1. The concept and the rationale.
In a simplified form, elemental warrior is a Reaver using mage-oriented +X% elemental damage apparel, +X% elemental damage accessories, and an elemental weapon. Elemental damage has four principal advantages over physical damage: (1) it has a significantly higher soft +X% damage cap: it is possible to achieve about +50%
physical damage by end-game, as opposed to about +70-120% elemental damage (depending on the element); (2) it bypasses armor, which makes a huge difference vs non-mages, especially on higher difficulties; (3) it deals double damage to creatures weak to the element used; (4) it applies additional on-hit effects (freeze, stun, immolation, DR reduction).
Elemental warrior builds have no serious weaknesses per se, but two points should be mentioned in this respect: (1) an elemental warrior is a glass cannon par excellence: no elemental warrior build can afford taking a lot of damage -- that said, being a fragile low-armor target synergizes quite well with Reaver talents, such as Blood Frenzy and Sacrificial Frenzy, provided one has the necessary skill and experience to pull it off; (2) elemental immunities are an issue, no doubt -- however, with a modicum of strategical thinking, one can
rely on two elemental damage types that complement each other efficiently (for example: nature and fire, or spirit and electricity).
An important note: elemental warrior is by no means a solo-only build. It goes without saying that having a supporting party can boost its performance significantly. However, since the author of this guide enjoys playing solo more than full party, the build was tailor-made for soloing. It is easy enough to alter it so as to suit your own party setup, of course.
2. Act I: Desdemona, Anderfel, Edge of Night.
2.1 Gearing.
The main idea is to get cheap level 5 +spirit apparel set, excluding helm, from Mage Goods (Gallows) and, optionally, a full set of level 5 +fire apparel from either Jean-Luc (Hightown) or Apparel Shop (Lowtown). Level 5 gear apparel decent bonuses and very low stat req's (14 Mag, 14 Wil). The spirit set is a very long-term investment that will serve you during Acts I and II.
These sets should be complemented by +spirit/+fire accessories of as high level as possible. Mage Goods and Formari Herbalist (Gallows) have +spirit amulets. Many vendors, including Trinkets shop (Lowtown), Hubert (Hightown), Jean-Luc, Ilen and Bodahn have +fire rings, belts and amulets (though Dura's Blue Flame makes
the latter obsolete).
It is also highly advisable to acquire two unique +nature apparel pieces (Rune-Covered Gloves from Mage Goods, Boots of the Elder from Jean-Luc) and one unique +electricity accessory (Dirtamen's Secret from Ilen). The former will be instrumental in Acts I-II, the latter will come handy as late as Act III. +Nature apparel should be complemented by generic +nature accessories (amulet and belt) of as high level as possible from Ilen. Also, try to get a Corrupted Amulet (+5% electricity damage) from the Profane Chest in the Abandoned Thaig. This is your only chance to obtain a +electricity amulet, either generic or unique, in this game.
Your main weapons during the Act will be Desdemona and Edge of Night. Anderfel is optional, but it does make certain tough fights a lot easier.
I recommend using 2 Frost Runes in both Desdemona and Edge of Night. Anderfel should be enchanted with 2 Fire Runes. Poisons: either Debilitating or Deathroot, depending on situation. Combustion Grenades are almost a must.
For a shield, just stick with the evolving Courage. Enchant it with Protection runes, except when fighting ARW, where Lightning Resistance is crucial.
Stat pre-buff gear: ideally, you should have Enchanted Silverite Belt, Ring of Resilience, Fallen Star, Meghan Vael's Locket, Beregrand's Breastplace. Practically, however, Fallen Star is too expensive even with a cheap build like this one. Use Air of Confidence instead.
A total cost of purchases in this act varies. You should buy all tomes, and that' already ~58 g. However, on an optimized solo playthrough, you should finish the Act with ~110-20 g, so that gives you a lot of maneuvering space. Generic +elemental gear is, generally, very cheap. The unique +elemental items listed are not
expensive at all, either. Desdemona and Anderfel will need an investment of about 13 g. Runes, Restoration potions, several Maker's Sighs, Combustion Grenades and other consumables are all cheap.
