Summary
Picking up where its predecessor left off,Dragon’s Dogma 2is delivering another serving of its unique detail-oriented action RPG adventures. The firstDragon’s Dogmaslowly built up a following thanks to its advanced partner Pawn AI and enemy interactivity, and now its sequel can inherit all of that to assumeDragon’s Dogma’s most complete form yet. Now set in the contrasting kingdoms of Vermund and Battahl,Dragon’s Dogma 2should keep players coming back for more with a scope that guarantees they can’t see everything in one go.
Many mechanics and monsters return fromDragon’s Dogma 1, and their complex web of interlocking systems has only grown larger. Even the game’s classes, known as Vocations, have increased in number with few among them being outright replaced. It’s unclearhow many Vocations there will be inDragon’s Dogma 2, but the ten revealed so far cover everything a player could ask for. There seems to be an effort to differentiate these Vocations more thanDragon’s Dogma 1’s already were, but new players would be forgiven for struggling to tell some of them apart.
Dragon’s Dogma Wants Its Vocations To Feel Unique
Despite there being a clear progression order through Basic, Advanced, and Hybrid Vocations,Dragon’s Dogma 1and2do not view the different tiers as strict upgrades.Dragon’s Dogma 1’s best Vocationssuffered some balance issues in this regard, with the Sorcerer invalidating the Mage and the Magick Archer outperforming the archery-oriented Ranger. However, the Basic Vocation Strider keeping up with the Hybrid classes, and the Fighter outdoing its Advanced Warrior counterpart through sheer utility, prove that there was an effort to keep Vocations viable.
How Dragon’s Dogma 2 Makes Every Vocation Feel Fresh
This is being reinforced inDragon’s Dogma 2, as every Vocation now seems to have an exclusive weapon type. It’s a larger change than it sounds, thanks to skills being tied to specific weapons, and someDD1Vocations being able to use up to three different weapon types. Theconfirmed changes inDragon’s Dogma 2so farinclude the Strider and Ranger having their dagger and bow skills separated into the basic Thief and Archer Vocations, the Fighter-overlapping Mystic Knight being replaced by the wholly original Mystic Spearhand, and Mages doubling down on their speed and utility to contrast with the offensively-specialized Sorcerers. DespiteDD2’s best efforts, however, the Fighter and the Warrior may still be hard to parse.
Fighter and Warrior Demonstrate Dragon’s Dogma’s Variety Despite Seeming Redundant
Fighters remain amongDragon’s Dogma 2’s Basic Vocations, while Warriors are once again their Advanced equivalent. Similarly to Mages and Sorcerers, Warriors sound like strict upgrades over Fighters, but they were designed to fill different roles in party composition. Fighters are physical melee classes with an emphasis on survivability like their namesakes in classicDungeons and Dragons, while Warriorsattack relentlessly likeBaldur’s Gate 3’s Barbarians. They may both use swords and heavier armor than other Vocations, but that’s ignoring just how different their fighting styles can be.
Wields One-Handed Swords and Shields
Wields Two-Handed Weapons (Longswords, Hammers, Etc.)
Mystic Knight may be gone, so Fighters are currently the only Vocation with a shield, and thus the most defensive. Their counter-offensive abilities are especially strong.
Warriors deal the highest potential physical damage inDragon’s Dogma, and have innate resistance to staggering during their attack animations.
Able to play as both a tank and support melee, though skills to draw aggro are unreliable andDragon’s Dogmaemphasizes the importance of damage.
They are frontline melee combatants that gain good passives for playing other classes, and that’s it. Mounting tall monsters is also tough due to their low speed.
Fighters' varied skill list supports different play styles, though the player’s build quality and game knowledge determines how effective they are.
Warriors have one job and do it well, but only having access to three combat skills, while every otherDD1class gets six, is a glaring weaknessDD2should address.
Despite appearing to be cut from the same cloth,Dragon’s Dogma 2sells its Vocationsthrough just how differently Fighters and Warriors handle on the battlefield. Players should quickly feel the difference between each class once they have hands-on time with them inDragon’s Dogma 2.
