179 réponses à ce sujet

[Ferretinabun]

I'm toying with the idea of doing a solo nightmare runthrough. But not sure which builds are best. Arcane warriors are probably the most able individual characters, but take a long time to get going, in my opinion. I've never played a sword and shield character, but I'm doubtful that this is a good build for a solo.

1) What's a powerful build for a nightmare solo?
2) What's a FUN build for a nightmare solo? (equally, if not more important)
3) What kind of rules do people usually impose on themselves for a solo (for example, what about missions which force you to take companions such as Oghren in the Deep Roads, or the apprentice wardens in the Kocari Wilds)?
4) If you've done a nightmare solo, do you recommend it? What was it like for you? Was it fun, or did you just slog through it with bull-headed determinism just so you could say you'd done it?

[Elhanan]

I have not made a solo run, but if I did I would choose a Rogue Archer/melee hybrid.

With Stealth, Deft Hands, Stealing, and Coersion, there are few obstacles that cannot be cleared. With high DEX and STR, and nominal Cunning and Will, most quests are not only obtainable, but can be overcome with skill and talent; the Player's included.

[Liliandra Nadiar]

For forced party situations, you can set tactic AI to passive, disable other tactics and set the party to hold position. They'll stay at the map start/cut scene spot and do nothing.

For the rest, I've heard/read that a 2-hander dwarven Reaver/Templar is good, though I'd go for a high Dex stealth rogue to just by pass most fights.

[Bozorgmehr]

Ferretinabun wrote...

I'm toying with the idea of doing a solo nightmare runthrough. But not sure which builds are best. Arcane warriors are probably the most able individual characters, but take a long time to get going, in my opinion. I've never played a sword and shield character, but I'm doubtful that this is a good build for a solo.

Arcane Warriors are powerful, but boring; you're nothing more than an auto-attacking tank. You're almost indestructible, but you're a lousy warrior with no fighting skills at all. Furthermore, a solo Arcane Warrior will only be effective > level 14; before you're going to be a 100% Mage. I've completed a Mage-, Rogue-, and 2H Warrior solo run; I haven't tried a S&S Warrior run, but it will be much like an AW; very hard to kill, but low DPS; more a matter of duration than skill. Overall, the most versatile and most fun classes for solo play are the 3 options mentioned above imho. Remember the most important thing is utility, you've to do everything yourself thus it's better to have access to multiple skills so you can deal with all enemies you'll encounter. The most dangerous enemies are mages and animals (using Overwhelm) - you'll need powers, skills, gear etc. to deal with them.

1) What's a powerful build for a nightmare solo?

All classes will eventually become very powerful, soloing is hardest early on, when you've lousy gear and only a few skills.

2) What's a FUN build for a nightmare solo? (equally, if not more important)

Difficult question. It depends on what you call fun. Some like being indestructible; others prefer high risk, high reward attacks, but they will die regularly. I had the most fun with a Rogue and a Mage; both are very versatile. 2H Warriors are fun late game, but enemy casters will be a pain before getting spell immunity.

3) What kind of rules do people usually impose on themselves for a solo (for example, what about missions which force you to take companions such as Oghren in the Deep Roads, or the apprentice wardens in the Kocari Wilds)?

I always put companions on Hold, remove tactics using catious settings (they will never attack and just stay put, even under attack). Companions shouldn't be a problem and won't interfere nor get in the way. It's your game so it will be up to you what rules you impose on yourself. I never used companions in combat (main character's damage equals total party damage); nor used their buffs. I did use their skills; brewing potions, salves and poisons; constructing traps and I used Leliana's skills to open locks and chests (after I cleared the area). I still have to try a run without their help and without recruiting those you can ignore (or kill).

Early game will be hardest and I couldn't survive some groupfights without using some sort of exploit (back against the wall to fight them one at a time; or using hit and run tactics)

4) If you've done a nightmare solo, do you recommend it? What was it like for you? Was it fun, or did you just slog through it with bull-headed determinism just so you could say you'd done it?

