Did you know that some doctors think negative thoughts coupled with stress can potentially lower lifespans? Such a thing is hard to effectively measure as there are so many factors that go into one’s expected years alive. Whether it is true or not, though, it does not change that time is precious and to waste it on negativity is probably a misstep.

This week I wanted to write about things going on in Eorzea. This was not easy. I fretted to Babbit over how I was not sure what to do since everything seems to be in a sort of stasis pending the new launch of Dawntrail. A lot of people are standing around right now. It is a drought, after all, and there is not much to do.

So what IS going on? Xbox players are coming into the world for the first time, that’s new. Though, it isn’t exactly smooth. Many are on a free trial (and I am not even sure if they can get the full thing yet, but maybe? Babbit said yes.) which has highlighted a ton of issues with the free trial system as towns are now filled with people asking for help getting themselves into parties with friends. If you ever thought Eorzean life was lonely, try the free trial for yourself and see just how detached it can be.

There is typical venue drama as people complain of discord bots and debate the merits of GMs taking action against graphic NSFW content in public spaces. This debacle appears and fades every few months. Nothing groundbreaking, really.

And of course, we have the newest event, a tie-in with Final Fantasy XVI, surely you have heard of it? I was going to document my experiences with it and express them here since there really is not much else to discuss. Of course, there is no obligation for a long-form article every other week, but at the same time I feel weird not doing one, so I thought maybe that would serve as a way to buy time at least until the next one.

Sadly, though, this event brought me to tears. No, not because of the emotions or the care for the story. This brought me to tears because it was yet another frustratingly painful “Visual Novel” experience (sanitized of any actual branching paths that a true VN carries) climaxing in yet another slog of a “fight.”

After the third time of failing the fight because I didn’t realize I was supposed to stop trying to fight and instead try talking to the weird crystals that popped up for some reason I asked and found out. The fourth time went exceptionally smoothly for 10 or so minutes as I pushed the quick time event button over and over and over and over with one hand while holding my head up with the other. At the end of all of it you get Officially Branded Final Fantasy XVI ™ merch, limited time only while supplies last.

I guess it’s my fault for not feeling the emotional investment. I didn’t rush out to buy a PS5 when FFXVI launched so I don’t really know much about Clive. Weirdly, though, I felt nothing for the Final Fantasy XV event a few weeks ago and I have played that. I really liked Noctis et al. So maybe it is not just a “me” thing.

Going on and on about this stuff, though, it really just hurts my heart. I feel sour about this place and what keeps getting thrown into the mix and to keep dwelling in it cannot be healthy. Even if it is not going to shorten my lifespan, to keep talking about all the shortcomings of Eorzea is not something I want to spend my time doing.

Instead, I want to talk about something I have been in love with. Maybe you feel the same, maybe you feel hate for it, and maybe you are totally indifferent. If I have to write about something, though, I would rather be passionate than jaded. So this week I am going to talk about some of my adventures in Dragon’s Dogma 2.

First things first! I got into Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen a long time ago. I thought it was really neat but it also seemed very obscure. I tried to watch the Netflix show, but it didn’t feel right to me, I don’t know. When 2 was announced I was very excited! I made Babbit get into it because of how stoked I was (sorry Babbit!(Not really though)). I even preordered it, something I never do.

When I say the launch was subpar, I mean it. It was not great at all and for two days I struggled. Many people were suffering from issues with optimization, low frame rates, slow experiences in towns, that sort of thing. It became known that part of this was due to NPCs existing and some took to slaughtering entire towns just to eke out a better performance.

Meanwhile, a loud bunch of people started to spread a ton of hate regarding the microtransactions the game has to offer. Are microtransactions a good thing? We may not have the same views on this, but frankly, I do not really see them as all that bad, at least in this case. Yes, in online games if they give you an edge over anyone then they very much should be opposed. Anything else though, it really comes down to preference.

If there is no harm to others or their experiences then why should anyone care? DD2 is a single player game and the microtransactions, for the most part, can all be found in game. So if Tony the banker who works 65 hours a week wants to pay $2 so he can fast travel a little better and use his limited time more effectively then who are any of us to judge? Is it dumb? Maybe, but it’s still Tony’s choice and Tony’s money. Is Capcom bad for including it? Maybe a little, but again if you don’t buy in it won’t affect you.

