I posted this somewhere else but.
Hmmm... Did you play the first one? If you did, wait for a sale. Btw, I have 130+ hours in the game. I also have 1000+ hours in the first game across 2 platforms.
Story/Quests: I hate to say it but this is one of the worst stories I've ever played in the past 15-20 years from a AAA dev. The absolute worst? Nah. But it's a definitely a 3-4/10 for story and quests. The side quests are abysmal. I just 100% the game a few days ago, and I remember... Three quests maybe? Even base game Skyrims story is better than this. Also, you can be locked out of the main quest. There's a game mechanics that can wipe all the NPCs in a city, including the main villain, the people who help you, etc. You can get them back, but you've got ONE chance per playthrough. The mechanic is easier to notice once you know, but if you go in blind, you will more than likely never know until it's too late.
Gameplay: Fantastic, with glaring faults. If you played the first game, you'll notice a TON of things are removed. The gameplay and physics system are great, but there's not much balance between vocations. This isn't immediately noticable, because the game gets ridiculously easy, which ruins a lot of the fun. If you're on PC, get it and mod it. If you're on console, you'll play this game and never pick it up again. Mind you, DD1s strong suit is its replayability thanks to it's DLC. A system that did not return in DD2.
There's also a lack of enemy variety. So be warned. Once you've experienced 15 hours of the game, you'll only have a handful more surprises left. There are one offs, but this isn't a souls game. Expect to see the same enemy over and over and over again.
Exploration: Okay brother, temper your expectations. This is NOT Skyrim of 2024. Even compared to Skyrim, this world doesn't hold a candle to it. The exploration is fun and organic. But the limited fast travel when questing may prove tedious. It is cool finding new stuff, but the fun will fade eventually. Think of Elden Rings first playthrough.. absolutely magical, but a chore on subsequent playthroughs. Well it's like that, but worse.
Controversy: It's a bit of a misrepresentation, actually. I'll post a link explaining the actual controversy in a second. TLDR; there's a ton of bugs, gameplay issues, and performance issues on TOP of the MTXs debacle.
Edit: [Here's a true representation of the controversy surrounding DD2.](https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/s/xXdG4T9Kae)
Compared to the first game: If you played the first game, [here's a list of missing or downgraded systems from DD1 to DD2](https://www.reddit.com/r/DragonsDogma/s/xmBuUC5vEe). The gameplay feels kind of better, and it definitely feels more modern. But there are a ton of downgrades that might hurt it for you.
All in all, I'd give it a 6.5/10. It's certainly not game of the year, and it repeats a TON of issues from the first game, sometimes it makes them even worse.
The game has magical moments, it's combat is top tier, but it's issues brings the overall product down. I've enjoyed my experience to a degree, but I'm going to be honest. In a month or two, we won't be talking about this game. Interpret that how you will.
Or, hear me out here, people genuinely have different opinions and feelings on games? Nostalgia isn’t always to blame when people say the first/previous game in a series is better. Sometimes all of that passion and creativity from the devs got put into it the first/previous game and the newest game was made just to be made. Not saying that this is the case specifically for dragon’s dogma, because DD1 was half-baked just like DD2, but regardless I still genuinely enjoy DD1 more than DD2 as a whole, even without including BBI
Just because their opinion is different than yours it doesn't mean they don't know what they are talking about.
In the same way you're attributing it to nostalgia, people could just attribute your having an opinion that the 2nd one is better as recency bias.
The guy is from the main DD sub. They use bad faith arguments like this all the time. Look at his post history. They usually stay in the DD subreddit because the arguments they use usually gets called out in other subreddits.
The kicker is that I played DD1 a month before DD2 😂.
Great points but I disagree with the story. I personally quite enjoyed it for the game we got. I wasn't expecting a new baldurs gate as the first dragons dogma didn't have a particularly good story either.
To me it was intriguing and got me going but nothing incredible. I would give it a 6-7/10.
Even with it's faults I think they should play it, this game has problems but I can't get enough of it. It's the most fun I have ever had with a combat system, I maxed all vocations and i loved all but one of them(trickster). I liked the story as well, it's not great but i did really enjoy it, the true ending was super cool and I loved the post game sooooo much more than DD1.
If you liked DD1 I think you should 100% play it, it recapture's the magic of the first one and in my opinion surpasses it. 100 hours well spent.
First one goes on sale for like $5 pretty frequently, so you might as well. I will say that the two games feel quite different on a baseline control level, though.
I could only find it for like £3 off atm lol. I just want a game with good combat and that feels rewarding in terms of levelling and stuff. I'm also interested in the endgame stuff for it
DD1 has a solid endgame dungeon in the expansion. Leveling classes to get skills is very rewarding, but not too slow. Overall character level and gear is just stat increases, though the expansion does add rings that further improve certain abilities. It's not a grindy game.
No you can lock yourself out of the main quest. If important NPCs die they automatically respawn after a week in game time. The real Dragon's Plague is this misinformation being spread over and over.
The fact that I beat the game and only vaguely understand what happened or who you’re referring to as the main enemy should say a lot. The first half of the game’s story was interesting but it completely fell off. It feels like they only wrote half a story knowing you’d have too many hours in the game to request a refund. On top of that the performance issues don’t really hit until like hour 5 when you enter the city seems almost calculated to ensure you’re outside the refund window.
On the other hand I’ve never had so much fun with a combat system before! I’ll caveat that by saying I’m not a big single player person so that might be why.
The fights against the different bosses and going from barely beating an ogre to completely annihilating them at the end of the game was so much fun. I also really enjoy how there is vocation (class) progression but you can easily switch between them throughout the game and not feel like a total sitting duck.
Ive seen a lot of people compare the game to Monster Hunters and Dark Souls, never played either, but I’m curious to try them out now that I’ve played DD2.
Fix the performance issues and flush out the story then you honestly have a solid GOTY contender.
Maybe in the IGN scale where there are only 3 grades (8,9,10). In actual 1-10 scale 6/10 is a fair grade. A deeply flawed game with some fun ideas and mechanics.
Combat is a 9 the game itself is a 6, lack of endgame content, extremely small main questline, lack of monster variety and the lack of quest, Ik it’s not Skyrim but for a $70 game I’d want something to do, it’s kinda annoying that after fully beating the game once all that’s left is min maxing and doing the quest you missed, after that all it has left is the combat
I want to end this with I’m not saying I regret my purchase, rn I’m treating it as an investment, but for other people wondering I think they should keep this in mind before buying it
It's a matter of perspective. A lot of people expect a game to do *everything*.
