Last Updated on Sep 2, 2026 @ 16:26:26 PM.
After over 2 years, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is receiving its first DLC in the form of Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen as it brings players to a new region known as Norgan, which is filled with snowy mountains, dangerous enemies, and small towns to visit.
We were lucky enough to try this DLC before its release date on October 9th, 2026, during Gamescom, as we explored this new location, battled some of the enemies that were waiting within, and even took on some of the new bosses within the game, and we even got to try out the new relic system that is coming to the game within this update.
Although I only had around half an hour to try out Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen and its new features, I did find that I had a wonderful time exploring this new location and trying out the different mechanics that have now been implemented.
The first feature that was brought to my attention while playing the new DLC was the relic system, as you can acquire a tutorial quest that explains this system to you, which allows you to defeat enemies in order to find relics of all kinds that you can have appraised by an NPC within the village.
Although these appraisals are random, they can work out to have incredible benefits and perks, but they do leave you open to getting numerous duplicates or useless items that you already have, but they do allow the player to begin a new form of grind that will allow the player to earn so many more rewards than they are used to.
While exploring, I was able to use these new items I had acquired to fight the enemies that I could find within this new DLC, and so far the enemies I fought were pretty generic humans with a few monsters and animals lurking around that weren’t overly complicated to fight, but with the new landscape and new abilities, I felt like a true powerhouse defeating everything that stood in my way. Sadly I wasn’t able to try out all the abilities, but I was able to try out quite a few, and I did enjoy using them, and they felt like they fit perfectly with how the game plays normally.
In terms of the bosses I encountered, there were two bosses during my journey that I managed to fight and arguably win, the first being a large yeti-like monster that can easily demolish the player and can even freeze you, which you will need your companions to save you from. The other boss was a dragon with an amazing design, as this dragon looks to be already dead but is in fact still alive and kicking, which I learned the hard way.
During these two boss fights, Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen reminded me that bosses aren’t easy to fight and can take ages to defeat and require teamwork with your companions in order to defeat them, but the payoff is still amazing, as the loot you can gain is spectacular, especially thanks to the new relic system, and the actual boss fights have unique mechanics and amazing combat designs that made them stand out.
For your next read, why not check out our article that talks about Petit Planet and its chill planet-saving gameplay, or check out our article that discusses our experience with Wolcen 2 at Gamescom?
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
