Back in Dragon's Dogma 2 for Dark Arisen

It's been a few months since I last fired up Dragon's Dogma 2. It's always been a game I can come back to. The action is fun, the world is pretty, and while many of the characters and side-stories are vapid, there's some aspects of the world building and story philosophy that are oddly compelling. I returned this weekend for a special occasion: the release of the Dark Arisen DLC. After a few years of silence, Capcom quietly announced the Dark Arisen DLC and, fortunately for me, it released just in time for my long weekend. Dark Arisen brings us to the frozen and seemingly abandoned lands of Norgan. We won't have to just contend with monsters here: the weather can be just as deadly as the local wildlife, and multiple NPCs (including pawns - your summoned NPC party members) inform you of this fact. Norgan is a harshly beautiful place The DLC wastes little time throwing you into danger. I landed in the woods at twilight. The harsh wind was bringing with it a blizzard as the light was…