Dragon’s Dogma 2: Best Mage skills and augments

Best Mage skills and augments in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Interested in the best Mage skills and augments in Dragon’s Dogma 2? Mages are the iconic support spellcasters of Dragon’s Dogma 2 , equally capable of firing flames at opponents and popping a healing aura in rapid succession. Mages are also the most vulnerable starting Vocation, since their reliance on light armour makes them susceptible to heavy damage, and it takes a fair bit of time for their spells to actually kick in.

If you’re a lover of standing in the backrow as your spells help allies and hinder enemies, grab your pointy hat and robe, as the Mage is tailor-made for you. In this guide, we’ve delved into the best Mage skills and augments, giving you the rundown on what you need to know to make this magick-wielding spellsmith your own.

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

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage best weapon skills

As a Mage, your go-to weapons will be staves, which unleash the following useful magicks. Also, while I haven’t listed them here specifically, it’s worth experimenting with the Mage’s various elemental boons - for instance, Fire Boon or Ice Boon , which can come in handy for enchanting the weapons of allies if you come across an enemy weak to a specific element.

Flagration

One of your earliest weapon skills as a Mage, Flagration turns you into a flamethrower, unleashing a jet of fire that erupts through all foes ahead of you for a period of time. The fire ignores Defense and hits multiple targets, and you can move while casting it. Flagration is my go-to AoE spell for roasting mobs of goblins or other attacking groups, and seeing as how it’s unlocked with the Mage’s first staff, it provides a great chance to get used to the Mage’s lengthy incantation times. Don’t let those goblins interrupt you with their clubs before you’ve actually set the flamethrower off!

Like other weapon skills, once you’ve ranked up your Mage vocation, you’ll be able to access a higher rank of this skill dubbed High Flagration that deals a more powerful fire jet.

Levin

Levin summons a bolt of lighting from on high, dealing substantial damage to whichever enemy you’ve selected as the primary target while nearby enemies take splash damage. You can keep summoning lightning bolts over and over again, but note that your Stamina will go down as you do so.

Bolts of lightning can fell even the hardiest of monsters, including this oversized specimen here. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

While I tend to prefer Flagration for overall AoE damage, Levin is excellent when you need to focus on individual targets, making it preferable for boss encounters. There’s nothing like standing behind a rock for cover while you endlessly zap a cyclops to smithareens as your pawns attack it head-on, after all. If lightning strikes are your thing, be sure to take High Levin when it becomes available.

Frigor

Your holy trinity of elemental attacks ends with Frigor , which sends a pillar of jagged ice rushing through the battlefield, slicing through (and potentially freezing) a primary target and dealing splash damage to bystanders.

Notice the fellow in this screenshot screaming out “‘Tis the end of days!” Now notice the Frigor-induced ice blast cutting through him. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

While Flagration is good for overall AoE and Levin excels at damaging a single target, Frigor (and its elevated version, High Frigor is excellent for the many options it presents. The ice pillar can be used as a stepping stone if you wish to launch yourself onto the back of a colossal foe (or perhaps provide an opportunity for your main pawn to take the initiative), and Frigor also leaves behind ice blocks that can be tossed about at will

Palladium

This is your equivalent of a shield spell, and very handy in the early game of Dragon’s Dogma 2 when your Mage is especially squishy. Activate Palladium to unleash a yellow orb of magick that floats beside you and absorbs up to three attacks before dissipating.

Good Palladium management will greatly assist your Mage when it comes to surviving combat encounters long enough to activate your bigger spells. I recommend popping this before every boss encounter, and keeping an eye on the yellow orb to make sure it’s still there if you ever end up in the thick of things.

Halidom

Halidom brings forth a bluish wave of magick that can cure either your Mage or their allies of negative conditions, including Caught Fire, Frostbite, Unconscious, Sleep, Silence, Drenched, and Tarred. This skill, along with Anodyne (described below), should be one of your main support go-tos in a crowded battle, especially if your pawns are unable to fight on account of being trounced about or frozen in place. High Halidom , its more powerful variant, has extended duration and is even better at curing conditions.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage best core skills

Core skills are general abilities possessed by every Vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2, and the Mage has a very good selection at their disposal. The available options range from healing allies to levitating through the air like a true magical maestro - which is really fun, but a bit less useful than the following three pivotal choices.

Anodyne

For a good amount of healing and a not-too-lengthy cast time, Anodyne impresses out of the gate as one of the most important core skills in a Mage’s arsenal. Activating it creates a curative magickal bubble that heals anyone in the vicinity.

Come to me, my pawns! Let me heal you with the sweet glow of Anodyne! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Casting Anodyne during a fight usually gets most of your low-on-health pawns to come rushing to your side for a quick pick-me-up, and both Anodyne and Halidom will probably be your most used support skills for much of your Dragon’s Dogma 2 adventure. You can also never have too much Anodyne at your disposal, so this is one skill to look out for when recruiting Mage pawns.

Focused Bolt

Your standard attack spell as a Mage is Magick Bolt, which shoots a little burst from your staff and can be spammed as many times as you like. It’s quite weak, but since this isn’t a Vocation that specialises in close combat, it’ll do in a pinch. Focused Bolt is a stronger version of Magick Bolt that’s basically a charge attack. Hold down Magick Bolt, then press to unleash a much better missile. If you’ve enchanted your staff with a particular element (by using weapon skills like Fire Boon or Ice Boon , for instance), Focused Bolt will shoot off a missile infused with that element, which can deal quite a bit of damage depending on a foe’s elemental resistances.

Focused Bolt’s main drawback is that your Mage needs to stand still while casting it, which they don’t have to do with Magick Bolt. You’re something of a sitting duck during these moments, but if your pawns have good synergy and are ordered to stay close to you, your Mage should be safe and sound.

Quickspell

Speaking of sitting ducks, if you’re a fan of the Mage’s gameplay but can’t stand waiting through the hand waves and magick-gathering animations that go along with most of the skills here, Quickspell is just what you’ve been looking for. This core skill greatly reduces the casting time of any spell in exchange for sapping your Stamina.

Figuring out when it’s best to use Quickspell versus the instances when you should endure a long casting period is pivotal for managing the Mage’s skillset. If you always spam Quickspell during a lengthy fight, your Stamina will deplete in a jiffy, leaving you breathless and vulnerable. That said, the first time you use Quickspell to fast cast Levin, obliterating a pack of harpies in an instant, will be a moment you won’t soon forget.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mage best augments

Augments are passive boosts that all Vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2 receive as they rank up. Seeing as how the Mage deals double duty as a support caster who can also deliver potent damage, the following two options are a no-brainer.

Apotropaism

Apotropaism boosts your Magick Defense stat, letting you weather whatever enemy spellcasters toss at you with gusto. You’re the one who’s supposed to be casting Frigen to knock foes about like ragdolls and inflict Frostbite - don’t let them freeze you first.

Beatitude

Beatitude goes hand in hand with Anodyne, increasing the amount of health you receive from curative magicks. Remember, you’re not a frontline combatant, and while you may be able to summon lighting, your constitution is still much weaker when compared to the Fighter, Thief, or Archer Vocations. Take this augment as soon as you can.

That concludes our magickal deep dive into the Mage’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 smooth firing of the Archer , the sword and shield tactics of the Fighter , 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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