Summary
- Dragon's Dogma, despite being a decade old, is highly praised for its unique combat styles, exploration, and progression.
- The vocations players choose in Dragon's Dogma are crucial for success against tough enemies, with different vocations suited for different challenges.
- The Magick Archer vocation is considered the best choice for players, as its Magick Bows and powerful skills make it extremely effective in both the base game and DLC.
Despite its decade-old age with its 2012 release, Dragon's Dogma has managed to remain among the high praise that titles such as Elden Ring are placed within. As an open-world RPG experience, it offers some unique and enthralling combat styles, along with exploration and progression giving players numerous skills to unlock, from multiple classes known as Vocations.
With the addition of its DLC Dark Arisen and the separate Bitterblack Isle location, players are expected to enter at a high level with a sufficient amount of gear, as the challenge is far greater than the base experience. Alongside this, the vocations that players decide to use along their journey are integral to how they will fare against the game's toughest enemies.
5 Warrior
For players who prefer dealing a great deal of damage with blunt-force weapons, or wielding weapons that are similar to Guts' Dragon Slayer in Beserk the Warrior vocation is the way to go. If players can fully rank out this Vocation in the base game's Cassardis, it will be a good segway into Bitterblack Isle supposing both players' gear and character level are high enough.
While it does not instantly guarantee an experience where slaying foes will be easier, it is a great way to stun foes and knock them over, giving room for even more attacks and damage. Once players can get their hands on a Bitterblack Weapon Level 2 or 3 that is for the Warrior Vocation, attacks against enemies that are stubborn such as the Eliminators will certainly suffice.
4 Mage
Since Bitterblack Isle is filled with enemies that can either inflict Magick damage on players and their pawns, or enemies that require Magick abilities to be used in order to defeat them, the Mage Vocation is necessary. Not only do Mages in Dragon's Dogma maintain the ability to be offensive with spell casting that can support fellow pawns in battle, but they can also heal allies, ensuring they stay on their feet when up against the strongest foes.
In both the aspect of players using a Mage or making their main pawn a Mage, it is very often the defining case when it comes to survival and success in Bitterblack Isle. Without any members in a party that are proficient in Magick, enemies will very quickly overwhelm players, leaving them with no choice but to switch Vocations, so this is something to keep in mind when entering the DLC location.
3 Mystic Knight
Given the difference in enemy types throughout Bitterblack Isle, most of which will require some form of Magick, Mystic Knight is one of the best hybrid Vocations to go for. Maintaining the ability to get up close and personal with swords and shields, while still being capable of using spells, offers possibly the most balanced Vocation in Dragon's Dogma overall.
Rather than constantly switching between different Vocations to combat certain enemies, Mystic Knight will allow players to choose whether they want to stand back and send attacks in the enemy's direction, or move into close quarters for more damage. Since bows are not available with this Vocation, the "Great Cannon" skill will send spell shots toward enemies such as Dragons or Harpies that take flight.
2 Sorcerer
Keeping up with the aforementioned Mage and enemies that are airborne, the Sorcerer Vocation focuses much more on the offensive aspect of Magick abilities, utilizing an Archistaff for more powerful spells. This is a Vocation that is ideal for players who prefer to keep their distance from the intense close-quarters action, while still committing the most amount of damage among the party of pawns.
If players maintain a party with at least one Mage and others who can focus on engaging in close combat, then Sorcery will prove to be far more sufficient than many may suspect, as enemies will likely target those who are brave enough to get up close and personal.
1 Magick Archer
By a large margin, Magick Archer stands as the best possible Vocation for players to use in both the base game and Bitterblack Isle DLC in Dragon's Dogma. Not only can players still use daggers for mounting enemies, but they also have access to Magick Bows, which are completely different from ordinary bows that players can attain using the Ranger or Strider Vocations. This style is exclusive to players only and cannot be used for pawns, and this would likely come down to how powerful it is when used well.
These bows can channel Magick, which can either be used as attacks or act as support for party members, making them invulnerable to certain debilitations from enemies. More notably, the "Ricochet Hunter" skill can destroy enemy forces within seconds, especially within an enclosed space with each bolt bouncing off of walls redirected to targeted enemies. If leveled high enough with the correct leveled gear, this ability alone can be enough to end some of Bitterblack Isle's strongest enemies, especially Death and the final boss Daimon. If players plan on using this Vocation for the DLC, it would be a good idea to rank this up to its highest level beforehand.
Dragon's Dogma is currently available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.