Dragon's Dogma 2 Endings: How Many and How to Get All

Dragon's Dogma 2 has five endings. The base game has three: flee the Dragon, beat it and take the throne, or sacrifice yourself with the Empowered Godsbane Blade to reach the Unmoored World. Dark Arisen adds two more in Norgan. Two further choices give game-over cutscenes rather than endings.

How Many Endings Does Dragon's Dogma 2 Have?

Most guides agree on three base-game endings; a few split the coronation into sub-endings, because sitting on the throne and walking away pay out differently. The expansion adds two endings of its own, plus two game-over cutscenes.

The Base Game's Three Endings and What Triggers Them

Everything is decided in Legacy. The Dragon has taken the character with the highest affinity to your Arisen hostage and offers terms: fight for that person, or walk away and condemn them. Attacking puts you on the Dragon's back for the flight to the arena.

Official source: Dragon's Dogma 2 official site

Endgame fights assume a level 45-plus Arisen, and level 60-plus for every Unmoored World trial.

Flee or Take the Throne: The Two Coronation Endings

Walking away is the fastest ending in the game, and the one most players hit by accident.

1. In Legacy, when the Dragon finishes its offer, walk away instead of attacking.
2. When it asks again whether you are certain, choose Yes.
3. Let the coronation at Vernworth Castle Hall play out and the credits roll.

The hostage dies and you are crowned Sovran of Vermund anyway, so this is not a failure screen. Published walkthroughs disagree about whether this branch grants Peace, so treat Peace as the coronation trophy rather than a per-ending label.

The throne path runs like this:

1. Attack the Dragon at Moonglint Tower to start the flight.
2. Stay seated during the ride. Do not open your inventory or touch the Godsbane Blade.
3. Defeat the Dragon in the arena. Head and heart are the weak points, and the heart opens only briefly.
4. At Vernworth Castle Hall, walk to the throne and sit on it until the credits finish and the screen fades.

Sitting on the throne unlocks Peace. Standing around still rolls credits without a trophy, and nothing is lost, because loading your last save returns you to the throne room. A blue-glowing figure waits there too: talk to him at the throne, then again in the crowd, and the game rewinds you to the dragon ride. That rewind is how you reach the true ending without a second playthrough.

True Ending: The Empowered Godsbane Blade and the Unmoored World

This ending is an item check, not a dialogue option. Without the Empowered Godsbane Blade you ride the Dragon to its death and get the standard ending.

1. Get the blade first: Ambrosius empowers the Dulled Godsbane Blade once you deliver 15 Wyrmslife Crystals, which drop from drakes, during the main quest A New Godsway.
2. In Legacy, attack the Dragon so the flight begins.
3. While riding, climb along its back to the orange glowing heart on its belly.
4. Open your inventory, select the Empowered Godsbane Blade, and use it on yourself while you hold on over the heart.
5. Let the scene play. You and the Dragon fall into the Brine, you wake in the Unmoored World, the Dragon's Dogma 2 trophy unlocks, and the title screen logo changes.

The Unmoored World is one-way: the sea drains away, oxcarts stop running, and your main pawn is missing until you finish Dreams Apart. Progress runs on red beacons and a countdown that only advances when you rest.

Community testing puts the first land losses at around four rests, so do not sleep just to heal. Clearing all four trials earns The Hero, evacuating Vernworth, Bakbattahl and Sacred Arbor earns The Guardian, and finishing earns Closure. The final red beacon at Seafloor Shrine ends the game the moment you touch it, so leave it for last.

Dark Arisen's Two Endings: Spare the Corpse, Then Kill Satanachia

The expansion's endings hang on one moment in The Castle in the Ice, inside Lorade Castle in the Snowfall Valley Cavity. Eir leads you to an armored body on a throne, names it as Ser Rovall, and warns that the remains hold his life force, so destroying them makes a return to human form impossible. Ser Rovall was the Fallen Dragon all along.

Steps for the expansion's true ending:

1. Choose Agree not to harm the corpse and play on to Reunion, where you put the Fallen Dragon down. That unlocks the normal ending: you wake at the Norgandian Settlement to a sky reduced to a black disc.
2. Talk to Polyeidus at Castletown Campground in Norgan. He ties the endless night to Niflhel and sends you to Abyss Ridge.
3. Head to Abyss Ridge in north-east Norgan, beside the chasm marked Niflhel Opening. The Pathfinder hands you the Soulless Godsbane Blade.
4. Use the Eye of the Sphinx to mark Rancor's Vortexes, then dispel them until the log reads You acquired the Blade of Rancor. Each one throws a wave of large monsters at you.
5. Return to Abyss Ridge, use the Proffer the blade prompt at the cliff edge, and jump into Niflhel.
6. In Niflhel Depth, fight Satanachia, the three-eyed Thane of Darkness. Win without dying, because losing here triggers the second cutscene.

Official source: Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen official site

The expansion adds six new trophies and achievements, and it starts mid-campaign: talk to Captain Brant in Vernworth at night, as covered in how to start Dark Arisen. Norgan assumes level 40 gear, matching the Dark Arisen level requirements, and the red light in Eir's eyes once the Godsbane comes free is Dragonsplague, the same mechanic that can hollow out your pawns in the Dragonsplague guide. The Steam store page lists the expansion price.

Ending Order: How to See Them All on One Save

1. Save before the lock: inn rest in A New Godsway before handing over the crystals, and copy your save files. Capcom's official web manual documents the slot types.
2. Take the standard ending first, sit on the throne for Peace, and let the credits finish.
3. From the title screen pick Load from Last Save, not New Game Plus, to return to the throne room.
4. Talk to the blue-glowing figure beside the throne, then in the crowd, to rewind to the dragon ride, and take the Unmoored World route.
5. In the Unmoored World, clear the four trials before you rest, evacuate the three cities, and touch the final beacon at Seafloor Shrine last.
6. For Dark Arisen, destroy the corpse on a spare attempt for the first cutscene, then reload and spare it. Finish Reunion, then run Into Rancor and kill Satanachia.

If Brant never offers the night-time prompt or a Norgan door stays sealed, see the troubleshooting guide.

FAQ

How many endings does Dragon's Dogma 2 have?

Five: three in the base game, meaning flee the Dragon, take the throne, or reach the Unmoored World, and two in Dark Arisen, meaning the normal ending and the true ending after Satanachia. Two further choices give game-over cutscenes, not endings.

Can I see every ending in one playthrough?

The base game's three fit on one save: sit on the throne for Peace, then load your last save and use the Pathfinder in the throne room to rewind to the dragon ride. The Unmoored World is one-way, so reload an inn save from before the ending to clean up. Dark Arisen needs two trips through The Castle in the Ice unless you reload.

Do I need the Empowered Godsbane Blade for the true ending?

Yes. Without it you cannot trigger the self-sacrifice on the Dragon's back, and you get the standard ending instead. You get it in A New Godsway by handing 15 Wyrmslife Crystals from drakes to Ambrosius.

Is there a bad ending in Dark Arisen?

No. Destroying Ser Rovall's corpse ends the tale early, and dying to Satanachia in Into Rancor plays a special cutscene; both are game-over cutscenes, not endings.

Related Guides

• Dark Arisen DLC Guide — what the expansion adds before you commit to Norgan.
• How to Start Dark Arisen — Brant's night-time prompt and the first links of the chain.
• Dark Arisen Level Requirements — the levels the trials and Norgan expect.
• Save Location and Backup Guide — keep a clean rollback point before the lock-in.
• Troubleshooting Common Issues — fixes when the expansion will not start.