NOTE: PC USERS SHOULD USE THIS MOD http://dragonage.nex...s.com/mods/1601 TO FIX MOST BUGS)
Part 1: SPECIALIZATIONS
First Spec is obviously Arcane Warrior.
Spec two is BLOOD MAGE
Awakening Spec Three is BATTLEMAGE
Part 2: STATS
start by boosting Cunning to 16, so as to max Coercion
Magic to 42 or so
boost Willpower. how much is up to you (will update when i reach actual endgame for origins to determine minimum needed to power spells with fatigue factored in)
Rest in Dex, Magic, and Con as preffered. Ignore Strength and Cunning, Dex to 30 is probably a good idea for extra armor and attack, as well as the phys resistance. Bottom line, final stats are up to personal preference.
Part 3: SKILLS
First 4 points go into Coercion, obviously.
Next, 2 into Combat Training, the second level provides +0.5 Mana Regen, whihc is key.
Lastly, 4 points into Survival. it both allows you to track and gives some nature and later physical resist, so its key.
after that, get anything you damn well please, they dont matter. herbalism may be a good choice so as to make better mana pots.
Part 4: SPELLS
Ah the meat of the build, what to get!
First to note, for mages you can get a total of 30 spells over the course of the entire game, 2 of which are missable! These 2 are the bonus point from the demon during the Arl of Redcliffe chain, and the spell tome purchasable from Feddic the FIRST time you enter camp! remember that his first meeting inventory is identical and SEPERATE from the inventory you get at other times. make sure you get it, as you will use every available spell point in the original campaign.
STARTING
1 - Arcane Bolt : good range pop for early game and you need it for Arcane Shield. Also, you dont have a CHOICE!
2 - Rock Armor : defensive buff. always leave on. dull, boring, but vital.
3 - Weakness : has its uses, maybe. most things it would be useful on shrug it off. useful at lvls 1-6, which is where you will use it. also prereq on path to Miasma.
Level 2
4 - Paralyze : you might use it at this level, up to 6, might not. deostn matter, it still sucks, but its a prereq for Miasma. cant cast while drawn, so never use past level 6.
Level 3
5 - Arcane Shield : ah yes, another defense buff similar to Rock armor, only with a level limit. will be more useful in Awakening.
Bonus Tome from Feddic
6 - Miasma : key power for your tank, and also the most annoying, as it will like to turn itself off for no reason (its SUPPOSED to turn off when leaving combat, but thats a bit buggy. Note this may be part of a tweak from the fixpack mod, not sure, so you may not have this issue). power is an aura reducing enemy defense (so you hit more) and attack (more important, they hit you less). Also generates threat if plaing on nightmare, which is always helpful.
From here on we get to the meat of the issue. depending on where you go and how you buy, you may get levels faster or slower than you get spells. if you have a point and cant get a given power at that level due to limitations, move on to the next available spell.
7 - Heroic Offense : Prereq to Haste. cant cast while drawn. never use.
8 - Heroic Aura : Prereq to Haste. can actually be cast while drawn, but isnt worth jack ****, so ignore it for the most part unless your having major problems with archers.
9 - Heroic Defense : Prereq to Haste. cant cast while drawn. never use.
At this point you are at MOST level 6, assuming no further tomes have been used and none of the 4 bonus points are aquired, so next level is:
10 - Combat Magic : This should be on at ALL times! CORE POWER IS CORE.
11 - Haste: Ah Haste. with the fixpack, this little bugger is actually pretty useful. the move speed is great for making tedious walking quicker, and the bonus attack speed and 0.2 ranged aim boost is a nice bonus. not so much the latter, but the former helps you dish out damage much faster. WARNING: if you do not have or cannot get the fixpack (due to being on the console for instance), DO NOT USE IN BATTLE. it will slow your allies ranged attacks and can cause attack speed bugs on melee. see relevant wiki page for details. no im not providing a link.
12 - Walking Bomb : Prereq for later powers. strangely, it cant be cast while drawn, even though its bigger brother can be. oh well. dont use.
13 - Death Syphon : Prereq. actually useful. true use depends on situation and spell usage. see spell tactics later on for details.
14 - Virulent Walking Bomb : key Spell. will be the top spell you will use in battle. is pretty powerful and more importantly generates lots of threat, which is a big problem for magetanks. remember to actually kill the foe quickly.
From here on out things get more varied. none of the abilities are worth much until you get all of them, with a few exceptions. HOWEVER you must remember to always get the Arcane Warrior spells asap. for reference:
15 - Aura of Might : Get at level 14, Period. YUMMY PASSIVE BUFFS
16 - Shimmering Shield : Get at level 16, Period. This is the dealbreaker
spell. this whopper will make you nigh-untouchable, but it eats 10 mana a
tick, so you need at LEAST 10 combat mana regen to fuel it see the Gear
section for details on how to power this allmighty guardian.
17 - Fade Shroud : Get at level 18, Period. YUMMY BUFF! and +1 MANA REGEN! OH YES.
Next, we have Blood Mage. now this class is for one thing only, so get it at lvl 15 after you unlock the class (14 is Aura of Might):
18 - Blood Magic : Key Tactical spell, used to fuel spell combos when you dotn want to burn pots. see Spell Tactics for details.
Heres the rest of the yummy spells
19 - Winters Grasp : Prereq, cant be cast while drawn, dont use.
20 - Frost Weapons : the last static buff spell. you may not want it on all the time to save on willpower attribute for larger spells.
21 - Mana Drain : prereq, and free spell is free. it costs nothing and gives you mana, so use it on anything that has mana when you are low, like after a bomb or super combo.
22 - Mana Cleanse : Prereq. if you dont have the fixpack, this is useless except to fuel Mana Clash, as it is bugged and restores mana instead of draining it. if you DO have the fixpack, its a reasonable solution if spellcasters are giving you trouble. at least until you get Mana Clash that is.
23 - Spell Might : Key Tactical Spell is Key. see Spell Tactics for usage.
From here on out you can aquire spells in any group order. NOTE that you can skip Winters Grasp and Frost Weapons for later if you dont care about the buff from Frost Weapons. ALSO NOTE the order listed is the reccomended one!
24 - Mana Clash : Key Tactical Spell. used to crush enemy mages, can usually kill any fully-charged mage in one shot except for a few mana-using bosses. hooray! see Spell Tactics fro more details.
25 - Animate Dead : Key Tactical Spell, use with Spell Might, see Spell Tactics for more details.
26 - Lightning : Prereq, cant cast while drawn. never use.
27 - Shock : Prereq, cant cast while drawn. never use.
28 - Tempest : Key Tactical Spell. see Spell Tactics.
29 - Cone of Cold : Prereq, cant cast while drawn. never use.
30 - Blizzard : Key Tactical Spell. see Spell Tactics.
PART 5 : CONSOLE USERS ALERT
IF you are on the console, you may consider completely ignoring haste as it has no use whatsoever. if you do, you have a new option available: Spirit Healer. this class works almost exactly like the haste tree, in that the first three powers are useless to near useless. Cleansing Aura is quite useful however if you dont plan on having Wynne follow you around, as it can be actiivated for short bursts of party healing, and can remove injurys out of combat, saving injury kits which can be sold off for money, or camp runs in the middle of a dungeon.
Part 6 : SPELL TACTICS
This is how you fight!
most generic battles need no help beyond a bomb to start off. just pound away till the bomb explodes then mop up the rest.
Mages should be slapped with Mana Cleanse and later Mana Clash to keep them down. DO NOT let them sit there and spellcast. if they are an elite or higher they are your first target, period. they are the only thing that can really hurt you as attack spells ignore defenses and dont miss. if you know youll see many mages, bring Alistair to keep them under wraps with his templar mojo.
tough foes can be distracted with the quick summoning of an animate dead powered by spell might. which is a spell combo, so woot codex!
truly dangerous foes should be handled with STORM OF THE CENTURY. remember you only need spell might for the latter half of the combo, whihc should be Blizzard due to sheathing. so, Tempest, Spell Might, Blizzard. or more likely, Tempest, Spell Might, Potion, Blizzard. or Tempest, Spell Might, Blood Magic, Blizzard. regardless, this one will HURT. immobile bosses like the Broodmother in the Deep Roads will find this trikc to be lethal.
