I am curious about something.
Which is better for a Rift Mage ? Frost Step or Winter's Grasp ?
Winter Grasp is pretty terrible for 65 mana, not worth a spot on your bar IMO. You probably want Fade Step for the mobility anyways on nightmare, and eventually you can afford to upgrade it to Frost Step.
Winter Grasp is pretty terrible for 65 mana, not worth a spot on your bar IMO. You probably want Fade Step for the mobility anyways on nightmare, and eventually you can afford to upgrade it to Frost Step.
Winter's Grasp is good to set up combos, especially if you are a DW rogue as you can set up pretty powerful combinations with frozen + twin fang for example.
Also for a mage alone, using Barrage on frozen enemies is good combo.
Winter's Grasp is not a damaging spell (as all spells in the frost line) but it is good as CC and to set up combos with frozen (one of the easiest to proc since it gives you ample time).
I'm in awe of Blizzard lately. It also freezes and functions like multiple targeting Barrage, plus is a toggle.
My fights lately go like:
Pull of Abyss
Blizzard
Static Cage
Focus fire the biggest threat because everything else dies from blizz + SC 
The only functional problem of Blizzard is that you must beware to not go to 0 mana elsewhere it is much probable it will bug out and not work properly anymore. When it works correctly it is a powerful spell as you can set up good combos with it.
However it is a spell that requires a lot of points somewhat wasted in subpar skills (in comparison to other lines) to come there.
The only functional problem of Blizzard is that you must beware to not go to 0 mana elsewhere it is much probable it will bug out and not work properly anymore. When it works correctly it is a powerful spell as you can set up good combos with it.
However it is a spell that requires a lot of points somewhat wasted in subpar skills (in comparison to other lines) to come there.
Hmm, with Rift Mage, maybe Mana is not a concern for Blizzard. I have to try this sometimes
Just put Blizzard on Solas, you won't have to worry about problems with mana
The passive works even if the targets are not weakened by you, they just need to have weaken debuff so yeah 
Given the mana regen from weakened enemies, is it overkill to take Winter Stillness on a Rift Mage?
POTS are for the weak. So no. Rift Winter is the most survivable build I've played.
POTS are for the weak. So no. Rift Winter is the most survivable build I've played.
Do you keep going in the Winter tree after Winter's Stillness? Everything I've read has suggested the bottom of the tree is pretty underwhelming.
Just put Blizzard on Solas, you won't have to worry about problems with mana
The passive works even if the targets are not weakened by you, they just need to have weaken debuff so yeah
So Cassandra with Crippling Blows/ Coup De Grace and Maker's Will = pew pew pew?
When the first screens on specializations were available many people (me included) came to the conclusion that the Rift specialization didn't seem to offer so much in comparison to the EK and Necro, but damn if we were wrong.
The Rift/Fire mage combination is much probably the most powerful (yes, even superior to the EK/Winter one IMO) and more iimportantly it is even very fun to play (differently from EK that after a while becomes boring if you want to be invincible).
I tried many Mage combinations till now and for how I see it the best ones are in this order:
1. Rift/Fire or Storm
2. EK/Winter or Fire or Storm (well, EK synergize well with all the three lines; full Winter is the most boring however also if it is arguably the most durable)
3. Necro/Fire or Storm (also if sincerely I'm not an expert of the Necro spec yet and so it can be I'm missing some powerful combination with skills atm).
Both Rift and EK are almost invincible but Rift is fun to play and it offers much more damage output and you can do very interesting combos with weakened.
EDIT: Currently trying better the Necro spec to see if I can improve my view on it. If some experts on the Necro spec wants to share their builds please do so.
It seemed obvious to me from the outset that Rift Mage was powerful and fun- sort of your classic, destruction/combat mage. So naturally I was extremely frustrated to find the Rift Mage Specialization quest to be bugged (as it was for many others, I found out) and unable to be completed for me (no Venatori binder/tome at the 3rd location, Venatori binders on, e.g. Dorians quest and elsewhere refused to drop the 3rd one I needed, eventually gave up and chose Knight Enchanter). One of the many things I hope and pray they address on the next patch.
