Dragon’s Dogma 2: Best Fighter skills and augments

Best Fighter skills and augments in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Interested in the best Fighter skills and augments in Dragon’s Dogma 2? When it comes to knocking down a horde of fantasy foes, there’s nothing like a good ol’ fashioned Fighter. This is especially true in Dragon’s Dogma 2 . While some of the game’s other Vocations might require a bit more explanation to grasp, the Fighter should be immediately familiar to anyone who’s played an RPG in the past. You know the deal - slip on your sword and shield and get ready to wade into the thick of combat.

That said, like any timeless character class, the Fighter Vocation is simple on the surface but possesses great depth. In this guide, we’ve delved into the best Fighter skills and augments, giving you the rundown on what you need to know to make monsters quiver in the face of your melee mastery.

• Dragon’s Dogma 2 Fighter weapon skills
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 Fighter core skills
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 Fighter augments

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 Fighter best weapon skills

As a Fighter, you’ll have two best friends - your sword and your shield. (Technically, you can also use a rapier or a mace, but the classic sword and shield combo will be commonplace for most players.) While other Vocations specialise in pure damage, like the Warrior, Fighters boast both offensive and defensive capabilities, and their weapon skills are a well-rounded balance that make the most of aggression and protection. Here are our favourites.

Blink Strike

Blink Strike is the first weapon skill you get as a Fighter, and it remains a valuable asset well into Dragon’s Dogma 2 . This ability causes the Fighter to lunge forward with blade extended to stick into an enemy. It requires practice to nail down correctly, and you should take care to not go careening off in the wrong direction, particularly when fighting swift opponents. Get that aim down, and you’ll find Blink Strike to be a reliable damage dealer.

Upon ranking up your Fighter, a more advanced version of Blink Strike dubbed Burst Strike will become available, letting you travel further and hit even harder.

Airward Slash

Certainly a flashy move, Airward Slash sees the Fighter jumping into the air and twisting their body like an acrobat as they swing their weapon diagonally. This is an absolutely pivotal tactic for knocking flying enemies out of the sky, and since Fighters lack the range of other Vocations, you’ll rely on Airward Slash a fair bit unless your pawns can disorient airborne foes for you.

I hopped off a ledge and nailed this wolf right in the back with Airward Slash. As you can see, he was most unhappy. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

It’s worth mentioning that Airward Slash is less reliable against small ground foes, since your attack will go right over them. If you want to use it against a wolf, for instance, it’s best to jump from higher ground and then activate Airward Slash. When it comes to big creatures like minotaurs, Airward Slash works just fine.

Gouging Skewer

Gouging Skewer looks vicious beyond belief, with the Fighter chucking their blade into a target before slamming it repeatedly back and forth through their body. It’s a tricky weapon skill to use, because if you miss, then you’re left quite vulnerable. But the potential to wreck your target is too appealing, and this skill has useful tactical implications.

If Gouging Skewer hits small enemies who are flinching, your Fighter will pin them down and deplete a good section of their health bar in a flash. Meanwhile, using Gouging Skewer against bigger foes lets the Fighter cling to them, setting up that awesome “climb on the boss” action that Dragon’s Dogma is known for.

Shield Bash

Shields aren’t just for saving your skin - they can be used offensively too. Shield Bash causes the Fighter to barrel forwards with their shield at the ready, knocking a target off balance. This is an excellent skill for getting mobs off of your back in the midst of a busy encounter, and there’s nothing like sending a saurian flying with your shield after they’ve poked you a few too many times.

Using Shield Bash to knock a hobgoblin right out of his cave hideout. Notice how my shield is slightly fiery - we’ll explain this in the Enchanted Counter core skill description below. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Against large enemies, I usually like getting in close and using Shield Bash against their legs. The harder they are, the bigger they fall, and all that.

Impeccable Guard

Playing as a Fighter means you’ll be up close most of the time and a prime target. Impeccable Guard is your emergency weapon skill to be deployed in the moments when everyone’s raining blows down on you and you just need to get out of there. This skill makes the fighter stick their shield in front of them and spin like a turtle, blocking attacks from every direction. Even better, it can be used while flinching. Don’t sleep on Impeccable Guard - it just might save your life.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Fighter best core skills

Every Dragon’s Dogma 2 Vocation has core skills that act as defining class markers. The Fighter’s include some basic essentials like Onslaught , which serves as your foundational weapon attack, and Defend , which of course is the act of guarding with your shield. Those necessities aside, the following three core skills are worth practicing.

Deflect

This one goes out to all the Soulslike fans who can’t get enough parrying in their lives. Deflect lets you knock a foe off-kilter the moment they hit you, utilising a quick counterattack that consumes no Stamina. As you probably anticipated, this requires some practice, as you’ve got to hit the Deflect button right at the moment of impact. Getting the timing right will make you unstoppable, so start brushing up on your shield skills as soon as possible.

The more powerful variant of this skill, True Deflect , sends your enemy staggering back even farther and is worth investing in as long as you’ve gotten that parry timing mastered.

Tusk Toss

Tusk Toss makes your Fighter trace a skyward arc with their sword, sending lighter enemies careening skyward. It’s not as epic against big bosses, but as a fan of Goblin Slayer, there’s something about using this skill to knock a multitude of goblins every which way that just gets me. If you’ve got a pawn Archer in your party, the cool synergy that comes with seeing them nail said goblin with an arrow in mid-air is too fun to resist.

Enchanted Counter

As you face stronger foes in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you’ll often encounter elemental resistances and weaknesses. Often, your pawns might be the ones to point this out in the midst of a fight - for instance, yelling that the minotaur you’re hacking at is weak to fire. Any magick-wielding pawns will follow up with whatever appropriate spells they have, often enchanting your weapons with something like Fire Boon, which lets you deal fire damage.

Enchanted Counter is an excellent skill to have during these specific instances, as it’ll let you automatically counter with an elemental attack corresponding to whatever you’re enchanted with when you use Defend. While this skill is certainly more situation-specific than some of the others here, you should be practiced enough at defense to find it increasingly useful as you level up and run into tougher bosses.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Fighter best augments

All Vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2 receive augments, which act as passive stat boosters. The Fighter’s augments are all oriented around amplifying defense or helping with melee tactics, and these two are the ones I’ve relied on the most.

Mettle

Mettle increases your physical Defense stat and is an automatic must. You can’t be a Fighter if you don’t keep those Defense numbers nice and high!

Provocation

You’ve got a shield and are supposed to be a solid tank for weaker party members, particularly your mage pawns who need time to unleash their big damage and curative spells. Provocation lets you live up to this role by increasing the likelihood of being targeted by enemies. With all of the other skills we’ve picked out here, you’re more than capable of holding that aggro.

Keeping a minotaur’s attention while the archer pawn climbs on its head, the mage pawn activates a spell from far away, and the rogue pawn makes merry banter while engaging in knifeplay. As things should be! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

That concludes our study of the sword and shieldplay that make up the Fighter’s best skills and augments. For more on tackling the wild world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 and becoming the legendary Arisen that all your pawns praise you as, keep your eyes on Rock Paper Shotgun as we delve into all the other Vocations of this epic adventure. You can start with our deep dive into the magickal ways of the Mage , the smooth firing of the Archer , or the shifty dagger action of the Thief . For more advanced vocations, check out our guide to the greatsword swings of the Warrior , the extreme magick of the Sorcerer , the Duospear slices of the Mystic Spearhand , the crafty illusions of the Trickster , the bow spell combos of the Magick Archer , or the many weapon skills of the Warfarer .

Dragon’s Dogma 2

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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