Across all of fantasy gameplay, whether that's Dungeons & Dragons or your run-of-the-mill RPG, the Thief type of class is all about striking from the shadows with short, sharp blades. That's mostly also the case in Dragon's Dogma 2, but the Thief Vocation bucks a few trends and offers a bit more in terms of flexibility. Yes, you're still using daggers to deal huge amounts of damage to vulnerable foes, but Thief also comes with some interesting skills that have a lot of utility. They can light their daggers on fire or even use cords to ensnare targets. For a closer look at everything the Thief is capable of in Dragon's Dogma 2, keep reading.
Thief Core Skills
In Dragon's Dogma 2, the Core Skills of any Vocation represent the fundamental abilities that make up that class's core toolkit. For Thief, that's a lot of agile maneuvers with quick attacks, including the Controlled Fall that sees them spin around like a dangerous bladed ball. There's also Bump and Lift, which grants a chance to steal an item from the enemy it hits.
| Rank | Core Skill | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Carve | Delivers a flurry of dagger blows. | 0 |
| 0 | Twin Fangs | Performs a deadly double strike forward, followed by a powerful successive strike if target is knocked off balance. Hold down to cling to larger targets or to pin down smaller flinching targets. | 0 |
| 0 | Swift Step | Lowers stance and renders movement swift and light. Effective as an evasive maneuver. | 0 |
| 1 | Scarlet Kisses | Unleashes a flurry of forward slashes. | 150 |
| 2 | Controlled Fall | Tucks the body into a tight roll when hitting the ground after being knocked down, allowing the user to swiftly regain their feet. Reduces damage taken upon impact. | 250 |
| 3 | Bump and Lift | Robs the target of an item when an attack connects. Activates when using Carve, but has a low success rate. | 400 |
| 4 | Footpad | Kicks off a wall, allowing the user to launch themselves a great distance. | 600 |
Thief Weapon Skills
Despite their name, Weapon Skills in Dragon's Dogma 2 are active abilities attached to each individual Vocation. While many of them do involve the go-to weapons of any given Vocation, they're more broadly optional class abilities. In some cases, the same Weapon Skills are available to different classes. You can equip four of these at any given time.
Here's a look at everything that the Thief can acquire.
| Rank | Weapon Skill | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biting Wind | Dashes past the target with blades extended. Followed by further slashes when using the same attack on contact. | 0 |
| 1 | Enkindled Blades | Brings the daggers together to ignite, wreathing them in flame for a short time. Can also be employed while clinging to or pinning down a foe. | 200 |
| 1 | Shadow Cloak | Enables the user to blend into their surroundings, rendering them more difficult for hostile targets to detect. Less effective when attacking or dashing. Consumes Stamina while active. | 200 |
| 2 | Helm Splitter | Leaps up, then dives through the air while spinning, blades extended. More powerful when performed from high places. Also employable in mid-air. | 300 |
| 2 | Powder Charge | Places an explosive on the ground at the user's feet that can be detonated from afar at a moment of their choosing. Can also be employed while clinging to or pinning down a foe. | 300 |
| 3 | Concussive Step | Uses an explosive blast to withdraw from the point of detonation. The blast may cause lightweight targets to flinch. Also employable in mid-air. | 450 |
| 3 | Ensnare | Casts out cords to snare targets and tug on them. Pulls smaller targets closer, and topples larger targets that have been knocked off balance. | 450 |
| 4 | Smoke Screen | Throws a smoke bomb that blinds nearby targets. Useful for creating chaos when counterattacking or withdrawing. Can also be employed while clinging to or pinning down a foe, or in mid-air. | 700 |
| 4 | Cutting Wind | An advanced form of Biting Wind that has an extended attack range. | 1000 |
| 4 | Ignited Blades | An advanced form of Enkindled Blades that has a longer-lasting effect. Can also be employed while clinging to or pinning down a foe. | 1000 |
| 5 | Pilfer | Allows the user to rob targets that have been knocked off balance and targets not in battle stance of a curative or other item. Can only rob larger targets while they are downed. | 1100 |
| 5 | Skull Splitter | An advanced form of Helm Splitter that employs a faster spin to deliver a greater number of slashes during the spinning dive. | 1300 |
| 5 | Shadow Veil | An advanced form of Shadow Cloak that renders the user even more difficult for hostile targets to detect at a decreased cost to Stamina. | 1300 |
| 6 | Concussive Leap | An advanced form of Concussive Step that consumes less Stamina and is more likely to cause targets to flinch. | 1600 |
| 6 | Powder Blast | An advanced form of Powder Charge that plants a more powerful explosive with a greater effective range. Can also be employed while clinging to or pinning down a foe. | 1600 |
| 6 | Gut and Run | Cruelly stabs and gouges the target before drawing back. A fearsomely powerful skill, employable only while clinging to or pinning down a target. Inflicts greater harm on a foe's weak point. | 1800 |
| 7 | Smoke Shroud | An advanced form of Smoke Screen with an extended smoke radius and a longer-lasting effect. | 2000 |
| 7 | Implicate | An advanced form of Ensnare that allows the user to pull targets with greater force. | 2000 |
| 7 | Easy Kill | Darts behind the target after parrying their attack, then slits their throat. | 2500 |
| 8 | Draw and Quarter | An advanced form of Gut and Run that inflicts greater harm when withdrawing. | 2500 |
| 8 | Plunder | An advanced form of Pilfer that increases the likelihood of stealing a rare item. | 2500 |
| 9 | Masterful Kill | An advanced form of Easy Kill that can be employed in mid-air. | 3000 |
| Learned | Blades of the Pyre | Brings the daggers together to ignite, wreathing them in a blazing inferno so potent that the user cannot escape being burned. | Legend's Opus |
| Learned | Formless Feint | Accelerates the user's reactions to an ungodly degree, enabling them to evade all manner of attacks from hostile targets. Consumes Stamina while active. | Pilferer's Handbook |
Thief Augments
Augments are passive abilities that offer various kinds of buffs and are the focus of progression for individual Vocations and the Arisen at large. The process for acquiring a new Augment is specific to the Vocation you play as, but once you own it on a character, they can equip it regardless of their active Vocation. Each character can have up to six Augments active at any given time.
| Rank | Augment | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Subtlety | Decreases the likelihood of being targeted by foes. | 300 |
| 4 | Gratification | Slightly restores Health when you deliver the killing blow to a foe. | 900 |
| 6 | Poise | Reduces the Stamina consumed when struggling in a foe's grip. | 1800 |
| 8 | Vigor | Reduces the Stamina consumed when clinging to or pinning down foes. | 3000 |
| 9 | Verve | Augments your Strength. | 5000 |
Subtlety is valuable for any class that doesn't want to take any damage, including any magic wielder. Gratification is a solid choice for any offensive-oriented class, including something like Archer. And Verve is universally useful for any melee class. Poise is rather situational, and Vigor is very specific to Thief.
