Favorite Class Builds, Anyone?

[PhoenixAdamu]

Time for another build post. I haven't really been able to start my warrior off yet, but I have some pretty interesting information off the Bioware forums that might help those looking to play some different warrior builds. I'd say that, since you can experiment with Alistair's stuff right from Ostagar, that it's best to provide a WnB (Weapon and Board) build for those that prefer to tank themselves. So here's that to start off:

 

Warrior: Templar/Champion All-Around Tank

 

Stat Focus

Strength: You want 42 total to be able to wear Tier 7 massive armor, and you can get 4 Strength from equips (Andruil's Blessing and Key to the City) and 4 from the Circle Tower in the Fade. So I'd say to quick-pump this stat up to 34 and let the game do the rest.

Dexterity: You will want to get this stat up pretty high, as it raises your defense and also gives you access to all of your 3rd-branch WnS talents. I'd say at least 1 point every level from 1 to the end of the game.

Willpower: While you will have some sustains on, you should be able to increase your stamina pool or regen with equips and such. I wouldn't invest too much in Willpower, but if you find you're lacking enough stamina to pull off a certain ability once you've cemented aggro, go ahead.

Magic: Base. This is not important, as you shouldn't be using poultices except in absolute emergencies.

Cunning: You will want at least 16 for Coercion skills, but a bit more on top to help with persuasive dialog won't hurt. I wouldn't recommend more than 20, though.

Constitution: Dexterity and Strength are not the only important stats for a tank. They also need a nice health pool to be able to take lots of attacks. I'd also recommend at least 1 point in this stat every level.

 

Talents

Champion:

War Cry -> Rally -> Motivate -> Superiority

 

Templar:

Righteous Strike -> Cleanse Area -> Mental Fortress -> Holy Smite

 

Warrior:

Powerful -> Threaten -> Bravery

Precise Striking -> Taunt -> Disengage -> Perfect Striking

 

Weapon and Shield:

Shield Bash -> Shield Pummel -> Overpower -> Assault

Shield Defense -> Shield Balance -> Shield Wall -> Shield Expertise

Shield Block -> Shield Cover -> Shield Tactics -> Shield Mastery

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC):

Blood Thirst -> Blood Fury

 

Basically, what this allows for is the ability to null out pesky mages, grab nice chunks of aggro via Taunt, Threaten, and War Cry, and be able to take a beating while the rest of the party dishes out. It is HIGHLY recommended you go after Shield Wall as soon as possible; the extra armor will make you more durable at the start, which should be your main priority, plus it provides immunity to knockdowns via Shield Expertise. After that, you can go after Taunt and Threaten, making sure to grab Bravery when you can and finishing the Precise Striking chain for Perfect Striking. Other than that, just fill up your whole WnS school and keep bashing with the board. Death Blow is optional here, but not really necessary.

 

Gear

This, I fear, is not totally set in stone. Some prefer to take the Templar specialization just for the Knight-Commander's Plate, but in my opinion, there are some better sets of armor available. If you feel your defense and such is pretty high up there, but you need some elemental resistances, there's nothing wrong with throwing on the Juggernaut Plate set; in fact, for the final set, I'd probably wear that over Cailan's Armor, which is pretty nice for mid-game tanking. As for a weapon, if you're still continuously pumping your Dexterity, definitely go with a dagger; your weapon damage will scale with it, plus it lets you attack at a faster rate, allowing Threaten to push more aggro on you. I'd also work with the Cailan's Arms set against darkspawn enemies, since Maric's Blade is VERY useful all-around. So here's what my final tanking set would probably be:

 

Weapon 1: The Edge/The Rose's Thorn (probably the Edge, as the Rose's Thorn is definitely more geared for a rogue)

Shield 1: Howe's Shield

Weapon 2: Maric's Blade

Shield 2: Cailan's Shield

Head: Juggernaut Plate Helm (normal gameplay)/Corruption (the Final Battle)

Body: Juggernaut Plate Armor

Hands: Juggernaut Plate Gloves

Feet: Juggernaut Plate Boots

Belt: Andruil's Blessing

Amulet: The Spellward

Ring 1: Key to the City

Ring 2: The Lifegiver

 

 

Two-Handed Weapons Warrior

Some don't like to go this route, as the DPS is not as impressive as a dual-wield or archer build, and the defense obviously pales to the Dual-Wield and WnB counterparts. However, many players have soloed Nightmare as a two-handed warrior. How could this happen? The same way the Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage builds make it possible: Utility. So with this, I figured I'd present some ideas for how to play this little-recommended class selection.

 

Stats

Obviously, you will want to max out your Strength, as this is where your 2H weapon comes from attribute-wise. You may want to spend a few points in Dexterity to obtain some of the Warrior talents, but your 2H talents will look only at your Strength number, and in order to get to Destroyer, you will want to get to 40 ASAP. You might want a bit of Willpower here and there for more ability usage, 16 Cunning for Coercion purposes, and a bit of Constitution for survivability; otherwise, the majority of your points will be in Strength.

 

Strength: MAX

Dexterity: minimum needed to take some Warrior-school talents

Willpower: pretty much base

Magic: Base. Again, you will only need poultices in emergency situations.

Cunning: 16 minimum for Coercion skills

Constitution: pretty much base

 

Specializations

If you're playing a 2H warrior with a full party, you will likely want to specialize into Berserker/Champion, as this not only provides buffs to the party, but also further increases your damage. Soloing, however, is another story; while usually looked down upon, the Reaver specialization, in this case, provides further utility to your character and a bit more damage. This, coupled with the Champion or Templar specializations, can allow you to get through the game by yourself.

 

Full Party Play: Berserker/Champion or Berserker/Templar

Solo: Reaver/Champion or Reaver/Templar

 

Talents

Warrior:

Powerful -> Threaten -> Bravery -> Death Blow

Precise Striking -> Taunt -> Disengage -> Perfect Striking

 

Two-Handed Weapon:

Pommel Strike -> Indomitable -> Stunning Blows -> Critical Strike

Sunder Arms -> Shattering Blows -> Sunder Armor -> Destroyer

Mighty Blow -> Powerful Swings -> Two-Handed Strength -> Two-Handed Sweep

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC):

Blood Thirst -> Blood Fury

 

This shell here provides the 2H player exactly what they need to succeed. You will most likely want to start with Precise Striking first to grant a higher attack and crit chance, then go after your Sunders first thing, as they will help you take less damage and dish more. Indomitable, however, is the BIG sustained talent you should go for, providing immunity to stun and knockdowns, which also helps set you up to grab Critical Strike. A really cool thing to do, as well, is to Taunt enemies onto you, hit them with a Two-Handed Sweep, then Disengage them and let the tank take control once more. Now, as for specializations, that again depends on how you're playing.

 

(Full Party Play)

Berserker:

Berserk -> Resilience -> Constraint -> Final Blow

 

Champion:

War Cry -> Rally -> Motivation

 

In the case of full-party play, I'd say that this is how you'd take your spec talents. I'd have to say that Superiority is not really necessary as a DPS warrior unless you're absolutely in need of a knockdown (which you really shouldn't be), but Rally + Motivation will definitely help increase your attack even more, which is something you'll need.

