Dragon’s Dogma 2 best Thief build – all skills, augments, and equipment

With a focus on acrobatic tactics and lethal swipes, the Thief is the more interesting of the traditional starting classes in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Our best Thief build gives you all the weapon skills, core skills, and equipment for the job.

Best Thief build in Dragon’s Dogma 2

While there are multiple routes to playing the Thief, we’re focusing on the evasive route in our best build for the Thief vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2. You can always swap in offensive attacks in place of stealthy tricks when you’re more confident of your abilities. Since you don’t have a shield like a Fighter, you’re better off trying to score hits instead of drawing enemy attacks toward you. Now here’s what you need to pull off an expert Thief.

Here’s our best Thief build in Dragon’s Dogma 2:

• Skills – Biting Wind, Helm Splitter, Powder Charge, Ensnare
• Core skills – Scarlet Kisses, Controlled Fall, Twin Fangs, Swift Step
• Augments – Voracity, Endurance, Zeal, Avidity, Exaltation, Verve
• Weapons – Spite Dagger, Divine Razors
• Early Armor – Falconian Beak, Wildeagle Padded Armor, Beast-Leather Breeches
• Final Armor – Midnight Turban, Vanquisher’s Armor, Dapper Chausses

Best Thief pawn party composition in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Your Thief would work well with a Fighter, Mage, and Archer. If you want to switch up from the starting vocations, consider swapping the Fighter and Archer for a Warrior and Magick Archer. A Mage will be pretty helpful with healing, offensive buffs, and support skills. And a Fighter can tank hits and draw the attention of larger enemies as you chip away at their health.

Best Thief weapon skills in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Don’t forget to upgrade these to their superior variants when you can. Opt for these weapon skills as a Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2:

• Biting Wind – Extend your blades and dash past your target with an attack.
• Helm Splitter – Leap, extend your blades, and then dive into your enemy from a height.
• Powder Charge – Place an explosive that can be detonated at will.
• Ensnare – Use cords to pull enemies closer or topple them.

These best Thief skills offer a fair balance between pure damage and situational attacks. Biting Wind will be your staple skill, letting you close the gap between you and a threat. You can also use it repeatedly to keep up your damage output. Remember not to use this generously when at a height as you may fall off. Pair this with Helm Splitter to deal damage to larger enemies. As you spin, you’ll be able to hit foes several times. While it can be used against flying enemies like Harpies, you might be better off relying on your ranged pawns to face them. Larger targets can even be toppled with Ensnare if they have been weakened.

Ensnare is another solid pick to catch flying enemies by surprise, quite literally. It’s also good against weaker enemies. Consider using Powder Charge to cause some AoE damage or to target enemy weak spots. You can climb large foes to plant a bomb before leaping off.

Best Thief core skills in Dragon’s Dogma 2

These are the best core skills for a Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2:

• Scarlet Kisses – A flurry of forward slashes that doesn’t consume Stamina.
• Controlled Fall – As you fall, enter a roll to reduce damage on impact and boost recovery time.
• Twin Fangs – Deal a double strike and a third strike if the enemy is knocked off balance. Use this to cling to large targets or pin down small ones.
• Swift Step – An evasive move that boosts movement while lowering your stance.

Scarlet Kisses is your key offensive move, perfect for multiple hits in a short amount of time. And while Controlled Fall is pretty situational, it can help you when a large monster throws you away from them. Speaking of large targets, Twin Fangs is a good core skill that can help you cling to them. You can also use this to pin down weaker enemies for a pawn to finish off. And Swift Step is helpful when skirting around an enemy mob or a particularly dangerous foe.

How to unlock the Thief Maister skills in Dragon’s Dogma 2

There are two Thief Maister skills you can unlock. Blades of the Pyre ignites your daggers but burns you as well while Formless Feint is an advanced dodge. They can be obtained by Flaude and Srail as a part of the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Nameless Village quest. Our guide covers how you can unravel the secret of the village and quickly get these potent buffs.

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Blades of the Pyre isn’t a great Maister skill

Since it’s given by a decoy and not a true Thief Maister, this skill can harm you. So be careful while using it or avoid it entirely.

Best Thief augments build in Dragon’s Dogma 2

As for augments, consider these as a Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2:

• Voracity – Needs a Magick Archer at Rank 4. Restore some Stamina whenever you deal the killing blow to an enemy.
• Endurance – Get this at Rank 4 with an Archer. Boosts your maximum Stamina.
• Zeal – Can be obtained by the Warfarer at Rank 6. Weapon skills consume less Stamina.
• Avidity – A Rank 9 Archer gets this augment. Lets you climb cliffs and foes quickly.
• Exaltation – A Mage unlocks this at Rank 9. Improves your Stamina recovery speed.
• Verve – The Thief gets this at Rank 9, boosting their Strength.

These augments prioritise mobility and damage output over defensive options. Voracity helps with clearing mobs quickly while Endurance, Zeal, and Exaltation are all related to Stamina buffs. Avidity is a good option while facing large enemies like Golems and Griffins. And Verve buffs up Strength so that your attacks hit harder.

