Vocations are essentially classes in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Four vocations are available to you at the start, but you’ll be able to unlock more as you play (for a price). And you’re not locked into your choice: You’ll be able to change vocations as often as you like once they’re unlocked.

Most vocations fall neatly into established archetypes of fantasy fare: Archers shoot arrows and wear funny hats, Mages cast spells and wear funny robes, Thieves stab people with daggers. But is there really a huge difference between a Fighter and a Warrior? And what the hell is a Mystic Spearhand?

In this Dragon’s Dogma 2 guide, we’ll detail how to unlock all vocations, plus offer details about what each one is best at, and some advice on which vocation to pick at the start of Dragon’s Dogma 2.

All vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2

A group of heroes takes on a Golem in Dragon’s Dogma 2

There are 10 vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Four are available when you first create your character: Fighter, Archer, Thief, and Mage. A few hours into the game, you’ll be able to unlock the Sorcerer and Warrior vocations through a quest at the Vernworth Vocation Guild. You can assign any of these six vocations to your main pawn, and you can hire pawns (and swap between them) of any of these vocations at the Vocation Guild.

There are four additional vocations you can play as that aren’t available to pawns: Magick Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Trickster, and Warfarer.

What vocation to choose in Dragon’s Dogma 2

A Vocation Guild sign stands outside a building Dragon’s Dogma 2. — The universal Vocation Guild symbol — buildings with this sign will let you change vocations.

You’ll be prompted to select a vocation while creating a character in Dragon’s Dogma 2 — notably before you get a chance to try any of them out. While you’re not locked into your choice, it’ll be a bit before you can switch things up, meaning the first vocation you choose is fairly important.

As mentioned, the four starter vocations neatly fall along the lines of typical fantasy archetypes. The Mage offers arguably the highest DPS in the early hours, and is a healer to boot. The Archer is effective at peppering multiple enemies in a fight and precisely hitting weak points on larger enemies. But neither has a ton of health, nor can they wear the heaviest armor sets, so you’ll end up keeping your distance in battle. The Fighter, on the other hand, is the sturdiest starting vocation by far. But since it mostly engages in close-quarters combat, you still may have some trouble in the early hours (unless you travel with a Mage pawn who can help you out with healing magic).

While you can’t go wrong with those three, your best bet is the Thief. Thieves are as tactile as they are tactical, striking a balance between melee combat and tricky abilities. And while their defense is nothing compared to Fighters, they can stand up to a lot more punishment than the two ranged starter classes. But the best part? The Thief specializes in crawling around big monsters, which is kind of the selling point for Dragon’s Dogma 2. Just a few ranks into the vocation, you’ll unlock bombs that you can plant on bosses, or the ability to light your blades on fire in the middle of a climb.

Of course, choosing a vocation is ultimately a matter of preference and personal taste. For more detailed information about all of the vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2 — including how to unlock those you don’t start with — read on.

Fighter

How to unlock: Starter vocation
Weapons: Swords, maces, and shields

The Fighter is your classic sword-and-board kind of character, offering a decent mix of offense and defense. It’s a great starter class because it gives you a chance to be aggressive, testing out how melee combat works in Dragon’s Dogma 2 (and also unlocks an augment that can increase your inventory size). The Fighter vocation really opens up as you get a grasp on the game and start mastering how to block, slash, and counter.

To make the most of this vocation, check out our guide to the best Fighter build for beginners.

Archer

How to unlock: Starter vocation
Weapons: Bows

The Archer is your prototypical ranged class. It allows you to get a bigger picture of the battlefield and step back from whatever monster you’re taking on. This extra distance makes you extremely effective at nailing the weak points on larger monsters, dealing massive damage and sometimes even bringing those foes crashing to the ground. Plus, it’s the best class for dealing with harpies and other flying creatures, which is a huge boon early on in the game.

To make the most of this vocation, check out our guide to the best Archer build for beginners.

