Favorite Class Builds, Anyone?

[PhoenixAdamu]

I just thought it might be a good idea to have a thread where those playing Dragon Age vanilla (as I am... not real good at modding stuff, but I like being able to play through the game as is) can find good standard builds to go by for each class and whatnot. I've seen many mage-players specialize into Arcane Warrior, and I'm just wondering what kind of build they used, but I'm also wondering about how to take my rogue and dual-wield warrior. Perhaps we can get this thread to grow, as I'm sure there are many builds people like to work with.

 

For now, I've been taking some standards from mycheats.1up.com and utilizing them, so I'll list my characters and see if you guys think there are any changes that could be made. Here goes!

 

Adamu: Male Elf Mage (Arcane Warrior), level 12

 

Arcane Warrior

Combat Magic -> Aura of Might (planned: Combat Magic -> Aura of Might -> Shimmering Shield -> Fade Shroud)

 

Mage

Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield (planned: Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield -> Staff Focus -> Arcane Mastery)

 

Creation

Heal (not sure if the whole chain should be taken or not)

Heroic Offense -> Heroic Aura -> Heroic Defense (not sure whether to take Haste or not)

 

Spirit

Walking Bomb -> Death Syphon -> Virulent Walking Bomb

Mind Blast -> Force Field -> Telekinetic Weapons -> Crushing Prison

 

As far as playing with Adamu goes, I've felt like I've had a lot of control, being able to outright melee when out of mana pretty effectively (though I do need to add some Strength and Dexterity, I think), and when I do have mana, either buff the party as needed or CC enemy mobs with Crushing Prison and Mind Blast. Virulent Walking Bomb is a HUGE godsend; nothing like an AoE when you destroy an enemy, then Death Syphoning the mana back for another round. Crushing Prison has been very nice CC thus far, and there's nothing funnier than seeing a CP'ed enemy shatter after a VWB explosion. I really don't use Force Field or any defensive magic, and the reason why I have Heal is in case I need to bolster Alistair's health if I (1) don't have Wynne in my party or (2) she's gone OOM. I really don't Heal much, anyway, but it's good to have in case (unless other can persuade me otherwise).

 

(Note: I have nothing planned for the four main mage schools because I'm not sure if you can really plan for them besides what I have thus far. Also, I've noticed that some Arcane Warriors still wear mage robes rather than go to melee class armor... is Fade Shroud that effective on the defensive end of things?)

 

Thaddeus: Male Dwarf Commoner Warrior, level 6

 

Warrior

Powerful -> Threaten (planned: Powerful -> Threaten -> Bravery)

Precise Striking (planned: Precise Striking -> Taunt -> Disengage -> Perfect Striking)

 

Dual Weapon

Dual-Weapon Training (planned: Dual-Weapon Training -> Dual-Weapon Finesse -> Dual-Weapon Expert -> Dual-Weapon Mastery)

Dual Striking -> Riposte (planned: Dual Striking -> Riposte -> Cripple -> Punisher)

Dual-Weapon Sweep -> Flurry (planned: Dual-Weapon Sweep -> Flurry -> Momentum)

 

Planned Specialization: Champion or Reaver

 

As the build for the Arcane Warrior above originated from, this build was suggested by MyCheats as a DPS Warrior build, and even at level 6, it's lived up to it. Riposte is huge for any major enemy you need to take down, Flurry does some nice damage, DWS provides an "AoE", and everything else just adds to the damage. Threaten and Taunt are NOT used in this build, though Disengage would definitely prove useful if you're drawing aggro onto your character and off Alistair. They suggested to either specialize into Champion to bolster the whole party or Reaver to dish out major damage; I'm not sure where to go yet, or whether I should look into Berserker, too. Some chimes in would be great here. :)

 

Toirea: Female Human Rogue, level 6

 

Rogue

Dirty Fighting -> Combat Movement (planned: Dirty Fightning -> Combat Movement -> Coup de Grace)

