Dragon's Dogma 2: Best Starting Vocation

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has finally arrived, and we're all eager to dive into its expansive world, explore, and discover everything it has to offer. Like any other RPG, you start by customizing your character. Once you're satisfied with your character creation, you'll need to pick a starting vocation.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Beginner Tips

Is aught amiss, Arisen? Perhaps this advice may help.

You have four options to choose from: Fighter, Archer, Thief, or Mage. While all of them are valid choices, certain vocations will be more suited to your preferred gameplay style. Each starting vocation comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Let's break it all down for you to help you decide.

Fighter

The Fighter vocation embodies sheer strength, where you wield a sword and shield with prowess on the battlefield. It's the epitome of close-quarters combat, offering a balanced approach that combines offense and defense, mainly due to the effective use of the shield.

With its versatile fighting style, the Fighter excels in close combat engagements, allowing you to both deliver punishing blows and defend against incoming attacks.

The shield provides invaluable protection, allowing you to block and parry enemy strikes while maintaining a good offense.

However, the Fighter may encounter difficulties when facing flying enemies such as harpies or griffins. Engaging airborne adversaries requires creative tactics and strategic positioning, as the Fighter's strength lies primarily in ground-based combat.

Nevertheless, the Fighter serves as an excellent starting vocation, particularly for beginners seeking a straightforward combat experience. It provides a solid foundation for learning essential skills like blocking and countering attacks, while also offering the advantage of conserving health by effectively utilizing shields for defense.

Archer

The Archer stands as the antithesis to the Fighter, excelling at long-distance combat. Armed with a bow, they unleash precise attacks from afar, making it easy to target enemies' weak spots. Their skillset is perfect for creating openings for their companions at the vanguard to exploit.

With the ability to stay safe from a distance, Archers can land headshots for maximum damage, making them formidable assets on the battlefield.

However, while the Archer shines in open-world encounters, they face considerable challenges in close-range combat. Their lack of close-range abilities makes them vulnerable in confined spaces, such as caves.

In such environments, staying alert and maintaining distance from enemies becomes paramount for survival.

Despite these limitations, the Archer's vocation can be leveraged to gain an advantage in confined spaces. By minimizing direct engagement with enemies, dealing damage from a distance, and relying on their pawns to assist, Archers can still emerge victorious even in the depths of the underground.

Thief

The Thief is considered a more advanced vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2, requiring tactics and quick reflexes to master. Armed with daggers in both hands, Thieves excel in hit-and-run tactics, relying on their agility and precision rather than heavy armor to protect them from damage.

Knowing when to strike and when to slip away is key to their effectiveness on the battlefield.

One of the Thief's standout abilities is Swift Step, a remarkable skill that allows them to dodge enemies swiftly, either to evade danger when the situation turns dire or to create distance and regroup while conserving stamina.

While the Thief may not be the easiest vocation for beginners to grasp, once mastered, it can swiftly turn the tides of combat in your favor, making it a rewarding choice for those seeking a challenging and dynamic gameplay experience.

Mage

The Mage vocation is arguably one of the best starting options in the game. As the name suggests, it specializes in magick attacks from a distance and provides support to your party. Similar to the Archer, Mages excel at keeping their distance and are less effective in close combat.

However, they can later exploit elemental weaknesses of enemies, providing invaluable support to their party.

Among the basic abilities of the Mage is Curative Magick, which conjures a curative sigil, healing yourself and any allies within its range. This means you don't have to worry about constantly consuming potions or eating food to replenish health; you'll simply be able to use this ability when your health or your party's health is low, keeping everyone fighting fit.

While it may start out with limited basic attacks, the Mage truly shines as it progresses, unlocking more powerful spells and abilities.

Now that you know about all the starting vocations and what to expect from each one of them, our best advice is to pick the one that you like and enjoy according to your playstyle. Don't stress out too much about your choice, as you'll be able to change your vocation a few hours into the game for a cheap price.

As you progress, you'll unlock even more vocations, though it might not always be obvious how to do so.

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