Dragon’s Dogma 2 nerfs Dragonsplague, but Capcom didn’t quite budge
Capcom has released a patch update for Dragon dogma 2 that mitigates the threat of Dragonsplague, the viral disease that can be contracted – and passed from one player’s game to another – by pawns, the game’s AI-controlled party members.
Infected pawns show signs of illness, become aggressive and disobedient, and their eyes glow red. Eventually, when the player rests in an inn, the pawn transforms into a shadowy dragon that can wipe out entire cities full of merchants and quest givers. Since the player just saved at the inn, it is also not possible to revert the saved game. (Cities apparently repopulate over time.)
When the waves of Dragonsplague began to hit in earnest following the game’s release in March, some players were shocked and annoyed by the devastation wrought on their saved games – despite the game’s frequent warnings about the serious threat of the disease . It was another example of the seemingly deliberate opposition to players Dragon dogma 2The game’s gameplay design, such as the lack of fast travel options and the way saving is handled, makes it difficult to simply reverse bad luck.
But it seems like Capcom is now admitting that players may have had a point in this one case. In the patch notes For the new update, the developer notes that it has reduced Dragonsplague’s infection rate and made the signs of infection easier to spot, for example by making pawns’ glowing eyes more noticeable.
Is this a case of the developers capitulating to the loud complaints of a portion of their fanbase and compromising their original vision, like the infamous debacle of Mass effect 3‘Sending? That may be part of it, but it’s also possible that Capcom really didn’t intend the extent of the wipeouts that the Dragon dogma 2 community has seen.
The game was a sales success – Capcom said it was 2.5 million copies sold in its first two weeks – and perhaps Dragonsplague’s infection rate wasn’t properly tailored to an audience of this size. While Capcom says it has made it easier to spot the signs of the disease, there is no mention of mitigating the effects of letting it continue unchecked, so unwary players may still have to deal with NPC carnage in their games. The development team hasn’t yet given ground to other systems that are causing players grief, such as the cost and scarcity of fast travel items. So the signs point to this being an intentional change in balance.
Elsewhere in the patch, Capcom has taken a number of steps to make pawns, to put it bluntly, less annoying. Pawns will now fall off cliffs and repeat themselves less often, keep their conversation on topic, actually guide the player when they offer, and respond better to assist commands when the player is held by an enemy.
Oh, and treasure chests that have already been acquired will no longer appear on the minimap.