Anyway, back to my experiences. Like I said, I was having issues at launch too, but they were a little different. You see, I wasn’t sure of why at the time, but something was wrong with how I was launching the game. When I loaded in I saw the opening cinematic same as everyone, but after that I was taken to a foggy void of bars and people. I was even mean about it on Twitter.

This was not a great start to things. Eventually, and with some help from Capcom support, I got these issues worked out. Things run great now and I have been thoroughly immersed for a while. If you are having similar issues to me, feel free to reach out. Enough of the controversies and problems, though, let’s get into the adventure!

Dogma Of Dragons

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an open world single player RPG with action combat and party mechanics. There are a variety of base classes to choose from and more are unlocked through doing certain quests. Where DD2 differs from a lot of similar games is in how one adventures directly impacts their experience.

A similar experience might be found in Breath of the Wild, which emphasizes exploration and player freedom. However, BotW’s freeform approach is not to be found in DD2. Where BotW allows the player to engage with the main story quest (MSQ) at their leisure, DD2 requires interaction with the MSQ to progress beyond certain points, at least as far as the story is concerned.

This is where things get sort of interesting. If you wanted to, you can completely ignore the main story and live a life of adventure in this unforgiving world. I came to the realization when I stumbled into an area I was not ready for, both in terms of my level and the narrative.

Despite a slew of hardships (and real time lamenting my horrible decisions to Babbit) I made it through to a major hub and set up a travel point, far ahead of when I “should have” were I playing the game “right.” But you see, that is the beauty of DD2. There is no “right” way to play it.

Babbit has been playing too and we are carefully comparing notes at times, trying not to let any secrets slip to one another. Some things are too good (or annoying) not to share, but for the most part we discuss our journeys with discretion. That is, in part, because this takes a lot of hints from classic RPG design.

There are quest markers, journals, things of that nature. You can get guidance in game from fortune tellers and even your party. However, when it comes to sidequests, aside from looking them up, there is no real way to tell what they are. They trigger in a variety of ways from talking to a generic person in a city, to investigating a rumor because you read a random sign on the road, or even wandering a bit too brashly and tumbling down some hole in the ground.

To top things off, these sidequests all have choices that matter, and there is no hand-holding here. This means that Babbit and I have wildly different adventures despite playing the same broad narrative and when it comes to an open world RPG, that is really cool. The world is affected by our choices and we have to live with the consequences.

Elves

For example, Babbit just recently made her way to an Elven city hidden deep within the forest. She went out that way on a whim and both her and I were surprised she came across it. I had been there a while ago because I bumped into an elf on my travels and he wanted to date so he took me there to meet his dad (It didn’t work out and my new fake boyfriend is way better so everyone wins). Babbit ended up missing an entire miniature quest series yet she is still going strong in her journeys.

Meanwhile, I have been seeking out everything I can, talking to anyone and everyone, investigating even the most mundane whispers, wandering along rock walls looking for cracks that might hide a secret. I want to do it all while being the best person I can be and for me, that’s my adventure. Others choose different paths.

A ton of people have already beaten the whole thing and moved on! I recently got an achievement for going into 50 dungeons, which, yeah that is a lot, but some are about the size of a bedroom so grain of salt. Still, at the time, only 0.04% of players had done that. Considering how complex and interesting some of the structures are, it is a little sad to me, but you know what? If being a speedster is your calling, then take that freedom and rush it!

That is the sort of freedom DD2 offers, not only an open world to explore and experience, but also a narrative to craft where what you do can shape those around you. There are consequences to your actions. If you make the wrong choices, people will die, but that is okay because it adds to the feel of the world.

If someone begs you for help and you leave them be, do not be surprised when you find their lifeless body taking up coffin space later on. Heck, sometimes things just happen.

I met someone who had traveled far from their usual spot to another village entirely. Later on, when I was in her usual city, I dropped in to say hi only to find she was missing. I figured she must still be on vacation. A few days later, I dropped into the town morgue to check on things and found her there! Something must have happened to her on the way home, otherwise how would she have wound up dead? It was a tragic surprise! Fortunately, though, there are resources for such things.

Wakestones act as single use resurrection tools that you can use on yourself in battle or on others. They are not easy to come across, though, and they may be vital later on so one should use them sparingly.

