Dragon's Dogma 2: Brine lore explained & why swimming is dangerous

The Brine is one of the first enemies players are introduced to in Dragon’s Dogma 2, though they might not realize it, and it’s going to be a pain for the entire game.

If you haven’t played the original Dragon’s Dogma, then you might not know that The Brine is an enemy that spans both games. It’s been part of the lore of this world since ancient times, long before players began their stories. For me, that makes it even more terrifying because somehow it’s managed to avoid being killed for what must be thousands of years, to the point where civilization simply coexists with monsters that will kill anything that ventures into deep water. This is the lore of The Brine and an explanation for why you shouldn’t go swimming in Dragon’s Dogma 2.

What is The Brine in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

The Brine is the name used to describe red, mist-like creatures that live in every deep body of water in the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. They band together and pull anyone unlucky enough to venture too deep into a lake, river, or the sea under and drown them. If you’re a Pawn, you’re simply sent back to the Rift, but the Arisen won’t die unless their health is incredibly low. Instead, they wake up on a nearby shoreline sometime later.

In the original Dragon’s Dogma, The Brine could posses people and cause them to walk deeper into whatever water they’d been caught in. However, in Dragon’s Dogma 2, The Brine looks to be forming large tentacles that slowly drags victims underwater without using possession at all.

If you’re walking along a shallow shoreline or stream, you should be able to avoid The Brine. These creatures can only exist in deep water, which makes me think of them as extensions of one massive being. It’s a very Lovecraftian concept, but I imagine a giant octopus with tentacles stretching out to each continent and many more coming off it to move up every deep body of water in the world. That’s just me, though.

The Brine is useful in one way. Players like to use it to kill their Pawns if they get the Dragonsplague. This disease can destroy a playthrough, so it’s a good idea to use The Brine to destroy a Pawn by launching them into the water when their eyes turn red and they start to ket twitchy sword fingers.

Why is The Brine only found in deep water in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

We don’t know why The Brine only exists in deep bodies of water in Dragon’s Dogma 2. It’s possible that they live at the bottom of lakebeds and the sea, avoiding sunlight, and shallow water simply doesn’t offer the kind of environment they like. It could also be that they’re linked to the sea somehow, and without that depth, they’re unable to move up and occupy certain waters.

Can you use The Brine to kill enemies in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

Yes, you can absolutely use The Brine to kill enemies in Dragon’s Dogma 2. I’ve done this multiple times, kiting enemies from where they lay in wait to chase me across deep rivers that I leap across. When they fall into the water, The Brine takes them just as it takes Pawns. This is a great way to kill annoying enemies like Saurians, who just take too many hits to kill in groups.