Hey everyone,
Following the recent news in the June Capcom Spotlight that the original Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen director is reprising his role in the Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, we on the DD2DA Community Team thought we’d take a moment to sit down and have a chat with the development team to ask some questions, including topics we’ve seen being eagerly discussed in the community. Read on to see what Producer Naoto Oyama and returning Director Kento Kinoshita had to say about the new expansion and the Dragon's Dogma 2 updates they have in store!
A Q&A with Director Kinoshita & Producer Oyama
Question: The Dark Arisen expansion for Dragon’s Dogma 2 has finally been revealed! How does it feel to have the news out there?
Director Kinoshita:
I saw many comments from the community asking, “Is there really nothing more to come?” and honestly, I was eager to announce Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen as soon as possible in response to those comments, but I'm sorry that we ended up keeping everyone waiting so long.
I was really happy to see that even after several years people were still really hyped when the announcement finally dropped and it was truly encouraging to see that so many people were still excited and willing to celebrate the announcement with us.
Question: That’s great to hear! Following on from the expansion reveal itself, why did you decide to name the Dragon’s Dogma 2 expansion “Dark Arisen”?
Producer Oyama:
When we started work on the expansion, we didn’t have a name in mind yet at the beginning. We focused first on locking in the content, and then we had a think about the name, and there were three main reasons we felt that returning to the Dark Arisen subtitle made sense.
The first one was that, although we can’t go into detail just yet, the name Dark Arisen happens to be really fitting for the story that we want to tell in the new region of Norgan. Secondly, the Expedition Cycle of the expansion gameplay is similar to the gameplay cycle of Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, and thirdly we thought using that title would give veteran fans a great sense of what to expect from the expansion.
Question: The original Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is beloved by the community with a very strong core fanbase, do you feel any pressure taking on that mantle by bringing forward the “Dark Arisen” name to Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Director Kinoshita:
There was definitely pressure to live up to the community's expectations and enthusiasm.
At the same time, we were thrilled by the positive response to the Dark Arisen subtitle when it was announced, and it motivated us to keep asking ourselves, "Is there anything more we can do?"
As a result, we’ve gone a little beyond our original plans in production, and we’re working hard to deliver the best possible product right up to the very last minute to meet everyone’s positive expectations.
Question: We know there’s a lot of really exciting things in Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen. But, if you could only choose one thing you’re really excited for players to experience, what would it be?
Director Kinoshita:
Personally, I think it’s going to be really fun to see how players “retool” their favourite Vocations with the expanded options. So, in addition to being able to set 6 skills instead of 4 with the title update at the end of August, there are also new higher levels of existing skills, as well as completely new skills for the different Vocations. So, even if you think you know a Vocation inside out after playing a lot of Dragon’s Dogma 2, I think everyone’s going to have a chance to really rethink their builds and rediscover their favourite Vocations. I’m really looking forward to everyone enjoying the exhilarating action that’s unique to Dragon's Dogma.
Producer Oyama:
I would say the Relic Appraisal system, as it's a bit different to the original Dark Arisen since it's located in the open map of Norgan rather than a singular dungeon crawl.
With Relic Appraisal, you can obtain weapons, armor, and skills with random parameters.
I’m excited to see people’s online posts, clips and streams of their reactions when they get a really rare piece of gear coming out of their loot appraisal!
Question: Dark Arisen is going to bring with it a whole new experience to Dragon’s Dogma 2. What level of challenge can players expect when playing through the expansion’s content?
Director Kinoshita:
Both the Forsaken Dominion and Lost Rites are expansion contents, so we've designed them to offer battles with an even greater sense of tension and challenge than the main game. We’re aware that there's a very wide range of player level across the community, so with that in mind, we're adjusting the balance so that everyone can enjoy the experience—whether they're just starting their adventure, still progressing through the game, or have already completed multiple playthroughs.
Also, we're working on a Hard Mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap.
