Am wondering if this is available via each Specialization; simply approached differently via Lore and School (eg; Necromany leeches the healing from Mana, Elementalist heals via environment).
I don't know. For the KE, at least, it's done via a glyph and calling on a spirit. Lore-wise.
While this explanation helps show that the game isn't broken by this, I can't help feel that Bioware missed a trick here.
A party (I assume) can only have 4 members, so the question of whether to dedicate a slot (25% of your party) to a Wynne-type healing-focused character (as opposed to a character focused on combat or crowd control) would have been an interesting strategic question I would have liked to experiment with.
If you're not a mage yourself, you'll probably have to use Vivienne as she's the comes with the Knight Enchanter spec. I'm not sure if it's her but if you could learn a second spec. on everyone, I'd probably give it to Dorian or Solas as well.
While this explanation helps show that the game isn't broken by this, I can't help feel that Bioware missed a trick here.
A party (I assume) can only have 4 members, so the question of whether to dedicate a slot (25% of your party) to a Wynne-type healing-focused character (as opposed to a character focused on combat or crowd control) would have been an interesting strategic question I would have liked to experiment with.
I'm not clear on why you can't still do that?
Because what Lukas says does not make sense to me.
In this game there is no level scaling so combat is completely different from previous Dragon Age games.
In this game we are able to raise our level by doing different quests so what does healing have to do with this?
Why do they have to balance how difficult fights become?
We decide how difficult some fights become as we have control on how we level up or when to do some of the quests.
If we want to go in a cave at level 12 and fight opponents who are level 20 it should be up to us.
Have Bioware changed the no level scaling or have they changed their mind?
In DA2 it did not matter if we were level 1 or level 50 in the game as all fights levelled with us.
Please explain what healing and health potions have to do with a no level scaling game.
I'm not sure what level scaling has to do with anything in this discussion.
Combat is balanced on the assumption that you are fighting enemies the same level as you. The lower your enemies level the easier the encounter and vice verse. The same was effectively true in the older DA games but enemies scaled with you so you had less control over the perceived challenge rating.
However the point is the balancing. You ask "why do you need to balance a single player game?" The answer to that should be obvious - so that the encounters you face have the correct level of challenge, to strike a balance between being difficult and being fun. You say you like hard fights? Ok now imagine that they got the balance wrong and every fight you undertook was a total cakewalk, practically pointless. Sound like fun? No. To make it harder you'd have to go seek enemies might higher than you (which you couldn't do before) or artificially gimp yourself, which frankly would make everyone scream at them for bad design.
That's why combat is balanced for single player.
Balancing combat with healing is hard, because the player has at their disposal a virtually unlimited supply of health in health pots, mana pots, and healers. Lukas explains it is virtually impossible to balance this adequately so....
"...to counter effectively infinite HP, "balance" meant we needed to hit the player with far more potential damage than their characters could withstand, and do it all but instantly. In effect, replacing HP damage (unknown limits) with death/resurrection (known limits). Or we had to stop them from chaining potions, meaning more enemies that put them to sleep or confused them, or otherwise made the player not able to take action. Alpha strikes and crowd control, neither of which were tactics that were fun to face again and again, because they "balanced" by removing actions, by removing control."
They wanted to give the players improved combat which didn't rely so heavily on the effects described above, meaning that players remained in control of their characters - and therefore their choices during encounters - much more which I personally think is a great thing.
Do do this they needed to drop healing out of the equation and fundamentally change the nature of combat. I understand why people may not like this choice, especially if they love their healers, but its very logical when you look at Lukas' explanation.
Nothing to do with Lore, nothing to do with hating Healers, everything to do with making the combat power of the party more calculable and therefore easier to reliably balance for the benefit of everyone.
Combat is balanced on the assumption that you are fighting enemies the same level as you.
You sound like you work for them or know how to program with Frostbite... 
I'm not clear on why you can't still do that?
I was under the impression that you can't add a character focused on casting healing spells because, um, there aren't any healing spells. Or does removal of healing spells from the game mean something I'm not aware of?
I realise this sounds sarcastic and facetious, so I'll expand on that.
The way I understood this was that BioWare are removing healing spells from the game. They've done this because the healing potion + healing spell combo (I guess) caused some issue where everyone just added a healer to the party which restricted tactical options. The OP explains that the new system offers more tactical options by forcing you to choose between Barrier and Guard upgrades and more damage-focused abilities. Throwing in the ability to craft healing items (such as a sword hilt which heals you as you do damage to an enemy) further increases the options available.
My point was that it seems (to me) that these new options, coupled with the option to add a healing-spell-casting character (thus using one of your 4 party slots for that character) would have given the most tactically interesting options.
It's possible I've missed something, I guess, but the OP seemed pretty clear.
It is impossible for Bioware to know before hand what level our character will be so there is no way for them to know how to balance the fights.
If we have freedom in the way we play the game and witch part of the game we do first and there is no level scaling Bioware can only guess what level we will be so how difficult fights become will be up to us don’t you think…
The only way to control the fights is to level up opponents to our level or by cheating.
