Capcom recently updated Dragon’s Dogma 2 with a new Casual mode. The new mode doesn’t reduce enemy difficulty, but it does make changes that impact the overall game mechanics to make them less frustrating for players who want to minimize friction in their experience adventuring throughout the game.
One of the major changes Casual mode makes is to the cost of staying at Inns and buying Ferrystones, which are used to fast travel, a mechanic that is generally more restrictive in Dragon’s Dogma 2 than you’d find in most open world RPGs available today.
Encumbrance has also been tweaked in Casual mode. Players can now carry significantly more without their Stamina and run speed being penalized in the “Heavy’ and “Very Heavy” states. Players can also sprint for longer, in general. Sprinting costs less Stamina in Casual mode, which is great for a game where getting around on foot is so common due to the lack of mounts and more restrictive fast travel.
Managing Pawns is also significantly more forgiving in the new mode. Dragonsplague, an affliction Pawns can contract that can eventually kill them and even spread through towns destroying entire cities, can now be healed over time and recovered from.