Below the Belt -> Deadly Strike (planned: Below the Belt -> Deadly Strike -> Lethality)

Deft Hands (not sure whether to max this out)

(planned: Stealth -> Stealthy Item Use -> Combat Stealth -> Master Stealth)

 

Dual Weapon

Dual-Weapon Training (planned: Dual-Weapon Training -> Dual-Weapon Finesse -> Dual-Weapon Expert)

Dual Striking -> Riposte (planned: Dual Striking -> Riposte -> Cripple -> Punisher)

Dual-Weapon Sweep (planned: Dual-Weapon Sweep -> Flurry -> Momentum)

 

Planned Specialization: Assassin

 

This build actually wasn't based off of MyCheats; though they do recommend the Assassin or a Duelist/Archery build for a rogue, I've been working on the talent build through my own methodology. Granted, I really didn't take a look at Zevran's Assassin tree to really plan out that part (I have him as part of the camp group on Adamu's file), but this is what I've come up with so far. The only reason Dual Striking really was taken was to get Riposte, Cripple and Punisher; the actual talent itself is NOT used, as I do believe rogues like to backstab A LOT if they go melee. Other than that, the Dual Weapon part of the build is planned pretty similarly to my Dual Weapon Warrior, without going to Dual-Weapon Mastery (rogues don't need double longswords, right?). The only real decisions I've had to make are in the Rogue tier, as it seems like Lethality is a must-have talent for melee rogues, Assassin or not. Any input on this, please?

 

So that is what I have thus far. If you'd like to leave any input, please feel free; also, if you have finished builds and would like to publish them, go right ahead. :thanks:

[TGBlank]

Adamu: Male Elf Mage (Arcane Warrior), level 12

 

Maxing AW should be a priority, getting up your second specialization is also a good idea. You could delay the mage tree a little as the bonus is not THAT great.

If you have already all the heroic sumthings, just take haste. The only reasons not to take haste is to avoid wating 3 talent points or if you're running with a bunch of dual wielders

 

Rock armor would be a good thing to get, you should also avoid putting points in str or dex. Go magic all the way.

 

(is Fade Shroud that effective on the defensive end of things?)

Not exactly that, it's just that AW is so OP that you can play naked and still see 1's in damage towards you. Particularly if you go arcane shield + miasma + rock + combat + shimmering.

 

 

Thaddeus: Male Dwarf Commoner Warrior, level 6

 

Get momentum ASAP, it's the best DW talent, it's boost to damage is very high

Give taunt some priority, go for whirlwind later, that and sweep, plus taunt equal a lot of dead white mobs.

Reaver is.. meh, if you do get it, just get the two first talents, the others are highly lackluster (the aura's damage is a joke and the damage buff the lower you are on health is lesser than zerker's buff, even at 1 hp). Zerker/champion or Zerker/Templar (hellooo +40% spell resist armor) is more effective.

The fact that they recommended reaver as a specialization and not to get momentum asap is really killing my confidence in that guide.

 

Dual wielders aren't talent spammers, beside the aoes, that is, which are very very powerful. Your biggest source of damage is two daggers, momentum, and a lot of static damage buffs (flame/frost weapons, runes, berzerk's buff, poisons....), with your stats placed on str for armor only and a lot of dex (dex increases dagger damage as much as strength with 1.02 patch).

Other than that, well, riposte is a good hello talent or interrupt, punisher isn't bad and it gives an achievement, tho it is a little slow. Flurry and cripple are meh.

 

 

 

Toirea: Female Human Rogue, level 6

 

Again, momentum ASAP, skip dual weapon expert (the bleed is minimal), finesse is more than enough. Skip the whole punisher line, rogues have far better things to use their points on.

So far you seem to be going for a cunning rogue. Which means lethality & momentum ASAP, coup de grace next, stealth 4 and deft 1 not following far behind (give stealth 4 higher priority if you plan to solo), then the second assassin talent (it's the only one you need from that line, the last two can and should be skipped). Use the rest of the points on your second specialization, and perhaps riposte when you have nothing else to get.