That... really doesn't invalidate anything KoorahUK has been saying. The game is balanced around fighting enemies of your level. This balance was achieved by reworking the combat/healing gameplay mechanics to something that is easier to balance without getting frustrating. There is absolutely nothing stopping you from levelling up above the enemies of the areas/quests your are currently tackling in order to have an easier time of it if that is how you want to play.
I don't think they have to explain it at all.
Here's some (bad) math!
Let's say that each mage has a 50% chance of knowing heal spells. This number should be much lower since healing is supposedly very difficult, but let's roll with it since it's the fairest distribution.
You have a (0.5 ^ 4 * 100) chance that 4 mages do not know healing spells. (Assuming independence)
So mathematically speaking, you have a 6.25% chance that a party of 4 Mages do not know healing spells.
So what happened in DAI is that we rolled with that scenario. Mind you it's unfortunate, but hey it's what we have to work with!
Mages are known for healing. It's like the one good thing they can do for the world in the eyes of most folk. Not all mages are powerhouses like the ones that join up with the Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor. I simply highly doubt that the top tier mages are unable to freakin' heal themselves. They can throw thunderstorms at people and rain fire from the heavens but closing wounds with this power is too difficult? I don't think so.
Besides they get a limit break Jesus spell and a smaller, simpler version of that is impossible? If Creation is sooo difficult pulling biblical miracles off like that shouldn't be possible for mages that are unable to do smaller heals.
Seriously though think about if you were a mage at the Circle or wherever and you had 10+ spells under your belt. Would you honestly have chosen not to learn that one little healing spell? I can see if you were simply unable to learn it cuz your magic was so weak but if you were capable would you ignore it?
Actually they talked about the blood mage thing. It's been a known lore issue. Blood mages are feared and yet your warden/hawke run around like it's nbd. They didn't want blood mage class especially when there's a huge mage/Templar war going on.
As for the DW warriors, I suppose it's to add some diversity to the classes. I never understood why, in Origins, the rogue and warrior had the SAME talents - only the warrior had more with 2-h and tank trees. The only thing that made the rogue class stand out were their specialization. Even then, there were limited talents to choose from.
Personally, I much prefer the diversity that comes with separating the classes. With that said, if they added the option to duel wield for warriors, I'd be fine with it - so long as they would either get their own tree or no tree at all.
Mages are feared period. Yet Hawke nukes Kirkwall daily and no one bats an eye. When Hawke fought Wilmod alongside Cullen the Templar there was no reaction whatsoever. That was the problem. How to have Hawke function in Kirkwall as an apostate and yet still have him do cool mage stuff in combat? Hrmm let's just have everyone ignore it! Ignore the robes, ignore the staff, but most importantly, please ignore the fact that this guy is waving his hands and bending reality. An apostate in Kirkwall would have to fight like a mundane unless they wanted to be found out. That means melee weapons for mage Hawke! Whatever magic they do decide to work could be done discreetly like what Idunna did. That was blood magic btw. Good ol' incredibly powerful and highly useful blood magic. The Grey Wardens know what's up.
During this Templar war i'm sure there are more blood mages running around now than ever before. Good job you brain dead Chantry puppet junkies. Way to keep a handle on things. Maybe none of this wouldn't have happened if you never treated them like born criminals. Just a thought.
I feel that blood magic was kept out because the developers want everything to be balanced and blood magic is automatic easy mode. Losing health in this tough fight? No problem. Every living thing is a power battery! Drain your enemy to heal yourself! Tadaaa! Also supposedly blood magic was initially learned from demons and Avernus has said that all his blood magic moves were easily countered by demons yet I wonder how any of that makes sense seeing as how blood magic is used completely independently of the Fade which is the home of these demons. If anything fighting demons off with anything BUT blood magic should be easily countered. I could really go on and on about this but i'll spare you guys. This time.
Diversity to the classes? A laugh that. There are actually only 2 classes. Mage and mundane. Everything else is merely a job or a fighting style. I mean they could be called classes but then why aren't there any rogue mages or warrior mages? Why does every single mage use a staff? Does that make any freaking sense? A man born a mage with very weak magic power is merely a man with interesting dreams. If he happens to join a mercenary company to feed himself do you think he's gonna be wielding a staff and throwing fireballs? Or will he instead choose a bow or a sword (or two) and get busy just like everybody else?
Pretty much after reading the books and codex entries healing requires INCREDIBLE finesse and control and is the hardest to master. Hence why anders and wynne were such good healers and healed in the middle of combat was simply because they were possessed by spirits. While most healers call on spirits to aid them and calling on spirits with just mana and lyrium is pretty hard considering merril says it takes a HUGE amount of lyrium just to summon a spirit. Hence she used blood since you require such a small amount of it compared to using mana/lyrium.
They are bringing the gameplay back in line with lore as you said.
Score another point for blood magic! Huzzaaah! Why use anything else? Lyrium obviously sucks.
I'm all with bringing gameplay and lore together buuut if this healing thing is so difficult then why is a huge heal possible and not a small one in DAI? These mages are so adept in the power that they can sling spells around solely as a form of combat and not be forced to rely on actual weapons like most people and yet they can't heal themselves? Huh? Casting a blizzard on a small army is easier than closing a wound? Really?
