Dragon's Dogma 2 - Which Starting Vocation Should You Choose?

Which Starting Vocation Should You Choose in Dragon’s Dogma?

Basic Vocations (Classes) and Features

Vocation	Notable Class Features
Fighter	Pure Melee Vocation (Sword and Shield) Balanced Offense and Defense Frontline Tank and DPS Role
Mage	Ranged Vocation (Magic via Staves) High Versatility: Access to offensive, support, and debilitating magic Backline Multi-Role: DPS, Healer, Support, Debuffer
Thief	Melee and Traps Vocation (Dual Daggers and Traps) High Mobility and Stamina Frontline and Backline Multi-Role: DPS, Support, Crowd Control, Traps
Archer	Pure Ranged Vocation (Bows) High Versatility: Effective against both grounded and airborne enemies at any range Backline Support and DPS role

Dragon’s Dogma 2 All Vocations (Classes) List and Guide

Fighter

The Fighter vocation is for players who enjoy straightforward close-range combat with a sword and shield. Fighters represent the archetypical “hero” class, boasting an impressive balance of offense and defense as the adventuring party’s frontliners.

The Fighter vocation is a good starting class for beginners and new players for its simple playstyle and easy-to-use sword and shield skills. Veterans, however, will also find something to like about this class, particularly in timing shield parries to neutralize incoming attacks.

Among the Fighter’s most important roles in the party is to provoke and draw the attention of enemies away from allies that are not as durable. For this reason, Fighters are able to don heavy armor to soak up as much damage while dishing it out as well in the thick of battle.

The most obvious drawback of playing as the Fighter vocation is the sheer lack of options to hit foes from afar. Because of this, it is highly recommended to pair a Fighter Arisen with a Main Pawn who excels in ranged combat.

Fighter Vocation Performance Summary and Recommendation

Fighter Vocation Augment Skills

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Fighter Vocation Class Guide

Mage

Mages are the quintessential vocation for players who want to begin the game as staff-wielding spellcaster. Mostly staying in the backline, Arisen of this vocation rely on blasting enemies with ranged magic skills while keeping a safe distance away from their target and other threats present in the field.

In addition to various elemental spells at their disposal, Mages can cast magic that heals the HP of allies, cure them of negative status conditions, and even imbue their weapons with various elemental properties. Mages are also able to inflict debilitating effects on enemies, giving the party the advantage during encounters. These diverse tools grant the Mage vocation greater versatility over most other base classes in the game.

The Mage vocation’s notable drawbacks are their high reliance on spells. Without enough stamina to cast spells, Mages contribute very little to the party.

Mages are also rendered near- or completely immobile when casting certain spells, making them easy targets on the battlefield. For this reason, try to create a Main Pawn who can pull the attention of enemies from you as much as possible.

Mage Vocation Performance Summary and Recommendation

Mage Vocation Augment Skills

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Vocation Class Guide

Thief

The Thief vocation is recommended for players who prefer an evasive melee playstyle mixed with a few crafty moves to set-up massive damage or turn the tables on their attackers. While not as durable as Fighters, Thieves have exceptional mobility and can immediately dodge away after striking with dual daggers.

Thieves represent the popular Rogue archetype commonly seen in other fantasy games with matching skills to boot. Among the class’ abilities are the use of various traps on the battlefield to damage enemies or hinder them. Thieves can also perform a quick reversal maneuver when attacked to send their foe to the ground.

Thieves are also adept at clinging onto large creatures thanks to their high stamina. Once the enemy is mounted, Thieves are free to hack away at their foe or strap explosives on them before jumping away to detonate it.

Finally, Thieves live up to their name as the only base vocation who can steal items from NPCs and enemies. This allows them to obtain rare loot more efficiently than other classes in the game.

Despite all of the Thief vocation’s advantages, their initial damage output is quite subpar and may struggle even against regular enemies at the start of the game.

Thief Vocation Performance Summary and Recommendation

Thief Vocation Augment Skills

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Thief Vocation Class Guide

Archer

The Archer vocation is another well-known class in many fantasy games who fulfills the ranged specialist role in the adventuring party. True to their lore, Archers are dexterous marksmen who thrive in the backline by using bows and arrows to hit enemy weak spots with pinpoint precision.

Archers are a constant threat against grounded and airborne enemies in the game, making them a constant source of damage for your party at any distance. Archer Arisen are especially adept at forcing flying foes to the ground which make it easier for allies to land their skills and magic in battle.

The ability to shoot arrows with various effects grant Archers impressive versatility as valuable support characters in any team. Among the special arrows that Archers can fire from their bow are those that explode on impact, those that are coated in debilitating poison, and those with enough power to stop large monsters as they charge head-on towards you.

