Dragon's Dogma 2 is preparing to receive its first major expansion, and Capcom has confirmed that players who have reached the endgame will eventually have a new way to test their skills. A dedicated Hard Mode is in development for players who have reached, or are close to reaching, the game's level cap.

The information comes from a Q&A posted on the game's Steam page. Game director Kento Kinoshita confirmed that the team is working on a harder difficulty designed specifically for experienced players who have already mastered much of what the game has to offer.

"We're working on a Hard Mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap," Kinoshita said.

There is currently no release date for Hard Mode. Producer Naoto Oyama also confirmed that more information will be shared later, asking players to wait for further details about how the mode will work and when it will arrive.

The upcoming expansion itself is also expected to provide a stronger challenge than the original game. Dark Arisen will include two major pieces of expansion content called Forsaken Dominion and Lost Rites, both of which have been designed around tougher combat and more demanding encounters.

However, Capcom does not want the new content to become too difficult for players who are still working their way through the main game.

Kinoshita explained that the development team knows the Dragon's Dogma 2 community includes players at very different levels. Some will be starting the expansion shortly after beginning their adventure, while others will have already completed the game multiple times and reached the level cap.

Because of that, the developers are adjusting the difficulty so that the expansion can provide something for everyone.

Even on the standard difficulty, players should notice the challenge increasing as they progress through the expansion. Enemy encounters will become more difficult during the later sections, with the middle and final stages specifically balanced to remain interesting for players who have already reached the game's maximum stats.

That means players will not necessarily have to wait for Hard Mode to find challenging battles. The distinction is that the expansion's regular difficulty will gradually become harder as players progress, while the future Hard Mode will offer an additional challenge for those who want to push their characters even further.

This should be welcome news for players who have already spent a significant amount of time with Dragon's Dogma 2. The game is known for its sometimes unpredictable and demanding combat, with enemies capable of turning an otherwise simple encounter into a much bigger fight.

The first expansion is also expected to address some of the criticism surrounding the game since launch. Among the changes planned is the removal of some of the controversial microtransactions that became a major talking point when Dragon's Dogma 2 was released.

While those purchases did not have the same impact on gameplay as some of the criticism suggested, they still created negative attention around the game and affected its reputation among some players.

With Dark Arisen now on the way, Capcom appears to be focusing more heavily on the game's long-term appeal. The expansion will give newer players additional content to explore while also offering experienced players tougher battles and new challenges.

For players who have already reached the level cap, however, the eventual Hard Mode could be the most exciting addition. There is still no release window for it, but Capcom has confirmed that development is underway.

Until then, players can look forward to the expansion's own increasing difficulty, which should provide plenty of challenging fights even without the extra punishment that Hard Mode is expected to bring.