Producer Oyama:
Please stay tuned for further updates regarding the details of Hard Mode and its release window.
Director Kinoshita:
To add to that, even in Normal Mode, the difficulty gradually ramps up as players progress through the expansion content, with enemy encounters becoming increasingly challenging along the way. As players reach the middle and later stages of the content, we've balanced it so that even those who have already hit the stat cap can still enjoy a meaningful level of challenge.
Producer Oyama:
The recommended starting level for Forsaken Dominion is 40, while that of Lost Rites is 20. That said, these recommendations apply only to the beginning of each content. As players progress, the challenge gradually ramps up, and both experiences become increasingly demanding.
Since both contents can be accessed early in the main story—simply by speaking with Brant at the tavern after arriving in Vernworth—players are free to challenge them even below the recommended level. Ultimately, we’d like players to use those recommendations as a reference and choose their own path based on how they want to experience the game.
Question: Can you tell us a little about some of the new enemies that players will encounter in Norgan?
Director Kinoshita:
In terms of the thematic nature of the enemies, when you first start exploring Norgan, the new enemies will be appropriate for that icy cold region, but as the story progresses, it takes a bit of a darker direction towards the middle and end of the storyline, fitting of the Dark Arisen title, and the kind of enemies you’ll be facing will be along that dark theming. I can't go into details, but but to give you an idea, it starts cold and gets dark…
Producer Oyama:
In addition to Norgan variants of existing enemies, we do have some completely new enemies too that utilise brand new skeletons, so we hope players will look forward to encountering them.
Question: Beyond Norgan’s main questline, will we see the return of side quests in the expansion?
Director Kinoshita:
Yes, absolutely! You can also pick up new quests from characters they encounter in Norgan, such as locals in Norgandian Settlement and members of a research expedition that arrived in the region like the Arisen.
Producer Oyama:
There will also be a side quest chain in the expansion that upon completion, will unlock the feature that allows you to change the appearance of weapons and armor obtained in Norgan to that of other gear while retaining its original stats and performance.
Question: Will the expansion feature any new Vocations?
Producer Oyama:
There aren’t any brand-new Vocations. Instead, we will increase the number of Weapon Skill sets from four to six as part of the title update scheduled for late August, giving players wider range of tactical choices in combat.
On top of that, The Dark Arisen Expansion adds new skills for each Vocation. Along with the encounters with new enemies, these additions are designed to give players even more ways to approach battles with different strategies and playstyles.
Question: What are the performance optimisations you have planned for the next Title Update in late August?
Producer Oyama:
We had worked on performance optimisations for over half a year since the release of DD2, and with Title Update 3.2 coming at the end of August, we're planning further optimisation updates through a combination of game engine updates and a wide range of incremental improvements.
As one indicator of this, we have tuned the game to run at 60 FPS in Performance Mode on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. We’ll also be revising the minimum and recommended system requirements for PC, so please stay tuned for further details.
Question: We’ve shared that some changes are being made to the Dragonsplague mechanic. What are they and why are we making them?
Producer Oyama:
Since the launch of the base game, we've received a variety of opinions regarding the Dragonsplague. In response, we added an adjustment to Casual Mode that allows afflicted Pawns to recover naturally without triggering a calamity, even when the condition reaches its final stage.
However, we felt there were still several challenges that needed to be addressed. While the Dragonsplague can enhance Pawn's abilities, those positive aspects were not being communicated clearly enough to players. In addition, even when players noticed that thier Pawn is afflicted, there were limited options available for dealing with the condition.
To address that, in Title Update 3.1 released in June, we made the stat boosts granted by the Dragonsplague reflected in the numerical stats. Then, in Title Update 3.2 at the end of August, we will further reinforce the advantages of the Dragonsplague by adding new combat behaviors that allow afflicted Pawns to perform more effectively in battle. At the same time, we're also planning to add a new item that can cure the Dragonsplague, giving players an additional option to deal with the condition.
