If you hadn’t heard already, Netlfix is releasing a Dragon’s Dogma anime show this September. We’re all quite excited about this, because the game is the perfect blend of RPG and Monster Hunter action. It’s also a unique game in a number of ways, but it’s quite old now. Having originally launched in 2012, with the expanded edition hitting Steam in 2016, I thought it was high time we looked at some Dragon’s Dogma mods.
Visuals
These mods are to help you enhance the visuals of Dragon’s Dogma. I’ve collected a few different options for texture updates and ENB (Enhanced Natural Beauty), not all of which will suit everyone’s tastes or PC power. My advice with these would to be to pick the mod that you like the best, and that your PC can run comfortably.
Resonant ENB
This is a high-quality shading overhaul of Dragon’s Dogma. The mod is described as a way to make the game look shinier, adding in filmic tone-mapping, as well as high-quality ambient occlusion. There are also some subtle bloom and lens effects in there for good measure. The mod also fixes a few banding issues that the author found in the base game. This really is a powerful mod, but you should still be able to get 60 FPS out of the game across a wide range of resolutions. I’d say it’s probably the best looking mod on this list.
HD HP
The name of this mod is a tad confusing, as is the description. Rather than a visual upgrade for the entire game, this mod focuses on the game’s icons. It applies higher quality versions for every icon in the game’s menu, making it look more aesthetically pleasing. This is one of those Dragon’s Dogma mods that you’ll always use, but never notice is there.
HD Environment Texture Overhaul
The environments have been completely reworked with this mod. It’s part of an ongoing project to bring high-quality textures to the game’s entire world. Instead of upscaling and sharpening the textures found in the base game, this mod adds completely new ones. A lot of work has gone into this project, and it shows in the beauty of the world before you.
Gameplay
Moving away from how the game looks, these mods are all about your gameplay experience. I’ve picked out some of the best out there, as well as the most useful or popular. Not all of these mods will be to your taste, but if you try them all out I reckon you’ll find at least one that surprises you.
No Carry Limit or Sprint Stamina Adjustment
An issue that plagues all RPGs is carry weight. It’s something that we never quite seem to get our heads around, at least to those of us who absolutely must pick up every item. This mod not only removes the carry weight limit, but it reduces your sprint stamina consumption by half. And can even remove carry weight altogether. How you use this mod is up to you, but if this isn’t your first playthrough of Dragon’s Dogma, it might be nice to be able to constantly spring around the world while carrying an entire house on your back.
Don’t Blind Me
This mod was inspired by those who have been blinded by spells, weapon enchants, or lanterns in Dragon’s Dogma. The game’s lighting is ever so slightly off in a way that you can’t see anything in the dark, but any bright light source literally blinds you. Don’t Blind Me reduces the glow of spells and skills, as well as your lantern or enchanted weapons. It makes it possible to fight with all of these in the dark, and actually see what it is you’re hitting. Take those sunglasses off, you’ve always looked stupid wearing them indoors.
World Difficulty By Lefein
World Difficulty is one of the most popular Dragon’s Dogma mods out there. It completely revamps the world, altering the battle tactics for most enemies, redrafting a number of encounters, and even entirely changing some enemies you face. In addition, the stats on enemies you’re familiar with will change, and new specially designed boss enemies have been implemented to mix things up. There’s way more to this mod, but it would be rude to spoil the discoveries you’ll need to make as you play. If you only play Dragon’s Dogma with one mod installed, let it be this one, because it will refresh the game for you in ways you never knew possible.
Jump
Jump is an extremely simple mod that allows you to explore vertically. It pushes your jump height up by around 1.6 times, while keeping the look of it believable. It allows you to explore much more freely than the base game, and doesn’t ruin your experience by making it look like you’re using a mod, or on steroids.
Samurai Set
Most of the Dragon’s Dogma mods out there are armor sets or outfits. Of all of them, I think this is the best. Though that might have something to do with my love of Japanese culture. The mod changes the look of a specific set of armor, allowing you to collect the full Samurai set and wear it in the game.
Slight More Balanced XP
This mod is a small quality of life improvement that you might also feel is required in Dragon’s Dogma. It rebalances the XP earning in the game, simply by upping the amount of experience you gain throughout the adventure. The mod makes it easier to earn levels and improve your character well into the late game. It might feel like cheating, but the rebalance means that XP is just distributed where it’s needed, not outright increased, so it doesn’t quite feel like a huge buff to your character.
No Items During Combat
I love this mod. It’s one of those mods that makes the game feel slightly more realistic and punishing, even though you’re fighting giant monsters at every turn, and a dragon has stolen your heart. With this mod, you can’t just open the menu to heal, apply buffs, or anything else. What you’re wearing and have on you at the time you enter combat, is what you have to fight with or die with.
Barefoot Quina
Technically this outfit mod is for an NPC, so it’s not just another armor set. It’s a really bare bones mod that removes the sandals from Quina’s default outfit. Many fans, myself included, think she looks better this way. It fits much better with her healthy healer lifestyle too.
Just for fun
Every game has a certain subset of mods that have no real place. I’ve included just a few of these for those who are looking to have a bit of fun with their game. However, these mods won’t ruin it like you can Skyrim by turning every spider into Spider-Man.
DDDA Japanese Voiceover
Oddly this is also an extremely popular mod for the game. It changes the voiceover to Japanese. Completely. Some players prefer the Japanese voiceover to the English. I don’t mind saying that I’d prefer to play the game with this mod enabled, particularly having played Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice with Japanese voiceovers already.
No Spiders
If you’re afraid of spiders, this is the Dragon’s Dogma mod for you. It completely removes spiders from the game. Now, this does create some issues. For example, quests that require you to kill a spider now can’t be completed, and you can’t acquire Spider Ichor anywhere. This mod does have an alternative installation mode called Invisible Spiders though. This makes spiders invisible and silent, but you can still kill them. Wait, doesn’t that make it so much worse?
Divine Surcoat Recolors
Okay, okay! One last outfit mod, but this is the last one I swear. I couldn’t avoid putting this mod in, because I, like many of you, take every opportunity to praise the sun. Much like the Samurai set, this mod replaces the look of some armour in the game. This will allow you to collect and dress up as Solaire himself. Enjoy.
