572 replies to this topic

[Tribull]

[Sabresandiego]

I just wiped repeatedly on the Mature Dragon in the bone mine quest in act 1. Gonna go to bed and come up with a strategy for it tomorrow, I am glad that I finally encountered a tough fight in act 1 =) All these DLC items kind of put you over the top in this act.

This dragon can chain stun me from 100 health to 0 if he lands one of his attacks, gonna have to find a solution to this. I am running Hawke, Merril, Anders, and Varric on Nightmare no pause. I got the dragon to about 20% health after 5 tries, I am at level 9.

Edit: Improved my guide, talents, and tactics this morning after learning about the makers sigh potions.

Edited by Sabresandiego, 10 March 2011 - 03:06 AM.

[themaxzero]

Sabresandiego wrote...

I just wiped repeatedly on the Mature Dragon in the bone mine quest in act 1. Gonna go to bed and come up with a strategy for it tomorrow, I am glad that I finally encountered a tough fight in act 1 =) All these DLC items kind of put you over the top in this act.

This dragon can chain stun me from 100 health to 0 if he lands one of his attacks, gonna have to find a solution to this. I am running Hawke, Merril, Anders, and Varric on Nightmare no pause. I got the dragon to about 20% health after 5 tries, I am at level 9.

Need more single target damage.

I edited your build a little bit since you can buy respec potions at the Emporium which let you change that Pommel Strike into something else.

Level 0: Ability Name (minimum level to aquire) 
Level 1: Mighty Blow
Level 2: Giants Reach
Level 3: Control
Level 4: Might 
Level 5: Scythe
Level 6: Cleave
Level 7: Whirlwind and Sunder (for the +10% crit)
Level 8: Control upgrade (+10% crit)
Level 9: Destroyer
Level 10: Claymore

With both Sunder and the Control upgrade I have a pretty decent crit rate and can take really good advantage of the Destroyer's ability to get crit damage through damage resistance.

Also Control will probably up your damage a lot more then Might against that boss due to missing. You might well have a hit rate in the mid 50% against boss level creatures (can check it on the character screen). Control can get it up to 70%+ which makes a big difference.

Also keep in mid the hit rates of your party members against bosses as well.

While you will never be a DW Rogue you can contribute pretty damn well against single targets.

[Naitaka]

Let me just say, so far on nightmare, upgarded Stonewall and Taunt are two MUST HAVE if you ever plan on tanking with your warrior. Stonewall = nuke the **** out of everything and forget about Friendly Fire.

[Naitaka]

Sabresandiego wrote...

I just wiped repeatedly on the Mature Dragon in the bone mine quest in act 1. Gonna go to bed and come up with a strategy for it tomorrow, I am glad that I finally encountered a tough fight in act 1 =) All these DLC items kind of put you over the top in this act.

This dragon can chain stun me from 100 health to 0 if he lands one of his attacks, gonna have to find a solution to this. I am running Hawke, Merril, Anders, and Varric on Nightmare no pause. I got the dragon to about 20% health after 5 tries, I am at level 9.

Kite when you can, use Stonewall and Taunt when you have to pull aggro off a companion; Varric and Meric helps alot but don't spam your taunt too often. Save it for when it's absolutely nessesary, kiting is the key to victory in DA2 it seems.

Edited by Naitaka, 09 March 2011 - 12:02 PM.

[themaxzero]

Though I'm thinking the way NPC join it might be best to be a DW Rogue. A great source of single target damage is needed in DA2.

[SpezXVII]

I'm attempting to make a build similar to this but I wonder if not putting points into Cunning is going to hurt later in the game? Then again, using points in Cunning takes away from Stength and Constitution, thus possibly exempting me from top-tier 2-Hander's.

[Pandazz]

One question: Where is the Elixir of Technique?

[masterofphate]

the elixirs are in teh black emporium

[Graunt]

Sabresandiego wrote...
All these DLC items kind of put you over the top in this act.

