Dragon’s Dogma 2 didn’t click for me until I reached its true ending

03.04.2024 - 15:37 / digitaltrends.com / Tomas Franzese

Dragon’s Dogma 2 intentionally gives players a hard time.

To create a gameplay loop that can produce a lot of unforgettable, organic moments, Capcom crafted many friction-filled systems for players to go up against. If players don’t equip themselves properly, have the right party composition between them and their pawns, or stray too far off the path they set for themselves, it’s possible for some ambush, giant monster, or another unintentional mishap to ruin a perfectly good quest.

That’s where a lot of the fun with Dragon’s Dogma 2 lies, but this approach to design often meant it can be more frustrating than fun at some moments, something I criticized in my review. For much of my playtime, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Dragon’s Dogma 2 as a whole. When I went for the true ending and discovered what was locked behind that path, though, the imperfect nature of Dragon’s Dogma 2 started to make a lot more sense.

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This article contains spoilers for Dragon’s Dogma 2.

The final fantasy of Dragon’s Dogma 2

There’s a lot to uncover, and from the moment players can set out into its open world, Dragon’s Dogma 2 pulls no punches. Monsters are tough during the day and even more brutal at night, so you’ll always want a camping kit on hand and to be mindful of where the closest campfire to your current position is.

Early on, it’s often better to run rather than fight unless you’re very well equipped for a battle and the necessary healing afterward. If a quest’s objective hasn’t been denoted by any of those markers on your map and you’re deciding to venture out into unmarked territory alone, don’t be surprised when things go wrong and you lose a lot of progress from dying far after a save point.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 demands mastery of its system and puts up challenges for players to hone themselves on. But friction creates burns, and not all the marks Dragon’s Dogma 2 leaves on players feel justified. Things like antiquated save systems, sometimes clunky combat, and unforgiving difficulty don’t provide the wonder and escapism I often look for in fantasy games. To get that feeling more immediately, I recommend you play the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom over Dragon’s Dogma 2.

I stuck with Dragon’s Dogma 2, though, and eventually found the magic behind its design during the endgame. I went for the true ending, using the Godsbane Blade on the heart of a dragon rather than going for one of the two predisposed endings that Dragon’s Dogma 2 more obviously presented