With these adjustments, we hope you’ll be able to more clearly understand and enjoy the strategic decisions we originally envisioned—whether to leave an afflicted Pawn as they are to take advantage of the benefits it provides in combat, or to cure the condition using the new item.
Question: What was behind the team’s decision to add more save slots to the game?
Director Kinoshita:
Based on feedback from players, we found that having only two save types—Last Save and Inn Save—could sometimes lead to a significant rollback in progress when resuming from an Inn, causing players to lose a large amount of gameplay time and resulting in considerable frustration.
To address this, we are expanding the save system from two save types to three: Autosave, which continues to save progress automatically as before; Interim Save, which allows players to create a backup save at a time of their choosing; and Last Inn Rest Save, which preserves the safest and most reliable version of a player's progress. We've also made changes so that resuming from an Inn no longer causes the other save data to be deleted.
That said, staying at an Inn remains the most reliable way to secure your progress, and it is also tied to certain game systems, such as your Main Pawn returning with experiences gained from the Rift. Because of this, the existing behavior where staying at an Inn overwrites the other save data remains unchanged.
Producer Oyama:
In addition, Title Update 3.2 will expand the number of save slots to three, allowing players to maintain up to three separate playthroughs, each with its own Arisen and Main Pawn.
This change was also made in response to feedback from players who wanted to start a brand-new adventure from scratch while keeping their current save data.
Question: Thank you for your time today Director Kinoshita and Producer Oyama, is there anything you’d like to share with the community before we wrap up?
Director Kinoshita:
I've been saying this honestly in interviews with various media outlets, but after the release of Dragon's Dogma 2 and the subsequent title updates, we repeatedly received passionate messages from players saying things like, "This isn't the end, right?" and “Come on Capcom, we believe in you!” Those messages from the community have truly been the fuel that made Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen possible.
In addition to the brand-new region of Norgan, the expansion also introduces twelve new dungeons that will be added to the existing area. We hope players will enjoy both the new experiences and the volume of the additional contents.
Producer Oyama:
First of all, to everyone who’s been waiting for this expansion for a long time, thank you for your patience! We've been trying to strike the right balance between delivering new content as quickly as possible and ensuring that it offers a level of volume that players will find satisfying, which is why it took this long, but we hope you’ll bear with us just a little longer until release.
On a more personal note, I've been trying to read as many community comments about Dragon's Dogma 2 as I can, both positive and negative, using translation tools when necessary. So if I may ask one small favour, I'd be very happy to get kind comments.
That wraps up our Q&A with Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Director Kento Kinoshita and Producer Naoto Oyama! We hope you enjoyed what we chatted about!
What was your favourite piece of info from the Q&A? If you could ask the team a question about Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, what would you ask? Let us know in the comments!
What's Next?
Ahead of the launch of Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen on October 9, two Title Updates are planned. The first update, TU 3.1 is already live now, with the second update, TU 3.2 dropping at the end of August. Check out what both contain below and visit the official website for more details :
As you can see, the second update brings with it improved frame rates, additional save slots, and further quality-of-life adjustments. We’re excited to see what you make of it!
If you’re yet to get your pre-order in for Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen and you like what you’ve seen today, you can get yours in below:
For Arisen who already own the base version of Dragon’s Dogma 2: For new Arisen who do not own Dragon’s Dogma 2 yet and are looking to begin their quest ahead of the release of Dark Arisen, you can pick up the base game, or base game and expansion bundle on our store page:
Those that pre-order will also get themselves the Norgan Fashion Set – Northern Attire when the expansion launches. This fashionable-looking gear is perfect for Arisen stepping foot into the frigid lands of Norgan.
That wraps up today’s post, thank you for taking the time to join us for a Q&A with Director Kinoshita and Producer Oyama!
We look forward to sharing more news and info with you on the lead up to October 9.
- The Dragon’s Dogma Community Team