PSA for changing vocation and stats

[Demon of Razgriz]

Apparently a lot of people still misunderstand this.

If you change to a mage vocation at level 40 after being a fighter for the previous levels, all of the previous fighter level stat changes are retroactively changed to mage. It is the reason we can't manually assign stats.

There is no stat difference (other than equipment) between a level 40 mage who just switched to mage and someone who has been mage all 40 levels.

In DD1 it worked like normal RPGs, but in DD2 there is literally no negative to switching vocation other than needing to level up a new vocation.

[timberwolf41]

thats really REALLY lame.

[Kaynos]

That the thing they changed from the 1st game where to have an optimal build you pretty much had NOT to play the class you wanted.

[Artarian]

A little inaccurate, not all levels seem to be assigned as such.
Theres noticeable differences in your total stats based on vocations you leveled with, however it flattens and evens out at level 200 so ultimately it doesn't really mater if your in it for the long haul you'll just each perfect equilibrium regardless.

[M.T. Fish]

I actually somewhat prefer this. I loved the first game but playing 20 levels as a sorcerer, and 20 as a warrior, and 10 as a strider to get the stat spread I wanted for mystic knight was tedious.

Also while it sucks that I can't grind as a warrior to get health for a sorcerer it's great that I can swap between warrior and sorcerer all I want without being penalized by my stats. It's a mixed bag but overall I prefer it as when I get a little bored of a class it's easier to just swap.

[Demon of Razgriz]

Originally posted by timberwolf41:

thats really REALLY lame.

Why? The game wants you to switch vocations when needed, so they make it as painless as they can.

[tankanidis]

FightinCowboy put up a youtube video on vocations/stat growth that shows there's only a 13% difference once you equip a weapon (while otherwise naked) between 2 chars with one leveled for x stats/growth and the other doing whatever you want
edit: (with 40% difference in stats if you have them naked and compare before equipping the weapon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOmBqbRx1ms

As other's have stated that 200 it all normalises so no need to min/max right?

[M.T. Fish]

Originally posted by tankanidis:

FightinCowboy put up a youtube video on vocations/stat growth that shows there's only a 13% difference once you equip a weapon (while otherwise naked) between 2 chars with one leveled for x stats/growth and the other doing whatever you want

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOmBqbRx1ms

As other's have stated that 200 it all normalises so no need to min/max right?

So the max is still 200 like DD1? I'm already 40 and I've barely touched the main story. I was getting worried I'd max out before getting to the end.

[Forblaze]

This just isn't true. Switch to your pawns vocation and compare your stats. Find a pawn with your pawns vocation and compare their stats. Base stats are different depending on how you leveled up.

[Damien Scott]

This is inaccurate. there are actually base stat growths based on what vocations you use. a mostly fighter character will have higher base strength as a sorcerer than their magic. if your pawn only levels as a mage/sorcerer, their magick stat will be about 40% higher than your main character that's been only melee.

however, weapons seem to do some weird calculations when you equip them. the same weapon on both characters will lower that 40% difference to about 13%.

so at most, if you level the whole time as a Fighter and warrior, then swap to sorcerer, you'll only be 13% weaker than if you leveled as a sorcerer the whole time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOmBqbRx1ms

though in his video, you can notice how your main character has twice the HP of your pawn. not sure if that's intended or the result of what vocation was used to level.

i went fighter > mage a bit > max sorc > max thief > mystic spearhand. this seems to have kept my stats fairly balanced. my magic is slightly higher because i spent more time at a lower level on sorcerer. So i'd say, level either strength or magick classes that you want early, up to level 30 or so, since those levels come fast.

[Forblaze]

Originally posted by tankanidis:

FightinCowboy put up a youtube video on vocations/stat growth that shows there's only a 13% difference

Say the enemy has 1000 defense. You have 1000 attack. You do 0 damage.

Now say you have 1130 attack. You deal 130 damage.

Suddenly that 13% doesn't seem so small.

[Damien Scott]

Originally posted by Forblaze:

Originally posted by tankanidis:

FightinCowboy put up a youtube video on vocations/stat growth that shows there's only a 13% difference

Say the enemy has 1000 defense. You have 1000 attack. You do 0 damage.

Now say you have 1130 attack. You deal 130 damage.

Suddenly that 13% doesn't seem so small.

except everything dies in 1-3 hits after a certain point, so there will literally never be a case where this view is relevant.

[Forblaze]

Originally posted by Damien Scott:

except everything dies in 1-3 hits after a certain point, so there will literally never be a case where this view is relevant.

"After a certain point" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. If you play 1 to 30 as a fighter and then switch to sorcerer, you *will* notice a different a difference in damage when cast a spell at an ogre compared to someone that did 1 to 30 as a mage.

So sure, if you have infinite time to grind out max stats before doing literally anything substantial, then it doesn't matter.

[Toffe]

Nah, that's sound judgment. It is lame. Lame because with the system in DDDA, you could build your character, and not every character at level 200 (infinite) was the same because of it.

Like it didn't make any difference for people with a more casual approach since you could still clear BBI, not to mention the basegame, it would just take a bit longer.

But now it's gone (after level 200) and that detracts for many people while it doesn't make any major difference for the "play whatever you want" group.

[RollClassic]

Vocations have a stat adjustment but your stat gains are still based on the class you were when you leveled.

Sorcerer to 100 and then switch to warrior, see how that works out for you. You don't notice it much at lower levels and they made stat gains slightly more balanced between vocations as far as I can tell, most classes didn't gain magic attack in the first game so if you planned to play a magic based character you essentially HAD to level sorcerer for 100 levels if you wanted to do damage.

Anyways chances are the game is meant to be played NG+ or some ♥♥♥♥ for more difficulty and NG isn't really intended to be hard but they definitely made the large enemies way too ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ easy that's for sure. I have an un-upgraded weapon I bought from a vendor and can down cyclops or minotaurs in seconds without them ever standing up and I absolutely have not minmaxed my stats I've been playing everything.

[Arngrim]

Some of the stats are for sure determined by your vocation when you level (or randomised) Because they differ a not so insignificant bit between both arisen and pawns.