Dragon’s Dogma 2 Pawn Guide: Skills, Specializations, and More
In our Dragon’s Dogma 2 Pawn guide, we’ll cover vocations, their recommended skills, augments, and vocations, and much more.
The AI for Pawns in Dragon’s Dogma has always been excellent. When set correctly, they will do all the work for you, and the second game in the series is no different. In fact, it’s only an improvement on the previous design.
That’s not to say they’re a well-oiled machine every fight; like any game with complex AI, they glitch occasionally, but they’re definitely leaps and bounds ahead of any other AI companion system.
Pawn Vocations
Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers an array of vocations for your Pawn, and each vocation plays incredibly differently. Much like your character, your Pawns can also freely switch vocations, allowing you to match them perfectly to whatever vocation you choose to play.
There’s no clear “best pawn” in Dragon’s Dogma 2, as each vocation can fit into a party nicely, and a balanced party can deal with a lot. So, choose primarily based on what you need. If you are unsure of what to choose, you can never go wrong with having a Mage Pawn.
Mage Pawns
The Mage Pawn is like having a health dispenser that follows you. I’d say it’s the best choice if you aren’t sure what to pick, and they provide a lot to your party. I had my own Pawn set to this vocation the most, as I could easily swap out skills as I needed, depending on what I wanted to do.
You’ll always want to have Argent Tonic/Argent Succor; this is how your Pawn will heal. Some sort of Affinity, Fire Affinity is a solid all-around choice. Levin is great to add, so your Pawn has some kind of damage option, though this isn’t necessary. I’m not a solid fan of the Palladium or Celerity, though I would choose Palladium out of the two. Halidom you can cover with Potions; the only debilitation worth healing is Blight, which isn’t too common.
Finally, I’d recommend using the Maister Skill, Celestial Paean; it’s perfect if you’re a vocation that can spam skills, such as a Thief, as this will allow you to go ham.
Skills
- Argent Succor
- Fire Affinity (Or Other)
- Levin/Flagration
- Celestial Paean (Palladium early)
Augments
- Beatitude
- Perpetuation
- Apotropaism
- Endurance (Archer)
- Constancy (Sorcerer)
- Subtlety (Thief)
Inclination
- Kindhearted
Fighter Pawns
Fighter Pawns are a great choice if you’re playing a vocation that doesn’t like aggro; Sorcerers are a prime example. They’re tanky and can draw the attention of monsters through augmentations and skills. They’re still able to dish out damage, and overall, it’s always great to have one in your party.
There’s plenty of choice on what to use on your Fighter Pawn, but Shield Drum is what you want primarily to pull that aggro. For damage, Hindsight Sweep and Cloudward Slash is great not only at tackling airborne foes but also for knockdown.
The final skill I’d choose is Riotous Fury, the Fighters Maister skill. Full Moon Slash is also a great alternative if you still need to unlock it.
It’s worth noting that I use skills other than guard/defense. I didn’t like them and found that they kept the Pawn held in place for too long and relied too much on an enemy attacking them.
Skills
- Shield Drum
- Cloudward Slash
- Hindsight Sweep
- Riotous Fury (Full Moon Slash)
Augments
- Constancy (Sorcerer)
- Provocation
- Mettle
- Thew
- Dominance (Warrior)
- Apotropaism (Mage)
Inclination
- Straightforward
Thief Pawns
Thieves are amazing damage dealers capable of dishing out consistent damage. They’re keen on climbing, and when their inclination is set to Straightforward, they will generally focus on the biggest creature around.
Thief Pawns are decent in a party as their damaging skills, like Skull Splitter, are relatively high. The issue with Thief Pawns is that you must be careful with what skills you give them, as they sometimes tend to over-use or over-use specific skills. Due to this, I recommend having two offensive skills and two defensive/utility skills.
