# Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen: what players say > Capcom’s expansion for Dragon’s Dogma 2 drew near-universal praise from players, who say it turns the base game into the one they wanted at launch. Developer: Capcom. Publisher: Capcom. Released 9 October. 90% of 890 player reviews recommend it (as of 13 October). ## In short Players who enjoyed Dragon’s Dogma 2 at all call Dark Arisen the best part of it, praising the frozen region of Norgan, the tougher fights, a story that holds together and the relic loot. The main complaint is enemy variety, with many fights against the same goblins and bandits, and some want new vocations. It needs the base game, and players advise arriving with a well-built party. ## What players say Players praise Norgan, the harder combat, the story and the loot. Enemy variety and the lack of new vocations draw the complaints. We read these reviews in full on 14 October. - 80 most helpful reviews: 74 positive, 1 mixed, 3 negative, 2 off-topic. - 40 latest reviews: 34 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative, 3 off-topic. - **Players say it fixes the base game.** Most call it the expansion Dragon’s Dogma 2 needed, with harder enemies, a clearer story and a reason to chase better gear. Many credit Kento Kinoshita, who directed the first game’s Dark Arisen and returns here, and want him on the next game. - **Norgan rewards exploring.** Players praise the snowy region’s dense, connected map, its caves, ruins and weather, and its music. Several find it bigger than they expected from an expansion. - **Fans welcome the difficulty.** Enemies hit harder and take longer to kill, and Hard Mode, added in a free update alongside the expansion, gives veterans the challenge the base game lacked. A few find the final fights tedious. - **The relic loot keeps players farming.** Gear with random stats and new skills gives a reason to keep fighting. Players like the new transmog option too, though it unlocks late, at the end of a quest chain some find tiresome. - **Enemy variety is still the weak spot.** Players keep meeting goblins, bandits, wolves and saurians, and many of the new monsters are pale variants of old ones. Several also hoped for new vocations. - **The game runs far better than it did.** Many find performance much improved since the base game’s launch, after this year’s updates. A few hit crashes after installing the expansion. ## Questions ### Is Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen worth it? Almost every player says yes. As of 13 October, 90% of 890 reviews recommend it. Players who enjoyed the base game even a little find it worth $29.99. ### Do you need Dragon’s Dogma 2 to play Dark Arisen? Yes. It’s an expansion and needs the base game, which sells on its own for $39.99. ### What does Dark Arisen add? A new region in the north, Norgan, with its own story and a loot cycle built on relics, 12 Lost Rites dungeons across the base game’s map, and a way to change how gear looks. Hard Mode came in the free Title Update 4.0 the same day. ### Is Dark Arisen hard? Yes. Players find Norgan’s enemies far tougher than the base game’s and suggest arriving with a strong, well-equipped party. Hard Mode can be applied to an existing save or a new one. ### How long is Dark Arisen? Players report 40 hours or more to finish its story and the content after the credits. ### Who directed Dark Arisen? Kento Kinoshita, who directed the first game’s Dark Arisen, returns as director, with Naoto Oyama as producer. ### What PC do you need for Dark Arisen? It runs on Dragon’s Dogma 2’s requirements. The minimum is a Core i5-8500 or Ryzen 5 3500, 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 5500 XT with 8 GB, on Windows 11. Capcom recommends a Core i7-10700 or Ryzen 5 3600X with a GeForce RTX 2070 Super or Radeon RX 6600 XT. ### When did Dark Arisen come out, and how much is it? 9 October 2026, on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, at $29.99. ## Sources 137. Steam: Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Expansion, store page and user reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2593290/ 138. Capcom on Steam: Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen out now, with Title Update 4.0, 9 October: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2054970/view/1846018067932545 139. Capcom on Steam: a Q&A with director Kento Kinoshita and producer Naoto Oyama, 31 July: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2054970/view/1839676055888102 140. Steam: Dragon’s Dogma 2, store page and PC requirements: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2054970/ 141. Capcom: Dragon’s Dogma 2 official site, editions and platforms: https://www.dragonsdogma.com/2/en-us/ Page: https://creativecult.digital/games/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen