In Dragon’s Dogma 2, your pawns are more than just companions-they’re unique allies with distinct specializations that can turn the tide of battle and exploration. From healing the party with the Chirurgeon specialization to uncovering hidden materials as a Forager, mastering all six pawn specializations unlocks a new layer of strategy and synergy. Discover how to unlock and optimize these powerful traits to make your journey through Gransys truly unforgettable.
In this Dragon’s Dogma 2 guide, we’ll explain how to unlock pawn specializations in Dragon’s Dogma 2. We’ll also show you a list of all pawn specializations, and, crucially, tell you how to change pawn specializations.
All pawn specializations in Dragon’s Dogma 2
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, there are six unique pawn specializations that enhance your AI companions’ abilities and behaviors. These specializations include Chirurgeon, which enables pawns to automatically use healing items on allies; Forager, which marks enhancement material locations on the map; Logistician, allowing pawns to craft and manage items from party inventories; Hawker, which lets pawns buy items from your inventory; Woodland Wordsmith, specializing in translating the elvish language; and Aphonite, which reduces the pawn’s speech. Each pawn can have only one specialization at a time, so choosing the right one to complement your playstyle is crucial for maximizing their support during your adventure.
As far as we’ve seen, there are six pawn specializations in Dragon’s Dogma 2. See below for a full list of all the pawn specializations we’ve encountered so far:
- Chirurgeon: Gives the pawn initiative to use curatives on both you and any pawns in your party
- Logistician: Lets the pawn combine items, both from your inventory and from the inventory for any pawns
- Forager: Marks the locations of items available for foraging on Dragon’s Dogma 2 map, including minerals for upgrading weapons and armor
- Hawker: Let the pawn offer to purchase items from your backpack, for a price
- Woodland Wordsmith: Teaches the pawn Elvish (helpful for visiting Sacred Arbor)
- Aphonite: Forces the pawn to stop talking (in most circumstances)
Since the effects of pawn specializations also serve as de facto perks for your character, it’s worth diversifying your party so each pawn following you has a different specialization. There’s no use doubling up on a pawn specialization; if one pawn knows how to translate Elvish or mark your map with resource locations, you don’t need another one with the same exact skill.
Unless you don’t want to hear about all those damn ladders, in which case you should load up your party with pawns who have the Aphonite specialization.
You can filter pawns by specialization at certain riftstones.
How to unlock pawn specializations in Dragon’s Dogma 2
To unlock pawn specializations in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you need to obtain specialization tomes, which are unique scroll-like items that grant your Main Pawn new abilities. These tomes are typically earned by completing specific side quests, increasing affinity with certain NPCs, or gifting items such as flowers and precious stones to key characters in towns like Vernworth and Battahl. For example, completing the “Medicament Predicament” quest and speaking to Flora grants the Chirurgeon specialization, while gifting flowers to Glenna at the Stardrop Inn can unlock the Logistician specialization. Once you acquire a tome, you apply it to your Main Pawn through the inventory, replacing any existing specialization. If you lack a desired specialization tome, you can also hire Pawns with the specialization you want from Riftstones by checking their traits before recruitment.
You can unlock specializations for your pawns via Specialization Tomes, single-use items that can change the specialization of your main pawn. Dragon’s Dogma 2 hints that you can find useful items by befriending people, and it’s not lying – you can earn Specialization Tomes by completing side quests and main quests for characters.
How to get the Logistician’s Tome
For example, the Logistician’s Tome can be earned by completing the “Heels of History” main quest. After you’ve rescued Malcolm, by talking to the other kids around the Slums of Vernworth, you’ll eventually be approached by Kendrick (whom you may have met during “The Caged Magistrate”) while walking the streets of the city, who will hand over the Logistician’s Tome. With this, you can teach your main pawn the Logistician specialization.
