25 réponses à ce sujet

[Mr. Sprinkles101]

Alright this is my first time playing as a mage.  Are there any recommendations you can give me?  Some tips or some advice?  Anything willl help.  Also I made my character a female this time if that changes anything.

[yasuraka.hakkyou]

gender changes dialogue, and maybe a few quest paths a little.



have you already beaten the game, then? the Broken Circle quest gives you enough cunning for max coercion. other than that, put the majority of your points into magic. I say +2 mag +1 will each level, personally. depending on if you take Arcane Warrior and / or Blood Mage, you may want to / have to raise dex and con. one of the stickied threads is probably a collection of guides, check them out.

[Nerdage]

Grab heal straight away, makes Ostagar much easier.
Also, cone of cold and shock are an amazing combination.

Modifié par nerdage, 14 juin 2010 - 09:10 .

[Asdara]

A few things from a practical point of view:



Don't try to be everything. You only get so many spell boxes to check and you might want to focus on a playstyle rather than trying to dabble in everything. I did this my first mage and she was not very useful to me - and having another mage alongside to be the 'real mage' of the group means 1 slot for a tank and maybe 1 slot for a lock opener. It can get pretty restrictive pretty quick if you don't decide to make your mage serve a purpose.



Get heal. For yourself and for your party members. Life drain seems like a good idea, when you're alone, but that will be like... twice in the game so... not so much.



Also, depending on what platform you're on, you're going to have to pick spells to hot key and try not to forget you have other spells at your disposal should you pause and go into the radial menu or whatever the xbox/PC has equivalent. It's easier to forget than you think when you get used to the same 6 spells in rotation (ps3)

[Liliandra Nadiar]

My own mage play through isn't done, though she's specced more as a Heal/debilitate with a few avenues for damage. SH, full Heal line, then Hexes, Glyphs, Weakness/Paralyze and the Lightning/Ice trees. Building up the mana drain line for Mana Clash to cap her off.



Alone, she can fall pretty quick. Unless I can get the Paralysis Explosion off and throw a Storm of the Century on them. Which hasn't happened as much as I like, I get caught in the radius too often. In a party of Warriors/Rogues however, many fights are almost trivialized.



As far as practical advice. Nearly every guide I've read says to nearly ignore or get to 20/30 on Willpower and Magic everything else. In personal experience. I bottom out before the fight's half over. Probably going to want a lot of lyrium potions and regularly hit Rejuvenate on yourself. Or get more Will.

[Erani]

Everyone has already given good advice. It's good to get heal to help with Ostagar but later on focus on one spells from one area (this will help you unlock the achievements as well). Since the game provides you with Wynn early if you do Broken Circle first, you will get a healer mage. So for your first playthrough as mage, I'd recommend getting spells from Primal category (fire, electricity etc), all 16 of them plus the 4 spells in the "mage" category.

Also, besides magic and will, it helps to put a couple points into constitution so that you don't die so soon.

[Elhanan]

Some of the spell combos are worth having; some are rather costly for the investments required. Cone of Cold and Stone Fist is worth it for Shatter; Storm of the Century looks pretty, but is too costly for my tastes.



Cone of Cold and Fireball are the work horses, and Mental Blast and Force Shield are wonderful spells for catching your breath (or using a needed poultice or potion). And the Glyphs are usful in many different ways; not a dud in the bunch, though the last one can be avoided by simply walking or jumping off of it.



I also follow the 2:1 Magic to Will ability add wisdom. If this were a m/p game, then perhaps I would be concerned by not max Magic, but it ain't, so I like not being reliant on lyrium like some Templar addict.

[Swoo]

Mr. Sprinkles101 wrote...

Alright this is my first time playing as a mage.  Are there any recommendations you can give me?  Some tips or some advice?  Anything willl help.  Also I made my character a female this time if that changes anything.