 

(Anti-Mage Solo Spec)

Reaver:

Devour -> Frightening Appearance -> Aura of Pain -> Blood Frenzy

 

Templar:

Righteous Strike -> Cleanse Area -> Mental Fortress -> Holy Smite

 

The only reason I can see the Reaver working for solo play is not only Frightening Appearance, but the fact that Aura of Pain and Blood Frenzy work well together to provide a huge attack bonus. However, I'd make sure to turn both off and pop a poultice or Devour whenever need so as to avoid total suicide (LOL). The Templar spec improves mental resistance, as well as allowing the solo player to give mages a hard time with Holy Smite and Cleanse Area.

 

(Ultra-Utility Solo Spec)

Reaver:

Devour -> Frightening Appearance -> Aura of Pain -> Blood Frenzy

 

Champion:

War Cry -> Rally -> Motivation -> Superiority

 

This is also a very viable solo spec, and I'd have to say that it's mostly likely the one of choice. Once again, Reaver provides Frightening Appearance as well as the ability to heal oneself, and the Champion spec gives you an AoE knockdown (ALWAYS helpful in a solo game) and increased attack and defense. Not much more to it than that.

 

Gear

Weapon: Chasind Great Maul/Starfang (Greatsword)

Head: Helm of Honnleath

Body: Warden Commander Armor

Hands: Warden Commander Gloves

Feet: Warden Commander Boots

Belt: Andruil's Blessing/Ornate Leather Belt (preferably the former)

Amulet: Not sure if there's anything with +Strength on it, so perhaps look for Willpower, physical/mental resistance, etc.

Ring 1: Key to the City

Ring 2: Harvest Festival Ring

 

This basically is the best set of gear you can work with. Even with massive armor, the Warden Commander Armor set is absolutely SUPERB, as you gain extra stamina and stamina regen from it. You might use other swords as well, such as Ageless and Yusaris (great against the High Dragon, Flemeth and the Dragon you get Ageless from in the Orzammar Royal Palace), but the Chasind Great Maul is definitely the main weapon to go for. Starfang, if you don't feel like going after CGM, is a fine replacement, however.

 

Okay, I'll plop another post up with the rest of the warrior stuff, since the Two-Handed Warrior explanation had multiple parts. However, I have a feeling that Dual Weapon warriors will also take up a big portion of the next post, so... be prepared! XD

[PhoenixAdamu]

Warriors, Part 2!

 

Dual Weapon Warrior

 

Ah, yes. The Dual Weapon Warrior. Obviously, we all know this will be the highest-DPS melee warrior you can create. But how exactly do you have to spec it to make it truly devastating? Well, on here, I've heard Double-Dagger Dexterity specs are most definitely the way to go, but I'm thinking there's also viability in a double-fullsize Strength build. Let's start with the specializations you'll want.

 

Specializations

As a dual-wielder, you will most DEFINITELY need to spec Berserker for the increased DPS capabilities. But what about your second specialization? That's where your party make-up and your play style come in. If you decide to go with a melee/archer-heavy party, your play style should determine whether you want to spec as a Champion or a Templar, as both are very viable. If your party has both Morrigan and Wynne running around, Templar is definitely not very effective, as any buffs you gain from either of them can be wiped out and put on cooldown with Cleanse Area. Champion can still provide an AoE knockdown and another Rally effect, if you often split up from your tank; if you usually stick close to your tank and attack their targets, though, perhaps you should spec Reaver for more damage and utility. Again, refer to the above post for each chain and see how each one may work for you.

 

Talent Shell

Berserker:

Berserk -> Resilience -> Constraint -> Final Blow

 

Warrior:

Powerful -> Threaten -> Bravery -> Death Blow

Precise Striking -> Taunt -> Disengage -> Perfect Striking

 

Dual Weapons:

Dual-Weapon Training -> Dual-Weapon Finesse -> Dual-Weapon Expertise -> Dual-Weapon Mastery*

Dual Fighting -> Riposte* -> Cripple* -> Punisher*

Dual-Weapon Sweep -> Flurry -> Momentum -> Whirlwind*

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC):

Blood Thirst -> Blood Fury

 

This shell provides all dual-weapon warriors exactly what they need to get started; Momentum, no matter what, will significantly increase a warrior's DPS via faster attacks, and everything else is aimed at doing more damage. Here, however, is where the talent builds can differ significantly; not only does this depend on your second spec choice, but your weapon setup. We'll explore both of these here.

 

Dual-Dagger Dexterity:

This Dual Weapons spec is very similar to the rogue dual-dagger Dex build, except that warriors don't rely on critting as often due to activating Dual Fightning. This also means that the play style of the build is different from the double fullsize Strength build; in this case, you'll want to throw a poison on, turn on Momentum, Berserk, Precise Striking and Dual Fighting and just slam away. In this case, you will not want to add on extra activated talents such as Punisher, since you should be slicing right through your enemies, anyway. For Dual-Dagger Dex, then, the above shell is pretty much all you'll need to work.

 

*Dual-Fullsize Strength:

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Dual-Fullsize Strength build. This obviously will work differently than the Dual-Dagger Dex build above, but can still hold its own, if played right. This build focuses more on taking down multiple enemies at a time, and when up against a boss, the powerful Punisher can allow for instant-speed high damage, as well as a possible achievement. You'll obviously need to entirely fill up your Dual Weapons Tree to make this work, but it allows for the same ideas presented by the Two-Handed Warrior to work, and double-time: Taunt mobs onto you, then hit them with Whirlwind followed by Dual-Weapon Sweep; Disengage after that and go to work, if there's still work to be done.

 

Stats

Strength: Max if speccing dual-fullsize Strength; otherwise, about 34 or so to work with gear.

Dexterity: Max if speccing dual-dagger Dex; otherwise, you need 36 to grab Dual-Weapon Mastery.

Willpower: Really not needed; you'll get stamina off your gear set just fine.

Magic: Base. Once again, poultices are only needed in emergencies.

Cunning: 16 for Coercion talents, perhaps up to 20 for persuasive dialogue.

Constitution: Keep this at base, as well; shouldn't really need to worry about taking damage.

 

Gear

Here's the base gear you'll want!

Head: Helm of Honnleath

Body: Warden Commander Armor

Hands: Warden Commander Gloves

Feet: Warden Commander Boots

Belt: Andruil's Blessing

Amulet: Again, I don't think there's anything that increases melee/ranged DPS, so stuff with Willpower and physical/mental resistance is key.

Ring 1: Key to the City

Ring 2: Harvest Festival Ring

 

You can see that I'm really taking a liking to a certain armor set and certain pieces of armor, right? XD Well, there's good reason for that; they're absolutely the best you can get. I definitely like the Harvest Festival Ring for DPS warriors, as it increases either stat that's needed to be focused on AND your attack rating. Very nice. Now, for the weapons; again, this is broken down for the purpose of the two different builds.

