The Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen reveal has easily been one of the most surprising of the year so far. Aside from everything new coming to the game with the upcoming expansion, Capcom has also been updating the core experience in several key ways.
But many players see a few of those changes – such as making fast travel far more accessible – as having lessened the game’s level of challenge. Capcom wants to cater to those players too, and its solution is very straightforward.
In a new Q&A published on the game’s Steam page, game producer Naoto Oyama and director Kento Kinoshita took turns answering some popular questions from players.
The game’s director began by pointing out that two of Dark Arisen’s new experiences, Forsaken Dominion and Lost Rites, have been designed for players seeking a new level of challenge.
“We’re aware that there’s a very wide range of player level across the community, so with that in mind, we’re adjusting the balance so that everyone can enjoy the experience – whether they’re just starting their adventure, still progressing through the game, or have already completed multiple playthroughs,” said director Kento Kinoshita.
“Also, we’re working on a Hard Mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap,” he added.
Kinoshita didn’t offer any specifics on the sort of changes we can expect from the upcoming mode. Crucially, the Q&A didn’t say whether the mode will be exclusive to owners of the Dark Arisen expansion, or available to players of the base game too. Given that the Q&A is themed after the expansion, we’re inclined to think it’s the former.
Whatever the case may be, it sounds like Hard Mode is early in development, as producer Naoto Oyama asked players to “please stay tuned for further updates regarding the details of Hard Mode and its release window”.
We recently spoke to Oyama and Kinoshita about a wide range of topics, including why Capcom decided to return to Dragon’s Dogma 2 and develop a new expansion two years after release. We also asked Kinoshita about stepping into the shoes of legendary director Hideaki Itsuno, who spearheaded development of the series until his departure.
Dark Arisen releases 9th October on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. A Switch 2 version that includes the base game and the expansion will also arrive on the same date.