-Pick up Heal within your first three or so levels. Having a mage with a single heal spell can hold you until you pick up Wynne or spec yourself to Spirit Healer.

-The Mana Clash line makes the Circle Tower almost ridiculously easy as you can wipe out all but 3-4 packs in the thing with one good spell cast. As awesome as it is Mana Clash isn't a must have. A good party can control and ruin mages without it with good tactics and good builds.

-The Crushing Prison line is fantastic as it gives you CPrison which is a (costly) great damage spell that also takes the enemy out of combat for several seconds. It also gives you an anti-melee aoe spell, and a weapon enhancement spell versus heavy armor. It's a very well done line.

-I prefer Fire and Lightning spells myself, letting Morrigan cover the Frost ones. Fireball is amazing to lead into combat with as long as you make sure your party members stay out of it's radius, and can also ruin the day of those pesky archers who hang back and scattershot you. The Lightning tree has an amazing single target damage spell, a very nice short ranged aoe, and chain lightning can be brutal as a crowd killer spell...especially when combined with another aoe crowd control spell like Blood Wound.

-Have a mage with stone fist. It's saved my arse so many times interrupting an enemy mage channeling up a Fireball or a Chain Lightning spell.

-Look at specializations, what you pick will really influence what you should take spell wise and what stats you should raise. An Arcane Warrior is going to build completely differently than one who takes Shapeshifter or Spirit Healer.


If you have any other questions ask away. I adore the Mage class for the sheer number of combinations and different feels you can get from the class based on spec, spell selection, and playstyle.

[MindYerBeak]

If there is more than 1 Mage in the party, then Cold and Fiery weapons can stack. Use one mage for fiery weapons, the other for cold. Get rid of the weapons spell you won't be using to free up an extra spell slot.

The very best spell in the game is, of course, Heal. I get this immediately at the start of the game when I enter the Fade. Then I go for Mind Blast and the Cold line to Cone of Cold at least.

Few, if any, baddies in the game can resist Lightening, and it does good damage. Ask Morrigan. The Fireball can be your bestest friend on many occasions. Crushing Prison makes archers and mages behave themselves and show you some 'respikt'. Stonefist can send a baddy on his back where you can then kick him in the nads. Haste will make your party fight like demons on speed. Sleep and Horror is one of the best spells in the game. Arcane Shield can protect you from Mage spells.

Are you thinking of taking Arcane Warrior or Blood Mage? You only need the first 2 lines for Blood Mage. Blood Magic is a very effective AOE spell, like Crushing Prison on steroids. If you're going for these put all points into Magic and go 30 Con for the Blood Mage.

Use Leliana's Song of Courage to boost your stats.

Modifié par MindYerBeak, 15 juin 2010 - 09:54 .

[Arthur Cousland]

I would pour all stat points into magic, and rely on gear bonuses for the other stats. You don't need to worry about willpower or constitution. A lifegiver ring or Reaper's Vestments will boost your constitution plenty, and your tank should be the one taking the hits, not the mage. Blood mages don't need constitution either; you shouldn't remain in blood magic mode so long to where you get killed by using spells. Use it for blood wound or if you need a backup mana supply during a long boss fight. A blood ring or Avernus' Robe will help reduce hp loss during blood magic mode.



My spirit healer/blood mage is the lone healer in the party who is the healer/crowd controller of the group and casts offensive spells when healing+cc is taken care of or isn't a priority.



Favorite spells are group heal, blood wound, fireball, cone of cold, glyph of paralysis and crushing prison. Arcane shield+rock armor are nice sustainables to have on as often as possible.



While many people suggest mana clash and etc for enemy mages, I've found that crushing prison works nicely, as well as glyphs, fireball (long range), cone of cold (short range), and if no better options are available, force field. When I see enemy mages in the distance, I'll disable them with crushing prison usually and then send the rest of the party in to finish off the job. No need to spend precious talent points on a mostly lackluster line just for mana clash.



