Pass me the hopium, because Dragon's Dogma 2 might be teasing its first DLC

Dragon's Dogma 2 had no respect for its players. I say that in the most complimentary way possible. Thanks to the lack of fast travel, you could get picked up by a Griffin and transported to its nest on the other side of the continent, forcing you to fight your way home through hordes of overleveled creatures. It had its downsides, too, but I respected what Capcom tried to do and, like many fans, was gutted when the developer didn't announce any DLC. However, our fortunes may be about to change.

Capcom released new artwork on social media to celebrate Dragon's Dogma 2's second anniversary. At first, it looks like a standard gathering in a Vernworth tavern, but countless conspiracy theories have emerged in the days since. Ever-excited to get caught up in a hopium-infused web, I've become obsessed with the teases, and fully believe that the fantasy game's first DLC is on the way.

The first interesting particular of the image is a character with their back turned to the camera. Players don't recognize their distinguishable ponytail, and why would Capcom put a random character in this image of fan favorites and important allies if they didn't have a role to play in the future?

Secondly, a self-professed "Dragon's Dogma lore fiend" known online as 'Chainsaw McFacepunch' translated the letter on the table. They believe that it says, "Sightings of griffins flying in from the northern region of Organ have been confirmed." While I haven't heard of the Organ region, a previous post on Dragon's Dogma 2 social media showed a griffin flying from snowy mountains which don't appear in the game.

Of course, this could just be a random Beastren added to the image and an assortment of letters put to paper, but together the two hints suggest that Capcom may know more than it's letting on. With a new expansion for Monster Hunter Wilds already confirmed this summer, could Capcom really be adding DLC to two of its games? I, for one, don't see why not.

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled at Summer Game Fest this year. While many players are asking for a Dark Arisen-style rework, this seems unlikely. Dark Arisen provided quality of life updates to the entire base game of the original Dragon's Dogma, as well as adding the Bitterblack Isle, a high-level area for players to explore and conquer. While this would undoubtedly be a welcome upgrade to Dragon's Dogma 2 (new enemy types would be especially refreshing), I think Capcom will test the waters with a smaller scope DLC before committing to such an overhaul.

Whether this DLC apes Dark Arisen or is a smaller affair - if it even exists at all. I'm just happy to get a chance to battle more griffins and explore a new area two years after the base game's release. Who knows, maybe we'll even get to cross the ocean after all this time?