Since the release of Dragon’s Dogma 2, MeinMMO author Christoph Waldboth is fascinated by one thing above all: the open world. He explains here why he considers it great and what makes it special to him.
A new morning begins. I stand at the edge of a cliff, looking down into the valley. On my left and right stand my pawns, accompanying me on my journey through the vast open world of Dragon’s Dogma 2.
We tear ourselves away from the view and pack our things. We follow the narrow path and encounter a group of nasty goblins. We take them down swiftly and suddenly I spot the entrance to a cave behind their camp. To my surprise, a boss enemy is waiting inside. I grab its treasures and eventually exit the cave through another exit.
In the distance, I spot a village. Should I head there next? Or better yet, to the hill in the east, where a large statue stands and a… a griffin?
But I could also follow the river and fight the dragon that sleeps on the shore. So many possibilities. What should I do? Oh, and the main quest is still waiting to be solved. Not to mention the side quests.
Yes, Dragon’s Dogma 2 gives me plenty to do. After numerous hours in the game, I see the open world as a clear highlight. I would even go so far as to say that Dragon’s Dogma 2 has the best open world since Elden Ring.
An open world that is truly free
Dragon’s Dogma 2 throws me into a fascinating, open world. Especially in comparison to Elden Ring, it feels almost realistic, not unlike our forests, meadows, and barren deserts. Sure, the dragons, ogres, and cyclopes still make Dragon’s Dogma 2 a fantasy game.
But it is not nearly as crazy as Elden Ring when it comes to the design of the world and enemies. That did not bother me as a fan of From Software; on the contrary.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels very grounded to me. I can easily get lost in the world. The immersion is right. A good example of this is the night. When I see the sun setting, I become nervous. I need to find a campfire quickly to rest. Because at night, the enemies are much more dangerous.
My pawns and I sit together by the fire. In my mind, I am already planning the next day. I wanted to explore the valley next door, and I know it is usually worth it. I almost always find some exciting discovery.
Fast travel can be left behind
Because I have a notorious fear of missing something exciting, I explore every corner of the game world. This works well because I can reach almost all the places I see. On foot, of course. I want to use the much discussed fast travel only in the rarest cases.
Otherwise, I would miss out on so much cool stuff. I only reached the capital of Vermund, Vernworth, after about seven hours of gameplay. I could have taken an ox cart relatively early on and fast-traveled there.
Instead, I made my way on foot and got quickly distracted. The game world is designed to suck me in. It wants to be discovered. The microtransactions from Capcom, which aim to undermine this important part of the gaming experience by allowing the purchase of fast travel items, feel very out of place.
They contradict the design philosophy of Dragon’s Dogma 2 and can be safely ignored. Twitch streamer Maurice Weber shares a similar opinion.
What, there are quests?
Eventually, I ended up back at the main quest. At first, it led me repeatedly into the same narrow castle. But I wanted to be out in the open world, I thought. And then I did just that.
Once again, I forgot that I am the Awakened one. Instead, I preferred to butcher my way through groups of enemies, find cool loot, and climb the ranks. I combined ingredients and ensured a supply of provisions. I organized my inventory and made sure I wasn’t overburdened.
My pawns often showed me the way to hidden places. They also blended organically into the open world and brought it to life. In short: I became a part of the game world and was not just a guest.
All of that made and still makes me have so much fun that I concluded: The open world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is so good that it actually doesn’t need quests.
The quests are so open that I can’t avoid exploring. The solutions to the quests are rarely lying around; they need to be found. There are no thousand quest markers that I mindlessly run through, completely blind to the world around me. I have to look closely, observe my surroundings, and only then do I realize how beautifully and organically it is designed.
I like such things, but I understand if others are annoyed by it.
The journey will continue
Sure, eventually, the fascination with the game world will wear off when there are no new areas to discover and I am just running in circles. Then I will use ox carts and sometimes also a travel stone. And yes, the enemies already repeat themselves too often.
Overall, however, the impression is very positive. Other players feel the same way as I do. On Reddit, users like SnickleSauce write about how much they, too, have lost themselves in the world.
Similar to Elden Ring, Dragon’s Dogma 2 manages to create a sense of freedom with its open world that is unparalleled. The world feels authentic and believable. In contrast, titles like Skyrim or my personal ESO favorite Oblivion, where a quest giver sits at every corner, feel almost constructed and artificial. Of course, this is nitpicking at a high level.
I’ll spend many more hours in the open world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. How do you feel about it? Do you like the game’s open world? Or do you long for more guidance for players? Let us know in the comments! You can find various guides to Dragon’s Dogma 2 on MeinMMO.
