Dragon’s Dogma 2: How to dodge in DD2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a game in which enemies can launch powerful charged attacks at you from long distance, and the only way to evade these attacks is to dodge them. But you can never find the dodge button when you need it, right?

I started my Dragon’s Dogma 2 campaign playing as an Archer, and time and time again I would lose half my health when an enemy launched itself at me from miles away. I could usually see these attacks coming, but there didn’t seem to be any way to move fast enough out of their path. I thought to myself, “Damn, this game really needs a dodge button.” I thought it didn’t have a dodge button at all, but it sort of does. At least, it does if your Arisen is a Thief.

What is the dodge button in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

If you want to be able to dodge in Dragon’s Dogma 2, then your only option is to play as a Thief. Having gotten sick and tired of the endless barrage of unavoidable attacks my Archer was dealing with, I went to the Vernworth Vocation Guild and changed my vocation to Thief. If you want to dodge, then I suggest you do the same.

One of the Thief’s core skills is Swift Step, which is basically a fancy way of saying “dodge button that every vocation should bloody well have.” Swift Step is triggered by pressing R1/RB, so the dodge button in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is R1/RB/Right Click. And to dodge in Dragon’s Dogma 2 you need to change your vocation to Thief and press R1/RB/Right Click.

I found that as soon as I changed my vocation to Thief, enemies weren’t much interested in spamming me with their cheap-ass power attacks any more, so I didn’t have much opportunity to show off my fancy new dodging skills. I did eventually persuade a Saurian to puke at me, and managed to dodge out of the way of that. But then I totally failed to dodge when it stabbed me. Twice. The dodge button was in perfect working order, though. I was just pressing it too slowly.

If you’ve now decided you’d rather parry attacks than dodge them, then I have to tell you that parrying is also specific to certain vocation skills. The main parrying skills are the Fighter’s core skills, Deflect and True Deflect. But the Thief also parries when it performs the weapon skills Easy Kill and Masterful Skill.