Dragon’s Dogma 2

I have almost 280 hours in this game, and reading through the reviews, I've come to the conclusion that a lot of people are just talking out of their ass.
1. You do not have to pay real money to edit your character or main pawn's appearance. It's built into the game - you can go to either of the large cities' Barberies (Vernworth or Bakbattahl) to edit your hair, makeup, or full appearance, including body type and gender.
2. The Eternal Ferrystone is a free update we got in June. You do NOT have to purchase the DLC to get it.
3. Camping Kits are found in the game, purchasable in the game, and are reusable items. They only get removed from your inventory if you rest at a campsite and get attacked, at which point they have a chance to break - and with the June addition of the Guardian specialization for your main pawn or hireable pawns, you can make this way less likely. With as many hours as I have, this has happened to me twice. I've camped a bazillion times.
4. The Elite Camping Kit is lighter than the Explorer's Camping Kit and purchasable in game. Golden Trove Beetles exist (findable throughout the world via exploration) and permanently increase carry weight. Claiming that camping kit weight makes it impossible to carry other items is baffling - I hand mine off to my main pawn and go on about my merry way.
5. It is only true that there are a finite number of wakestone shards to be found in the game IF you never touch the thief vocation with pilfer/plunder, you can play it yourself, make your main pawn a thief, or hire another pawn with it in their moveset. You'll start swimming in wakestone shards (three create a whole wakestone). My preference is to just let a pawn do all that work for me.
6. The price drop for the base game makes sense. People can be mad about it, sure, but this is exactly how games should work: the older the game, the lower the price should be. Period. Do we want another Nintendo selling the same game ten years later at an $80-plus price point, or would we rather an older game be sold at a lower price as it ages? The answer seems obvious. No need to be crabs in a bucket about this - it's a win-win when a company lowers a base game's price as it gets older, especially while releasing DLC for it.
On to the actual review of which I tried to keep spoiler free:
I can safely say I thoroughly enjoy this game. The combat never gets old, and I'm still coming across weird interactions I didn't know existed. Example: I had no idea, until recently, that the game gives you a sound cue whenever you properly grab hold of a large enemy's foot/leg area to push them off balance - this specifically happened to me on a golem, one of the electrum ones.
Being able to grapple large enemies - what I like to call Shadow of the Colossus Lite - is its own minigame, though one I wish had better pathing. I'm not quite sure how to put it, but what I mean is this: sometimes, while you're climbing under a Drake or Griffon, if the enemy shifts too far one way or the other, your character will change climbing direction on their own. And since you can't always see your character while climbing, it can be frustrating. I suppose this is predominantly a problem with horizontal navigation rather than vertical.
I'd say the vocation I'm worst at is Warrior, so I just let my main pawn "main" that, and it works out - he's got better aim than me, obviously. That said, I love how they handle the greatsword in this game. It feels legitimately weighty; the fall of the blade is worked into the moveset, so you'll watch your pawn skewer one goblin with it, then, as he's pulling it free, the sword slings backward and bonks the crap out of a goblin behind him. It's a good time, haha.
I enjoy the vocations, each has its own "screenshot-worthy" set of skills and interactions. The Trickster, for all its weirdness, looks really cool in action, and if you want to run a playthrough where you see whether you can lead your pawns to victory instead of fighting yourself, it's the best vocation for it. I have a soft spot for Archer and Mystic Spearhand - I just jive with those two. Whether it's the instant, teleport-esque moves Spearhand has or the sliding lock-on shots you can pull off with Archer, they're both my go-to. (OH and the backflip off the enemy into a shot that Archer can do *chef's kiss*)
I'm glad to know that the DLC is introducing some form of armor transmutation across vocations (at least I hope it's across vocations) that way I can be the drippiest possible. Prior to that announcement that would have been one major con. (Though there is a way you can kind of do this already but it's a spoiler)
I'm a sucker for lore, and that's where this game does a weird number on me. On one hand, the "story" is shallow and has plot holes. On the other hand, the more I look at that, the more it seems to be by design. Dragon's Dogma 2 has a meta aware story - meaning that to explain its intricacies to you, someone would have to spoil it far beyond the archetypal hero's-journey trope force-fed on the surface. I can't go into depth on what I like about the story and lore without robbing you of the realization you can reach on your own by playing through the entirety of it.
That said, it's clear that if you're not good at or dislike headcanoning things yourself, or you're unsatisfied with open-ended storytelling, you won't like the story or premise of this game. Which is fair. I absolutely love it, but can see how it wouldn't be something a lot of people prefer.
Another gripe I have is how the game defaults to assuming you're playing a hetero male character. I'm a hetero woman, and I rarely choose to play as a dude - yet the game acts like I didn't choose to be female regardless. It'll only offer me masculine courtly attire for a masquerade, or throw a makeout scene at me with a female NPC just because I finished a quest, haha. I just wanna be friends, okkkk, lol. These ladies are handsy. My headcanon is that I romance my main pawn (and yes, I know all about DD1's Dark Arisen, and I don't carrrrre.) so every time I do a playthrough i'm just like welp, that didn't happen, you saw nothing.
In the same vein I really do hope they add more pawn interactions, the pawns are a highlight of this game, even when they're being the lowest room temp IQ they can muster. It's charming. Their comedic timing is impeccable - if you know, you know. If you don't - buy the game and find out *wink wink*
Basically the short of it is this; Dragon's Dogma is a solid 7/10. What it does, it does very well, what it doesn't do, you wish it did.
((also protip: if you set a pawn quest you only pay the reward out on the intial setting of the quest, this means multiple people can hire your pawn, finish the quest and receive the reward. So make it the max gold reward of 10k, you're only gonna pay 10k once no matter how many people hire and finish the quest. And the better the reward, the more likely your pawn will be hired.))

Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t a Soulslike, and it isn’t Monster Hunter either. Its closest relative might actually be Dragon Age, but without rows of hotkey skills cluttering the UI. Instead, combat uses button + direction combinations for "aiming" at the enemy, no auto-lock here, very Capcom-esque, and the interface stays clean and immersive without MMO-style hotbars. You feel like you’re fighting, not managing a control panel.
What truly sets Dragon’s Dogma apart (both 1 and 2) is that there’s still no other game that plays exactly like it. Other titles may imitate fragments of the experience, but nothing replaces the feeling of climbing a giant monster in real time while your AI companions scream advices and join into the brawl. The sequel expands everything the first game proved was already fun.
Technically, it runs on the RE Engine, which has already been refined by multiple Resident Evil remakes. So the game itself isn’t held back by some experimental tech. If you hit performance issues, enable DLSS (it’s OFF by default), update your driver, and maybe blame Denuvo for minor frame dips. The engine first version itself wasn't really meant for open world and lots of AI characters, so bring a beefy CPU cause this game is hungry for X3D.
Story-wise: don’t expect a Baldur’s Gate–level branching narrative. Expect a linear adventure with possible different endings, focused more on the journey and the vibe than on complex plot branches. I watched the Netflix adaptation ages ago and platinumthe first game, the narrative wasn’t jaw-dropping, but it wasn’t bad either. The game’s strength isn’t its plot, it’s the freedom to explore, experiment, and cause chaos.
Music and voice acting? It’s Capcom. Worrying about that is pointless ! you’ll probably end up searching for the OST later.
A few tips from experience:
The pawn system replaces multiplayer, and the AI companions are legitimately competent.
If you don’t like getting punched in the face, play Mage or Archer, the lock-on system is better than in the first game (and better than Monster Hunter’s).
The game is much easier than Elden Ring or Souls games so you don't need to “get good,” just explore and experiment.
However, this is a single-player adventure. If you only enjoy Monster Hunter or Elden Ring because of multiplayer, think twice. This is a world to explore alone (with AI buddies), at your own pace.
“He who fights monsters becomes the monster”
Final thought:
If you like Elden Ring exploration, combat that feels grounded and physical, or Dragon Age–style adventuring, buy it without hesitation. Just don’t ruin it with cheats, the game’s magic lies in overcoming the journey yourself.

Great game although far from perfect. Capcom please give us an expansion/DLC!!!

Do i like this game: Yes. is it the best game iv ever played: no. is it overpriced: a little yeah. is it well optomised: No. did i have fun and do i recomend it: yes... but only with a discount

they FINALLY fixed the performance of this so i can finally recommend this game for people who love exploration led rpgs. a lot of this game doesnt spell itself out and feels like uncovering its own mystery and it's rare that a game feels so elusive. it WAS one of the best games of 2024, and now it's actually playable!

