Strider

Strider is a Basic Vocation in Dragon's Dogma.

Description
Wielding dual daggers and a shortbow, Striders deal damage with blinding speed and deadly accuracy. Striders also have trap abilities and trick arrows that allow them to confuse and disorient enemies.

Primary Weapon: Daggers

Secondary Weapon: Shortbow

Primary Offensive stat: Strength

Strengths and Role
Damage Dealer: Striders deal large amounts of damage at close range using flurries of lightning quick slashes with their daggers and can rain arrows down on foes with their quick-loosing shortbow from safe distances.

Maneuverable: Striders are fast on their feet. They move around the battlefield with speed and agility. They also have the ability to use tactical rolls and double jumps to evade enemy attacks. Their shortbows are great for firing arrows in quick succession while on the move, however, the Strider's Shortbows lack the range and power of the Ranger's Longbow.

Acrobat: Along with maneuverability on the battlefield, Striders have the ability to maintain grapples and climb larger creatures longer and faster than any other class, allowing them extended and quick access to enemy weak spots.

Versatility: Striders can serve as ranged damage dealers and assist Mages/Sorcerers or go in for the kill alongside other melee classes, giving them free rein on the battlefield while they use specialist pawns (Fighters, Warriors, and Mages for instance) to fill the front and back lines. As pawns, their versatility makes them able allies in a variety of combat situations.

Distraction: Dazzle Blast can stun and distract enemies from your teammates, allowing them to attack unhindered. The Ensnare/Implicate skill can be used to knock down smaller targets, up to and including monsters the size of a Saurian, useful for stopping quick targets like Wolves and opening them up to attacks. Many of the Strider's bow skills break through the guard of enemies to allow allies to attack freely; they also stun and interrupt the enemy in order to prevent casting spells and skill usage.

Stealing Items: Striders are the only class than can steal items from enemies by using Pilfer or Master Thief.

Weaknesses
Strength and Magick: The Strider's stat growth is evenly balanced throughout all stats, however, Strength and Magick growth is mediocre.

Balanced Defense: Unlike Mages or Fighters, Striders do not excel in physical or magical defenses. They promote a more balanced defense making them vulnerable to either form of damage, especially early in the game.



Lack of Stun Power: Compared to most of the other builds in the game, Striders do not have as much ability to knock down stronger enemies early in the game. Even though they can unleash a flurry of blows, it is unlikely to stun enemies.

Speed Over Power: While the strider is the fastest of any other vocation, their damage output per hit in both melee and ranged combat is easily exceeded by the Warrior and Ranger vocations.

No blocking ability: Unable to equip shields, the Strider must rely on the dodge roll and dash skills to avoid attacks.

No sniping ability: Unlike the Ranger and Assassin, the Strider has no zoom-in skill which would allow for sniper shots from afar.

Skills
Augments: 18,600 DP Core: 6,000 DP Bow Skills: 20,350 DP Dagger Skills: 35,800 DP

Total: 80,750 DP

Tips

 * Brain Splitter is an exceptionally powerful offensive skill. A Gorechimera can be killed with just one button press. Use this in conjunction with Vault/Double Vault or the Leaping Stone skill and the Eminence Augment to maximize its power.
 * Rusted Bow is arguably the single most useful weapon in the Strider's arsenal. Bring this weapon along to inflict Torpor on your enemies, then switch to your most most powerful bow. Note that the higher the enhancement of the Rusted bow, the higher the chance it will inflict Torpor. Only nine monster classes are immune to Torpor: Griffins, Cockatrices, ghost creatures, Eye creatures, Living Armor, The Ur-Dragon, The Dragon (Grigori), Death, and Daimon's second form.
 * Hundred Kisses can be performed while climbing on top of a large enemy. This is probably the best skill for Striders to employ against both Daimon forms (slow him down with a Rusted bow first to make it even easier).
 * When climbing an enemy like a Gorecyclops or Daimon, equip the augments Opportunism, Arm-Strength and Adhesion. Equip Gloves of Might for even for grip and climbing speed.
 * Cutting Wind is excellent for dodging and for attacking fast enemies like Hellhounds. The move will autolock on the closest enemy if you do not aim the control stick in a specific direction.  This skill is extremely effective on any enemy bearing a Shield or Magick Shield, as it will strike the unguarded rear on the return pass.
 * Fivefold Flurry is the ranged skill you should have at all times. It is the Strider's power shot.
 * Instant Reset can be used to cancel out animations to rapidly repeat attacks like Brainsplitter, or to quickly stand back up after being knocked down. It can also be used for rapidly turning on and off the Lantern when the Arisen gets drenched. Also works with Assassin, Ranger and Magick Archer.
 * Strider is the first vocation one can obtain both the double vault and roll skills. These are essential for navigating terrain and dodging, as the Strider has no way of blocking attacks.
 * Double Vault allows you to jump and then change direction in mid-air to either side, or forward again to gain a small increase in distance and height. This works well when chests are located in odd places where it's easier to jump forward and right rather than diagonally or attempting a large gap.
 * Use the Stepping/Leaping Stone skills to set up a combo with Skull/Brain Splitter.
 * Ensnare/Implicate works well against any foe smaller than (and including) Saurians, including Harpies and Hellhounds. It's a quick way to pull them toward you or Pilfer as they hold them down.
 * Sprint can be used to quickly close the distance between you and an enemy or to escape as well. It also serves as a slide when the Heavy Attack button (PS3: Triangle 360: Y) is pressed, enabling you to slide under a much larger foe or trip a smaller foe, causing them to fall over. This is the dropkick maneuver Ogres are known to use.
 * Being close to one's target maximizes a shortbow's damage output, unlike the Ranger's Longbow:

Trivia

 * The Vocation's name is most likely based off another Capcom video game franchise character, Strider Hiryu, although the name "Strider" is used interchangably for Aragorn II in the Lord of the Rings books written in 1954 by JRR Tolkien.
 * The Equipment of the Strider in the Change Vocation Menu is:
 * Weapons: Criteria / Shortbow
 * Torso: Assembled Vest / Chestguard
 * Arms: Assembled Sleeves
 * Legs:  Bandit Stalkers / Assembled Breeches
 * Cloak: Shed Cape