Thanks to the passion of both its players and developers,Dragon’s Dogma 2is on its way. It won’t arrive for a while, as the director Hideaki Itsuno saw fit to announce it during theDragon’s Dogma10th anniversary celebration. Still, that means the community has time to pull up the original for a new playthrough or two beforeDragon’s Dogma 2. Meant as a spiritual successor to Capcom’s classicDungeons & Dragonsbeat-‘em-ups with shades ofMonster Hunterthrown in,Dragon’s Dogmaproved to be a sleeper hit on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Now equipped with modern ports and an anime, it’s continuing to draw interest from those looking for an epic fantasy adventure.
It’s fortunate that there’s so much meat on the original’s bones, not to mention the vastly different classes and AI Pawn party setups driving replay value.Dragon’s Dogma 2is a long way off, and whatever information is planned for 2023 likely won’t include a release date. The community has plenty of time to speculate on what new additions the game might bring, like adding on toDragon’s Dogma’s roster of mythological beasts. It’s also expected to enhance aspects of the original game like the Pawn system, but some players would also like to see Pawns’ simulated co-op give way to real multiplayer questing.
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Why Dragon’s Dogma 2 Should Have Co-op
Adding multiplayer toDragon’s Dogma 2may sound heretical to hardcore fans of the first installment. The entire point of Pawns is to provide a dynamic party for the player, simulating the act of playing a tabletop RPG in a group. Players weregiven a lot more control over Pawns inDragon’s Dogmathan they often realized, and could prepare them to fill a variety of roles and learn many helpful details about enemies. They also technically were the multiplayer system, as players could share them online and gain benefits from their Pawn seeing use. Real co-op could devalue this mechanic.
Fortunately, there is now an example of something likeDragon’s Dogma 2with both Pawns and co-op working in tandem.Elden Ring, FromSoftware’s experiment in applying itsDark Soulsformula to an open world game, employs both NPC and player helpers in ways that pastSoulsgames did not. In addition to NPC summon signs and summoned players who could explore part of the open world, there were alsoElden Ring’s new Spirit Ashes. These are highly varied summons that can be brought into tough locations and boss fights, enabling players to pick whether they want a particular team or the strength of another player.Dragon’s Dogma 2’s co-op and Pawns could be balanced like this.
Co-op Enhances One of Dragon’s Dogma’s Greatest Aspects
The best reason to summon another player inElden Ringcould be the same inDragon’s Dogma 2, and that is going on an adventure together. Players could form a party and embark on quests together, slaying monsters while taking advantage of each player’s abilities and knowledge.Dragon’s Dogma 2could surpassElden Ringin this respect, as it would ideally allow players to stay in each other’s game worlds for as long as they wish. Strange multiplayer restrictions inElden Ringhave made mods that improve the online experience popular, whichDragon’s Dogma 2should take as the go-ahead.
Ultimately, cooperative play would helpDragon’s Dogma 2become the game that the original could have been without hardware and time restrictions. A group of friends could spend time role-playing, hiking, fighting, and having fun together in its detailed fantasy world. Meanwhile, the Pawn system would still be in place with its own gameplay and narrative benefits, serving those who would prefer to travel solo with a party tailored to them. The popularity ofmultiplayer mods forElder Scrollsgames, FromSoftware’s Souls-likes, and countless other RPGs are evident, with even the defunctDragon’s Dogma Onlinetouting multiplayer as a core feature. It would be toDragon’s Dogma 2’s benefit to meet this demand.
Dragon’s Dogma 2is now in development.
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