[Top 10] Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen Best Builds (2024)

Dragon’s Dogma is a game with hard RPG mechanics, that are also far more luck and passive-progression-based than most casual players will know about. The game's best gear can be unlocked via the Bitter Black Isles and can be extremely difficult to find a certain piece of gear that you want. In addition, the actual stat growth of a character is not allocated but is based on the currently equipped vocation (class) you have on at the time of your level-up. These factors can be difficult to control and manage, so while still being an extremely customizable game, much of the desired traits or armor are up to chance.

However, In this article, I will be sharing with you some great builds for each class, that will allow you to help play your role in the party. Selecting to design the character according to the Skills and Augmentations listed will help you feel much stronger!

10. Fortitude Fighter

This build allows you to have a more balanced experience by being able to sustain most hits, whilst also dealing decent damage. The build's primary focus is to keep the enemy stun locked, and aggroed onto yourself. Perform blocking abilities, followed by knockbacks, to utilize this build efficiently.

What Fortitude Fighter Excels In:

Knock up/back attacks

Debilitations

Tanking

Agro Control

Sword Skills:

Full Moon Slash: For Invincibility Frames (I-Frames)

Dragons Maw: Extremely damaging, benefits from the weapon enchantment

Antler Toss: Great Knockdown

Shield Skills:

Shield Storm: Break guards, cause knockdown, cause shield debilitations

Sheltered assault: Offensive yet defensive move

Divine Defense: 360 perfect block, and blocks debilitations

Augments:

1 Clout: STR increase 20% (Warrior)

2 Impact: Increase foe knockdown (Warrior)

3 Tenacity: High chance to avoid Death (Dark Arisen)

4 Bastion: Increase defense by 50 (Warrior)

5 Ferocity: Core Skill improvement by 10% (Warrior)

6 Fortitude: Increase Def based on difficulty (Mystic Knight)

9. Straddle Strider

This build focuses on aerial diving attacks, and mounted enemy combat. Its continuous damage on enemy weak points shreds through the largest of foes in the game. To play this build, you must focus on utilizing damaging jump attacks, mixed with enemy grapple/scaling, targeting the enemy’s soft spot.

What Straddle Strider Excels In:

Melee DPS

Large enemy mounting

Weak point targeting

Mobility

Dagger Skills:

Skull Splitter: Does incredible damage against large foes

Hundred Kisses: Weak spot targeting, mounted enemy skill

Cutting Wind: Catching fast enemies, and multiple enemy engagement

Short Bow Skills:

Fivefold Flurry: Overall best basic and versatile bow skill

Mighty Bend: Distant enemy targeting, and knockback

Pentad Shot: Evasive enemy targeting

Augments:

1 Clout: STR increase 20% (Warrior)

2 Vehemence: STR increase 10% (Fighter)

3 Eminence: Jumping attacks are more powerful (Strider)

4 Opportunism: Increase mounted enemy damage 20% (Dark Arisen)

5 Arm-Strength: Halves climbing stamina consumption (Strider)

6 Sinew: Increase carry weight (Fighter)

8. Manager Mage

This build prioritizes buffing and aiding allies, while also allowing enemy weakness targeting, via different possible elemental boons. Having knowledge of enemy weaknesses is a must, as well as quick judgments on what spell is needed most. Will function more as an RTS rather than typical combat.

What Manager Mage Excels In:

Anti- debuff

Healing

Buffing

Elemental type-based targeting

Staff Skills:

High Haildom: Removes Debuffs

High Anodyne: Continuous AOE Healing

High Grapnel: Restraining groups of enemies and large opponents

Staff Skills:

Holy Affinity: Grants ally Holy Buff-good against all foes

Ice Affinity: Grants ally Ice Buff-good against late-game foes

Fire Affinity: Grants ally Fire Buff-good against early game foes

Augments:

1 Beatitude: Healing spell duration increase 50% (Mage)

2 Perpetuation: Enchantment spell duration increase 30% (Mage)

3 Inflection: Halves damage while casting (Mage)

4 Articulacy: Shortens spell casting time by 15% (Sorcerer)

5 Gravitas: Resistant to knockback while casting (Sorcerer)

6 Restoration: Increase health of pawns when rescuing (Mystic Knight)

7. Wailing Warrior

This build is the embodiment of “the best defense is a good offense”. While taking on the aggro of enemies, dodge with the I-frame move, then strike when the opponent is weak or stunned with a powerful knockback-resistant skill. Work as a damage sponge to gain DMG buffs then strike with a hard-hitting attack before healing again.