 

Your stat focus should be a quick boost up to 24 dex, then just pump cunning. Strength you only need 20 and that's only for best light armor, and that number can be obtained through mage tower bonuses and gear with relative ease. Will, mag and con are of no use for a rogue.

Stick to dual daggers, keep damage runes on main hand, and defensive runes on the offhand (only main hand runes are used on backstabs); Gear that boosts your cunning, dex, +crit/backstab damage, or +damage, are highly desirable.

 

 

Lastly, remember that whenever you see a big bad enemy getting yellow floating letter with a special attack name, you can use dirty fighting/riposte/stealth to interrupt it (stealth only works for that if the talent is targeted at you tho). This is also true for anything that stuns or paralyzes, including the first frost spell.

 

they do recommend the Assassin or a Duelist/Archery build

EEK!, ok, no. Archery, while fun on it's own and perfectly usable to complete the game and even solo it if you're not bored to death by killing enemies at snail-speed, is the worst talent tree of the game. It haves the worst damage of all and all of it's status-affecting talents are largely useless (it only haves two good talents, both are tier 4 and in different trees). Really killing my confidence on that guide here.

[PhoenixAdamu]

Adamu: Male Elf Mage (Arcane Warrior), level 12

 

Maxing AW should be a priority, getting up your second specialization is also a good idea. You could delay the mage tree a little as the bonus is not THAT great.

If you have already all the heroic sumthings, just take haste. The only reasons not to take haste is to avoid wating 3 talent points or if you're running with a bunch of dual wielders

 

Rock armor would be a good thing to get, you should also avoid putting points in str or dex. Go magic all the way.

 

(is Fade Shroud that effective on the defensive end of things?)

Not exactly that, it's just that AW is so OP that you can play naked and still see 1's in damage towards you. Particularly if you go arcane shield + miasma + rock + combat + shimmering.

 

 

Thaddeus: Male Dwarf Commoner Warrior, level 6

 

Get momentum ASAP, it's the best DW talent, it's boost to damage is very high

Give taunt some priority, go for whirlwind later, that and sweep, plus taunt equal a lot of dead white mobs.

Reaver is.. meh, if you do get it, just get the two first talents, the others are highly lackluster (the aura's damage is a joke and the damage buff the lower you are on health is lesser than zerker's buff, even at 1 hp). Zerker/champion or Zerker/Templar (hellooo +40% spell resist armor) is more effective.

The fact that they recommended reaver as a specialization and not to get momentum asap is really killing my confidence in that guide.

 

Dual wielders aren't talent spammers, beside the aoes, that is, which are very very powerful. Your biggest source of damage is two daggers, momentum, and a lot of static damage buffs (flame/frost weapons, runes, berzerk's buff, poisons....), with your stats placed on str for armor only and a lot of dex (dex increases dagger damage as much as strength with 1.02 patch).

Other than that, well, riposte is a good hello talent or interrupt, punisher isn't bad and it gives an achievement, tho it is a little slow. Flurry and cripple are meh.

 

 

 

Toirea: Female Human Rogue, level 6

 

Again, momentum ASAP, skip dual weapon expert (the bleed is minimal), finesse is more than enough. Skip the whole punisher line, rogues have far better things to use their points on.

So far you seem to be going for a cunning rogue. Which means lethality & momentum ASAP, coup de grace next, stealth 4 and deft 1 not following far behind (give stealth 4 higher priority if you plan to solo), then the second assassin talent (it's the only one you need from that line, the last two can and should be skipped). Use the rest of the points on your second specialization, and perhaps riposte when you have nothing else to get.

 

Your stat focus should be a quick boost up to 24 dex, then just pump cunning. Strength you only need 20 and that's only for best light armor, and that number can be obtained through mage tower bonuses and gear with relative ease. Will, mag and con are of no use for a rogue.

