31 réponses à ce sujet

[FullmetalHeart20]

I'm trying to play as a good guy. Let everybody have their happy endings. So when I'm achievement hunting and can't turn down the difficulty, keeping a bunch of scared villagers alive is kinda a problem. Also if not being able to heal random NPCs on the console isn't bad enough, I got Lloyd involved in the fight cause I wanted his ring.
Simply put, could people please share their strategies for keeping everyone alive through the night on Nightmare difficulty? It'd be great to know it's even possible. Weather it's traps, certain spells, tanking, what have you. Anything would be appreciated. Just keep in mind that I can't spam Spirit Healer spells on everyone.

[DarthGizka]

What class is your Warden? This has a huge impact on strategies. For example, a CC/nuker mage backed by Wynne or Morrigan with a second set of glyphs can intercept and toast the undead up at the mill before they even reach the barricades. This keeps the allies there as safe as can be.

 

Things are more difficult down in the village square. For one thing, as soon as the first phase at the mill is over you have to race down into the valley, with Haste on, because otherwise people like Lloyd might already be dead when you get down there. Keep Force Field locked and loaded as an emergency save for fragile allies (Lloyd again), and save proper healing spells for allies exclusively. Your companions can be served with Group Heal and with potions. Shale can project her aura, Wynne can perma-mass-heal with Cleansing Aura if she has it (but give her a good stack of lesser lyrium pots and a tactics rule for using them). If things get ticklish somewhere, paralysis-explode the whole bunch, have your mages heal the friendlies and your DPSers wreak havoc. Glyphs of Paralysis can plug some of the holes in the barricades, Shale can plug another one by sitting in it (force-fielded if need be).

 

The thing there is not so much about having specific types of fighters with specific types of abilities. As long as you have two normal healing spells and one or two sets of glyphs and Force Field in the party you should be fine. And a tank or two with Taunt, to peel clusters of enemies off fragile friendlies.

 

The thing is about knowing how to work with what you have, i.e. combat experience. The situation will invariably get messy, so your toons need to know their stuff and hit the enemy hard.

 

Having said that, it doesn't hurt to equip melee troops with Topsider's Honors stuffed with Cold Iron runes or - failing that - Starfang with fire/electrical runes. Inferno, Tempest and Earthquake can slow down incoming during approach and weaken them, but watch out for Lloyd who just loves to run into raging infernos. Fling fireballs copiously. They are cheap, extremely effective, and they slow down the enemy by knocking them down.

[KaiserShep]

Sometimes it's a pain because by the time I get down to the square, I just catch Lloyd keeling over before I can even get into the fray. I ended up reloading just to save that joker.

[DarthGizka]

Lloyd's Magic Ring. Great for beefing up a meleeish companion and for shoehorn purposes.

 

Bella gets the tavern anyway, and you all the tavern's stocks for free.

[DarthGizka]

The Harvest Festival Ring is restricted to warriors and rogues, Lloyd's ring is not. Key to the City often sits on the finger of the Warden or her travelling companion (e.g. Leliana).

 

I like to keep all companions in top fighting condition, so Lloyd's ring is always welcome even if I have all the other stuff like Dawn Ring and so on.

[KaiserShep]

Lloyd gives you a ring? I never knew.

I always let him die. Or murder knife him. I like the sound of "Grey Warden's Rest" with Bella running it.

I always give Bella the money to move on. She sets up a tavern of her own in Denerim. Lloyd's an ass, but I think he earned some respect if he lives through the night fighting the undead and he doesn't really deserve to die.

Killing him is funny though. My murder knife cultist elf makes all shemlen suffer.

[KaiserShep]

I've never been able to get that much gold in Origins. At the most I'd end with maybe 300. In Awakening the Warden is loaded though. You can end with almost 1k or possibly more if you sell all your loot.

[KaiserShep]

I've yet to play a dwarf. It's just my HN and murderous CE. I played Golems, but I didn't play it with my main Warden's storyline. From what I understand , it leaves no plot flags for importing, same as Witch Hunt.