What Wailing Warrior Excels In:

Burst melee DMG

Tanking

Agro

Front line unit

Longsword Hammer/ Skills:

War Cry: Takes aggro away from Spellcaster party members

Exodus Slash: Good small enemy damage, grants I-frames

Indomitable Lash: Good large enemy damage, Knockback resistant

Augments:

1 Exhilaration: When at low health, damage increases by 35% (Fighter)

2 Tenacity: High chance to avoid Death (Dark Arisen)

3 Clout: STR increase 20% (Warrior)

4 Vehemence: STR increase 10% (Fighter)

5 Ferocity: Core Skill improvement by 10% (Warrior)

6 Audacity: Knockback resistance while charging an attack (Warrior)

6. Rust Ranger

This build is more of an odd one on this list and benefits from certain weapons. To utilize effectively you must attack with as many hits as possible while using poisoning/debuffing weapons. This works well with characters whose stats have gone into non-damage-based stat pools. (Note the starting rusted gear, if upgraded, are great to use for this build.)

What Rust Ranger Excels In:

Poisoning

Debuffing

Ranged Combat

Low DMG stat characters

Dagger Skills:

Hundred Kisses: Quick single-target attack

Cutting Wind: Quick multiple target attack

Instant Reset: combo extender, and stun counter

Longbow Skills:

Tenfold Fury: Main attack for good damage and poison stack

Invasive Arrow: Weak point and debilitation marker

Spiral Arrow: Use special arrows more effectively

Augments:

1 Toxicity: Increases poison chance (Assassin)

2 Morbidity: Increase debilitation chance (Ranger)

3 Impact: Increases knockback (Warrior)

4 Sinew: Increase carry weight (Fighter)

5 Damping: No bow recoil (Strider)

6 Precision: Better arrow tracking (Ranger)

5. Super Sorcerer

This build focuses on prioritizing some of the strongest spells available, while also getting them out the fastest. In terms of playstyle, you will only need to play your magic-user as normal, but you will find your spells coming out faster while also doing great damage. While your arsenal may not be as colorful, it will allow you to be far more competent in battles.

What Super Sorcerer Excels In:

Magical burst damage

Continuous damage

AOE attacks

Large enemy killer

Archistaff Skills:

High Fulmination: Great offensive/defensive skill

High Miasma: Quick hit, high debuff chance

Bolide: Extreme AOE move (Dont upgrade)

Archistaff Skills:

Gicel: Good knockdown, especially against flying foes (Don't upgrade)

Holy Affinity: Buffing move, effective against all foes

High Voidespell: Anti-debuff

Augments:

1 Articulacy: Shortens spell casting time by 15% (Sorcerer)

2 Emphasis: Increase spell knockdown (Sorcerer)

3 Stability: Prevents enemy wind knockback (Ranger)

4 Inflection: Halves damage while casting (Mage)

5 Accuity: Magic damage increase 20% (Sorcerer)

6 Attunement: Magic damage increase 10% (Mage)

4. Madness Mystic Knight

This build works as a cohesive flow of escalating damage. While a bit more formulaic, it's still quite fun to pull off the full combo in battles. By activating your abyssal buff, then setting down the Great Cannon, in conjunction with the sigil and full moon slash. You will see the enemy get annihilated by a crazy amount of auto-tracking orbs.