 

Dual-Dagger Dex:

Dagger 1: The Edge

Dagger 2: Thorn of the Dead Gods (Silverite)

 

While the Edge's +5% melee crit chance won't come into play often, if at all, with this build, it's still probably the best dagger to go with on a warrior. +5 damage and +4 attack on a Silverite dagger that you can equip almost right away is truly impressive. As an overall second dagger, I decided on the silverite Thorn of the Dead Gods that can be found in the Drifter's Cache, as more damage and armor penetration is never bad; if you prefer to have extra attack and are a City Elf, Fang should do just fine, as well. Duncan's Dagger will also serve well against Dragon enemies, if you wish to use it.

 

Dual-Fullsize Strength:

Weapon 1: The Veshialle

Weapon 2: Imperial Edge/Starfang (Longsword)

 

Holy. Crap. This setup, by far, is POWERFUL. The Veshialle is definitely the best main-hand weapon in the game, and the added rune slots can make it even more effective than it already is. From what I could see, either Starfang or Imperial Edge can work in the off-hand slot; this will probably depend on personal preference. Just remember that you will be using activated abilities before you turn on sustained abilities.

 

 

Archery Warrior

I've seen people just not like Archery builds at all, whether it be on a warrior or a rogue. However, there has been a confirmed, viable build that can dish respectable damage period, but can REALLY hammer down mages. So, let's get started on explaining this one!

 

Stats

Strength: You need 38 total to wear heavy armor. With this in mind, you'll probably want to get the Harvest Festival Ring (+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, and +4 attack) on this character, as well as the Helm of Honnleath, Andruil's Blessing, and the Key to the City; this means you'll need 30 naked Strength.

Dexterity: MAX this out; it's what lets your arrows do more damage.

Willpower: You may want to throw a few points in here, with the sustainables you can use to make your archer even more competent. Otherwise, you should get some from gear.

Magic: Base

Cunning: Again, at least 16 for Coercion purposes, perhaps 20 max for persuasive dialogue

Constitution: Shouldn't take much damage here, either. Base.

 

Specializations

I think it's needless to say that this build will not benefit at all from the Berserker or Reaver specs; therefore, you're left with Templar/Champion. This actually helps you be the mage-killer you're destined to be, since you get Holy Smite and the other added benefits of the Templar, and the Champion gives you the possible AoE War Cry to get yourself out of sticky situations, as well as extra attack from Rally.

 

Talents

Champion:

War Cry -> Rally -> Motivation -> Superiority

 

Templar:

Righteous Strike -> Cleanse Area -> Mental Fortress -> Holy Smite

 

Warrior:

Powerful

Precise Striking -> Taunt -> Disengage -> Perfect Striking

 

Archery:

Melee Archer -> Aim -> Defensive Fire -> Master Archer

Pinning Shot -> Crippling Shot -> Critical Shot -> Arrow of Slaying

Rapid Shot -> Shattering Shot -> Suppressing Fire -> Scattershot

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC):

Blood Thirst -> Blood Fury

 

With the Archery build, I don't think going for Death Blow is really worth wasting two points in Threaten and Bravery, as you absolutely DO NOT WANT AGGRO ON YOU and shouldn't be dealing with more than one enemy at a time. Disengage will be absolutely necessary here, in case you happen to draw aggro onto you and you can't get away after War Crying or using Blood Fury. Here, you'll want to go after Arrow of Slaying first; this is what will REALLY kill mages for you, and it benefits you even more by supplying great damage to other enemies and awarding an achievement if you kill 50 mobs with it. After that, go after Scattershot, as it's your only true AoE damage ability, but it also provides utility by being an instant stun to a wide range of enemies. As for what sustained talents should be used in battle? Well, I'm liking both Aim and Rapid Shot, for some strange reason, but I don't think you can have more than one Archery sustain on at a time. You shouldn't have to use Defensive Fire or Suppressing Fire at all, as you're not wanting to draw attention to yourself to get hit. And, of course, you want Rally up at all times, allowing extra attack to hit your marks.

 

Gear

This seems to be the most questionable area for an archer build, since there's the question of longbow vs. crossbow and what kind of armor a warrior should wear as an archer. Due to my research, though, I'm feeling that, since you want to boost your Dexterity the most with this build, you will DEFINITELY want a longbow. Here's the gear that seems to be what pops out to me!

 

Weapon: Far Song (you'll kinda have to lie to Owen in Redcliffe to unlock this bow... and save your gold up!)

Head: Helm of Honnleath

Body: Evon the Great's Mail

Hands: Wade's Superior Dragonscale Gloves

Feet: Wade's Superior Dragonscale Boots

Belt: Andruil's Blessing

Amulet: Not much for ranged DPS, either, so do the same as what you would for the other DPS warrior builds.

Ring 1: Key to the City

Ring 2: Harvest Festival Ring

 

Add on whatever arrows seem to fit the situation (such as Andraste's Arrows to interrupt spellcasting), and you should have a nice ranged fighting force. Evon the Great's Mail and the gloves and boots from Wade's Superior Dragonscale Armor Set make this work very nicely, and Far Song is definitely the best bow you'll be grabbing in the game period. You'll have to make Owen go away from Redcliffe to do so, but overall, I think it's a nice trade-off, once you get the 120 sovereigns for it.

 

So that's all I've got for the warriors of Dragon Age. Try them out and see which one works best for you! :D

[PhoenixAdamu]

Strangely, I feel like posting AGAIN, and once again on the mage line. I just feel like mages are such complex characters to build up a certain way that there really are any number of directions you can take it. This even shows in the Arcane Warrior builds, as you can either go with AW/Blood Mage and prefer DPS/CC, or try AW/Spirit Healer and present yourself as a tank/heal/support character. Unfortunately, Shapeshifter has been disapproved of by all but few, but I'll try to see what I can do for all different builds across the spectrum.

 

Stats

Strength: Base. The only way you're getting into melee is if you're an Arcane Warrior, and even then, your Magic stat takes care of that for you.

Dexterity: If you're going AW/BM DPS/CC and want to equip a nice dagger such as The Edge or The Rose's Thorn, you'll want to pump this up just a tad bit and let other equips do the rest; otherwise, you can leave it at base, too.

Willpower: Your first 10 levels, I'd recommend putting at least 1 point in here every ding to help your mana pool a bit. After that, it depends on your build.

Magic: MAX. No matter your spec or purpose, this is THE #1 MOST IMPORTANT mage attribute.

Cunning: 16 for Master Coercion, up to 20 for max persuasion success.

Constitution: You won't need to worry about this attribute unless you're going down as a Blood Mage; if you decide to use your health to cast, you will want to quick-boost this stat after level 10 until it's about equal with your Willpower, then 1 point every level to the end.

