Look, picking your first Vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2 is actually a lot more stressful than it needs to be. You're standing there in the character creator, looking at these four basic options, and you feel like you're locking yourself into a 100-hour commitment. You aren't. Not even close. Capcom’s sequel is weirdly flexible about how it handles Dragon's Dogma 2 classes, and if you treat this like a standard Western RPG where you "main" a single role from level 1 to level 50, you’re basically playing the game wrong.
The game wants you to be a chameleon. It demands it.
I've spent dozens of hours climbing onto griffins' backs and getting kicked off cliffs by saurians. What I've realized is that the community often focuses way too much on "best DPS" and not enough on how these classes actually interact with the physics engine. Because in this game, physics is the real final boss.
The Starter Four Aren't Just Tutorials
Most people see the Fighter, Archer, Thief, and Mage as the "boring" options you discard the second you unlock the hybrid stuff. That's a mistake.
The Thief is, frankly, broken in the best way possible. If you’ve played the first game, you remember the Strider. The Thief takes that DNA and turns it into a literal whirlwind. Use the "Skull Splitter" skill. Seriously. It turns your Arisen into a vertical saw blade that shreds through health bars. It’s not just about the damage, though. It’s about the fact that the Thief has some of the best survivability in the game thanks to the "Swift Step" dodge. It’s snappy. It’s mean. It feels like playing a character from an entirely different, faster action game.
Then there’s the Fighter. People call it "the tank." Boring, right? Wrong. Being a Fighter in Dragon's Dogma 2 is about the visceral satisfaction of a perfect parry. When you time a shield block against a charging Minotaur and see that stagger animation, you feel like a god. Plus, the "Launchboard" skill allows you to literally catapult your Pawns onto a monster’s face. It turns the battlefield into a playground.
Mages are the backbone. You need one. Don’t try to play without one unless you enjoy carrying 400 pounds of curative potions. But don't mistake "support" for "weak." A well-placed "Levin" spell can stun-lock an armored foe, and the "Palladium" barrier is the only thing standing between you and a one-shot death from a stray dragon swipe. Archers are the weird middle child. They require a bit more finesse because you have to actually manage your special arrows—explosive, blighting, tarring. If you aren't using the elemental arrows, you’re just tickling the enemies.
Why Advanced Vocations Change Everything
Once you hit the capital, Vernworth, the game starts opening up. You’ll hear rumors. You’ll find NPCs who look way cooler than you. This is where the Dragon's Dogma 2 classes start getting experimental.
The Warrior is the literal embodiment of "big sword, no thoughts." It’s slow. Like, painfully slow at first. You will swing, miss, and get hit three times before your animation finishes. But there’s a rhythm to it. The Warrior is built around hyper-armor. You take the hit, you don't flinch, and then you deliver a strike that literally deletes a health bar. It’s a trade-off. It’s for the players who don't mind bleeding if it means the other guy dies faster.
Sorcerers are the opposite. They are the glass cannons. In many games, "glass cannon" is an exaggeration. Here? It’s literal. If a goblin sneezes on you while you’re casting "Meteoron," you’re done. But the payoff is a literal meteor shower that changes the topography of the map. It’s ego-tripping in digital form.
The Hybrids: Where the Game Gets Weird
We have to talk about the Mystic Spearhand. It’s the "Jedi" class. You get a twinblade, you get telekinesis, and you get a magical shield that makes your entire party invincible for a few seconds. It’s arguably the most popular class for a reason. It bridges the gap between melee and magic perfectly. You’re zipping around the battlefield like a blue blur, draining stamina from enemies and then throwing their own corpses at their friends. It’s flashy. It’s effective. It’s also very easy to over-rely on that shield skill, which can make the game feel a bit too easy if you aren't careful.
Then there is the Magick Archer. It’s back, and it’s still the king of cave exploration. If you find yourself in a dark tunnel, the "Ricochet Hunter" bolt will clear the entire room before you even see what was in there. The "Martyr's Shot" is the real kicker, though. It drains your own maximum HP to deal astronomical damage. It’s a literal "win button" that comes at the cost of your longevity. High stakes. High reward.
The Trickster and the Warfarer: Not What You Expect
The Trickster is the most divisive thing Capcom has ever put in an RPG. Honestly. You don't do damage. Your weapon is a censer that puffs out smoke. You create illusions. You trick a griffin into flying off a cliff. You make enemies fight a ghost version of yourself while you sit in the corner and buff your Pawns. If you want to be the hero who slays the beast, stay away from Trickster. But if you want to play a tactical commander role, it’s fascinating. It’s a "brain over brawn" class that requires a deep understanding of enemy AI.
