Jorie McKibbin 
More than 10 years removed from the original, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is coming and it will iterate on the original’s class system.
10 years ago, Capcom published Dragon’s Dogma. The game is director Hideaki Itsuno’s take on the ever-popular Western fantasy action-RPG genre. It’s a story much like the ever-popular Dark Souls series but unlike Dark Souls, Dragon’s Dogma never garnered the same level of attention or popularity. That being said, one standout feature that did receive praise was Dragon’s Dogma’s unique “mix ‘n’ match” class system.
With a sequel on the horizon, it’s natural to wonder how the sequel will handle these, which have been redubbed “vocations.” Itsuno, who is returning to direct Dragon’s Dogma 2, shared some details on the new vocation system.
How will classes work in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Vocations will work similarly to the original in Dragon’s Dogma 2, allowing players to select one at character creation with the ability to change at any time by speaking to an NPC.
This means that Dragon’s Dogma 2 will allow players to change their vocation and that of their pawns as many times as they wish throughout the game, just like the original. Itsuno also confirmed that advanced vocations will be returning, though exact details on how they’ll function are unclear. In the original Dragon’s Dogma, advanced vocations were “upgrades” to the three basic vocations, while “hybrid” vocations combined elements from two others.
The full scope of the new vocation system is not yet known. It seems that the game will remain faithful to the original framework while offering the opportunity for a bit more variety.
What vocations will exist in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Fighter, thief, archer, mage, mystic spearhand, and magick archer are the confirmed classes in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
In the original Dragon’s Dogma, there were three basic vocations: fighter, mage, and strider. In Dragon’s Dogma 2 there will be four. fighter and mage are making a reappearance and seem to function the same as their original counterparts. Strider has been seemingly split into the new thief and archer vocations. In the original game, striders wielded both daggers and bows. In Dragon’s Dogma 2, archers will focus on bow use and thieves on daggers.
Two “advanced” vocations have also been confirmed in the mystic spearhand and the magick archer. The mystic spearhand hybridizes melee and magic combat and can be seen as a re-interpretation of the original game’s mystic knight. The magick archer is a returning vocation from the original game that combines archery and magic attacks.
It’s unclear how many more vocations will exist in the final game, but the six that have been revealed are already an impressive lineup. Further, the existence of four basic vocations offers greater potential for hybrid classes.