Leliana with her Song of Valor+Staff of the Magister Lord and Tevinter Mage Robes will give you nice mana regen. You can do plenty of spellcasting while using minimal lyrium potions.

[Zy-El]

Why does everyone say "get Heal spell"?? What's wrong with just using Health poultices? For one thing, they drop everywhere and don't cost any mana to use. I have all my party members set Tactic: Self health < 50% -----> Use max health poultice. Avoids anybody having to be a dedicated healer - I was actually able to build up Wynne as a Damager mage with Haste.

I usually stick with the tried-and-true Primal spells (Fireball, Inferno, Frost, Blizzard, Lightning, Stone Fist, Petrify). There's also some boss-killer spells. Crushing Prison is brutal since it is also non-line-of-sight. Or Curse of Mortality is what always puts down my Warriors and works better against the baddies.

[Arthur Cousland]

The heal spell lets you not have to rely on consumables. You could then sell any unused health poultices that you have stocked up. It's just another way to play; neither is wrong. Either use magic for healing or items. I've never been fond of spending money for restorative items when playing rpgs.  Instead,  I prefer to save up for spells and gear.

Modifié par Arthur Cousland, 15 juin 2010 - 03:41 .

[Liliandra Nadiar]

Heal also lets the targeted party member continue to execute tactics without interruption. It's also only dependent on the mage's magic level. The poultice's heal based on consumers magic. I don't know about anyone else, but if they're not a mage, all my party members are at 10-11 magic. Doesn't make for a very efficient use of them. Good in a pinch though. I always keep 10 or so on hand.

[MindYerBeak]

Health poultices are cheap to make and make battles much easier. There's plenty of money in the game, especially just before the Landsmeet, more so with Coercion maxed out, as well as the Traders Belt you can buy at Camp. A worthwhile investment. I'm currently in the process of saving Anora and I have a backpack stuffed to the brim, plus someone dropped 40 or 50 Gold at one stage. Then I have the prison to work through. More gold in my backpack. Skimping on making potions is hardly worthwhile if playing on Hard, unless you want battles to last half a lifetime.

I've also given Wade 20G when I didn't need to, gave Goldana 15G and a Dwarf 5G for being so helpful. That's 40G I could have saved, plus if I sided with the accused Lothering trader I could have earned more. I have everything I need except the ring at Ozammar for 150G. By the time I finish prison I should have enough and some to spare. Then there's the looting at the Elvenage yet to come.

Oh, and I haven't pulled any flankers with money cheats or exploits.

Modifié par MindYerBeak, 16 juin 2010 - 10:57 .

[Zy-El]

Health poultices usually don't net you much money when you sell them. In the heat of a battle, I'd prefer my party members to heal themselves thus freeing up my mages to do their mojo against the baddies. My mages also use health poultices rather than a heal spell - save that mana for doing damage and keeping up sustains. I've found that I can get away with use Lesser Health poultices on Easy and regular Health poultices on Normal difficulty and every mage knows how to make them.

[jonnyblueballs]

Cone of Cold.

[lazuli]

Fireball breaks the first half of the game, if acquired early enough.

[Kalcalan]

I never take Heal if I'm not playing Wynne (obviously). Don't care much for my Warden Mage being a healer. Like other players I just use poultices (and never missed not having Heal even on Nightmare difficulty).

Damaging spells can make the game too easy and unchallenging (I've used the cold line a lot in the past before cone of cold was nerfed, the shock line has the advantage of draining stamina).

My last Mage was a Hexer and I must say that Hexes are just awesome when dealing with bosses.

Modifié par Kalcalan, 18 juin 2010 - 12:05 .

