Summary

• Glyndwr's friendship adds depth and connection beyond the main quest in Dragon's Dogma 2.
• Choosing to help a friend like Glyndwr feels more rewarding than saving the day in the main quest.
• Individual experiences with Dragon's Dogma 2 will vary greatly.

Being the chosen one is a lot of work, and I’m not here for it. Dragon’s Dogma 2 has a lot of walking, and fast trav🐠el is more inconvenient than it ꧙needs to be.

By the time I finally reached Vernworth, I had switched vocations and only scratched the surface of what the ༒game had to offer. Searching the market to buy better gear, since the entire journey thus far was a struggle as an archer, I ran into Glyndwr studying the wares outside the armorer. He needed a bow, and I had an extra. As a thief, I had no use for it anymore.

Glyndwr lit up with excitement. As an elf, it was important to him to pass the Trials of Archery, though he struggled with bows of elven mak🦋e. My Arisen has pointed ears, though officially she’s identified as human. Not only did I feel rob💜bed of my chance to be an elf, but my curiosity was piqued. Where there’s one elf, there must be others.

However, the main que💮sts took precedence. Captain Brant needed help addressing the false Sovran and sneaking into the palace. I enjoyed the stealth and subterfuge, but something was still missing. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a fantasy, but the dull colors and🙈 massive monsters weren’t doing it for me.

Then Glyndwr came back. He wanted help training. I hustled my way to the ruins and helped him practice, and his unbridled joy and astonishment at hitting each mark made me realize what I was missing: a companion. Yes, Pawns are companions, but the relationship feels strictly surface level. They serve you because you’re the Arisen, and while you can grow attached to them, it’s not necessarily a connection made by choice. It&rs🔯quo;s one made out of duty and loyalty.

My friendship with Glyndwr led to finding the Sacred Arbor, nestled deep in the forest. After navigating through winding pathways and fighting off a fearsome ogre, we reached the home of the elves. My excitement dulled whe🌠n I realized that I couldn&rsquo𒁏;t speak elvish – despite having features that hinted to that heritage.

Nevertheless, Glyndwr stepped in to translate. I spoke to everyone I could to learn more about what the elves were like in this world. Glyndwr brought me there to support him during his Trial of Archery, only to discover that the real test would b🏅e reaching his sister before an ogre ate her. Through all of this, the dialogue and interactions felt like two friends wo🐻rking together to save the day.

I didn’t need large-scale, world-ending consequences if I didn’t run fast enough. Glyndwr was a friend that needed help. Saving a damsel in distress from an ogre, helping a friend achieve a lifelong goal, and making new friends is all part of the adventure. Whenever I tried to return to the main quest and help Brant, Glyndwr would appear with a new request. I’d rather go slay a griffon with him than try to figure ouꦉt what the queen regent is 💙up to. The main quest can wait.

It’s not that the main story is bland; everyone will experience something different when they play. While our Lead Guides Editor Ryan Bamsey never found the sphin🌌x in his initial playthrough, others have. I’m not sure how many have experienced the game-changing shift from the Archer vocation to Thief, let alone having that experience🎶 before meeting Glyndwr, who requests a bow of human make.

My experiences led to 🅰different connections with different NPCs. After saving Glyndwr’s sister, his father, Taliesin, waxes about how the elves have been cut off from humans for some time, but maybe my friendship with Glyndwr can change all that.

While my Arisen is human, my headcꩵanon is that she’s a half-elf trying to learn more about her heritage. Her choice to leave behind the bow and pick up daggers stems from being forcibly removed from the throne and needing to climb her way back to the top. Meanwhile, Glyndwr couldn’t pass his trial without a bow of human make, which was better suited to his style and way of thinking.

Working together, we make a great team. It’s a shame that𓆏 the elves don’t have as much of a presence in the game, unlike humans and beastren. I feel like it’s an opportunity to expand upon the conflict of the Arisen, even if the elves are mostly disconnected from it all. However, that’s part of what makes Dragon’s Dogma 2 different from other fant꧒asy games.

Regardless, meeting Glyndwr has greatly improved my fondness for the game. He’s the driving force behind the last 12 hours of my playthrough. It’s been much more rewarding than all the monster-culling🌼 and political intrigue (which is usually my favorite). A chance encounter led to a friendship that I’ll remember long after the main quest is done — if I ever finish it.