Here's Dragon's Dogma 2's best starting Vocation for you & your Pawn

Choosing the best starting Vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2 will make the early hours a lot easier to deal with - and you don't just have to do it for yourself but for your Pawn too!

We all have our own preferences when it comes to playstyles, with one player preferring the security of the game's Fighter Vocation over the support tendencies of the Mage, for example. However, there can be only one winner - so find out which Vocation you should opt for before you venture out into the open world.

What is the best starter Vocation?

While all four Vocations at the beginning of your journey are excellent options, in my opinion, there's no better choice than the Thief.

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The Thief gives you a fantastic combination of speed and damage, letting you overpower any initial threats by avoiding them entirely. It is also the best Vocation for climbing enemies - one of Dragon's Dogma 2's most potent battle tactics, and an essential skill to learn if you want to take down any of the biggest monsters.

Furthermore, the Vocation's special skill 'Swift Step' is the only way to 'dodge roll' in the game, which makes the class even better for any players that are used to the more Soulslike combat systems that often take form within other action games.

Alternatively, the Fighter is the safest option out of the four starting Vocations, and probably the easiest to pick up and play if you're unsure. The typical sword and shield combination is extremely familiar, and the latter gives you the means to avoid damage and even parry attacks if you're skilled enough.

Best Vocation for your Pawn

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Initially, I think that the Mage is the best Vocation for your Pawn, as it provides a source of healing for you and your party which is never a bad thing to have. While this Vocation does have low health - meaning you'll end up having to revive your Pawn a fair amount - it's the perfect support and will be a boon to any keen adventurer on their travels.

I would personally recommend switching over to the Warrior Vocation once you've obtained it though, as it gives your pawn the greatest amount of health and grants them incredibly strong attacks that can help knock down the toughest foes.

In terms of party Vocations, if I am playing as a Thief then I like to have a Warrior, Mage, and then either a Sorcerer or Archer with me, as I feel like that covers all of the bases and gives a wide range of combat abilities across the board.

How to change your Vocation

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You can change your Vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2 by heading to any of the Vocation Guilds located in many of the game's major cities and towns. You will need to spend Discipline Points to 'unlock' a new vocation for the first time, but can switch freely between them beyond that point.

Each Vocation also has its own unique gear and equipment - although some can be used across multiple different ones too. Switching to a new Vocation will require you to switch out your weapon and armour, although each one comes with its own base set to get you started.

How to unlock new Vocations

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You'll only have four Vocations available to you at the start but there's an additional six that you can unlock as you progress through the game. Some are unlocked directly through quests - often tied to the Vocation Guild - but others are just found throughout the world on your travels.

It's not guaranteed that you'll unlock any of the additional Vocations if you don't seek them out, and you could go the entire game with just the four standard options at your disposal.

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Furthermore, Pawns only have access to six of the ten Vocations overall, with the four starting options alongside Sorcerer and Warrior. This is because the remaining four are either Hybrid Vocations or the peculiar Trickster, which can only be mastered by the Arisen.

Now that you've settled your Vocation you should also find out how to change your appearance, how to cook in-game, and and whether you can fast travel or not, alongside plenty more on our dedicated Dragon's Dogma 2 homepage.