I love soloing and once you start doing it, it will be hard to go back. I hate companions since; they mess up, get in the way; draw enemies away from me etc etc. You will need to have good knowledge of the game and enemies you'll face. Some quests cannot be completed (or will be insanely hard) below certain levels. Try the Denerim Back Ally Fights after Lothering (lvl 7-8) to get some idea.

Always do the Circle Tower first and get the desired gear next (the dlc quests are doable and have some great rewards). Don't forget to use potions, salves, poisons and traps; they are awesome and traps and grenades are deadly early game; damage is static, traps and grenades will do the same amount of damage no matter your level though leveling up will give enemies more hitpoints making them less effective (I use both asap - don't forget to put one point in these Skills). To give an example; Large Claw traps are cheap and you can get the recipe in Lothering; they can instakill skeletons in the Circle Tower (< level 10) - an excellent investment.

You'll need to have some determination to get through the first (and second) main quests; after that it becomes pretty easy. And it's just cool, a single Warden vs everything else (I really like the cutscenes). You can try some solo action with any save game - just leave camp on your own and see if you can survive.

[Elhanan]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

Arcane Warriors are powerful, but boring; you're nothing more than an auto-attacking tank. You're almost indestructible, but you're a lousy warrior with no fighting skills at all. Furthermore, a solo Arcane Warrior will only be effective > level 14; before you're going to be a 100% Mage. I've completed a Mage-, Rogue-, and 2H Warrior solo run; I haven't tried a S&S Warrior run, but it will be much like an AW; very hard to kill, but low DPS; more a matter of duration than skill. Overall, the most versatile and most fun classes for solo play are the 3 options mentioned above imho. Remember the most important thing is utility, you've to do everything yourself thus it's better to have access to multiple skills so you can deal with all enemies you'll encounter. The most dangerous enemies are mages and animals (using Overwhelm) - you'll need powers, skills, gear etc. to deal with them....

But that is only one way to play the versatile mage.

One does not need to adorn the heaviest armors and use a sword & shield, though they can. They may also use robes and other armors, as well as many weapons, plus continue to explore Ferelden as a mage, but one with options. I have AW's with Cailan's arms & armors, and another that uses the Battledress and Dodge related equipment, and it was the latter that was used to defeat the Harvester, which was effectively done solo as the party died quickly.

[DWSmiley]

The time has come for me to try a solo nightmare, too.  The DLC goodies make the early game a lot less daunting.  If an experienced soloist sees a bad idea in this plan, by all means let me know.

Ground Rules
- Don't use party members during peacetime for skills or talents.
- Don't split up enemy groups by luring.
- No traps - not a rule but I’ve never bothered to use them and I think I can get by without.  I will rely on poisons (esp. for stuns), bombs, salves (swift and rock) and balms.

Character: human rogue

Talents
Asap: momentum, duelling, combat stealth
Level 1-2: Deft hands, dw sweep, flurry (all points in str + 1 from the Cinch lets me wear the Battledress).
Level 3-5: all points in dex for dw finesse & momentum.
Joining: stealth
Level 6: all points in cunning so when I buy tomes at camp I can get mechanical expertise.  I’ll leave and immediately return to camp to get another tome.
Level 7-8: duelling and combat stealth, for sure.
Next asap: master stealth, keen defense, mark of death.  In between I’ll pick up coup de grace and riposte.

Attributes:
Str 19 and cunning 22 for gear and talents, the rest dex until defense = 160 = pretty much unhittable by any regular attack.  After that it doesn't matter.

Quests, ordered for gear:
Origin: The Cinch, High Regard and Battledress
Camp: Silverhammer’s Tackmasters and Spellward.  That gets me to 40% spell resist and 35% dodge.  Two talent tomes.
Honnleath: the cheese knife, ring and helm
Orzammar city: Lifegiver, Key to the City, Backhands and another talent tome.  That should empty my wallet so I’ll have come back for The Rose when I have the $.
Circle Tower: attributes and beastman’s dagger
RtO: Duncan’s dagger
Not sure where I’ll go after that.  Warden’s Keep and Denerim, probably.

Runes
Dweomer, hale, paralyze as available/affordable

Skills
Expert combat training asap then improved herbalism.  Coercion and poison-making after that.

Modifié par DWSmiley, 14 novembre 2010 - 05:54 .

[MorrigansLover]

Well I've done 5 playthroughs, only one on Nightmare.

My Nightmare, was an Arcane Warrior, with Entroplies and Primal Spells. However i did it with a party lol. Also pure mage and archer is good

[Bozorgmehr]

Elhanan wrote...

But that is only one way to play the versatile mage.

One does not need to adorn the heaviest armors and use a sword & shield, though they can. They may also use robes and other armors, as well as many weapons, plus continue to explore Ferelden as a mage, but one with options. I have AW's with Cailan's arms & armors, and another that uses the Battledress and Dodge related equipment, and it was the latter that was used to defeat the Harvester, which was effectively done solo as the party died quickly.

Heavy armor and a shield are useless once your mage can use Shimmiring Shield (lvl 14); it transforms any mage into the toughest dude around. Every mage should get the AW spec just for this ability (the other specs are worthless anyway, so not much of a choice). My solo mage hardly used Combat Magic and weapons (only for the nice death blows ); magic can kill much faster and SS alone will get you through most fights. The only real challenge for a solo mage is before they reach level 14.

This is/was my solo mage build:
Attributes: Everything into Magic (and one point in Cunning to get to Coercion rank 4; I played an Elf)
Skills: Coercion; Trap-Making; Poison-Making; saved the other points to max Coercion after the Fade bonuses)
Spells: Arcane Bolt; Winter's Grasp; Mind Blast (start); Force Field (lvl 1); Frost Weapons (lvl 2); Cone of Cold (lvl 3); Rock Armor (lvl 4); Stone Fist (lvl 5); Walking Bomb & Telekinetic Weapons (lvl 6 + bonus); Crushing Prison (lvl 7);  - Spell Might (lvl 8 + 2 tomes); Mana Clash (lvl 9); and that's all you really need.

Mana Clash will instakill everything from the Fade (demons, shades etc) and enemy mages, of course. Mind Blast, Force Field, Cone of Cold, Walking Bomb and Rock Fist will finish entire groups within seconds; Crushing Prison is great against powerful enemies. You're still relatively weak, but that's covered once you've got SS. Fireball is the ultimate anti-archer spell; and the first two Hexes are great to boost damage and to counter enemy spell resistance. I took Blood Magic spec first (just for the spellpower and constitution bonuses); and AW second (just for SS); both specs are useless for a solo mage before level 14 anyway.

Combat Magic is only useful whenever you're out of lyrium potions (shouldn't happen in the first place); and against powerful bosses / dragons, though magic will kill them much faster. My solo mage completed DA:O fastest and it was the most enjoying solo run too.

[Bozorgmehr]

DWSmiley wrote...

The time has come for me to try a solo nightmare, too.  The DLC goodies make the early game a lot less daunting.  If an experienced soloist sees a bad idea in this plan, by all means let me know.

A solid build (priority) though if I recall you can get combat stealth for free in the Fade (Circle Tower)

Quests, ordered for gear:
Origin: The Cinch, High Regard and Battledress
Camp: Silverhammer’s Tackmasters and Spellward.  That gets me to 40% spell resist and 35% dodge.  Two talent tomes.
Honnleath: the cheese knife, ring and helm
Orzammar city: Lifegiver, Key to the City, Backhands and another talent tome.  That should empty my wallet so I’ll have come back for The Rose when I have the $.

Never played with all the dlc items, but I can hardly imagine you can buy all the things listed; 3 tomes and the Spellward alone will cost around 150 gold.

Skills
Expert combat training asap then improved herbalism.  Coercion and poison-making after that.

