The Magick Archer is one of three Hybrid vocations in Dragon's Dogma. Hybrid vocations are exclusive to your main character, the Arisen. It costs 1,500 Discipline Points (DP) to switch to this vocation, then costs nothing to switch back to it later after the initial purchase.
Description
Equipped with magick bows, the Magick Archer is a class that weaves sorcery into every shot from their bow, ensuring that they always hit their mark. Magick Archers also blend sorcery into their daggers as well, making them a deadly class up close or from afar.
Primary Weapon: Daggers or Staff
Secondary Weapon: Magick Bow (NOTE: Magick Bows can not be traded.)
Primary Offensive stat: Magick
Strengths and Role
Magick Arrows: Magick Archers have fused magick into their very bows, allowing them to fire magickal arrows. The basic damage of the bow will affect Phantoms and their cousins.
Homing Shots: Magick bows lock onto enemies within the targeting recticle either on the ground or through the air, automatically aiming with pinpoint accuracy.
Mystical Daggers: Magick Archers are able to weave their sorcery into their daggers, allowing for spectacular magickal attacks.
Elemental Attacks: Magic bows skills are naturally infused with an element (Ice, Fire, etc) and allow for immediate access to an enemy's particular weakness. A regular shot from a magic bow is Ice enchanted, not physical like from normal bows.
Short Special Skill Cast Time: The Dagger and Magick Bow skills of the Magic Archer charge slightly faster than those of normal Magick spells. The Wymking's Ring and the Articulacy augment will shorten charge times even further.
High Mobility: The Magic Archer is the only vocation that can either double jump OR levitate. When wielding daggers they can double jump and dodge roll which make them highly maneuverable on the battlefield. If wielding a staff, they can use levitate to bridge large gaps inaccessable to double jumps. Certain treasure chests and hidden areas are ONLY reachable by levitating.
Versatility: The Magick Archer can easily adapt to fight off a variety of enemies and provide much needed support to the party. The Magick Archer's available skills can suit any playstyle. They are also able to wield all elements at once, provided you choose the correct skills, thereby making it easy to exploit elemental weaknesses. They also have skills suited to both fighting a single strong enemy and skills for crowd control.
High Magick Defense Growth: Magick Archers have a high Magick Defense growth making them resilient to magick attacks. Above level 100 they overtake the Sorcerer and Mage in highest Magick Defense growth. (Not true in Dark Arisen, the Magic Archer's Stat Growth has been adjusted.)
Living Armor: While Living Armor can be a headache for most other vocations to deal with, the Magick Archer's Ninefold Bolt can finish them easier and faster than any other skill in the game. As few as 4 shots from a considerable distance can slay Living Armor in under 20 seconds, without a single bruise on the Arisen or pawns.
Weaknesses
Silence: If Silenced, the Magick Archer will not be able to use magic bow skills or magic oriented dagger skills, however they can inflict magick damage with their bow using the single shot, or switch to straight physical damage daggers (like Framae Blades).
No Other Arrows: Cannot use special arrows (like Blast or Silencer arrows) or the Maker's Finger.
Necessity of Magic: Strength of magic bow and most magic dagger skills comes from magic damage instead of physical damage. Physical damage comes from basic dagger attacks and some dagger skills.
Slow rate of fire: Basic shot from Magic Bows are executed slower than the short bow and long bow. Their skills are also slower to charge than the other Ranged classes. Carrying the Wyrmking's Ring and equipping the Articulacy augment will shorten skill charging times considerably.
High Stamina Consumption: The quick execution of some skills and the high use of stamina from others can leave the Magick Archer vulnerable while waiting for stamina to recharge. No augment reduces magic bow skill usage.
Less Precision: While Magick Bows are able to seek out and hit targets reliably, regular bow shots are restricted by what it can lock on to. Individual parts of larger enemies can still be targeted, like the head of a Drake, but it will not lock on to the horn directly. Other enemies (like Gorecyclopes) can flail about and defy the target lock, making the Arisen hit another body part instead. For many smaller enemies, it targets the torso and will not directly aim at the head.
Golems: Their weak spots are immune to Magick arrows. The Magick Archer must use daggers to attack them.
