We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

All Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer skills and which to unlock

Create the ultimate ranged menace with the best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer skills and dispatch your enemies before they get within arm's reach.

Dragon's Dogma 2 archer: a slender man with long blonde hair, equipped with a bow and a quiver of arrows.

What are the best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer skills? Plenty of things in the Dragon’s Dogma 2 universe want to kill you; whether it’s trolls in the forest or drakes by the lake, there is no shortage of opposition as you wander the land. Staying out of range of your enemy’s sharp bits is one way to stay safe and with the best DD2 Archer skills, you’ll also be dealing a huge amount of damage.

Having a diverse party in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the key to success; while the Sorcerer may have a lot of flashy skills, few can keep up with the consistent damage of the Archer. We have a complete breakdown of the RPG game staple, including best weapon skills, core skills, and augments – none of the Dragon’s Dogma 2 enemies will be able to stand in your way.

Dragon's Dogma 2 Archer skills: a menu showing all of the abilities of an archer.

Best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer skills

The ideal Archer build in Dragon’s Dogma 2 has both crowd-control abilities and single-target attacks. Being able to deal with groups of enemies as well as the huge, lumbering foes you encounter regularly is vital – you likely won’t be the biggest damage dealer on your team, but your explosive attacks and your ability to knock foes off-balance is indispensable.

The best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer weapon skills are:

  • Cascade Shot
  • Erupting Shot
  • Spiral Arrow
  • Deathly Arrow

Cascade Shot

Being able to handle multiple enemies at once isn’t perhaps the Archer’s strongest attribute, but with Cascade Shot, you’ll be able to unleash several arrows at once, covering a wide area in front of you. Not so useful for Dragon’s Dogma 2 bosses, but for the smaller mobs you encounter almost constantly on the road, this weapon skill is a must.

Erupting Shot

The Erupting Shot weapon skill attaches an explosive to your next shot, which detonates after a short while, or immediately if hit with another attack. It is vital for large enemies, and not only causes huge damage but can knock creatures off balance. The only drawback to Erupting Shot is you need explosive arrows to make it work, so ensure you have a healthy supply before venturing out.

Spiral Arrow

A single-target attack, the Spiral Arrow weapon skill deals damage over time, possibly causing smaller enemies to flinch. While the DPS isn’t anything to write home about, the Spiral Arrow can cause enemies like the Harpy to fall from the sky in one hit, and bigger enemies can be struck several times in a row to keep the damage ticking over.

Deathly Arrow

The Deathly Arrow weapon skill allows the Archer to fire one, extremely forceful arrow that not only deals huge amounts of damage, but can set large enemies off-balance, and completely blow smaller enemies away – possibly pinning them against a wall, if they’re close enough. It takes time to ready this shot, so ensure there are no enemies near before you attempt.

All Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer weapon skills

There are variations to the Archer build that can help with single-target focusing, and if you are stocked up on arrow consumables, you may want to take an additional skill like Incendiary Shot. Beware though, that in extended fights, if you run out of Tarring Arrows, for instance, that skill is essentially useless.

Here are all the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer weapon skills:

  • Manifold Shot
  • Cascade Shot
  • Deathly Arrow
  • Lyncean Sight
  • Tempest Shot
  • Spiral Arrow
  • Erupting Shot
  • Incendiary Shot
  • Deluging Shot
  • Nocuous Shot

Dragon's Dogma 2 Archer skills: a menu showing the abilities of an archer in the game Dragon's Dogma 2.

All Dragon’s Dogma Archer core skills

The Archer’s core skills revolve around faster nocking of your bow, and creating distance between you and your enemy, which can be vital if you face an overly-aggressive foe.

Here are all the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer core skills:

  • Leaping Punt
  • Parting Shot
  • Swift Nock
  • Puncture Dart

Leaping Punt

Leaping punt is a core skill that allows the Archer to throw a kick mid-air and launch themselves backward. Not so much a damage-dealing core skill, but a vital one for creating distance in a fight.

Parting Shot

Going hand in hand with Leaping Punt, the Parting Shot core skill allows the Archer to unleash an arrow after launching themselves into the air. Parting Shot does more damage than a regular attack, and is great for keeping up the pressure on enemies.

Swift Nock

The Swift Nock core skill enables faster firing of your bow, both in Steady Shot and auto-attack stances. Good for keeping the damage ticking over in between powerful weapon skills.

Puncture Dart

Puncture Dart allows the archer to overdraw their bow, not only dealing more damage with their shot but piercing enemies with their arrows, hitting those behind the original target. When utilizing Puncture Dart, your aim will be affected, so is best used in close to mid-ranged fights.

Dragon's Dogma 2 Archer build: a menu screen showing all of the special augments of the Archer class in Dragon's Dogma 2.

Best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer augments

The best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer augments take some elements from the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Thief with things like Vigor, but they mainly focus on ranged damage with Lethality, and, of course, Subtlety, to not draw the ire of too many enemies at once.

Here are the best Dragon’s Dogma 2 augments:

  • Endurance
  • Lethality
  • Subtlety
  • Gratification
  • Ambuscade
  • Vigor

Best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer party

The Archer isn’t heavily armored, and while you are mobile with core skills like Leaping Punt, it’s easy to be overwhelmed if there are a lot of enemies on screen. Because of this, it’s vital to have a solid frontline, with either a Fighter or a Warrior drawing the attention of anything that would do you harm.

A Healer is almost compulsory in any party, not only to keep your health topped up but to enhance your attacks with elemental effects. If you employ a healer with fire enhancements, for instance, you will be able to utilize Tarring Arrows to their fullest effects, setting beasts alight with a simple auto-attack.

Now that you know how to build the best Dragon’s Dogma 2 Archer, there isn’t anything in the land that will be able to stop you. If you’re looking to outfit your pawn, we have a Dragon’s Dogma 2 vocations guide which will tell you everything you need to know about each class, and if your rig is struggling a little to run the RPG, check out our Dragon’s Dogma 2 system requirements guide.