 

Specializations

On top of the base spell schools you can choose from as a mage, picking your specializations can also be somewhat confusing. Many like the aspect of the Arcane Warrior, though, as no matter the complimentary specialization, you can build yourself up in a way that you're nearly indestructible and still provide usefulness when your magical resources have been depleted. As I mentioned before, the Shapeshifter specialization is largely looked down upon for two reasons: (1) The mage's attribute has been known to not translate to the Strength of the shape they choose to transform into (whether this is just a bug that was fixed or not, I'm not sure; I've heard that some like the Swarm shape, anyway), and (2) the other specializations don't really seem to couple well with the shapechanging aspect. Perhaps you can try being a natural mage, taking mainly spells in the Primal tree for elemental damage and changing shape when you're near out of mana; whether this is advisable is to be seen.

 

As for the Arcane Warrior builds, there have been two main directions that you can spec into, both of which are listed in the introduction here. Either way will work well, but for soloing purposes, it's largely understood that Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage provides the most utility and damage possible, making it the spec of choice. As a team player, though, Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healer is still workable, as you can cast most of your heals and support spells with weapons drawn (including your Spirit Healer spells), making it so that you don't have to switch weapon sets whenever your party is in trouble. The other route you can go, although seemingly contradictory of each other, is Spirit Healer/Blood Mage. The idea here is to be able to heal your party and cast your CC/damage spells via your health, then turn off Blood Magic and heal yourself, allowing you to do it all over again. Sounds pretty broken, if you ask me.

 

Talent Builds and Strategies

This here will probably be the longest section of the post, but it should also be the most informative. I figure the best way to start is by supplying the two main mage builds of the game, starting with my personal favorite.

 

Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage DPS/CC Shell

Arcane Warrior

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

 

Blood Mage

Blood Magic -> Blood Sacrifice -> Blood Wound

 

Mage

Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield

 

Primal

Rock Armor

 

Spirit

Walking Bomb -> Death Syphon -> Virulent Walking Bomb -> Animate Dead

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

 

Entropy

Weakness -> Paralyze -> Miasma

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC)

Dark Sustenance -> Bloody Grasp

 

The above build here provides the shell for some outright major DPS in close quarters as well as top-notch CC while in combat. The basis of all Arcane Warrior builds is to grab Rock Armor and Miasma in the early leveling stages, followed up by Arcane Shield, then maxing out your Arcane Warrior specialization every level you can. This, combined with the ability to wear massive armor due to Combat Magic, means your mage will become very, VERY hardy, capable of sustaining some incredible damage and not falling in battle. Virulent Walking Bomb provides close-quarters help, throwing a spirit DoT on the target you feel like bashing down to blow their body up, inflicting an AoE damage effect while also spreading that same spirit DoT on other mobs closeby. The Blood Mage aspect of this build is another versatile plot, allowing the Arcane Warrior to ignore their sustain-caused mana "puddle" and cast more spells from their health while they have plenty of it. Blood Wound is too good not to pass up, capable of locking down a whole group of ranged opponents and even outright killing them as you take care of enemies in your face. Animate Dead also helps here, giving you another combatant on your side and a loophole for your Blood Sacrifice spell. All in all, there's still a lot of customization one can do here, but this provides a solid foundation to work upon. Heck, you can even nab as many as 3 or 4 spell combos here at a time, if you wish, though Storm of the Century is highly inadvisable.

 

Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healer Tank/Healer/Support

Arcane Warrior

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

 

Mage

Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield

 

Spirit Healer

Group Heal -> Revival -> Lifeward -> Cleansing Aura

 

Primal

Rock Armor

 

Creation

Heal -> Rejuvenate -> Regeneration

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

 

Spirit

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

 

Entropy

Weakness -> Paralyze -> Miasma

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC)

Dark Sustenance -> Bloody Grasp

 

Again, you'll want to grab your sustainables early and take the Arcane Warrior spec as soon as you can. After this, it's uncertain how you can build yourself up to tank, heal AND support your other characters, right? Well, if you have the right mana pool and mana regen, perhaps it's not a problem! I think the main problem here is grabbing your aggro right off the bat; in this case, you might want to lean into an AoE spell you can cast at the start of a battle, such as Fireball, so as to grab your aggro and knock down enemies, which gives you time to set up yourself and your party to start slugging. Also, the healing power of Cleansing Aura can provide some healing aggro, therefore making battles a bit more manageable. After that, just watch your party's health and heal when necessary. This build also gives you Mind Blast, Force Field, and Crushing Prison, so you can CC to an extent if things get out of hand.

 

Spirit Healer/Blood Mage Nonstop Caster

Blood Mage

Blood Magic -> Blood Sacrifice -> Blood Wound

 

Mage

Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield -> Staff Focus -> Arcane Mastery

 

Spirit Healer

Group Heal -> Revival -> Lifeward -> Cleansing Aura

 

Primal

Rock Armor

 

Spirit

Walking Bomb -> Death Syphon -> Virulent Walking Bomb -> Animate Dead

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

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC)

Dark Sustenance -> Bloody Grasp

 

This build is yet another shell, but one that can provide mages who prefer to stay at range to do their stuff from afar. Virulent Walking Bomb isn't as awesome here as it is with the AW/BM build, but if you can make your party focus their attacks, it can still be pretty awesome. Death Syphon will be of more use here, and once again you have your Spirit CC suite + Blood Wound to work with. However you want to take this spec is up to you, but there are some very powerful spell combos you can grab here, such as Storm of the Century and Entropic Death. Staff Focus and Arcane Mastery are definitely more viable with this build, so get them after you take care of your specializations.

 

Naturalist Build (Shapeshifter Primal)

Mage

Arcane Bolt -> Arcane Shield -> Staff Focus -> Arcane Mastery

 

Shapeshifter

Spider Shape -> Bear Shape -> Flying Swarm -> Master Shapeshifter

 

Primal

Rock Armor -> Stonefist

Winter's Grasp -> Frost Weapons -> Cone of Cold -> Blizzard

Lightning -> Shock -> Tempest

 

Spirit

Mana Drain -> Mana Cleanse -> Spell Might

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

 

Entropy

Vulnerability Hex -> Affliction Hex

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC)

Dark Sustenance -> Bloody Grasp

 

If one decides to go with the Shapeshifter specialization, it's recommended that the bulk of their spells are Primal-school, throwing AoE nukes at enemies before changing shape and letting your alternate form do the work. Spider Shape can work very well for this setting, with Web and Poison Spit allowing the mage to keep mobs within the area of your nukes, and with Master Shapeshifter available, Overwhelming those enemies that escape. Spell Might is included with the shell above to provide Storm of the Century, as well as the Telekinesis branch of the Spirit school for added CC. If you wish, you can specialize into Spirit Healer for extra flexibility in your caster form, or you can stay single-spec and load up your Primal school even more, taking the Fire branch and finishing the others for some added nukes. All in all, you will have to load up on your Magic period, as the research being done on the Shapeshifter spec shows that it takes a lot of spellpower in order to really pump the stats of your Spider and Bear Shapes, whereas Flying Swarm seems to steadily inflict more damage as spellpower increases.

 

Gear

And now, for the OTHER important area to focus on: the gear. While mages don't have to rely on gear as much as warriors or rogues, treating their main stats as such is recommended to get the most out of your character. For the Nonstop Caster and Naturalist builds, I think there's a very viable set of gear one can work with to really shine.

 

Staff: Staff of the Magister Lord/Magister's Staff

Head: Helm of Honnleath/The Libertarian's Cowl

Body: First Enchanter's Robes/Reaper's Vestments

Hands: Elementalist's Grasp

Feet: Bard's Dancing Shoes (+6 Defense and reduced threat, a good mage makes)

Belt: Andruil's Blessing

Amulet: Amulet of the War Mage/Heart of Witherfang/Lifedrinker

Ring 1: Key to the City

Ring 2: The Lucky Stone

 

This should allow for increased elemental damage all around, as well as considerable boosts to spellpower, willpower, mana regen, etc. If you feel like going for more specialized damage of sorts with the SH/BM build, then by all means, replace certain pieces with others that you see fit; otherwise, this should prove useful for generalized ranged mage play.

 

Now, for the base gear of the Arcane Warrior builds!

 

Belt: Andruil's Blessing

Ring 1: Key to the City

 

Now, wait a sec... where's the rest of the armor needed? Easy: Below.

 

Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage DPS/CC Gear

Weapon 1: The Veshialle

Weapon 2: The Edge

Weapon Set 2: (optional staff)

Head: Helm of Honnleath

Body: Warden Commander Armor

Hands: Warden Commander Gloves

Feet: Warden Commander Boots

Amulet: Amulet of the War Mage

Ring 2: The Lucky Stone

 

This here is definitely the best DPS set you can get for an Arcane Warrior. Never underestimate the power of the Warden Commander Armor; it definitely works well here. The Veshialle and The Edge are probably the best melee weapons you can have for this character, with the ability to switch over to a staff on the fly if you like using spells that require you to sheath your weapons. The Amulet of the War Mage will help whatever types of spell damage you prefer to use, and perhaps even increase poison/coating damage.

 

Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healer Tank/Heal/Support Gear

Weapon: Spellweaver

Shield: Fade Wall

Head: Juggernaut Plate Helm (normal)/Corruption (Final Battle)

Body: Juggernaut Plate Armor

Hands: Juggernaut Plate Gloves

Feet: Juggernaut Plate Boots

Amulet: The Spellward

Ring 2: Lifegiver

 

Wee for tank gear! While you might not have as much mana regen with this set of gear, the spell resistances will ensure that you don't take as much magical damage, and Lifegiver and The Spellward continue tacking that on. Spellweaver and Fade Wall should help with the regen a bit, so you can still cast here and there while going into combat. Have at, and keep your side alive!

 

Alright, I think that's all I'm going to do for now. I haven't gotten into skills for anything posted yet, but that just might be for another post. Enjoy!

[PhoenixAdamu]

Okay! It's rogue time! I've done some research via my Song of Death rogue and working with Leliana and Zevran on my mage file, and I think I've got a few different rogue builds that can work, including an unorthodox Archer Rogue build that just might work (definitely fit Leliana up with this on any file you play, as it will suit her much better). So let's fire it up!

 

Dual-Dagger Dexterity ("Natural Zev")

This also shares a build with the warriors in being one of the higher-DPS builds, though it's been researched to show that the other DW rogue build to come up will likely blow it out of the water. I'd definitely recommend this for Zevran on any file, though, as he's already curved into this build, and he can make nice work with it. This allows the player rogue to keep utility handy while being hard to hit and quick to fire off. Let's take a look, shall we?

 

Attributes

Strength: Should only need 20 total for the best light armor, and this should be easy with Circle Tower boosts and equipment.

Dexterity: MAX; after all, it's called Dual-Dagger DEX for a reason, right?

Willpower: This really shouldn't be a necessity, especially since you're not using many activated abilities; if you want to keep Momentum up longer, though, I suppose a bit extra might not hurt.

Magic: Base

Cunning: You'll want to level this as well, though not as steeply as Dex; perhaps 1 point every level will do the trick.

Constitution: Base

 

Specializations

For the Dual Weapon builds, your first and foremost specialization will always be Assassin; the ability to take advantage of backstabs should NEVER be overlooked. As for the D3 build in question here, many have said that Rangers can work with any rogue; however, if you don't really need extra bodies (and with as fast as you'll be working, you probably won't), with this build, it's definitely encouraged to run with Duelist, as it further increases your Dex and grants you Pinpoint Strike, turning all your hits into crits. Nice!

 

Talents

Assassin:

Mark of Death -> Exploit Weakness -> Lacerate -> Feast of the Fallen

 

Duelist:

Dueling -> Upset Balance -> Keen Defense -> Pinpoint Strike

 

Rogue:

Dirty Fighting -> Combat Movement -> Coup de Grace

Below the Belt -> Deadly Strike -> Lethality

Deft Hands -> Improved Tools -> Mechanical Expertise -> Device Mastery

Stealth -> Stealthy Item Use -> Combat Stealth -> Master Stealth

 

Dual Weapon:

Dual-Weapon Training -> Dual-Weapon Finesse -> Dual-Weapon Expertise

Dual Fighting -> Riposte

Dual-Weapon Sweep -> Flurry -> Momentum

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC):

Dark Passage -> The Tainted Blade

 

This talent spread is definitely made for utility and defense while opting to combine both rogue aspects to be quite lethal. Riposte is taken here for another stun to work with Coup de Grace, and Lethality takes advantage of the Cunning that you'll still want to build up as a rogue, even if it's not your primary stat. There's no need to go to very deep in the Dual Weapon tree; the talents given are what you'll use to get behind a mob and backstab them to oblivion. Even with the primary focus on Dexterity, I would NOT pass up on the Power of Blood talents out of Warden's Keep, as Dark Passage provides a broken passive talent to the rogue, and The Tainted Blade is a risk-reward talent that may pay off, if you use it wisely.

 

Gear

Warden Optimal Gear Set

Dagger 1: The Rose's Thorn

Dagger 2: The Edge/Duncan's Dagger/Dead Thaig Shanker

Head: Helm of Honnleath

Body: The Felon's Coat

Hands: Red Jenny's Seekers

Feet: Silverhammer's Tackmasters/Cadash Stompers (if you have no problems taking targets out quickly before they turn their attention on you)

Belt: Andruil's Blessing

Amulet: To the best of my knowledge, there's nothing that'll help here, so anything that'll help you stay out of trouble is good.

Ring 1: Key to the City

Ring 2: Harvest Festival Ring/The Wicked Oath/Ring of the Warrior

 

Dexterity, crit/backstab damage and defense galore! There's nothing that this set of equipment won't do to keep you alive and kicking and your opponents dead. Have some poisons ready and have fun not getting hurt. :)

 

Zevran Optimal Set (if Warden is not a rogue)

Main pieces same as Warden Optimal Set

Head: Armsman's Tensioner/Longrunner's Cap

Belt: Mixed Metal Rounds/Dalish Leather Belt/Shadow Belt

Ring 1: The Wicked Oath

Ring 2: Ring of the Warrior/Dusk Ring

 

If Zev happens to be your main melee rogue because you decided on another class, suit him up to take advantage of all that dex goodness. he will make use of it in combat, for sure. If you DO choose to be a melee rogue, but still want Zev to have some decent armor, look for stuff such as Wade's Superior Drakeskin Armor Set to make it work (unless you have that on Leliana... >>; )

 

Dual-Dagger Cunning (Song of Death)

The OTHER DW build, and one that has been said to provide the absolute best DPS for a rogue. It doesn't provide the utility that the D3 rogue does, but it makes up for it in raw attack power. Let's take a look, shall we?

