Unexpected Dragon's Dogma 2 microtransactions leave sour taste in players' mouths

UPDATE 12.40am: As I was writing this morning's story, Capcom released a blog post regarding Dragon's Dogma 2.

Here, the developer acknowledged the game's performance issues further, stating it will be addressing crashes and bug fixes in a future patch. It once again stated it is also looking at a way to improve the game's frame-rate.

Capcom also addressed Dragon's Dogma 2's paid DLC, sharing a list of items that can both be purchased or obtained in-game. These items are as follows:

• Art of Metamorphosis – Character Editor
• Ambivalent Rift Incense – Change Pawn Inclinations
• Portcrystal – Warp Location Marker
• Wakestone – Restore the dead to life!
• 500 Rift Crystals / 1500 Rift Crystals / 2500 Rift Crystals – Points to Spend Beyond the Rift
• Makeshift Gaol Key – Escape from gaol!
• Harpysnare Smoke Beacons – Harpy Lure Item

Lastly, Capcom said it is looking to add a feature to the Steam version of Dragon's Dogma 2 that will allow players already playing to restart the game. It said it will share more details “as soon as [it] can”, so stay tuned.

“To all those looking forward to this game, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience,” Capcom wrote.

The original story continues below.

ORIGINAL 11am: Dragon's Dogma 2 released today, but despite a swath of critical reviews full of praise for Capcom's action RPG sequel, many players have been left disappointed by unexpected microtransactions and performance issues.

Capcom apparently added a series of gameplay-affecting microtransactions after the game's reviews were published yesterday. This has left many with a bitter taste in their mouths, and Dragon's Dogma 2 currently sits with a 'Mixed' review average on Steam.

Many of the game's 7000+ user reviews on the platform have called the developer out for adding paid DLC into a single-player game. One item allows you to revive the dead. Another has caused upset is the Art of Metamorphosis – Character Editor DLC, which costs £1.69. As its name suggests, this one-time consumable gives users the ability to change the appearance of their Arisen, although Capcom does note players are also able to acquire this item in the game itself.

Dragon's Dogma 2 Gameplay Preview – MAGICK ARCHER AND MYSTIC SPEARHAND WEAPON SKILLS DEEP DIVE

Along with DLC, Dragon's Dogma 2 has also faced scrutiny due to its frame-rate issues. The developer has acknowledged this concern, and yesterday told Eurogamer it was “looking into ways to improve performance in the future.” However, some players are already taking matters into their own hands, and planning a mass NPC cull to try and drop the CPU load.

While performance issues are certainly frustrating, Digital Foundry's Alexander Battaglia you have implored players to be patient and wait for Capcom to sort out the issue itself. “Not even a few hours after launch there are already tons of snake oils being sold to fix Dragon's Dogma 2's stutter/performance woes,” he warned on social media.

“Here is me yelling from the rooftop, 'nothing will fix it until Capcom does'. Anything you read online is going to be anecdotal and wrong.”

Despite these quarrels, however, Dragon's Dogma 2 has still proven popular. Over on Steam, the game currently has a concurrent player peak of 184,724, surpassing records for other Capcom single-player games such as Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village, as you can see in the image above.

Eurogamer awarded Dragon's Dogma 2 five stars, with Lewis Parker praising the game's “endless discoveries paired with limitless potential”.

“Even if I hadn't have played the first Dragon's Dogma, I can tell you with complete certainty that I'd have come to the same conclusion I have now, and I'd have given Dragon's Dogma 2 the same score I have now, simply because no other game in recent memory has inspired the same feeling of captivation and wonder,” he wrote in Eurogamer's Dragon's Dogma 2 review. “The joy of discovery lies within all of us, and Dragon's Dogma 2 succeeds in evoking that magical feeling in a way no other game has before it.”