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And finally, the Warfarer. This is the "jack of all trades." You can use every weapon. You can use skills from any class. The catch? Your base stats are lower, and you have to manage a very complex skill swapping mechanic. It’s the ultimate "New Game Plus" class. It’s for the people who have mastered the game and want to create specific, broken combos—like using a Sorcerer's fire spell to ignite a target and then immediately switching to a Thief to exploit the burning status.
Stats Don't Work the Way You Think
In the original Dragon's Dogma, your stat growth was permanent. If you played 100 levels as a Fighter, your Magic stat would be garbage forever. People hated that. It forced you to play classes you didn't like just to "optimize" for the one you did.
Capcom listened. Kinda.
In Dragon's Dogma 2, your stats mostly re-align when you switch classes. If you're a level 40 Warrior and you switch to a Sorcerer, your Magick stat will jump up to a respectable level. However, there is still a small "base" growth that stays with you. It’s not enough to ruin a character, but it’s enough to reward players who have a general "build" in mind.
The real "cross-pollination" happens with Augments. This is vital. Every class has passive abilities (Augments) that you unlock as you rank up. Once unlocked, you can use them on any class.
- Want your Sorcerer to have more stamina? Level up the Archer.
- Want your Thief to carry more loot? Level up the Fighter for the "Exaltation" augment.
- Want to reduce the likelihood of being targeted by enemies? Get the "Subtlety" augment from the Thief and put it on your Mage.
This is the "secret sauce." The game encourages you to max out multiple classes just to steal their passives. It makes you a more versatile Arisen.
Choosing the Right Pawn Vocation
Your Main Pawn is your only constant companion. You can't make them a hybrid class (no Mystic Spearhand Pawns, sadly), but their choice is just as important as yours.
If you are a squishy caster, your Pawn must be a Fighter or a Warrior. They need to draw "aggro." If you are a melee powerhouse, your Pawn should be a Mage. Having a dedicated healer who can also enchant your weapons with elemental damage is non-negotiable for long treks through the wilderness.
Don't ignore the "Inclination" system either. A "Kindhearted" Mage will focus on healing you, while an "Aggressive" Mage might let you die while they try to cast a big fire spell. Match the personality to the Vocation, or you'll find yourself shouting at your screen when your Pawn does something stupid in the heat of battle.
A Note on "The Meta"
There isn't really a "best" class, despite what YouTubers might tell you. The game is balanced around situational dominance. A Warrior will struggle against a Phantom (which is immune to physical damage), while a Mage will struggle against a Golem (whose medals need to be hit physically).
The "meta" is actually party composition. You want a balance. You want someone who can hit flying targets, someone who can soak up damage, and someone who can provide elemental utility. If your party is four Thieves, you’re going to have a great time until you meet a Ghost. Then you’re going to have a very bad time.
Practical Steps for Mastering the System
Stop hoarding your Discipline Points (DCP). You get them constantly. Use them to unlock new skills and new Vocations as soon as they become available.
- Visit the Vocation Guild often. In the early game, this is usually at the inn. This is where you swap classes and buy skills.
- Experiment with Augments. Look at the list of passives for classes you haven't played yet. If one looks good, play that class for an hour, unlock the augment, and then switch back to your favorite.
- Seek out the Vocation Maisters. These are legendary NPCs hidden in the world who teach you "Ultimate" skills. You won't find them by just following the main quest; you have to talk to people, finish their personal side stories, and prove your worth. The "Heavenward Sunder" for the Warrior or "Celestial Paean" for the Mage change the game entirely.
- Watch your weight. Different classes have different stamina regen speeds based on their encumbrance. A heavy-armored Fighter can carry more, but once they go into "Heavy" status, their stamina management becomes a nightmare. Keep your inventory lean.
The beauty of Dragon's Dogma 2 classes is that they aren't prisons. They are tools. If a boss is giving you a hard time, go back to town, change your Vocation, hire some different Pawns, and try a completely different strategy. The game won't punish you for it. In fact, it's exactly what it wants you to do. Go find the Vocation that makes you feel like the most dangerous person in Gransys—or Vermund, rather. It’s a big world, and you’re going to need every trick in the book to survive it.