Mage

How to unlock: Starter vocation
Weapons: Staves

Mages are spellcasters capable of dealing a ton of damage — as long as you have the patience. Casting spells is a little strange in Dragon’s Dogma 2; the process involves charging up your energy while standing still or moving extremely slowly. But even from low levels, once your spells are ready, you can unleash lightning storms or flamethrowers on monsters. Mages also specialize in support magic, which can help you heal pawns or imbue their weapons with fire.

To make the most of this vocation, check out our guide to the best Mage build for beginners.

Thief

Four thieves wield daggers and light armor in Dragon’s Dogma 2

How to unlock: Starter vocation
Weapons: Daggers

As a Thief, you can dash around the battlefield with two daggers and use abilities that make it harder for enemies to spot you. You may not have much health compared to other melee-focused vocations, but you can deal extreme damage if you manage to pin a target down and shank them. But the best part of playing as a Thief is just how good you’ll be at climbing monsters and taking them down with various bombs, ropes, and devastating stabs.

To make the most of this vocation, check out our guide to the best Thief build for beginners.

Warrior

How to unlock: Complete the “Vocation Frustration” quest or find a greatsword
Weapons: Greatswords, hammers

Warriors are Fighters who swap shields for twice as much sword. You’ll swing your weapon slowly, but will be capable of dishing out some of the highest damage values in the game. In terms of skills, Warriors and Fighters have very similar offerings, but where Fighters are balanced, Warriors demand a risk-vs.-reward playstyle. If you’re first starting out with Dragon’s Dogma 2, Warrior might be a struggle. But once you learn monster behavior and can plan accordingly, you can slice through anything with ease.

Sorcerer

How to unlock: Complete the “Vocation Frustration” quest or find an archistaff
Weapons: Archistaves

Sorcerers and Mages share a lot of similarities in Dragon’s Dogma 2 (in fact, they share many spells), but where the Mage helps others with more selfless magic and healing, the Sorcerer is an offensive magic powerhouse. With your archistaff, you’ll be able to obliterate foes with an explosion of fire damage or even a turret made of lightning. Just know you’ll need to rely on your pawns to protect you while you conjure those extremely powerful magic spells.

Mystic Spearhand

How to unlock: Finish “Monster Culling” and find Sigurd
Weapons: Duospear

Mystic Spearhands uses a double-sided spear to mix magic and melee together. With your Duospear, you can become a whirlwind of damage, slicing monsters and enemies with both sides until they go down. However, while you can wear some decent armor, you don’t have nearly as many defensive skills as Fighter or even Thief, so relentless offense is your best bet for success.

Trickster

How to unlock: Reach Battahl and find Luz
Weapons: Censer

As a Trickster, your job is to buff your pawns and confuse enemies with illusions. Your skills and attacks deal very little damage, but the spread of smoke around the battlefield creates an ideal environment for allowing your party to stick to the shadows. Think of the Trickster as Dragon’s Dogma 2’s truest support class.

Magick Archer

How to unlock: Help escort Gautstafr to the Volcanic Island Camp hot springs
Weapons: Magic(k)al Bows

The Magick Archer is an Arisen-only vocation that uses a stringless, magical bow. Like the Archer, you’ll primarily be engaging monsters from a distance with your Magickal Bow. But, unlike the Archer, you’ll mix your arrows with magical spells to increase your damage dealing potential.

Warfarer

How to unlock: Give Lamond three bottles of Newt Liqueur
Weapons: All

All of the vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2 are unique, but the Warfarer is definitely the most unique of the bunch. As the Warfarer, you’ll be able to wield multiple weapons types at once, and you can swap weapons on the fly to create a fully customizable play style based on your favorite vocations.

For more Dragon’s Dogma 2 guides, check out our recommendations of the best augments, learn how to stock up on Wakestones, and see where to find your first 30 Seeker’s Tokens.

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