I don't know. For the KE, at least, it's done via a glyph and calling on a spirit. Lore-wise.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I was seeing the knight enchanter support thread. The last magic spec I would ever play just gets the only heal spell...wonderful. Now I'll have to be a KE or bring vivienne everytime if I plan to survive hard (or even nightmare) modes.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I was seeing the knight enchanter support thread. The last magic spec I would ever play just gets the only heal spell...wonderful. Now I'll have to be a KE or bring vivienne everytime if I plan to survive hard (or even nightmare) modes.
Mike Laidlaw survived hard mode without bothering to use a single heal spell or take damage and he didn't even use CC, so I don't think heal is as relevant now with damage mitigation.
I simply highly doubt that the top tier mages are unable to freakin' heal themselves.it?
Combat healing is a game mechanic and not part of the lore, if you're attempting to put forth that weak excuse to stuff it into the gameplay, gameplay which isn't balanced by lore in the first place. The ez hels in Origins and DA2 were gameplay mechanics, whereas in lore, healing require's vast amounts of focus, a calm mind and loads of energy, something that's not very practical on the battlefield.
Reason why mages can't spamheal in gameplay? Because they are attempting to balance the gameplay and not design every encounter to brutally murder you which was the case in the previous two games.
Mages are feared period. Yet Hawke nukes Kirkwall daily and no one bats an eye. When Hawke fought Wilmod alongside Cullen the Templar there was no reaction whatsoever. That was the problem. How to have Hawke function in Kirkwall as an apostate and yet still have him do cool mage stuff in combat? Hrmm let's just have everyone ignore it! Ignore the robes, ignore the staff, but most importantly, please ignore the fact that this guy is waving his hands and bending reality. An apostate in Kirkwall would have to fight like a mundane unless they wanted to be found out. That means melee weapons for mage Hawke! Whatever magic they do decide to work could be done discreetly like what Idunna did. That was blood magic btw. Good ol' incredibly powerful and highly useful blood magic. The Grey Wardens know what's up.
During this Templar war i'm sure there are more blood mages running around now than ever before. Good job you brain dead Chantry puppet junkies. Way to keep a handle on things. Maybe none of this wouldn't have happened if you never treated them like born criminals. Just a thought....
Here are some Codex entries from DA2 that help explain the reason why magic is ignored around Kirkwall: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Enigma_of_Kirkwall
Good read. Explains nothing.
Here are some Codex entries from DA2 that help explain the reason why magic is ignored around Kirkwall: http://dragonage.wik...gma_of_Kirkwall
I would like to say that Patrick Weekes post does not explain why we have no mage healers like we had in previous Dragon Age games so they are in fact trying to make us play the game the way they want and not for us to have the freedom to build out team the way we want and fight the way we want.
That entry doesn't explain why Hawks can use even blood magic in front of templars and there would be absolutely no reaction from the harshest templars in Thedas.
Templars are really stupid?
That entry doesn't explain why Hawks can use even blood magic in front of templars and there would be absolutely no reaction from the harshest templars in Thedas.
Combat healing is a game mechanic and not part of the lore,....
Not true. Read the last pages of the Last Flight book. There is a fight, where two mages are involved. Guess what kind of magic they use to survive the fight.
This always irritated me, which is why I didn't play Blood Mage in da2. Glad they ditched it to be honest.That entry doesn't explain why Hawks can use even blood magic in front of templars and there would be absolutely no reaction from the harshest templars in Thedas.
This system is limiting how I want to play the game I paid for. A system that has been proven time and time again to work perfectly is now being removed from a great game due to a bottlenecked imagination. So instead of using a heal I now have to use a cluster of random nerfed abilities that worked far better in past games to do what one ability could do. I understand the change but I don't agree with it. Can we ever get the quality of game that origins produced? Maybe Dragon Age IV or V.
This system is limiting how I want to play the game I paid for. A system that has been proven time and time again to work perfectly is now being removed from a great game due to a bottlenecked imagination. So instead of using a heal I now have to use a cluster of random nerfed abilities that worked far better in past games to do what one ability could do. I understand the change but I don't agree with it. Can we ever get the quality of game that origins produced? Maybe Dragon Age IV or V.
The game is not called Dragon Age: Healquisition, so playing a healer is not the game you are paying for. You have no entitlement to play a healer, any more than I have an entitlement to play a dual wielding Warrior. Your money buys the product they are producing and its up to you to decide if that product is what you want to buy.
Healing as a mechanic worked, but the combat had to be balanced around it which BioWare found problematic. If doing something forces you to build your game in a way other than you want to build it, its not "working perfectly". Fail to see how a complete combat redesign rather than shrugging and pulling in the same old same old is a "bottlenecked imagination". Quite the opposite.
Also have no idea what a collection of "randomly nerfed" abilities means. What I see is mitigation spread around all the classes rather than being the preserve or one. This increases our flexibility in party makeup if you ask me.
As I've said in similar posts I have a lot of sympathy for healers feeling burned, I was similarly disappointed when Dual Wield Warriors were removed. You decide if the change is too drastic to adapt to or you go for it anyway and try something new.
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