Looking for the perfect Thief build to master Dragon’s Dogma 2 from the start? Discover how to harness lightning-fast dual daggers, stealthy maneuvers, and deadly climbing attacks to become the ultimate damage dealer-whether you prefer darting in and out of combat or unleashing devastating burst combos. This beginner-friendly guide reveals the essential skills, augments, and gear to turn you into a shadowy assassin who strikes fear into monsters big and small across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
However, don’t let that deter you. Beyond the fact that you can change vocations if you don’t like it, the Thief is a lot of fun in combat and can deal plenty of damage with its acrobatic tricks. In fact, we even named it as the best vocation to choose at the start of Dragon’s Dogma 2.
When you’ve ranked up the Thief vocation a few times, more weapon skills, core skills, and augments will become available to you for purchase at any Vocation Guild, bolstering its nimble playstyle. You’ll also need to consider which equipment to use.
It’s all a lot to juggle, so here’s the best Thief build for beginners in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Best Thief weapon skills to get first in Dragon’s Dogma 2
For beginners aiming to excel as a Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2, prioritizing the right weapon skills is crucial to mastering this fast and deadly vocation. Start with Cutting Wind, a versatile skill that allows quick dashes with blade strikes, perfect for maintaining pressure on enemies. Next, unlock Formless Feint, a powerful skill that greatly enhances evasion, making you nearly untouchable during combat. For dealing massive damage, especially against larger foes, Skull Splitter is essential, delivering a devastating spinning attack from mid-air. Finally, Blades of the Pyre, the Thief’s master skill, ignites your daggers for a fiery blast that inflicts heavy damage, ideal for tougher enemies despite its health cost. Balancing these skills provides a strong foundation for both survivability and damage output in your early Thief journey.
With the Thief, there are two viable playstyle options. You can either focus on the stealth aspect, darting about in the shadows and striking when the time is right as your foes focus on your pawns, or you can go on the all-out offensive with constant dodges to avoid taking too much damage. Our build mostly focuses on the latter because it’s a little more beginner-friendly, but you can easily adapt it to include one stealth-minded skill if needed. Also, make sure you upgrade each skill to the advanced variant as soon as you can.
- Biting Wind
- Helm Splitter
- Powder Charge
- Ensnare
Biting Wind (and its advanced variant, Cutting Wind) is an absolute must no matter how you construct your Thief build. It should be your primary attack, because it consumes next to no stamina and allows you to close the gap between yourself and an enemy in an instant, slashing them with your daggers as you pass. You’re also nearly impossible to hit while in this state. The only worry is if you’re fighting near a cliff or in a tight space and you accidentally Biting Wind yourself too far, because you glide and dance around the battlefield without too much control over the direction.
When you’re taking on any flying or enormous foes, Helm Splitter is a godsend – it’s one of the only ways you can reliably harm large enemies as a Thief. The move sends you flying into the sky directly where you stand, rolling forward in mid-air like a Droideka to deal a flurry of hits. Timed well, you can take down flying enemies like this, but it’s especially useful against ogres, cyclopes, and the like.
Powder Charge is the only area-of-effect attack the Thief has, allowing you to plant an explosive in the ground then remotely trigger it from afar. This is useful against big groups of smaller enemies, or perhaps even more impressive is that the Thief is renowned for its ability to climb upon the backs of bigger foes. You can stick the Powder Charge into an ogre, leap off, then detonate the charge and send the big guy flying.
Finally, we have Ensnare, which is the only skill here that doesn’t deal direct damage. Instead, this is your most reliable tactic against flying enemies, as you can essentially stick a rope on them then pull them to the ground, where you can unleash melee attacks. However, much like Powder Charge, this can also be used on larger targets to knock them off balance.
Best Thief core skills and augments in Dragon’s Dogma 2
The best core skills for the Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2 emphasize agility and tactical movement, with abilities like Carve for basic dagger strikes, Twin Fangs to cling onto enemies, and Footpad, which enables wall jumping to reach new heights and gain positional advantage. Among these, Footpad stands out as essential for both exploration and combat mobility. Key weapon skills such as Cutting Wind, Implicate, Masterful Kill, and Draw and Quarter enhance the Thief’s stealth and single-target damage capabilities, while skills like Bump and Lift allow for stealing items during combat. For augments, Gratification is highly recommended as it restores health upon delivering kills, supporting the Thief’s high-risk, high-reward playstyle. This combination of core skills and augments maximizes the Thief’s effectiveness in dealing rapid, focused damage while maintaining evasive maneuverability.
There are four core skills for the Thief, one of which is an absolute necessity and should come pre-unlocked as soon as you get your hands on the vocation: Scarlet Kisses. This is your basic attack, but it allows you to deal lots of reliable damage in quick succession. Controlled Fall is also very useful when you get knocked over, if you can react quick enough.
