After hints of the title's existence and ongoing development, the reveal of Dragon's Dogma 2 at the PlayStation Showcase was a welcome surprise for fans of Capcom's cult-favorite ARPG series. Not only did the trailer show off footage of an improved visual aesthetic and new camera angle, there were plenty of new monsters and locations on display, as well as the titular dragons that players would expect. Additionally, the gameplay footage shown featured player characters and the series' Pawn sidekicks using attacks and skills that indicate the existence of new Vocations in Dragon's Dogma 2, which only add to the anticipation for the title.
Dragon's Dogma's Vocations are the game's version of the classic RPG class archetypes, and in the first game there were only three possible Vocations to choose from. After leveling up each of the three base Vocations to a certain point, players were given access to the evolved form of each Vocation. Dragon's Dogma2 presents Capcom with an opportunity to release the title to strong sales given how much traction the first game has had since its release and the Dark Arisen expansion, and the addition of new Vocations that adhere to some missing class archetypes from the first game would be a step in the direction of guaranteeing Dragon's Dogma 2 to be another win for the studio.
New Vocations that Should Make an Appearance in Dragon's Dogma 2
The vanilla version of Dragon's Dogma provided players with three starting Vocations; the Fighter, Strider, and Mage. Once players reached level 10, these Vocations would evolve into the Warrior, Ranger, and Sorcerer classes, respectively. The Vocation system was enhanced in the Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen expansion through the addition of hybrid classes that blended aspects of each of the evolved Vocations, but there are still some notable RPG archetypes that are missing as Vocation options that should absolutely be included in Dragon's Dogma 2.
First and foremost, Dragon's Dogma 2 desperately needs a Lancer or Dragoon class. Spears are already a weapon type in Dragon's Dogma, and the sheer size and scale of some enemies makes the lack of a spear-driven class especially felt. Climbing enemies and attacking them while hanging from their backs or hindquarters is one of the best ways to get an advantage over large foes, but being able to jump incredibly high to land devastating attacks seems like a perfect fit for Dragon's Dogma 2. Another Vocation that would be a natural fit would be the Alchemist, since this was already one of the options in Dragon's Dogma Online.
Dragon's Dogma 2's Trailer Hints at the Existence of Monk and Necromancer Vocations
As is typically the case when a highly-anticipated game has a reveal trailer, fans of Dragon's Dogma immediately got to work analyzing the trailer and official artwork for Dragon's Dogma 2 immediately after its debut. One of the more important discoveries made by fans was a piece of official artwork showcasing a golden statue representing each of the game's potential Vocations. Thanks to some clever use of image upscaling, fans were able to determine that one of the as-yet unidentified Vocations appears to be a Necromancer or Summoner based on the staff that they are holding.
Further, a piece of concept art for the game has revealed what is very clearly a Monk-type class archetype, with fans now speculating that the Vocation will eventually evolve into a Druid. Similar to other ARPGs like Diablo, Dragon's Dogma's Vocations are primarily based off of Dungeons and Dragons class archetypes, meaning that there are still plenty of options players have not had yet regarding classes or jobs for use in the Dragon's Dogma series. Dragon's Dogma 2 looks to take one of Capcom's best hidden gems and bring it to a wider audience, and the addition of more Vocations could help bring in new players by giving them their favorite RPG playstyle as an option.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
