Highlights
- Dragon's Dogma 2 should include more direct instructions for allies to improve their behavior and combat effectiveness.
- The game would benefit from pawns adapting more quickly to different enemy types, particularly spellcasters using the appropriate spells.
- In combat, it would be helpful if allies could revive fallen party members, adding more vulnerability and strategy to encounters.
While Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen remains a highly regarded title in the realm of the RPG genre with its old age, the issues within its pawn system are one of the few factors that can hamper players' experiences. Despite the actual opportunity for players to find fellow players' pawns and use them for their own combat encounters, the behavior and movement of allies can be the defining factor in overcoming the odds.
With Dragon's Dogma 2 on the horizon, fans are certain that Capcom will make the much-needed changes in this aspect, and push this sequel to its greatest potential given the high levels of praise and success of its predecessor.
5 Direct Instructions/Commands
Very much like Capcom's most recent Resident Evil 4 Remake, Dragon's Dogma 2 could do with additional commands and instructions for allies. While there were only two commands for players controlling Leon S. Kennedy and commanding Ashley Graham in the aforementioned title, the difference between the behavior and maneuvers of Ashley in the original compared to the remake is substantial.
While Dark Arisen contains four different commands for the entire party and their main pawn, allies will either flat-out ignore the instructions and continue to engage in combat, or when players are looting items, they will jump off cliffsides, leading to their demise. This can destroy player progress or spoil the chances of overcoming enemy forces, especially in Bitterblack Isle, forcing players to find the nearest "Riftstone" and spend more "Rift Crystals." With Dragon's Dogma 2, Capcom should ensure players have more commands to choose from and make allies respond to those instructions immediately when possible.
4 Greater Adaptability To Enemies
Despite the first title containing the ability for players' pawns to adapt to certain enemy types and their vulnerabilities, there are some encounters where this seems to be non-existent. When coming up against undead or enemies that require certain skills such as "Fire Affinity" for example, players' sorcerers can often go for a while without casting the right spell.
While this can often come down to which skills are set as a priority for main pawns to use in combat, Dragon's Dogma 2 will hugely benefit from a change in ensuring that sorcerers and other spell casters are quick to adjust when coming up against different enemies. Whether this would come from an implementation of allowing players to tell their pawns which spells to cast mid-combat, or AI becoming more competent enough to do this without instruction, it will instantly improve the flow of combat.
3 Reviving Allies/Party
Speaking of the flow of combat, during intense and dangerous encounters with some of the fiercest enemies, seeing pawns and the rest of the party fall can be detrimental. Since it is only possible for players themselves to revive fallen allies, this opens the door to vulnerability as once all members within the party have fallen, enemies will target the player in quick succession.
With Dragon's Dogma 2, players will be hoping that Capcom adjusts this to allow pawns to revive one another. This is crucial within every moment of a combat encounter, as players who may be busy mounting a creature may not be in the best position to drop off and revive everyone else.
2 More Behavior Options
Players who are familiar with the first entry in the series will know of the opportunity to sit down with their main pawn and adjust both their behavior and speech. This is one form of adhering to the aforementioned direct instructions and commands, as some mannerisms among player pawns can be adjusted through this feature, but only by so much.
In the upcoming sequel, just as more commands during traversal should be present, the same should be applied to players' main pawns and add more depth to how they should operate in the heat of the moment. While it is very possible to become powerful enough to take on enemies alone in Dragon's DogmaDark Arisen without the help of any party members, there are a variety of circumstances where allies are incredibly pivotal to gameplay and this will likely be replicated on this occasion.
1 Better Flowing Dialogue
During traversal from one region to another or general free roam, pawns can speak and offer advice to players, and while this can be helpful, it does not blend well. Rather than pawns speaking one at a time, their speech tends to overlap each other, especially in combat where battle is incredibly intense.
While there are options to limit speech through the mentioned behavior options, and in-game options in the menu, it would be a huge change to Dragon's Dogma 2 if this is executed well. Whether this would include a new feature that allows players to respond to allies or even include full-fledged dialogue between other NPCs, it will be a game-changer for many players, and it will also address the lack of freedom in dialogue from the first entry.
Dragon's Dogma 2 is currently in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.