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[Maria Caliban]

I've played the demo a number of times so far and while I enjoy much of it, I was disappointed in the two-handed warrior (THW). I tend to play THW in other games, though I played a sword and shield warrior in DA:O, but the combat just didn't feel right to me in the demo.

The problem seems to be that the THW doesn't fit any niche in the group. Everything I could want to do with a THW, another class/weapon combination can do better, typically much better.

Damage:

I loved the exaggerated bits because my THW felt like a wrecking ball, but even though I pumped strength and went for the more aggressive powers, the THW had lackluster damage. Mages, archer rogues, and DW rogues all seemed to outperform the THW when it came to damage, and in the last battle at the chantry (level 7), the rogue archer and mage do so by a tremendous amount.

DW rogue seems to be more on par but I found that they were better at single, high-threat targets (ogre) while also being just as good with groups. Positioned correctly, my THW could hit three targets in a single swipe but these targets often moved around in combat so on average, I'd end up with only two in range.

For a group of three enemies, my rogue could take them out faster one-by-one than my THW could with the sort-of group damage.

Survivability:

This is where a warrior ought to shine, and Aveline as tank does this wonderfully. She can solo the ogre or Hyden with the occasional health pot. Comparatively, my THW wasn't very impressive.

In order to do effective damage, I need to engage a group of enemies, but if a group of enemies engages me, I start losing large amounts of health.

You might say that the THW has more survivability than the rogue or mage, but I disagree. If four mobs attack me as a rogue, I can stun all of them, kill one and have another at half health before they're conscious again. If things get too hairy, I have a panic button that lowers my aggro.

As a mage, I can damage, lock down, and kite if need be, and I have a panic button. Archer rogues have the same sort of abilities.

As a THW I can… soak up the damage but not well. I have access to a single-target stun and a semi-useful knockdown, but no panic button and I *have* to keep at melee range if I want to be useful. I couldn't even hope to tank the ogre as I constantly get knocked down.

The THW might be better as a tank than mages or rogues, but when it comes to non-tanking survivability, they feel weaker.

Miscellaneous:

The basic THW ability is a group knock-back and this seems horribly wrong. As a THW, I want tight clusters of enemies to attack. At lower-levels, mages and rogues also have a small radius to their AOE abilities, so tight clusters are good.

Imagine one of the first abilities for a DW rogue not being single-target, high damage like backstab, but a moderate damage ability that caused surrounding enemies to attack you.

Summery:
I am sure some of you loved the THW. That's fine and I'm not saying anyone is wrong for enjoying it. I wanted to love it every since I saw the first Lady Hawke selection screen where she steps forward and swings her what-is-she-compensating-for? size greatsword around.

When I play a two-handed warrior, I feel as though I'm being punished for not playing the right class.

If I wanted to tank, I should have picked sword and shield. If I wanted single-target DPS and CC, I should have played a rogue. If I wanted AOE damage and good CC and support, I should have played a mage.

While running up to a mob and thrashing around with my two-hander looks awesome, it quickly becomes unsatisfying if I want my PC to hold her own in the group.
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I'll bet you'll say…

I've noticed a number of common responses in regards to the demo, combat, and classes, so I'm going to try to cover my bases.

Comment: You can't judge final gameplay on an old demo.
Maria: Very true. The THW might have been tweaked since then, I didn't have access to all the abilities, and we only got 25 minutes of combat.

Comment: If you look at the other warrior abilities, you can effectively tank/damage/CC…
Maria: I have looked at the other abilities. The THW can be decent at a number of roles if they invest their abilities wisely. However, they don't seem to be as good at anything as other classes.

Comment: This is not an MMO; classes don't need to be balanced.
Maria: They do need to be fun. Feeling as though you're contributing little to the group isn't fun. Rushing up to a group of enemies, doing mediocre damage, and watching your PC herniate HP isn't fun.

Comment:If you want to X, why not just play a Y?
Maria: I probably will play a Y. As someone who's interested in the THW, however, I'd much rather play one.

[Stanley Woo]

Maria, I can sympathize with you. It wasn't too too long ago that the QA content team was doing playthroughs and combat balance testing. I was playing as a 2-handed warrior and felt much the same way you do, that 2-handed warriors are hardy enough and don't do enough damage and don't feel powerful enough. Several discussions were held with combat-specialized QA and bugs were filed. After more discussion, some changes were made to make the 2-handed warrior a more viable and fun class earlier in the game.



Now, while 2-handed warrior takes a little getting used to, as it's not the traditional superbad 2-handed warrior that you'd find in other games, it is far more useful early in the game, and warrior players have many options for speccing. Our QA lead min-maxed a two-handed warrior into doing ridiculously massive damage to the point of one-shotting boss creatures.



This may or may not make this class more fun for you, but it was a problem that I am confident we've addressed many of the concerns you've brought up and made the class more fun than what the demo shows. It is still a bit of a slow-starter class, though, as it doesn't have the shininess of mages or the speed of rogues.



YMMV.