 

Attributes

Strength: Again, you need 20 for the best light armor, and the Circle Tower and other equips help.

Dexterity: You'll want to run your Dex up to 24 here to get to Momentum right off the bat, then perhaps 1 point per level after your Cunning has made up its ground.

Willpower: Same instance for D3.

Magic: Base

Cunning: MAX. Again, it's called Dual-Dagger CUNNING for a reason.

Constitution: Base

 

Specializations

As mentioned before, the Assassin spec will be your first route for major damage, as its talents are superb for backstabbing. Ranger can still be viable with this build; however, with all that Cunning built up, you can take the Bard specialization here and REALLY be dominant, providing your entire party buffs while you rip your enemies apart.

 

Talents

Assassin:

Mark of Death -> Exploit Weakness -> Lacerate -> Feast of the Fallen

 

Bard:

Song of Valor -> Distraction -> Song of Courage

 

Rogue:

Dirty Fighting -> Combat Movement -> Coup de Grace

Below the Belt -> Deadly Strike -> Lethality

Deft Hands -> Improved Tools*

Stealth -> Stealthy Item Use -> Combat Stealth -> Master Stealth

*Improved Tools is only needed if you feel like opening more locks early on; otherwise, you can come back to some later when your Cunning's much higher and grab them.

 

Dual Weapon:

Dual-Weapon Training -> Dual-Weapon Finesse -> Dual-Weapon Expertise

Dual Fighting -> Riposte

Dual-Weapon Sweep -> Flurry -> Momentum

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC):

Dark Passage -> The Tainted Blade

 

As you can see, my awesome Song of Death rogue is pretty heavy on getting combat-oriented talents right off the bat. By my recommendations, though, you'll want to grab Deft Hands and Dual-Weapon Training from the Advanced settings first so you can open up your locks in the origin story and have both hands running about equal damage. From there, boost your Dex to 24 to be able to grab Momentum as soon as possible, then rack your Cunning up from there. With this build, your Bard talents (ESPECIALLY Song of Courage, which will be your primary active song), Lethality and The Tainted Blade will make your DPS so effective that you'll be wondering where you were without them.

 

Gear

Believe it or not, the gear set you grab for the Song of Death rogue are basically the same as the D3 rogue, since many of your stat focuses are the same (only the Dex and Cun are flip-flopped priority-wise). Just follow along and have some fun getting rapidly-occuring HUGE backstabs! :D

 

Now, you might be wondering why rogues can't try other weapon/attribute setups, such as Axe + Dagger Cunning. While you CAN technically do this, it's been proven that their DPS pales in comparison to the Dual-Dagger specs given here. So stick with these; they'll prove to be most effective.

 

Arrow with a Name: The Archer Rogue ("Natural Leli")

Now wait a sec... why would rogues want to stay on the sidelines and shoot arrows? Well, I dunno, but I've figured out something that can really work with Leliana on any file, as well as rogues who don't really want to get their hands bloodied. Try it out!

 

Attributes

You'll probably want to go along the same line with your/Leliana's attributes as the Song of Death rogue, keeping in mind that you won't be getting involved in melee combat.

 

Strength: Again, get to 20 via Circle Tower and equips for the best light armor possible.

Willpower: You may want a few points here and there to help offset your sustains; otherwise, leave it alone.

Magic: Base

Constitution: Base

Dexterity + Cunning: You'll mainly want to alternate your points so that you give each 3 points every two levels, since both should affect your bow modifier.

 

Specializations

Now that melee's out of the picture, the Assassin specialization is just not worthy, as you won't be backstabbing to your heart's content. So what's a rogue to do? Well, remember that Ranger spec we were saying could also work with the DW specs? HERE'S where those extra bodies can shine for sure, as they'll help make up whatever shots you're missing out. As for the second specialization... well, that's kinda interesting to work out. I've heard stories of some taking the Duelist spec and carrying melee weapons in their second weapon set to switch to, which enables them to turn on Dueling and Pinpoint Strike, then switch back to their bow and proceed to snipe. However, I would find it a bit more practical to take the Bard specialization to avoid having to switch weapons sets. Also, since you will have about as much Cun as you will Dex, Song of Courage will definitely pay off.

 

Talents

I'm going to use Leliana's starting talents as a template to help along with this build, but I will list some exceptions below the talent plot itself to clarify certain points. With that, here goes!

 

Bard:

Song of Valor -> Distraction -> Song of Courage

 

Ranger:

Summon Wolf -> Summon Bear -> Summon Spider -> Master Ranger

 

Rogue:

Dirty Fighting

Below the Belt -> Deadly Strike -> Lethality

Deft Hands -> Improved Tools -> Mechanical Expertise -> Device Mastery

 

Archery:

Melee Archer -> Aim -> Defensive Fire -> Master Archer

Pinning Shot -> Crippling Shot -> Critical Shot -> Arrow of Slaying

Rapid Shot -> Shattering Shot -> Suppressing Fire -> Scattershot

 

Power of Blood (optional, requires Warden's Keep DLC):

Dark Passage -> The Tainted Blade

 

With this build, you'll most likely have 3 sustains up at once: Song of Courage, your preferred Ranger summon, and Rapid Shot (I've found that the lack of crits while it's up is not really bad, as it keeps your sustained DPS pretty high). You may want to look for some stamina-regen gear or plop some points in Willpower to offset these, but overall, they'll keep you in the running for DPS potential. While you don't have the Templar benefits of being an Archery Warrior, you can still take down a mage pretty well with the right gear, and your rate of fire should be pretty high by keeping to light gear. While Below the Belt and Deadly Strike are essentially wasted points in this build, Lethality should allow your Cunning to act as the other half-multiplier rather than your Strength; this will need to be tested, but that's what we have Leli for, right? Since Tainted Blade doesn't state that you have to have melee weapons up to use it, I'm thinking it should still work for your arrows; just watch your health if you decide to make use of it.

 

As far as building your talents, you'll once again want to stick with taking Deft Hands right off the bat, followed by either Melee Archer or Pinning Shot. Just as the Archery Warrior is set, your first main acquisition should be Arrow of Slaying; next, go after Scattershot, taking whatever specialization talents you can along the way. Keep this up, and Leliana or your own Archery Rogue should build up just fine.

 

Gear

Warden Optimal Gear Set

Bow: Far Song

Head: Helm of Honnleath

Body: The Felon's Coat/Wade's Superior Drakeskin Armor

Hands: Dalish Gloves/Repeater Gloves/Wade's Superior Drakeskin Gloves

Feet: Silverhammer's Tackmasters/Cadash Stompers/Wade's Superior Drakeskin Boots

Belt: Andruil's Blessing

Amulet: Nothing directly affects your DPS, so just pick what keeps you up.