Dragons: Can be difficult to fight with a Magick Bow, often necessitating close quarters engagement with daggers and Immolation/Flameshroud.
Low Attack Power: Of all available Vocations the Magick Archer has the lowest stat growth for attack power.
Skills
Augments: 35,000 DP
Core: 16,000 DP
Dagger Skills: 33,500 DP
Magick Bow Skills: 51,900 DP
Staff Skills: 23,100 DP
Total: 159,500 DP
Dagger Skills:
Skill | Element | Rank | DP | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Scarlet Kisses | None | Already Learned | - | Concentrates a flurry of slashes on a single point, easily shredding foes with meager endurance. Use assigned button, then continue to tap that button repeatedly. |
Biting Wind | None | 1 | 200 |
Dashes past the target with blades extended, delivering slashes that can be followed with further attacks on contact. Follow up attack with more presses of assigned button to continue attack. |
Sunburst | Fire | 1 | 300 | Kicking downward, plunges the blades into the earth, channeling magick so that a pillar of flame erupts directly ahead. |
Toss and Trigger | Fire | 3 | 700 | Steps in and strikes, sending the target aloft. An additional command then detonates a store of powder. Press assigned button again after the attack. |
Scension | Holy | 3 | 1100 | Imbues daggers with magick before an upward slash sends forth a shockwave which will sap foe Health with holy power. Hold the assigned button to incant, release it to deploy. |
Sunflare | Fire | 3 | 1100 | An advanced form of Sunburst that creates an even larger pillar of flame. |
Cutting Wind | None | 4 | 900 | An advanced form of Biting Wind that appends still more strikes to the onslaught. |
Dazzle Hold | None | 4 | 900 | Casts a firework explosive into the fray that stuns nearby foes. |
Reset | None | 4 | 900 | Returns the user to a neutral stance, eliminating opening caused by other actions. |
Shadowpin | Dark | 4 | 1,500 | Plunges the blades into the ground to form a magick sigil that traps enemies within its confines. Hold the assigned button to incant, release it to deploy. |
Advanced Trigger | Fire | 4 | 1,200 | An advanced form of Toss and Trigger that both strengthens the upward slash and broadens the subsequent blast. |
Grand Scension | Holy | 5 | 2,000 | An advanced form of Scension that extends the shockwave's reach. |
Magick Rebuffer | Holy | 5 | 2,000 | Plunges the blades downward to form a magick sigil that improves Magick Defenses except when facing the undead. Hold the assigned button to incant, release to deploy. |
Shadowshackle | Dark | 6 | 2,500 | An advanced form of Shadowpin that extends the effective range of the sigil and persists for a longer period of time. |
Dazzle Blast | None | 7 | 2,000 | An advanced form of Dazzle Hold crafted to impact a broader radius. |
Hundred Kisses | None | 7 | 2,000 | An advanced form of Scarlet Kisses that quickens the flurry, allowing for more strikes. |
Instant Reset | None | 7 | 2,000 | An advanced form of Reset employable even while under attack, allowing for an immediate interruption. |
Backfire | Fire | 7 | 3,200 | Sets the user's body ablaze, eroding their own life but also causing harm to all they touch. Press the assigned button to light, press it again to extinguish. |
Magick Rebalancer | Holy | 8 | 4,000 | An advanced form of Magick Rebuffer that boosts the beneficiary's Magick as well as Magick Defenses, save when facing the undead. |
Immolation | Fire | 9 | 5,000 | An advanced form of Backfire that harms the user less while ablaze. |
Magick Bow Skills:
Skill | Element | Rank | DP | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Threefold Bolt | Ice | Already Learned | - | Fires three magickal arrows at a single target. |
Seeker Bolt | Holy | 1 | 300 |
Fires magickal arrows that seek out their targets. Up to five foes can be targeted at once. |
Hunter Bolt | Holy | 3 | 1,100 | An advanced form of Seeker Bolt that allows up to ten foes to be targeted at once. |
Magickal Flare | Holy | 3 | 1,100 | Fires an arrow of magickal light to illuminate the area. The flash it creates surprises foes and damages the undead. It will explode the instant you release the fire button.(Charged Attack) |
