Capcom launched Dragon’s Dogma 2 on March 22 for the PC (Steam), with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S releases following soon. When starting out with the game, it might be important to note that the physique and proportions you choose for your Arisen (playable character) will influence their performance.

As reported by Broomstick Gaming on Youtube, the size of your character (defined in the character creator) in Dragon’s Dogma 2 will influence your game. The smaller and shorter your Arisen is, the faster they will recover stamina – which means that you will be able to activate spells, weapon skills, sprint etc. more often. On the other hand, tall characters, while slower to recover stamina, will move faster thanks to their longer legs.

Larger characters in Dragon’s Dogma 2 will also have a higher Max Encumbrance (carry weight), meaning that your character will be able to carry more inventory before becoming Overencumbered (which greatly reduces speed and stamina recovery rates). Broomstick Gaming gives examples of a 215cm tall character with a Max Encumbrance of 58.85kg and a 160cm tall character with a Max Encumbrance of 42.05kg. Furthermore, the video comparison suggests that arm size and length affects your attack reach, albeit subtly.

This system seems to build upon an existing mechanic from the original Dragon’s Dogma, where your character’s body weight affected maximum carry weight, stamina recovery rates and speed of movement.

The sequel, Dragon’s Dogma 2, features a far more elaborate character creator, allowing for fine adjustment of individual body parts or facial features. For example, you can change only the length of your character’s legs by raising/lowering the height of their hips, and you can change arm length. With the level of customization expanding beyond overall body size and weight, it is possible that the Arisen’s physique affects performance in new ways.

Hideaki Itsuno, the director of Dragon’s Dogma 2 has mentioned that his basic premise for the game was to create a “fantasy world simulator,” which is why he focused on adding realism to the game (such as by making it possible for NPCs to die permanently). The decision to have characters’ body proportions reflect in-game may be another way the developers aimed to add realism and achieve the feeling of a “simulator.”

As an aside, you can purchase the “Art of Metamorphosis” item in Dragon’s Dogma 2, which allows you to re-edit the appearance of your Arisen and Main Pawn, although it does not let you switch races or body types. It might be a good idea to try out and compare several body types when starting out.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is available for the PC (Steam) and will soon be released for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Written by. Amber V based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-03-21 18:23 JST)