As you said, you play general now. Seems the way it should be. There are posts saying the same about KE .. ahead of team, but that is not the way of Rift mage so to say. Instead of going to fray let fray come to you. Who is your second mage?
About the Rift Mage Combos. If you apply Weaken on a Shocked target (Shock can happen from enough lightning damage or abilities that explicitly cause it, like Chain Lightning) you will cause the AoE Sleep combo.
So for example you could start combat with something like this:
1. Pull of the Abyss (65 mana) to gather and Weaken the enemies (enabling Restorative Veil)
2. Immolate (35 mana) to apply the DoT and regain mana
3. Chain Lightning to Shock (reduce fire/cold/lightning resistance and setup for combo)
4. Stone Fist+ (applying Weaken again) to cause damage, regain mana and proc the mass Sleep combo
5. Detonate the Sleep for another combo using Immolate or another AoE Ability (Dispel from a 2nd mage is another good option)
6. Energy Barrage
7. Repeat if necessary
I'm level 12 on my Nightmare Rift Mage and I feel like a beast. The combos are ridiculous. I spent a good chunk of last night farming the Hissing Wastes for crafting mats with no issue (except spiders lol. Thier poison is brutal on Nightmare). But the wyverns and Venatori have no chance. Everything is either asleep all the time or locked down by pull of the abyss. It basically goes like this: weaken (usually pull)+Dot (usually Immolate) + shock (Chain Lightning) + weaken (Veil Strike) + detonator of your choice (usually Barrage). I also have Dorian with me for the Necro detonators and DoTs.I am currently playing a level 13 Rift Mage on Nightmare and so far I am pretty unimpressed with my character, though I am enjoying a lot the serious teamwork that is required on Nightmare. This time around I need everyone alive, everyone counts. The game isn't very difficult at this point, buy I feel there is a lack of power to my Inquisitor. He doesn't have very high DPS nor can he stand much damage, besides he often depends on a secondary mage to get the best out of the spells.
I had played a Tempest on Hard before and it was the opposite, my Inquisitor was like the sh*t, way ahead of the team. The Rift Mage looks sorta regular in comparison.
I'm finding that Rift Mages need a lot of points to be really good. Solas is level 15, and it's still difficult to get him everything he needs to be better than just a Winter Stillness mage.
Yes, bit that's the problem. Instead of putting 2 points in Winter to get Winter Stillness, you're putting 6+ into Rift Mage. You can't get Flashpoint, Clean Burn, Dispel, Static Cage, etc. along with with Rift Mage abilities for a little while. These are all great tools to have.Have you respecced him into the Rift Mage tree? Because 15 should be more than enough to take advantage of the skills. Like I said above, I'm 12 on NM and farming level 16 enemies with no issue.
Divide your utility between both your mages. I have nothing in the Spirit or Ice trees except Fade Step thus I can have Flashpoint and Clean burn. I use Dorian for Barriers and Dispel. And while Static Cage is awesome it's just gravy on top of the combos you can already pull. There's no need for Winter Stillness because a Rift Mage's mana regen is off the charts.Yes, bit that's the problem. Instead of putting 2 points in Winter to get Winter Stillness, you're putting 6+ into Rift Mage. You can't get Flashpoint, Clean Burn, Dispel, Static Cage, etc. along with with Rift Mage abilities for a little while. These are all great tools to have.
I'm using a non-human companion (who doesn't seem to get many free points; Varric has like three so far, zero for Solas).
Just found the 3 tomes, got the rift specialization and tried out your tactics above.Can’t say I fully understand all the detonations stuff yet but the enemies are now going up in smoke faster than my team can get a look in!! I’m getting all the XP, they’re getting none. Even the boss fights are a walkover, the last boss I whacked was getting clobbered so fast he hardly had time to get off the ground.I guess all the best players are on this website sussing this stuff out eh…..