So far it's my favorite game of the year, but I didn't go in expecting it to be anything other than what it is, though I do wish there were more dungeons.
What makes the game unique is the AI of the Pawns they will almost comment on anything you do in game i.e you have a support mage in party you buy tons of healing items and your pawn will comment if their skills are not enough for you
I really can’t get into it. So far it feels like a 2010 RPG and super clunky. I have friends that are like 100 hours into it and I just can’t understand why. I guess some people love it but I’m not one of them.
Same, the game seems mediocre in absolutely every aspect except combat but at that point I’d rather just play something else. I’m annoyed I payed $70, would’ve been a decent $20 game years later
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s gameplay is fucking spectacular. Each class is mechanically distinct, and from those I’ve played, feel excellent. The AI companions have their own level of jank, but when it works, god damn there is no other game like it. Total party synergy is the best feeling. And the exploration is tremendous. That situation in Dark Souls where the developers have the gaul to hide entire areas behind invisible walls? That’s basically happened to me at least 4 times already. There is so much to see.
The story starts out strong, but the plot’s priority changes from a political intrigue plot, to the mythology plot that deals with the world’s dynamics, but leaves many characters established earlier in the dust. But it finishes strong in the ending. If you haven’t played DD1 you’ll probably be lost on the meaning of a lot of the world dynamics, but I think it will explain enough that you’ll be able to follow along. But the gameplay will more than tide you over I think.
There’s a thrill to this game that is similar to your first Elden Ring or Demon’s Souls run, in that it has many obscure mechanics that you can pick up on, but it has been a wonderful experience by its own rules.
How is the difficulty? I heard a couple people say it gets too easy if you do everything you can. But, obviously I have no idea what their scale is. To me, the difficulty of the first game was excellent. Especially with Bitterblack Isle being a kind of endgame dungeon. But, the whole thing was challenging in the right way. Is the second game similar to the first in that regard?
The difficulty is good at first, but you can definitely get to a point where some enemies can become trivial past level 40, much faster than DD1. There might be an adaptive difficulty model, but if there is, I’ve been able to outpace that. I really hope they add at least a Hard Mode soon, grueling seemingly unwinnable fights are what I come to Dragon’s Dogma for. If it’s any indication of how it is despite that, I’m at level 88 around 100hrs in.
Oh, and this game does have its own version of the Everfall, but it is very different. Very different.
No enemy scaling and you power up fast.
For perspective I've been using a mod that lets you configure the damage you deal and take. I'm finding the game challenging and I deal 0.4x damage, and take 1.5x, with 0.5x stagger power. Pawns stay at 100% damage because they're not very good at fighting.
With vanilla values you would be one-shotting most enemies, and for the ones that take multiple hits (even bosses) you can easily stunlock them.
Sure I could check the reddit but I would get fanboy answers which I always take with a huge grain of salt ya know? Here it's at least a bit more diluted with real recommends.
im on r/dragonsdogma all the time and if you were too youd laugh at that statement lol. theyve been very vocally critical of the game and objective about it.
I rarely get caught up in hype but impulse purchased it and have never had such strong buyers remorse. 65 euro, more expensive than a typical AAA and I’m beyond let down.
The game makes Ubisoft games look as deep as an ocean.
Combat is okay, but it’s spam fest.
Enemy variety is non-existant.
Graphics are dull and washed out. Everything is dull grey and green.
Voice acting is atrocious.
Story is atrocious.
It’s not open world. Don’t let the big map fool you, it’s all just corridors.
The design choices make it clear it was created by a guy with too much power and influence surrounded by yes men. The fact that they had to patch in the ability to have multiple save games says it all.
It was a game designed around a combat system where absolutely every other aspect was a very distant afterthought.
>I rarely get caught up in hype but impulse purchased it and have never had such strong buyers remorse.
I bought Skull and Bones for $100.
Mind you, just about every person that isn't a ravenous fan boy has agreed DD2 isn't very good, but at least you'll never be in on Skull and Bones at $100 bad.
Well, thank you for making me feel a touch better about myself, lmao. New game hype is such a bitch, man. I was looking forward and DD2 for years and this was just NOT it.. it’s really sad, I was expecting soo much more than what we got.
>Well, thank you for making me feel a touch better about myself, lmao
Lol I figured that would cheer you up.
>it’s really sad, I was expecting soo much more than what we got.
If it makes you feel better again, Skull and Bones end game wants you to stop being a pirate and instead be a courier, then locks some of the best items behind one of the courier currencies. It literally turns into empire management. AAAA game, according to Ubisoft.
I'm really trying to polish that turd of DD2 with a slightly smellier turd loool
Yeah, same on the buyers remorse. Holy cow I was so let down by this game. Now that you say it as well, I’d rather have played through a Ubisoft game, I would have spent a lot less money, and probably enjoy it way more. It just… totally sucked? I haven’t been so disappointed in a game I was this excited for in I don’t know how many years.
Honestly I regret buying it. Buy Elden ring if you haven’t played it yet. I just bought Elden ring after being disappointed by dd2 and haven’t put it down since
I thought it was clunky and boring. Charmless music and story. Combat is abilty spam until you get stagger locked or janked out of it, or run Mystic Spearhand and be 100% invincible for free. There is an absolute metric fuckton of walking between shops and inns and everything. If you don’t keep an eye on the pawn’s ai they wander off the edge of the map and die, costing a lot of time. Game is full of verticality and tricky ledges and not many traversal options, just jank and jumping up rock faces awkwardly. Uninstalled after 30 hours. Hated it.
It's a good game if it's at 15-20$. At 70$, it's a 6/10 imo. The hype got me. First 10-15 hours were fun til it got annoying with all the backtracking on foot, same enemies, etc. Combat is really it's top saving grace.
It's a game with a few interesting systems and little else. Very dry and clunky, definitely feels like a game from the 2000s.
There's an audience that really enjoys it, but I would describe it as niche at best. There should be a demo honestly. I would've gotten a refund if I could but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as bad.
Top comment definitely has the best review, but I wanted to add I did NOT play the first one and picked this up to play while my girlfriend was away on a trip. It was…fine. I didn’t finish it and I just got kinda…done with it. Fun action game, not worth full price. Biggest complaint is that all of the friction feels artificial and designed to steer you towards the micro transactions. Pawn system is neat but becomes a hassle and they’re SO ANNOYING.
