- Pawns are AI-controlled companions in Dragon's Dogma that fight by the player's side and provide helpful tips along the way.
- Players can only create one main Pawn and recruit two more in-game. In total, every player can have 3 Pawns in their party, and one of them must be their main pawn.
- The Pawn's Vocations and inclinations play a big part in their usefulness in combat.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 has an AI-controlled companion system, named Pawns, and new players are having trouble understanding it. Pawns are the staple feature of the Dragon’s Dogma series, and they play a vital role in the game’s experience. With Dragon’s Dogma 2 release time approaching, here is a complete guide on the Pawns system, including Pawn inclinations, their Vocations, and more.
What Are Pawns in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Pawns are the unique AI-controlled player companions in Dragon’s Dogma. At the start of the game, the Arisen (players) are introduced to Pawns, who are beings lacking any emotion or true will of their own. Pawns are loyal followers of the Arisen and they are tasked with helping the Arisen in and out of combat.
Players can customize the appearance of their Pawns and equip them with weapons and armor of their choice. Pawns also have a Vocation, the class system of Dragon’s Dogma, and players can equip the Skills for their Pawns, customizing them to assist the way they want in combat.
Why Are Pawns Useful in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
The Pawn system in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is very different from normal AI-controlled companions in other games. Pawns provide out-of-combat help, like giving hints on enemy weaknesses, showing the path for a quest, or giving helpful tips in general. They also fight alongside the Arisen, and target the enemy’s weakness with their attacks if they know of it.
Pawns with support Vocations, like Mage, can heal allies and remove status effects with their spells. Other support Skills, like Springboard, can boost players into the air to reach difficult areas or to grab flying enemies. They can do all this reactively, which is pretty unique compared to other games. Pawns can also help carry items, which is a big help when you have a lot of loot in your hand.
In Dragon’s Dogma, Pawns constantly gain information while journeying, like enemy weaknesses, quest information, or chest locations. Furthermore, players will be able to teach their Pawns Specializations, which will allow them to do more helpful things.
For example, Pawns with the Woodland Wordsmith specialization can translate Elvish for players, allowing easier communication with the Elves. There are other Specializations for specific tasks, like managing the inventory or combining items.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t have co-op multiplayer, so Pawns provides companionship allowing players to have a classic 4-party D&D experience.
How Many Pawns Can You Use in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, every player can create one main Pawn and recruit two other Pawns for their party. In total, every player can have a max of 3 Pawns in their parties, with one of them being their main pawn.
Players can change the two recruited Pawns at any given moment by using the Rift Stones. One thing to note is that recruited pawns don’t gain experience from defeating enemies, but you can equip them with different weapons and armor.
What is Dragonplague and How Does It Affect Pawns?
Dragonplague is a new mechanic in Dragon’s Dogma 2, which only affects the pawns traveling between worlds. This is a type of illness that makes the Pawns display remarkable performance. Pawns with Dragonplague also become conspicuously bold in their speech and behavior.
How this illness will act in the game is still unknown and we will add more information on it after the game’s release.
Dragon’s Dogma 2: All Pawn Vocations
Like the Arisen, Pawns also have Vocations. Players can set the Vocation for their main pawn and change them later in-game. Pawns will also need to level up their Vocations to unlock Skills and they can do it by gaining experience in combat.
Unlike the Arisen, Pawns only have access to 6 vocations. Here they are:
- Fighter
- Mage
- Archer
- Thief
- Sorcerer
- Warrior
How to Create a Pawn in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Dragon’s Dogma 2 will allow players to create their main pawn at the start of the game. In the previous game, players could create the main Pawn after finishing the starter mission. In Dragon’s Dogma 2, players can already create their pawn using the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Character Creator.
The creation process for the Pawn is similar to the Arisen but with a few more options. In the character creator, players can customize how their Pawn looks and set their Vocation. Additionally, players need to set the Pawn Inclination when creating their main Pawn.
What Are Pawn Inclinations and How to Change Them?
Pawn Inclinations are an initial set of behavioral traits for your main Pawn. There are four Pawn Inclinations in the game — Kindhearted, Calm, Simple, and Straightforward. These inclinations set how your Pawn talks and behaves in-game.
- Kindhearted: This inclination will make your Pawn emphasize aiding allies in need. Pawns with this inclination are very obedient and favor a balanced approach with an emphasis on support.
- Calm: This inclination will make your Pawn employ clever tactics to survive at all costs. Pawns with this inclination are cautious and favor defense and evasion.
- Simple: This inclination will make your Pawn gather items and explore the area for anything new. Pawns with this inclination are curious and have their heart on their sleeves.
- Straightforward: This inclination will make your Pawn tackle fierce foes head-on with strong and daring attacks. Pawns with this inclination are candid, impulsive, and enjoy the thrill of combat.
It’s important to choose the correct inclination alongside the Vocation based on the role you want your main Pawn to play. If you want them as a support, then setting their inclination as Straightforward can be tragic. Vocations are not fixed on Pawn creation and can be changed later in-game.
Can You Change Pawn’s Vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, players can only set and change the Vocation of their main Pawn. Players cannot change the vocation of the Pawns they recruit. Other than that, setting and changing the Vocations for the main pawn is pretty simple. Players can set the vocation while creating the Pawn, alongside their inclinations. Later, they can change their vocation in-game by visiting the Vocation guilds.
