The Magick Archer Vocation in Dragon's Dogma 2 is arguably too strong. But, then again, just about every Vocation in this game could be considered 'too strong' if used properly. Still, as long as players have at least one melee Pawn taking all the enemy aggro then the Magick Archer does have the ability to reach some of the highest damage output of any Vocation (excluding any future Vocations added to the game as DLC.

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Dragon's Dogma 2: Best Greatswords, Ranked

There are quite a few Greatsword options for Warrior Vocation players in Dragon's Dogma 2, and here are the ones they should look for the most.

To do this, players are going to need to fire as many basic shots as possible (at the correct time) but they're also going to need to have the right Skills equipped. So, let's go over their best options in Dragon's Dogma 2.

9 Ricochet Seeker & Ricochet Hunter

Very Useful in Tight Spaces

First up is Richochet Seeker, arguably one of the most visually 'bombastic' Magick Archer Skills, depending on where it's used. Now, out in the the wide open space of Vermund (or Battahl) Richochet Seeker is simply just 'okay'.

But, in caves and areas that could be considered a tight space, this Skill is absolutely incredible. Still, because it's so situational in terms of its usage it'll have to take last place in these rankings.

8 Irradiant & Candescent Orb

Passive Burning Damage That's Bright Like the Sun

Candescent Orb is another very obvious, almost obnoxious Skill in terms of its visuals. After being fired, the arrow creates this miniature sun-like orb of fire that'll apply burning to anything within range and deal consistent damage to them (though said damage is pretty small).

And, if the arrow with Candescent Orb attached to it hits a target instead of the ground or a wall, it'll stick to them too, basically forcing them to take the full brunt of its damage potential. While the DPS is relatively small, the total damage applied over the full duration turns out to be quite a lot, and it's probably the best Magick Archer Skill to passively apply damage while the player uses other Skills or Rivet Shots to apply more damage on top.

7 Sedative & Soporific Bolt

Deceptively Useful Against Caster-Type Monsters

Next up is a bit of a polarizing choice, as a lot of DD2 players seem to be ignoring this Skill entirely while the other half of them seem to swear by it. Soporific Bolt (or Sedative Bolt if unupgraded) is a Skill that builds up the enemy's Sleep meter when it hits.

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The longer the player charges up the Skill, the more Sleep it'll apply. While the conclusion for this Skill a lot of people end up on is 'why put them to sleep when you could just kill them' this doesn't actually take large monsters into account. Larger monsters, especially ones that can cast spells (such as Drakes or Chimeras) are the perfect target for this Skill, as putting them to sleep can interrupt said spellcasting and also open them up to a whole ton of damage while they snooze.

6 Frostseeker & Frosthunter Bolt

A Skill That Has Both Passive Damage & Passive Crowd Control

Too many people are sleeping on the Frostbite Ailment in Dragon's Dogma 2. While spells like Frigor or High Frigor are very powerful and can even make platforms for players to jump off of, steadily applying Frostbite to the enemy actually has more of an impact on the fight overall.

Frosthunter Bolt is a great option for that, as this is a Skill where the bolt of ice actually homes in on the enemy and constantly applies Frostbite to them (while constantly buzzing around the monster to apply said effect) with no way for them to retaliate. Unleashing this Skill every now and then during combat with larger enemies almost always guarantees that said enemy will be frozen right when the player needs them to be the most.

5 Vimtaking & Lifetaking Arrow

Quite Literally 0 Reason Not to Have This Skill Equipped at All Times

Next up is a Magick Archer Skill that's not as visually 'over-the-top' as many of the other options, but is a fantastic choice overall. Essentially, when this Skill arrow is fired, it'll sap the health of anything it hits and grant that health to allied Pawns who need it. Keep in mind that the Skill states that the amount of health healed is dependent on the number of targets the arrow hits, so this is best used against large groups of goblins or wolves.

With a Magick Archer Arisen, it's almost always better to have two frontline Pawns that tank all the damage and aggro and one backline Pawn (for healing and support). This way, the player can keep their frontline Pawns constantly topped up using Lifetaking Arrow while they're taking all the enemy's attention. There's another option for healing Pawns, but that one is actually better for helping negate fall damage than anything else.

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3 Flamefang & Blazefang Arrow

A Controllable Shot That Has More Utility Than You Might Think

This is probably one of the most fun Magick Archer Skills to use, as it literally puts the arrow in the hands of the player. When used, the player sort of 'becomes' the arrow and can then directly control how it flies (up to a certain distance/limit)

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Players will want to prioritize the following Mage Weapon Skills in Dragon's Dogma 2 to make the most out of their Vocation.

However, this can end up slowing down the pace of combat or lead to the actual Arisen getting hit for a ton of damage while they're distracted. Thankfully, players can also cancel out of this arrow mid-flight and it'll keep flying in the direction it was heading in before exploding on impact or after a certain distance. This way, players can sort of 'align' the trajectory of the arrow and then cancel out of it to focus on another enemy while the arrow itself explodes somewhere else for massive amounts of AoE damage.

2 Sagittate Downpour & Sagittate Avalanche

Some Magick Bolts With Your Magick Bolts on Top of More Magick Bolts

To be frank, the actual best attack for Magick Archers is their default attack. More specifically, it's the Rivet Shot that can deal absurd amounts of damage as long as players let the number of shots charge completely with each volley (and let go right when it becomes fully drawn).

So, a Skill that is basically just like the basic attack but stronger and with more projectiles is, of course, going to be pretty powerful. This Skill is called Sagittate Downpour (or the better and more expensive variation, Sagittate Avalanche) and it causes the Magick Archer to summon a flurry of magickal arrows that lock on to one (or at most a few) targets, allowing the player to before being unleashed in one barrage when the player lets go of the input. As far as raw DPS goes, Sagittate Avalanche into Rivet Shot on repeat is probably the best combo outside of one specific Skill which is, of course, mentioned just below.

1 Martyr's Bolt

Arguably Somehow 'Too Strong' Even for a Single-Player Game

Martyr Bolt is actually just broken. The damage this Skill can do is astronomical as long as players are willing to give up their entire HP bar and use it against the right kinds of monsters. Essentially, this Meister Skill allows Magick Archers to use the 'ultimate magickal bolt' but only if they give up an equivalent amount of maximum health in exchange. The longer they charge it, the more damage it'll do, and the more max HP they'll lose.

While that penalty might sound ridiculously rough at first, it's worth mentioning that campfires are numerous in DD2. Additionally, there are consumables that can heal a player's HP bar back to full such as an Allheal Elixir. So, if a player is about to go up against a Griffon or a Drake and just doesn't want to deal with them, use Matry's Bolt and see if it's possible to entirely shred them in one big charge.

Dragon's Dogma 2

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

March 22, 2024

Developer(s)

Capcom

Genre(s)

Action RPG