Ricochet Seeker | Lightning | 4 | 1,500 | Looses a magickal arrow that increases in power as it ricochets towards its target. Quite effective in cramped quarters. |
Sixfold Bolt | Ice | 4 | 1,500 | An advanced form of Threefold Bolt that fires still more arrows. |
Funnel Trail | Dark | 5 | 2,000 | Looses a magickal arrow that draws in nearby lightweight foes. |
Magickal Gleam | Holy | 5 | 2,000 | An advanced form of Magickal Flare that illuminates a broader area for a longer period of time. |
Explosive Bolt | Fire | 6 | 2,500 | Fires a magickal arrow that remains lodged in the target for a time, which explodes when struck with a blow. |
Ricochet Hunter | Lightning | 6 | 2,500 | An advanced form of Ricochet Seeker that fires three magickal arrows. |
Bracer Arrow | Holy | 7 | 3,200 | Looses a magickal arrow that fortifies an ally against reeling from enemy blows for a time. |
Ward Arrow | Holy | 7 | 3,200 | Looses a magickal arrow that makes an ally impervious to all manner of debilitations for a time. |
Explosive Rivet | Fire | 8 | 4,000 | An advanced form of Explosive Bolt that remains lodged in its target for a longer period of time and causes more damage. |
Vortex Trail | Dark | 8 | 4,000 | An advanced form of Funnel Trail that persists for a longer period of time and boasts an expanded range. |
Great Bracer Arrow | Holy | 9 | 5,000 | An advanced form of Bracer Arrow that bolsters the whole party's resistance to enemy blows. |
Great Ward Arrow | Holy | 9 | 5,000 | An advanced form of Ward Arrow that protects the entire party from debilitations. |
Sacrifical Bolt | Dark | 9 | 5,500 | Summons forth the ultimate magickal bolt at the cost of one pawn's life. Time slows while the user is aiming. |
Great Sacrifice | Dark | 9 | 7,500 | An advanced form of Sacrificial Bolt that boasts greater destructive power and slows time further while aiming. The power of this ability appears to be directly affected by the level of the Pawn, as a lower level pawn did less damage than one of a higher level, with the Pawn level being the only difference between the two shots. The pawn is chosen randomly from the party. |
Staff Skills:
Skill | Element | Rank | DP | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ingle | Fire | Already Learned | - | Looses a ball of fire that explodes upon contact, engulfing both the target and surrounding foes. |
Frazil | Ice | 1 | 200 |
Creates a concentrated field of cold in front of the user that freezes solid whatever enemies it visits. |
Levin | Lightning | 1 | 200 | Smites the enemy from above with tongues of lightning. Especially effective at driving foes out of hiding. |
High Frazil | Ice | 3 | 700 | An advanced form of Frazil that expands the area of effect. |
High Ingle | Fire | 3 | 700 | An advanced form of Ingle that increases the number of projectiles. |
High Levin | Lightning | 3 | 700 | An advanced form of Levin that generates more lightning. |
Brontide | Lightning | 5 | 1,400 | Wraps the user's body in a whip-like bolt of lightning capable of damaging foes. Attack with lightning with X/Square and Y/Triangle. Press A/X to stop. |
Comestion | Fire | 5 | 1,400 | Generates a towering wall of flame; though only modest in power, it ignites adversaries with ease. |
Frigor | Ice | 5 | 1,400 | Generates a giant chunk of ice that can serve as a stepping stone. |
Perdition | Dark | 6 | 3,500 | Invokes a magickal sigil that curses foes who enter it. |
High Brontide | Lightning | 7 | 1,800 | An advanced form of Brontide that endures for a longer period of time and drops lightning where it lands. |
High Comestion | Fire | 7 | 1,800 | An advanced form of Comestion that expands the wall of flame. |
High Frigor | Ice | 7 | 1,800 | An advanced form of Frigor that generates additional chunks of ice. |
High Perdition | Dark | 7 | 7,500 | An advanced form of Perdition that extends the effective range of the sigil and persists for a longer period of time. |
Core Skills:
Weapon | Skill | Rank | DP | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Magical Bow | Seeker | Already Learned | - | Fire magical arrows with additional properties. Loses effectiveness with distance. Hold Left Bumper/L1 and press Right Trigger/R2. |