Coercion will net more profit though it seems that with all the dlc goodies money isn't an issue. I played a Solo Rogue without dlc gear and the extra cash coercion generated was great.

A fair warning about Orzammar; the mercenaries and knights you'll face before getting into Orzammar are incredibly hard. You don't need the extra gear to get through the Circle Tower; once you get to level 10 (or higher)
those fights will be much easier. But if you're looking for a challenge ... good luck

[Liliandra Nadiar]

Reaper's Cudgel will give you a very sizable starting purse. 3-4 hundred gold, so most of the early-but-expensive gear/stuffs will be easily affordable.

[DWSmiley]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

A fair warning about Orzammar; the mercenaries and knights you'll face before getting into Orzammar are incredibly hard. You don't need the extra gear to get through the Circle Tower; once you get to level 10 (or higher)
those fights will be much easier. But if you're looking for a challenge ... good luck

Well, I've made it to first camp and that was intense but a lot of fun!  You really have to think through every combat.  I tip my hat to anyone who can solo without the DLC goodies.  I don't think I would have made it past Howe's knight and his henchmen with regular starting gear.

I'm quite pleased with choosing a human rogue though somone in the origin did a bit of fighting when I wasn't looking - dog or Mom - so no 100% damage for me.  I set everyone to Self: Any: Wait and cautious behaviour but somehow it didn't work.

As Liliandra noted, selling all the DLC goodies I won't use got me @ 370 gp.

As for Orzammar, I figured I could sneak past the mercs.  The envoy will be tough but I thought a flurry of bombs and poisons might do the trick.  If I could take out the mage fairly quickly I'd have a chance.  We'll see; maybe I'll do the Tower instead.

Just made level 7 and with dueling and defense of exactly 100 finishing Lohtering should be ok.  I just have to watch out for special attacks.

[Elhanan]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

Heavy armor and a shield are useless once your mage can use Shimmiring Shield (lvl 14); it transforms any mage into the toughest dude around. Every mage should get the AW spec just for this ability (the other specs are worthless anyway, so not much of a choice). My solo mage hardly used Combat Magic and weapons (only for the nice death blows ); magic can kill much faster and SS alone will get you through most fights. The only real challenge for a solo mage is before they reach level 14.

This is/was my solo mage build:
Attributes: Everything into Magic (and one point in Cunning to get to Coercion rank 4; I played an Elf)
Skills: Coercion; Trap-Making; Poison-Making; saved the other points to max Coercion after the Fade bonuses)
Spells: Arcane Bolt; Winter's Grasp; Mind Blast (start); Force Field (lvl 1); Frost Weapons (lvl 2); Cone of Cold (lvl 3); Rock Armor (lvl 4); Stone Fist (lvl 5); Walking Bomb & Telekinetic Weapons (lvl 6 + bonus); Crushing Prison (lvl 7);  - Spell Might (lvl 8 + 2 tomes); Mana Clash (lvl 9); and that's all you really need.

Mana Clash will instakill everything from the Fade (demons, shades etc) and enemy mages, of course. Mind Blast, Force Field, Cone of Cold, Walking Bomb and Rock Fist will finish entire groups within seconds; Crushing Prison is great against powerful enemies. You're still relatively weak, but that's covered once you've got SS. Fireball is the ultimate anti-archer spell; and the first two Hexes are great to boost damage and to counter enemy spell resistance. I took Blood Magic spec first (just for the spellpower and constitution bonuses); and AW second (just for SS); both specs are useless for a solo mage before level 14 anyway.

Combat Magic is only useful whenever you're out of lyrium potions (shouldn't happen in the first place); and against powerful bosses / dragons, though magic will kill them much faster. My solo mage completed DA:O fastest and it was the most enjoying solo run too.

Evon's mail offer 21 pts of armor for only 3 Fatigue pts, including a +10% Dodge bonus if I recall. And the right shield can also help with mana restoration..

