After a decade of uncertainty,Dragon’s Dogmafinally has a sequel confirmed to be in development. A Japan-only MMO and a Netflix anime series were both created in the interim sinceDragon’s Dogmareleased, but they were no substitute for a trueDragon’s Dogma 2. On the series' 10th anniversary stream, the original game’s director Hideaki Itsuno announced the sequel, and while little is known aboutDragon’s Dogma 2, it will be using Capcom’s RE Engine.
It’s too soon to really speculate about anything that will be in the sequel. It will probably contain alarger scope than the firstDragon’s Dogmawhile refining its mechanics, but that’s to be expected. There’s no telling what the story will be either, as the plot of the firstDragon’s Dogmawraps itself up conclusively. However, there is one mechanic that will likely make a return: Pawns. Pawns were included as both a simulation of a human adventuring party and as a vehicle for some of the game’s online components. It was a memorable and unique system, butDragon’s Dogma 2could do Pawns a lot better.
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Dragon’s Dogma 2 Should Make Pawns More Relevant
While Pawns were a core mechanic in the first game, they could be integrated deeper intoDragon’s Dogma’s systems. Improving the Pawn AI is an obvious objective for the sequel, but their intelligence can be enhanced in other ways too. The player’s first Pawn was singled out in story sequences, though only a few times. ThisMain Pawn should feel more special, having a larger presence and more unique lines in gameplay. In addition, Pawns could be given exclusive abilities to use when swapped to.
Having a playable Main Pawn would be great, and would incentivize players to invest more time and care into their development. To assist in this,Dragon’s Dogma 2should allow Pawnsaccess to all Vocations, as well as dragonforging. In retrospect, it is strange thatDragon’s Dogmaallowed Pawns to take normal and advanced Vocations, but not hybrid ones. Assassin, Mystic Knight, and Magic Archer, alongside any new Hybrid Vocations, should be available to Pawns. Enabling armor worn by the Main Pawn to have a present but reduced dragonforging chance should also be allowed. The first game let players equip dragonforged armor to Pawns after forging it, so this small change would streamline the process.
Pawns Should Always Assist the Player in Dragon’s Dogma 2
Pawns' abilities to gather useful information and dynamically help the player were memorable parts ofDragon’s Dogma. Part of this process involved Pawns growing organically over time, developing their skills as the journey progressed. A mechanic known as inclination factored into this, and the sequel should make its effects more visible and open to the player’s influence. In addition to explaining how inclinations are formed while showing their progress and type,Dragon’s Dogma 2should also include an optionto immediately generate static inclinations. This will enable players to hire the Pawns that will be most useful to them, or default to the old system if they wish.
The ability to set party strategies ahead of fights and give more granular commands to Pawns should help smooth the process over. The three commands present in the original game were “Go,” “Come,” and “Help,” which are too impactful on inclinations but too vague to be really useful. The fact that Help can mean anything from buffing to dragging downed allies away shows the need for more specific instructions. Commands like “Grapple,” “Save Items,” or “Don’t Interact” could be a great boon in certain situations, and manually prompt teamwork actions like the Springboard. These changes wouldmake Pawns more useful inDragon’s Dogma 2, and would go a long way toward ensuring the spirit of an adventuring party will be felt by every player.
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