The best Mage build for beginners in Dragon’s Dogma 2

If you fancy casting huge, powerful elemental spells and dealing serious damage from afar, look no further than the Mage vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2.

The Mage is one of four vocations you can choose right at the beginning of the game, and while you’re free to change vocations at any point, the Mage is impressively strong thanks to its ability to stay out of danger while dealing impressive DPS from afar, all while supporting your pawns with healing spells.

In the early stages, you’ll need to choose between various weapon skills and augments to build out your Mage, so we’re here to provide a little direction as to what you should prioritize first. What follows is a breakdown of the best Mage build for beginners in Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Best Mage weapon skills to get first in Dragon’s Dogma 2

After you’ve ranked up the Mage vocation a few times, you’ll have access to a number of weapon skills, all offering something very slightly different. Our build is focused on being a jack-of-all-trades Mage rather than dedicated to solely healing or dishing out pure DPS, mainly since this build is aimed at beginners. It also goes without saying that you should upgrade each of these spells to the High variant as soon as you get the chance.

• Levin
• Frigor
• Fire Boon
• Argent Tonic

In the early stages of the game, as you explore Vermund, Levin is by far the most powerful attack spell for a Mage. You won’t encounter too many foes resistant to lightning, and when you upgrade to High Levin, you can cast a staggering number of strikes in the same spot. Direct hits can knock down smaller enemies too, and it has some decent targeting range, so you can keep your distance with ease.

Your other primary spell for dealing damage should be Frigor, which creates an enormous ice pillar with spikes protruding at your chosen target, and will often fling them into the air. This can hit multiple foes at once, and can also be used as a movement aid: The lingering ice block can be climbed upon, which, we can all agree, is extremely… cool. (Yes, yes, pun intended.) It deals a significant amount of damage and can also be cast from a fair distance.

We haven’t chosen Flagration as one of the damage-dealing spells because it’s a little less impactful in terms of staggering enemies, and it takes much longer to cast when emitting the flames, limiting your movement. However, you’ll still want some fire damage in your party, so opt for Fire Boon. This simply enchants your chosen ally’s weapon with fire damage, so they can bring the heat.

Finally, as a Mage with this build, you want to be accompanied by some pawns who aren’t afraid to get into the thick of battle, so healing them from afar is a necessity. Argent Tonic does exactly this, though note that it doesn’t recover the loss gauge.

Best Mage core skills and augments in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Image: Capcom via Polygon

You should grab all the available core skills and augments for the Mage vocation as soon as possible. As you reach the latter stages of your Mage build, more augments will become available to the point where you have to pick and choose, but since there are six empty slots, that takes a while to reach.

Beatitude is especially helpful early on because it increases the amount of health you recover while healing, while Quickspell is an essential core skill to speed up how quickly you can cast. Levitate is also a huge help, as it allows you to cross gaps and distances you otherwise wouldn’t reach.

Best Mage equipment in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Image: Capcom via Polygon

When it comes to weapons and armor, your options are fairly limited early on in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Most pieces of equipment are locked to specific classes, so you won’t get true freedom in choosing what to use until much later in the game when you’ve acquired lots of various bits, but if you head to Bjorn’s Armory in Vernworth, you can find some solid early game options.

I’d recommend the Verger’s Gown (10,200 gold), as it offers better defensive stats over the Magician’s Coat, and is lighter to boot, along with the Savant’s Boots (6,770 gold) for the same reason. The Serpentine Circlet (6,300 gold) is also worth acquiring, but you don’t need to worry about buying a cloak as you’ll get the Expeditioner’s Cloak through the main story fairly early on.

A stone’s throw from Bjorn’s Armory is Roderick’s Smithy, where you can buy the Anchor to Heaven staff, one of only two Mage weapons for sale here and the best you’re likely to find for some time. Don’t forget to upgrade all of your equipment as much as you can too with the materials and resources you have.

For more Dragon’s Dogma 2 guides, see our suggestions for the best Fighter build and best Thief build for beginners. We also have explainers on how to unlock the Warrior and Sorcerer vocations, how to change your vocation, and a list of all vocations.