Ring 1: Key to the City

Ring 2: The Lucky Stone

 

Basically, the main equips you'd expect to see on a DPS Warden are here, along with some extra asides that can help along in your travels. These WILL get you going.

 

Leliana Equipment Set

Bow: Far Song/Marjolaine's Recurve

Head: Free Scout Arming Cap/Armsman's Tensioner

Body: Dalish Armor/Wade's Superior Drakeskin Armor

Hands: Dalish Gloves/Repeater Gloves/Wade's Superior Drakeskin Gloves

Feet: Silverhammer's Tackmasters/Cadash Stompers/Wade's Superior Drakeskin Boots

Belt: Fencer's Cinch/Dalish Leather Belt

Amulet: Seeker's Circle (+1 Cunning, +10 physical resistance, if I remember correctly)

Ring 1: The Lucky Stone

Ring 2: The Wicked Oath/Keeper's Ring/Dusk Ring

 

For Leli, it was hard to figure out what gear to give her, assuming Zevran would be the main melee rogue, so if you're playing a warrior or mage, you'll most likely want to go after Wade's Superior Drakeskin Armor Set for Leli and give Zevran the main melee rogue gear. This should prove to help contribute to him being able to dish out up front while she snipes from a distance, if you decide to use the two together in your party. All in all, just try to keep the balance between Dex and Cun with the Archery build, as it will be crucial.

 

That's as far as my rogue insight can go today, guys. Next post will definitely be on the skills needed for each class, dependent on the base class itself and the specializations one can take with them. Try these out, guys, and post how you like them!

[PhoenixAdamu]

Okay! After much thinking about all the skills available to the Warden, I think I can safely post my thoughts on the optimal skill set to take. I've listed my thoughts before with the constructive Arcane Warrior posts, but now, I think I can really delve into the base classes to provide the most thorough questing experience, for those looking for more XP, money, and other loot. I shall break it down for each class, so... let's get started!

 

Warrior

Coercion -> Improved Coercion -> Expert Coercion -> Master Coercion

Stealing

Trap-Making

Survival -> Improved Survival

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training -> Expert Combat Training -> Master Combat Training

 

Exceptions

All Dual Weapon Warriors: Take Poison-Making, as well; the poisons add extra damage and can benefit your party greatly.

Dual-Dagger Dex Warriors: You can skip Master Combat Training, since it will be unnecessary for your build purposes.

 

As a note, for Warden builds, you'll most likely always see Coercion fully taken and points in Stealing, Trap-Making, and Survival up to Improved Survival. As said before, this is solely for the reason of unlocking more quests, but doing so comes with more XP, money, and loot; trust me on this. ;)

 

As for both physical damage classes, Combat Training will be crucial to get the talents you require, so don't pass these up at all, if you can help it. If you mainly play your Warden, you shouldn't need Combat Tactics at all, so skip out on them. I didn't list what starting skills you receive as a warrior besides Combat Training (and I won't do so for rogues, either, besides Poison-Making) since these vary with your origin story.

 

Rogue

Coercion -> Improved Coercion -> Expert Coercion -> Master Coercion

Stealing

Trap-Making

Survival -> Improved Survival

Poison-Making

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training -> Expert Combat Training

 

Exceptions

Archery Rogues: Unfortunately, you can't really skip Poison-Making, but you will most definitely need Master Combat Training for your fourth-tier talents such as Arrow of Slaying.

 

This is a general base for rogues, as most builds you can come up with (even the unorthodox Dual-Fullsize Cunning builds) will be dual weapon-centric. Again, the second talent you receive is not set in stone until you choose your origin story, but Poison-Making will always be at the start of your game, and since you'll most likely head off in the dual-weapon route, you can definitely make use of it. If you find you have extra skill points, since you'll receive a point at every even-number level, you can spend extra points in skills such as Poison-Making or Trap-Making if you wish; Combat Tactics, again, is not necessary if you like playing your own character (and why WOULDN'T you?).

 

Mage

Coercion -> Improved Coercion -> Expert Coercion -> Master Coercion

Stealing

Trap-Making

Survival -> Improved Survival

Herbalism

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training

Combat Tactics

 

Exceptions

Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage DPS/CC: As you'll be dual-wielding with this build, you can most definitely benefit from a point in Poison-Making.

Arcane Warrior (general): Since you'll end up in melee combat often, if you find your spells still get interrupted more than you like at Improved Combat Training, you can spend 2 more points up to Master Combat Training to further steel yourself and get those spells off.

 

At last, we come to the mages. Unfortunately, the two starting skills you get ARE set in stone, those being Herbalism and Combat Tactics... and there's no way around that unless there's a mod that can change it, so... sorry, folks. :( However, that doesn't mean you absolutely HAVE to use them. Having Herbalism, though, can help you make sure you have all the reagents needed to make Potent Lyrium Potions, if you like using that exploit (and with the amount of profit you can make as one, I wouldn't see why not). Other than that, everything else here makes sure you can open up the full amount of quests possible.

 

So now, I think it might be time to delve a bit into companion skill sets, eh? :D

 

Alistair, Sten, Oghren and Shale (may also include Loghain, if you allow him to live at the Landsmeet)

(NOTE: I don't actually recall being able to access skills as Shale, but in case I'm wrong, and I'll find that out soon, this build will also help in setting her straight.)

 

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training -> Expert Combat Training -> Master Combat Training

Combat Tactics -> Improved Combat Tactics -> Expert Combat Tactics -> Master Combat Tactics

 

Yup. The warriors in your party are as about as simple as they get. Make sure they can grab access to the fourth-tier talents of their respective weapon schools and give them extra auto-commands so battles go the way you want them. That's it! Keep in mind you'll have to make sure your characters have 16 Cunning for the full Combat Tactics chain, but since they gain a skill every 3 levels, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

Morrigan

Herbalism -> Improved Herbalism -> Expert Herbalism -> Master Herbalism

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training

Combat Tactics -> Improved Combat Tactics -> Expert Combat Tactics -> Master Combat Tactics

 

Morrigan ends up a bit more intricate, but here, she allows you to exploit those Potent Lyrium Potions, handle her own actions in combat to the T and gain some mana regen through Improved Combat Training. She really needs nothing else, other than to make sure her Cunning also hits 16 for the Combat Tactics line (but I don't think that's a problem for her, really).

 

Leliana

Stealing -> Improved Stealing

Poison-Making

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training -> Expert Combat Training -> Master Combat Training

Combat Tactics -> Improved Combat Tactics -> Expert Combat Tactics -> Master Combat Tactics

 

Unfortunately, Leliana takes a bunch of skills from the beginning that are of no real use to her, but that doesn't really matter; just skip using them. Almost treat her as you would your warriors skill-wise, taking up to Master Combat Training and Tactics. The Cunning requirement shouldn't be too hard for her, if you follow leveling her up in the rogue post listed above.

