Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches on most platforms on March 22, and I checked it out at a preview event in New York City. In his 2023 hands-on preview of the high-fantasy RPG, Kotaku senior reporter Ethan Gach said that it’s “shaping up to have all the tools necessary to become the widely acclaimed hit it deserves to be”—and I totally agree! The thing that sold me on this was a new class that effectively turns your character into a medieval Force user. Move over, Darth Maul; there’s another double-bladed saber player in town.
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A sequel to Capcom’s cult-fave 2012 action-adventure game, Dragon’s Dogma 2 picks up where its predecessor left off. After getting your heart broken by a very mean dragon, you venture out to—once again—prove that you’re deserving of love by killing the beast. You’ll recruit NPC servants known as Pawns to travel with you, fend off all manners of vicious creatures (like goblins and golems), and complete myriad main and side quests as you uncover the whereabouts of the heart-breaking flying lizard. If this sounds a lot like the original Dragon’s Dogma, well, it is, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, thanks to a larger open world and new gameplay mechanics—including new skills for the various classes or “vocations”—Dragon’s Dogma 2 really builds upon what Capcom accomplished over a decade ago. And the two new vocations, particularly the twin-blade-wielding Mystic Spearhand, underscore that creative evolution.
Lifting rocks, throwing schlock in DD2 with magic
The sequel’s Mystic Spearhand is similar to the original game’s Mystic Knight in that both vocations specialize in magic- and melee-based combat. But that’s where the similarities end. The Mystic Spearhand is faster than the Mystic Knight, able to quickly dash around the battlefield thanks to its teleportation skills. It’s also got a wider range of spells at its disposal that allow you to buff your allies while dishing out massive amounts of damage on your own, letting the class fill in the roles of “attacker,” “support,” and “tank” simultaneously. Further, the vocation can shoot out blade beams from its duospear and magic bolts from its fingertips, as well as twirl its weapon in a sorta figure-8 motion to swiftly rack up the pain it deals. This class feels fantastic, especially when you’re zipping from enemy to enemy, using your twin-bladed weapon as a blender and lobbing spells to control the field.
But what really sold me was the ability to lift enemies and objects off the ground using magic. By holding down one of the shoulder buttons, you can bring up a separate menu of skills in the middle of combat. One generates a teal-colored ball that suspends objects in the air. So, if you wanted to toss that rock toward a chimera you’re fighting, you can do that. Similarly, if you just killed a wolf and wanted to use its body as throwable fodder, you can do that, too.
I wasn’t able to test it on heavier foes, like cyclopes and ogres, and it definitely doesn’t work on larger enemies, such as dragons and griffins. However, the ability to lift and throw just about any small-to-medium-sized thing in your vicinity opens up a litany of options when it comes to combos and damage dealing. Couple this with the Mystic Spearhand’s abilities to paralyze goons, shoot magic from its hands, instantly teleport to the opposition, and swing its duospear in acrobatic fashion, and I couldn’t help but think I was the embodiment of some kinda ancient Darth Maul or like an ancestor to the iconic Sith warrior. It rules. And now that Dragon’s Dogma 2 has blown up my fave vocation from the first game, the Strider, I’m certain I’ve found the new class I’m going to main when the game drops.
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While I’ll admit that my three-hour play session was plagued with some frame-rate issues, particularly when roaming the densely packed cities, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is still looking real good. The environments are richly detailed, the characters are expertly written and voiced, the combat is satisfyingly crunchy, and the enemies are violently smart. Everything that made the original Dragon’s Dogma so good seems to be dialed up to 11 here, and I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds when Dragon’s Dogma 2 hits PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 22.
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