Stick to dual daggers, keep damage runes on main hand, and defensive runes on the offhand (only main hand runes are used on backstabs); Gear that boosts your cunning, dex, +crit/backstab damage, or +damage, are highly desirable.

 

 

Lastly, remember that whenever you see a big bad enemy getting yellow floating letter with a special attack name, you can use dirty fighting/riposte/stealth to interrupt it (stealth only works for that if the talent is targeted at you tho). This is also true for anything that stuns or paralyzes, including the first frost spell.

 

they do recommend the Assassin or a Duelist/Archery build

EEK!, ok, no. Archery, while fun on it's own and perfectly usable to complete the game and even solo it if you're not bored to death by killing enemies at snail-speed, is the worst talent tree of the game. It haves the worst damage of all and all of it's status-affecting talents are largely useless (it only haves two good talents, both are tier 4 and in different trees). Really killing my confidence on that guide here.

 

Well, that's why I decided to post here; I figured that with others having played the game more extensively here, there'd be a better look at certain talents and specializations from those who decided to participate. I do appreciate the input, though, TG; it has opened my eyes to some cool new stuff to look at.

 

Now, I just have to ask, what should the talent build for the Arcane Warrior look like, then, since you've suggested Rock Armor and Miasma? Did I do something wrong by taking Heal, or anything extra in the Spirit school?

 

With the warrior, I'm definitely liking the thought of Berserker/Champion, but what specializations would pair up well with the mage's Arcane Warrior and the rogue's Assassin? If you could provide talent builds for me to look at, I'd very much appreciate it. :)

[TGBlank]

Well, to make an arcane warrior unkillable, there's arcane defense, rock armor (almost +30 armor, it's just THAT sick), shimmering if things somehow manage to get hard and miasma (-10 attack, -10 defense on surrounding foes).

 

Rock armor & miasma are commonly taken early, miasma is also there to help you hit things, -10 defense is equivalent to 20 points in dex for your AW.

Other than that, no, you didn't pick anything "wrong", an AW just picks stuff until he can't possibly die and then pick spells to have fun in fight, if you got the undying part right, everything should be ok.

 

As for specs, choice is between SH and BM, SH gets you healing, BM gets you an aoe crushing prison and lets you use all your mana bar for sustainables while casting from your health. Remember to turn off blood mode when healing yourself.

 

Rogue, all specs are good. Duelist gets you a cheap +10 atk/defense, ranger gives you mighty pets (they get more abilities than what they list, make sure you click on the "new tactics available" popup when you summon), Bard nets you song of courage, which is a party-wide +~10 atk +~6 damage (and crit chance and other nice stuff) at late game cunning levels. I'd avoid the 4th bard talent for your main character tho, it's a good CC, just not that good for your main damage dealer since it roots the caster.

[PhoenixAdamu]

Well, to make an arcane warrior unkillable, there's arcane defense, rock armor (almost +30 armor, it's just THAT sick), shimmering if things somehow manage to get hard and miasma (-10 attack, -10 defense on surrounding foes).

 

Rock armor & miasma are commonly taken early, miasma is also there to help you hit things, -10 defense is equivalent to 20 points in dex for your AW.

Other than that, no, you didn't pick anything "wrong", an AW just picks stuff until he can't possibly die and then pick spells to have fun in fight, if you got the undying part right, everything should be ok.

 

As for specs, choice is between SH and BM, SH gets you healing, BM gets you an aoe crushing prison and lets you use all your mana bar for sustainables while casting from your health. Remember to turn off blood mode when healing yourself.

 

Rogue, all specs are good. Duelist gets you a cheap +10 atk/defense, ranger gives you mighty pets (they get more abilities than what they list, make sure you click on the "new tactics available" popup when you summon), Bard nets you song of courage, which is a party-wide +~10 atk +~6 damage (and crit chance and other nice stuff) at late game cunning levels. I'd avoid the 4th bard talent for your main character tho, it's a good CC, just not that good for your main damage dealer since it roots the caster.

