First Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Reviews: Critics Call the Expansion Substantial, but Not Without Flaws

Dragon's Dogma 2's Dark Arisen expansion launches tomorrow, and the first critic reviews are already out. Overall, the expansion has been well received, with most outlets giving it high scores.

On Metacritic, the PlayStation 5 version of the expansion holds a score of 84 based on 20 reviews, none of them negative. The PC and Nintendo Switch 2 versions score even higher, with 88 each, based on 12 and 5 reviews, respectively. On OpenCritic, Dark Arisen currently has a Top Critic Average of 86 based on 22 reviews, with 91% of critics recommending it. The highest score came from DualShockers, which gave the DLC a 10 out of 10. The lowest scores so far came from Screen Rant and RPGamer, both of which gave the expansion a 70.

Critics most often praise the new Norgan region, which is a joy to explore, the large amount of new content, a story that is noticeably stronger than the base game's, and the Lost Rites challenges. The downsides they mention include repetitive enemies, a drawn-out final stretch of the campaign, the new Spoils loot system, and the lack of new vocations.

Push Square – 9/10

Push Square called Dark Arisen one of the best expansions, showing Capcom's open-world RPG at its peak. The outlet praised the surprisingly deep story, exploration, and combat:

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is often Capcom's open world RPG at its absolute peak. It's one hell of a meaty expansion, delivering a surprisingly involved story, joyous exploration, and deeply compelling combat. A transformative DLC.

The Outerhaven – 90

The Outerhaven noted that the expansion matches the success of the original Dark Arisen from the first game and adds around 20 hours of new content:

Dragon's Dogma II: Dark Arisen does what the original expansion had accomplished and set the bar with 20 hours more. With both Dark Arisen's original premise and the Lost Rites challenges, there is more things to do, fight, and see, within the world even before deciding to end it at the finishing fight.

IGN – 80

IGN praised the expansion for its large amount of content and its new characters and enemies. However, the reviewer criticized the end of the campaign and the new loot system:

It's not all divine, as the campaign spends far too much of its final moments driving on repetitive tasks and its new Spoils slot machine makes the endgame gear hunt more lifeless than the frozen wastes you scrounge them from. But the journey, full of new and interesting characters, vibrant and violent enemies, and the wonderful wreckage of a bygone civilization, is an engrossing adventure worth the investment.

CGMagazine – 80

CGMagazine believes the expansion doesn't offer many new ideas, but exploring Norgan is still a pleasure:

Dark Arisen may not add a whole lot to Dragon's Dogma 2 in terms of new ideas and mechanics, but the icy tundra of Norgan is a joy to explore and the frictional systems of the game shine through just as strongly as ever.

RPGamer – 70

RPGamer called Dark Arisen the definitive version of Dragon's Dogma 2, praising the new story, vocation skills, and the Lost Rites dungeons. At the same time, the outlet noted that some of the original game's problems remain:

On the other hand, some of the original game's problems remain, with repetitive enemies and pacing issues holding it back. Fans of Dragon's Dogma 2 will find plenty to enjoy here, but those who struggled to connect with the original game may not find enough to change their minds.

Screen Rant – 70

Screen Rant was the most disappointed with the expansion. According to the reviewer, the combat became repetitive over time:

What started as an exciting return to an underappreciated series sadly turned into a bit of a slog, with fight after fight starting to feel like little more than button mashing.

Other scores:

• DualShockers – 10/10
• Gamer Social Club – 9/10
• NintendoWorldReport – 8.5/10
• COGconnected – 85/100
• Gamers Heroes – 85/100
• PSX Brasil – 85/100
• TechRaptor – 8/10

Dark Arisen launches on October 9, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. In the expansion, players head to the new northern region of Norgan, where they team up with Eir to uncover the mystery of the undying Fallen Dragon. The DLC also adds relic hunting for new weapons and skills, 12 Lost Rites dungeon challenges, and new character creator options. The expansion costs $29.99 on its own, while the bundle with the base game and DLC costs $49.99. With the release of Dark Arisen, the game also arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time.