 

Wynne

Herbalism

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training

Combat Tactics -> Improved Combat Tactics -> Expert Combat Tactics -> Master Combat Tactics

 

Wynne's really not that hard to skill up, either, and the Combat Tactics line is already made well and ready for you, as she should have up to Expert when you get to the Circle Tower (even if you go there first after Lothering). Other than that, get her to Improved Combat Training and Master Tactics, and if she happens to grab extra skill points, throw them into Herbalism.

 

Zevran

Poison-Making -> Improved Poison-Making -> Expert Poison-Making -> Master Poison-Making

Combat Training -> Improved Combat Training -> Expert Combat Training

Combat Tactics -> Improved Combat Tactics -> Expert Combat Tactics -> Master Combat Tactics

 

And HERE'S why I've always said to let Zev make your poisons for you as an Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage DPS/CC build! Just one more point and he gets to Master level, allowing him to make the most potent poisons and weapon coatings in the game, and all you need is one point to use them! WOOTNESS!!! Other than that, he's already got his Combat Training set for him, so set out his Tactics to Master level (Cunning should NOT be an issue), and he'll be ready to strike at the beginning of the battle. If you find that he has more skill points than listed here, go ahead and slip them into something such as Trap-Making or Stealing.

 

Unfortunately, I can't really delve much into Dog, since he really doesn't have skills (even as a "Warrior"); however, he's really easy to customize. Basically, give him nothing but Strength. You will want to fill up all of his War Dog school (obviously), but make sure you go after Overwhelm first; the talent is too powerful not to do so. His gear seems pretty set, too, in taking either the Warpaint of the West Hills or Swiftrunner War Paint combined with the Pure female dog Braid. While Dog DOES have the capability of off-tanking, I'd prefer to make use of him as a shredder War Dog, tearing mages down with Overwhelm and taking down other foes as he sees fit. So have fun with his easy level-ups and setting the skills of your companions straight; you should have a fighting force no matter who you take with you. :)

 

(P.S.: LOL @ the auto-edit for the Dog collar equip XD )

[Hazeno]

Youve posted on the Mage trees , that adding points to Cunning is needed. If you build an Arcane Warrior for example properly. There is NO need to put any points in there. Mages Tower will give you all the required points to make 16. Also , Theres no need for willpower at all on a Tank BloodAW. Go for madness amounts of Constitution , I went for 42 Magic The Maxed Con , Spent NOTHING in anyother slot. You 'could' add dexterity , But it isnt a must.

Here is my ending Arcane Warrior , Spell's Could of been revised a little. BUT i was literally unkillable. Huge pulls in nightmare were a serious breeze. I ended at level 19.

 

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1417/screenshot2010022018154.th.jpg

 

Also there IS a mod to Unlearn ALL talents and Specilsations. Its hosted on the Bioware forums. http://social.bioware.com/project/469/ - Character Respec Addon v1.6. A MUST for anyone wanting to make full use of the Characters. And OBVIOUSLY if you want to add the specilisation to a character after unlearning them , it HAS to be unlocked first. Example here

 

Morrigan Comes with Shapeshifter , if you unlearn her talents and have NOT found the specilisation / gained it from her , You can NOT relearn the specilisation. Same goes for all others including Arcane Warrior etc.

[PhoenixAdamu]

Youve posted on the Mage trees , that adding points to Cunning is needed. If you build an Arcane Warrior for example properly. There is NO need to put any points in there. Mages Tower will give you all the required points to make 16. Also , Theres no need for willpower at all on a Tank BloodAW. Go for madness amounts of Constitution , I went for 42 Magic The Maxed Con , Spent NOTHING in anyother slot. You 'could' add dexterity , But it isnt a must.

Here is my ending Arcane Warrior , Spell's Could of been revised a little. BUT i was literally unkillable. Huge pulls in nightmare were a serious breeze. I ended at level 19.

 

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1417/screenshot2010022018154.th.jpg

 

Also there IS a mod to Unlearn ALL talents and Specilsations. Its hosted on the Bioware forums. http://social.bioware.com/project/469/ - Character Respec Addon v1.6. A MUST for anyone wanting to make full use of the Characters. And OBVIOUSLY if you want to add the specilisation to a character after unlearning them , it HAS to be unlocked first. Example here

 

Morrigan Comes with Shapeshifter , if you unlearn her talents and have NOT found the specilisation / gained it from her , You can NOT relearn the specilisation. Same goes for all others including Arcane Warrior etc.

 

You are right in saying that 16 Cunning's all you really need for certain skills (such as Master Coercion),and that the Lost in Dreams subarc in the Circle Tower will get you there, but if I do recall, 16 Cunning + Master Coercion still may not be enough for the toughest of persuasive dialogue; I could be wrong on this, but I think I remember reading somewhere about that. For Dexterity, that is also true, but being able to access some nice daggers for dual-wielding purposes never hurts; plus, it increases your attack a bit more, which is never bad. However, the one thing to remember is that, while you may be planning to spec AW/BM, you STILL start off a vanilla mage right off the bat, so while you're trying to get your sustains at the start, you'll still need some mana to cast the spells you have at your disposal to actually deal damage until you hit the point where you hit your Arcane Warrior spec. Putting points in Willpower at the beginning has never hurt my leveling, and it also allows for a bit more flexibility with your spells before you have to start casting from your health. I say this as an AW/BM player that doesn't play as a tank, but as a DPS/CC machine that lays waste to everything because I can. I'm still indestructible (as all Arcane Warriors should be), but I play in a different fashion than normal, and it works just fine for me. *nod*

 

As far as the skills go, yes, I have seen now that there are mods that let you do that, but I have no problem working through the game with the horrible stuff mages start off with. And the spells, I usually end up making sure I get the staple stuff such as the sustainables and Crushing Prison ASAP, which makes it that much easier for me. After that, you can really take your AW in any direction you want, which is one of the very cool things about Dragon Age as far as customization goes. :3

[Riddleofsteel]

Hi, I'm getting closer to trying to finish the game once. The catch is that I have to start over as I lost my saves. I was going to try the Song of Death rogue, but does it work with the most recent patch? I'm also terrible at back stabbing, hopefully I can improve. Thanks.

[PhoenixAdamu]

Hi, I'm getting closer to trying to finish the game once. The catch is that I have to start over as I lost my saves. I was going to try the Song of Death rogue, but does it work with the most recent patch? I'm also terrible at back stabbing, hopefully I can improve. Thanks.

Believe it or not, the Song of Death rogue is probably the best route to take with patch 1.02. It's with this very patch that lets your dagger damage scale with Dexterity at the same rate as it would with Strength, and as soon as you get Lethality, your other dagger damage modifier will be your Cunning, anyway. The only drawback is that you're trading some of your early utility for better combat damage, but it usually pays off in spades, especially once you take the Bard spec and get up to Song of Courage; also, make sure to nab the Power of Blood talents out of Warden's Keep, if you have the DLC, as The Tainted Blade will increase your damage even more based on your Cunning.

[Riddleofsteel]

Hi again, have you tried any of your mage builds in Awakening? Thanks.