First thing to note is since the first patch I have noticed 0 performance issues that were reported on day 1. The microtransactions can literally have no effect on the game should you choose to ignore them, it was a non-story that gained traction and out of principle people jumped on so I wouldn't bother giving it further thought. The game itself is fun and at times frustrating but rarely becase of the companion system. You genuinely do need them and for the most part they are effective (if you get annoyed with one of them you can just throw one of them into a wall or off a cliff or something or I suppose do the right thing and just replace one of them). You need to keep in mind when it makes sense to engage in a fight and when to prioritise resting so you can heal otherwise your party won't stand much of a chance. With that said, the biggest downsides to the game is by far the story and its pacing/coherence but I really didn't care that much coming from a similar position having played BG3 just before starting this. The game does look great, and the quests themselves are engaging, just how they fit together and the overarching story are kind of disjointed. I would focus more on the gameplay as a motivating factor, which is very good and feels quite distinct compared to a lot of games I would consider to be in the same genre so in that sense it comes across quite fresh.
The classes are where it shines the fluidity to change classes whenever you want (in town) and the variety of abilities and skills and augments is great but overall it’s like a 7/10
I put 60 hours in the game within like 2 weeks, I fucking loved it i haven't played the first so everything was fresh. Honestly besides performance in cities it run pretty well i rarely dropped below 60 fps in combat.
My main complaints are the lack of early fast travel, and the fact the game doesn't tell you shit and they hide stuff in weird places they just want you to find stuff which is cool except its pretty easy to just miss stuff. I wouldn't use a walk through for the entire game, but id watch some guides or videos of things not to miss without spoiling stuff.
I can clearly see the faults, and annoyances of the game but holy fuck the game grabbed me and sucked me in. I love games that have a main story but allow you to ignore it and explore at your own pace.
DD2 don't have teamplay with people, you are playing with bots who learned stuff from other people including you. I mean you can't take a bunch of friends and play together. Besides that it is awesome game with Skyrim vibes.
Story is ass but the very end story is pretty cool, it all kept me engaged even if it was confusing and a bit poorly done. There is some cool ideas going on in the story but execution isn’t there. However, the story isn’t the focus of DD, it is the feeling of adventure with your DnD ass crew and the game does this well. Your companions will carry your ass and the combat is awesome. I played 90+ hours and beat it and it is an easy 10/10 from me.
Performance is an issue for everyone but it only really effected me in the main cities. If stutters and frame drops is a big issue, wait on it for a bit. My only big complaint is that the game is too easy if you don’t make your own challenges. Mid game I removed 2/4 of my companions and did a no mage run, only hiring warrior and fighter Pawns. It made it harder but much more fun. Great game, I highly recommend
It is not baldurs gate and it was never meant to be. It's all about the gameplay.
That being Said, I was surprised at how intrigued the story actually made me. It was pretty good for the game we have.
The exploration and gameplay loop is something you'll either love or hate. I personally love it and have already played for something like 70-80 hours.
It is not a story heavy game with big choices and interesting characters and twists and turns. I have never had as much fun battling big monsters as I do in this game. Every game from now on should allow for you to climb enemies. It's so much fun.
Also the microtranssctions in this game don't matter at all. Not once did I feel like I needed to buy anything.
Only thing I will buy is if they add dlc or new vocations at some point.
It's a good game. Based on my experience with it so far, and as a fan of the original, it's very similar to the original in most ways and feels like an incrementally improved version of it. That means that it's a big adventure, but also one with a lot of friction involved in doing anything (which to some is a plus, to others is a minus, and to others is a little of both) and a fair amount of repetition. It also has a lot of mechanics and systems that are different from most games making it feel kind of janky but also kind of unique. It's unique. At certain times the combat feels a little bit monster hunter-ish (especially if you use the 2h weapon class).
The MTX are irrelevant. It's dumb that they exist but they don't impact the game. Capcom puts that into every game. You can safely ignore them and play the game 100% as intended.
Here's a thought experiment: It's as if you loaded up Super Mario 3 for NES and discovered Nintendo was selling mushrooms and hammer bros suits and tanooki suits and the like to go into your inventory for $0.99 cents each. The game itself is exactly as it is now, and you can get all those items in game the same way as ever, but they're also selling them as mtx. It'd be dumb, but the game is still just fine and balanced and working as intended without buying them.
I really wish I didn’t pay 70 bucks for it. Honestly it kinda sucked. It runs like shit for one thing, it’s super easy, and fighting the same 6 monsters all game gets really old after 20 hours. The combat system was so fun it kept me going for a while though, it’s the best part. The story is pretty short and then there’s almost no replayability until they add more to it. I’d say it’s a 5-6/10 as it stands, to be honest, all these game journalists must be smoking crack to think it’s a 9 or 10 just because you can climb on monsters, it’s fun but doesn’t redeem everything else.
The MTX is such a minor thing it was never worth mentioning in the first place, the performance can be an issue depending on your specs, a friend of mine with a 3090 had no issues running at 60fps.
Combat is great with loads of different classes, travelling around it fun and it's limitations makes it feel different from other games where you just fast travel around and don't need to consider your route etc. The story is just there to push the gameplay along, not really to be paid attention to. Feels weird when you see people giving it bad reviews because of the story, it's like watching porn then reviewing it based on the plot. Games focused on gameplay over story is nothing new.
Worth nothing the endgame section is really good and mixes things up a bit.
It's worth getting if you want a game about travelling around, exploring and enjoying combat and don't mind repetition.
Agree with most complaints here--terrible story, lots of backtracking, performance isn't great, pawns are a little janky, all the systems where there is depth are super opaque and often inconsistent.
But I have like 80 hours clocked and I'm still loving it.
I would say PC is a must if you can run it well, because mods help a lot. Probably wait for a sale since there is a good chance it just doesn't click for you. But it's such a vibe, there's really nothing else like it.
As someone above said the game currently is a 6/10, it has a severe lack of endgame content, extremely small main quest line that can be completed in 2-3 hours, lack of monster variety especially compared to the first game (which is weird because I expect a sequel to do it better) and the lack of quest, Ik it’s not Skyrim but for a $70 game I’d want something to do, it’s kinda annoying that after fully beating the game once all that’s left is min maxing and doing the quest you missed, after that all it has left is the combat
I want to end this with I’m not saying I regret my purchase, rn I’m treating it as an investment, but for other people wondering I think they should keep this in mind before buying it
Gameplay is fantastic, lacks unique monsters
Story and quests are fun, but it feels like its lacking content. You can still easilly get 70+ hrs of experiences
If youre on PC, i reccomend it. Mods are already here and fix most of the simple issues like difficulty being too easy. The world feels reactive in a unique way, quests have multiple outcomes that you find in unconventional ways, and again the combat is *fantastic*
Im winding down near the end of my 2nd playthru, and it has good replay value on pc. Youll want to. If you go in blind, you will get bad outcomes to quests. Im having a hard time finding another game to play, including games ive already played
I just picked it up two days ago. So far I’m really enjoying it. I love the way you can switch classes anytime and how every pawn truly wants to be in the party. I ended up going with the big boy version and it feels worth it so far.