And if you played the AW as a spellslinger. what was with the previous gripe of the AW being a boring, auto-attacking machine? I find the spellcasting a rewarding experience, and simply wished to point this out from the previous flawed descriptive narrative.

[Zjarcal]

DWSmiley wrote...

As for Orzammar, I figured I could sneak past the mercs.  The envoy will be tough but I thought a flurry of bombs and poisons might do the trick.  If I could take out the mage fairly quickly I'd have a chance.  We'll see; maybe I'll do the Tower instead.

You can also intimidate Loghain's men at Orzammar's entry to just run away.

[Bozorgmehr]

DWSmiley wrote...

Well, I've made it to first camp and that was intense but a lot of fun!  You really have to think through every combat.  I tip my hat to anyone who can solo without the DLC goodies.  I don't think I would have made it past Howe's knight and his henchmen with regular starting gear.

My (non-dlc) Rogue defeated the mercs, but I couldn't take out Howe's mage fast enough. I gave up after a dozen attemps ... My mage had to use a lot of potions to kill both knights; the mage was Mana Clashed

As Liliandra noted, selling all the DLC goodies I won't use got me @ 370 gp.

That's an awful lot of money should make things easier though it permits getting all the OPed gear very fast. I like having to chose what to buy next; buy a couple of tomes or a ring or a nice staff/weapon/runes etc. The vanilla game would allow you to eventually get all the great gear, but roughly one per main quest.

As for Orzammar, I figured I could sneak past the mercs.  The envoy will be tough but I thought a flurry of bombs and poisons might do the trick.  If I could take out the mage fairly quickly I'd have a chance.  We'll see; maybe I'll do the Tower instead.

If you can take out the mage before those two knights beat the crap out of you it should be possible - too bad you can't sneak up to him and backstab. I went to Orzammar to get the Key of the City only (didn't had the money to buy stuff). If you can get in, the Dust Town gangbangers should be managable but their leader can be quite deadly; stealth attack plus Flurry.

Just made level 7 and with dueling and defense of exactly 100 finishing Lohtering should be ok.  I just have to watch out for special attacks.

Make sure to get gear that boost physical resistance (animals) and spell resistance (mages) though you can always use stealth to kill one enemy mage. You can't do anything against special attacks though trying to stay out of range is always helpful. The Lifegiver, rock salves and other gear will get you through 2-3 successive Rams or a Grab.

[Bozorgmehr]

Elhanan wrote...

Evon's mail offer 21 pts of armor for only 3 Fatigue pts, including a +10% Dodge bonus if I recall. And the right shield can also help with mana restoration..

Shimmering Shield alone will beat the armor rating of any armor in game (if the player invests in Magic); furthermore, armor is useless with high defenses. With nice spellpower your defenses will be sky high; nobody can hit you. Hell, you can even get a cup of coffee fighting a Revenant - he can't touch you! Armor is useless if you don't get hit so no need to wear any. The only exception are special attacks. You can't dodge an Ogre's Ram; nor their Grap - against those enemies some extra armor is nice, but you can use Rock Armor to survive those attacks.

Evon the Great's Mail offers 21 armor,10% chance to dodge attacks and health & mana/stamina regen bonus; at the cost of 18% fatigue. Not that good, considering the Reaper's Vestments provides 12 armor, +6 con, dodge attacks, 16% spell resistance, 20% fire resistance and no fatigue (and movement) penalties. I never had any issues with mana, so no need to equip armor or shields to boost mana regen - there are other ways to keep your mana pool filled.

And if you played the AW as a spellslinger. what was with the previous gripe of the AW being a boring, auto-attacking machine? I find the spellcasting a rewarding experience, and simply wished to point this out from the previous flawed descriptive narrative.

