The Dragon's Dogma 2 vocations are classes for both the Arisen and their pawns, and there's 10 vocations in total, all of which can be unlocked at different locations around the map via different characters. You'll start off with just four vocations - Fighter, Archer, Mage and Thief - but can learn more as you explore in Dragon's Dogma 2, some of which are exclusive to you (meaning your Pawns cannot learn them).
So which vocations are the best? How should you build out your team? Are there vocations that are better suited to pawns instead of the Arisen? Here's an overview of all 10 classes in the game along with their strengths and weaknesses to help you figure out the best Dragon's Dogma 2 vocation for you.
Best vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2
The best vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2 depends on what you want to achieve and where you are, but we'd say that if you're just beginning, the best vocation for starting players is the Fighter, which has a nice, simple but powerful and diverse moveset. It's a simple sword and shield, not to complicated, with room for error - basically it means you can learn the game as well as your class without too much difficulty. If not the fighter, maybe try the Thief, which is quick and agile and focused around leaping onto enemies and furiously stabbing them.
Overall, the best vocation is probably the Mystic Spearhand or Magick Archer, for different reasons. The Spearhand is incredibly potent while also remaining diverse enough for any situation. The Magick Archer, on the other hand, has an ability called Martyr's Bolt, that can one-shot many bosses and wipe out armies (at the cost of nearly destroying yourself).
Dragon's Dogma 2 Fighter
- Pros: Easy to learn, balanced offensively and defensively
- Cons: Limited ranged abilities, jack-of-all-trades
The Fighter is the most bog-standard of any class in Dragon's Dogma 2. Strong armor, a one-handed sword, and a shield? It's the most typical of classes and as such, it's simple to learn but has a lot of potential. It can learn some fairly advanced weapon skills such as Airward Slash that allows you to roll and swing while in mid-air to slash at flying or bigger enemies, or Springboard can fling allies into the air, which is especially helpful when you have a Thief in your party to grab onto ogres, cyclops, and the like. Once you find a vocation you're suited to with more specialization, it's always recommended to have a Fighter (or a Warrior - more on that class below) as one of your pawns.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Archer
- Pros: Lots of damage potential, very nimble
- Cons: No melee options, lightweight armor
Aragorn needs his Legolas, so of course there's an Archer vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2. This class behaves as you'd expect, staying on the outskirts of battle, firing arrows in from afar and overseeing the action. There are lots of damage-focused weapon skills available such as Sweep Shot for crowd control and Dire Arrow for singular targets, but this is quite a limited class in terms of playstyles. It's a great choice for the player as opposed to a pawn however, as you'll typically be away from the action and can stay alive for longer. If any of your pawns get knocked out, they can be brought back to you to revive them by another pawn.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Mage
- Pros: Versatile with lots of different spell types
- Cons: Spells take a few seconds to cast, no melee options
The Mage class in Dragon's Dogma 2 is one of the most versatile, as it has a lot of different spell types available. Want to become a firebreather? Use Flagration. Fancy channeling lightning? Levin is your answer. Ice taking your fancy instead? Hello Frigor. All three of those spells use the elements to deal damage, but you'll also have lots of defensive and support options such as Argent Tonic to heal allies, spells to imbue the weapons of your pawns with elements, or a spell to block all damage in Palladium. The downside is that you're stuffed if enemies get within melee range, and spells take a few moments to cast before you can unleash them, though this can be shortened thanks to the Quickspell core skill. Also, the Mage is the best class for mobility, as explained in our guide on how to cross water in Dragon's Dogma 2.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Thief
- Pros: High damage potential, only stealthy class
- Cons: Low health, no defensive abilities
The Thief is essentially a glass cannon because it can deal so much damage, but its defensive capabilities come in the form of evasion rather than blocking incoming damage. It's an incredibly fun class to play because, as mentioned above, combining it with Springboard from a Fighter results in being launched into the air to cling onto an ogre, then stabbing them repeatedly while hanging on for dear life. You can also dart around with Biting Wind, slashing past enemies as you go, or you can use Shadow Cloak or Smoke Screen to go stealthy and retreat from battle. You don't have much in the way of protection though so it's a tough class to master, and doesn't come recommended for newbies.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Warrior
- Pros: Very tanky, can deal colossal damage and knockback
- Cons: Slow to attack, can get overwhelmed without healing