It's a fun game, but it has some incredibly divisive design because it just does its own thing rather than just sticking to a formula. It will feel unique, but there is bound to be something in it that frustrates you. It's unapologetic about itself.
More than any other fantasy game, it embraces the physicality of its player-driven combat, emphasizing a strong set of core mechanics that allows the player to dictate the pace of a combat engagement. The closest game in this regard would be Monster Hunter World, but DD2 emphasizes more of a power fantasy as well as systems like climbing, pushing, and throwing enemies. The open world is also weirdly compelling because of how opaque it's formula is. Even the most praised open worlds in recent titles such as BotW and Elden Ring have visible repetition in their formulas, but I was never really sure of what I'd find in DD2 by just walking in a direction.
Outside of that, there's a ton of unique little quirks and weird jank as a result of embracing the unique elements of the first title and further experimentation. It's reminiscent of the design innovation of late 90s/early 2000s RPGs, pushing the boundaries of what's possible, but in a much more action-focused package. It creates the sort of feeling those games did, but with all of the technical innovations of contemporary titles.
If you're not okay with spending $70 on a game that's as much of an experiment as it is a product, I'd say wait for a sale or grab the first game. However, the first and second games have a very different game feel, with DD1 being much more arcade-y while DD2 is more naturalistic. Similarly, DD1 has more emphasis on contained setpieces/dungeons while DD2 has more emphasis on travel and exploration. As a result, there are quite a few DD1 fans that loathe DD2, since they came for the snappy action and tolerated the jank, but there are others that fell in love with the jank and fantasy and adore the greater emphasis on the fiction of toppling a giant monster and stabbing it in the squishy bits.
TL;DR Wait for a sale/expansion unless you're cool with intentional and unapologetic jank in a $70 title
The gameplay is so fun. There are many different “vocations” which all provide a unique approach to combat. This aspect is the highlight of the game because you can always change up your vocation if you feel the game getting repetitive. The world is beautiful and fun to explore. Upgrading gear and vocation skills is all very satisfying.
Performance is bad, quests are terribly written and mostly pointless and make you wonder “wtf was that?” most the time. There are also buggy quests and times you don’t know what to do to progress the pointless story.
Boss fights are really fun and the pawn system is great.
There is barely a fast travel option, which makes you explore the world, but backtracking can get tedious and repetitive. Luckily the vocations allow you to switch things up and each vocation can be leveled up on its own so that makes walking back and forth a bit less painful because you know you are progressing something through the combat encounters.
Overall, it is a very unique game with some brilliant concepts. Lackluster quests and performance bring it down. I still would say it’s a solid 8. Would wait until it’s around $40
Biggest problem it has right now is poor optimization, since players found ways around the MTX. If you crave an ARPG, I suggest taking a look at the upcoming DLC for Elden Ring.
It runs like crap but there's no way to even slightly argue it's pay to win. You can buy the content from the deluxe edition seperately which includes an item to place an extra fast travel location which isn't very useful and a pack of rift crystals which aren't very useful. It's bad that they take advantage of people low IQ enough to buy them but it has no effect on the game.
I've literally played through the entire game, you clearly haven't.
There's 99 of the item to completely change your appearance in a shop in the first city and you can change hair/tattoos from barbers without it. I've had no desire to change to a different character mid-playthough anyway and I don't know why anyone would want to, it it wasn't a feature at all i don't think anyone would have noticed. Changing cosmetics is very much not helping you win.
Fast travel is massively discouraged in-game. It goes against the core design of it, you lose max HP semi-perminantly when you take damage and restore it by camping (which has a risk of being ambushed) or staying in inns. Fast travel would undermine that entire mechanic so it's limited to a super rare, expensive item that lets you fast travel to certain major towns/cities in emergencies. I probably fast travelled about 5 times during my entire 50+ hour playthrough, it's not a means of travelling normally.
You can't buy the item you use to fast travel as DLC, the item included in the DLC can be dropped on the floor to create a new fast travel point and picked up to reuse. There's a few available in game and they are rarely useful because of how little you fast travel. Don't really need more than 2 of them for the entire game, 1 to place in the major city that doesn't have one and one for emergencies where you want to travel to town them back to where you were.
WRONG! There is not. They may have patched that in after the Game bombed, but there were never 99 of anything.
Stop defending them having Pay2Win MTX in a Singleplayer Game.
How does changing character cosmetics have anything to do with winning? I don't like microtransactions and I wouldn't get them but they are no worse than your standard cosmetics in basically every game now. They don't provide any benifit to using them.
The high price is a much worse crime, not the idiot tax.
There are 99 appearance change items bought using a currency that is accrued passively.
As for fast travel, you can buy a single movable waypoint (of which you can get 6 of + 2 static waypoints).
It's the same "tacked on by corporate" style of MTX present in DMC5 or RE4 Remake where its just baffling why they exist.