I consider an Arcane Warrior to be a warrior (melee fighter) not a caster.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Because I think we agree on most. All I'm saying is you can go the 'pure' AW route; transforming your mage into an indestructible auto-attacking tank by using Combat Magic and other buffs. This won't allow any spellcasting coz there ain't mana available and what's available is gone in no time at all due to the huge fatigue penalty. This is the most common AW; most people seem to go this route. Getting AW spec fast and picking spells to boost combat (Miasma, Arcane Shield, Rock Armor, Weapon buffs etc) - this will turn your mage into a boring tank; all you need to (and can) do is right click the next enemy. You can complete DAO this way after you get SS on your own easily, but it will take forever and doesn't require/permit the use of any real tactics or strategy (boring imho)

The way I see it, there ain't any real choices for a solo mage regarding specs. Shape Shifting is worthless as is Spirit Healer (like all healing spells; why waste mana to heal yourself if potions will do the trick without losing precious mana). Blood Magic is bad too. Blood Wound is awesome, one of the best spells around, but you'll have to wait to level 14 to get it. Plus is requires 3 talent points, the need to switch to Blood Magic first (really bad since most mages don't have lots of health and you can't use potions in that mode); and the BW effect will wear off the moment you deactivate Blood Magic - not worth all the fuss imho.

This leaves AW; and as I said - this can be used either to auto-attack your way through or it can make your mage very hard to kill without influencing his/her spell casting abilities (using SS alone for its defensive buffs) - I prefer the latter as do you (I think). But I don't consider a Mage with SS active an Arcane Warrior (just a smart mage! )

[Bozorgmehr]

Zjarcal wrote...

You can also intimidate Loghain's men at Orzammar's entry to just run away.

I don't think you can intimidate them straight out of Lothering. I know for sure that both Mages and Rogues can't (Coercion rank 1; no points invested in strength). Maybe Warriors can due to their higher Strength.

Furthermore, to me to whole point of going solo is the challenge - why skip some of the more interesting fights through dialog? I would welcome more fights like these, fights that require every skill, strategy and some luck are the best. Once you reach a decent level, you will be very powerful no matter if you're a Warrior, Mage or Rogue. I was disappointed that the only real threat (late game) are animals [smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/wondering.png[/smilie]

Modifié par Bozorgmehr, 15 novembre 2010 - 01:32 .

[Elhanan]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

Shimmering Shield alone will beat the armor rating of any armor in game (if the player invests in Magic); furthermore, armor is useless with high defenses. With nice spellpower your defenses will be sky high; nobody can hit you. Hell, you can even get a cup of coffee fighting a Revenant - he can't touch you! Armor is useless if you don't get hit so no need to wear any. The only exception are special attacks. You can't dodge an Ogre's Ram; nor their Grap - against those enemies some extra armor is nice, but you can use Rock Armor to survive those attacks.

Evon the Great's Mail offers 21 armor,10% chance to dodge attacks and health & mana/stamina regen bonus; at the cost of 18% fatigue. Not that good, considering the Reaper's Vestments provides 12 armor, +6 con, dodge attacks, 16% spell resistance, 20% fire resistance and no fatigue (and movement) penalties. I never had any issues with mana, so no need to equip armor or shields to boost mana regen - there are other ways to keep your mana pool filled.

Take into account the possible Set bonus, then compare:

http://dragonage.wik...he_Great's_Mail

http://dragonage.wik...per's_Vestments

Defense requires scotes of 130+ to be effective, I believe. I cannot recall placing more than 30 into DEX, but I do not wish to wield daggers as Magic/ STR is my high score.

I consider an Arcane Warrior to be a warrior (melee fighter) not a caster.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Because I think we agree on most. All I'm saying is you can go the 'pure' AW route; transforming your mage into an indestructible auto-attacking tank by using Combat Magic and other buffs. This won't allow any spellcasting coz there ain't mana available and what's available is gone in no time at all due to the huge fatigue penalty. This is the most common AW; most people seem to go this route. Getting AW spec fast and picking spells to boost combat (Miasma, Arcane Shield, Rock Armor, Weapon buffs etc) - this will turn your mage into a boring tank; all you need to (and can) do is right click the next enemy. You can complete DAO this way after you get SS on your own easily, but it will take forever and doesn't require/permit the use of any real tactics or strategy (boring imho)

