The highly anticipated sequel to Dragon’s Dogma, Dragon’s Dogma 2, has been released. Powered by the RE Engine, it’s time to benchmark it and examine its performance on the PC platform.
For our benchmarks, we used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 32GB of DDR5 at 6000Mhz, AMD’s Radeon RX580, RX Vega 64, RX 6900XT, RX 7900XTX, NVIDIA’s GTX980Ti, RTX 2080Ti, RTX 3080 and RTX 4090. We also used Windows 10 64-bit, the GeForce 551.86, and the Radeon Adrenalin Edition 24.3.1 drivers. Moreover, we’ve disabled the second CCD on our 7950X3D.
Capcom has added numerous graphics settings to tweak. PC gamers can adjust the quality of Ambient Occlusion, Anti-Aliasing, Textures, Grass/Trees and more. At launch, the game also supports AMD FSR 3.0 Super Resolution and NVIDIA DLSS 3 Super Resolution. There is also a setting for Ray Tracing. As we’ve said, though, there isn’t support yet for Frame Generation.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 does not feature any built-in benchmark tool. So, for our benchmarks, we’ve tested the Vernworth capital city. This appears to be one of the most demanding areas of the entire game. As such, it will give us a pretty good idea of how the rest of the game runs. For our GPU benchmarks, we used the following sequence. For our CPU tests, we used the game’s tavern. The tavern has a lot of NPCs and appears to be the most CPU-heavy area.
To see how the game runs with different types of CPUs, we simulated dual-core, quad-core, and hexa-core CPUs. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one of the few games that can fully max out 8 CPU cores/threads.
The game requires at least a modern-day quad-core CPU with Hyper-Threading/SMT. Anything other than that and you’ll be getting a lot of stuttering issues. Hell, even our simulated six-core CPU had noticeable stutters. Just look at the frametime graphs. On the left, we have the game running with six CPU cores, and on the right we have the game running with all eight CPU cores.
In short, yes. What you’ve heard about Dragon’s Dogma 2 is true. This is a really CPU-heavy title, and you will need a top-of-the-line CPU. Capcom is currently looking into improving its CPU performance, so hopefully, things will get better. And no, from what we’ve seen, the game does not justify these enormous CPU requirements. Oh, and for those wondering, the game defaults on the second CCD (which does not have access to the 3D V-cache) on the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D. So, make sure to disable CCD1 on that specific CPU.
As we’ve already reported, there is a DLSS 3 Frame Generation Mod that you can download. This can noticeably improve performance in these CPU-heavy areas on high-end CPUs that are equipped with an RTX40 series GPU. However, we don’t recommend using it. You see, for the DLSS 3 Mod to work, you MUST enable DLSS 3 Super Resolution. And right now, the DLSS 3 Super Resolution implementation in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the worst I’ve ever seen.
Here are two screenshots. On the left, we have DLAA (the game does not support it but you can force it via the NVIDIA Inspector Tool), and on the right we have TAA. As you can easily see, TAA looks miles better and sharper than DLAA. I don’t know how Capcom has managed to f’k it up. From what we know, the team is working with NVIDIA to improve DLSS. So, until they fix these awful image quality issues, we suggest avoiding it like the plague.
At 1080p/Max Settings/No Ray Tracing, a lot of GPUs can actually run Dragon’s Dogma 2 with 60fps. Right now, the game runs better on AMD’s hardware. I was also impressed with the performance of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 which came close to a 60fps experience.
At 1440p/Max Settings/No RT, only our top four GPUs were able to push constant 60fps at all times. However, it appears that the resolution increase also affects the CPU performance in Dragon’s Dogma 2. This is something we also saw in Forza Horizon 5. So, be sure to keep that in mind. Raising your resolution will also have an impact on your CPU performance.
At Native 4K/Max Settings/No RT, the only GPUs that can provide a somehow smooth experience are the AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. However, the RTX4090 also drops to 52fps in the tavern (which is the most CPU-taxing area). So no, right now there isn’t any GPU that can brute-force its way at 4K for constant 60fps in all areas at all times (without using the DLSS 3 Frame Generation Mod).
Graphics-wise, Dragon’s Dogma 2 looks fine. Capcom has used a lot of high-resolution textures, and there are some amazing wind and physics effects. The game also greatly benefits from RTGI, and we highly recommend using it as it can improve the game’s visuals. Seriously, the biggest issue right now with DD2 is not its graphics but its tremendously huge CPU requirements.
Before closing, I should note that the KB&M controls feel really weird in this game. It appears that Capcom has used different sensitivity values for the X and Y axes. As such, the camera movement feels weird. All of the previous Resident Evil games, which used RE Engine, didn’t suffer from this issue so I don’t know what the developers were smoking. What I know is that at lower mouse DPI settings, the mouse movement feels weird.