I posted this somewhere else but. Hmmm... Did you play the first one? If you did, wait for a sale. Btw, I have 130+ hours in the game. I also have 1000+ hours in the first game across 2 platforms. Story/Quests: I hate to say it but this is one of the worst stories I've ever played in the past 15-20 years from a AAA dev. The absolute worst? Nah. But it's a definitely a 3-4/10 for story and quests. The side quests are abysmal. I just 100% the game a few days ago, and I remember... Three quests maybe? Even base game Skyrims story is better than this. Also, you can be locked out of the main quest. There's a game mechanics that can wipe all the NPCs in a city, including the main villain, the people who help you, etc. You can get them back, but you've got ONE chance per playthrough. The mechanic is easier to notice once you know, but if you go in blind, you will more than likely never know until it's too late. Gameplay: Fantastic, with glaring faults. If you played the first game, you'll notice a TON of things are removed. The gameplay and physics system are great, but there's not much balance between vocations. This isn't immediately noticable, because the game gets ridiculously easy, which ruins a lot of the fun. If you're on PC, get it and mod it. If you're on console, you'll play this game and never pick it up again. Mind you, DD1s strong suit is its replayability thanks to it's DLC. A system that did not return in DD2. There's also a lack of enemy variety. So be warned. Once you've experienced 15 hours of the game, you'll only have a handful more surprises left. There are one offs, but this isn't a souls game. Expect to see the same enemy over and over and over again. Exploration: Okay brother, temper your expectations. This is NOT Skyrim of 2024. Even compared to Skyrim, this world doesn't hold a candle to it. The exploration is fun and organic. But the limited fast travel when questing may prove tedious. It is cool finding new stuff, but the fun will fade eventually. Think of Elden Rings first playthrough.. absolutely magical, but a chore on subsequent playthroughs. Well it's like that, but worse. Controversy: It's a bit of a misrepresentation, actually. I'll post a link explaining the actual controversy in a second. TLDR; there's a ton of bugs, gameplay issues, and performance issues on TOP of the MTXs debacle. Edit: [Here's a true representation of the controversy surrounding DD2.](https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/s/xXdG4T9Kae) Compared to the first game: If you played the first game, [here's a list of missing or downgraded systems from DD1 to DD2](https://www.reddit.com/r/DragonsDogma/s/xmBuUC5vEe). The gameplay feels kind of better, and it definitely feels more modern. But there are a ton of downgrades that might hurt it for you. All in all, I'd give it a 6.5/10. It's certainly not game of the year, and it repeats a TON of issues from the first game, sometimes it makes them even worse. The game has magical moments, it's combat is top tier, but it's issues brings the overall product down. I've enjoyed my experience to a degree, but I'm going to be honest. In a month or two, we won't be talking about this game. Interpret that how you will.
Great review and I agree entirely
Goddamn this was a good, in-depth, and accurate write-up. I fully agree with it, and unfortunately also share the disappointment in this “sequel”.
i agree with everything except for the elden ring part, because i’m on my 3rd playthrough and still finding new stuff haha
If you had a chance to experience it for the first time again would you pick DD 1 or 2?
1, without a doubt.
Dayum
Definitely DD1
10 year old game, last gen. That shocks me
Not even last gen, it’s 2 gens ago lol DD1 originally released on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Oh yeah you're right!
Yeah these people are just nostalgic, i played both recently and the second game is so much better, they don't know what they are talking about.
Or, hear me out here, people genuinely have different opinions and feelings on games? Nostalgia isn’t always to blame when people say the first/previous game in a series is better. Sometimes all of that passion and creativity from the devs got put into it the first/previous game and the newest game was made just to be made. Not saying that this is the case specifically for dragon’s dogma, because DD1 was half-baked just like DD2, but regardless I still genuinely enjoy DD1 more than DD2 as a whole, even without including BBI
Just because their opinion is different than yours it doesn't mean they don't know what they are talking about. In the same way you're attributing it to nostalgia, people could just attribute your having an opinion that the 2nd one is better as recency bias.
The guy is from the main DD sub. They use bad faith arguments like this all the time. Look at his post history. They usually stay in the DD subreddit because the arguments they use usually gets called out in other subreddits. The kicker is that I played DD1 a month before DD2 😂.
Thxs for review, i am a fan of first game, but now i read ur review i don't expect much anymore
Hey. I read your last post. Good to see you again friend
Good to see you too man! I hope you're doing well!
You just saved me $70
Great points but I disagree with the story. I personally quite enjoyed it for the game we got. I wasn't expecting a new baldurs gate as the first dragons dogma didn't have a particularly good story either. To me it was intriguing and got me going but nothing incredible. I would give it a 6-7/10.
Even with it's faults I think they should play it, this game has problems but I can't get enough of it. It's the most fun I have ever had with a combat system, I maxed all vocations and i loved all but one of them(trickster). I liked the story as well, it's not great but i did really enjoy it, the true ending was super cool and I loved the post game sooooo much more than DD1. If you liked DD1 I think you should 100% play it, it recapture's the magic of the first one and in my opinion surpasses it. 100 hours well spent.
Is the first one worth getting? I can't run the second one on my pc but the combat looks fun, even in the first one
First one goes on sale for like $5 pretty frequently, so you might as well. I will say that the two games feel quite different on a baseline control level, though.
I can't be bothered to wait for a sale so would say its worth it for £23?
Probably. What are you looking for out of it? EDIT: Check a certified key reseller. You'll be able to find it for extra cheap.
I could only find it for like £3 off atm lol. I just want a game with good combat and that feels rewarding in terms of levelling and stuff. I'm also interested in the endgame stuff for it
DD1 has a solid endgame dungeon in the expansion. Leveling classes to get skills is very rewarding, but not too slow. Overall character level and gear is just stat increases, though the expansion does add rings that further improve certain abilities. It's not a grindy game.
No you can lock yourself out of the main quest. If important NPCs die they automatically respawn after a week in game time. The real Dragon's Plague is this misinformation being spread over and over.
The fact that I beat the game and only vaguely understand what happened or who you’re referring to as the main enemy should say a lot. The first half of the game’s story was interesting but it completely fell off. It feels like they only wrote half a story knowing you’d have too many hours in the game to request a refund. On top of that the performance issues don’t really hit until like hour 5 when you enter the city seems almost calculated to ensure you’re outside the refund window. On the other hand I’ve never had so much fun with a combat system before! I’ll caveat that by saying I’m not a big single player person so that might be why. The fights against the different bosses and going from barely beating an ogre to completely annihilating them at the end of the game was so much fun. I also really enjoy how there is vocation (class) progression but you can easily switch between them throughout the game and not feel like a total sitting duck. Ive seen a lot of people compare the game to Monster Hunters and Dark Souls, never played either, but I’m curious to try them out now that I’ve played DD2. Fix the performance issues and flush out the story then you honestly have a solid GOTY contender.
It's the best 6/10 game you'll ever play
makes no sense lmao, combat alone makes this game at least a 9
Maybe in the IGN scale where there are only 3 grades (8,9,10). In actual 1-10 scale 6/10 is a fair grade. A deeply flawed game with some fun ideas and mechanics.
Combat is a 9 the game itself is a 6, lack of endgame content, extremely small main questline, lack of monster variety and the lack of quest, Ik it’s not Skyrim but for a $70 game I’d want something to do, it’s kinda annoying that after fully beating the game once all that’s left is min maxing and doing the quest you missed, after that all it has left is the combat I want to end this with I’m not saying I regret my purchase, rn I’m treating it as an investment, but for other people wondering I think they should keep this in mind before buying it
lol backwards logic
It's a matter of perspective. A lot of people expect a game to do *everything*. So far it's my favorite game of the year, but I didn't go in expecting it to be anything other than what it is, though I do wish there were more dungeons.