Skull Splitter is one of the best skills a Thief has, as the damage is incredibly high. Pairing this with Implicate is solid for pulling larger foes who have been knocked off balance. Thief Pawns will also use it to pull creatures off you if you’re a Sorcerer. Plunder is a great option on Thief Pawns, as it gives the player an excellent supply of Ferrystones and other valuable items.
The Thief Pawn can also use the Maister skill, Formless Feint, a solid defensive option. However, if you don’t have a Mage or Formless Feint, you can opt for something else, like Ignited Blades early and Masterful Kill, late game.
Skills
- Skull Splitter
- Implicate
- Plunder
- Formless Feint
Augments
- Subtlety
- Vigor
- Poise
- Avidity
- Constancy
- Endurance
Inclination
- Straightforward
Archer Pawns
Archer Pawns are definitely the weakest Pawn vocation, in my opinion. They’re much weaker early on than other vocations, regardless of whether they’re played by a player or Pawn. They rely a lot on supplying specific arrows and using specific associated skills for those Arrows, and some the Pawn just isn’t going to reliably use correctly.
Similarly to the Thief, giving an Archer Pawn too many offensive skills results in them randomly using many different Archer skills. You can do this, of course, and it’ll work, but building it like this is a net loss in damage, personally.
Early on, the archer has many weak skills. So, ideally, you want skills that do something. Barrage works early, but you’ll want to supply your Archer Pawn with many explosive arrows and equip it with Erupting Shot. Then, you’ll select Spiral Arrow. Spiral Arrow is fantastic, as it constantly delivers a barrage of hits. It’s incredibly effective against smaller targets and larger foes, where it will continuously apply debilitations from a boon.
If booned, the Spiral Arrow constantly applies debilitations and knocks foes down. So, having the Pawn use this as much as possible is far more useful than Deathly Arrow, which many others opt for.
Skills
- Erupting Shot (Requires Explosive Arrows)
- Spiral Arrow
- You can add, but I don’t recommend it.
- Barrage Shot
- Deathly Arrow
Augments
- Endurance
- Lethality
- Dominance (Warrior)
- Subtlety (Thief)
- Constancy (Sorcerer)
- Catalysis (Sorcerer)
Inclination
- Straightforward / Calm
Warrior Pawns
Warriors can deal impressive damage and are also great at toppling larger foes. They do this incredibly well. They can also be built to draw aggro, similar to a Fighter if you opt out of Fighter but still wish for your frontline to draw attention. This makes the Warrior Pawn quite versatile.
The only downside to Warrior Pawns is that their attacks are slow. Because of this, faster-attacking creatures can sometimes lock your Warrior Pawn early in the game. You need Constancy from the Sorcerer and overall good Knockdown/Stagger Resistance to fix this. Also, do not use “Launch” skills on the Warrior, as they will prioritize them instead of attacking.
Using Heavenward Sunder is unlocked early and is a solid mainstay choice. Its damage and ability to knock down are impressive. Roar is great for similarly drawing aggro to the Fighters’ Shield Drum, though this can be changed if you don’t need it. Mountain Breaker is also a solid skill for knocking larger foes to the ground. Then, we’ll end with Inspirit to cure our Warrior of random debilitations that might affect him.
Overall, it’s best to equip your Warrior with only a few slow-animation attacks and have him primarily focused on toppling bigger foes. That’s where his strengths lie, and he tends to miss targets with everything else.
Skills
- Heavenward Sunder
- Roar (Can Swap out)
- Mountain Breaker
- Inspirit
Augments
- Constancy (Sorcerer)
- Provocation
- Mettle
- Thew
- Dominance (Warrior)
- Apotropaism (Mage)
Inclination
- Straightforward
Sorcerer Pawns
For our dedicated Dragon’s Dogma 2 Sorcerer build guide, head here.
The Sorcerer Pawn is an excellent Pawn for high burst; if protected, they can even pull off their own Maister skills.
What’s unique about having a Sorcerer Pawn is that they spell sync when paired up with an Arisen Sorcerer. Spell syncing essentially speeds up spell-casting speed. The Pawn and the Arisen must have the same spell for this to occur.
