I can’t think of many modern game mechanics more punishing than Dragonsplague in Dragon’s Dogma 2. If it hits you in a crowded city, every NPC there will die, whether they’re critical to the main story, side quests, or act as merchants. After Dragonsplague, everything dies, and there are only a few things you can do about it.
What to Do If Dragonsplague Happens in Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dragonsplague occurs when you rest at an inn or personal dwelling with an infected pawn in your party, provided the disease has progressed far enough. After the cutscene, where the infected pawn transforms into a massive, draconic monster, you’ll awake to devastation. Every NPC in the town, city, or village will lie dead. Yes, this can stop any quests linked to that town in their tracks and can even break them entirely.
After Dragonsplague, it can feel completely helpless, and in many ways, it is. However, not all is lost (just most things). Here are the steps you need to take to recover as much as you can.
Wait a few in-game days anywhere in the world
While Dragonsplague can be a kind of in-game softlock on quests of every type, the city where it happened will eventually repopulate. After my instance of the calamity hit Bakbattahl, I found that after about three days, the population had mostly returned. There were new NPCs in place of the dead vendors, guards, and others, putting things back on the road to normalcy. Named and quest-related NPCs were still dead, however, which leads to my next point.
Go to the morgue and use a Wakestone on all the NPCs you need alive
Generic NPCs might reappear after a short while but named and vital ones will not. Instead, their bodies will be held in the city morgue, denoted by a coffin icon on your map. You’ll need to visit the morgue and use a Wakestone to bring them back to life. After a short cutscene and a thank you, they should return to their position before Dragonsplague. Depending on how many quests you have pending, you might need half a dozen or more Wakestones to get all your in-progress quests back in action.
Oddly, Dragonsplague can also allow you to bypass some quest steps if it happens at specific times. I was in the process of completing Off the Pilfered Path in Battahl when the plague hit, killing Hugo, a quest NPC, as he was in transition from one step to the next. After being revived, he was at his end-of-quest position, and all I had to do was point him in the right direction to complete it.
I don’t recommend trying to get Dragonsplague to speed your quests along because you’re unlikely to have the resources to set everything back to how it was, and it’s not worth the risk of spreading the disease to other pawns.
How to Detect Dragonsplague in Dragon’s Dogma 2
There are some telltale signs of Dragonsplague you should look out for whenever you have a new set of pawns in your party. Bear in mind that not all of them can show up at once, and some might not show up at all. Be sure also to test your pawns whenever they start acting weird, as their AI is good but not the best.
- Red eyes — The most visually obvious symptom of Dragonsplague your pawn can present is a set of bright, glowing red eyes. You won’t be able to see the redness while you’re in the Rift looking for pawns, but if Dragonsplague is advanced enough, you can’t miss it. A pawn I had with the disease notably did not have red eyes but did display other issues.
- Disobeying or ignoring orders — This symptom is by far the easiest to check for, but because pawn AI is inconsistent at times, you need to confirm it repeatedly. To test for disobedience, run around a town and tell your pawns to Wait, then call them To Me!, then Go!, and repeat for several minutes. The pawn with Dragonsplague is unlikely actually to do as directed; it is still coming to you when told to wait and not coming when called. I’ve noticed that pawns at this stage of Dragonsplague also don’t talk much, if at all, even if they don’t have the specialization that keeps them quiet. They’re just stubbornly silent, so keep an ear out for that, as well.
- Holding their head — Pawns are immortal, multiversal travelers, so their being sick is odd. That is, however, exactly what’s happening with Dragonsplague, and if you ever catch your pawn holding their head in pain for an extended period, it might be time to send them on their way.
If you have even the slightest suspicion that your Pawn has Dragonsplague, you need to get rid of them. There are only two cures for the disease: passing it on to other pawns or being made forfeit. The best way to make a pawn forfeit is to pick them up and toss them into some deep water. The Brine will wash clean their sickness and keep you from needing to spend who knows how many Wakestones to get your world back in step.
For more Dragon’s Dogma 2 content, check out our guides hub. Among other things, find out how to get your pawn hired and how to find Wyrmslife Crystals.
