out, from close-range sword work to long-range magic.
The game rewards players who experiment with different classes rather than settling on one.
The World Itself
The world is large and often harsh. Travel is slow by design, and night brings real danger, with monsters that hit harder once the sun goes down.
The world does not wait for the player to catch up.
That approach makes exploration feel dangerous in a way many open-world games do not attempt.
Where It Falls Short
The game is not without friction. Menus can be awkward, and some systems, like inventory weight, add extra steps that slow down play. Load times and performance dips have also been noted on all three platforms.
These issues do not undo the strength of the combat and companion systems, but they are present often enough to notice.
Final Score
The friction rarely lasts, and the fights against the largest beasts remain the reason to keep playing. Dragon’s Dogma 2 earned its place among 2024’s more ambitious releases.