The way I see it, there ain't any real choices for a solo mage regarding specs. Shape Shifting is worthless as is Spirit Healer (like all healing spells; why waste mana to heal yourself if potions will do the trick without losing precious mana). Blood Magic is bad too. Blood Wound is awesome, one of the best spells around, but you'll have to wait to level 14 to get it. Plus is requires 3 talent points, the need to switch to Blood Magic first (really bad since most mages don't have lots of health and you can't use potions in that mode); and the BW effect will wear off the moment you deactivate Blood Magic - not worth all the fuss imho.

This leaves AW; and as I said - this can be used either to auto-attack your way through or it can make your mage very hard to kill without influencing his/her spell casting abilities (using SS alone for its defensive buffs) - I prefer the latter as do you (I think). But I don't consider a Mage with SS active an Arcane Warrior (just a smart mage! )

I also hold that we agree that adding tactical Spell combat is more fun than auto-attacks. That said, I carry a change of armor and clothing for any special encounters that may be made (eg; Harvester). Dodge was my bff then, as well as some decent overall armor to withstand the onslaught in that mod.

Modifié par Elhanan, 15 novembre 2010 - 01:46 .

[Ferretinabun]

Thanks everyone. Lots of good tips.



It certainly seems like there is a big spectrum between how strict some people are with themselves - some use DLC gear, companions to opens chests once they've cleared an area and make potions/poisons etc, while others class even a Ranger's pet as against the spirit of the challenge.

[DWSmiley]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

Zjarcal wrote...

You can also intimidate Loghain's men at Orzammar's entry to just run away.

I don't think you can intimidate them straight out of Lothering. I know for sure that both Mages and Rogues can't (Coercion rank 1; no points invested in strength). Maybe Warriors can due to their higher Strength.

Yes, I still have no coercion.  After expert combat training I went for improved poison making to get more grenades; they are great early on.  Next I want improved herbalism, then I'll work on my leadership skills.    And Loghain and Howe are in cahoots, so all their men have to die!

A warrior would be tougher with so many less skills.  It's the first time skills have mattered much.

I figured out how I lost my 100% damage - it's a "problem" unique to the human noble.  The rats Dog kills count as party damage even though you don't control him at the time.  At least it wan't Mom who ruined my perfect tally.

BTW, here is an old thread chock full of tips for a solo rogue.  Though I used the simpler "stand behind the barrels" trick to wear down the ogre.  Then when he was just about done for I ran out, stabbed him in the back and got the special animation.  Sweet!

http://social.biowar...66/index/534307 

[Liliandra Nadiar]

You need Coercion 2, IIRC. It's possible right out of Lothering. If barely. Mages don't really have 'critical' skills, so skill points for my mages tend to be coercion and combat tactics, put a few points into Cun between creation and level 7 and you should met the requirements. Warriors are a bit trickier since they need Combat Training. Getting Training to 4 by the end of Lothering is possible, though realistically, you won't have stats there to make the selections so that skill point can go to Coercion, I also always use the creation skill point to Coercion as well so that meets it.

[Bozorgmehr]

Elhanan wrote...

Take into account the possible Set bonus, then compare:

http://dragonage.wik...he_Great's_Mail

http://dragonage.wik...per's_Vestments

Defense requires scotes of 130+ to be effective, I believe. I cannot recall placing more than 30 into DEX, but I do not wish to wield daggers as Magic/ STR is my high score.

You're comparing a set to a single robe
Don't get me wrong, I never said Evon's set is bad, it's a very good armor set, but most bonuses are (almost) redundant. Just reloaded my old solo mage save; here are the stats (first colum is base, second with gear) level 22 :

Str     14     18    
Dex     24     32
Wil     21     30
Mag     74     93
Cun     16     20
Con     16     38

Reaper's Vestments; Magnus War boots; and +20% (elemental) damage gloves (I don't wear headgear - hate the looks); Anduil's Blessing; Spellward; Lifegiver; Key to the City; Spellweaver and Rose's Thorn.

