Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Pawn AI Learning Curve Is Its Most Triumphant Achievement

Having never played Dragon’s Dogma before, dipping my toe into its sequel was a little scary. Sure, I loved the look of its fantasy setting with rolling mountains, gigantic trolls, and mystical flying beasts, but whether it would capture my ever-depleting attention was another thing.

An hour in and I realized that I had nothing at all to worry about – it’s a beautiful game that held my curiosity at every beat. However, the one element that really stole the show for me, which was a complete surprise, was its incredible pawn AI and how they not only helped my Arisen throughout the game, but they became a huge part of why I’m sticking with it.

That’s one way to do it

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Allows Players To Dispose Of Annoying NPCs In The Most Brutal Way

Are you tired of NPCs annoying ramblings in Dragon’s Dogma 2? There’s a solution for that.

More Than A Helping Hand

Initially, I thought these pawns that I hired as companions were going to be a real big pain in my ass. They talked a lot, and I wasn’t sure I’d like that. “Look master, there’s a ladder over there!” said a pawn repeatedly anytime I was near one. “Well, thanks for pointing out the obvious”, I’d grumble. I’m not a people person, and having three others constantly by my side throughout this entire $70 game, chatting away about stuff I didn’t give a rat’s ass about, was starting to feel like a regret.

The turning point, thankfully, was how much I noticed the pawn’s AI behavior. While I was off collecting flowers and picking up everything I could, it felt like they were watching and learning how I was actually playing the game, and then they too would start to mimic my actions. Now, these previously annoying pawns felt like they were aligning themselves to my needs, taking themselves off and collecting flowers and general tidbits too. “Don’t bother yourself with that master, I’ll get it for you” one would say as they trotted off to pick items that I was drawn to previously.

Being a huge looter, as soon as I saw a chest, I’d dash over to it as if my life depended on it to see what shiny things were inside. After a while, my pawns would do the same thing without being told, even though this pissed me off a bit to start with because I need to open chests myself. I could only admire how amazing these pawns were, by, once again, fulfilling tasks they had seen me doing prior.

Once Annoying Strangers, Now Friends

When fighting the game’s grizzly beasts, I’m not very cautious or strategic, to be honest, and would run headlong into battle. After quite a few failed attempts at this tactic but still not learning my lesson, I started to notice my pawns doing the same thing. Merrily taking charge as soon as they spotted trouble, sword out and off they went to defeat it. Of course, because they had learned my actions, they’d tend to die rather quickly, but who cares? This apparent learned AI behavior honestly blew me away, and it felt like nothing I had encountered before in any game with “companions.”

There is a downside to this seemingly learned behavior though, as I quickly found out. Due to my incessant need to loot everything I come across and my apparent desire to become constantly overburdened, my pawns would sometimes weigh themselves down with all the stuff they’d find too. Now, it could all be down to how well the pawns are programmed, and they aren’t really “watching” me at all – it’s just made to feel like that for immersion – but whatever the case is, it’s truly made its mark on me. They not only enhance my gameplay, but they also make it a delight to be a part of where these once annoying pawn strangers have now become loyal and compassionate friends.