Dragon’s Dogma 2 boasts an incredibly in-depth character creator for both your playable Arisen protagonist and the Pawn companion that will follow you along your journey. But before you get into the nitty gritty, you first need to pick the race you will be playing.
If you plan to spend hours combing through every option while customizing your ideal Dragon’s Dogma 2, here is a full overview of the races you can pick between and which aspects are unique to each to help streamline the process.
All races in Dragon’s Dogma 2
There are only two races you can choose from when you’re molding your character in Dragon’s Dogma 2: Humans and Beastren, the latter of which are a brand-new addition for the sequel. Both are divided into masculine and feminine variations that can then be freely customized, whether you select to create your character from scratch or use one of the available presets in the dungeons.
Though these two races are the only options available for you to select and customize, you can play around with the options enough to recreate something akin to the elf or goblin races you will encounter during your journey using a human as a base. For example, there is an option for pointy ears, which is almost all you need to roleplay as an elf if you want to, though, the game will still recognize and treat your character as a Human.
As for Beastren, though they are inherently feline in design, you can change the pattern and color of their fur so they take on the appearance of different types of cats, like leopards and tigers. You can also give them a lion’s mane if you want. Unfortunately, the customization does not allow you to do much with the Beastren’s animal lineage, leaving you stuck with a cat-like character design.
Humans in Dragon’s Dogma 2
In Vermund, the kingdom of humanity, the Arisen rules as the King. The Queen Regent, Disa, plots to make her son the next King and claims he is the Arisen, but we know Sven is a false Arisen because you, the protagonist, are the Arisen.
Vermund is the first nation you will explore, and it boasts a heavily fortified city, expansive grasslands, and a town sprawling around the castle where the commoners live.
Beastren in Dragon’s Dogma 2
In DD2, Battahl is the nation of Beastren with a unique culture forged by their harsh environment, which is vastly different from that of humans and elves. Within Battahl’s canyons lie the Ancient Ruins, where you will find most of the Beastren and their cities.
What makes the Beastren unique, besides living in a harsh environment and holding steely views, is that they see Pawns as a sign of misfortune. Moreover, instead of worshipping the Arisen, they believe in the Lambent Flame, their empress, who supposedly wards off calamities. DD2 is the first time Beastren have been playable.
Elves in Dragon’s Dogma 2
Elves are not playable, but they do inhabit the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. They want nothing to do with any other race and prefer to live in their remote village of the Sacred Arbor. Like most fantasy games, movies, and fiction, the elves in DD2 speak Elvish, which makes it hard to communicate with them. But specific pawns can, thankfully, understand the language.
If you really want to roleplay as an Elf, you can do so using the character customizer, though you won’t impact the story at all just based on your design since you will still be labeled as a human to the game. You can apply this to other fantasy races like dwarves too, even if some might not appear in the game.
Which race should you choose in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Your race in Dragon’s Dogma 2 will not impact the overall story or gameplay very much. From what we have encountered, there is a chance some NPC dialogue will be slightly altered depending on if you choose to play as a Human or Beastren, though there aren’t many gameplay advantages to picking one over the other.
The biggest change is that, if you play as a Beastren, you can freely travel the borders to Battahl without needing to find a workaround or purchase a mask. You should be more focused on what Vocation you want to give a try once you customize your character to perfection and get into the story.
The character creation in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is so extensive that we expect players will spend even more time here than they did creating their characters in Baldur’s Gate 3. And, don’t worry, you can go back in and make changes to your character later using a special item.
