Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen is a new DLC story for Capcom’s hit open-world Action RPG, but the real question is, how and when can you start it? The short answer is, you can jump into the Dark Arisen storyline whenever you want, but it will warn you that you will want to be at a reasonable level to take part in it. The original game’s endgame was considered to be “too easy” by many players, but you won’t find that here.
The good news is that as soon as you meet Captain Brant in Vermund, you can begin Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen. However, you’ll want to be at the bare minimum level 40 before you think of heading to the new, icy region. The enemies are incredibly strong and aggressive in this area.
Note: This article contains very minor spoilers for the opening of Dark Arisen.
How to start the Dark Arisen DLC for Dragon’s Dogma 2
Once you meet Captain Brant in Dragon’s Dogma 2, at the pub at night, you can begin Dark Arisen. That means you just have to complete the tutorial, reach the first town, and join the guards as they head back to Vermund. What that means for you is that you need to be on the Seat of the Sovran quest, at the bare minimum, or have completed that.
Just meet Captain Brant at nighttime and ask about the ‘New Arisen’. He’ll also have an option where you can unlock the new dungeons, if you’d rather do that first. Those are rated around level 20, while the new DLC is around level 40 at the minimum.
When you ask about the new Arisen, Brant will send you off to speak with some guards, and also recommend you speak with a scholar about the region you’ll be heading to. Once you’ve at least spoken to the guards, you can head to the location on your map. Once there, you’ll speak with Pekdre, who will guide you to a mighty griffon that will take you across the mountains, and into the new region.
This officially starts the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen DLC, and we won’t spoil anything else beyond that for you. All I can tell you without spoiling it is that if you aren’t powerful enough, it’s going to be clear the first time you wander into the world. While I believe you aren’t supposed to win the first fight you come across, it won’t be a game over, should you fail.
When should you start the Dark Arisen DLC for Dragon’s Dogma 2?
I played through the beginning of Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen on PlayStation 5, and when I realized I wasn’t strong enough and didn’t have time to grind, I swapped to PC. On the PlayStation, I was level 33, with reasonable gear for my level and was capable of completing the current story quest I was on (Flickering Shadows) without issue.
However, the most basic of enemies in the Dark Arisen DLC were killing me and my pawns in one hit. The game will warn you that you should be at least level 40 before tackling the DLC, and that sounds reasonable. I was in the 60s or so when I arrived in the DLC content, and even then, I struggled.
There may have been something wrong with my character or stats, and I’m willing to concede that as a possibility. I do not recommend jumping right in on a fresh character. Either be in the 40s-50s, or play through on a New Game+ run.
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Edited by Jason Parker