As with all other vocations, playing as an Archer comes with its own unique downsides. Among these is having to manually aim your shots for them to actually hit your target. This is mainly an issue when fighting against highly-mobile enemies, though enough skill and experience will allow you to land attacks more reliably.

Archer Vocation Performance Summary and Recommendation

Archer Vocation Augment Skills

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer Vocation Class Guide

What is the Best Starting Vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

The best starting vocation is the one that you enjoy role-playing the most.

In general, there is no “best” vocation (class) in Dragon’s Dogma 2 so it is recommended to choose one that gives you the most satisfaction playing. Each basic vocation’s characteristics and playstyle are very different from each other to fulfill their intended roles in a party. Because of this, you should just pick the class that appeals to you the most.

If you are still unsure of which basic vocation to choose at the start of the game, you can take the Arisen Vocation Quiz on the game’s official website via the link below.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Arisen Vocation Quiz

Can You Change Your Starting Vocation?

Can be changed after starting the game.

Your starting vocation can b changed even after you have confirmed it at the character creation screen. To switch to a different basic, advanced, or hybrid vocation, you must progress through the game’s main story, raise your relationship with various Vocation Maisters, and meeting other specific conditions in the game.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 How to Change Vocations (Classes)

How to Unlock New Vocations (Advanced and Hybrid Vocations)

Clear main quests and side quests.

All advanced and hybrid vocations are unlocked by progressing through the game’s main quests or by clearing side quests. Some vocations may even become accessible only after you have befriended certain Vocation Maisters found all throughout the game.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 How to Unlock All Vocations

Dragon's Dogma 2 Recommended Article List

Dragon's Dogma 2 Main Quest Walkthroughs

Dragon's Dogma 2 Side Quest Walkthroughs

Borderwatch Outpost Side Quests

Melve Side Quests

Vernworth Side Quests

Harve Village Side Quests

Sacred Arbor Side Quests

Checkpoint Rest Town Side Quests

Vermund Side Quests

Mountain Shrine Side Quests

Bakbattahl Side Quests

Agamen Volcanic Island Side Quests

Volcanic Island Camp Side Quests

Dragon's Dogma 2 Best Builds

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Basic Vocations
Best Fighter Build	Best Archer Build
Best Thief Build	Best Mage Build
▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Advanced Vocations
Best Warrior Build	Best Sorcerer Build
▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Hybrid Vocations
Best Magick Archer Build	Best Mystic Spearhand Build
Best Trickster Build	Best Warfarer Build

Dragon's Dogma 2 Character Creation Guides

General Character Creator Guides

Popular Video Game Character Recipes

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Character Creator (from Video Games)
Geralt (The Witcher)	Ciri (The Witcher 3)
Kratos (God of War)	Rook (Dragon's Dogma)
2B (Nier: Automata)	Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil)
Jill Valentine (Resident Evil)	Ada Wong (Resident Evil)
Bela Dimitrescu (Resident Evil Village)	Cammy (Street Fighter)
Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy 7)	Dante (Devil May Cry)
Vergil (Devil May Cry)	Nero (Devil May Cry)
Ekko (League of Legends)	Melina (Elden Ring)

Popular Anime Character Recipes

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Character Creator (from Anime)
Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End)	Guts (Berserk)
Makima (Chainsaw Man)	Yoru (Chainsaw Man)
Shanks (One Piece)	Lucyna Kushinada (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)
Thorfinn (Vinland Saga)

Popular Film and TV Character and Celebrity Recipes

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Character Creator (from Film and TV)
Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)	Darth Maul (Star Wars)
Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings)	Anya Taylor-Joy

Original Character Recipes

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Character Creator (Original)
Beautiful Beastren	Anime Beastren

Dragon's Dogma 2 Strategy Guides

Beginner Guides

Useful Guides

Romance and Affinity Guides

Dragon's Dogma 2 Vocation (Class) Guides

Basic Vocations

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Basic Vocations
Fighter	Archer
Mage	Thief

Advanced Vocations

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Advanced Vocations
Warrior	Sorcerer

Hybrid Vocations (Arisen-Exclusive Classes)

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Hybrid Vocations
Warfarer	Trickster
Mystic Spearhand	Magick Archer

Dragon's Dogma 2 Characters

▼Dragon's Dogma 2 Human Characters
Ulrika	Nadina
Brant	Disa
Menella	Wilhelmina
Sven	Glyndwr
Doireann	Lennart
Sigurd	Luz
The Dragon

Dragon's Dogma 2 Game Database

Equipment

Weapons

Armor and Accessories

Items

Skills and Magic

Enhancements and Upgrades

Pawn Traits

Enemies (Bestiary)

Dragon's Dogma 2 Game Forum

Dragon's Dogma 2 Pre-Release Information

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