I am trying to decide between Knight Enchanter or Rift Mage. Both sound awesome. I am playing a "good" mage and Necro is a little too Tevinter/Blood Magicky for me.
As a KE, can you still be a caster whenever you want, then move in close and use spirit blade? Or is it more like Arcane Warrior from origins where you basically swap the mage playstyle for that of a warrior? How about Rift Mage? What is that spec like?
KE, you can cast whenever you want, or spirit blade. Spirit blade is much better then any of your damage spells, though. Most spells hang around 200-300% damage, spirit has 200%, no cooldown, tiny mana cost, and gets 400% damage against guard and 500% against barrier. Your own barrier regenerates based on damage, so keep damage output high and you never lose barrier, or at least don't lose it before you can cast it again.
Rift mage, take DA2's force mage and add in a few DA2 earth spells, and you got Rift Mage.
I recorded some KE gameplay, just for fun:
That was on hard, but some players can do such runs on nightmare, too.
I found the easiest way to figure this out is to buy three respec amulets, then spec Dorian, Vivienne and Solas out in the builds you would play for those specializations. Then take for them for a spin against some mobs.
Personally, as much as I enjoy Knight Enchanter in multiplayer, I find it quite dull in single player. Too powerful perhaps and melee can be a little irritating with some of the terrain in the game.
So I've gone for Rift Mage, with a lot of Lightning too. Between them I can do great AOE damage and control. Really tears groups to pieces and helps keep everything in one place for my party members. Makes me a little weak on the boss fights, but its still pretty good.
I'm enjoying Rift Mage a lot. Veilstrike isn't amazing but it's a cheap way to buy some time when mobs are coming at you. Stonefist is great damage, and as close to neutral as you get (I've not seen anything that resists spirit damage, and tons are weak to it). Pull of the Rift is great crowd control, and you can use that plus any aoe spells (Winter's Grasp upgraded, Immolate, Chain Lightning, or Lightning Bolt) to capitalize on the weakened status Stonefist and Veilstrike give, while recouping all your mana.
I don't have lightning cage myself, but I bet if you combined that with Pull and Veilstrike you'd get some sick combos.
Be a Rift Mage.
Rift Mage just feels like a natural extension for the Mage Inquisitor.
I mean here you are with a magical mark, the Anchor that allows you interact with the Fade directly in a way no other living being can...
So it follows that you would, as a mage Inquisitor try to utilize the Fade directly as your weapon and tool...
For one thing, it is a specialization with potential since it is a new school of magic which means it can grow and become better...in lore at least if not in gameplay...
Secondly, unlike necromancer you are not enslaving any spirit to your service, which can be good for your PR and morality...You are just using the powers of another dimension of reality as a tool...It reminds me of the Flash using the Speed Force...
Thirdly, this specialization has no connection to the Chantry and its list of approved magics...It is a school on its own...Quite free from Chantry interference...
Fourthly, based on a dialogue from Cole, it appears when you become a Rift Mage, the way you use magic itself changes profoundly and it is a very powerful change...
Last but not the least, Your Trainer is awesome in her own way...
Finally, and I have saved the best for the last....
So the coolness and awesome factor automatically goes to infinity and beyond...No offense to Necromancers and Knight Enchanters but...
Now onto the Rift Mage Builds, here you go. Feel free to mix and match.
I would leave out Chain Lightning. This shitty spell causes more damage to the party than to your enemies. That is, if you are playing with friendly fire on.
Forgive me for asking but how many hours into the game did you get the quest to start your mage specializations? I'm level 10 and not sure the exact amount of hours, but I just got Skyhold a little bit ago. Do I still have a ways to go?
I recorded some KE gameplay, just for fun:
That was on hard, but some players can do such runs on nightmare, too.
Sweet babies! Knight Enchanter is a beast of a spec!
I am trying to decide between Knight Enchanter or Rift Mage. Both sound awesome. I am playing a "good" mage and Necro is a little too Tevinter/Blood Magicky for me.
As a KE, can you still be a caster whenever you want, then move in close and use spirit blade? Or is it more like Arcane Warrior from origins where you basically swap the mage playstyle for that of a warrior? How about Rift Mage? What is that spec like?
Definately not the spec to choose if you are RPing a 'good' mage.
Granted, I have not yet played a Rift mage. But that is solely, because I feel the base class of a mage is fairly dull to begin with and it didn't feel like the Rift mage did much to change that play style. I wanted something different, so I tried the other two (yeah, I had the week off from work and managed to get 2 mages into specializations 
). Necro is definately my go to spec for pure fun. I don't know how it compares in terms of raw power, because I was too busy murderifying everything in my path with my 'evil' inquisitor. 
"Necromancer" is a bit misleading. It is actually a Spirit Mage. Much more than the basic spec.
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