Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mod Introduces Path Tracing for Enhanced Graphics

A recent mod for Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PC has unveiled a hidden path tracer in Capcom’s code, enhancing the game’s visuals with real-time path-traced lighting, shadows, and reflections. Developed by EXXXCellent, the Graphics Suite Alpha mod can be downloaded from Nexus Mods and offers a closer look at the game’s potential graphical capabilities.

Installation and Setup

To install the mod, users will need to download the most recent REFramework tool from Github and extract it into the game’s installation directory. Afterwards, adding the mod’s Lua script to the autorun folder will grant players access to a range of additional options related to ray tracing and path tracing within the game.

Enhanced Visuals with Path Tracing

Enabling path tracing provides a significant boost in material and lighting detail compared to the standard ray-traced global illumination (RTGI). The path tracer offers options for per-pixel or four-samples-per-pixel granularity, each impacting performance accordingly. The addition of path tracing improves the game’s textures, reflections, and shadows, providing a more realistic and immersive visual experience.

One of the key enhancements path tracing brings to the game is the inclusion of specular light paths, creating more realistic reflections on various surfaces such as armor. Additionally, path-traced shadows offer higher detail and accuracy compared to standard shadow mapping, enhancing the overall visual quality of the game world.

Drawbacks and Performance Impact

Despite the visual improvements, the lack of a denoiser in the mod results in noticeable film grain artifacts throughout the game. Furthermore, the performance impact of path tracing on hardware is significant, with varying frame rates depending on the level of granularity and bounces set in the mod.

While the mod showcases the potential of real-time path tracing in Dragon’s Dogma 2, it also highlights certain drawbacks such as shadow inconsistencies and performance limitations. However, the mod serves as a glimpse into what the game could achieve with official path tracing support from Capcom.

Future Possibilities and Community Contributions

While official implementation by the game’s developers may be unlikely, modders continue to push the boundaries of visual enhancements in games. With passionate community members dedicated to improving the gaming experience, there is potential for further developments in path tracing mods for Dragon’s Dogma 2 and other titles.