Today, CAPCOM released the first of two planned free updates for Dragon's Dogma 2 that will pave the road for the upcoming launch of the Dark Arisen expansion, set for October 9 (when the game also launches on Nintendo Switch 2). The patch introduces a wide-ranging set of improvements across travel, pawns, the interface, shops, and combat stability.
The biggest convenience feature is easily the addition of the Eternal Ferrystone, which can now be obtained automatically after speaking with Brant during the quest Seat of the Sovran. With the Ferrystone, players can travel to every Portcrystal without worrying about running out of uses. Those who have already cleared that quest will receive it in their inventory. Fast travel is also being expanded with new Portcrystals placed in Melve, Checkpoint Rest Town, and Volcanic Island Camp, while the quest Monster Culling now rewards a Portcrystal as well.
Oxcart travel is receiving a meaningful overhaul, too. CAPCOM has added Oxcart Stopovers, shortened the wait before the Doze Off command becomes available, and expanded departure hours so oxcarts now operate from morning until evening. For those who'd rather continue to hike it like in the base game, the update reduces stamina consumption while dashing outside combat and prevents players from losing loss gauge progress if they choose to load an autosave after defeat.
Exploration and build variety are also getting attention. Some dungeon gear has had its stats improved, and several new options have been added, including a Free Camera for Photo Mode, toggles for wyrmfire enhancement patterns and head armor visibility, and settings to disable unhired pawns approaching the player or high-fiving after battle. CAPCOM has also added a new Guardian pawn specialization, which helps prevent oxcart raids and allows pawns to defend camps more effectively.
The economy is getting a friendlier pass as well. Inn fees have been lowered in several towns, barber services are cheaper, the price of the Lantern (Fueled) has been reduced, and Ferrystones are now less expensive in Normal Mode while selling for far more than before. Furthermore, CAPCOM has increased rewards for some quests, adjusted treasure chests and enemy drops, and improved several shop and inventory flows to make everyday management less clunky.
On the UI side, the update adds a way to use a Ferrystone directly from the map by selecting a Portcrystal, improves player icon visibility, and shows a new warning if your camping kit is destroyed in an ambush. Other interface changes include better handling of pawn status effects, easier item transfer between the Arisen and pawns, clearer timed quest notifications, and a revised loading screen that now displays tips instead of quest progress.
A long bug-fix section rounds out the update, touching nearly every major system in the game. CAPCOM has addressed issues with vocations like Mage, Sorcerer, and Trickster; fixed numerous pawn behavior problems; corrected NPC and enemy bugs; and resolved quest progression issues in missions including Monster Culling, Saint of the Slums, The Guardian Gigantus, and A Scholarly Pursuit.
Overall, this is a substantial step toward making the Dragon's Dogma 2 experience more flexible and less punishing, which was definitely a bit of an issue in the base game. The next patch, due in August, will improve frame rates, add additional save slots, and introduce further quality-of-life adjustments, including to the Dragonsplague, pawns, enemies, and UI.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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