Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen director Kento Kinoshita has confirmed that a Hard Mode is currently in development for the expansion. This new difficulty setting is intended to provide a significant challenge for veteran players who have reached or are nearing the game's level cap.
Kinoshita made the announcement during a Q&A session featured on the game's Steam page, alongside producer Naoto Oyama. He explained that Capcom is actively adjusting the game's balance to accommodate a wide spectrum of player experience levels, from newcomers to those who have completed multiple playthroughs. The inclusion of two new Dark Arisen experiences, Forsaken Dominion and Lost Rites, was also highlighted as a means to offer new challenges.
While specific details regarding the mechanics and features of Hard Mode remain scarce, Kinoshita indicated that it is still in the early stages of development. Producer Naoto Oyama urged players to await further updates on the mode's specifics and release window. It is currently unclear whether Hard Mode will be exclusive to owners of the Dark Arisen expansion or if it will be accessible to players of the base game.
The Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen expansion is scheduled to release on October 9th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch version, bundled with the base game and the expansion, will also be available on the same date.