Dragon's Dogma 2 isn't a soulslike, but it has a lot more in common with Elden Ring than I expected

GamesRPGDragon’s Dogma 2Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t a soulslike, but it has a lot more in common with Elden Ring than I expectedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Tyler C. / Capcom, FromSoftware)

Dragon�s Dogma 2 characters standing on a cliff overlooking Elden Ring�s Limgrave

Unlike most open world games, neither Dragon’s Dogma 2 or Elden Ring go out of their way to explain themselves. Capcom has its own feel for action combat, the thing that so many other games have attempted to copy wholesale from FromSoftware. But otherwise they’re kindred spirits, with confusing UIs and quests that are more like riddles than checklists.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a big, clumsy game with no intention of giving you the tools to tame it. FromSoft uses immense difficulty to push you to explore and strengthen your character over time, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 uses things like carrying weight capacity and semi-permanent health loss for the same reason. Both games force you to gamble your odds of survival in a world that isn’t made for you to conquer, but to survive.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is frequently fulfilling in the same ways as Elden Ring—here’s all the ways it reminds me of FromSoftware’s landmark RPG, and the few things that set it apart.

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s character creation makes Elden Ring’s look like a joke

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Capcom)

Dragon’s Dogma 2 archer character in opening cutscene

As a long-time FromSoftware fan, it’s hard to say this but Elden Ring—and the Souls games before it—have awful character creators. It’s impossible to make a character in Elden Ring that doesn’t look hideous from some angle. It’s far easier to make a Shrek-like abomination than it is to make a regular human being with human proportions. Making a character that doesn’t look disturbingly soft or craggy is about as challenging as the boss fights. It’s charming, sure, but it’s definitely not good.

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Your starting class doesn’t really matter in Dragon’s Dogma 2, just like in Elden Ring

(Image credit: Capcom)

Screenshot of Dragon’s Dogma 2, showing a view of the centre of the game’s main city, Vernworth

Vocationsare Dragon’s Dogma 2’s name for classes, and, while they are distinct from one another, you’re not locked into the one you choose to start with. You can begin the game as an archer, level it up, and then swap to a mage five hours in. You’re actually encouraged to level a vocation up to unlock passive abilities that still work when you switch to a different one.

Like in Elden Ring, your Dragon’s Dogma 2 character can blend classes together—albeit in a less experimental manner—through the advanced vocations you unlock through quests. Archers can imbue arrows with elemental spells as a Magick Archer and, eventually, you can unlock a class that puts all of them into a blender withthe Warfarer vocation. Where Elden Ring characters have more stats- and skill-driven playstyles from the start, Dragon’s Dogma 2 only loosens up once you’ve put several hours into it. This is because of a feature that Elden Ring sorely lacks that’s up next.

Beginner tips: Arise ArisenDragon’s Dogma 2 fast travel: Take an ox cartHow to start a new game:Start againDragon’s Dogma 2 pawns:Build your partyHow to change appearance: Makeover

Beginner tips
Dragon’s Dogma 2 fast travel
How to start a new game
Dragon’s Dogma 2 pawns
How to change appearance

Beginner tips: Arise ArisenDragon’s Dogma 2 fast travel: Take an ox cartHow to start a new game:Start againDragon’s Dogma 2 pawns:Build your partyHow to change appearance: Makeover

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s pawns are what I imagine Elden Ring would be like with actually good co-op

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Capcom)

Dragon’s Dogma 2 screenshot of a player and their pawns around a campfire

When a cyclops roars somewhere far ahead of me in Dragon’s Dogma 2, I’m not scared for my life as I am anytime I hear a threatening noise in Elden Ring. Yourpawns, or NPC companions, always have your back (until they don’t) in Dragon’s Dogma 2 and it reminded me why I wish FromSoft would put normal co-op in its games.

Pawns give Dragon’s Dogma 2 a cooperative feel without having to actually coordinate playing with friends.

Spirit Ash summons are cool and all in Elden Ring, but they don’t spread gossip about other players or lead you toward treasure. Pawns give Dragon’s Dogma 2 a cooperative feel without having to actually coordinate playing with friends. They’re the number one reason to play it if the brutal, lonely world of Elden Ring kept you from enjoying it solo. Exploring dark caves is less terrifying when you know you can run and hide behind your pawns. Just be careful if theireyes go redand they start talking about not feeling well.

Quests are just as bizarre in Dragon’s Dogma 2 as they are in Elden Ring

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Sphinx grinning

I spent an entire evening in Dragon’s Dogma 2 re-exploring a cave for weapons that I actually already had sitting in my storage because the quest didn’t bother to inform me. Quests are arguably more opaque in Dragon’s Dogma 2 than Elden Ring. You’ll bump into a shady guy asking for a"Jadeite Orb"and the only hint about the next step you’ll have is that you should talk to bandits. The quest text won’t duplicate this hint; you just have to listen carefully to the NPC and remember it.

Some of Elden Ring’s minor quests work like this, and, admittedly, Dragon’s Dogma 2 at least has a quest log, but the most important ones in Elden Ring are hard to mess up. There’s a reason most players successfully completed each and every step of Ranni’s questline. You can fail Dragon’s Dogma 2 quests for taking too long or showing up at the wrong time of day. I personally love how it makes zero effort to help you out because it forces you to treat NPCs as actual characters who may have agendas you’re not privy to, but it’s also a pain if you have a completionist brain.

(Image credit: Capcom)

Hitching a ride on a harpy

The penalty for your death in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is having to reload a save that could be hours away from where you were. Frequently saving your game generally alleviates this, but it’s a different story if you lose a pawn. To resurrect them, you need Wakestones, which are relatively rare items at the start of the game. And given how crucial pawns are you’ll want to avoid being reckless enough to get them killed unless theywrite the end to their own story.

Your character, on the other hand, is largely expendable and, even though I’d consider Dragon’s Dogma 2’s combat to be significantly easier than Elden Ring’s, you will spend a lot of your adventure getting pummeled. Thankfully it’s frequently more funny than maddening, unlike some of the deaths I remember having in the back half of Elden Ring.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an adventure and Elden Ring is a trek

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Capcom)

Dragon’s Dogma 2 screenshot of archer character standing in open world with pawns by her side

Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels more like a D&D campaign with your party than a brutal climb to the top of the food chain.

Elden Ring is a big puzzle of a world and most of the game is about solving all of its little mysteries. Dragon’s Dogma 2 has aslightly different approachthat eventually lands in a similar spot. Most of your time will be spent poking around forests and caves for treasure and surprise encounters. The focus is on the thrill of climbing a hill, spotting a place to camp in the distance, and all the random battles you have in between. Compared to Elden Ring, Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels more like a D&D campaign with your party than a brutal climb to the top of the food chain.

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Dragon’s Dogma 2’s character creation makes Elden Ring’s look like a joke#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Your starting class doesn’t really matter in Dragon’s Dogma 2, just like in Elden Ring#

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s pawns are what I imagine Elden Ring would be like with actually good co-op#

Quests are just as bizarre in Dragon’s Dogma 2 as they are in Elden Ring#

Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Elden Ring share the same sense of humor#

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an adventure and Elden Ring is a trek#

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s character creation makes Elden Ring’s look like a joke

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Your starting class doesn’t really matter in Dragon’s Dogma 2, just like in Elden Ring

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s pawns are what I imagine Elden Ring would be like with actually good co-op

Quests are just as bizarre in Dragon’s Dogma 2 as they are in Elden Ring

Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Elden Ring share the same sense of humor

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an adventure and Elden Ring is a trek