In Dragon’s Dogma 2, your Pawns can be the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, it appears they can also have a catastrophic impact on your journey, should they pick up the dreaded Dragonsplague, a new illness introduced in this highly-lauded sequel.
Dragonsplague appears to be a random illness, with some players going whole playthroughs without encountering it – and others being hit repeatedly. Regardless of whether you’ve picked up a pawn with Dragonsplague or not, you should be well aware of what it is and how to cure it – as it can cause massive destruction if left untreated.
What is Dragonsplague?
Reports of Dragonsplague began flooding the internet just days after the launch of Dragon’s Dogma 2. As players have detailed, it’s an illness that can be caught by Pawns – both your own, and those recruited from other players.
When you come across an infected Pawn, an in-game pop-up will warn you of a “calamity” that may occur if you leave the Dragonsplague untreated. Per this pop-up:
“Dragonsplague is a mysterious illness that can only be contracted by pawns. Unlike other debilitations, it is not recorded in the pawn’s Status. Afflicted pawns remain entirely unaware of their condition, and there will be no obvious difference in their behaviour. All that is know of the effects of this illness are that it can result in devastating calamity.”
As some players soon found, the Dragonsplague will fester in Pawns over a period of time, and when it reaches terminal status, the Pawn will transform into a shadow dragon and explode, killing everyone in the nearby area – including your party, and NPCs that may be important for quests.
You can see the impact of this effect courtesy of YouTube creator, Ruba:
The devastation is followed by the message: “Dragonsplague has struck, leaving a trail of innocent lives in its wake … If only you had been more observant, perhaps this tragedy could have been prevented.”
How to spot Dragonsplague in Pawns
As hinted, there is a way to spot and prevent a Dragonsplague explosion. The first and most important thing is to pay attention when the pop-up appears. If you ignore it, you may be travelling with a companion who is infected, and you won’t know it until the damage is done.
Heed the warning early, and you just might save your local town (and save the effort of having to resurrect everyone). If you miss the pop-up, you can still spot Dragonsplague in the eyes of your pawns.
Once infected, your pawns will have a light red ring around their eyes (although it’s important to note some pawns will naturally have this eye colour – so you should check for changes, rather than dismiss all red-eyed pawns). As the infection sets in, some pawns will also sway, cough, or behave strangely, so pay attention to any signs of traditional illness.
How to cure Dragonsplague
Dragonsplague can be cured using two main methods:
- Dismiss the pawn with Dragonsplague, or allow them to die in battle. As long as none of your other pawns are infected, you should be safe. If it’s your main pawn that’s infected, you’ll need to kill them and then bring them back via the Riftstone – they should be cured afterwards.
- If your main pawn is infected, they can also be cured if they’re hired by another player. This passes on the disease, and also cures your pawn. It’s a bit cruel for the other player, but that’s the nature of Dragonsplague.
If you’ve accidentally killed essential townsfolk, despite all the warnings and opportunities for a cure, don’t fret – you haven’t ruined your save file. You can either wait a few in-game days to revive important NPCs (some will reportedly remain dead) or you can head out to find Wakestones to resurrect them. These are earned in a variety of quests, although they are rare – so it’s not a great option.
Your best move in dealing with Dragonsplague is to learn more about it, watch for signs of infection, avoid sleeping at inns or in high-density areas, and cure your Pawns as soon as possible.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is now available for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.
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