For sure.  I mean, I expected to be doing a little more than normal damage with the Razor, but the Blood Dragon armor makes me have more armor and a hell of a lot more health than Aveline.  She might have taunt and soon Bravery, yet I'm not ever finding it to matter.  She can't take even half of the hits that I can, even with Shield Defense active.  I'm only playing on Hard though, so I can't really comment about Nightmare.

Also, has anyone actually figured out what Blood Frenzy does per 1% health?  The wording is typically Bioware poor. It says "up to 200%".  Which doesn't make much sense.  It could mean, your damage goes from 100% (base damage...) to 200% (+100%), which would mean you get 1% damage per 1% health lost OR it could mean that the ability itself grants you an additional 200% damage.  The problem is, how does one hit 200% damage without having 0% health?  I'm also wondering if that 200% figure is being based off of using Sacrificial Frenzy...

Bolster also does not work in the way I thought it did.  I thought it was a passive, or some activation with a low cooldown. Well, it's cooldown is only one second, so it seems like THAT is the ability you would spam with Berserk after you use Adrenaline.

I've been having a lot of fun with this character, but it doesn't really seem like it would be more useful than just having a Rogue.  It seems like enemies are always too spread out to ever really hit more than 2-3 at a time (unless you're always using line of sight every single time), and Scythe scatters them even more if it doesn't outright kill them.  

Lastly, +% damage modifiers don't seem to actually change the listed damage on abilities or "DPS", yet your attack score does go up with similar auras active.

Edited by Graunt, 09 March 2011 - 04:03 PM.

[Pandazz]

masterofphate wrote...

the elixirs are in teh black emporium

Thank you, monsieur.

[Sabresandiego]

themaxzero wrote...

Sabresandiego wrote...

I just wiped repeatedly on the Mature Dragon in the bone mine quest in act 1. Gonna go to bed and come up with a strategy for it tomorrow, I am glad that I finally encountered a tough fight in act 1 =) All these DLC items kind of put you over the top in this act.

This dragon can chain stun me from 100 health to 0 if he lands one of his attacks, gonna have to find a solution to this. I am running Hawke, Merril, Anders, and Varric on Nightmare no pause. I got the dragon to about 20% health after 5 tries, I am at level 9.

Need more single target damage.

I edited your build a little bit since you can buy respec potions at the Emporium which let you change that Pommel Strike into something else.

Level 0: Ability Name (minimum level to aquire) 
Level 1: Mighty Blow
Level 2: Giants Reach
Level 3: Control
Level 4: Might 
Level 5: Scythe
Level 6: Cleave
Level 7: Whirlwind and Sunder (for the +10% crit)
Level 8: Control upgrade (+10% crit)
Level 9: Destroyer
Level 10: Claymore

With both Sunder and the Control upgrade I have a pretty decent crit rate and can take really good advantage of the Destroyer's ability to get crit damage through damage resistance.

Also Control will probably up your damage a lot more then Might against that boss due to missing. You might well have a hit rate in the mid 50% against boss level creatures (can check it on the character screen). Control can get it up to 70%+ which makes a big difference.

Also keep in mid the hit rates of your party members against bosses as well.

While you will never be a DW Rogue you can contribute pretty damn well against single targets.

I had no idea how powerful these respec potions are! I can respec not only Hawke but all of my companions, fully. I now suggest buying at least 4 of these ASAP!

As for your modified build, it is good but it needs to add in the bonus skills from the tome of technique and elixer of technique which u should have enough money for by level 6 and 8.

[Peter Thomas]

Graunt wrote...

Also, has anyone actually figured out what Blood Frenzy does per 1% health?  The wording is typically Bioware poor. It says "up to 200%".  Which doesn't make much sense.  It could mean, your damage goes from 100% (base damage...) to 200% (+100%), which would mean you get 1% damage per 1% health lost OR it could mean that the ability itself grants you an additional 200% damage.  The problem is, how does one hit 200% damage without having 0% health?  I'm also wondering if that 200% figure is being based off of using Sacrificial Frenzy...

If you're at 100% Health, you get +0% damage. The closer you get to 0% Health, the closer you get to +100% damage.

