Brothas and Sistas of the Crib, Dark Arisen is finally out. The Dragon's Dogma 2 expansion dropped on October 9 with a whole new frozen region called Norgan, twelve new Lost Rites dungeons, and a free Hard Mode for everybody. Before you go running north, there are a few things you want to sort out first, because a couple of them can lock you out of the new stuff on your current save.
Key Takeaways
- Everything starts with Captain Brant at the Stardrop Inn in Vernworth, at night. You do not have to beat the main story.
- If your save is in the Unmoored World, the new quests will not show up. Go New Game+ or use another save.
- Some Lost Rites are behind Spellseal Doors. You need the Empowered Godsbane Blade from the main quest A New Godsway.
- Once a playthrough is on Hard Mode, it stays on Hard. Test it on a spare save first.
How to Start Dark Arisen
Once you reach Vernworth in the main story, head to the Stardrop Inn at night and talk to Captain Brant. He has two new topics, and each one kicks off a different part of the expansion.
| Ask Brant about | Quest | Suggested level | What it opens |
|---|---|---|---|
| "About the uncovered ruins..." | Lost Rites | 20 | The challenge dungeons hidden around the map you already know |
| "About the new Arisen..." | Chilling Tidings | 40 | The trail north to Norgan, the new region |
Those levels are a suggestion, not a wall. You can go early if you like pain. And remember, this is Dragon's Dogma. Your gear does most of the work. A level up only gives you a few stats, so good gear matters way more than the number next to your name.
Check Your Save First
This is the big one. The Norgan story happens alongside the main story, so the game wants your world to be normal when you start it.
- Stuck in the Unmoored World? Brant's new conversations will not show up on that save. Finish it, start New Game+, and push back to Vernworth. You keep your gear and skills, so it goes quick.
- Want a fresh run without losing your old one? The updates before the DLC added extra save slots, so you can start a brand new game and keep your old playthrough.
- Title Update 4.0 added a restart option that carries your save data over and starts the story from the beginning.
The sweet spot is a save somewhere in the middle of the story, around Battahl. Your vocation is built up, and the world is still normal.
Get the Empowered Godsbane Blade
Some Lost Rites dungeons sit behind Spellseal Doors, and the only key is the Empowered Godsbane Blade. Nothing else in your bag will open them. You get it by following the main story through the quest A New Godsway (the one where Ambrosius needs Wyrmslife Crystals).
Some of the ruins have no sealed door at all, so you can still knock a few out early. Just come back once you have the blade. If you are on New Game+, you already have it.
Hard Mode: Try It on a Spare Save
Hard Mode came free in Title Update 4.0, so you do not even need the DLC for it. Enemies hit harder, and Capcom also changed where some enemies show up and how they think and fight. Curatives and your pawns actually matter again.
To turn it on: save, go back to the title screen, then Options > Game Settings > Game Mode > Hard. You can do this on a save that is halfway through the story.
There is no special Hard Mode loot or title either. It is purely for the challenge. The director even suggested starting a brand new game on Hard, because even the early goblins cannot be taken lightly. So start fresh on Hard in a spare slot, play an hour or two, then decide if you want it on your main save.
Pros
- Tougher fights with new enemy placements
- Free for everybody in Title Update 4.0
- Healing items and pawn teamwork matter again
Cons
- No going back to Normal on that playthrough
- No exclusive rewards for the extra pain
Relics: The New Loot Grind
Norgan's big new loot system is relics. You pick up unidentified gear called spoils from enemies, chests and even underwater wrecks, then bring it back to town and get it appraised.
- Jiera in the Norgandian Settlement does the appraising, and it costs Rift Crystals.
- The type of spoil decides the gear slot, but the stats and skills are random. Relic gear can come with skills on it, including stronger versions of skills you already know.
- Your vocation and your pawns' vocations raise the odds of drops for those vocations. Farming Thief gear? Be a Thief, and make your main pawn one too.
- Deeper Norgan means higher level relics.
- Spoils are heavy. Head back and offload them often.
Spend Your First Norgan Ducats Right
Norgan has its own currency, Norgan Ducats, and Dwayne the innkeeper trades for them. Two buys come first:
- Save your first 20 Ducats for the book that unlocks a 7th augment slot. One buy covers you and your main pawn.
- Grab the Ring of Virtue for 1 Ducat, favorite it, and hold on to it. Wear it when you fight the final boss of the DLC story. Trust me.
Set Up Skills 5 and 6
You get six weapon skill slots now instead of four. Skills 5 and 6 use two face buttons pressed together, and you can remap them in the controls. Set them up for you and your main pawn before you head north, and keep an open mind. The relic versions of skills might shake up the old meta.
Tips Before You Head North
- Use the Eternal Ferrystone. It is reusable, unlike the old one-use Ferrystones, and you get it fairly early in the main story. If you already did that quest, it is sitting in your inventory. Drop Portcrystals where you explore, warp to town to restock and appraise, then warp right back.
- Respect the cold. Freezing weather drains your max stamina. Warm gear and Heatstones help, and blizzards will even take away your mini-map.
- Hit the Forgotten Riftstones you skipped before. That is free crystals for appraisal.
- Shake off the rust. If it has been a while, play a session in Vermund first so your combos and pawn setup feel right before Norgan starts hitting hard.
Want to know which Norgan side quests are worth your time? Check out my Norgan side quests guide.