Highlights
- Fans eagerly await Dragon’s Dogma 2, but leaks raise concerns about NPC AI.
- Pawns’ slow attacks and NPC behavior draw criticism from players.
- Framerate worries surface, but overall excitement remains high for the RPG’s release.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is shaping up to be one of the hottest RPGs of 2024, and fans are taking notice. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been able to avoid the leak monster, as at least two players in the last two days have been caught streaming the game ahead of its March 22 release date. (Both streams had been caught partway through and were taken down due to complaints by the copyright holder.)
Out of respect for the fine people at Capcom, we’re not showing any of the leaked footage, nor are we commenting on it ourselves, but the Internet has seen it, and its netizens seem to be overall pleased with what they’ve snuck a peek at so far, with the possible exception of a tiny detail or two.
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Do The NPCs Need A Little More Time In The Oven?
The biggest criticism that Dragon’s Dogma 2 seems to be getting based on its leaks is the AI controlling its NPCs. As with the first installment in the series, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will reintroduce Pawns, recruitable (and in the case of one, customizable) characters who will accompany your Arisen on their adventures, in addition to the standard friendly and hostile NPCs populating its game world.
The concerns seem to cover the spectrum of NPCs, although Pawns seem to be getting the brunt of it, which isn’t surprising, considering what an integral role they play in the game. Said one commenter, WoodyTSE, on Reddit, “Idk, with swings that slow you kind of have to predict and track, the AI only seems to attack where the enemy is right now and I think as a player you learn that big slow attacks are more predictive than that.”
A lot of players have noted that the AI controlling NPCs wasn’t the most heralded aspect of the original Dragon’s Dogma either, but whether that potential lack of improvement is something that will keep players away or just an aspect that will be familiar to fans of the series is a story that’s yet to play out. But if the popularity of its intricate character creator, which released a couple of weeks ahead of the game’s launch, is any indicator, plenty of players will be champing at the bit to dive into its quests.
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Chugging Along, Or Just Hooked Up To A Potato?
A few fans also seem to be concerned about framerate. A few potential future Dragon’s Dogma 2 player, quoted on Reddit, noted the leaked gameplay appears to be running at about 20 to 25 frames per second.
That doesn’t seem to be bothering the gaming community at large, though, as there’s really no way to know the exact specs of the PCs on which the leakers have been playing and whether they meet the recommended or minimum system requirements at all. Still, it is leading some to say that they’ll be avoiding it on day one and waiting for it to be patched, if that even turns out to be necessary.
Regardless of those potential issues, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down the hype that’s been building up in the fan community over Dragon’s Dogma 2, with fans on X (formerly Twitter) excited for its sublime fluidity on animations and really fun-looking character classes. We’ll know for sure just how good this sequel that fans have been waiting 12 years for will be when it launches on March 22.
