Dragon’s Dogma 2 has “fake players” that hire less desirable Pawns 

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is equipped with a system that allows your Pawn to be hired by “fake players” in the absence of real people interested in giving them work. This appears to be a relief mechanic implemented by Capcom to ensure that everyone’s Pawn gets some action, and players don’t become short on Rift Crystals. 

Dragon’s Dogma 2 inherits the Pawn system first introduced in the first Dragon’s Dogma game. Aside from your Main Pawn, which you create alongside your Arisen when starting the game, you can hire other players’ Pawns as support on your expeditions. If your Pawn is hired by another player, they will report on their activities after resting at an inn or at home, and it’s also possible to receive gifts from other players through the borrowed Pawn. 

Although Dragon’s Dogma 2 is strictly singleplayer (as emphasized by director Hideaki Itsuno), the Pawn system is something that loosely connects players around the world. However, the mechanic whereby Pawns can be rented to “fake players” has recently become a point of discussion on the Dragon’s Dogma subreddit.  

Reddit user MrFoxer brought attention to this “fake” Pawn rental system, which happens to be another element carried over from the first Dragon’s Dogma. Normally, you can view and favorite the profiles of users who hired your Pawn, but if you are unable to (i.e. if the option appears grayed out), this might mean your Pawn was rented by a fake player. In these cases, you will receive Rift Crystals as usual. The mechanic is officially described by Capcom on the Dragon’s Dogma 2 FAQ page in the following way: 

“Also, your main pawn may return from their travel beyond the rift, even if your pawn is not borrowed by another player. Under these circumstances, the borrower’s name will only be displayed, and you will not have access to their information, such as their profile.” 

At the same time, this is not to be confused with instances where you can’t see the name of the player who hired your Pawn. Players who set their “Main Pawn Online Access” to “No One” will have their name displayed as just a dash to others and will have the options to view their profile etc. greyed out. In other words, if you can’t see a player’s name nor view their profile, they’re a real player. Alternatively, if you can see their name but can’t view their profile, they’re a so-called fake player. 

Although some Dragon’s Dogma 2 players are saddened by the discovery that their Pawns are being rented by fake players most of the time, the mechanic appears to be a fair way of minimizing disadvantage to players who for whatever reason struggle to get their Pawns hired. While Rift Crystals can be earned in other ways too, renting out your Pawn is the most effective way, which makes this a crucial part of gameplay. 

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is available for PS5, PC (Steam), and Xbox Series X|S.        

Written by. Amber V based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-04-04 15:43 JST)