How to get the Forager’s Tome
In fact, another tome can be acquired in virtually the same manner. In the Slums of Vernworth, revisit Malcolm, who you rescued as part of the “Heels of History” quest. After you’ve completed the quest, Malcolm will visit you while you’re in Vernworth, and bestow the Forager’s Tome upon you. This allows you to teach a pawn the Forage specialization.
How to get the Chirurgeon’s Tome
If you’re after the Chirurgeon’s Tome, look no further than the “Medicament Predicament” side quest, the quest for Flora in Melve. Once you’ve procured ingredients for Flora, you can find her in Vernworth near the Merchant’s Quarter (something you’ll do as part of the “Ornate Box” quest). She’ll hand over the Chirurgeon’s Tome as a thanks for your earlier help. It allows you to teach a pawn the the Chirurgeon specialization.
How to get the Woodland Wordsmith’s Tome
For the Woodland Wordsmith’s Tome, you’ll need to head to the Elven town of Sacred Arbor, deep in the woods northeast of Vernworth. Seek out Grisha, who sells you armor items, and ply her with items like a Bunch of Flowers repeatedly until her affinity is high enough for her to give you the Woodland Wordsmith’s Tome.
You’ll need to do this over the course of several days, however. Use the bench outside Grisha’s shop to rest repeatedly between giving her gifts, or head over to the inn on the other side of Sacred Arbor to pass the time, and that should make this a piece of cake. After a few days of plying Grisha with gifts like a Bunch of Flowers, she’ll hand over the Woodland Wordsmith’s Tome to teach your pawn how to translate Elvish.
How to get the Hawker’s Tome
The Hawker pawn specializations is all about money, and so it makes perfect sense that you need to track down a vendor for the Hawker’s Tome. Just like Grisha, you need to ply a merchant with enough goodies, like Bunches of Flowers, over three separate days in order for them to grant you the Tome.
We’ve selected Bjorn in Vernworth for this purpose, because while you’re showering him with goods, you’ll get a nice discount on any items you buy from him in the future. Simply give him Bunches of Flowers across three separate days – or monster parts like Mishappen Eyes if you’re feeling generous – and on the fourth day he’ll hand over the Hawker Specialization Tome.
How to get the Aphonite’s tome
For the Aphonite’s Tome, you need to seek out Eini, who’s located north of Melve in Eini’s Home. You can raise your affinity with Eini one of two ways: the first, as you might suspect, is to shower her with gifts over three days, but the second is to complete the character’s escort mission.
If you complete the quest “Spellbound,” which requires you to bring five grimoires to Eini’s house, you can significantly increase her affinity gauge, which stands you a great chance of netting the Aphonite Tome.
It’s worth mentioning that the methods for obtaining the Specialization Tomes in Dragon’s Dogma 2 appear to be somewhat random. We had to wait upward of an in-game week for Kendrick and Malcolm to grant us their respective Specialization Tomes, for example, and we couldn’t approach them for those tomes – they had to come to us first and initiate a conversation.
Which TOS in Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers the most strategic advantage for solo play
For solo play in Dragon’s Dogma 2, the Thief vocation offers the most strategic advantage due to its exceptional defensive skill, Formless Feint, which allows dodging every attack from enemies, making solo survival significantly easier. This skill, obtainable early in the game, combined with high mobility and strong offensive abilities like Skull Splitter and Blades of the Pyre, creates a balanced and powerful playstyle ideal for solo adventuring. While Warrior is also a solid choice with good defense and damage reduction when charging, the Thief’s combination of evasion, damage, and mobility generally makes it the top pick for solo players seeking both survivability and effectiveness.
Which TOS provides the best balance of offense and defense solo
The Fighter vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers the best balance of offense and defense for solo play, combining solid melee damage with dependable defensive skills. Fighters have access to a versatile moveset that allows them to block and counter effectively while dealing consistent damage, making them well-rounded for handling various combat situations alone. This balance enables solo players to both withstand enemy attacks and maintain offensive pressure without relying heavily on pawns or other vocations.
