My favourite part of any RPG is the characters, which is what makes Dragon's Dogma 2's way of doing things so fascinating. While there are several fully voiced characters to meet, talk to, and uncover the stories of, most of your time in the wild is spent with your humble pawn. This is a character you create alongside your Arisen and is a teammate/minion that exists to do your bidding. They level up alongside you and share your adventure, and despite having nothing but a wayward fly between their ears, become a crucial part of your story.
There is no Karlach, no Solas, no Aerith, no [insert cool example of that game you love]. You're on your own, kid. Just you and your friend, who might as well be imaginary – in my case, Juniper. Only it's not just you and Juniper. You can also recruit two other pawns for the ride, who are the main pawns of other random players of a similar level to you. Capcom has some official ones for you to recruit, including some ill-advised ones based on streamers, but mostly, you pick up ones made by real people. Unfortunately, you also have to let them go.
You Can't Keep Your Pawns Forever
While the Arisen and the main pawn level up via completing quests and the like, the other two remain at the level they were when you acquired them. This means when you first pick them up they'll probably be slightly over-levelled compared to you, but you will soon catch and surpass them. At this point, you trade them in. You can spend in-game currency to get pawns that are a bigger leap than usual, but mostly this system is free. You're encouraged to dabble in it regularly. But man, do I miss my pawns.
I Would Do Aught To Get These Pawns Back
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At first, I was using the pawns properly – as disposable clowns you don't need to care about. They whitter on in the background (my pack of three female pawns seemed to imply I was a lesbian for choosing them) and point out ladders and chests, as well as offering variety in battle as each behaves slightly differently and comes with unique powers. I have stuck to a tried and true foursome of fighter, archer, mage, and thief so far, but you can mix things up at your discretion to build the ideal party.
But I don't really want the ideal party. I want my party. My mage named Fern and my thief named Miki, who aren't actually mine at all but belong to the aether. I kept these for longer than I should have while I went out on some far flung quests, and we had excellent synergy. Both had great designs – Fern a diminutive ginger elf, Miki a muscular raven knife fiend – and their personality (generic barks as it was) worked perfectly with Juniper's. Unfortunately, they began to die all the time, and with Fern the party's healer, that left us in a tough spot. I sent them off with a parting gift and marked them as a favourite, in the hopes their Arisen will train them up for me to borrow again in the future.
You Have To Treat Pawns Like They're Pawns
I've had some cool pawns since then, and I appreciate that what it trades out for having the layers of a Karlach it gains in the freedom and hilarity of these pawns and their idiosyncratic tendencies. The switching system also allows for Dragonsplague, a brilliant mechanical feature of a game confident enough to do things its own way – even at the risk of destroying a save.
It can mean you have to immediately dismiss a pawn you spent far too much RC on, or risk the consequences. You may also suddenly have need of a specific pawn skill for a quest, which could disrupt your perfect combat alignment. Of course, this confidence is the very same one that forces you to give up the Ferns of the world, knowing that letting you form permanent attachments erases everything that makes the system worth caring about.
It knows you will meet some you love (hence the favourite system), but it won't let you keep them because you're not playing this to make friends with ten different squad mates who all have a personal quest to fulfil, and after that you get to kiss them. You are the Arisen and they are your pawn. They serve at your behest. While some relish in the cruelty with which you can treat them, if you instead view them as equals that you just happen to be leading because that's how all the other video games do it, you're just as wrong as they are.
The pawns are supposed to dip in and out of your adventure, and by virtue of their misdeeds or triumphs, some will become lodged in your memory as indelible parts of your story, even if you only shared a few hours together. I'm not sure where my Dragon's Dogma 2 tale is heading, but I know that when it's all over, I'll still remember Fern.
Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma is the long-anticipated sequel to Capcom's action RPG. Once again taking on the role of the Arisen, the game promises full customisation in how you create your character and play through your story.
Platform(s)
PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC
Released
March 22, 2024
Developer(s)
Capcom
