DRAGON'S DOGMA 2's Unfinished Path-Tracing Feature now Accessible through Mod

Dragon's Dogma 2 fans have discovered a hidden path-tracing feature within the game, and modders have developed a way to activate it. Although originally not an official part of the gameplay experience, the mod that enables path tracing can significantly improve visual fidelity, enhancing realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows. While the effects look stunning, they also impact the game's performance quite significantly.

Tests conducted with the mod indicate a noticeable drop in frames per second (FPS) when path tracing is enabled. Running on advanced hardware like the Geforce RTX 4090 graphics card and with 4K DLSS performance mode, standard gameplay maintained approximately 105 FPS. However, with path tracing activated, FPS dipped to 93, and further increasing the sample per pixel count resulted in a reduction to as low as 20 FPS when additional bounces were added. While this might deter players looking for smoother gameplay, those aiming to capture high-quality screenshots may find the mod particularly useful. For now, it seems that enjoying the path-tracing mod comes at the cost of performance, but future optimizations by the modding community might improve this.

How does path tracing affect Dragon's Dogma 2's performance?

Enabling path tracing in Dragon's Dogma 2 significantly enhances visual elements like lighting and reflections but dramatically reduces the game's performance. FPS can drop from a smooth 105 FPS down to 20 FPS, depending on graphics settings and in-game action.

Background Information:

Dragon's Dogma 2 is an action role-playing game developed and published by Capcom, which serves as a sequel to the original Dragon's Dogma released in 2012. The franchise is known for its expansive open-world gameplay, deep combat system, and the Pawn system which allows players to recruit AI-controlled companions. The discovery of this path-tracing feature and the subsequent modding efforts reflect the game's active and engaged community, always looking to enhance the gaming experience. This level of customization and optimization is part of what keeps the fanbase dedicated and contributes to the longevity of games like Dragon's Dogma 2.