[mousestalker]

Having Haste in play or swift salves all around can make the difference in getting from the mill to the square in a timely fashion.

[mousestalker]

I've yet to play a dwarf. It's just my HN and murderous CE.

Dwarf noble is the way to go to get the maximum cash possible. You can walk out of the origin alone with significant sovereigns, then add in selling the cudgel to Gorim later and you can buy all the toys. Seeing Gorim is really sad tho'. Fargin bastage stomped all over my poor Aeducan's heart.

[KaiserShep]

Having Haste in play or swift salves all around can make the difference in getting from the mill to the square in a timely fashion.

That's what I get for dumping all my salves all the time. The only thing I ever keep in the end are the spirit balms for fighting the archdemon, and even then it's not really a big deal.

[Blazomancer]

You can't heal friendlies on the console? That would make it quite a bit more difficult. May be you can try using two tanks that can taunt on the left and right flank, and the mages to force field the wounded allies, and to watch their backs. Even if healing spells don't work on the allies, something like Shale's Stone Aura might work?

Also, swift salves as Mousestalker mentioned are very handy for dashing towards the Chantry. You might also want to conserve the spells and talents that have long cooldowns, while fighting near the windmill.

[Mike3207]

I think Cleansing Aura can heal friendlies on console, but you have to micromanage your spirit healer a considerable degree to make it work.

[FullmetalHeart20]

I think Cleansing Aura can heal friendlies on console, but you have to micromanage your spirit healer a considerable degree to make it work.

Sorry, but I swear I could kiss you right now. Until reading this and verifying it on the wiki, I had no clue that some spells could affect friendly NPCs! Sounds like Force Field is one too. Are there any others?

[DarthGizka]

Heal. Paralysis Explosion. Fireball.

 

Rally and Shale's auras, probably (can't verify ATM).

[BlazingSpeed]

Lloyd gives you a ring? I never knew.

 

I always let him die. Or murder knife him. I like the sound of "Grey Warden's Rest" with Bella running it.

 

I usually have Morrigan get rid of him during the battle accidents happen you know...

 

Back on topic the one time I was a healbot mage and that along with some crowd control everyone survived and Teagan gave the party some crappy helm as a reward IIRC that was well before the days of modding. Now I can barely keep my party alive with elite Zombie mages nuking everything in sight.

 

The true nightmare mode is when dispel magic is an absolute must...

[DarthGizka]

It's different if you solo. Spending four points on Mana Clash gives you a huge advantage a few times - about half a dozen times in a whole playthrough - but diverting those points away from something useful makes you seriously weaker pretty much all of the time. Since all mages except for Uldred have comparatively low health you can simply nuke them and be done.

 

My mages spend only one point on anti-mage technology, by buying Glyph of Neutralisation. It works like a charm but it can backfire with blood mages on occasion, by making them activate blood magic. Which can be seriously bad news. Happened to me with Zathrian and the Mad Hatter, once each.

[Mike3207]

The only issue I have with Glyph of Neutralization is that it also neutralizes my spells, so you have to find another way to kill the mage. Barkspawn or a Arrow of Slaying on mages can take care of that.

I think Dispel Magic can break a shapeshift.It was either that or the Anti Magic Ward/Spell Shield the Arcane warrior had in place. I hate Arcane Warriors that focus on antimagic.

[BlazingSpeed]

I've never relied on dispel. It's all about Mana Clash for me. It's quite ridiculous actually.. it takes the fun out of the threat of mages. I'm glad there was nothing like it in DA2 (and Dispel was handy again).

 

Mana clash? I wish Combat Tweaks kinda sideways nerfs it and Random Age/ Ravage/ and "Lemmings DAO prepare to die edition" has enemy mages (Arcane warriors mostly yeah those guys with millions of sustainables on that people like to brag about playing for the other team...) use Mana clash on your mages! And I though that multiple Holy Smites KO'ing your mages in the Circle tower was bad...

 

Some of the tougher enemy mages just resist Mana Clash though I don't remember if that is mod related or not though...