Quick Links
Dragon’s Dogma 2introduced the Trickster Vocation to the Arisen, an advanced class that uses illusions to tank damage and buff nearby allies. It’s one of the game’s harder classes to play, as it has no damage-dealing skills in its base kit. But if you can get used to the strange playstyle, you’ll be rewarded with one of the tankiest, most versatile Vocations in the game.
In this guide, we will cover the best build you can use for the Trickster. Use your Censer to create illusions of yourself, create phantasmal bridges to trick larger foes, or buff your allies with powerful magick.
Build Overview
The Trickster disorients their foes with various illusions created from their Censer, a weapon type that doesn’t deal any damage. You serve as anevasive tankthat can use decoys to distract your foes. This gives your Pawns free rein to use powerful Maister skills or similar abilities with long windups.
This build makes the Trickster theultimate utility classby giving your Arisen access to powerful taunts, group buffs, and enemy debuffs. You won’t be able to deal damage directly, but through the power of simulacrums, you’re able to damage enemies through well-placed decoys and devious traps.
Skills And Augments
Since the Trickster has no damage skills, we’ll be focusing onutility and buff skills.You’ll want to create a simulacrum before you cast any of these skills, as the cast animation will leave you quite vulnerable. You’re a tank, but you don’t want to get hit either.
Enemies will target your simulacrum first, then you.
Binding Effigy
Creates a simulacrum that sticks to the enemy, encouraging enemies to strike their ally.
Aromatic Resurgence
Greatly increases the damage of your allies for a short duration.
Tricky Terrace
Creates an illusory platform that enemies will attempt to climb.
Usually inflicts knockdown. Can also be placed over ledges to make enemies fall to their death.
Pawns gain +30 Strength and Magick.
Pawns gain +30 Physical and Magick Defense.
Provocation
Increases the likelihood of being targeted by foes.
Suffocating Shroudis a spammable skill that draws enemy attention towards you. If you spawn a simulacrum, they’ll fight your decoy instead, giving your Pawns a moment to prep a powerful Maister skill. You can follow this up withAromatic Resurgenceto give your Pawns a massive damage increase. This will slowly drain their HP, but a Mage can easily outheal the degen.
While we can’t do damage directly, we can useBinding Effigyto conjure a simulacrum that sticks to a target. This will cause all enemies to strike the afflicted target. For larger monsters, castTricky Terraceover a ledge and watch them fall off the map.
Augments for this Vocation are almost entirely down to preference since damage scaling isn’t neccessary.Provocationis our only hard recommendation, as it makes enemies far more likely to strike you or your simulacrum during combat. We recommend usingDynamism, Zeal, and Athleticismto enhance your stamina management. Since your Pawns will be the damage dealers, runAscendancyandSustainmentfrom Magick Archer to improve their stats.
Arena Breeches
Pioneer’s Cape
As with most builds in Dragon’s Dogma 2, your main goal should be finding armor with high defensive stats and a stronger weapon. Since the Trickster doesn’t deal any damage, your best weapon is actually theWhimsical Daydream, a Censer that generates Gold whenever you strike enemies. It can spawn 10, 100, or even 50,000 Gold when you hit a foe. The weapon is a reward for completingthe Sphinx’s Riddle of Differentiation.
Item Upgrades
No specific upgrades are needed for this build, but we do suggestDwarven Upgradesfor your armor to mitigate incoming knockdown damage. Your weapon doesn’t need any upgrades since you don’t deal damage as a Trickster.
The armor we use can be obtained in Bakbattahl and Volcanic Island. TheRing of Triumphcomes from turning in Seeker’s Tokens, and theRing of Resolutioncan be purchased from Dudley’s store in Melve. Feel free to swap the rings for anything that better suits your playstyle.
Saurianscale Cape
After you complete the true endingand reach the Unmoored World, you’re able to obtain a better set of Trickster armor from the WLC vendor in Seafloor Shrine. TheTotemic Shroudis the best chest armor available. Better legs can be obtained than theArena Breeches, but they have excellent knockdown resistance and can be used across multiple classes.
TheSummoner’s Crownis located next to theVernworth red beam, one of three Brine bosses you must slay to start NG+. While you’re in the circular arena, look to the east and you should see a small alcove. Inside will be a chest containing the helmet. As before, upgrade the items with Dwarven smithing to enhance your knockdown resistance.
We still recommend theWhimsical Daydream, as it’s the best way to farm Gold in Dragon’s Dogma 2. You don’t need a stronger Censer for this build; your simulacrums are plenty strong already. Hit enemies that are stunned to earn some easy Gold.
