If you've been keeping up with the latest Dragon's Dogma 2 discourse, chances are, you've already heard of Dragonsplague. The contagious in-game illness, which can spread from Pawn to Pawn between players' games, has become a major talking point solely due to how severe its consequences can be if left unchecked.
Namely, if you fail to deal with the disease fast enough, it can result in a town's entire NPC population getting wiped out overnight. So yeah, it's a bit extreme. Needless to say, ever since it was highlighted, most players have been on the lookout for any signs of their Pawns coming down with the illness. Red, glowing eyes are a dead giveaway, and you might also notice them suffering from headaches or becoming disobedient all of a sudden. At that point, there's one very easy solution – throw them into the Brine.
Not everyone is on board with this approach, however. On Reddit, we've already seen rise to a group of satirical "anti-Briners" who insist that Dragonsplague is all a hoax. If your Pawn has red eyes, they say, they're probably just tired and could benefit from a good night's rest at an inn… in a densely populated town (please don't actually do this).
"Dragonsplague is a hoax," one proclaims. "First and foremost I am a proud anti-Briner. The Brine is the devil and should be avoided at all costs. If a Pawn gets red eyes, starts getting headaches, and disobeys orders, THEY ARE FINE. All you need to do is put them together with other Pawns without red eyes. This so-called 'plague party' will up their natural immunity to any illnesses (not that Dragonsplague is real in the first place)."
Furthermore, they suggest that once all the Pawns' eyes become red, you can "safely dismiss them back to their masters where they can continue doing the lord's work in building up other Pawns' natural immunity to diseases." Ironically, infecting another Pawn is genuinely one way to get rid of Dragonsplague, but it's far less safe than just dismissing them if they're hired from someone else, or throwing them into the Brine and then resummoning them if they're your main Pawn.
Dragon's Plague is a hoax from r/DragonsDogma
Obviously, it's all a big sarcastic joke, but others are joining in on the bit, too: "OP doesn't understand that everyone has red eyes when tired. A good night of sleep in Vermund's inn is the only valid solution," a Reddit user adds.
"If a Pawn has red eyes and a headache, then they clearly need a sleep. A nice comfy bed, not a campsite," another agrees.
"Let me just tell you that I am an experienced Arisen, who [happens] to know about a very good cure for so-called 'Dragonsplague,' all [that] must be done is the Arisen and all his Pawns must eat Rotten Scrag of [Beast], cooked at the Grass-Patterned Camp. And allow it to work its magic, there is no need for such extreme measures as Brine baths or similar nonsense," suggests another.
Again, it's worth reiterating that Dragonsplague is a very real mechanic that you'll almost certainly want to be wary of unless you really want to see the consequences of it play out first-hand. If you do, be mindful that quest-giving NPCs will be killed alongside all the others, which could prevent you from completing certain quests. Some players have claimed that towns have gradually repopulated a while after the Dragonsplague disaster strikes, and Wakestones can be used to individually revive NPCs, too, but all in all, it's definitely best to try avoiding it altogether.
If you want to travel across water without getting killed by the Brine, be sure to check out our guide to crossing water in Dragon's Dogma 2.
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