Rogue Archer Group Makeup
#1
Posté 04 février 2011 - 05:20
I've always had a tank and healer in my groups. Is it possible to forego a tank without too much headache? Or, to put it another way, is it worth it?
Any other suggestions for a group makeup for a rogue archer?
Many thanks for all suggestions!
#3
Posté 04 février 2011 - 05:41
As of right now (11/15/10), this aura effectively adds 7 seconds to the attack speed of your archers, making them quite useless. (PS3 version). This has been confirmed on the xbox360.
#4
Posté 04 février 2011 - 06:08
#5
Posté 04 février 2011 - 06:43
Eli wrote...
I've always had a tank and healer in my groups. Is it possible to forego a tank without too much headache? Or, to put it another way, is it worth it?
I like how you structured this question.
Is it possible to forego a tank? Yes, because you can play any way you want as pointed out above. Of course, you know about those of us that try a solo playthrough sheerly for the challenge.
Without too much headache, is it worth it? Yes, even though that might go against conventional wisdom. I'm a pragmatist, so I do seek efficiency even in gaming, even though I don't break from the norm for its own sake.
Here's the reason why IMHO. It's not about having a tank. It's about effective crowd control. It's just that, traditionally speaking, a tank is the simplest form of crowd control, but not always the most effective.
Here's how I do crowd control without a tank...with Mages. I get 1 or 2 with Cone of Cold, Blizzard, Crushing Prison, and Glyph of Paralysis/Repulsion. I also use Force Field defensively, protecting swarmed characters.
The trade-off is that you have to micromange spellcasting. I don't find that to be extra effort for me, but it is a slightly different style of gameplay. I actually consider Mages more versatile, so I actually prefer this if possible.
#6
Posté 04 février 2011 - 10:19
#7
Posté 04 février 2011 - 11:27
#8
Posté 04 février 2011 - 11:32
Hint; points finger at Shale.
#9
Posté 05 février 2011 - 01:54
#10
Posté 05 février 2011 - 03:28
cJohnOne wrote...
Do you have to make Shale use taunt or do they go after her anyway?
In my experience, Shale has to do something to aggro foes to her:
1. Stoneheart/Bellow - really seems to draw crowds, most effective
2. Taunt/Threaten - draws crowds, but not as effectively as above
3. Throw a Rock at Them - can draw some, like a Mage with an Area Effect spell, but Shale's comes out real slow and has a small impact radius, thus it's less effective
With Flawless Natural Crystals, Shale does absorb damage like a tank, especially with Wynne there Regen her. Her problem is that, unless she turns on Stoneheart, she doesn't draw crowds IMHO.
But I do agree with ussnorway on the premise, maybe you could turn on Shale's "tank mode" only as needed. It's a good idea, but pretty soon, you'll find yourself only using "tank mode", as IMHO that's when Shale's most useful, rather than using her for her ranged abilities (when I do this, I always wish I had another Mage instead, with Arcane Warrior unlocked in armour throwing an Area Effect spell of choice).
Edit - Instead of Stoneheart, I wrote Rock Mastery instead, now corrected. Sorry, just woke up, my brain was still in the Fade.
Modifié par Zombie Chow, 05 février 2011 - 03:42 .
#11
Posté 05 février 2011 - 04:01
#12
Posté 05 février 2011 - 04:51
Actually, Zombie's post got me thinking. How about Wynne going Arcane Warrior? Not a tank with threat abilities, I understand. But would be able to take a hit. And, I've never made one so it might be fun. As an effective Arcane Warrior, would she have enough mana to be able to heal as necessary, do you think?
#13
Posté 05 février 2011 - 06:47
Evon's + Wade's set, run Cleansing Aura the whole time (which will generate some threat). The only things I can think that will assuredly pull aggro would be a Fireball to start the fight. Otherwise, as long as she's around the middle of the fray and the rest of your party aren't wearing more than heavy armor, then they'll target Wynne more. Personally I don't like archers in Origins, but I have a soft spot for DW Rogues in Origins.
In Awakening (since you asked about it), it's a different story. Going through it at the moment, I respec'd into bows and it's pretty gross. I'm not very far into the game and I'm already triggering criticals on virtually every hit (Accuracy + 3x SoC). It trivializes the game a bit with an all Archer Rogue party, but it's tons of fun. The only thing I could think of that would make it even more gross would be to respec Oghren into a Spirit Warrior Archer...but I think I have a soft spot for Velanna already, so probably not.
Modifié par ezrafetch, 05 février 2011 - 06:51 .
#14
Posté 05 février 2011 - 06:01
ezrafetch wrote...
If you want Wynne to off-tank, here's what I'd do:
Evon's + Wade's set, run Cleansing Aura the whole time (which will generate some threat). The only things I can think that will assuredly pull aggro would be a Fireball to start the fight. Otherwise, as long as she's around the middle of the fray and the rest of your party aren't wearing more than heavy armor, then they'll target Wynne more. Personally I don't like archers in Origins, but I have a soft spot for DW Rogues in Origins.
Likewise, I like Wynne as an Arcane Warrior, for these reasons:
1. Battle Granny Awesomeness - just pure style points
2. Cleansing Aura - it actually seems to draw aggro, I'm not sure why
3. She's going to be attacked anyway just randomly - that little bit extra of protection seems to pay off
4. She's usually in the back - that's a long way for enemies to walk, more time for you to drop them
My main point of agreement is on the equipment. Evon the Great's Mail + Wade's Superior Dragonscale Armour gives you the fatigue reduction set bonus, which net-net gives you more mana. If you don't want to invest in that, either regular Wade's Dragonscale or Dragonbone Plate seems to work well still, or even the Diligence Set.
As for other Talents, Cleansing Aura was already mentioned. Investing down the Weakness line to unlock Miasma is also another interesting option, but please note the trade-off of Talent points AND the upkeep costs (so you may want to save, try it out, then decide if you wish to continue with it). Miasma brings even more aggro, but it may be too much for Wynne to handle, as well as added protection for the party.
Now, we focused a lot on Wynne, but it's always best to "hedge your bets". This is just a humble reminder not to rely entirely on her or any single party member, as that'll just lead to disappointment. Think holistically of the whole party, like while Wynne can draw aggro, Morrigan can position herself with a well placed Cone of Cold.
Of course, Eli, I think you fully understand all this already, which is why you asked about the whole Rogue Archer Group rather than just 1 particular aspect. My experience is similar with a near all-mage party where I put aside Alistair and Shale, favouring Sten or Oghren as heavy hitters to take out bosses, so I think this works.
#15
Posté 05 février 2011 - 10:37
Do you like my new Avatar?
#16
Posté 17 février 2011 - 03:21





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