Dragon's Dogma 2 FAQ: Gameplay guides, lists, release date, editions, trailers, and everything you need to know

Promotional screenshot of Dragon's Dogma 2

(Image credit: Capcom)

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What is it about?
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Long ago in 2012, Capcom forged a new fantasy action-RPG called Dragon's Dogma. This title tasked players to venture forth across a massive open world to hunt down an Ancient Dragon that has terrorized the land for countless eons. Dragon's Dogma received a ton of fame and praise during its heigh-day for its in-depth combat system, dozens upon dozens of engaging quests, an intriguing world filled with secrets, cinematic boss fights, and a unique gameplay mechanic that allowed players to create AI-driven party members called Pawns.

Fans have been wishing for a sequel to this classic gem for over a decade, and in May 2023, their prayers had finally been answered. Capcom revealed that they had finally begun developing Dragon's Dogma 2 during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase and fans lost their minds. This blockbuster sequel aims to improve the foundations of the original Dragon's Dogma with new Vocations and mechanics, an upgraded combat system, improved AI for the Pawns, a bigger world to explore, and much more.

Here are all the details you need to know for Dragon's Dogma 2.

RELATED: Dragon's Dogma 2 review.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Our guide list

We're building a huge database of guides for Dragon's Dogma 2 now that the game is live. Here are our top Dragon's Dogma 2 guides to get the most out of the game, so far.

General Dragon's Dogma 2 guides

Dragon's Dogma 2 vocation guides and tips

Dragon's Dogma 2 quest guides and walkthroughs

Dragon's Dogma 2: What is it about?

Before we begin, it should be noted that while the setting mirrors that of Dragon’s Dogma 1, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is set in a parallel world with new locales and characters. This means that you don’t have to play the original Dragon’s Dogma to understand what’s going on with the plot of Dragon’s Dogma 2, especially if you’re a newcomer to the series.

The story takes place in a medieval fantasy world terrorized by an ancient Dragon that has lived for countless eons. During its rampages, The Dragon will then devour the heart of one of its victims and transform them into a cursed being known as an Arisen (a.k.a. the player character).

As an Arisen, you aim to slay the Dragon to save the realm from its tyranny and reclaim your stolen heart. However, you won’t be alone in your crusade, as Pawns will accompany you. Pawns are mysterious beings who are entirely devoted to aiding the Arisen in their quest to hunt the Dragon and willing to sacrifice their lives to protect them.

Along your journey to find the Dragon, you will come across many towns, cities, and kingdoms with intriguing storylines to experience, lore to learn, and side quests to partake in. One such locale is the lush greenlands of Vermund, a human-centric kingdom ruled by Arisen kings. Here, the player can participate in a power struggle for the throne as they uncover a sinister conspiracy about why a false Arisen sits on the throne.

Promotional screenshot of Dragon's Dogma — Enlist the aid of the mysterious Pawns to aid you on your quest. (Image credit: Capcom)

Another major locale of note is Battahl, a nation situated in canyons ruled by feline humanoids called Beastren. The Beastren reject the Arisen and their Pawns as they consider them a source of misfortune and instead pray upon the mysterious Lambent Flame to safeguard them from calamity.

In addition to these great nations, there are also smaller settlements like the Sacred Arbor. This place is the home of elves who prefer to get caught up with other races and would like to keep to themselves.

Dragon's Dogma 2: What is the gameplay like?

Much like the first game, Dragon's Dogma 2 is an open-world action RPG where you can create your Arisen's appearance and select what Vocation (the character classes of the game) they will take through a highly advanced character creator. Once you have created your character, you will venture into the world to defeat the Dragon while exploring the land and completing quests.

As mentioned earlier, you will be accompanied by Pawns on your journey, which will aid you in combat. You will get to create your main Pawn while creating your character and recruit any subsequent Pawns by finding them in-game or borrowing them from other players online.

What’s different about Pawns in Dragon’s Dogma 2 compared to the first game is that their AI has been improved to help them function better in combat, and they can now learn Specializations.

Specializations are unique abilities that give Pawns more personality and provide assistance during certain situations. For example, if you have a Pawn that learned how to speak Elvish, they will be able to translate the dialogue of Elven characters.

As you traverse the land, you will inevitably come into conflict with villains and monsters looking to stop you from completing your quest. The combat system is a hack 'n' slash affair where you will use your Vocation abilities to obliterate your foes while commanding your Pawns to help you achieve victory.

