Respawn Monday #20: Dragon’s Dogma is Feeling Good in 2026

Soon after finishing Onimusha: Way of the Sword and marking it as my Game of the Year contender for various reasons, I quickly jumped into another Capcom franchise that will likely consume half of my October. Dragon’s Dogma 2’s paid expansion Dark Arisen was released, and my weekend was spent getting myself reacquainted with the game by playing a completely new playthrough. After 10 hours, I still find joy in playing this unique action RPG, as its recent patches and other changes since launch have made it a better game overall. Some thoughts.

A Journey No Longer As Troubling

Right off the bat, it was clear that many new and old players of Dragon’s Dogma hate that fast travel is limited. Players can only teleport to areas with Port Crystals, which are placed in key locations or placed by you, the player. The next problem is that to teleport to a Port Crystal, you’ll have to use a Ferrystone, a rare item that isn’t easy to come by and is even expensive to purchase in-game.

So, walking is mostly half the journey to new places, and when to use a Ferrystone is a major decision. It’s also painful to actually spend 40 minutes in a new area, then realize you forgot to bring a Ferrystone, so walking back becomes my only option.

It was painful, and many agree.

And Capcom listened. A few months ago, they patched the game to give players an infinite Ferrystone, pretty much easing the pain of traveling to new locations. You still need to place Port Crystals in locations you wish to revisit, but being able to teleport anywhere is a great change. Just don’t forget to put the infinite Ferrystone in your inventory.

This does a lot for the game, as it makes it friendly to new players while not alienating those who love the original approach. If you love how fast travel originally works, you just need to store the Infinite Ferrystone in your storage. No harm, no foul.

Beyond the fast travel issues, the game is what I expected from the first time I played it. You command a group of adventurers with one pawn you created and equipped yourself, and two others created by other players. They are not controlled by you, but they are competent and weirdly reliable during a fight. Thanks to how they are programmed, they make battles against Cyclops, Gryphons, and other fantastical creatures epic battles of the ages. They are even competent at relaying key information, like where a chest may be, what materials I could gather nearby, and even where I have to go to reach my current quest.

I’m having a blast so far, and the game now being playable at 60 fps also makes it much better. Not sure how I played it at 30 fps before, as it’s now smoother and consistently maintains the given frame rate, whereas on launch day, it tended to dip in busy areas.

Dark Arisen Expansion Is Slowly Showing

As for the expansion, I can’t say much about it, as it’s meant for players above level 40. I’m currently level 20 on my new playthrough, but I did come across new trial dungeons added by the expansion, giving me a bit of a challenge early in the game as I explore an enclosed dungeon where I fight unique monsters. When you defeat them, a magical door unlocks and reveals another encounter behind another locked door, and so on.

I have yet to complete the one trial dungeon I found, as it’s not easy, but thankfully, I can leave and come back. Also worth noting is that I’m playing on the game’s new Hard difficulty, which definitely forces me to play a bit more tactically, something I’m appreciating, as there’s a lot in this game you can utilize to gain an advantage.

Now is probably the best time to jump into Dragon’s Dogma 2, even with just the base game alone. I have yet to see what the whole expansion has to offer, but the changes to fast travel and a 60 fps option are more than enough to consider the game if you were on the fence before. It still requires you to be a bit patient, as there are still some unconventional design choices that might confuse people, but they’re part of the game’s charm, as there’s still no other game like it.

How was your weekend?

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Respawn Monday #14: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Beta and my Return to R6

Respawn Monday #15: How Time Works in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Respawn Monday #16: Jean Fart Gas and Onimusha Goodness

Respawn Monday #17: Still Processing the Madness that is Control: Resonant

Respawn Monday #18: Onimuasha: Way of the Sword is GOTY Materials

Respawn Monday #19: RuneScape Dragonwilds isn’t Blowing Me Away

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About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.