Dragon's Dogma 2 Feature Has Created Many Paranoid Players

Capcom recently released Dragon's Dogma 2, and according to consumers and critics alike, it is one of the best games so far this year. That said, one of the game's best features, which helps it stick out from other RPGs, is also creating some very paranoid players. If you frequent the Dragon's Dogma 2 Reddit page, you will know that since the game's release, and when they aren't at each other's throats over microtransactions, DD2 players have made many posts about the aforementioned feature, Dragonsplague, including many paranoid-fueled posts. 

As you may know, Dragonsplague is a feature in DD2 and a debilitation pawns can get, but it is not recorded. Instead, it is up for players to notice. Pawns afflicted with the mysterious illness will be unaware of their condition, and there is no obvious difference in their behavior for players to notice, though there are some tells, such as red eyes or disobeying commands in an aggressive manner. The only way to rid of it is to kill the pawn or transfer the illness to another pawn. 

If not dealt with, afflicted pawns can mess your game up heavily. The first time it happens, the game walks you through it with a tutorial, but if it happens again and you don't catch it, the pawn can go rogue and go on a killing spree. For example, if you sleep in an inn while this all happening, you may awake to find the whole town murdered and the pawn gone. 

As you would expect, a mechanic like this strikes fear into players, some of which are constantly keeping a very close eye on their pawns to ensure the game mechanic does not get the best of them. Of course, this sometimes also leads to pawns getting chucked off cliffs even if they don't have it because they did or said something a little suspicious. It is a brilliant mechanic, but one that has taken a mental toll on some players. 

Me checking my Pawns for Dragonsplague
by u/Krom-Zor-El in DragonsDogma

While most players love the mechanic, and the paranoia it can create, there have been some posts and comments here and there that have criticized the feature. Most of the criticism has been lodged against the lack of communication the game provides on the mechanic. That said, feel free to weigh in on the discussion and let us know what you think via a comment.