I am well aware that the cooperative RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2 has released its Dark Arisen expansion this year. Nevertheless, two years and one huge DLC announcement post-launch, what continues to captivate me the most is the Dragonsplague: a sly condition that subtly affects your allies (or Pawns, however you prefer to call them) and enhances their combat abilities, but if ignored, can trigger a scaly temper tantrum that wipes out the entire population of your beloved NPC village. Overly tuned, poorly communicated nonsense, or impressively daring usage of arrogance-correcting difficulty? Nowadays, I lean towards the latter; however, it’s still a compelling mechanic that has occupied my thoughts intermittently since 2024.
Meanwhile, Capcom has consistently engaged in a cautious approach, implementing various adjustments and refinements to Dragonsplague in an effort to appease both sides. The game’s Title Update 3.2, scheduled for late August (just before Dark Arisen on October 9th), seems to favor the ‘Angry fire virus can actually be enjoyable’ perspective – although a Q&A with producer Naoto Oyama and expansion director Kento Kinoshita indicates that these forthcoming modifications will align Dragonsplague more closely with Capcom’s initial intent for it.