Murderpox changes due ahead of the Dark Arisen expansion

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

I know full well that pally RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2 has its Dark Arisen expansion out this year. Still, two years and one megalo-DLC announcement after release, what I still find most fascinating about it is the Dragonsplague: an insidious affliction that quietly infects your mates (or Pawns, whatever) and heightens their fighting prowess, but if left untreated, can induce a bescaled hissy fit that will kill the entire population of your favourite NPC village. Overtuned, ill-communicated bullshit, or laudably bold application of arrogance-punishing friction? These days I lean the latter, but still, what an interesting mechanic that I can think about it on and off since 2024.

Capcom, meanwhile, always seemed to play the hedging game, patching in various tweaks and tunings to Dragonsplague in an attempt to placate both camps. The game’s Title Update 3.2, due in late August (ahead of Dark Arisen on October 9th), appears to come down further on the 'Angry fire virus can be fun, actually' side - though according to a Q&A with producer Naoto Oyama and expansion director Kento Kinoshita, these upcoming changes will bring Dragonsplague more in line with Capcom’s original vision for it.

Noting that previous updates made anti-mass manslaughter affordances, such as more visible symptoms and the ability for Pawns to recover naturally in Casual mode, Oyama said that "there were still several challenges that needed to be addressed."

"While the Dragonsplague can enhance Pawn's abilities," he says, "those positive aspects were not being communicated clearly enough to players. In addition, even when players noticed that their Pawn is afflicted, there were limited options available for dealing with the condition."

Hence, Title Update 3.2 will add both an outright cure, Dragonsbaulk Draught, and a handful of additional combat upgrades for poorly Pawns, such as the ability to stun large enemies by attacking their legs or temporarily strike smaller enemies without using up stamina. "With these adjustments," Oyama explains, "we hope you’ll be able to more clearly understand and enjoy the strategic decisions we originally envisioned - whether to leave an afflicted Pawn as they are to take advantage of the benefits it provides in combat, or to cure the condition using the new item."

Hmm. Personally I liked the concept of Dragonsplague more when it really was brushing up against bullshit status; the kind of unsympathetic 'You made your exploding dragon bed, now lie in it' ailment that FromSoftware or Team Cherry would put in their games, not perennial people-pleasers Capcom. Oyama’s "strategic decisions" comment reframes it, if those previous changes already didn’t, as just another RPG status effect. One where the circumstances of its contraction, progression and conclusion are all known quantities, its risks reduced and potentially negated entirely by the appropriate potion. I’m sure this will all make Dragon’s Dogma 2 a more pleasant game to play, though perhaps not necessarily a better one.