In addition, you will be using the environment to deal damage to your foes, whether it's destroying a dam to drown them in a massive flood or luring them to a collapsible bridge so you send enemies plummeting to their doom.

There have been ten Vocations revealed so far for the Arisen and their Pawns to take up (with four only available to Arisen) and they are as follows:

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Fighter	A defensive melee-focused Vocation where you use a Sword and Shield to slice through enemies and defend allies from attacks.
Archer	A long-ranged Vocation where you provide support to melee party members by picking foes off from a distance using a bow and arrow.
Thief	An agile Vocation that allows you sneak past enemies and chop them to ribbons by using a pair of daggers to unleash a whirlwind of combo attacks.
Mage	A magic-caster Vocation where you call upon arcane magic to blast foes with fireballs or aid allies with enchantments and healing spells.
Warrior	A slow-moving but mighty Vocation where you wield massive two-handed weapons like hammers and greatsword to smash enemies into bloody bits.
Sorcerer	An advanced magic-caster Vocation that takes longer to cast compared to Mage but the devastating power that they wield is worth the trade-off as Sorcerers can summon tornadoes or even meteors.
Magick Archer (Arisen-only)	The Magick Archer Vocation combines the agility and long-range damage skills of Archers with the magic power of Mages. They can enchant their arrows to track targets or split off into shower of light arrows to a horde of foes into pin cushions.
Mystic Spearhand (Arisen-only)	The Mystic Spearhand allows players to attack enemies at long-range with magic spells or at melee-range with flurry of strikes using a double-bladed polearm called the Duospear.
Trickster (Arisen-only)	A support-based Vocation designed to buff the abilities of Pawn while deceiving enemies. Using a special flail that doubles an incense burner called a Censer, Tricksters can conjure illusions that trick enemies into attacking themselves. The Censer can also strengthen the power of Pawns by burning incense that incites them into a frenzied rage.
Warfarer (Arisen-only)	The Warfarer class is a jack-of-all-trades type Vocation that allows the Arisen to use every weapon and learn the abilities of all the other Vocations. With the Warfarer Vocation, players will be able to customize their playstyle to their liking and adapt to any situation. However, the Warfarer Vocation has much lower base stats compared to the Vocations as a trade-off for being able to use all their weapons and skills at once.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Were there any special editions or pre-order bonuses?

Promotional screenshot for Dragon's Dogma 2 — Grab onto flying enemies and stab them in the wings to bring them down. (Image credit: Capcom)

There will be a standard edition and a deluxe edition with pre-order bonuses. The standard edition will contain the base game and a pre-order bonus for a Superior Weapons Quartet Pack.

The Deluxe Edition will net you the base game and an early-game booster pack called “A Boon for Adventurers - New Journey Pack,” containing several items to help new players get a head start.

The Boon for Adventurers - New Journey Pack features:

Explorer's Camping Kit - Camping Gear
Dragon's Dogma Music & Sound Collection - Custom Sounds
Harpysnare Smoke Beacons - Harpy Lure Item
Heartfelt Pendant - A Thoughtful Gift
Ambivalent Rift Incense - Change Pawn Inclinations
Makeshift Gaol Key - Escape from gaol!
Art of Metamorphosis - Character Editor
Wakestone - Restore the dead to life! (A)
1500 Rift Crystals - Points to Spend Beyond the Rift

Pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition will grant you access to the Superior Weapons Quartet pack and a Ring of Assurance.

Dragon's Dogma 2: When did it launch and for what platforms?

Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched on March 22, 2024, for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Capcom has been on a winning streak these past few years, producing some of the best Xbox games and best PC games we’ve seen in ages with only a couple of misfires. Capcom is looking to maintain that streak with Dragon’s Dogma 2, and from what we’ve seen of the game so far, it has a high chance of succeeding.

Will Dragon’s Dogma 2 live up to fans’ expectations after waiting for over a decade and be able to stand out amongst the large crowd of upcoming Xbox games and upcoming PC games?

Become the Arisen and join the crusade to slay the Dragon to find out. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is finally here, having launched on March 22, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran of 30-plus years, primarily covering PC and Xbox games here on Windows Central. Gaming since the 8-bit era, Alexander's expertise revolves around gaming guides and news, with a particular focus on Japanese titles from the likes of Elden Ring to Final Fantasy. Alexander is always on deck to help our readers conquer the industry's most difficult games — when he can pry himself away from Monster Hunter that is!