Dragon’s Dogma 2 is already getting reviews glowing enough to inspire hordes of new players to try and jump head-first into this new dragon-slaying adventure. Let’s dive deep into the story of the original so you don’t miss a beat when venturing out into the world of the sequel!
Dragon’s Dogma puts players in the shoes of the “Arisen”, a kind of person picked by the hand of destiny to slay dragons. That might sound way too similar to the plot outline of Skyrim, but Dragon’s Dogma came out shortly after Skyrim, so chances are this is but a coincidence. Similarly to Skyrim, again, the Dragons here are entities hellbent on terrorizing the world, but they’re also intelligent and seemingly mischievous beings. Much like Skyrim, however, and for the last time, we have a face-to-face with a dragon right at the start of the game. But, unlike the confrontation in Skyrim where the big bad dragon collaterally ends up helping the main character, the confrontation in Dragon’s Dogma goes the opposite way.
In a surprisingly gruesome turn of events, a Dragon named Grigori rips out the Arisen’s heart and collects it. This doesn’t kill the Arisen, as it’s a common Dragon technique used to form a cursed bond with their victim, one that puts the Arisen in a sort of undying state until they either reclaim their heart, or the dragon dies. This catalyzes the Arisen’s quest to get their heart back and slay Grigori. At the end of the game, we finally get another face-to-face with Grigori, and, even though this time the Arisen has come prepared to fight, they’re faced with a decision.
Grigori kidnapped the main character’s “beloved”, the title given to the NPC with whom the player has had more positive interactions with. The Arisen gets to pick whether to fight Grigori or sacrifice their beloved, and, depending on the choice, they’ll get a different outcome to the story.
Dragon’s Dogma Endings (Spoilers):
The egotistical ending will have the Arisen’s beloved die but bestow upon the Arisen an enormous amount of wealth and infinite youth that will last until someone else makes the same deal with Grigori.
The altruistic ending will have the Arisen slaying Grigori, and finding out that Grigori existed to find someone worthy of becoming the Seneschal, the deity overseeing the world of Dragon’s Dogma. This leads us to another choice. Now the Arisen decides between trying to pick up the mantle of the Seneschal via combat or turn their back on it all and lead a normal life.
The normal life ending will get you just that, whereas the Seneschal ending will, once again, branch out into two more possible endings. Losing against the Seneschal will lead the Arisen to become a Dragon, like Grigori before them, who’ll live to literally steal hearts and look for a new Seneschal. Defeating the Seneschal will grant the Arisen the power of the Seneschal. The old Seneschal ends his own life, which teaches players that they can either go on as the Seneschal or end their own lives together with the cycle of needless violence.
Dragon’s Dogma does endings very well, and I’m inclined to believe that they must’ve influenced the endings of Bloodborne, considering how they’re all very similar.
Do you need to know the plot of Dragon’s Dogma before playing Dragon’s Dogma 2?
In short, no. The developers stated early on that the plot of Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes place in the same world as the original game, but the two share no direct connection. We could probably compare the relation between the two plots to the relation between Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. That’s a wise decision, considering how the original game came out over a decade ago. Still, if you love lore, it’s always a good idea to give such a great title a go.
