Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Review
An engrossing expansion full of interesting new characters and vibrant enemies.
The first Dark Arisen expansion for the original Dragon's Dogma received widespread acclaim for "fixing" the base game's technical issues and providing new content. Dark Arisen 2, however, isn't as transformative as its predecessor, mostly because many of the game's biggest issues have been addressed through incremental patches since its release in 2024.
Nevertheless, the new content in Dark Arisen 2 certainly flies high, pushing the story and world design to new levels. The story in Dark Arisen 2 revisits themes from the first game but avoids a simple retelling. An Arisen rumored to exist prompts the player to investigate the frozen mountains of Norgan, a largely abandoned region with a single settlement and a steady stream of visitors exploring the forgotten ice.
Although Dragon's Dogma 2 has some quirks, such as a finicky ally AI, clunky climbing, and occasional camera glitches, the action-RPG offers a richly rewarding experience for those who can tolerate its flaws and appreciate its open-world design.
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
