In this Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build Guide, we’ll be talking about the Mage vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2. This is the second most popular basic vocation that you can play in the game. We’ll be talking about the basics of spellcasting, stamina management, and all the other information you will need right as you start your game with a Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build – A Mage’s Role

At first glance, the Mage Builds would seem to be offensive spellcasters in Dragon’s Dogma 2. However, as the game goes on and as you unlock more spells, you’ll begin to realize that a mage is more of a support caster. The role of a mage is to buff their allies’ weapons, heal, remove negative status effects, and also deal a little bit of damage with some of their spells. Early on in the game, you will be leaning towards being an offensive spellcaster as your spells early on will be offensive. It will be the opposite once you unlock more spells. If you want to play as an offensive caster, you’re better of choosing Sorcerer as your character’s vocation.

Good Pawns to Choose For a Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build

If you’re playing as a Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build, your best option would be to have a fighter as a pawn. You can train a fighter pawn to be aggressive, to grab aggro, and to tank. You’ll be able to fulfill your role better as a fighter will fill the gaps of playing as a mage.

Basics of Spellcasting For Mages

When you press the default skill button on your controller, your character will start incanting. Incanting spells will take time before you can cast them. You can hold the skill button down to keep certain spells you want to cast until you’re ready to cast them. This will be helpful in certain cases, such as an enemy going out of range, or if you want to select another target. If you pull the LT or L2 while incanting, it will cancel the incantation. This is useful for when an enemy is charging at you, and you want to get out of the position as soon as possible.

Eventually, you’ll unlock a skill that allows you to speed up your spell casting in exchange for more stamina consumption. You’ll be able to access it by pressing RB or R1 on your controller. You’re going to be using this a lot as a mage.

A feature for mage and sorcerers is called Auxiliary Incanting. You can do this by walking up to another mage or sorcerer casting a spell, then casting the same spell. This action will speed up the time in which they will cast their spells. It’s not something you’ll always use, but it’s definitely something you want to keep in mind.

Another part of spell casting is using the right damage type against enemies. Some enemies will be resistant to certain types, while being vulnerable to other types. Having different damage types of spells in your repertoire will definitely help in certain situations. You can also plan beforehand the specific enemy’s weaknesses and resistances, so you’ll be able to cast the right spell.

Stamina Management – Mage Build

A mage’s stamina will be important to them, as that’s the resource needed to cast all spells. There are a number of things you can do to be able to improve your stamina management. First, be mindful of when you need to sprint. Sometimes you’ll use it if you’re in a bad situation. Sprinting in this game is through toggling, so you need to keep this in mind as you might waste your stamina if you forget. Additionally, you can use a melee attack with your staff by pressing the X or square button. It doesn’t consume stamina, so you can use this to deal damage if you’re running low on stamina or waiting for it to recover.

In combat, especially against tough enemies, you can use food that regains stamina or stamina potions. This will allow you to regain stamina very quickly, allowing you to keep casting spells and not having downtime.

A good recommendation is to create a mage that is smaller in size so you would have better stamina regeneration in combat. Being smaller also helps with stamina consumption.

Recommended Spells and Abilities for Mages

Flagration | High Flagration

The first spell that you’re going to get as a mage will be Flagration, or High Flagration. This is a good early game spell because fire damage does well early on in the game. A lot of enemies can be set on fire, so they’ll take damage over time from the fire. A problem with this spell is its very short range, which puts you in a bad position when you use it. It’s a good spell to keep later on in the game if an enemy is weak to fire damage.

Levin | High Levin

The next spell is Levin, or High Levin when you upgrade it. This is a lightning spell which you’ll cast in an AOE. It’s good for hitting multiple enemies, and it does a lot of damage. You can also press the button used to bring down additional lightning, which is good for fighting a single enemy, at the expense of stamina. This spell is the bread and butter of a mage, so you’ll be regularly using this spell in any Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build.

Fire Boon | Fire Affinity

Fire Boon, or Fire Affinity once upgraded, is a spell that imbues either you or your ally’s weapon. You are going to spend a lot of time giving buffs to your party members, so this spell will be used a lot. This will have a variant for Lightning and Ice, so it’s better to use whichever the enemy will be weak against. You can use it on yourself or other spellcasters, but this is not recommended because you want to cast spells instead of attacking with your staff.

Halidom | High Halidom

Halidom, or High Halidom as its upgraded version, is a very situational skill to have, but it is very strong when you do need it. When facing enemies that have annoying status effects such as sleep or poison, this will cure those inflicted with those status effects. Halidom can be used both on yourself and your allies. You can do this from a safe range, so you can consider equipping this spell when fighting tough enemies.

Miscellaneous Mage Spells

Argent Tonic | Argent Succor

If you main pawn is a mage, a good skill for them to have will be Argent Tonic, or Argent Succor when upgraded. This is a spot heal which heals you back up to full health. If you’re using a fighter or another vocation, this can greatly help you in combat. It’s almost automatic if you have a mage as a pawn, so you don’t really have to worry about it.

Solemnity | High Solemnity

A good skill to pre-cast before combat is Solemnity, or High Solemnity as its upgrade version. This increases the speed of everyone around you, so this is going to benefit the backline vocations such as archers and the spellcasters.

Anodyne | High Anodyne

Anodyne, or High Anodyne, is a good skill to cast post-combat, as it will heal all your allies. Using Anodyne will summon a sigil that heals you or any of your allies when you are inside the sigil’s AOE.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build – Augments and Equipment

Eventually, with augments, you’ll want to look for augments from other classes for this Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build that will give stamina recovery, flat stamina, or something that will increase your damage. These are two things that you should be on the lookout for mage augments.

Equipment-wise, you’re going to want more stamina and health for your rings to keep you alive. Ideally, you shouldn’t be getting hit so stamina and magic should be your priority. Early on in the game, there will be an elf town, which is north of the main town. It contains equipment, armor, and enchantments that are beneficial for casters.

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That concludes our Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage Build Guide, and we have many others as well for you to check out. You can use the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Wiki as well if you have further questions.