2.2 Stat distribution and key talents.
With the pre-buff gear described, you'll need to invest 1 attribute point only into Magic to be able to equip +spirit/+fire apparel. With Desdemona build, however, you will need to invest 3 points into Wil, and 5 points into Mag, as it requires 18 Mag, 18 Wil. If you prefer to buy Fallen Star early, subtract one point from whatever build you use.
Cleave, Blood Frenzy, Sacrificial Frenzy and Destroyer are self-explanatory. Bravery is an excellent modal ability for a soloist, especially when used in conjunction with upgraded Control. Devour can be incredibly useful, given the overall fragility of the build and a long cooldown on healing potions: another life bar is definitely a huge plus.
As far as damage-dealing talents are concerned, the strongest ability in this respect when playing solo (i. e., without accounting for CCC synergies) is Assault. It also requires modest investment into S&S tree (4 points total) and has a great cooldown (15s). Whirlwind is another solid choice, but 7 points into 2H and a 25s cooldown make it considerably less attractive. For reference, these are the de facto damage factors for various fully upgraded warrior talents, both 2H and S&S:
Assault -- 7.698 (2.566 * 3)
Whirlwind -- 7 (4 * 1.75 [upgraded Might]), target's DR halved with Destroyer
Mighty Blow and Scatter -- 6
Scythe -- 4.5
Shield Bash -- 1.714
2.3 Quest order and instructional videos.
Arranging the quests by enemy type/elemental weakness is the key to successful soloing. For example, Blackpowder -> Wolves are obviously best done with Desdemona build. Another thing to rememeber is weapons' relative strength. Desdemona and Anderfel are incredibly strong early into the Act, but after level 12, the evolving Edge of Night begins to outshine both. I suggest dividing the quests into Anderfel and Desdemona groups, and saving the Edge of Night for a Deep Roads Expedition. Ideally, you will only need two or three Maker's Sighs during the Act.
Instructional videos demonstrating a solo elemental warrior performance during some of the most challenging Act I fights:
Shepherding Wolves, Qunari Meeting (Desdemona, level 9).
Night Lies, Pretenders' Base (Anderfel, level 12): Phase I; Phase II; Phase III.
Deep Roads Expedition, Ancient Rock Wraith (Edge of Night, level 13).
3. Act II: Edge of Night, Desdemona.
As there are no additional elemental weapons in Act II, not much to write about. For Desdemona setup, getting Poisonwood Locket is a must. Ring of Ruin and Rivaini Seer Band are great for Edge of Night. Pre-buff gear also gets upgraded with the acquisition of Dull Brass Amulet and meeting the level requirement for the Golden Prince's Raiment.
You should have no gold constraints during this Act, unless you opt to skip a lot of quests -- thus, perhaps Etched Ring of the Twins can be a wise investment. Then again, it's not crucial, so saving the money for big Act III alternative setup purchases (Robes of Unblemished Cleanliness, Ring of the Ferryman) is also a sound idea.
Specialization choice for this setup is a bit tricky. As a rule, I naturally prefer Templar when going +spirit, and Berserker when going +nature. However, this, as well as the extent of actual investment into specialization talent trees, is very situational.
Instructional videos demonstrating a solo elemental warrior performance during some of the most challenging Act II fights:
Inside Job, Brekker (Edge of Night, level 17): Phase I; Phase II.
Forbidden Knowledge, Xebenkeck (Desdemona & Edge of Night, level 18): Phase I; Phase II; Phase III.
Dissent, Ser Alrik (Edge of Night, level 19).
Demands of the Qun, Arishok and the Qunari (Desdemona, level 19).
Modifié par IN1, 06 mai 2011 - 01:53 .
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My computer won't cope with it technically. Frapsing the whole playthrough will result very quickly in my hard disks being full to the brim, not to mention fraps frequently tends to drop the in-game framerate drastically: it was insanely frustrating two months ago, when I started to record rather lengthy videos of my first solo playthrough.