[implodinggoat]

This looks like a good build; but I'm not a fan of the Reaver specialization. If I pass on it am I really going to be screwing myself over?

I was thinking about modifying the build slightly to give myself a little bit of tanking ability if I need it (Taunt and Stonewall) and investing a little more heavily in the anti-mage Templar abilities to give myself a little more versatility (I was a big fan of Cleanse and Holy Smite in DAO).

Going this path would make my warrior less of a DPS beast than if I stuck strictly to this build; but I've always been a fan of adaptive tactics and given some of the OPs comments on his current playthrough I'm a little concerned that this build is so damage focused that it leaves you without any viable options when you need to tank it out.

PS:  On a side note, I always found Holy Smite to be really useful as a ranged attack for warriors since it effectively lets you nail mages from a distance or more significantly since it gives you a means of engaging enemies who are hasseling your mage without having to leave your current position.

Edited by implodinggoat, 09 March 2011 - 07:26 PM.

[Graunt]

Peter Thomas wrote...

Graunt wrote...

Also, has anyone actually figured out what Blood Frenzy does per 1% health?  The wording is typically Bioware poor. It says "up to 200%".  Which doesn't make much sense.  It could mean, your damage goes from 100% (base damage...) to 200% (+100%), which would mean you get 1% damage per 1% health lost OR it could mean that the ability itself grants you an additional 200% damage.  The problem is, how does one hit 200% damage without having 0% health?  I'm also wondering if that 200% figure is being based off of using Sacrificial Frenzy...

If you're at 100% Health, you get +0% damage. The closer you get to 0% Health, the closer you get to +100% damage.

Right, I understood when the damage modifier is added, I simply had no idea what the modifier actually was.  Your wording makes it seem like the 200% was my first guess.  You have to admit, that's not a very good tooltip...too open.  Like I also asked, how do you actually hit the full bonus without being dead? Shouldn't it be 199%?  Unless there's some temporary spell that allows you to live at 0 health...

Edited by Graunt, 09 March 2011 - 07:52 PM.

[themaxzero]

Sabresandiego wrote...

I had no idea how powerful these respec potions are! I can respec not only Hawke but all of my companions, fully. I now suggest buying at least 4 of these ASAP!

Just as a warning for something I have recently discovered. When you use the potion it sets all your base stats to 10 + level points. For most Hawks (including Warrior) this is not a problem because each stat is already 10. For the Rogue though it has 9 Magic and 7 will. So technically you lose 4 points when you respec a Rogue.

But yes they are extremely powerful especially for Merril with her awful point allocation.

Edited by themaxzero, 09 March 2011 - 08:45 PM.

[God Kim]

can you add isabela's tactics please? thanks !

Edited by God Kim, 09 March 2011 - 09:53 PM.

[CreepingDe7h]

why did you take out the attributes for everyone?

[Graunt]

Nevermind, I thought the potion was having a secondary side effect as well.

Edited by Graunt, 10 March 2011 - 12:34 AM.

[Sabresandiego]

I updated the talent orders and tactics for Hawke, and the vanguards best companions (Anders, Varric, Merril). So far these tactics are working extremely well for me.

You can ignore the tactics and talents for everyone else for now.

[Graunt]

What exactly does this do?

Enemy > staggered then go to next tactic
Enemy > highest health then use crushing prison

Does the game actually look for the highest health target that is staggered?  In Origins something like this would just go to the highest health target, regardless of if they were staggered or not.

[Zhel_Ryn]

@Graunt: It should, as DA2 now has an official 'include next if/then tactic'. Not the same as DA:O's 'go to line 5' type response.

[Seblun]

Can someone explain what the difference is between +10% Attack and +10% Damage. How are attack and damage different and which stat is better for Vanguards? Should we be looking for gear that gives us damage or attack?

Edited by Seblun, 10 March 2011 - 01:34 AM.

[ForgottenGuardian]

Why did you edit the attributes out?

[SilverSurfer1777]

Hmmm how come you have 12 ability at lvl 9 and I only have 11? I got both the tome and potion of physical technique.