Having players who are extremely powerful is all fun and games until you have to figure out a way to keep them entertained and maintain their respect for the world you’ve created. Yes, making the enemies stronger is always a solution, but this comes with its own set of problems, so many studios aim for the Holy Grail—the DLC. It gives players new reasons to explore, while simultaneously entertaining those who are at lower levels, too. However, tackling this challenge is no walk in the park, because an expansion still needs to make all that previous progress feel meaningful while introducing enough new obstacles to keep things interesting.
Without a doubt, Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC managed to find its way around this problem, and Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen seems to be following in its footsteps. Although the two expansions approach progression, exploration, and difficulty in different ways, the ideas behind them have several points of overlap. From making their new regions more complex to introducing challenges capable of testing experienced players, Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen may be echoing one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s greatest strengths.
Endgame Doesn’t Mean Game Over
Those who have played Shadow of the Erdtree know that one of the expansion’s strongest features is how, instead of ignoring players’ progress, it allows them to take it even further. The Scadutree Fragments scattered everywhere throughout the Realm of Shadow aim to give people new reasons to explore and help them increase their damage and defense. Most importantly, the Fragments work only within the DLC, so no matter how strong you were previously, there is still plenty of room to grow once you enter the Land of Shadow.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
It seems like Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is toying with the same idea, although Norgan has its own way of doing things. Instead of Fragments, it has Relics that players receive upon exploring the region. Depending on what you find, the expansion can reward you with weapons, new armor, abilities, and skill boosts. Although the items are not obtained in the exact same way in both DLCs, they provide a new form of progression to chase, ensuring that even established characters haven’t reached their ceiling just yet.
Looking Up Might Be a Good Idea
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Image via Capcom -
Image via Capcom -
Image via Capcom
However, it seems like progression is not the only area where Shadow of the Erdtree and Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen speak the same language. The Land of Shadow challenged the way players think about the world of Elden Ring by experimenting with its spaces; instead of keeping its huge open areas and tightly designed Legacy Dungeons separate, FromSoftware decided to blur the lines between them. In an interview with PC Gamer, director Hidetaka Miyazaki described the result as a blend of open-field and dungeon-like design, with greater verticality thrown into the mix. In other words, getting from point A to point B became a challenge in itself.
Norgan is preparing to make players do some extra thinking as well, with director Kento Kinoshita describing the map as considerably more complex and vertical in an interview with Inven Global. This will allow players to explore by moving up and down through the surrounding environment by using ropes, while some dungeons and caves might even be positioned above the players’ heads, leaving it to them to figure out how to reach them. Just like in Shadow of the Erdtree, the map itself is not just some empty piece of land you have to cross to reach different challenges. It’s an entire challenge of its own.
The Victory Lap Might Have to Wait
Of course, it would make sense that providing new ways of becoming stronger does not hold much significance if there is nothing strong enough to use your new skills against. Shadow of the Erdtree certainly did not go easy on its players in the Land of Shadow, as it filled its fields and dungeons with powerful enemies that required a significant level of skill to beat. Even getting to the Land of Shadow requires defeating Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood first, meaning that you can begin the journey only if you already have the skills to overcome considerable challenges.
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen has an even more direct connection to veteran players. In the aforementioned interview with Inven Global, Kento Kinoshita stated that Capcom received plenty of feedback from people who had already beaten Dragon’s Dogma 2 and had maxed out their characters but still wanted to keep playing and fighting. This helped shape the entire expansion, which means that endgame players probably have nothing to worry about when it comes to how challenging Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen will be.
A Little Deja Vu Never Hurt Anyone
Having this much in common with Shadow of the Erdree certainly doesn’t mean that Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is running out of ideas. If anything, Shadow of the Erdtree sets a pretty good example of what a great DLC looks like. When the expansion dropped back in 2024, it sold 5 million units worldwide in just 3 days, while also receiving widespread critical acclaim.
That makes the overlap between the two expansions difficult to view as a bad sign. Moreover, Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen still has its own mechanics and approach to exploration, but it seems to understand the same basic principle that Shadow of the Erdree does—that adding more content simply isn’t enough for those who have already spent hundreds of hours within the game.
- Released
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October 9, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Language
