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Among the many enigmatic figures that inhabit the world ofDragon’s Dogma 2, the one that seems the most important (yet still shrouded in mystery) is the Pathfinder. This ghostly hooded man demonstrates powers beyond imagination, and seems, at first, to be on your side.
And if you take the Good Ending, that is all he’ll be. But on the path towards the True Ending, the Pathfinder shows its true colors, becoming antagonistic as you attempt to be free from his control, so who really is this ghostly apparition, and why can’t anyone else see him?
As expected, spoilers ahead!
Who Is The Pathfinder?
Most of the information anyone can gather about the Pathfinder comes either from the man himself, or fromconversations with Rothais, the Mad Sovran. Both of these sources paintthe Pathfinder as an agent of the Great Will, either as a simple servant or as an architect that directs it.
The Great Will can be interpreted as a singular entity that created the world of the game, or as the will of the people that longs to survive.
The goal of the Pathfinder is to extend the cycle in perpetuity, alleging that without it the world would fall into oblivion. So to understand the Pathfinder, we first need to understand what the cycle is, and what he means by oblivion.
The Cycle Of The Dragon’s Dogma
The cycle involves havingthe Dragon rampage through the continent until it can choose a worthy mortal to be the Arisen.Said Arisen journeys around the world aided by the Pawns, until they areready to face the Dragon in mortal combat.
If the Arisen dies or flees, the Dragon eventually looks for someone else, but if they win,they become Sovran of Vermundandrule the land in peace. It is likely that the Dragon rises again when the Sovran dies for whatever reason, looking for a new Arisen to take its place.
You can still become Sovran if you let the Dragon live, although that would likely lead to the Dragon rampaging again looking for a new Arisen.
The Pathfinder claims that this cycle is needed to stop the world from falling into oblivion.But if you ask the people living in that world, the cycle is the source of all their problems, putting random people on the throne and having villages regularly torched by an unstoppable Dragon.
The Meaning Of Oblivion
So what exactly is the Pathfinder referring to when he talks about oblivion? A clue to this is given when youfirst land in the Unmoored world, since herethe Pathfinder tells you that this world will soon fall into oblivion — it no longer worthy of being chronicled.
With that sentence,we can interpret oblivion not as a cataclysmic event, but as something being forgotten.Consider this: the end of the world isn’t happening due to you not stopping the Dragon, butbecause the Pathfinder wished it to end.
What Is The Goal Of The Pathfinder?
What the Pathfinder really wants is to tell a never-ending story.The cycle is meant to create a constant flux of monsters and heroes, making a world with stories worth telling, something that will be chronicled forever more.
To that end,he traps everyone on this continent using the Brine, making the land a stage where he can see the play unfold. When you see him sitting at your coronation in the Good Ending, he’s simplyenjoying the show as the audience, hence why he acts surprised if you approach him.
He pushes you towards the Good Ending, aiding you as a Deus Ex Machinawhenever possible. When you talk to him during the coronation, he can send you back in time to see the fight against the Dragon once again, but you aren’t meant to break the cycle.
