Capcom have announced that following gamers opinions, they are moving away from on disc DLC. because this move is recent, games that have been in development for a long time will still have on disc DLC. Dragon's Dogma was specifically mentioned as one of these games. Capcom haven't revaled what they will do instead, but the Capcom Senior VP Christian Svensson said this regarding on disc DLC on the Ask Capcom Thread...
Hey guys,
We've
been getting several questions, here and elsewhere about the future
of on-disc DLC.
We would like to assure
you that we have been listening to your comments and as such have
begun the process of re-evaluating how such additional game content
is delivered in the future. As this process has only just commenced
in the past month or so, there will be some titles, where development
began some time ago and that are scheduled for release in the coming
months, for which we are unable to make changes to the way some of
their post release content is delivered.
One such title
is Dragon’s Dogma, where the decision to include some additional
(but not all planned additional) game content for the game on disc
was made at the beginning of the game’s development cycle as at the
time this was determined to be the most efficient way of ensuring
certain content was made available. Owners of Dragon’s Dogma will
be able to further their gameplay experience with the release of
additional quests, weapons and other items in the months following
the game going on sale.
Dragon’s Dogma’s
post-launch content will extend the lifespan of a title that
already offers around 30-40 hours of gameplay by following the main
story thread, but if a player was to complete all the side quests
Dragon’s Dogma ships with, that increases to around 100 hours.
Players will also be able to add to the stock of 100s of weapons and
1,000s of customization options to create not only their ideally
equipped, but also their most elaborately designed character.
Just
wanted people to know in advance the whys, wherefores and where we're
going in the future. You are being heard. Thanks.
Source:
Capcom Unity
The Map above is Unova from Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2. interestingly, under the ice you can just make out landmarks which leads me to suspect that the ice may recede later in the game. 
