Capcom has big plans for Dragons Dogma 2, promising that the new game will feature a map significantly larger than players could explore in the original game. Dragon's Dogma 2 also introduces a new race called the Beastrens, who will play an essential role in the game's story.
Capcom released the original Dragon's Dogma for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. The player took the role of the Arisen and adventured across the high fantasy realm of Gransys alongside a party of humanoid constructs called Pawns. Announced last year, Dragons Dogma 2 looks to improve and expands on many of the same concepts as its predecessors.
Capcom's 2023 showcase included a developer gameplay overview of Dragons Dogma 2. Most of it matches what fans of the first game should expect from its sequel, but there were a few big reveals. This includes the promise that the game world is four times larger than the original Dragons Dogma, with increased content to match. Among that are new enemies like Medusa and varied NPCs with complex and reactive AI-powered behaviors.
One of the biggest additions is a new race of animal people called Beastrens. These humanoid felines resemble The Elder Scrolls' Khajit and appeared in the defunct MMORPG Dragon's Dogma Online. However, this is their first appearance in a single-player game, and they seem to play an essential role in Dragons Dogma 2. One of them, a high priestess named Nadinia, is among the game's most important characters, alongside the Arisen and a human archer named Ulrika.
Interestingly, the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Gameplay Overview also showed players could create Beastren Pawns. Since pawns in the first Dragon’s Dogma used the same character creator as the Arisen, this suggests Beastrens are playable. Rumors to this effect have been circulating for a while, but Capcom still hasn't officially announced anything like that. Still, this is the closest to an official confirmation that the developer has given so far. It's also unclear if there will be any other playable races, but it currently seems like players are limited to humans and Beastrens.
Notably, Capcom had wanted to include Beastrens in the first Dragon's Dogma alongside other races like elves and dwarves. Unfortunately, the original game had to be scaled back significantly, which included cutting locations as well as the non-human races. Hopefully, Dragon's Dogma 2's expanded scope gives Capcom a chance to do what it couldn't in 2012.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.