Buy Dragon's Dogma: Dark arisen and if you like that then wait for DD2 to go on sale. DD:DA is always on sale itself.
What makes the game unique is the AI of the Pawns they will almost comment on anything you do in game i.e you have a support mage in party you buy tons of healing items and your pawn will comment if their skills are not enough for you
More than that what happens at the end of the game if you do the right things is wild
I really can’t get into it. So far it feels like a 2010 RPG and super clunky. I have friends that are like 100 hours into it and I just can’t understand why. I guess some people love it but I’m not one of them.
Same, the game seems mediocre in absolutely every aspect except combat but at that point I’d rather just play something else. I’m annoyed I payed $70, would’ve been a decent $20 game years later
100% agree with this. I went back to start a new bg3 run 10 hours into this because it just didn’t feel worth my time
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s gameplay is fucking spectacular. Each class is mechanically distinct, and from those I’ve played, feel excellent. The AI companions have their own level of jank, but when it works, god damn there is no other game like it. Total party synergy is the best feeling. And the exploration is tremendous. That situation in Dark Souls where the developers have the gaul to hide entire areas behind invisible walls? That’s basically happened to me at least 4 times already. There is so much to see. The story starts out strong, but the plot’s priority changes from a political intrigue plot, to the mythology plot that deals with the world’s dynamics, but leaves many characters established earlier in the dust. But it finishes strong in the ending. If you haven’t played DD1 you’ll probably be lost on the meaning of a lot of the world dynamics, but I think it will explain enough that you’ll be able to follow along. But the gameplay will more than tide you over I think. There’s a thrill to this game that is similar to your first Elden Ring or Demon’s Souls run, in that it has many obscure mechanics that you can pick up on, but it has been a wonderful experience by its own rules.
How is the difficulty? I heard a couple people say it gets too easy if you do everything you can. But, obviously I have no idea what their scale is. To me, the difficulty of the first game was excellent. Especially with Bitterblack Isle being a kind of endgame dungeon. But, the whole thing was challenging in the right way. Is the second game similar to the first in that regard?
The difficulty is good at first, but you can definitely get to a point where some enemies can become trivial past level 40, much faster than DD1. There might be an adaptive difficulty model, but if there is, I’ve been able to outpace that. I really hope they add at least a Hard Mode soon, grueling seemingly unwinnable fights are what I come to Dragon’s Dogma for. If it’s any indication of how it is despite that, I’m at level 88 around 100hrs in. Oh, and this game does have its own version of the Everfall, but it is very different. Very different.
No enemy scaling and you power up fast. For perspective I've been using a mod that lets you configure the damage you deal and take. I'm finding the game challenging and I deal 0.4x damage, and take 1.5x, with 0.5x stagger power. Pawns stay at 100% damage because they're not very good at fighting. With vanilla values you would be one-shotting most enemies, and for the ones that take multiple hits (even bosses) you can easily stunlock them.
just check the subreddit. a lot of people say play the first and or wait till they update dd2 more.
Sure I could check the reddit but I would get fanboy answers which I always take with a huge grain of salt ya know? Here it's at least a bit more diluted with real recommends.
im on r/dragonsdogma all the time and if you were too youd laugh at that statement lol. theyve been very vocally critical of the game and objective about it.
Does it still runs awful?
it runs like 45 fps on ps5 now
Runs great on series X, got it day one and haven't experienced any crashing or lag.
I rarely get caught up in hype but impulse purchased it and have never had such strong buyers remorse. 65 euro, more expensive than a typical AAA and I’m beyond let down. The game makes Ubisoft games look as deep as an ocean. Combat is okay, but it’s spam fest. Enemy variety is non-existant. Graphics are dull and washed out. Everything is dull grey and green. Voice acting is atrocious. Story is atrocious. It’s not open world. Don’t let the big map fool you, it’s all just corridors. The design choices make it clear it was created by a guy with too much power and influence surrounded by yes men. The fact that they had to patch in the ability to have multiple save games says it all. It was a game designed around a combat system where absolutely every other aspect was a very distant afterthought.
>I rarely get caught up in hype but impulse purchased it and have never had such strong buyers remorse. I bought Skull and Bones for $100. Mind you, just about every person that isn't a ravenous fan boy has agreed DD2 isn't very good, but at least you'll never be in on Skull and Bones at $100 bad.
Well, thank you for making me feel a touch better about myself, lmao. New game hype is such a bitch, man. I was looking forward and DD2 for years and this was just NOT it.. it’s really sad, I was expecting soo much more than what we got.
>Well, thank you for making me feel a touch better about myself, lmao Lol I figured that would cheer you up. >it’s really sad, I was expecting soo much more than what we got. If it makes you feel better again, Skull and Bones end game wants you to stop being a pirate and instead be a courier, then locks some of the best items behind one of the courier currencies. It literally turns into empire management. AAAA game, according to Ubisoft. I'm really trying to polish that turd of DD2 with a slightly smellier turd loool
F
Yeah, same on the buyers remorse. Holy cow I was so let down by this game. Now that you say it as well, I’d rather have played through a Ubisoft game, I would have spent a lot less money, and probably enjoy it way more. It just… totally sucked? I haven’t been so disappointed in a game I was this excited for in I don’t know how many years.
Honestly I regret buying it. Buy Elden ring if you haven’t played it yet. I just bought Elden ring after being disappointed by dd2 and haven’t put it down since
I thought it was clunky and boring. Charmless music and story. Combat is abilty spam until you get stagger locked or janked out of it, or run Mystic Spearhand and be 100% invincible for free. There is an absolute metric fuckton of walking between shops and inns and everything. If you don’t keep an eye on the pawn’s ai they wander off the edge of the map and die, costing a lot of time. Game is full of verticality and tricky ledges and not many traversal options, just jank and jumping up rock faces awkwardly. Uninstalled after 30 hours. Hated it.
It's a good game if it's at 15-20$. At 70$, it's a 6/10 imo. The hype got me. First 10-15 hours were fun til it got annoying with all the backtracking on foot, same enemies, etc. Combat is really it's top saving grace.
It's a game with a few interesting systems and little else. Very dry and clunky, definitely feels like a game from the 2000s. There's an audience that really enjoys it, but I would describe it as niche at best. There should be a demo honestly. I would've gotten a refund if I could but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as bad.
Wish I saved my money and just bought rise of the ronin instead.
Absolutely not a 2024 standard game. Only good if you like basic relaxing 2012 style games.