Armor 29; Defense 80 @ 1.7% (base). With Arcane Shield, Rock Armor, and Shimmering Shield my mage has: Armor 56; defense 111; @ 16.7% - pretty solid stats; very hard to hit and with almost twice the armor rating a non-mage can get even while wearing Evon's set. I never felt the need for more armor (and it slows you down).

note: I started experimenting with poisons during this playthrough; I'll drop the Spellweaver for another dagger today and invest (at least another 10-15 points) in dex and would wear +dex armor. The DPS with dual daggers coated in half a dozen poisons (with stun effects) is phenominal, enemies are stunned most of the time which further reduces the need for extra protection (and the extra dex boosts defense too). Best of all is you don't need Combat Magic to melee; this allows the best of both world: low fatigue and few buffs ensure good and powerful spellcasting and the (coated) dual daggers (plus swift salves) will inflict insane damage (multiple times more than a fully buffed, CM enabled AW using S&S)

[Bozorgmehr]

DWSmiley wrote...

I figured out how I lost my 100% damage - it's a "problem" unique to the human noble.  The rats Dog kills count as party damage even though you don't control him at the time.  At least it wan't Mom who ruined my perfect tally.

It's very hard to get/keep the 100% rating. Friendly fire will ruin it too; and even Blood Magic is considered 'friendly fire' (casting spells requires health). I believe my Human Noble Rogue still had the 100% rating after the rats; but I don't remember how. What about the party vs player kills? If Dog wasn't part of the team; his/her kills don't count so your Rogue should still have killed the same number of enemies as the entire party.

Ferretinabun wrote...

Thanks everyone. Lots of good tips.

It certainly seems like there is a big spectrum between how strict some people are with themselves - some use DLC gear, companions to opens chests once they've cleared an area and make potions/poisons etc, while
others class even a Ranger's pet as against the spirit of the challenge.

Have you already decided which class you'll chose for a solo run?

You decide what rules to follow. In the end you're always 'cheating' in a way. Soloing is for the fun/challenge and only you can decide what's fun and challenging.

Modifié par Bozorgmehr, 15 novembre 2010 - 05:30 .

[Zjarcal]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

Zjarcal wrote...

You can also intimidate Loghain's men at Orzammar's entry to just run away.

I don't think you can intimidate them straight out of Lothering. I know for sure that both Mages and Rogues can't (Coercion rank 1; no points invested in strength). Maybe Warriors can due to their higher Strength.

Furthermore, to me to whole point of going solo is the challenge - why skip some of the more interesting fights through dialog? I would welcome more fights like these, fights that require every skill, strategy and some luck are the best. Once you reach a decent level, you will be very powerful no matter if you're a Warrior, Mage or Rogue. I was disappointed that the only real threat (late game) are animals [smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/wondering.png[/smilie]

Ooops, I forgot this was straight out of Lothering. Yeah, in that case the intimidate would fail.

And it's true, on a run like this the idea is to have all those challenging fights, not avoid them.

[DWSmiley]

Bozorgmehr wrote...

It's very hard to get/keep the 100% rating. Friendly fire will ruin it too; and even Blood Magic is considered 'friendly fire' (casting spells requires health). I believe my Human Noble Rogue still had the 100% rating after the rats; but I don't remember how. What about the party vs player kills? If Dog wasn't part of the team; his/her kills don't count so your Rogue should still have killed the same number of enemies as the entire party.

That's how I figured it out.  I'm short 7 kills and Dog has them, with "Giant Rat" as his toughest monster killed.  Yet Leliana got no credit for the fighting she did in the Lothering tavern - maybe because I don't immediately accept her into the group.  I much prefer to talk to the bartender about Leli and then meet her again by the road.  To add insult to injury, so to speak, you don't get to give Dog a name in the human noble origin. 

[Elhanan]

I have been able to name Dog every time, and I play on the PC.