Unlocked via the Vocation Frustration quest, the Warrior is essentially the Fighter class with a much bigger sword and no shield. It's the opposite of the Thief, as the Warrior is the de facto tank class, offering lots of damage with huge, sweeping attacks. Thanks to skills such as Rending Sweep it can deal with huge crowds of enemies, while Skyward Sunder allows you to reach flying foes. However, the movements are slow and clunky, so you'll be taking plenty of damage while in the thick of the action, and you'll ideally need a Mage in your party to support with healing spells.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Sorcerer
- Pros: Higher damage potential than the Mage, lots of elemental spells
- Cons: Cannot heal or support like the Mage can
Unlocked at the same time as the Warrior, the Sorcerer is perhaps the biggest question mark when it comes to the vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2, because it doesn't do too much to distance itself from the Mage. It shares quite a few skills with that class including the three primary elemental damage-dealers mentioned above, but it comes with an arsenal of extra damage-focused spells. However, this means it doesn't have the same healing abilities, nor support ones for your pawn, so it's much more offensively minded.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Mystic Spearhand
- Pros: Most well-rounded class, has tools for every situation
- Cons: Can only equip four weapon skills, few defensive options
The Dragon's Dogma 2 Mystic Spearhand is my personal favorite vocation in DD2 because it is capable of dealing with almost every scenario. You'll unlock it when you return to Harve and help the townsfolk deal with the dragon attack, thanks to a chap called Sigurd - our attached guide will explain more. You're practically a gymnast with this class as you dance through the action, with the ability to enchant your attacks and effectively use the force to fling objects and small enemies at one another. Mirour Vesture also allows you to block all attacks for a short period, as a crucial defensive skill. Only the Arisen can equip this class, and all the ones that follow, so this is arguably one of the best to use yourself.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Magick Archer
- Pros: Applies magical effects to arrows, lots of area-of-effect skills
- Cons: Less effective up close, not as many offensive skills as the Archer
Essentially the ranged counterpart to the Mystic Spearhand, the Magick Archer can apply lots of magical effects to its ranged attacks, and it specializes in area-of-effect attacks such as Sparkchain Stake, which chains lightning bolts between multiple enemies simultaneously. It's certainly a better choice than the simple Archer for the Arisen, because it also offers healing in the form of Remedy Arrow, but the basic Archer is a little more straightforward to use. You can unlock the Magick Archer by rescuing Cliodhna's husband, Gautstafr, near the Volcanic Island Camp in Battahl during the Spring in thy Step quest. This will also unlock the rare Dragon's Dogma 2 Dwarven Smithing option.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Trickster
- Pros: Draws the attention of enemies, supports allies well
- Cons: Cannot deal much damage by itself, very hard to master
The Trickster is the most unique of all the vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2 because it hardly has any offensive abilities at all. It uses its Censer weapon to create illusions, a smoke and mirrors effect if you like, to trick enemies and avoid combat. The Trickster tries to aggro all of the enemies by creating clones and false walls, allowing your pawns to get in behind and strike while your foes are distracted. It's extremely hard to master, but if you have three high-rank pawns all focused on dealing damage, it can be a lot of fun to play as you tease and dance around incoming attacks. It's simple to unlock, but it takes a while: when you finally enter the Battahl region, look for the Revenant Shrine and speak to a woman named Luz. She'll grant you the vocation at the end of your conversation.
Dragon's Dogma 2 Warfarer
- Pros: Can equip any skill, lots of variety
- Cons: Lower stats than specializing in one vocation
The Warfarer is, by all means and purposes, the ultimate Dragon's Dogma 2 vocation. It can use any equipment and skill in the game, so you can cast something like Flagration and spew out a stream of fire before then whipping out a greatsword and swinging it around you like a tornado. This opens up a lot of combos and possibilities, but there's one huge caveat: the Warfarer has much lower base stats in exchange for this build freedom.
It also must be unlocked first, by completing the Sotted Sage quest in the Volcanic Island Camp for Ser Lamond, the Warfarer Maister who sits next to the hot spring. To reach him, you'll probably want to open the Dragon's Dogma 2 Flamebearer Palace Spellseal Door to reach that region, and bring three different bottles of Dragon's Dogma 2 Newt Liqueur - you need to bribe Lamond.
Now you know everything about the 10 vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2, make sure you read up on how to fast travel in Dragon's Dogma 2 as it's quite a convoluted mechanic, along with how to delete your Dragon's dogma 2 save in case you want to start anew.
