Can you dodge or lock on to enemies in Dragon's Dogma 2?

We've all become quite used to dodging and locking on to enemies in many of our favourite combat systems, but Dragon's Dogma 2 throws a spanner into the works which might cause confusion for some players.

While this is certainly not a new thing for the series - as the game's predecessor also lacked these features - the abundance of games like Dark Souls in recent years make the adjustment to a system without them quite challenging for me.

Can you dodge in Dragon's Dogma 2?

There is no dodge roll action in Dragon's Dogma 2, so figuring out your positioning in anticipation of enemy attacks is more important than ever.

There are a number of ways that you can avoid damage though, but none are as reliable as a good old-fashioned forward roll. The Thief Vocation has the special ability 'Swift Step' which is akin to the dodge you'll find in a game like Bloodborne. As far as I can tell this doesn't have any invincibility frames of its Souls counterparts, but it'll get you around quickly nonetheless.

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One thing I found myself doing quite a lot was just running away from the action by using the 'Dash' ability. You're still vulnerable to any damage, but it gave me a quick way to disengage from the action if I saw a big attack on its way. I found this super helpful when fighting larger enemies like the Cyclops, Ogre, and Minotaur, but you definitely have to act before it's too late!

Alternatively, you can also parry attacks with certain Vocations, which both prevents an enemy attack and opens up a counterattack opportunity for you and your pawns. This does require precise timing - and I've certainly been burnt a number of times by getting it wrong - but it's very satisfying to pull off if you do get it right.

Can you lock on to enemies?

Unlike dodging where there are a couple of alternatives, there is fundamentally no way to lock on to enemies in Dragon's Dogma 2, so you'll have to be particularly precise with your actions.

This, once again, took a little while to get used to after playing so many games with camera lock functions, but it means that you have to really think about where you're looking and standing before an attack.

I did find that there was a little bit of help when you're within a certain range of an enemy, and they also seem to have quite generous hitboxes so you won't find yourself missing by margins. However, you'll still need to know where you're looking and become a master of the camera if you want to tackle any of the game's toughest monsters.

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Alternatively, you can play as the Archer Vocation as its standard attacks will always lock onto the nearest enemy in your field of vision. This is also technically true for the Magick Archer and many of the magic-based Vocations, which give you the chance to lock onto enemies in your vision when using certain abilities.

You might not be able to dodge or lock on in the game, but you can roll over to our dedicated Dragon's Dogma 2 homepage and lock on to some incredibly helpful guides. You can find out how to increase your carry weight, how to revive people, and how to climb on enemies.