Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen review: A Frostbitten Return Worth Making

Dragon’s Dogma 2 may not have enjoyed the smoothest launch, but thanks to subsequent patches, performance improvements and quality-of-life updates, the game is a much more enjoyable experience today, particularly for those jumping in for the first time. However, we’re not here to talk about the base game. We’re here to talk about its expansion, Dark Arisen.

The story kicks off with a rather unusual mystery. An undying dragon, known as the Fallen Dragon, has appeared, and something about its existence simply doesn’t add up. To understand why, it helps to know what an Arisen is in the world of Dragon’s Dogma. An Arisen is someone whose heart has been taken by a dragon but who survives the encounter, marking them as the one destined to confront the dragon and reclaim their heart. So, when a seemingly immortal dragon without a heart enters the picture, there are plenty of questions that need answering.

Your journey takes you north to the frozen region of Norgan, where you team up with the mysterious Eir to investigate the Fallen Dragon and uncover the truth behind its existence. The main story may not be particularly groundbreaking, but it is the lore and the mystery surrounding this new threat that keep you invested throughout the adventure.

There are, of course, plenty of the usual fetch quests along the way. You’ll find yourself running errands for characters, gathering items and helping people out in exchange for information or access to new areas. Thankfully, most of these activities are relegated to side quests rather than becoming an obstacle to the main storyline. The main campaign should take you approximately 20–25 hours to complete, which is a substantial amount of content to get through before you even consider the additional activities.

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A Frozen Playground Worth Exploring

One of the biggest attractions of Dark Arisen is Norgan itself. The new region is fairly sprawling, and its varied geography makes exploration particularly enjoyable. From the verticality of its icy mountain peaks and snow-covered landscapes to the underground depths and hidden ruins you’ll eventually explore, there is a healthy variety of environments to keep things interesting.

The harsh weather conditions also play a part in your adventure. You’ll need to keep an eye on the freezing temperatures and equip suitable clothing and consumables to protect yourself from the cold. It is somewhat reminiscent of the environmental mechanics we have seen in games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. You cannot simply charge ahead without paying attention to your surroundings, and managing your resistance to the cold adds another layer to exploration.

There is also a new loot progression system called the Relic Expedition Cycle. As you venture into Norgan, you’ll collect relics and spoils from defeated enemies and your explorations. These can then be taken back for appraisal, potentially unlocking new weapons and armour with improved stats and abilities. It is an interesting addition that gives you another reason to venture out and take on tougher enemies, especially when you are chasing a particularly desirable piece of equipment.

New Gear, New Skills, Same Old Habits

Speaking of equipment, Dark Arisen introduces plenty of new weapons and armour to discover. However, as I have experienced in games such as The Witcher 3, it is easy to get attached to a particularly effective piece of gear and only consider replacing it when something offers a tangible improvement to your stats.

The same holds true here. While the new loot system gives you plenty of incentives to keep hunting for better equipment, I often found myself sticking with familiar gear unless a new discovery offered a meaningful upgrade. That said, if you’re someone who enjoys experimenting with different weapons, armour combinations and character builds, you could get considerably more mileage out of this aspect of the expansion than I did.

There are also new Weapon Skills for the existing Vocations, which is a welcome addition. While the expansion doesn’t introduce any brand-new Vocations, it gives each of the existing ones new abilities to experiment with. Whether you prefer getting up close with a Fighter or Warrior, dealing damage from a distance with an Archer or using magic to control the battlefield, there are new options to explore.

It is also worth mentioning that a free base-game update increased the number of Weapon Skill slots from four to six, giving you more flexibility when putting together your preferred combat loadout. Together, these additions give you more ways to approach encounters without fundamentally changing the combat system.

Bigger Foes and Better Battles

When it comes to enemies, Dark Arisen offers a healthy mix of familiar foes and some interesting new additions. Given the icy environment, you can expect new regional variants of existing creatures alongside entirely new monsters.

Some of the more interesting encounters include the Fimbl, a formidable frost dragon, the hulking Norgan Giant and the rather unsettling Blemmyae. The Fallen Dragon itself is the central threat of the storyline, while later encounters introduce some considerably darker and more demonic creatures.

The boss fights are particularly enjoyable, with several encounters making good use of the new environments and the abilities of these creatures. While there is still some reliance on familiar enemy designs, the expansion does enough to keep combat engaging, especially when you come across a new threat that requires you to rethink your approach.

A Worthy Reason to Return

There is more to Dark Arisen than just its new northern region. The expansion also introduces 12 Lost Rites dungeons scattered across the existing world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. These offer additional challenges and unique equipment to hunt down, giving returning players another reason to revisit locations they may have already explored extensively.

There are also additional character customisation options, including new hairstyles and tattoos, which are a nice bonus for anyone looking to give their Arisen and Pawns a fresh look.

Overall, Dark Arisen is a pretty meaty expansion. It reminds me of Blood and Wine from The Witcher 3 when considering the sheer breadth of content on offer. While the narrative may not be particularly memorable, the new region, its exploration opportunities, the Relic Expedition Cycle, and the challenging encounters make this a substantial addition to an already enjoyable game.

If you’ve been itching to return to the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2, Dark Arisen is as good an excuse as any to get your hands dirty again. And if you’ve been holding off on this adventure altogether, this is a good time to jump in, especially with the improvements made to the base game since its original launch.

There are still a few familiar RPG shortcomings, including repetitive errands, some grinding and the occasional lack of incentive to swap out your favourite equipment. But these are relatively minor gripes in what is otherwise an engaging adventure.

Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is a substantial expansion that gives players plenty of reasons to return to the world of Vermund and Battahl before venturing into the frozen wilderness of Norgan. It may not reinvent the wheel, but between its engaging exploration, new enemies, additional skills and sizeable campaign, it delivers a satisfying adventure that is well worth experiencing.

Editor’s Rating: 8.5 / 10

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