The initial update for Dragon’s Dogma 2 introduces several new settings, including the much-anticipated option to toggle ray tracing (RT) effects. While these updates are a step in the right direction, providing players with more control over their gameplay experience, the game continues to grapple with fundamental performance and visual quality issues across both PC and console platforms.
Capcom’s latest patch for Dragon’s Dogma 2 aims to rectify some of the game’s performance inconsistencies by allowing players to disable RT, a feature previously locked in the “on” position at launch. This adjustment offers a notable shift in lighting quality, with RT enhancing environmental realism through dynamic shadows and bounce lighting. Despite the alternative non-RT setting offering some level of ambient occlusion and global illumination, it falls short of the visual fidelity achieved with RT enabled. This trade-off between aesthetic quality and performance gain raises questions about the value of disabling RT, especially considering the significant boost in frame rates on platforms like the Xbox Series X and PS5 when RT is turned off.
However, the introduction of a 30fps frame rate cap has not been met with universal acclaim. While theoretically designed to offer a more stable performance, the cap is marred by irregular frame pacing, leading to a less than smooth gameplay experience. This issue, combined with the cap’s failure to provide a consistent frame-time, diminishes the utility of this option, particularly for players on standard refresh rate displays.
In addition to performance tweaks, the patch also introduces the option to disable motion blur. While personal preferences for this effect vary, its inclusion does smooth out some of the game’s motion inconsistencies, suggesting its default activation might be beneficial for a smoother visual experience.
A closer look at the game’s default graphics settings post-patch reveals little to no improvement in addressing core visual and performance issues. Notably, the Xbox Series X version continues to struggle with checkerboard artifacting, a problem yet to be addressed by Capcom. Similarly, the PS5 version exhibits issues with ambient occlusion when RT is disabled, resulting in a noticeably diminished shadow quality compared to its Xbox counterpart.
The patch’s impact on the PS5 and Xbox Series X mirrors that of the PC version, which sees a modest improvement in CPU-bound performance and a cleaner frame-time readout. Despite these incremental enhancements, Dragon’s Dogma 2 still faces significant challenges in delivering a consistently polished experience across all platforms. The persisting issues with checkerboard reconstruction, frame rate capping, and ambient occlusion underscore the need for further refinements.
As Capcom continues to update Dragon’s Dogma 2, addressing these lingering issues will be crucial in fulfilling the game’s potential. The inclusion of quality-of-life updates and additional graphics options in this first patch is a positive step, but a comprehensive overhaul is necessary to resolve the game’s underlying performance limitations and visual inconsistencies. Only then can Dragon’s Dogma 2 truly meet the high expectations of its players and capitalize on its ambitious design.