I write this review in hopes that anyone debating on playing it before or after the dlc drops in October. Dragon's Dogma 2 is honestly quite phenomenal. The game itself is a marvel in just near every way. The combat is amazing, it has always been one of the best selling points in the series. The story is alright, but really the side content in the game is really what gets the core of the experience.
The story really feels like it's happening at every moment when you're immersed in it. The way the companions, the pawns, feel as you work and fight together really makes the adventure feel alive. The classes, the vocations, are all varied yet enjoyable all the same. Its both a game you could huddle in a deep wiki read or play entirely on your own and make it the whole way through.
Character progression feels really nice for bulk of the game. Near the end it starts to scale worse, with the player being way too powerful, but at the same time it feels organic for who is a living legend. The story of Dragons Dogma 1 isn't attached to this game either, so you won't miss anything if you start here, but really you should play it, it's so good.
This game is one of the only games I could ever deem worth the price, the whole game feels so alive, traveling feels good both on cart, on foot, or fast travel with the teleport stones. My first playthrough was over 100 hours, my second playthrough has reached 60 hours as of now, and I've still so much left to do. If you enjoy action jrpg's this is it. This is thE jrpg.
No microtransactions that you need to do good. Any that exist still are redundant and easily acquired on your own. No enemy feels out of place, traveling feels real, resting feels respiteful, winning tough battles is rewarding, and leveling up your class or character truly feels just right.
I could write a love letter review on the wyrm enemies themselves, no game I've ever played has done them as well as Dragon's Dogma. Everything they say, the way they move, its so gorgeous.
This game is amazing. It'll be more so when October comes. If you want to lose hours of your life, this masterpiece is great for long and short game sessions. I cannot recommend it higher.

This is probably the most frustrating gaming experience I have personally had. Not because the game is bad mind, Its just that it falls well short of the absolute Masterpiece it should have been. I will give it an upvote if only in the slim hope that I can tip the scales to convince CAPCOM to give this Game a DLC like the first game but from my personal experience, I would have to give this a downvote otherwise. (Edit: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ITS HAPPENING THE DLC ACTUALLY GOT ANNOUNCED IM IN TEARS)
The game does SO MUCH right that the places where it falls short are baffling to me. Every Vocation feels like a master piece yet most vocations feel neutered because equip able skills were cut in half. This is probably the best looking Game of the Genre yet the performance is complete balls so most people are stuck playing at settings that make the game look like the first one. The quests feel like they're building up a grand and intricate narrative until most plot points get completely forgotten about in the second half of the game. The World feels very lived in and vibrant until you try to interact with it at which point you realize its all just window-dressing. You are tasked with infiltration missions more than 3 times in the main story and not a single one of them functions properly. The guards just walk past you, they don't care. In fact no one cares if you throw the entire population of the city to their deaths. It very much feels like a play castle world without consequence.
The romance system feels completely botched. I feel like I am made to have feelings for this Ulrika girl when I have barely met her like twice and now we are supposed to have a house and hearth together or something. I suppose I cant really complain about that because the romance system has always been hilarious in these games. At least in the first game you could have some really funny moments with it though. this game doesn't really allow for that. The quests are meh. They have always been meh. you dont play these games for the story but its frustrating that this game puts so much emphasis on them as if it isnt aware how mid the characters and their quests are. The Idea of Meisters and Meisters Teachings in every vocation sounds like so much fun in theory until you realize that they basically gutted the good skills from the first game and locked them behind completing these Meister's quests (Some examples of which are genuinely so convoluted and downright ass that I guarantee you, you will lock yourself out of the possibility of getting all of them if you don't refer to a guide) on top of kissing their ass enough to convince them to graciously grant you their skills. Not to mention THE GAME DOESNT TELL YOU WHO THESE MEISTERS ARE SO GOOD LUCK FINDING THEM OR EVEN LEARNING THAT MEISTERS ARE EVEN A THING IN THE FIRST PLACE ON A BLIND PLAYTHROUGH... This entire system has been added to make the vocation experience WORSE from the original game and I just cant wrap my head around why they had to do it this way. They had so much potential with these meisters too.
The bosses and Creatures are super satisfying to fight, in my opinion the combat of this game rivals and at times exceeds that of monster hunter, yet between this and the first game, there are only like 3 new creatures to fight and im counting the sphinx among those 3 which 1> isnt even really a fight and 2> 90% of players will completely miss. Not counting the enemies you get to face during a break of the cycle which literally no one has done if you go by steam achievements.
This might be rude to say but as neither the Dark Arisen DLC for the first game, nor Dragons Dogma Online which are in my opinion the absolute highlights of Dragons Dogma were made by the original Director; Hideaki Itsuno, Mayhaps the best thing that could happen to this game for the players would be a DLC that's similar to Dark arisen, made by another director.