Remember you can pop Blood Magic to get out several kill spells when neccesary. try not to overuse it, you WILL occaisonally take damage.
PART 7 : GEAR
Now for the painful part.
NECCESARY GEAR:
Amulet - High Regard of House Dace : this is the only amulet with stamina/mana regen. its also the HARDEST item on list to get. you must find all the research in GoA to get this trophy of victory. its not easy. especially since you wont have this build to help you. look out for the Green Room and its 6 Boss Golems.
Ring - The Wicked Oath : this too is a problem to get, due to being DLC content. fortunately its free for the console. get the damn thing already if your on the PC and dont have it. this build will not run without it.
Belt - Andruil's Blessing : This is the only piece of core gear you will have to BUY. fortunately you can buy it right out of Lothering. +2 Regen is woot.
Weapon - Maric's Blade : pretty good sword is pretty good. part of Cailan's Arms, and therefore this build is impossible without it. part of the Return to Ostagar DLC, get it it if you dont have it or get out.
Offhand - Cailan's Shield : pretty good shield is pretty good, but its the other half of Cailan's Arms, so nothing else will work, ever.
NOTE: Console users can feel absolutely free to choose anything they want now, as total mana regen will reach 15 just from the above gear + 1 base + 0.5 from Combat Training. 13+ is our final goal, so console users have it made. unfortunately they have OTHER problems.
Your Second Ring can be anything you choose, though Lifegiver is my favorite due to its sheer tankiness. another option would be the ring that boosts blood magic.
your choice of armor varies based on needs and level, at least until you get Shimmering Shield. NOTE: none of these armors matter as far as regen goes if you are not using Haste, as the gear above reaches 11.25 regen on its own. only 10 is needed to fuel Shimmering Sheild, the rest is for Haste, which eats 3.
Early Game Armor - Blood Dragon Armor : well, if you have the DLC. and have the money to buy the peices off of Feddic. its pretty good early on before you get better sets. when you phase it out you should probably give this to Oghren.
Mid Game Armor - Warden Commander Armor : again, DLC. Wardens Keep this time. youll probably get it REALLY soon if you have it, thanks to the whole storage chest thingy. upgrade it to higher levels by selling it to a vendor like the drydens at the peak, saving, reloading, then buying it back. may take several loads to get to proper level. fun times.
Better Mid Game Armor - Cailan's Armor : This is the whopper of all armors. it is SOOO powerful, it hurts. unfortunately you cant keep it if you are using haste due to the tiny problem of regen. upgrade it same way as the WCA above. give it to Alistair when you let it go, tears in your eyes...
Final Armor - Wade's Superior Dragonbone Plate : Yeah. this one. not the best bonuses aside from the all-important +2 regen, but you cant complain. except about the fire resist, sure its max fire resist instantly, but almost nothing will actually use fire attacks. (and many of them have to be fought to GET this armor....)
PART 8 : Awakening
So now you've moved on. its time to go further. well this is easy. all of the gear options are identical in Awakening. if your having issues with item transfer, find a mod to fix it, there are several.
as for spells, put 3 points in attunement, to first buff Arcane Shield then get the passive buff that gives you 2 extra Mana Regen. you may want to ensure Cailan's Armor is in your inventory when you beat the game so you can use it as soon as you get attunement!
After that, get the full Field line. the first 3 are worthless, but Mystical Negation can give you a way to nullify debuffs.
Time Spiral might be good for spamming, with the help of Blood Magic i can see the casting of two Storm of the Century combos at once. ow.
last two options are probably Arcane, for the bonus spellpower.
Stats should be Magic and Dex. NO WILLPOWER. you will get more than enough mana from the Clarity Skills.
Part 9 : FOLLOWERS
Coming Soon!
Part 10 : TEH END
Thats it. theres the full build, how to use it, and so forth. its more dangerous in Easy due to lack of freindly fire.
Thornstromb The Godseer, Signing Off!
Modifié par Thornstromb, 27 février 2013 - 01:13 .
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