Dragon’s Dogma 2 Vocations 101: The Fighter

Welcome to Vocations 101, where we go through the Basic Vocations of Dragon’s Dogma 2 to help you decide which option suits you best! Note, these are mainly my findings playing the game; each player has their own style, so I always recommend experimenting. Without further ado, let us begin our second lesson: the Fighter.

Introduction

The Fighter is the template for any classical fantasy hero, whether in a videogame or tabletop setting. Sword in one hand and shield in the other, this warrior is ready to deal out damage and withstand punishment from their foes. If you like to be in the thick of battle, act as the unmoving bastion of your team, and be the focus of your enemies' ire, this may be the Vocation for you! If you think there's nothing more to this sword-and-board savant, you may want to keep on reading as the Fighter has a few tricks to separate it from the pack.

Basics

Normal Attack (left face button): Onslaught

Your main attack is a pretty basic combo of swings and slashes aimed toward your current facing. These attacks are not the fastest in the land and often only hit one enemy at a time, but they pack enough punch to keep smaller foes off of their balance, while also great at hacking away at the shins of larger foes, eventually toppling the clumsy oafs! When used while running, you’ll perform a wider slash which can flow into the normal combo. To be honest, Onslaught is pretty basic in terms of attacks, but it gets the job done.

Special Attack (top face button): Empale

The Fighter's special attack is much like Onslaught, as it is also basic but practical. Instead of a combo, Empale can be charged up for a heap of damage against a single foe and can even pin enemies down with impressive force when used against a smaller or equally sized opponent. With its slow charge-up and limited range, it can be difficult to time, but once mastered, it can be an invaluable tool: if your teammate is being held by an enemy or in over their head, a well-timed Empale can remove an enemy from the field for a moment, if not permanently! The impact is also pretty satisfying.

Vocation Action: Defend

Ah, the previously mentioned shield. Many may feel this bit of metal is completely useless against the many mundane and magical threats of Dragon’s Dogma 2, but it has more versatility than one may expect! When pressed, you will simply raise your shield in front of you, taking on any and all damage sent your way. This may seem obvious, but remember that this is the only Vocation that has a built-in Defend ability. Each hit eats up some stamina, so you can’t keep it up forever, but being able to soak up damage while keeping your enemies busy can make some difficult battles trivial! Additionally, the shield is an important tool in the Fighters skillset.

Skills

Blink Strike:

The first skill a burgeoning Fighter learns, this skill is great in terms of movement, damage, and flashiness! When activated, your Arisen takes a note from Gimli’s book and breaks into a mad sprint towards the direction you are facing, culminating in a momentum-fueled stab (complete with epic pose). Since a Fighter is often clad in heavy armour and has that whole metal disc thing on their other arm, their movement is often on the slower side. Having a skill with which to gain some speed and manoeuvrability in combat is great, as it allows you to rush to the aid of a pinned ally, go from one target to the next, or even get some distance between you and a bomb-wielding Goblin with a spark in their eye… and hand. The damage Blink Strike does is also respectable and it can send some foes flying, making it a great opening move.

Airward Slash:

One of the biggest drawbacks to the Fighter vocation is range. With a limited supply of throwables and no far-reaching weapons, you will often feel helpless against the many winged foes the game often throws at you. This is where Airward Slash comes in to fill in that gap, even if only slightly! When used, your Arisen will swing a few powerful slashes above them. While simple, being able to send any damage, well, airward, can help fend off those pesky Harpies and ghosts, in addition to being a useful tool to hit certain weak points in larger enemies! The attack is a bit difficult to hit, though, as it has a small windup and hitbox, but once you get the hang of it, all winged beasts of the land better fear you! Them and airborne Goblins.

