I've already played and previewed Dragon's Dogma 2 once, so it speaks volumes that when invited back to Capcom to revisit the savage lands of Battahl, home of the beastren folk (the full game will also have the human kingdom of Vermund to explore), I jumped at the chance. This time around, we were presented with two different vocations – the Magick Archer and the Mystic Spearhand, the former armed with a bow and magic-imbued arrows (obviously), the latter wielding a big spear (also obviously).
I'm not the biggest fan of playing as an archer in an RPG, so it was with some trepidation that I took up the bow as the Magick Archer. Being able to lock on arrows by holding down the attack button is a big plus in my book, while for anyone wishing to freely snipe enemies, you can toggle homing projectiles and free aim. The longer you hold down the trigger and keep your sight trained on your target, the more arrows you'll unleash in a spectacular volley. Couple all of those projectiles whizzing around with magical pyrotechnics, and you have the makings of a mightily fun archer class.
Arrows aren't all offensive either, as you can use them to heal your Pawn buddies, so the Magick Archer is a more versatile vocation choice than you might have expected. Who knows, I may even be convinced to play as an archer when the full version of Dragon's Dogma 2 drops later this month. Either that or the Mystic Spearhand, the second vocation available to play with in this particular build, and a character, who, unsurprisingly, is pretty handy with a spear. Unlike the archer, the Spearhand is better suited to getting into the thick of the action, which is perfect when a great big ogre or lumbering cyclops is on the rampage.
Half the fun of playing this character type is grabbing and climbing massive foes, like a griffin or troll, stabbing them up and bringing them to their knees. In the case of a stone golem I randomly happened upon – the glowing bits on his rocky limbs and head lighting him up like a Christmas tree in the nighttime – you can scamper towards his ankles, when he’s sufficiently weakened, and push him over. This is especially enjoyable if you manage to encounter a big, pushable enemy near the edge of a cliff – and the sort of thing that promises to make Dragon's Dogma 2 more than your average open-world RPG.
Factor in impressive visuals, conjured by Capcom's marvellous RE Engine, married to compelling combat, exploration, and traversal (Game Director Hideaki Itsuno famously doesn't care much for fast travel, and fair play to him), alongside a constant stream of landmarks, mysterious caverns, and curious hidden pockets that you'll want to poke around in, and DD2 is on track to be just about everything you could possibly want from a Dragon's Dogma sequel. Then there are the Pawns: proper, useful allies that aren't a liability – I want to play more Dragon's Dogma 2, and, thankfully, there isn't too long to wait.
Dragon's Dogma 2 launches for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on 22nd March.
Tuesday, March 05, 2024
I've already played and previewed Dragon's Dogma 2 once, so it speaks volumes that when invited back to Capcom to revisit the savage lands of Battahl, home of the beastren folk (the full game will also have the human kingdom of Vermund to explore), I jumped at the chance. This time around, we were presented with two different vocations – the Magick Archer and the Mystic Spearhand, the former armed with a bow and magic-imbued arrows (obviously), the latter wielding a big spear (also obviously).
I'm not the biggest fan of playing as an archer in an RPG, so it was with some trepidation that I took up the bow as the Magick Archer. Being able to lock on arrows by holding down the attack button is a big plus in my book, while for anyone wishing to freely snipe enemies, you can toggle homing projectiles and free aim. The longer you hold down the trigger and keep your sight trained on your target, the more arrows you'll unleash in a spectacular volley. Couple all of those projectiles whizzing around with magical pyrotechnics, and you have the makings of a mightily fun archer class.
Arrows aren't all offensive either, as you can use them to heal your Pawn buddies, so the Magick Archer is a more versatile vocation choice than you might have expected. Who knows, I may even be convinced to play as an archer when the full version of Dragon's Dogma 2 drops later this month. Either that or the Mystic Spearhand, the second vocation available to play with in this particular build, and a character, who, unsurprisingly, is pretty handy with a spear. Unlike the archer, the Spearhand is better suited to getting into the thick of the action, which is perfect when a great big ogre or lumbering cyclops is on the rampage.
Half the fun of playing this character type is grabbing and climbing massive foes, like a griffin or troll, stabbing them up and bringing them to their knees. In the case of a stone golem I randomly happened upon – the glowing bits on his rocky limbs and head lighting him up like a Christmas tree in the nighttime – you can scamper towards his ankles, when he’s sufficiently weakened, and push him over. This is especially enjoyable if you manage to encounter a big, pushable enemy near the edge of a cliff – and the sort of thing that promises to make Dragon's Dogma 2 more than your average open-world RPG.
Factor in impressive visuals, conjured by Capcom's marvellous RE Engine, married to compelling combat, exploration, and traversal (Game Director Hideaki Itsuno famously doesn't care much for fast travel, and fair play to him), alongside a constant stream of landmarks, mysterious caverns, and curious hidden pockets that you'll want to poke around in, and DD2 is on track to be just about everything you could possibly want from a Dragon's Dogma sequel. Then there are the Pawns: proper, useful allies that aren't a liability – I want to play more Dragon's Dogma 2, and, thankfully, there isn't too long to wait.
Dragon's Dogma 2 launches for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on 22nd March.