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Even though the game puts extreme emphasis on party-based progression and gameplay, Dragon's Dogma 2 has absolutely no multiplayer of any sort. Instead, all the emphasis (as well as the game's sole social/online components) is centred around the so-called Pawns - special player-made NPCs that follow the player-controlled Arisen into battle.
Pawns are almost wholly unique to Dragon's Dogma due to their extreme reliance on the Arisen's strong willpower and mental acuity. These are, in more ways than usual, true NPCs that serve as the ultimate embodiment of the player's will. Pawns are essentially human-like Rift creatures, and as they're essentially unkillable, you can throw them into the meat grinder whenever needed. Useful stuff!
Down below, we've assembled a shortlist of key information about the Pawns, their functionality, and how to make the most of your squad in combat, so read up!
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What are the Pawns in Dragon's Dogma 2?
Dragon's Dogma 2 is almost impossible to play solo: Pawns are essentially the be-all-end-all to the game's combat system. They draw attention away from the Arisen, heal you up, literally catch you if you fall from up high, and generally help keep you alive. With that in mind, you absolutely do need a full four-man party of Pawns to make meaningful progress in the game, and balancing your squad depending on what you need is key.
Pawns do not have access to all of the game's Vocations, mind. Pawns can only be Archers, Fighters, Mages, Thieves, Sorcerers, and Warriors, with the remaining four Vocations (Magick Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Trickster, and Warfarer) being exclusive to the player-controlled Arisen.
Every Arisen (i.e. player) has their own unique, fully customized Main Pawn. All the other Pawns you come across are either pre-generated or sent into the Rift by other players. As such, this means you can always respawn your main Pawn, but also that if your other Pawns die, you'll either need to have favourited them beforehand, or hope that you find them again the next time you visit the Rift.
Dragon's Dogma 2 incentivises rotating your Pawns a fair bit. Not only to see what else is out there in the Rift, but also to stave off the effects of the ominous Dragonsplague, which is a huge issue in and of itself. So, aside from your main Pawn, be sure to take on other Pawns when the opportunity arises.
One more thing worth keeping an eye on are the Pawn Quests. These can give you all sorts of rare rewards, including the reviving Wakestones, and they're relatively simple and straightforward, with goals such as to take down a cyclops, for example.
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