Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is finally here, and actually getting to it is mostly easy. That being said, you might not be able to access it for some time, depending on where your character’s located at the end of the game. Never fear, though, as we’re here to break down exactly how, where, and when to access the game’s new stuff.
How to start the Dragon’s Dogma 2 DLC
The most important aspect is whether or not you’re in The Unmoored World in Dragon’s Dogma 2’s endgame. If you are, you simply cannot access Dark Arisen in any capacity. This means that you’ll either need to play through The Unmoored World until you reach NG+ or simply reset your character at the beginning of the game. If you’re on your first playthrough with no endgame gear, though, that’s not a particularly good idea.
If you’ve gone through and started new game plus or just flat-out started a new game, though, all you need to do is play through until reaching Vermund. You can do this either by playing normally or, in new game plus, skipping Dragon’s Dogma 2’s prologue entirely. Of course, if your save file is anywhere in the main game, you can just go straight to Vermund without issue and speak to Captain Brant.
Captain Brant will have his usual dialogue options for the most part, but you’ll see two new ones with a download icon next to them, indicating that they’re related to Dark Arisen. One of these will put a marker on your map in the North, while another will lead you to a set of ruins. You can see these in the picture below, or just talk to Brant to see them.
The first option concerns a new Arisen, while the second mentions some ruins. You can talk to him about either in whichever order, as the associated quests will be added to your map. Depending on your level, it’s going to be better to choose the ruins option, as it takes you to a dungeon that will give you a compass. Using the compass will reveal the other dungeons on the map too, so you’ll be able to head to those.
Bear in mind that, if you’re in NG+, your map will be filled in, but you won’t be able to teleport to existing port crystals without activating them first. If you are indeed planning on doing most of the new dungeons first, you’ll have to walk all the way to Bakbattahl and activate its crystal. It can be a bit of a schlep, but also note that a good chunk of the dungeons can’t be accessed until later in the main story anyway.
When you’re ready, you can undertake the Arisen-related questline. At first, you’ll still be running around the main map, as you’ll need to talk to a couple of NPCs before you’re ready to leave for Norgan. After a little bit, though, the game will tell you to go to a spot in the Northern part of the map where a giant bird will ferry you to Norgan.
If you’re too early in the game to have the Eternal Ferrystone, the DLC will give you one automatically. Any port crystals in the main map can be freely traveled to from Norgan as well, so you can rest easy that you’ll be able to move back and forth between the two. That’s really all you need to know about unlocking the expansion content for Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen.