 

Wow. I'm definitely seeing how Miasma can help the AW build. Looks like I'll have to hit Entropy a bit and get that, as well as hit Primal for Rock Armor quick. So in other words, the main AW build we're looking at is this:

 

Arcane Warrior

 

Arcane Warrior

Combat Magic -> Aura of Might -> Shimmering Shield -> Fade Shroud

 

Mage

Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield

 

Primal

Rock Armor

 

Entropy

Weakness -> Paralyze -> Miasma

 

And from there, add in anything you see fit? Nice. Well, unfortunately, I already passed the Fade part of the Redcliffe saga to barter for the Blood Mage specialization, so I'm thinking that I'll probably be looking at an AW/SH build. From what's been given, and the stat mistakes I've made (only dumped a point each in Str and Dex, but I stupidly took some Con), I'm thinking it's gonna look something like this for me:

 

Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healer build

Arcane Warrior

Combat Magic -> Aura of Might -> Shimmering Shield -> Fade Shroud

 

Spirit Healer

Group Heal -> Revival -> Lifeward

 

Mage

Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield

 

Primal

Rock Armor

 

Creation

Heal

Heroic Offense -> Heroic Aura -> Heroic Defense -> Haste

 

Spirit

Walking Bomb -> Death Syphon -> Virulent Walking Bomb

Mind Blast -> Force Field -> Telekinetic Weapons -> Crushing Prison

 

Entropy

Weakness -> Paralyze -> Miasma

 

At this point, I'd still be left with a talent point available at 25, so perhaps Mass Paralysis or some other spell might not be bad for the taking. Personally, I'd be leaning toward Mass Paralysis, as there is no friendly fire and it can effectively CC, whether it's a slowdown or a full-on paralyze effect. With everything else included here, I'm thinking this would be quite an effective build, as, once again, VWB has proven itself very useful, and Death Syphon can leech you extra mana while you're busy hammering away.

 

Now, I imagine that you want to look for magic/spellpower on armor as you're gearing up, but what weapons are preferred as an AW?

[TGBlank]

I'd skip the 4th spirit healer spell, it's a tad too expensive for what it does. A shame you didn't unlocked blood mage, as animate dead works fairly well with a blood mage talent that drains an ally and heals you.

Also remember that you get extra spell points at different plot points (start, joining, saving the arl, landsmeet), and there's spell tomes that you can and should buy.

 

For weapons, really, whatever you fancy. I personally like going with spellweaver/starfang/veshallie on one hand and a good +attack dagger on the offhand (a simple enchanted tagger requires almost no dex and gives +4 attack, and varathorn's gives a whooping +6 and only requires 18 dex, easily obtainable through fade+gear), tho a good shield like eamon's or fade wall is sweet too (or shield of highever, gives +4 attack). I'd stick with the best weapon(s) that boost magic, mana, stamina, stamina regen, mana regen or attack that you can find.

 

One thing to note is that any gear that says +stamina or +stamina regen also do the same for your mage's mana (and viceversa, anything that says +mana or +mana regen affects stamina). Which means warden commander, veshallie, chasind great maul and all that sweet sweet gear that significantly boost stamina & stamina regen are quite godly on an AW.

[PhoenixAdamu]

I'd skip the 4th spirit healer spell, it's a tad too expensive for what it does. A shame you didn't unlocked blood mage, as animate dead works fairly well with a blood mage talent that drains an ally and heals you.

Also remember that you get extra spell points at different plot points (start, joining, saving the arl, landsmeet), and there's spell tomes that you can and should buy.

