Dragon’s Dogma 2 can be a little difficult for players to fully experience from just one playthrough of the game. No matter how much you explore, avoiding online spoilers left, right, and center, you are sure to miss out on at least a couple of questlines.

The game’s obtuse nature and lack of quest markers are designed for replay value, making New Game + a great way to experience new content tucked away in obscure corners of the Arisen’s world. As long as you know what to look for, sniffing these unique storylines out should be less puzzling this time around.

Unique, Meaningful, and Rewarding

One of the upsides to Dragon’s Dogma 2 keeping its best content well-hidden is that any progress you make, or gear you discover feels earned. It is a great way to make side content blend organically with the main narrative while also making your Arisen’s journey feel like an adventure from start to finish.

Let’s dive into a few quests that most new Arisen are likely to miss out on in their first playthrough of Dragon’s Dogma 2.

4. The Sphinx and the Game of Wits

The Sphinx can be very hard to miss, considering its proximity to the Checkpoint Rest Town, which you access quite early on in the story. Early on, the sight of a giant dragon at the Ancient Battlegrounds could be very daunting indeed. Turn back here, however, and you are missing out on a questline that could add a lot of value to the rest of your playthrough.

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It may be worth it to sneak around the Battlegrounds a bit and find the hidden path that leads you through a gauntlet of enemies, to the Mountain Shrine and the Sphinx at the end of it. It can be worth it to take on her Game of Wits sidequests, as they can net you valuable rewards like ferrystones, portcrystals, and the unmaking arrow. You could even grab an Eternal Wakestone from the Sphinx if you play your cards right!

Halfway through the mission, the Sphinx moves away to a second location called the Frontier Shrine so be on the lookout. It can also be a good idea to remember exactly where you pick up your first Seeker Token.

3. The Magick Archer Maister

If you, like us, accessed the Agamen Volcanic Islands through Drabnir’s Grotto, you should have encountered the elderly Dwarf Gautstafr and given him medicinal herbs in the side mission Put a Spring In Thy Step. He was most grateful and invited the Arisen over to his house for a reward.

It can be very easy to forget about this early encounter in one of the more difficult areas of the game but it can be worth your while to take the dwarf up on his invitation. Not only does it introduce you to his wife Cliodhna, but the events that follow allow you access to a whole new Vocation for the game, and possibly among the most devastating Weapon Skills you can find.

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The Magick Archer and its maister skill Martyr’s Bolt is a Vocation that can change how you play Dragon’s Dogma 2. What’s more, the place that this odd couple needs your help getting to is where you can find yet another Vocation for your Arisen, making this questline very rewarding indeed.

2. Sigurd and the Lesser Drake

While your Arisen encounters Sigurd quite early in the game, netting you the Mystic Spearhand Vocation as a result, he does vanish from events until you either discover his home in Harve Village or encounter him in southwestern Battahl at Dragonsbreath Tower.

Turns out he has hunted the Lesser Drake you fought together in Melve to the tower, a fact that the game does not attempt to tell you. If you are a fan of playing a Mystic Spearhand, this mission is worth your time, as Sigurd hands you the Paladin’s Enigmata upon its completion, while defeating the Lesser Drake nets you the Dead Ringer, one of the best duospears in the game.

The path to Dragonsbreath Tower also hides another interesting boss encounter, if you were wondering where Medusa from the game’s prologue wandered off to.

1. The Phantom Oxcart

This side quest is obtained by hanging around either Vernworth or Bakbattahl and listening to NPC chatter about a Phantom Oxcart that appears only at night.

While finding this oxcart may be as simple as heading to the marker at night, figuring out its destination may be harder to do. But its relevance to the main story makes this side quest a must-play for any Arisen looking to truly understand how they ended up at the slave encampment with other Pawns.

In addition to the loot you can grab off a corrupt guard, solving this mystery also nets you a sizeable reward from Captain Brandt and the Ring of Momentum which greatly boosts stamina for its wearer. That can be invaluable to Vocations like the Thief or Mystic Spearhand.

While the above storylines are definitely worth checking out, there are so many more hidden secrets for you to explore in Dragon’s Dogma 2. From little stories like Isaac’s search for a better life to complex narratives like the beggar from Vernworth, this is a game that’s meant to be explored – and every little secret uncovered.

Fortunately, we have a lot of guides and useful tips on the way that should make it easier for your Arisen. Stay tuned for more on Dragon’s Dogma 2 and the latest gaming news!