Dragon's Dogma 2 Xbox update nerfs its best and most controversial mechanic

Capcom is now rolling out a new Dragon's Dogma 2 update that nerfs Dragonsplague — the action-RPG's best and most controversial mechanic.

Dragon's Dogma 2 Xbox update nerfs its best and most controversial mechanic
Sean Carey

Opinion by Sean Carey

Published

If you're still working your way through the Dragon's Dogma 2 achievements, a new update for the Xbox open world game is now available to download. This latest Dragon's Dogma 2 update nerfs Dragonsplague, a controversial and interesting feature that can wreak havoc in your playthrough.

Dragonsplague in Dragon's Dogma 2 is a mysterious illness that only affects pawns. It can be caught when fighting a drake or a dragon, or it can be brought into your game when hiring another player's infected pawn, who can then pass it on to your pawn. If not dealt with, the disease can cause a "devastating calamity" that can near-permanently wipe out NPCs, including important quest-givers, in towns across the map. Dragonsplague doesn't show in the Status menu of your pawns, so it can be pretty hard to detect. Instead, you have to keep an eye out for subtle differences in the way your pawn talks, the way they behave, and their appearance.

This mechanic is polarising and has divided the Dragon's Dogma 2 community. Some love that Capcom was bold enough to include a feature that could potentially ruin an entire playthrough and hours of progress. Others hate it and say it's too harsh on the player. While I have yet to experience the dreaded Dragonsplague in my playthrough, I am firmly in the first camp and commend Capcom for its quite daring game design — not many AAA developers these days would think to add such a friction-heavy mechanic in their games.

However, with the latest update for Dragon's Dogma 2, Capcom is reducing the infection frequency of Dragonsplague and making it easier to spot infected pawns, which, for me, is a bit of a shame. I can understand why Capcom has done so, but I loved how subtle the disease was and how it made me constantly keep a suspicious eye trained on my pawn. Now, Capcom says that when a pawn is afflicted, their glowing red eyes will be more noticeable and that you'll be able to zoom into their faces in the Status menu for a better chance in spotting Dragonsplague. Here are the patch notes from Capcom:

Dragon's Dogma 2 April 25 update patch notes

  • Reducing the infection frequency of dragonsplague and adjusting the signs of Pawns infected with dragonsplague to be more noticeable. For example, when infected, glowing eyes will be more noticeable.
  • Adding the option to zoom in on the faces of the Arisen and Pawns in the status screen, shops, etc.
  • Fixing some issues and implementing adjustments related to the mini map.
  • Treasure chests that have already been acquired won't be displayed on the mini map.
  • Adjustments to Pawns’ behavior and dialogue.
  • Fixing issues where occasionally the player couldn't high five Pawns.
  • Fixing issues where Pawns wouldn't start guiding after offering to guide.
  • Making Pawns less likely to fall off cliffs.
  • Reducing the frequency of some Pawn dialogue lines.
  • Improving Pawn lines to better match circumstances.
  • Fixing some issues where Pawns stop speaking outside of combat.
  • Fixing some issues where the Main Pawn speaks support Pawn’s dialogue.
  • Making Pawns more likely to aid the Arisen if the Arisen commands them to help while being held by enemies.
  • Reducing the frequency of Pawns offering to be hired by the player while in the field.
  • Fixing issues where sometimes escort quests are considered failed when accessing Character Edit or other specific situations.
  • Fixing issues where the player could be jailed when fighting monsters in town.
  • Fixing some crashes and freezes in specific circumstances.
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes.
If you've managed to work your way through all the Dragon's Dogma 2 achievements while avoiding the dastardly Dragonsplague, why not check out our list of the best Xbox RPGs for your next new adventure?
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Written by Sean Carey
A big fan of Xbox achievements, Sean has committed to playing as many of the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters on and off Xbox Game Pass as possible. Before joining TrueAchievements, Sean earned a degree in journalism from Solent University.
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