 

For weapons, really, whatever you fancy. I personally like going with spellweaver/starfang/veshallie on one hand and a good +attack dagger on the offhand (a simple enchanted tagger requires almost no dex and gives +4 attack, and varathorn's gives a whooping +6 and only requires 18 dex, easily obtainable through fade+gear), tho a good shield like eamon's or fade wall is sweet too (or shield of highever, gives +4 attack). I'd stick with the best weapon(s) that boost magic, mana, stamina, stamina regen, mana regen or attack that you can find.

 

One thing to note is that any gear that says +stamina or +stamina regen also do the same for your mage's mana (and viceversa, anything that says +mana or +mana regen affects stamina). Which means warden commander, veshallie, chasind great maul and all that sweet sweet gear that significantly boost stamina & stamina regen are quite godly on an AW.

 

Really? Well, if it were +mana and +stamina, why not just make it +willpower? Hmm... maybe Bioware will do something about that with Awakening. I'm definitely looking at the regen, though, since I'm sure I'll have tons of sustained abilities online with this current AW build.

 

Are any of the pieces you mentioned attainable without the Warden's Keep DLC? I haven't invested in it yet, but I might look into it; after all, it sounds like there's some pretty sweet stuff out of that specific quest line.

 

So, TG, since you seem to be the efficient build expert of the forums, are there any other variations of certain class builds you wish to add? :) Also, since you're saying I'll have extra spell points to work with, and I really don't need Cleansing Aura, what would you suggest I allocate those points to? Should I be looking at a certain AoE or spell, or maybe even look at completing the Mage tree?

[TGBlank]

Well, warden's keep gets you access to warden commander set (a massive armor set with really good +stamina & +stamina regen gear, as well as +crit damage and a couple other misc things), and the highest damage one handed and two handed swords (starfang). That, and two free talents that vary per class, normally 1 useful and 1 situational or useless.

Plot/story or interesting/decent dungeon? nope, warden's keep doesn't have much of that.

The other items i mentioned are vanilla.

 

Note that while starfang (longsword) beats other swords, it's on par with the vanilla veshallie axe, and the two-handed version of starfang doesn't hold a candle to the chasind great maul (tho it does look better). The armor, however, is quite awesome for an aw or a damage dealer warrior.

 

About what to do with the points? hmm, bump the current builds a few levels earlier, and if you find yourself with everything of it already taken, wisp, mage, frost, fire (flame/frost weapons is about a +20 damage per hit, and cone of cold & fireball are quite op), mana clash (only go this line if you plan to complete it, the first two spells are garbage) & glyph are good enough investments. Really, at that point, whatever you fancy to have fun in the fight.

[PhoenixAdamu]

About what to do with the points? hmm, bump the current builds a few levels earlier, and if you find yourself with everything of it already taken, wisp, mage, frost, fire (flame/frost weapons is about a +20 damage per hit, and cone of cold & fireball are quite op), mana clash (only go this line if you plan to complete it, the first two spells are garbage) & glyph are good enough investments. Really, at that point, whatever you fancy to have fun in the fight.

 

... Oh, boy. From the sound of things here, perhaps I should just reroll, even though I got to level 13 just recently. o.o But I think I can still manage to get Miasma, plop a point in Spell Wisp and Haste each, and see where I go from there. 14 will be the start of Spirit Healer, but AW takes priority first, I do believe. I'll have to see how things turn out; hopefully, I can get to Fireball and just bring Morrigan around with me for Cone of Cold and Frost Weapons. So I take it Telekinetic Weapons really doesn't do much as far as armor penetration goes?

[TGBlank]

Note that the spells i mentioned are "generic good mage spells", it is unlikely for a build, much less an aw build, to take them all. Telekinetic is good against zombies and bosses and golems, but flame & frost tend to do a better job on your average white/yellow mobs. You can only have 1 xx weapons active per character, but you can stack them from different mages. Note also that most/all of the spells listed can be outsourced to another mage in the party (in particular the flame/frost lines, since they are on rather short cooldowns and also require you to sheathe).

 

If your healing is ok you could ignore the SH line and use those points for utility spells.