Summary
The new vocations ofDragon’s Dogma 2mostly serve as continuations of the archetypes established in the first game, but the Trickster class sets itself apart by having a design unlike what can be found in many other RPGs. While there’s the typical variety of Warrior, Thief, and Mage classes along with more granular subtypes available inDragon’s Dogma 2, the Trickster is specifically a summoner who uses illusions to deceive enemies on the battlefield. Considering that it is essentially unable to do any real damage to enemies using its own skills, however, the true nature of the Trickster as a crowd-controlling tank has made it feel like a let-down to some players.
A typical party of RPG classes can be found within the game, but it still diverges from that setup through the presence ofDragon’s Dogma 2’s Pawn system. The player’s companions are emotionless spirits instead of actual characters, making them largely interchangable support for most. The Trickster, however, finds itself acting as the support for its Pawns instead, creating an undeniably unique, but sometimes bland experience when compared to the active style of the other vocations.
Trickster Builds Rely Heavily on Pawn Intervention
The Trickster’s Simulacrum is the Vocation’s Core
Many players gravitate towards support roles in RPGs, but the Trickster holds the unique distinction of being nearly incapable of doing any damage.The Trickster’s signature Censer weaponacts as an aggro-drawing tool which barely inflicts HP loss if any, but this causes enemies to focus on the Trickster’s illusory clone known as a simulacrum instead. For anyone looking to heal the party or fill the battle with minions who actually attack, the Trickster doesn’t do either of these at all. The entire point of this vocation is keeping Pawns safe as they do all the work of killing foes, a strangely pacifistic tank role which lacks potency on its own.
Playing Solo is Nearly Impossible
While the game’s other classes are all rather capable of ditching their Pawns and attempting to tackle the world alone, this is hardly a fun prospect for anyone looking to run a Trickster. It’s not impossible to complete the main quest as a solo Trickster, but it is likely to require the use of the environment to cheese monsters into dying fromDragon’s Dogma 2’s divisive Brineby falling into water in most major battles. This is obviously in line with the class fantasy emphasized in its very name, but making the best of this vocation can end up feeling less engaging than its peers.
Thriving as Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Trickster Can Be Monotonous
Pure Tactician Gameplay in an Action RPG
The difficulty ofbeing a Trickster inDragon’s Dogma 2hasn’t stopped some players from optimizing this form of gameplay and discovering its effectiveness, but this doesn’t seem to be as interesting as it initially appears. Fully maximizing its potential will lead to the player basically always kiting enemies with their simulacrum, completely stunning the field with Dragon’s Delusion, and using Binding Effigy to make enemies destroy each other before the Pawns are ever even targeted. There’s always going to be something for the player to do, but it boils down to simple maintenance with setups like having three Sorcerer Pawns all spamming their skills.
Making the Most of the Vocation System as a Trickster
As is the case with many of the game’s best builds, the stronger Tricksters tend to utilize Augments borrowed from leveling up other vocations. One of theDragon’s Dogma 2’s other new vocations, the Warfarer, is capable of using skills like the Trickster’s Aromatic Rally buff to achieve one of its most potent effects while still being able to function as more than a pacifist tank. The player’s build can be customized around what style of combat is most suitable, but only a minority are likely to find satisfaction in the relatively hands-off approach of the Trickster.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Set forth on your grand adventure, Arisen!Dragon’s Dogma is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG series that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more. Now, in this long-awaited sequel, the deep, explorable fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 awaits.On your journey, you’ll be joined by Pawns, mysterious otherworldly beings, in an adventure so unique you will feel as if accompanied by other players while on your own adventure.All of these elements are elevated further through physics technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and the latest in graphics, to create a truly immersive fantasy world in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