What Madness Mystic Knight Excels In:

Attacking while defending

Continuous damage

Auto targeting attacks

Spell combo

Magic Shield Skills:

Abyssal Anguish: Great main weapon buff

Blessed Riposte: Good skill for early and late game

Flame Riposte: Good skill for early game

Sword/Mace Skills:

Great Cannon: Main attack, great damage, benefits from other skills

Ruinous Sigil: Defending spell, increases Great Cannon if placed near

Full Moon Slash: Buff, enhances Great cannon further

Augments:

1 Articulacy: Shortens spell casting time by 15% (Sorcerer)

2 Clout: STR increase 20% (Warrior)

3 Vehemence: STR increase 10% (Fighter)

4 Conservation: Reduce stamina use from magic-based skills 15% (Sorcerer)

5 Accuity: Magic damage increase 20% (Sorcerer)

6 Attunement: Magic damage increase 10% (Mage)

3. Aspiring Assassin

This build is a jack of all trades and divides out what you are proficient in. So while the other builds are more focused on a certain play method. This build is the best for allowing you to play as needed. To use this build to the best of its ability, it would be in your best interest to obtain a weapon with a permanent enchantment on it, or have a magical pawn who grants buffs.

What Aspiring Assassin Excels In:

Good melee and ranged combat

Large enemy grappling

Enemy staggering

Small enemy combat

Sword Skills:

Full Moon Slash: Great main weapon attack

Dire Gouge: Good Large enemy weak point attack

Clairvoyance: Useful in small enemy combat

Shortbow Skills:

Fivefold Fury: Main bow attack

Mighty Bend: Small enemy knockback, large enemy weak point attack

Pentad Shot: Useful if surrounded

Augments:

1 Sinew: Increase carry weight (Fighter)

2 Clout: STR increase 20% (Warrior)

3 Impact: Increases knockback (Warrior)

4 Fortitude: Increase Def based on difficulty (Mystic Knight)

5 Accuity: Magic damage increase 20% (Sorcerer)

6 Ferocity: Core Skill improvement by 10% (Warrior)

2. Maniacal Magic Archer

This build attacks mostly with holy damage, which is the element that works on most enemies. It also has 2 methods of fighting outside of its main holy attack, that being large enemy mounting and small enemy tethering. With the large opponent scaling, you will use immolation in conjunction with Hundred kisses, to shred large enemies. The small enemy tethering will focus on Vortex trail, then use Grand Scension to heal and obliterate the group.

What Maniacal Magic Archer Excels In:

Weak point targeting

Spell combo

Enemy Grappling/Tethering

Auto targeting

Magic Bow Skills:

Ricochet Hunter: Greater the damage the smaller the space

Vortex Trail: Good small enemy grapple/tether

Hunter Bolt: Group/Large enemy attack

Dagger Skills:

Hundred Kisses: Good large enemy weak point attack

Immolation: Use with Kisses, on large enemy weak point

Grand Scension: Use with Vortex trail

Augments:

1 Clout: STR increase 20% (Warrior)

2 Accuity: Magic damage increase 20% (Sorcerer)

3 Conservation: Reduce stamina use from magic-based skills 15% (Sorcerer)

4 Attunement: Magic damage increase 10% (Mage)

5 Opportunism: Increase mounted enemy damage 20% (Dark Arisen)

6 Intervention: Reduces magical-based damage (Mage)

1. Alone Assassin

This build is for those looking to grind items and exp. Use with weapons with permanent enchantment, as well as specialized bows and buff items. This will be quite handy if you are trying to unlock a certain armor set or to grind to max level. While the build benefits from losing your allies, it will still not be as useful as an ally unless you stack all possible beneficial items.

What Aspiring Assassin Excels In:

Boss Combat

Escape Combat

Enemy Shredding

Solo Combat

Dagger Skills:

Gale Harness: Close the distance between the enemy

Hundred Kisses: Main enemy attack

Invisibility: Use to avoid non-boss combat

Shortbow Skills:

Fivefold Fury: Main bow attack

Mighty Bend: Small enemy knockback, large enemy weak point attack

Pentad Shot: Useful if surrounded

Augments:

1 Vehemence: STR increase 10% (Fighter)

2 Clout: STR increase 20% (Warrior)

3 Autonomy: Buff if fighting alone (Assassin)

4 Attunement: Magic damage increase 10% (Mage)

5 Accuity: Magic damage increase 20% (Sorcerer)

6 Tenacity: High chance to avoid Death (Dark Arisen)