Dragon’s Dogma 2 Vocations 101: The Mage

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 final lesson: the Mage.

Introduction

The temptation of wielding magical powers is often very strong, be it in games, TTRPGs, or works of fiction! I mean, if you had the chance, would you not like to channel the elements, conjure refreshments, or simply put on an amazing display of power? If so, the Mage Vocation may be just the thing for you! While very much a glass cannon, this class embodies many of the core ideals of the caster archetype. That and you can fly! Or… well, levitate. Close enough. What the Mage lacks in both lastability and mobility, however, it makes up for in spades in terms of both utility and raw power. So, don’t let the fluttery robes fool you, these practitioners of magick will send you flying.

Basics

Normal Attack (left face button): Magick Bolt

Unlike the blade-swinging duo of the Fighter and Thief or the bow-wielding Archer, a practitioner of the arcane does not do something as mundane as hit or aim! Instead, hitting your normal attack button will send forth a blast of power that heads towards the enemy you are targeting. While not great in terms of damage, these bolts do track enemies to some extent and have decent range, making them a viable replacement or supplement to any other ranged member of your party! Additionally, this handy little bolt can be fired off while moving, allowing you to fling spells while running for the hills! Later on, you’ll also be able to charge up the attack for a bit more oomph. Honestly, I found myself using this skill much less than the other basic attacks, even though it is a serviceable ability.

Special Attack (top face button): Anodyne

Here it is, the absolute, unquestionably best Special Attack in the game, in my humble opinion! Anodyne is, in short, an ability where you create an area of healing around the targeted point, healing all allies within while it's active. Now, you may be thinking this isn’t all that great, as healing items exist and are semi-easy to obtain. This is a fair enough point, but the truth is, having a healer on hand makes everything so much easier and allows you to carry much less junk around! Anodyne takes a bit to charge up and cast, but it is very much worth it, as the amount healed and the regeneration it provides is second to few. The fact that it is a Special Attack and not a Skill — which would take up a skill slot, as in Dragon’s Dogma — adds another layer of utility to this oft-forgotten ability. Always compliment your healers, folks.

Skills

Boons and Blasts:

Ok, I’m cheating here again, but just a tad. As you may have inferred from the texts so far, the Mage is a master of the elements, using their skills with magick to both produce stunning blasts of power and imbue their allies’ weapons with the same elements to exploit a weakness. As such, it is hard to point at any one of the elemental skills and say “pick that”. However, there are a few words of wisdom to share.

Each element has an “attack” spell and an “imbue” spell, each representing the different elements. So Flagration would have your Mage spew forth a cone of flame, while the Ice Boon skill would allow you to make your Fighter’s blade bite in more ways than one. The trick here is to be aware of your team's other abilities and fill in any gaps you’re missing. Have a Thief with the ability to ignite their blades or an Archer with an enchanted bow of flames? Maybe wise to not pick Fire Boon, then. Keeping a wide array of different elements on hand is key! Few things are as aggravating as fighting an enemy without the element they’re weak against.

Finally, a short note on the other abilities of the Mage: they are all great! Palladium keeps you alive, Halidom will make status effects a thing of the past, and Celerity makes you go fast. I heartily recommend giving them all a go and experimenting with your loadout, as your playstyle may not fit my recommendations. I usually only kept the elemental stuff and one other ability with me.

Empyrean:

I fell in love with the Empyrean spell the instant I first saw it cast in a dark forest. Imagine fighting an Ogre, its gleaming eyes the only thing you see in addition to quick flashes in the torchlight, then suddenly your Mage sends a little ball of light into the air that EXPLODES into a tiny sun, revealing the area and your quarry. If that's not enough, it also damages enemies within the light and is especially good at anything weak to holy. Are spirits of the dead giving you trouble? Blast ‘em with the NightLight 900!

Levitation:

Ok, not a skill, nor an ability, but just plain fun! One of the passive skills the mage learns is the power of levitation, allowing you to hover off of the ground for a small time, throwing spells and raining down fury as you float. I wish more games did this, it’s just simply great fun. It even helps you get some hidden chests quite easily!

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.

If you look reeeeallly closely, you'll see a floaty Mage

The Mage is in an interesting spot encumbrance-wise, as it doesn’t have a clear-cut answer, unlike the Thief or Fighter. A Mage that can run away from threats and to allies in need of aid is definitely a good idea, but on the other hand, being able to keep casting even if you’re punched by a Goblin is also worth merit! Personally, I do recommend leaning more toward the lighter side of the encumbrance scale, as constantly running out of stamina running to or from something can get old fast, though I think staying anywhere under Heavy is fine.

A Mage is a great, if not almost mandatory, addition to any party. The healing they provide, along with the elemental range, make them a valued part of any adventure, in addition to snagging some extra treasures for you if they happen to know how to levitate. They do need a lot of protection, so it is wise to have a tank around to keep the enemies busy. While the class can theoretically take on the role of the team's dedicated ranged fighter, the inability to aim Magick Bolts and limited range of spells may make them a subpar choice on their own. The Mage is also almost useless against anything with magical resistance and is very much limited by the low amount of skill slots, so keep an eye on what skills a prospective hired Mage has. When playing a Mage, I often kept my Main Pawn as a Fighter, so I knew I could load him up with aggro-gathering skills and have someone to watch my back.

Augments

For the Mage, I think the best augment out of the lot is Beatitude. This handy little addition will do one thing: make your healing healier! In more technical terms, a character with the Beatitude Augment will recover more health from both spells and items, making it a great addition regardless of Vocation! You’ll save more items for later and allow your Mage to focus on that whole “fire and devastating” thing they have going on.

And there you have it! With this newfound wisdom, you can pick up the staff of the Magi with pride and blast foes with the best of them. Just remember, Levitation is temporary, broken heels feel like they last forever. Thank you for joining me in this crash course on the Basic Vocations of Dragon’s Dogma 2, I hope I’ve managed to help you pick out a class for yourself or at least learn something new!