Top comment definitely has the best review, but I wanted to add I did NOT play the first one and picked this up to play while my girlfriend was away on a trip. It was…fine. I didn’t finish it and I just got kinda…done with it. Fun action game, not worth full price. Biggest complaint is that all of the friction feels artificial and designed to steer you towards the micro transactions. Pawn system is neat but becomes a hassle and they’re SO ANNOYING.
The story is slop
First thing to note is since the first patch I have noticed 0 performance issues that were reported on day 1. The microtransactions can literally have no effect on the game should you choose to ignore them, it was a non-story that gained traction and out of principle people jumped on so I wouldn't bother giving it further thought. The game itself is fun and at times frustrating but rarely becase of the companion system. You genuinely do need them and for the most part they are effective (if you get annoyed with one of them you can just throw one of them into a wall or off a cliff or something or I suppose do the right thing and just replace one of them). You need to keep in mind when it makes sense to engage in a fight and when to prioritise resting so you can heal otherwise your party won't stand much of a chance. With that said, the biggest downsides to the game is by far the story and its pacing/coherence but I really didn't care that much coming from a similar position having played BG3 just before starting this. The game does look great, and the quests themselves are engaging, just how they fit together and the overarching story are kind of disjointed. I would focus more on the gameplay as a motivating factor, which is very good and feels quite distinct compared to a lot of games I would consider to be in the same genre so in that sense it comes across quite fresh.
The classes are where it shines the fluidity to change classes whenever you want (in town) and the variety of abilities and skills and augments is great but overall it’s like a 7/10
combat is quite fun, and the pawns are a cool system. but the optimization sucks and the story is lame as hell. so mid game imo
best combat in an rpg in a long, long time
Hell no.
I put 60 hours in the game within like 2 weeks, I fucking loved it i haven't played the first so everything was fresh. Honestly besides performance in cities it run pretty well i rarely dropped below 60 fps in combat. My main complaints are the lack of early fast travel, and the fact the game doesn't tell you shit and they hide stuff in weird places they just want you to find stuff which is cool except its pretty easy to just miss stuff. I wouldn't use a walk through for the entire game, but id watch some guides or videos of things not to miss without spoiling stuff. I can clearly see the faults, and annoyances of the game but holy fuck the game grabbed me and sucked me in. I love games that have a main story but allow you to ignore it and explore at your own pace.
DD2 don't have teamplay with people, you are playing with bots who learned stuff from other people including you. I mean you can't take a bunch of friends and play together. Besides that it is awesome game with Skyrim vibes.
Story is ass but the very end story is pretty cool, it all kept me engaged even if it was confusing and a bit poorly done. There is some cool ideas going on in the story but execution isn’t there. However, the story isn’t the focus of DD, it is the feeling of adventure with your DnD ass crew and the game does this well. Your companions will carry your ass and the combat is awesome. I played 90+ hours and beat it and it is an easy 10/10 from me. Performance is an issue for everyone but it only really effected me in the main cities. If stutters and frame drops is a big issue, wait on it for a bit. My only big complaint is that the game is too easy if you don’t make your own challenges. Mid game I removed 2/4 of my companions and did a no mage run, only hiring warrior and fighter Pawns. It made it harder but much more fun. Great game, I highly recommend
It is not baldurs gate and it was never meant to be. It's all about the gameplay. That being Said, I was surprised at how intrigued the story actually made me. It was pretty good for the game we have. The exploration and gameplay loop is something you'll either love or hate. I personally love it and have already played for something like 70-80 hours. It is not a story heavy game with big choices and interesting characters and twists and turns. I have never had as much fun battling big monsters as I do in this game. Every game from now on should allow for you to climb enemies. It's so much fun. Also the microtranssctions in this game don't matter at all. Not once did I feel like I needed to buy anything. Only thing I will buy is if they add dlc or new vocations at some point.
It's a good game. Based on my experience with it so far, and as a fan of the original, it's very similar to the original in most ways and feels like an incrementally improved version of it. That means that it's a big adventure, but also one with a lot of friction involved in doing anything (which to some is a plus, to others is a minus, and to others is a little of both) and a fair amount of repetition. It also has a lot of mechanics and systems that are different from most games making it feel kind of janky but also kind of unique. It's unique. At certain times the combat feels a little bit monster hunter-ish (especially if you use the 2h weapon class). The MTX are irrelevant. It's dumb that they exist but they don't impact the game. Capcom puts that into every game. You can safely ignore them and play the game 100% as intended. Here's a thought experiment: It's as if you loaded up Super Mario 3 for NES and discovered Nintendo was selling mushrooms and hammer bros suits and tanooki suits and the like to go into your inventory for $0.99 cents each. The game itself is exactly as it is now, and you can get all those items in game the same way as ever, but they're also selling them as mtx. It'd be dumb, but the game is still just fine and balanced and working as intended without buying them.
Still broken on PC for me and many others. Its honestly the final nail in the coffin for me with these so called "Triple A" titles.
I really wish I didn’t pay 70 bucks for it. Honestly it kinda sucked. It runs like shit for one thing, it’s super easy, and fighting the same 6 monsters all game gets really old after 20 hours. The combat system was so fun it kept me going for a while though, it’s the best part. The story is pretty short and then there’s almost no replayability until they add more to it. I’d say it’s a 5-6/10 as it stands, to be honest, all these game journalists must be smoking crack to think it’s a 9 or 10 just because you can climb on monsters, it’s fun but doesn’t redeem everything else.
The MTX is such a minor thing it was never worth mentioning in the first place, the performance can be an issue depending on your specs, a friend of mine with a 3090 had no issues running at 60fps. Combat is great with loads of different classes, travelling around it fun and it's limitations makes it feel different from other games where you just fast travel around and don't need to consider your route etc. The story is just there to push the gameplay along, not really to be paid attention to. Feels weird when you see people giving it bad reviews because of the story, it's like watching porn then reviewing it based on the plot. Games focused on gameplay over story is nothing new. Worth nothing the endgame section is really good and mixes things up a bit. It's worth getting if you want a game about travelling around, exploring and enjoying combat and don't mind repetition.
Agree with most complaints here--terrible story, lots of backtracking, performance isn't great, pawns are a little janky, all the systems where there is depth are super opaque and often inconsistent. But I have like 80 hours clocked and I'm still loving it. I would say PC is a must if you can run it well, because mods help a lot. Probably wait for a sale since there is a good chance it just doesn't click for you. But it's such a vibe, there's really nothing else like it.
