Explore Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's Vocations! Learn about Basic, Advanced, and Hybrid classes, their stats, and how to best level up your Arisen.
Alright, let's talk about Vocations in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Think of these as your character classes. You've got three main types: Basic, Advanced, and Hybrid. When you first start out, you can only pick from the Basic ones – Fighter, Strider, and Mage. Don't worry, you'll unlock the others pretty quickly!
You'll get access to Advanced and Hybrid Vocations once you hit level 10, make your way to Gran Soren, and have enough Discipline points saved up to make the switch. Advanced Vocations are basically souped-up versions of the Basic ones. We're talking Warrior, Ranger, and Sorcerer. Hybrid Vocations are where things get really interesting, mixing the strengths of two Basic Vocations. The Fighter and Strider combine to make an Assassin, Fighter and Mage become a Mystic Knight, and Strider and Mage create the Magick Archer. Just remember, only your Arisen can be a Hybrid Vocation; your Pawns are limited to Basic and Advanced.
The Early Grind: Levels 2-10
For those first ten levels, you're limited to the three Basic Vocations: Fighter, Strider, and Mage. Honestly, this early stage is mostly about getting you into the game. The stat growth during these levels is pretty straightforward and doesn't vary wildly between the classes. It's more about getting through it than making super strategic choices. Here's a look at how they start and grow:
| Starting Stats | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Fighter | 450 | 540 | 80 | 60 | 80 | 60 |
| Strider | 430 | 540 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
| Mage | 410 | 540 | 60 | 80 | 60 | 80 |
| Basic Vocations (Levels 2 - 10) | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Fighter | 30 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Strider | 25 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Mage | 22 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
As you can see, the growth rates are pretty similar early on. Don't stress too much about min-maxing here; just get through these levels and you'll be able to start making more impactful decisions soon.
Mid-Game Specialization: Levels 11-100
This is where the game really opens up! Once you hit level 10 and reach Gran Soren, you can change your Vocation. This is also when stat growth becomes much more dynamic, and you'll want to start thinking about how you want to play for the rest of the game. Roughly two-thirds of your character's overall growth happens between levels 11 and 100. Here's how the stats shake out during this crucial period:
| Basic Vocations (Levels 11 - 100*) | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Fighter | 37 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Strider | 25 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Mage | 21 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Advanced Vocations | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| (Levels 11 - 100*) | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Warrior | 40 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Ranger | 21 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Sorcerer | 16 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Hybrid Vocations | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| (Levels 11 - 100*) | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Mystic Knight | 30 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Assassin | 22 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Archer | 21 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
*Note: Level 200 is the maximum level in the game.
The Endgame Push: Levels 101-200
After level 100, your stat growth slows down considerably. By this point, you've likely mastered your favorite Vocation and probably beaten the main story. These later levels are really for the dedicated players who want to squeeze out every last bit of power. Here's how the growth looks from level 101 to 200:
| Basic Vocations (Levels 11 - 100*) | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Fighter | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Strider | 5 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mage | 10 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Advanced Vocations | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| (Levels 11 - 100*) | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Warrior | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ranger | 5 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sorcerer | 10 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Hybrid Vocations | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| (Levels 11 - 100*) | HP | ST | STR | MGK | DEF | MDF |
| Mystic Knight | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Assassin | 5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Archer | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
*Note: Level 200 is the maximum level in the game.
Choosing Your Path: Leveling vs. Play Style
So, how do you decide which Vocation to focus on? Generally, you'll want to level up as the Vocation that best complements the stats you want for your ultimate build. For example, if you want a super strong physical attacker, you'll want to level as an Assassin or Warrior because they have the best Strength (STR) growth. If you're aiming for a powerful magic user, you'll want to level as a Sorcerer for its high Magick (MGK) growth. The game suggests that you should focus on leveling as the Vocation that gives you the best growth for the stats you want to maximize. So, if you want to be an Assassin at level 200, you should probably be leveling as an Assassin for most of the game. You only need to be the Vocation you want to level as the moment you gain enough experience to level up. The rest of the time, your play style should determine what vocation you are (and what you’ll ultimately end up playing as once you hit level 200.) To be safe, you might just want to stick to your leveling class for… most of the levels between 10 and 100. Still, since it matters how the classes play, lets take a look at each vocation in depth.
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