Is there a dodge roll in Dragon's Dogma 2?

One of the biggest questions many newcomers would have when they first start playing Dragon's Dogma 2 is whether the game has a dodge roll. I won't blame you for trying to press the "circle" or "B" button on your controller only to find your Arisen running around instead of dodging enemy attacks.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is very much like those old-school role-playing games, like The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Ultima, or anything made by FromSoftware, where most of the subtle gameplay elements are not explained by the game itself. Instead, you must figure those out through experimentation and curiosity.

While there's no dedicated dodge roll in Dragon's Dogma 2, there's a skill that lets you roll through enemy attacks. Unlike in most RPGs, the only difference is that you won't have access to this "dodge" skill until quite late into the game.

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There is a dodge roll in Dragon's Dogma 2, but there's also a caveat

The combat in Dragon's Dogma 2 is very methodical and requires a lot of patience and practice to master. Since there's no dodge roll, combat here relies heavily on positioning and how you approach the enemy in the first place. Think of it like the same combat system as in Monster Hunter games, but without the frantic dodging.

The Hindsight Slash skill in Dragon's Dogma 2 (Image via Capcom)

Almost every enemy in Dragon's Dogma and its sequel can be tackled in a multitude of ways. Your pawns can do your bidding while you buff them up with spells or support them by targeting the enemy's weak spots while you stay far from harm's way.

However, if you want to combat the old-fashioned way by hacking and slashing through the enemy using your two-handed greatsword, invest in the Hindsight Slash skill. This skill gives you the ability to dodge roll in Dragon's Dogma 2 and covert that momentum into a counterattack.

The Hindsight Slash does add a dodge roll moveset, but it's more of an offensive than defensive skill. The best use of this skill is to initiate a counterattack, not just to dodge an incoming attack. And if you time it correctly, this skill's counterattack can easily stagger smaller enemies.

Sure, you can spam it to get out of harm's way, but the amount of stamina it consumes and the large animation cooldown makes it somewhat less reliable than just side-stepping or running away. Also, Hindsight Slash is exclusive to the Fighter vocation and can only be unlocked after leveling up in that specific vocation.

If you're looking for the traditional dodge roll, you can find that as the default dodge maneuver for the Thief vocation. However, Thief, despite being one of the starter classes, is not as intuitive to use as Fighter, Archer, or Mage and has a more advanced moveset.