Summary
- Dragon's Dogma 2 offers limited multiplayer through sharing Pawns, creating an asynchronous experience for multiple players.
- Players can't directly each other's games or control Pawns, but can share companions, gifts, and knowledge with each other.
- Experience, Inclinations, and classes play a crucial role in Pawn combat strategies and quest advice.
character creator included with Dragon's Dogma 2.
Co-op multiplayer modes have become increasingly popular in open world RPGs, with games like Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3 allowing friends to adventure together in recent years. Dragon's Dogma 2 does have some multiplayer mechanics, but they're not as comprehensive or simple as ing a friend's party and playing through the game together. Here's Dragon's Dogma 2 and its unusual approach to multiplayer.
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Does Dragon's Dogma 2 Have Co-Op?
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To put it simply, no, Dragon's Dogma 2 doesn't have a traditional system of multiplayer co-op. Players can't each other's games directly or share save files. For almost all intents and purposes, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a single-player game. Its companions, called Pawns in Dragon's Dogma lore, are always non-player characters controlled by AI. A player can issue simple commands to their Pawns, or change their classes, but there's no way to control a Pawn directly.
However, there are limited multiplayer features in Dragon's Dogma 2, which involve the sharing of Pawns. On beginning a new game, a player creates their protagonist and a single Main Pawn. The Main Pawn cannot be dismissed, and follows them throughout the entire game. Once they find a Riftstone, the player can hire up to two additional Pawns by expending Rift Crystals. Depending on their settings, options may include Pawns created by other players, or official Pawns designed by the developers of Dragon's Dogma 2. Players can even specifically search for Pawns created by their friends.
This system creates an interesting kind of asynchronous multiplayer experience. While two friends will never be able to play together directly, they can share in the Dragon's Dogma 2 adventure by making covenants with one another's Main Pawns. For example, a player character might discover an enemy weakness with a friend's Pawn, or complete a certain quest with them. The Pawn will share their knowledge when they return to their original creator. Players can also compare and contrast experiences with the same Pawn, perhaps inspiring each other to try out different party comps or quest choices down the line.
Players can change the classes of their Arisen and Main Pawn, but Hired Pawns are locked into the Vocations their creators gave them.
If a player ever decides to dismiss a Pawn, they can give that Pawn a gift before parting ways. The next time the Pawn's creator logs in, their Pawn will present them with the gift. This can be a helpful way for players to share items. If one person has a piece of equipment they've grown out of, but a friend can still use, they can simply hire that friend's Pawn, gift the item to them, and send the Pawn on their way.
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How The Pawn System Works In Dragon's Dogma 2
Hiring and dismissing Pawns is relatively simple, but there's much more to consider when it comes to adventuring with them. For the most part, Pawns work much the same as they did in the original Dragon's Dogma. Once a Pawn is hired, they can be added to the player's party, and will commence following them as they travel across the map of Dragon's Dogma 2. Pawns will participate in combat, pick up items, and provide commentary on the world around them. They always come with the same gear and Vocation their creators assigned to them.
Certain Vocations are exclusive to the Arisen, and thus unavailable for assignment to Pawns.
A Pawn's prior experience affects their knowledge, and informs what kind of advice they're most likely to offer. Hired Pawns who have fought a wide variety of enemies with their creators, for example, will have intimate knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses. Pawns who have completed certain quests with other player characters may find the objectives more easily. Pawns whose creators found shortcuts or hidden treasures are more likely to point them out. Pawns share knowledge both ways, so if a player's Main Pawn is hired out, they'll gain knowledge from other players' activities as well.
Every Pawn has one or more Inclinations. Inclinations not only determine how the Pawn reacts to in-game events, and which voice lines they're most likely to use, but also what actions they prioritize in combat. While a Pawn's primary Inclination is baked in during character creation, they may gain secondary and even tertiary Inclinations based on the player character's actions in combat. Main Pawns will also imitate Hired Pawns' Inclinations over time. Certain Inclinations match best with certain classes, ensuring a character acts according to their strengths. The four available Inclinations and their ideal Vocations are:
Inclination |
Focus |
Best Vocations |
|---|---|---|
Kindhearted |
Healing and buffing |
Mage, Sorcerer |
Calm |
Defense and evasion |
Thief, Archer |
Simple |
Exploration and item gathering |
Any |
Straightforward |
Damage and tanking |
Fighter, Warrior |
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Of course, these are just suggestions designed to make Pawns as optimal and self-sufficient as possible. Other combinations might work just as well: a Straightforward Sorcerer can deal a lot of damage with the right , and a Calm Fighter could make for an excellent tank.
Each Pawn also has a unique Pawn Quest, which usually involves a simple objective like killing a specific enemy or camping in a particular location. Once these are completed, the Arisen gains the Pawn's gratitude, as well as some kind of material reward. Completing Pawn Quests isn't necessary by any means, but since they're usually pretty simple, they're worth doing when the Arisen is in the area.
Even though Dragon's Dogma 2 doesn't have traditional co-op, its asynchronous multiplayer features can greatly enhance the experience. There's no risk to hiring out Main Pawns, and there's no limit to how many players can use the same Pawn at the same time. Even if a Pawn dies, they'll simply return to their creators unharmed, and all their items will go into storage. The worst that can happen is a Main Pawn coming back with an unwanted gift. As a result, there's no reason not to enjoy the unique multiplayer mechanics of Dragon's Dogma 2.
The Sequel to Dragon's Dogma and its expansion, Dark Arisen, Dragon's Dogma 2 is an action-adventure RPG game from the developers at Capcom. Players will create their protagonist, the "Arisen," as they embark on a journey to slay a Dragon that threatens the world. ed by otherworldly beings known as Pawns, the Arisen will utilize melee weapons and spells as they battle against various types of foes.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
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