Since my last post here I started a new nightmare playthrough as a mage and (you guessed it) chose Rift.
I still use the combo above, but have replaced Chain Lightning with Static Cage+. I was able to do so at level 15 with all the required passives/abilities from Rift, Inferno, 2 points in Spirit and Fade Step. My hotbar currently looks like this:
1. Energy Barrage
2. Immolate
3. Fade Step
4. Stone Fist+
5. Barrier
6. Pull of the Abyss+
7. Static Cage+
8. Mark of the Rift
With the passives in inferno you can sometimes have 2-3 (and rarely 4) Static Cages up just by yourself. And yes, they ALL stack (Barrage lolz). Plus the paralyze and ****. Add in 10% chance to cast Walking Bomb on hit and whatever else you like from gear. It makes Storm of the Century (DA:O) look like a cup of noodles.
I'm currently working my way towards Fire Mine to replace Immolate and then probably finish off with passives/spell upgrades.
If that's not enough for you, spec Cassandra as a 2-hander and use her to detonate combos, as the damage seems to scale based on the character's weapon. I've seen her hit for 8k spirit damage (aoe) with her Dispel finisher, using a 250~ dps greatsword.
Quit my most recent character after about twenty hours. Warriors are so tedious. Going to roll a rift mage, My first ever character with a KE, but it was boring as hell after awhile, so I started again and ended up clearing the game with an Assassin Archer. So much fun!
Rift Mage seems to be the magical version of that class. Huge damage at range. What is the best race to roll with?
Qunari for extra Vitaar damage.
Makes sense, given this is almost a DPS mage. Thanks.
Since my last post here I started a new nightmare playthrough as a mage and (you guessed it) chose Rift.
I still use the combo above, but have replaced Chain Lightning with Static Cage+. I was able to do so at level 15 with all the required passives/abilities from Rift, Inferno, 2 points in Spirit and Fade Step. My hotbar currently looks like this:
1. Energy Barrage
2. Immolate
3. Fade Step
4. Stone Fist+
5. Barrier
6. Pull of the Abyss+
7. Static Cage+
8. Mark of the Rift
With the passives in inferno you can sometimes have 2-3 (and rarely 4) Static Cages up just by yourself. And yes, they ALL stack (Barrage lolz). Plus the paralyze and ****. Add in 10% chance to cast Walking Bomb on hit and whatever else you like from gear. It makes Storm of the Century (DA:O) look like a cup of noodles.
I'm currently working my way towards Fire Mine to replace Immolate and then probably finish off with passives/spell upgrades.
If that's not enough for you, spec Cassandra as a 2-hander and use her to detonate combos, as the damage seems to scale based on the character's weapon. I've seen her hit for 8k spirit damage (aoe) with her Dispel finisher, using a 250~ dps greatsword.
This is the same exact setup i use in RIft Mage. For better result, you can try to farm Enhanced Static Cage RIng. It bugged in good way, instead of giving 30% more duration, it gives 70% instead. SC duration increase from 8 seconds to astounding 14,5 seconds !
I am currently playing a level 13 Rift Mage on Nightmare and so far I am pretty unimpressed with my character, though I am enjoying a lot the serious teamwork that is required on Nightmare. This time around I need everyone alive, everyone counts. The game isn't very difficult at this point, buy I feel there is a lack of power to my Inquisitor. He doesn't have very high DPS nor can he stand much damage, besides he often depends on a secondary mage to get the best out of the spells.
I had played a Tempest on Hard before and it was the opposite, my Inquisitor was like the sh*t, way ahead of the team. The Rift Mage looks sorta regular in comparison.
You can't compare rogue to mage damage. Rogue is the damage class in the game. Mage is a utility class with CC, AoE, and support spells. As a mage you supplement the team.
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