Dragon’s Dogma 2: How to play the Trickster vocation

The Trickster vocation is the most unique class in Dragon’s Dogma 2 as it is the only vocation that does not directly damage enemies. As the name implies, this vocation fools enemies into losing their composure and defeating them using unconventional means. This highly advanced class requires thinking differently and using the environment as your weapon. This article will guide you on the Trickster vocation and how you can play it to its fullest potential.

Playing this vocation requires a different mindset. Instead of attempting to defeat an enemy, try to be a nuisance by constantly being the primary target while you let your Pawns do all the work. As a support class, your goal is to ensure the party can land hits on the enemy without fear of retribution, as enemies will be too busy going through your illusions.

Core Mechanics

Tricksters cannot attack enemies with their censer but can cast illusionary spells to change enemy behavior. Tricksters must travel with a complete party of Pawns since they can also use support skills by providing a damage buff to all allies. This vocation has 9 skills that play into the illusionist fantasy: Suffocating Shroud, Effigial Insence, Illusive Divider, Aromatic Resurgence, Visitant Aura, Tricky Terrace, Enthralling Aroma, Fragrant Alarum, and Dragon’s Delusion.

Starting with Sufficating Shroud, this skill creates a cloud of smoke that causes enemies who come in contact to attack the caster. This skill draws aggro away from your Pawns and makes you the center of attention. While this skill may seem dangerous, using this in tandem with the other skills can be effective once you understand their built-in synergy.

Effigial Incense creates an illusory clone of your character that will cause enemies to attack it when nearby. Casting Sufficating Shroud while the Effigial Incense is active will redirect all aggro from you to the clone instead.

Illusive Divider conjures a fake wall that will block enemy movement and line of sight. Holding a chokepoint with skill helps to box in groups and tighten their formation, making them easy to pick off for your Pawns.

Aromatic Resurgence creates a cloud of smoke that will buff your Pawns’ attack power while keeping them alive even when their health falls to zero. This buff comes at the cost of slowly draining their health while the buff is active.

Visitant Aura summons a levitating astral projection of your Arisen, which can be used to scout out distant locations but leaves your physical body vulnerable to enemy attack. It constantly drains stamina while active, but it can be used to prepare a plan for enemies ahead of your path.

Tricky Terrace is by far the most lethal skill for the Trickster, as you can summon an illusory floor from a ledge. Enemies can be tricked into falling off a bottomless pit with this skill if you place your illusory clone on a fake floor, and with the proper set-up, you can even kill some of the early bosses in this manner.

Enthralling Aroma will possess an enemy and make them draw aggro from other enemies, forcing them to in-fight and sowing chaos in a fight. Should you and your party be outnumbered in a fight, Enthralling Aroma will divide the enemy group.

Dragon’s Delusion is the ultimate skill for the Trickster vocation, as it summons the illusion of a roaring dragon, causing all enemies to flee in terror. While this skill can’t deal damage, using this skill will buy your party time if the fight isn’t in your favor.

Trickster Strategies

When playing as a Trickster, tall heights and bottomless pits are your weapons in defeating challenging targets. Create an imaginary floor near the ledge to set up the trap. Next, use the Effigial Incense skill to create a clone of yourself to bait out enemy aggression. Make sure it is placed on the fake floor to spring the trap. If the enemy still focuses on you or your Pawns, cast Suffocating Shroud so that enemies will prioritize the clone first. Once you’re done, watch the enemy plummet themselves as they attempt to attack your clone.

Should you find yourself fighting in an area without environmental traps, you can still use your clones to keep you and your Pawns safe, stun enemies, or cause in-fighting. You also have the Aromatic Resurgence skill to provide your Pawns with the most potent damage buff in the game and swing the fight in your favor. If you have the stamina, the Dragon’s Delusion skill will make the enemy scatter, making it easier for your party to eliminate one by one and giving them free hits to land.

Keep running around with your Simulacrum while casting Invoking Essence if you’re in an open-field battle. This is because the simulacrum has very little health. Still, by constantly relocating it to your position, enemies will spend time chasing your clone instead of fighting your party.

Tricksters are also great at disengaging from combat with the Illusive Divider, as the fake wall can break the enemy line of sight, allowing you to slip away.

General Tips

• Use any throwables you find in the immediate environment. There may be explosive barrels nearby that you can use to deal damage while enemies are distracted by your illusions. You can even grab knocked-down enemies and throw them at another enemy or a cliff if the opportunity arises.

• Knockdown resistances will save your life when starting as a Trickster, as enemies will be drawn to you from the skills you cast. Casting uninterrupted can go a long way in making your Trickster experience smoother.

• If you plan to play Trickster for the long term, purchase some spell tomes and do not be afraid to use them often since the vocation cannot deal damage.

• Always have a clone ready even when there are no enemies since the skill costs no stamina and will follow you on your back for the remainder of its duration. Keeping a clone ready ensures that you can start fights without wasting time with the casting animation.

• Take Augemnts from other vocations as the ones available for Trickster are only utility passives and won’t be as valuable in the long run. Augments like the Fighter Augment Provocations (increases the likelihood of being targeted by 100%), Mettle (Increases defenses by 30%), and the Archer Endurance (Increases maximum stamina by 150%) are all better options when choosing Augments for your Trickster.

• Bring Pawns that have high single-target damage skills to offset your lack of damage. Ideally, they should have the Straightforward inclination, which makes them highly aggressive during combat and will help in dealing massive damage to a boss monster.