High Levin is my favorite choice regarding the three main damage spells, but you may have a preference. Many options exist here, such as Spellhold, Augural Flare, etc. If you’re playing a sorcerer, I suggest building similarly to your arisen sorcerer is critical to playing off of spell synchronizing.
Finally, we have Meister skills; the best is Meteoron. A sorcerer’s primary focus is massive burst, and nothing does it like Meteoron. There’s an argument to be made for carrying 3 skills, so they prioritize Meteoron, but that’s up to you. Carrying Maelstrom is also an option, or swapping the 4th for Seism, Hagol, etc are solid choices.
Skills
- Levin/Flagration/Frigor
- Spellhold
- Meteoron
- Augural Flare (Maelstrom/Another Arisen Spell)
Augments
- Constancy
- Asperity
- Subtlety (Thief)
- Thew (Fighter)
- Endurance (Archer)
- Lethality (Archer)
Inclination
- Straight forward / Calm
Specializations
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, a new mechanic concerning Pawns is known as Specializations. These are essentially passives for your Pawn that give them unique abilities.
There are 6 of these in total, and your Pawn learns them from Tomes gained from quests or by raising the affinity of certain NPCs.
Remember that Tomes are a one-time use item and will replace any previously learned specializations with the new specialization.
- Aphonite: Allows Pawns to abstain from speaking. It minimizes their chatter.
- Chirurgeon: Pawns will use curatives on Allies, which is excellent for Mage Pawns and parties without a Mage.
- Forager: Your Pawn will start to mark the location of enhancement materials.
- Hawker: Essentially turns your Pawn into a Merchant. It’s great if you have encumbrance issues.
- Logistician: Moves items between allies to balance encumbrance and combine materials.
- Woodland Wordsmith: Translates Elvish for the Arisen, allowing you to comprehend them during dialogue.
Chirurgeon, Logistician, and Forager are the top three Pawn Specializations. Although it’s not essential, if you’re going to build a party, these are the three specializations you’d want your group of Pawns to have.
Woodland Wordsmith is only essential when dealing with Elves, which is a small portion of the game, and isn’t required when heading there to Buy/Sell and Craft, as not having it isn’t essential to the Trade.
Pawn Affinity
It isn’t well known, but Pawns have a hidden affinity toward the player. This affinity level isn’t relevant throughout the game, but it does have consequences for the ending, so keep that in mind.
You can raise your affinity with your Pawn by speaking to them, changing their appearance, High-Fiving them, and visiting the hot spring with them. However, your affinity is reduced when you have to revive your Pawn, so it’s vital to make sure your Pawn dies as little as possible.
Dragonsplague
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, there’s a substantial hidden mechanic that you’re told about when your Pawn first contracts the Dragonsplague. After that initial warning, it’s up to you to remain diligent.
The Dragonsplague is a disease your Pawn can contract from other Pawns as they travel through the Rift. If left unchecked, it can cause your Pawn to commit a massive calamity by wiping out whatever town you’re resting in.
There are a few symptoms you should keep an eye out for in your Pawn.
- Glowing Red Eyes: The Eyes of your Pawn will start randomly growing red.
- Headaches: Your Pawn will hold their head as if in physical pain.
- Disobedience: Your Pawn will stop listening and act on their own.
- Changed Dialogue: Their dialogue will change dramatically, becoming more combative and disobedient.
- Increase in Power: They’ll become increasingly more potent in combat.
How to get rid of Dragonsplague
Although the Dragonsplague has dire consequences if not noticed, it is relatively easy to get rid of. If you’ve hired an infected Pawn, you can simply dismiss them.
If your main Pawn is infected, you have a couple of options. The easiest is simply killing your Pawn. To do this, throw them in Deep Water so they drown or let the down timer run out when their HP reaches 0 in combat.
They will be cured once the Pawn is summoned again at a Riftstone.
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