Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Guide | How to Identify a Pawn With Dragonsplague

Here's a guide on how to identify a pawn with Dragonsplague.

Game Guide by Rubaiyat Shihab on Oct 11, 2026

Dragonsplague spreads between pawns, and a pawn with it can destroy a town if it reaches the last stage. You have to find infected pawns yourself, since the game gives only one warning. This guide covers the signs you can check in Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen first pop up

The First Warning

The first time you meet the plague, a pop-up tells you that Dragonsplague is contagious and spreads between pawns in the same party. You often see this when you check pawns in the Rift and bring one into your party. After that, no pop-up appears, so you have to watch for the signs.

Behavior

An infected pawn ignores commands. A pawn normally answers and acts at once, and an infected one does not. The dialogue changes, and the pawn speaks in a rude and blunt way. You may also see pain in the animations, such as the pawn holding its head.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Fighting

The Eyes

The eyes of the pawn glow red, and the glow grows as the illness advances. Update 2024 made the glow easier to see. If you are not sure, enter photo mode and look at the eyes.

Status Screen

Open the status screen of the pawn. An infected pawn shows raised stats, which gives you another way to check.

Combat Changes

An infected pawn deals more damage. In the expansion, it can also stun large enemies by hitting their legs, attack small enemies for a limited time without using stamina, and make stunned enemies lose balance more easily. When the pawn is down, its loss gauge drops at a much slower rate.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen The Final Stage

The Final Stage

The plague does not cause a calamity at once. You can travel with the pawn through several rests. At the last stage, the next rest ends in disaster. A cutscene plays with the pawn first, and a pop-up tells you what happened afterward.