Magical Bow | True Seeker | 6 | 4,000 | An advanced form of Seeker that boasts improved seeking capabilities. Hold Left Bumper/L1 and press Right Trigger/R2. |
Dagger | Carve | Already Learned | - | Continuous attacks with a dagger. Press X/Square repeatedly. |
Dagger | Two Step | Already Learned | - | A two-level stabbing strike straight forward. Press Y/Triangle. |
Dagger | Vault | Already Learned | - | Executes a jump to a higher location. Press A/X. |
Dagger | Roundelay | 1 | 600 | An advanced form of Two-Step that appends a whirling slash to victims. Hold Y/Triangle. |
Dagger | Engrave | 1 | 800 | An advanced form of a Carve that includes kicks after a flurry of dagger blows to strike at a broader range. |
Dagger | Double Vault | 5 | 1,800 | An advanced form of Vault that kicks at the air to propel the user in a second leap. |
Dagger | Forward Roll | 5 | 2,200 | Curls forward into a tumble effective as an evasive maneuver. Hold Right Bumper and press X/A. |
Staff | Feather Jump | Already Learned | - | A light jump. More effective when grabbing to platforms or rocks. Press X/A. |
Staff | Magick Billow | Already Learned | - | Swing your staff downward to stagger the enemy. Follow-up attacks can send the enemy to the ground. Press Y/Triangle and again for follow-up. |
Staff | Magick Bolt | Already Learned | - | Launches a magick bolt from your staff. Press repeatedly for additional effect. Can add elemental effect via enchantments. Press X/Square repeatedly. |
Staff | Levitate | 2 | 600 | An advanced form of Feather Jump that mitigates gravity's pull, enabling a gentle landing even from great heights. Hold X/A in mid-jump. |
Staff | Focused Bolt | 6 | 3,000 | An advanced form of Magick Bolt. Focuses the user's active enchantment into a powerful burst that can be fired from the ground or air. Hold the X/Square button until the staff charges (it "pops"), then release. |
Staff | Magick Agent | 6 | 3,000 | An advanced form of Magick Billow. Conjures spheres of magickal energy around the user to attack encroaching foes. Also employable from mid-air. |
Augments:
Skill | Rank | DP | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Detection | 2 | 1,000 | Expands one's field of vision, more easily revealing unknown areas of the map |
Potential | 2 | 1,000 | Increases your maximum Stamina by 100 |
Resilience | 6 | 4,000 | Halves damage received from falling, though it still doesn't save you from death. |
Allure | 8 | 7,000 | Doubles the increase in affinity when you give items to non-pawns |
Regeneration | 8 | 7,000 | Causes your HP to slowly return over time at 1 HP every 3 seconds |
Magnitude | 9 | 7,500 | "Increases the effect when you debilitate adversaries with the Five Archmagicks." (Possibly bugged or description inaccurate) |
Resistance | 9 | 7,500 | Reduces cumulative damage when you are debilitated by non-Archmagick |
Stats
Stat Growth
HP | Stamina | Attack | Defense | Magick Attack | Magick Defense | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lvl 10+ | 21 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Lvl 100+ | 10 | 10 | 0 (1)[1] | 0 | 1 | 3 (2)[1] |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Parenthesis enclosed values are changes from Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen.
Notes
- The Magick Archer is one of the few classes that can actually lock on to multiple targets. The Magick Archer is also able to perform a double-jump, like the Strider, Assassin and Ranger vocations. They are also the only vocation with an actual lock-on mechanic that is visually present. This, as well as the Magical Gleam skill, makes them effective while fighting in darkness.
- Because the Magick Archer, like the Mystic Knight, uses both physical and magickal skills, the Magick Archer is not left without skills if subjected to Silence or Skill Stifling.
- The element of the Magick Bow has no effect on the element of its non-core skills, similar to the elements of spells cast with Staffs or Archistaves .
- With the addition of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, the stat growth for Magick Archers beyond level 100 has changed. Please note that the numbers in parenthesis are the updated stats.