All in all, Dragon’s Dogma 2 needs a lot of work. Yes, owners of high-end PC systems will be able to brute-force their way (especially with the DLSS 3 Frame Generation Mod). However, the game suffers from so many issues. From the awful DLSS 3 Super Resolution implementation to the ridiculously high CPU requirements and the weird mouse controls, this feels like an unpolished game that needed more time in the oven. Let’s at least hope that Capcom will fix these issues via post-launch updates!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
Contact: Email
What’s telling about the CPU scaling graph is that the minimum framerate doesn’t improve at all past 4 cores and 8 threads, even though average framerate does:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c3ce19fce41ca5379a1f6d45bb3e7d893dcd8318361ab1516e5ebbc6adb65a9d.png
Really makes you wonder what on earth are they doing with all that CPU power at their disposal…
Denuvo has entered the chat.
Denuvo doesn’t have that significant of CPU usage, unless the game devs really screwed something up. Not that I’m OK with them using it in any way, shape, or form. I happen to hate DRM, but it’s important to understand it’s capabilities and limitations, and not just blame it for every problem a game has.
Ironically enough, the last time this happened, it was because of Capcom’s own anti-tamper tech, not Denuvo. Why Capcomp might need two forms of DRM is beyond me though…
3, they use one for mods as well.
We don’t know if that’s the case… but considering what the games gfx is and knowing it have several layers of drm… I would not be surprised if the layered drm package are a big part of the lackluster performance – Along with a lack of optimization.
well in bethesda games cpu is important because the more objects and npcs you have the worse the performance is, so they tried to do open world and the city areas are very cpu intensive.
lol yeah I have 4c/8t and laugh a lot w those graphs. I remember back when everyone was like oh you going to regret that choice saving some bucks because “xyz”. It’s been vram and sysram too, oh you need 500gb xram for xyz lmao A 4c/8t modern system is way more powerful than what they mean by a cor2quad or even years older i5/7 w 4c/8t it’s just a name. The marketing hypenotism is a real disease today and for a long time.
As of today, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is still the best selling PC game because spineless Capcom fans are buying this garbage in droves.
Developers have taken notice they can get away with this.
So get ready for the new normal on PC:
$80-$90 unoptimized PC games with even more microtransactions and even more aggressive DRM.
Based on those screenshots lighting in what looks to be cutscenes look good, everything else almost looks 10 years old.
IMO – The game screenshots are on pair with skyrim and a few gfx overhaul mods slapped on. And if the reports are accurate, skyrim runs far better too. That said i bet the combat in skyrim is on the weaker side 🙂
A highly commendable educational game aimed at fostering public awareness regarding albinism.
Funny stuff. Better remember to put in a
/s
or some people will take it seriously.
leftists with autism actually.
As of today, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is still the best selling PC game because spineless Capcom fans are buying this garbage in droves.
Developers have taken notice they can get away with this.
So get ready for the new normal on PC:
$80-$90 unoptimized PC games with even more microtransactions and even more aggressive DRM.
Yep, we can complain all we want about unoptimized trash on release day but the masses still pre-order / purchase day one full price, they are to blame as they are signalling to devs and publishers that this is acceptable.
I gave up buying games day one since CP2077 release now I always wait 6-12 months for the development to complete and 15 patches later pick up discounted.
Yeah they even give companies like Capcom a thumbs up to MT save slot’s. Brainless zombies & greedy suits are to blame for where part of the gaming industry is going currently.
VERY disgusting people indeed!
Holy crap this looks like sht
I don’t frequent this site very often anymore, but it looks like it’s become an Onion alternative. Thank you for the laughs Johnny.
Oh, I remember you very well, you are one of the site’s oldest members! You even had your current name since Voksi’s day. Sad how piracy has reached its peak in 2017 and has been going all downhill since then.
Capcom games are like smaller confined levels in RE not huge open world ones so yeah no surprise they messed up in this one. It’s like go one way or another, small levels handcrafted or a big ole online mtxathon sheesh. This is like ferrari making suvs because it’s a bigger market just for the money but they then just turn into another automaker with budget, midrange and perf-enthusiast tiers. The purosangue is cool but come on, yeah that’s for “sports utility” out in the offroad, for oil sheiks and banksters.
Your blog is a dazzling oasis in the desert of online content, offering readers a refreshing escape into a world of beauty and inspiration. With each artfully crafted post, you paint a vivid picture that transports us to new heights of imagination and wonder. Keep creating your masterpiece and dazzling us with your creativity!
Your writing is not only informative but also incredibly engaging. You have a gift for making complex topics accessible to your readers. Keep up the phenomenal work!
Someone who got an early review copy showed reviewers were WELL AWARE BEFORE LAUNCH that the game would have microtransactions.
But reviewers kept it a secret, likely to stay in Capcom’s good graces. Of the 54 or so reviews, only 2 mentioned it.
Here is the image he shared, where Capcom provided a review guide so reviewers could see the type of microtransactions that would be added at launch.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4507dd8837ea01ee86923934686635848e11db7c0145b0433e0cdb8c03596054.png
Yeah it’s a complete disgrace that it isn’t mentioned – Especially as its more of a microtransaction launcher than a game with that lack of performance.
Your blog stands out as a shining example of excellence in content creation. Your dedication to providing valuable insights and thought-provoking commentary is commendable. Keep up the outstanding work!
Excellent blog here Also your website loads up very fast What web host are you using Can I get your affiliate link to your host I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Wonderful web site Lots of useful info here Im sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious And obviously thanks to your effort