When it comes to augments, Subtlety is by far the best Thief choice, because it means you’re less likely to be the target of your foes. You’re somewhat of a glass cannon as a Thief, so limiting the amount of damage you’re likely to take is helpful. If you’ve ranked up your Fighter vocation, the Mettle and Thew augments are also incredibly useful to the Thief. Mettle increases your defense stat, while Thew increases inventory size, as you naturally have less capacity being a nimble Thief.
Best Thief equipment in Dragon’s Dogma 2
For the best Thief equipment in Dragon’s Dogma 2, focus on acquiring high-quality daggers and armor that enhance your agility and damage output. Early in the game, the Spite daggers from Celeste’s Smithy and the accompanying Falconian Beak, Wildeagle Padded Armor, and Beast-Leather Breeches provide a solid foundation. As you progress, aim for mid-game gear like the Divine Razors daggers and the Midnight Turban, Vanquisher’s Armor, and Dapper Chausses from Bodas’s Armory in Bakbattahl. For endgame, the Heaven’s Key and Dragon’s Vein daggers stand out as the top-tier weapons, offering exceptional stats in strength, magick, and knockdown power. These weapons, combined with light armor that maximizes stamina and mobility, will allow your Thief to excel in speed, damage, and evasiveness, making them deadly and hard to hit on the battlefield.
As this build is aimed at beginners in Dragon’s Dogma 2, it’s tough to recommend very specific pieces that will elevate the build massively because your options are limited. Eventually you’ll find bits and pieces through exploration and completing side quests, but at the start you’re better off forking out some cash at Bjorn’s Armory and Roderick’s Smithy in Vernworth. These are the best armor and weapons available there for the Thief vocation.
There’s only one feasible choice for the helmet, and that’s the Unseen Shadow (4500 gold). The other option, the Hard-Leather Helm, is subpar in every regard. For the body armor, go for the Ranger’s Vest (7900 gold) because it’s half a kilo lighter than the more expensive Scaled Jacket, and offers more resistances. Finally, the Sprinter’s Boots (7900 gold) are the best option for leg armor, because even though they’re a little heavier than the other options, they offer impressive knockdown resistance which is a huge help for the Thief.
When it comes to weaponry, both the Stilettos (5300 gold) and the Snagdaggers (14800 gold) are worthy options. The Snagdaggers deal much more damage, but they’re considerably heavier, so it’s worth weighing up the options if you’ll pardon the pun.
Without giving away any spoilers however, if you do choose to play as the Thief vocation, you should prioritize the main quest, in particular the tasks Captain Brant asks of you. You’ll eventually stumble upon some very nice Thief gear indeed.
What secret skills make the Thief build stand out for beginners in Dragon’s Dogma 2
The secret skills that make the Thief build stand out for beginners in Dragon’s Dogma 2 focus on maximizing single-target damage and mobility. Key among these is Gut and Run, a fundamental skill that allows the Thief to climb onto large enemies and strike vital points, making it one of the strongest offensive abilities for dismembering foes like dragons and ogres. Other essential skills include Helm Splitter and Skull Splitter, which deliver rapid, high-damage strikes, and Ensnare or Implicate, which help control enemies during combat. Additionally, Draw and Quarter offers powerful burst damage, while Formless Feint enhances evasive maneuvers, crucial for a vocation that thrives on agility and hit-and-run tactics. These skills, combined with augmentations that boost damage and survivability, create a Thief build that excels in precision strikes and swift repositioning, ideal for beginners seeking a high-risk, high-reward playstyle.
What hidden skills give the Thief an edge in close combat in Dragon’s Dogma 2
The hidden skills that give the Thief an edge in close combat in Dragon’s Dogma 2 revolve around agility, precise targeting, and rapid burst damage. Key among these are Gut and Run and Draw and Quarter, which enable the Thief to climb onto large enemies and strike vital weak points with devastating effect, while also allowing a quick escape after the attack to avoid counterattacks. These skills are especially effective against big monsters like Cyclops and Griffins, where grappling and targeting weak spots maximize damage.
Another crucial hidden skill is Footpad, which grants the Thief a wall-jump ability, enhancing mobility both in exploration and combat by allowing acrobatic repositioning and access to advantageous terrain or escape routes. Additionally, Scarlet Kisses provides rapid consecutive slashes to deal with multiple enemies, addressing one of the Thief’s traditional weaknesses in crowd control.
For stealth and tactical advantage, Shadow Cloak / Shadow Veil is a bonus ability that reduces enemy detection at the cost of stamina, useful in specific story missions requiring sneaking rather than outright combat.
Together, these hidden skills create a Thief playstyle that excels in swift, high-damage strikes, superior battlefield mobility, and tactical stealth, giving beginners a powerful toolkit for close-quarters combat in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