[Eudaemonium]

I'm running a Spirit-school Spirit Healer/Blood Mage at the moment. I find specialising in a particular school makes for a very interestign playstyle, though I also took Heal and Spell Wisp from Creation. All of the schools have particular strengths and weaknesses which alter play style quite considerably. Once I max out Spirit I'll put some stuff in Creation, then in Awakening I'll be able to max Creation as well. I went max-Magic and I'm building Con for when I get BM (only level 12 at the moment). A few notes from playing with this build:



- Due to Mana Clash, the Circle Tower is the easiest area in the game, and any mage or group of mages you meet just dies. Bear in mind that MC also works on Abominations and Demons, thogh it doesn't seem as strong.

- The Crushing Prison-line is great. The first skill gives you an AOE stun, and the second can be used for the cheap tacti of grabbign all teh aggro on your warrior and then rending them invulnerable (if immobile), or i works to remove a dangerous foe temporarily if your crushing prison is on recharge. Crushing Prison itself, while less powerful after 1.03, is still amazing.

- Walking Bomb and it's ilk are your main source of offensive magic early on, which makes for an interesting playstyle, as it has massive AOE damage. One tactic is to grab the aggro with your warrior, have the enemies mob them and then Walking Bomb one enemy on low health. Virlent Walking Bomb is even better, but it might wreck your tank nless you Force Prison them.

[DWSmiley]

Eudaemonium wrote...

I find specialising in a particular school makes for a very interestign playstyle.

Indeed.  I have three of the school of magic achievements now and they were fun to get.  I confess I took winter's grasp at level 1 regardless - just too awesome to do without.  But I always "stayed in school" for the next 16 spells.

I did a conjurer first as I thought it would be the most challenging but a level 3 mage with paralysis explosion rules.  Thaumaturge was next and those walking bombs are impressive.  In the Korcari WIlds I put one on the hurlock surrounded by wolves who promptly exploded, killing all the wolves - the easiest that fight has ever been.  Gotta say I was disappointed with crushing prison, though.  It just kills one whitie, which seems pretty meh for a 4th tier spell.  The hexer was very strong  - hex the bosses and sleep the crowds.  Entropic death was not as awesome as I expected but then it didn't need to be.

One more school and I'll have 100% of the achievements.  The primalist - biggest challenge of all!  

Edit - ah, they scaled crushing prison down in 1.03, did they?  I'm using 1.03, which would explain why I didn't see what people get all excited about.

Modifié par DWSmiley, 18 juin 2010 - 04:30 .

[Ken555]

Well I would choose spirit healer for my first spec. Spells like grease and fireball go well together, as does cone of cold and stonefist, cone of cold and crushing prison or Petrify and stonefist. I would choose Entropy and Elemental for my Talents.

[Elhanan]

The Glyphs are a lot of fun, and there are many ways to use them. Glyph of Repulsion on self when no opposing casters are in the battle, and watch the melee lowbies bounce off a few times. GoR on an ally to better protect their current position, or block a door. Drop one on opposing archers at the right time, and delay incoming Scattershots; same general knockdown as Fireball, and less Friendly Fire dmg as a rule.

And then there is the Glyph combo bomb when you drop a Glyph of Paralysis on top of the GoR; large area of effect, and it even works on bosses for a couple of rounds for breathers, too, Just be wary of dropping one to close to your own position, as Elite and higher foes often come out of paralysis before you. Then it will probably be more friendly fire dmg than Fireball....

Glyph of Warding is good for a mages base position, or for boosting the foward assault team. And the final Glyph can neutralize opposing mages, though they can simply walk away. Or you can drop it on your forward assault team, but you may lose any spell buffs in play.

Modifié par Elhanan, 10 juillet 2010 - 04:25 .

[soteria]

For massive damage first grease then fireball.

Sure, if by "massive" you mean 1-2 damage per second over half a minute. Watch.

[Elhanan]

I prefer Glyph combo then Fireball, then Inferno and/or any other damage dealing concoction in the spellbook. This one is especially helpful when returning from the Deep Roads with blood, bile, and bruises (and a really bad mood) to a room full of political miscreants.

Friendly Fire? You bet!