The best Magick Archer build in Dragon’s Dogma 2 turns your Arisen into a capable healer and damage dealer with few drawbacks. Unlike some magic-based vocations in Capcom’s RPG, this one even has a physical attack up its metaphorical sleeve, so you’re never at a disadvantage–unless you pick the wrong skills.
Our Dragon’s Dogma 2 Magick Archer build guide explains how to play Magick Archer well and which skills serve you the best. Check out our Dragon’s Dogma 2 Vocation tier list to see where Magick Archer falls among the rest of DD2’s classes.
How to play Magick Archer in Dragon’s Dogma 2
Magick Archer plays much the same as the regular Archer, though with the added bonus of stronger attacks with elemental alignment. You’ll want to stay a little behind everyone else, so you don’t get overwhelmed, and finding high ground to help with aiming is always a good idea if possible. A feature unique to the Magick Archer lets you target multiple enemies with basic shots and aimed skills, which gives you a big advantage in almost every encounter, especially if you use the right elemental attacks.
- Support your friends – The Magick Archer’s support skills are some of the best in the game, so much so that you can forego a Mage and be your party’s sole healer. The Magick Archer’s healing options are actually more powerful than the Mage’s healing spells, so make sure to equip at least one support skill before heading out.
- Consider changing your Pawns – On a similar note, you’ll want to swap your Pawns out so they don’t double up on your chosen skills. If you take elemental skills with you, for example, Sorcerers and Mages aren’t really necessary. Alternatively, you could change your Main Pawn to a magic class, equip fire and ice skills, and give them lightning (for example). That way, you have all elements covered without taking up all your skill slots.
- Don’t get overconfident – The Magick Archer can handle most foes alone, but that doesn’t mean you should rush into battle without thinking. Magick Archers have no defensive skills and can get overwhelmed quickly if more than one foe gets too close.
- But don’t let everyone else do the work – That said, you’re the party’s most valuable asset, so don’t stand back and let the Pawns handle it themselves. Targeting weak points, inflicting status ailments, and keeping up a steady barrage of attacks means everyone is likely to walk out of most battles unscathed.
- Assess the situation – Magick Archers get two firing modes, one that targets multiple enemies or points and one that’s focused on a single area. Don’t forget to switch between them depending on the situation. Rivet seems ideal for large foes, but Pinpoint can let you target several weak points and knock them down more efficiently. Switch them up and see what works best for you.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 best Magick Archer skills
Frostseeker Bolt
Frostseeker Bolt tracks down enemies, deals ice damage, and has a high chance of inflicting frostbite. Frostbite slows foes, which makes up for the lack of control over which enemy the arrow decides to target.
Flamefang Arrow
Flamefang Arrow explodes once it finds its target, which is handy for dealing with clusters of enemies in one go. Even handier is the fact that you can control where this shot goes.
Vimtaking Arrow
Remedy Arrow sounds like the better choice at first glance, but since you or your other Pawns can usually revive a fallen ally with ease, Vimtaking Arrow is the way to go. This one has no revive option, though it does steal enemy HP and use it to heal all allies. It also has a wider area-of-effect than the skill description would have you believe, so it’s pretty easy to replenish everyone’s HP without thinking too hard about it.
Sagittae Downpour
There’s nothing special about this one: It launches a series of magical bolts at your target, and the impact takes a sizable chunk out of their health bar. It might not be as flashy as other Magick Archer skills, but it gets the job done every time.
Hailstone Bolt
Hailstone Bolt is a useful skill if you have no other physical attackers on your team, as it’s the Magick Archer’s only skill that deals physical damage. It also lobs a chunk of ice and deals ice damage, so it’s a double-whammy if the enemy has ice weakness. Consider using this one instead of Frostseeker Bolt if you don’t need the frostbite effect.
Sparkchain Strike
Sparkchain Strike comes with some caveats. It’s an excellent skill that can deal extensive damage, but it also requires some preparation. You’ll need to fire several stakes to get the skill’s full effect, which takes time and some luck. It also means Sparkchain is more useful against single targets that either don’t move much or ones you can embed the stakes in. Still, since most enemies don’t have lighting resistance, the result is worth the trouble.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 best Magick Archer core skills
The Magick Archer doesn’t get many core skills, and they all provide small, but helpful, alterations to your quickfire attacks.
Scopic Shot
This one increases your lock-on range for Pinpoint Volley and Rivet Shot, so it’s essential. Unlock it as soon as you set Magick Archer as your vocation.
Tracker’s Sight
Tracker’s Sight lets you lock on to more targets with Pinpoint Volley and Rivet Shot. It’s a cheap one and unlocks at rank three, so you should be able to get it pretty quickly.
Protracting Arrow
When you use an elemental skill, Protracting Arrow applies that element to your next quickfire, Pinpoint, or Rivet shot for a brief period. It’s an easy way to exploit elemental weaknesses quickly and spread fire or ice across a broad area.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 best Magick Archer augments
Magick Archer’s augments are some of the most useful in the game, so much so that it’s worth sneaking into Battahl and unlocking the class as early as you can.
Sustainment
Sustainment increases your Pawns’ defense and magic defense, which, considering you can’t outfit your two extra Pawns, is pretty helpful.
Ascendency
This one raises all Pawns’ attack and magic attack, though the downside is that it only unlocks at rank eight.
Amelioration
Amelioration shortens how long it takes to revive fallen Pawns.