Tips and Tactics
- Magick Rebalancer allows the Arisen to buff the entire party as often as needed (Magick and Magick Defense ), greatly improving damage output for himself, any magick weapon wielder and, of course, both Mage and Sorcerers. This skill will stack up to four implementations. Pawns must stand or travel through the sigil to benefit from this dagger spell.
- After felling a large enemy, such as a Cyclops, it is possible to heal any grey health with the Magick Archer's dagger skill Scension/Grand Scension whilst the corpse is decomposing. This can be used in combination with Backfire/Immolation to take down enemies quickly and recoup lost health afterwards.
- In addition to their listed effect, each Magick Bow skill corresponds to an element, denoted by the color of the charging bolt and its targeting reticule. Combined with the Magick Archer's melee skills, it is very easy to wield all five elements at once and avoid relying on enchantments to maximize damage.
- Depending on the build of the Arisen, it may be a good idea to have at least two physical damage skills equipped in the player's dagger skill slots. This type of set up will allow the player to have a well balanced physical and magical damage output, since Magick Bows can only inflict magickal damage. In addition, this set up will serve as a useful back up if Silenced during battle if no means to cure this debilitation is on hand.
- Sixfold Bolt causes ice damage and can easily freeze enemies susceptible to ice. This spell, if aimed correctly, can one-shot-kill Saurians, even at early levels when they would otherwise prove tougher.
- Hunter Bolt evenly distributes its damage through ten bolts. If there are not enough targets to fully lock on, the Magick Archer loses 10% of its full damage for each non-locked target for that shot.
- Although all Magick Bow spells can lock onto enemies at certain ranges, the effective range of a spell can be far greater than this limit. Enemies can, for instance, be sniped with Sixfold Bolt past the lock-on point. If struck with the main projectile, the target will still be hit by the additional projectiles despite lack of lock-on.
- Funnel and Vortex Trail function like the Mystic Knight's Funnel/Vortex Sigil, but are more flexible due to their ability to use a living target or wall as a vortex source in addition to the ground.
- Shadowshackle combined with a Vortex Trail in its center make an easy trap for crowds of enemies.
- Shadowshackle will Torpor boss enemies in the circle instead of trapping them.
- Sacrificial Bolt/Great Sacrifice has a wide attack radius, meaning it can be used to dispose or damage crowds of enemies.
- Stamina decreases rapidly as time slows with Sacrificial Bolt/Great Sacrifice . Make sure a premeditated target is established beforehand together with sufficient stamina for the shot.
- It is important to note that Sacrificial Bolt and Great Sacrifice will instantly drop a pawn's health to zero when the spell is fully charged and will return the pawn to the rift without a chance to revive them. This will happen whether the bolt is actually fired or if the bow is sheathed once the charge is complete. Be very careful if using this ability. The pawn is returned to the Rift with no opportunity to review, gift or comment, and the default rating of 3* damages the pawn's ranking and reputation.
- Sacrificial Bolt and Great Sacrifice are Dark-elemented bolts, therefore they are completely useless on the Ur-Dragon. It is not recommended to use this attack as the player will trade all the potential damage the sacrificed pawn could have inflicted for something that isn't really going to do much damage.
- Explosive Rivet can ignite fire-susceptible enemies on impact. Up to four rivets may be deployed at a time. Follow up with Cutting Wind to detonate the embedded rivets.
- Magickal Flare can do minor damage to Undead and is useful to light an area from afar.
- Do not underestimate the value of Great Ward Arrow. It can be an invaluable asset against monsters who attempt to weaken your party.
- Combine Immolation with Hundred Kisses when climbing an enemy to ignite them as well as maximize damage output. If possible, obtain Magick Archer and Daggerist's Rings/Bands to upgrade the skills to Flameshroud and Thousand Kisses to further increase damage output.
- The damage done by Backfire/Immolation/Flameshroud skills scale only with the player's total physical damage. The player's Magic damage value has no effect on the damage done by these skills.
- By combining Double Vault and Sunflare it is possible to extend the Arisen's jump further, reaching ledges they wouldn't otherwise be able to reach. However note that the Arisen will immediately propel downward and will not be able to grab any ledges, so use when appropriate.
- Magick Bolt damage is constant at any distance.