Capcom Addresses Dragon’s Dogma 2 PC Performance and Microtransaction Backlash

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and by most accounts the experience lives up to the hype. The game received rave reviews from most critics, including a 9 out of 10 from us. But now that it’s out in the wild, Steam players have bombarded the RPG with negative reviews due to its problematic launch performance and day-one microtransactions.

In terms of performance issues, Steam players have reported issues like framerate drops, freezes, and crashes. Capcom acknowledged these problems in a Steam blog post where it says: “To everyone looking forward to this game, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience” and adds: “We are investigating/resolving critical issues such as crashes and freezes. We will address crashes and bug fixes soon starting with those with the highest priority in fixes.

Regarding the frame rate issues, Capcom writes:

“A large amount of CPU usage is allocated to each character and calculates the impact of their physical presence in various areas. In some situations where many characters appear simultaneously, CPU usage can be very high and affect frame rate. We are aware that in such situations, settings reducing GPU load may currently have limited effect; however, we are investigating ways to improve performance in the future.

The console versions have their own frame rate issues, as noted in our review by writer Jesse Vitelli who noted: “Large scale battles are where you’ll see performance on consoles take a big hit.” When I had multiple enemies on screen, and a pawn was casting a big spell, the frame rate dropped dramatically.

The game‘s microtransactions have also sparked anger. In addition to selling Rift Crystals, the in-game currency, fans are upset that the game sells useful exploration gear such as Port Crystals, fast travel points that you can place in a destination chosen (although you still need another item, Ferrystones, to use it). which is not for sale). Capcom also sells the Art of Metamorphosis book, an item that allows players to redesign their character and revive items (Wakestones). You can purchase all of these items at once in the “A Boon for Adventurers – New Journey Pack”, included in the Deluxe Edition of the game.

Capcom responded to these complaints in the same blog post, pointing out that the following items can be obtained through normal gameplay:

• Art of Metamorphosis – Character Editor
• Ambivalent Rift Incense – Change pawn inclinations
• Crystalport – Warp Location Marker
• Wakestone – Bring the dead back to life!
• 500 Rift Crystals / 1,500 Rift Crystals / 2,500 Rift Crystals – Points to spend beyond the Rift
• Makeshift Prison Key – Escape from Prison!
• Harpysnare Smoke Beacons – Harpy Lure Item

If you want additional quantities of any of these items, you have the choice of paying for them in real money instead of getting them the old-fashioned way, so they essentially serve as optional convenience dumpsters. While it’s completely understandable that players would be annoyed anyway, this is actually completely normal for Capcom titles. The recent resident Evil And Monster Hunter games, for example, all offer microtransactions of similar scope and have faced relatively minimal, if any, pushback.

Still, fans are surprised by their appearance in Dragon’s Dogma 2, and without context on how rare or easy to obtain these items are, some players believe the game‘s intentionally difficult/impractical design is meant to push players towards these items. purchases to make the task easier. experience. Others simply cite the age-old argument that full-price games ($69.99 in the case of Dragon’s Dogma 2) shouldn’t charge extra money for in-game items at all.

Combined with the performance issues mentioned above, disgruntled players have flooded the game with bad reviews to the point that it currently has a “mostly negative” Steam rating just hours after launch. Despite this rather cold reception, it does not appear that Capcom is changing its monetization plans at the moment.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox series X/S and PC.