 Compass Slash:

The skills we’ve looked at so far are geared toward taking on a single combatant, which is what the Fighter does best. However, sometimes you’ll find yourself surrounded by foes raining attacks, making it difficult to focus on only one! In these cases, skills like Compass Slash are simply amazing! As one may imagine, upon using the skill, your Arisen will spin and slash their sword in a powerful arc, dealing damage and sending lighter foes flying. While the damage done is not stupendous, the sheer area the attack can hit makes up for it in spades. When used creatively, you can even hit multiple weak points in larger foes with one Slash! I definitely recommend bringing this skill along if your party lacks AoE!

Hindsight Slash:

The Hindsight Slash is a skill learned later in a Fighter's career, so usually I wouldn't include it in a beginner's guide. However, the way this skill changes the Vocation may change your perceptions of its potential! When used, your Arisen takes a quick step back and then unleashes a powerful attack forward. When used correctly, you can evade an enemy's attack completely while also punishing them for their hubris in attacking a seasoned Fighter! This skill adds a layer of patience and strategy to the class, as now you can anticipate your opponent's moves and orchestrate the flow of battle with deadly ripostes!

Shield Summons and Springboard:

Finally, the two skills that make carrying that horridly heavy shield around worth it. I grouped these two together, as they are both great skills, but may be disadvantageous to have equipped at the same time due to the limited number of skill slots available. Shield Summons is the skill any tank needs: upon activation, your Arisen will beat their shield with their sword, challenging all nearby foes to focus on them. As your main role as a Fighter is to keep the heat on yourself, allowing others to deal damage, this skill can be a great addition.

Springboard, on the other hand, is a very fun, if tricky skill to pull off! When used, your Arisen will duck down and proffer their shield as a platform. Once a Pawn steps on, they will be hurled up towards whatever you are facing! When used against larger foes, this is a great way to conserve your allies' stamina, letting them grab onto whatever limb they reach! The skill is useful against flyers as well, as a heavier ally can simply Springboard up and pull the foes down. It is a bit hard to aim though.

Weight and Party Composition

In Dragon’s Dogma 2, the weight of your current build can affect your experience quite profoundly: a heavy player will find themselves constantly running out of stamina and trudging on at a snail's pace but being absolutely unbothered by attacks that could send a lighter Fighter skywards. On the other hand, a Fighter lighter on their feet will have stamina for days and be able to climb, clamber, run, and jump with greater ease. There is no right answer to which encumbrance level is best, so experiment no matter what I say here.

For the Fighter, there are many options to consider. If you want your hero to be able to clamber onto enemies to deal damage or simply hate the slower walking speed and larger stamina drain, a lighter build is for you. As the standard armour and gear for a Fighter is heavy, you may not escape a medium load, but that’s pretty reasonable in terms of stamina and speed. However, if you want to feel like an immovable bastion and aren’t interested in poking eyes when holding heels is just as effective, a heavier ensemble can be preferable! I’m horrible at managing my inventory, so I’d often dance somewhere near the edge of Medium and Heavy loads, sometimes wandering into the Very Heavy category.

In terms of teams, playing as a Fighter takes care of most of your melee and tanky needs! As you have great defence and skills with which to keep your foes busy, you can fill your party with damage dealers! I do recommend having a mage on hand, however, as the Vocation lacks elemental attacks and does take a beating. Make sure to have a ranged fighter with you as well. Airward Slash helps, but it does little to replace a good bow and arrow. I liked varied teams, so I often had a group consisting of all the base vocations, with my Main Pawn acting as a healer/elemental specialist.

Augments

Each Vocation can unlock a set of Augments which add some passive benefits for said class. What makes Augments amazing is the fact that once unlocked, you can use them with every other Vocation freely! As such, in this section, we look at the Augments that are especially useful regardless of Vocation.

In the case of the Fighter, my definitively most used Augment was Thew, which simply increases the amount of weight you can carry! Being able to carry more before hitting those dreaded encumbrance thresholds was a godsend to a hoarder like myself, allowing me to both carry and collect more junk before the Arisen’s knees gave out!

Congratulations, dear reader, you are fit to bear the title of Fighter. Your duty is a hard one and you will have to take many a blow for your fellows, but each hit suffered is a friend undamaged. That is the greatest of honours!