Dark Arisen is the highly anticipated expansion for Dragon’s Dogma 2. After nearly 2 and a half years, CAPCOM is finally breathing new life to the game, which, while well received, had a slew of problems. Performance issues on PC and the microtransactions soured something that should have been a bigger hit, and CAPCOM did make up for it by improving performance and pulling back the microtransactions.
Now the company hopes the Dark Arisen expansion will bring players back to the stunning world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. Recently, CBR attended a preview of Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen and got hands-on access to the current build. We had the chance to play for an hour and a half. In addition to that, we had access to the Switch 2 port of Dragon’s Dogma 2. It’s safe to say that CAPCOM will certainly hit its goals with the player base.
The Additions From Dark Arisen Add A Variety Of New Options to Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dark Arisen has a lot of promises to keep, but it aims to honor them all. The expansion is vast, with a new region, Norgan, introduced that expands the map up north. Norgan is an icy region that has a mystery involving a fallen dragon and a new character named Eir. We didn’t get to experience the story, but did get a taste of the new land.
The frigid expanse of Norgan looks spectacular, especially as you’re facing off against newly integrated enemies. These aren’t just reskins, but a variety of enemies that were sorely missed during the game’s initial launch. This includes a giant yeti creature our squad fought on the snowy hilltops that didn’t feel like a troll reskin. The yeti had a different moveset than the one that’s in the base game, and though it barely scratched the surface, it’s clear that the Dark Arisen expansion could be as big as Dragon’s Dogma 2.
It Feels Great to be Back in Dragon’s Dogma 2
If players fell out of Dragon’s Dogma 2 shortly after launch, there’s a lot of reason to return with the release of Dark Arisen. CAPCOM has gradually introduced fixes through updates that make the game far more enjoyable and greatly improve the game to the point in ways players need to revisit Dragon’s Dogma 2 to see it for themselves.
The consistent 60 FPS from the new performance mode was sorely needed. It wasn’t included at launch, but consoles finally got a performance mode, and the difference is outstanding. Not only that, but playing Dark Arisen at the preview showed that this game can handle a steady frame rate throughout.
The Switch 2 Port of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is Very Impressive
For the Switch 2 portion of Dragon’s Dogma 2, we played in handheld mode and had three options for what we wanted to do. The three options were based on familiarity with the base game. While I have personal familiarity with Dragon’s Dogma 2, I went with the beginner guide just to see the full experience on the Switch 2.
The mission was to kill a griffin that invaded a small village during the day. During the mission, the Switch 2 port held a consistent 30 FPS with no drops. While I’ve been disappointed in other Switch 2 ports like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Dragon’s Dogma 2 felt like the game at launch, minus the other problems. Granted, it was only 15 minutes, but there were no crashes or huge drops during that time.
The graphics look more like if there were PlayStation 4/Xbox One versions of Dragon’s Dogma 2 than the current gen. The trees in the distance looked off, as the leaves appeared more blocky compared to the ones players see if they’re knocked back. However, given how massive the game is, it’s an impressive feat for Nintendo and CAPCOM. The chance to play Dragon’s Dogma 2 in handheld mode is an exciting one. If CAPCOM can pull this off, then they’ll officially become the best third-party company on the Switch 2.
The Dark Arisen expansion for Dragon’s Dogma 2 drops on October 9 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
- Released
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October 9, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Language
- Developer(s)
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Capcom
- Publisher(s)
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Capcom
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- PC Release Date
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October 9, 2026
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