Holy crap, Dragon's Dogma 2 has a way bigger world map than the original RPG

Dragon's Dogma 2 is fast approaching with everything that made the original game a cult classic, including swanky fantasy abilities, janky ragdoll physics, and small-person-climbs-big-monster combat. But to fit all those towering foes into one game, the sequel also introduces a hugely expanded map.

Clips from the Taipei Games Show 2024 recently surfaced on the series' dedicated subreddit, embedded below, showing an off-screen view of the game's seemingly massive world map. Only one tiny section of the map is filled in, but as the cursor zooms out and sweeps across the grayed-out areas, you get a sense of the game's sheer scale. 

The size! from r/DragonsDogma

DD2's map is huge! from r/DragonsDogma

Similar snippets from a couple of months ago also gave us peeks at the map in Dragon's Dogma 2. However, it should be noted that both videos only seem to showcase the deserts, forests, and mountains above ground. Once we add in the various caverns, wells, and dungeons, the sequel's landmass could be even grander. 

With so many elongated RPGs coming out in quick succession - between Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - news that Dragon's Dogma 2 is so darn large might not be entirely welcome. Who has time for five different 100-hour romps, after all? 

Compounding that worry is news that Dragon's Dogma 2 is avoiding your traditional fast travel options, meaning you won't be able to blink across the map for convenience. That actually makes me more excited for the sequel, though, as director Hideaki Itsuno explained that the team "put a lot of work into designing a game where you can stumble across someone and something will happen."

"Travel is boring? That's not true," Itsuno continued. "It's only an issue because your game is boring. All you have to do is make travel fun." Brutal but true words that have me thinking back to Red Dead Redemption 2 or Sunset Overdrive as evidence that simply moving through spaces can be just as satisfying as making 'proper progress.' If Dragon's Dogma 2 can deliver on its promise of interesting discoveries and fun traversal, then the huge map is more than worth it.

For more on the game's Shadow of the Colossus-style bosses, check out GamesRadar's Dragon's Dogma 2 preview.