Sadly, after a few monster attacks at city gates, I have seen some townsfolk in various morgues. However, they are not important enough to me to use such a thing on, at least not yet. Resources can be scarce and it is best to be prepared when you can, at least that’s how I see it.

Still, who knows? My choice to leave them behind may keep me from accessing an interesting sidequest. This is something that scares me, but in an exciting way. I have no idea if I am missing out on something as I forge my path and I love it. No one will ever have the same adventure as me.

One thing I have not talked much about is the party system. DD2 is really exceptional at one thing other open world games often miss and that is removing the feeling of loneliness.

When I played BotW, while I was enamored throughout my time in Hyrule, I felt sort of sad. Towns felt interesting, but the vast spaces between them were depressing at times. Sure, sometimes you could chat with an NPC walking along a road, but it was not enough to quell the feelings of isolation I’d get in long wanders.

And while it was a little lackluster as an exploration experience when compared with BotW, FFXV had a great sense of community with its party. Each had their quirks and seeing them joke around and talk about things made the experience feel friendly.

DD2 is, in a lot of ways, the marrying of these two systems. The exploration is exceptionally fulfilling and feels challenging. Sometimes the reward is the journey. And sometimes the challenges are best met with your team.

The party system in DD2 takes a unique approach (not in the series, as it is largely the same as in the first) wherein canonically the NPCs in your party are seen by the regular people of the game world as something of NPCs.

Called “Pawns,” your party starts when you summon your first at a riftstone. This pawn is totally customizable, including appearance, class, name, and even personality. As you adventure with your pawn, they learn things from you and others and begin to take charge using what they have learned.

In addition to your main pawn, you may also summon up to two additional pawns from the rift. If you are online, you can summon pawns other people have made. These are not taken from them, but they act as something of a copy, bringing their experiences to your world.

Your party will talk about things from the quests you are on, to the areas you visit, to the assortment of ladders you find. They love to talk about ladders! They also try to help you out with what they know.

Ladders

For example, if you are dilly dallying on a quest, a pawn who has been on it with another player may volunteer to lead you to something you may need to complete the quest. Or, if there is a treasure in a tough to reach spot, if they have the ability to help you up or go themselves, they will offer to do so.

You ultimately get to say whether or not you are interested in aid, but having the help can be nice! It certainly makes things a little more cheery to have others talking about what’s going on, at least. As a bonus, sometimes they do high fives with you after a battle!

When in a town or near others, NPCs will say little phrases. Picked apart, they do not always add up to much, but in a cacophony it feels lively. They wander about and pursue their own agendas. In conjunction with being in a group that you will take around and camp with, everything comes together to create a feeling of liveliness that is such a rare treat in a single player experience.

And if you think parties are for losers, you can abandon them! Throw your pawn into a river and never summon another and you are going to have that hardcore totally solo nightmare fight fest that so many RPGs nowadays try to give. For fans of Elden Ring, this just may be the preferred option for you, but be aware you might not have a great time.

Does this mean Dragon’s Dogma 2 is for everyone? Certainly not! It is a challenging game with a ton of frustrating features. Fast travel is difficult or inconvenient (or, in the case of Ox Carts, faster than walking in real time but slower in game time), item weights require you to carefully consider equipment and curatives, and making a mistake can leave you in a tough spot going forward or require you to repeat perhaps hours or days of effort to correct it. Still, for me, aside from maybe some multiplayer support, this is a perfect experience.

I often find myself yearning to explore new worlds and to talk about them with friends. Sometimes, Eorzea just feels sort of against what I want. Linear progression, easy access rewards for little to no effort, and content that, to me, feels just a bit too stale and formulaic.

Of course, these are my opinions and I have nothing bad to say about those with differing thoughts. I actually do enjoy being in Eorzea, though it is usually because of things I get into myself or with friends over what has been mapped out for everyone. Still, sometimes it is good to take a step away from it, to venture out and see what the world has to offer.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 might just be something you need in your life. It was for me, at least. And maybe you read this and are even less interested than you may have been before. Either way, if you do feel as I do, that Eorzea is losing some of its luster, go out and try something else for a while. It could be anything!

There are so many worlds to embrace for a bit if you need time away from the stresses of WOLing. I know where I’ll be! And if you join me there, who knows, you might run into my pawn and she can tell you all my horrible deeds!