{"id":2074738,"date":"2026-08-03T08:59:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T05:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2074738"},"modified":"2026-08-03T08:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T05:59:11","slug":"dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-director-casually-announces-a-hard-mode-is-in-the-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2074738","title":{"rendered":"Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen director casually announces a Hard Mode is in the works"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/dragons-dogma-2\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen director casually announces a Hard Mode is in the works<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;We&#8217;re aware that there&#8217;s a very wide range of player level across the community.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-screen-3.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-screen-3.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Capcom.<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/sherif-saed\">Sherif Saed<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Senior Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-08-03T08:59:11+00:00\">Aug. 3, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"c6bfaf56-bb5c-4a68-a331-7955d7939b3a\" data-name=\"Dragonu0027s Dogma 2\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Dragonu0026#39;s Dogma 2\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Dragonu0026#39;s Dogma 2\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Dragonu0027s Dogma 2\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Dragonu0027s Dogma 2\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Dragon&apos;s Dogma 2\" title=\"Follow Dragon&apos;s Dogma 2\"><br \/>\n  Follow Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-nintendo-switch-2-dark-arisen-reveal\">Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen reveal<\/a> has easily been one of the most surprising of the year so far. Aside from everything new coming to the game with the upcoming expansion, Capcom has also been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-patch-update-june-2026\">updating the core experience in several key ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But many players see a few of those changes &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-interview-performance-microtransactions\">such as making fast travel far more accessible<\/a> &#8211; as having lessened the game&#8217;s level of challenge. Capcom wants to cater to those players too, and its solution is very straightforward.<\/p>\n<p>In a new Q&amp;A published on <a href=\"https:\/\/steamcommunity.com\/games\/2054970\/announcements\/detail\/705527117835665762\">the game&#8217;s Steam page<\/a>, game producer Naoto Oyama and director Kento Kinoshita took turns answering some popular questions from players.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"\u300eDragon&apos;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen\u300f Announcement Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9wnDopnPnz4?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/9wnDopnPnz4\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">\u300eDragon&#8217;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen\u300f Announcement Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9wnDopnPnz4\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>The game&#8217;s director began by pointing out that two of Dark Arisen&#8217;s new experiences, Forsaken Dominion and Lost Rites, have been designed for players seeking a new level of challenge.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re aware that there&#8217;s a very wide range of player level across the community, so with that in mind, we&#8217;re adjusting the balance so that everyone can enjoy the experience &#8211; whether they&#8217;re just starting their adventure, still progressing through the game, or have already completed multiple playthroughs,&#8221; said director Kento Kinoshita.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Also, we&#8217;re working on a Hard Mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Kinoshita didn&#8217;t offer any specifics on the sort of changes we can expect from the upcoming mode. Crucially, the Q&amp;A didn&#8217;t say whether the mode will be exclusive to owners of the Dark Arisen expansion, or available to players of the base game too. Given that the Q&amp;A is themed after the expansion, we&#8217;re inclined to think it&#8217;s the former.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the case may be, it sounds like Hard Mode is early in development, as producer Naoto Oyama asked players to &#8220;please stay tuned for further updates regarding the details of Hard Mode and its release window&#8221;.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-screen-2.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-screen-2.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Capcom.<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We recently spoke to Oyama and Kinoshita about a wide range of topics, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-interview-performance-microtransactions\">why Capcom decided to return to Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2 and develop a new expansion two years after release<\/a>. We also asked Kinoshita about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-itsuno-future\">stepping into the shoes of legendary director Hideaki Itsuno<\/a>, who spearheaded development of the series until his departure.<\/p>\n<p>Dark Arisen releases 9th October on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X\/S. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/platforms\/switch-2\">Switch 2<\/a> version that includes the base game and the expansion will also arrive on the same date.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-nintendo-switch-2-dark-arisen-reveal\">Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen reveal<\/a> has easily been one of the most surprising of the year so far. Aside from everything new coming to the game with the upcoming expansion, Capcom has also been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-patch-update-june-2026\">updating the core experience in several key ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But many players see a few of those changes &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-interview-performance-microtransactions\">such as making fast travel far more accessible<\/a> &#8211; as having lessened the game&#8217;s level of challenge. Capcom wants to cater to those players too, and its solution is very straightforward.<\/p>\n<p>In a new Q&amp;A published on <a href=\"https:\/\/steamcommunity.com\/games\/2054970\/announcements\/detail\/705527117835665762\">the game&#8217;s Steam page<\/a>, game producer Naoto Oyama and director Kento Kinoshita took turns answering some popular questions from players.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"\u300eDragon&apos;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen\u300f Announcement Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9wnDopnPnz4?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/9wnDopnPnz4\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">\u300eDragon&#8217;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen\u300f Announcement Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9wnDopnPnz4\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>The game&#8217;s director began by pointing out that two of Dark Arisen&#8217;s new experiences, Forsaken Dominion and Lost Rites, have been designed for players seeking a new level of challenge.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re aware that there&#8217;s a very wide range of player level across the community, so with that in mind, we&#8217;re adjusting the balance so that everyone can enjoy the experience &#8211; whether they&#8217;re just starting their adventure, still progressing through the game, or have already completed multiple playthroughs,&#8221; said director Kento Kinoshita.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Also, we&#8217;re working on a Hard Mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Kinoshita didn&#8217;t offer any specifics on the sort of changes we can expect from the upcoming mode. Crucially, the Q&amp;A didn&#8217;t say whether the mode will be exclusive to owners of the Dark Arisen expansion, or available to players of the base game too. Given that the Q&amp;A is themed after the expansion, we&#8217;re inclined to think it&#8217;s the former.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the case may be, it sounds like Hard Mode is early in development, as producer Naoto Oyama asked players to &#8220;please stay tuned for further updates regarding the details of Hard Mode and its release window&#8221;.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-screen-2.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-screen-2.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Capcom.<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We recently spoke to Oyama and Kinoshita about a wide range of topics, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-interview-performance-microtransactions\">why Capcom decided to return to Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2 and develop a new expansion two years after release<\/a>. We also asked Kinoshita about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisen-itsuno-future\">stepping into the shoes of legendary director Hideaki Itsuno<\/a>, who spearheaded development of the series until his departure.<\/p>\n<p>Dark Arisen releases 9th October on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X\/S. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/platforms\/switch-2\">Switch 2<\/a> version that includes the base game and the expansion will also arrive on the same date.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2 Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen director casually announces a Hard Mode is in the works &#8220;We&#8217;re aware that there&#8217;s a very wide range of player level across the community.&#8221; Image credit: Capcom. News by Sherif Saed Senior Contributor Published on Aug. 3, 2026 Follow Dragon&#8217;s Dogma 2 The Dragon&#8217;s Dogma [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2074738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2074738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2074738\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2074738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2074738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2074738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}