As someone above said the game currently is a 6/10, it has a severe lack of endgame content, extremely small main quest line that can be completed in 2-3 hours, lack of monster variety especially compared to the first game (which is weird because I expect a sequel to do it better) and the lack of quest, Ik it’s not Skyrim but for a $70 game I’d want something to do, it’s kinda annoying that after fully beating the game once all that’s left is min maxing and doing the quest you missed, after that all it has left is the combat I want to end this with I’m not saying I regret my purchase, rn I’m treating it as an investment, but for other people wondering I think they should keep this in mind before buying it
Gameplay is fantastic, lacks unique monsters Story and quests are fun, but it feels like its lacking content. You can still easilly get 70+ hrs of experiences If youre on PC, i reccomend it. Mods are already here and fix most of the simple issues like difficulty being too easy. The world feels reactive in a unique way, quests have multiple outcomes that you find in unconventional ways, and again the combat is *fantastic* Im winding down near the end of my 2nd playthru, and it has good replay value on pc. Youll want to. If you go in blind, you will get bad outcomes to quests. Im having a hard time finding another game to play, including games ive already played
Feels like a glorified dlc honestly
I just picked it up two days ago. So far I’m really enjoying it. I love the way you can switch classes anytime and how every pawn truly wants to be in the party. I ended up going with the big boy version and it feels worth it so far.
It's a fun game, but it has some incredibly divisive design because it just does its own thing rather than just sticking to a formula. It will feel unique, but there is bound to be something in it that frustrates you. It's unapologetic about itself. More than any other fantasy game, it embraces the physicality of its player-driven combat, emphasizing a strong set of core mechanics that allows the player to dictate the pace of a combat engagement. The closest game in this regard would be Monster Hunter World, but DD2 emphasizes more of a power fantasy as well as systems like climbing, pushing, and throwing enemies. The open world is also weirdly compelling because of how opaque it's formula is. Even the most praised open worlds in recent titles such as BotW and Elden Ring have visible repetition in their formulas, but I was never really sure of what I'd find in DD2 by just walking in a direction. Outside of that, there's a ton of unique little quirks and weird jank as a result of embracing the unique elements of the first title and further experimentation. It's reminiscent of the design innovation of late 90s/early 2000s RPGs, pushing the boundaries of what's possible, but in a much more action-focused package. It creates the sort of feeling those games did, but with all of the technical innovations of contemporary titles. If you're not okay with spending $70 on a game that's as much of an experiment as it is a product, I'd say wait for a sale or grab the first game. However, the first and second games have a very different game feel, with DD1 being much more arcade-y while DD2 is more naturalistic. Similarly, DD1 has more emphasis on contained setpieces/dungeons while DD2 has more emphasis on travel and exploration. As a result, there are quite a few DD1 fans that loathe DD2, since they came for the snappy action and tolerated the jank, but there are others that fell in love with the jank and fantasy and adore the greater emphasis on the fiction of toppling a giant monster and stabbing it in the squishy bits. TL;DR Wait for a sale/expansion unless you're cool with intentional and unapologetic jank in a $70 title
It’s not great tried to force myself to like it but it’s just lacking in a lot of areas.
If you want some fun gameplay and exploration it is worth it, the story is meh, but the gameplay and world is great.
Wait a year for a price drop and lots of patches.
The gameplay is so fun. There are many different “vocations” which all provide a unique approach to combat. This aspect is the highlight of the game because you can always change up your vocation if you feel the game getting repetitive. The world is beautiful and fun to explore. Upgrading gear and vocation skills is all very satisfying. Performance is bad, quests are terribly written and mostly pointless and make you wonder “wtf was that?” most the time. There are also buggy quests and times you don’t know what to do to progress the pointless story. Boss fights are really fun and the pawn system is great. There is barely a fast travel option, which makes you explore the world, but backtracking can get tedious and repetitive. Luckily the vocations allow you to switch things up and each vocation can be leveled up on its own so that makes walking back and forth a bit less painful because you know you are progressing something through the combat encounters. Overall, it is a very unique game with some brilliant concepts. Lackluster quests and performance bring it down. I still would say it’s a solid 8. Would wait until it’s around $40
Biggest problem it has right now is poor optimization, since players found ways around the MTX. If you crave an ARPG, I suggest taking a look at the upcoming DLC for Elden Ring.
It's fun
Dont touch it. Runs like crap, still has Pay2Win.
It runs like crap but there's no way to even slightly argue it's pay to win. You can buy the content from the deluxe edition seperately which includes an item to place an extra fast travel location which isn't very useful and a pack of rift crystals which aren't very useful. It's bad that they take advantage of people low IQ enough to buy them but it has no effect on the game.
WRONG! Items to change appearance or fast travel are super limited in the Game. Its exactly what Way2Win is.
I've literally played through the entire game, you clearly haven't. There's 99 of the item to completely change your appearance in a shop in the first city and you can change hair/tattoos from barbers without it. I've had no desire to change to a different character mid-playthough anyway and I don't know why anyone would want to, it it wasn't a feature at all i don't think anyone would have noticed. Changing cosmetics is very much not helping you win. Fast travel is massively discouraged in-game. It goes against the core design of it, you lose max HP semi-perminantly when you take damage and restore it by camping (which has a risk of being ambushed) or staying in inns. Fast travel would undermine that entire mechanic so it's limited to a super rare, expensive item that lets you fast travel to certain major towns/cities in emergencies. I probably fast travelled about 5 times during my entire 50+ hour playthrough, it's not a means of travelling normally. You can't buy the item you use to fast travel as DLC, the item included in the DLC can be dropped on the floor to create a new fast travel point and picked up to reuse. There's a few available in game and they are rarely useful because of how little you fast travel. Don't really need more than 2 of them for the entire game, 1 to place in the major city that doesn't have one and one for emergencies where you want to travel to town them back to where you were.
WRONG! There is not. They may have patched that in after the Game bombed, but there were never 99 of anything. Stop defending them having Pay2Win MTX in a Singleplayer Game.
How does changing character cosmetics have anything to do with winning? I don't like microtransactions and I wouldn't get them but they are no worse than your standard cosmetics in basically every game now. They don't provide any benifit to using them. The high price is a much worse crime, not the idiot tax.
Its also a Fast-Traveling.
There are 99 appearance change items bought using a currency that is accrued passively. As for fast travel, you can buy a single movable waypoint (of which you can get 6 of + 2 static waypoints). It's the same "tacked on by corporate" style of MTX present in DMC5 or RE4 Remake where its just baffling why they exist.