Best Thief equipment in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Here are the best equipment picks for a Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2:

• Midnight Turban – 60 Defense and 46 Magick Defense. Get it at Bodas’ Armory in Bakbattahl for a total of 26000 Gold.
• Vanquisher’s Armor – With 140 Defense and 84 Magick Defense, this one’s a good pick at 37000 Gold.
• Dapper Chausses – At 28000 Gold, this item grants 83 Defense and 55 Magick Defense.
• Divine Razors – With 237 Strength, 100 Slash Strength, and 155 Knockdown Power, you can get these at Awaran’s Arms for 45500 Gold.

Use our best daggers in Dragon’s Dogma 2 to take down bosses towards the endgame. Pair them with the right cloak and rings to further improve your Thief. Regardless of class, it’s worth picking up the Ring of Accrual for 6500 Gold to increase your carrying capacity.

All Thief weapon skills in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Thief Weapon Skill	Description	Rank	Cost
Biting Wind	Dash past the enemy with your blades, dealing more hits on contact.	1	None
Cutting Wind	An enhanced version of Biting Wind with more range.	4	1000 DCP
Enkindled Blades	Set your daggers ablaze for a short time.	1	200 DCP
Ignited Blades	An advanced form of Enkindled Blades that lasts longer.	4	1000
Shadow Cloak	Cover yourself in darkness to make it harder for enemies to see you. Consumes Stamina.	1	200 DCP
Shadow Veil	Consumes less Stamina than Shadow Cloak but offers the same effect.	5	1300 DCP
Helm Splitter	Leap into the air and spin with your blades extended.	2	300 DCP
Skull Splitter	Spin faster than the Helm Splitter with this upgrade for more slashes.	5	1300 DCP
Powder Charge	Place an explosive that can be detonated at will.	2	300 DCP
Powder Blast	Place an even more powerful explosive with a higher range.	6	1600 DCP
Ensnare	Cast out cords to ensnare enemies, even flying ones.	3	450 DCP
Implicate	Lets you pull enemies with Ensnare but with greater force.	7	2000 DCP
Concussive Step	Use an explosive blast to leave the point of detonation.	3	450 DCP
Concussive Leap	An upgrade over Concussive Step that needs less Stamina.	6	1600 DCP
Smoke Screen	Throw a smoke bomb that blind enemies.	4	700 DCP
Smoke Shroud	Smoke Screen but with a larger radius and a higher duration.	7	2000 DCP
Pilfer	Rob an enemy that is off balance or downed.	5	1100 DCP
Plunder	Boosts the likelihood of Pilfering an item.	8	2500 DCP
Gut and Run	Stab the enemy before drawing back. Great against weak spots.	6	1800 DCP
Draw and Quarter	Deals even more damage compared to Gut and Run.	8	2500 DCP
Easy Kill	Dart behind your target after a parry and slit their throat.	7	2500 DCP
Masterful Kill	An Easy Kill that can also be employed mid-air.	9	3000 DCP
Blades of the Pyre	Sets your daggers on fire but damages the wielder.	NA	Maister
Formless Feint	An advanced dodge that consumes Stamina.	NA	Maister

All Thief core skills in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Thief Core Skill	Description	Rank	Cost
Carve	A flurry of dagger blows.	1	0 DCP
Twin Fangs	A deadly double strike followed by another hit if the opponent is downed. You can also use this to pin down foes or cling to large enemies.	1	0 DCP
Swift Step	Lowers stance to boost movement speed.	1	0 DCP
Scarlet Kisses	A flurry of slashes that don’t cost Stamina.	1	150 DCP
Controlled Fall	Reduces falling damage and tucks your body into a roll when you hit the ground.	2	250 DCP
Bump and Lift	Small chance of robbing the enemy when using Carve.	3	400 DCP
Footpad	Kick off a wall and launch yourself.	4	600 DCP

All Thief augments in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Thief Augment	Description	Rank	Cost
Subtlety	Lowers the likelihood of being targeted by enemies.	2	300 DCP
Gratification	Restore health while delivering a killing blow.	4	900 DCP
Poise	Lowers the Stamina drain when caught by an enemy.	6	1800 DCP
Vigor	Lowers Stamina used to cling on foes or pin them down.	8	3000 DCP
Verve	Boosts your Strength.	9	5000 DCP

That covers the best Thief build in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Remember to focus on evasive tactics as you aren’t as sturdy as a Fighter. Conserve your Stamina and try not to run out of Stamina mid-fight. But if you do, your pawns can help you recover at a faster rate. Look for downed enemies and use Twin Fang to dish out some massive damage. For more on the game, here’s how to get Rift Crystals, what a Moniker is in Dragon’s Dogma 2 and best build for mage in DD2.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 best Thief build FAQs

What is the role of a Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

A Thief sticks to the shadows, focusing on dealing damage and evading enemy attacks.

Can a pawn be a good Thief in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

Yes, pawns can dish out some serious damage as the thief. Don’t expect them to climb enemies reliably though.