330 réponses à ce sujet

[HeroxMatt]

I have a female Qunari Rogue (dual wield), and need help deciding on a Specialization. Which ever one I choose, I probably will not use the focus ability in the tree, because I like the Inquisitor tree ability. Whichever one is the one I decide on, I will have a backstory ready for it.

 

Check out some of the guides here on the OP, if you haven't already. Otherwise, here's a breakdown of Specs in general terms.

Artificer - great for continuous damage via traps and poisons. It also Grants lots of Stamina Regen as a result. Good for mob control, as deals with several enemies as once and has a great Skill called Throw Everything to help manage higher numbers of enemies.

 

Assassin - Great DPS. Stealth focused, utilising the Assassin Passives to gain Crits off each Stealth-ed attack. Very fast as well, thanks to Thousand Cuts, which can hit for (at minimum) 4 times dealing 1000+ DMG in Stealth. Also, you get Mark of Death to deal with Bosses.

 

Tempest - Also great DPS. Instead of focusing on Stealth, however, it has more of an angle toward Reducing Cooldown and Spamming Activated Skills. You use different flasks to get different effects. If you're DW, Flask of Fire and Flask of Ice benefit more than Archer in the sense that the flask's close range abilities are more live.

 

by the way I skipped a lot of details on tempest whereby one can lightning flask follow by fire flask (spam skills > spam again without the need for stamina)

but once that's out, u gonna wait for quite some time before the flasks are usable again.

 

(it is during this window, artificer consistently firing all skills at a constant pace due to other party members criting on mob refreshing your cd)

 

Also, it is arguable that tempest skill lightning flask for your character puts you in slow time and that drags the fight even longer in real life. if only the main avatar's lightning flask animation is like sera which is not possible. heh 

 

tempest archer need to watch and time skill usage sparingly whereas artificer ignores those and spam skills.

 

lastly, I am not really going into the numbers but I tried out tempest and artificer for 50+ hrs on 2 different games and finally concluded that artificer is easier and more fun and deadly compare to tempest.

 

Try it out seriously. you wont regret.

 

What other Skill Trees do you use in your Artificer? Do you focus more on Subterfuge or Poison? I imagine Poison would be way more beneficial. Do traps get the Bonus from Poisoned Weapons?

 

For my own playing style, the idea of a party engaging is what I find most enjoyable.  I've been reading some of the posts on the forum while waiting for the turkey to get done (there is no .5 crit CD reduction here) some folks seem to enjoy having a character that opens a portal to an alternate universe allowing some God like force of power descend into their character and crush a high dragon within 20 seconds, so to each their own. ie: When I finished the dragon at the storm coast with my archer as the last breathing character with only a third of their health and no pots remaining, thinking I just got my monies worth from that one battle that took nearly 25 minutes since it forced me to think more tactically than any game I've played so far.

 

I admit I haven't really looked at Sera's flasking for crits, again, a slight reluctance to diverge from S&B, 2H, Mage, Rogue setup, but I am open to seeing 5-7k hits... ftw!    I also noticed somehwere that there is a bow (Griffon?) that fires two shots at once, so curious if they count as a single 'hit' or two individual (animation glitter), as it makes my head swim at the possibily, though not getting my hopes up.   Speaking of lost hopes, Dalish medium has no slots...Ooof

 

I'm not a big fan of flanking as I find it difficult to get in the right position all the time w/ my Archer. I use the Activated Ability Bonus skills (+30%) and am using Fade-touched Mastercrafts that reduce stamina costs. I have one of my Bow that reduces by 7.5% and another on my armour for the same amount. So that coems to 15% reduced Stamina costs. I like this mainly because it lets me use another Stealth + Activated Ability, which generally counts to killing another enemy.

 

As Assassin, I'll focus primarily on +Crit Damage %. Mainly because when in Stealth it is an auto-crit. So no need worrying about critical hit chance. Also, putting them to sleep deals auto crit damage, too. Anything that isn't killed by Full Draw+ gets 'sleep', so all of my attacks against a single enemy become critical hits.

[draken-heart]

Check out some of the guides here on the OP, if you haven't already. Otherwise, here's a breakdown of Specs in general terms.

Artificer - great for continuous damage via traps and poisons. It also Grants lots of Stamina Regen as a result. Good for mob control, as deals with several enemies as once and has a great Skill called Throw Everything to help manage higher numbers of enemies.
 
Assassin - Great DPS. Stealth focused, utilising the Assassin Passives to gain Crits off each Stealth-ed attack. Very fast as well, thanks to Thousand Cuts, which can hit for (at minimum) 4 times dealing 1000+ DMG in Stealth. Also, you get Mark of Death to deal with Bosses.
 
Tempest - Also great DPS. Instead of focusing on Stealth, however, it has more of an angle toward Reducing Cooldown and Spamming Activated Skills. You use different flasks to get different effects. If you're DW, Flask of Fire and Flask of Ice benefit more than Archer in the sense that the flask's close range abilities are more live.
 
 
What other Skill Trees do you use in your Artificer? Do you focus more on Subterfuge or Poison? I imagine Poison would be way more beneficial. Do traps get the Bonus from Poisoned Weapons?

I am not sure of which one to go with. None of the guides really help with a pure critical build (which I am trying to do) with melee. That is an issue. Which one would be good for a story purpose.

• Assassin: basically a "throat cutter" like in the Chargers.
• Artificer: Trap-girl (not that kind IF you were thinking that), and a sapper of sorts.

I also play casual normally, because I cannot be bothered going higher difficulty, and I prefer story to gameplay.

[Bombadyl]

I'm not a big fan of flanking as I find it difficult to get in the right position all the time w/ my Archer. I use the Activated Ability Bonus skills (+30%) and am using Fade-touched Mastercrafts that reduce stamina costs. I have one of my Bow that reduces by 7.5% and another on my armour for the same amount. So that coems to 15% reduced Stamina costs. I like this mainly because it lets me use another Stealth + Activated Ability, which generally counts to killing another enemy.

 

As Assassin, I'll focus primarily on +Crit Damage %. Mainly because when in Stealth it is an auto-crit. So no need worrying about critical hit chance. Also, putting them to sleep deals auto crit damage, too. Anything that isn't killed by Full Draw+ gets 'sleep', so all of my attacks against a single enemy become critical hits.

 

Yeah it is certainly more situational, but if the terrain is open, 20% added damage from slipping a ring on a finger is pretty substantial.  Typically in more confined spaces or choke points, my SB and 2H provide enough meat shield from anything but the occasional mobby from getting passed them, like the insane stealth templars and (pride demons?) that burrow, as even when I know they are coming and evade, I still get knocked down.

 

Not sure if you have come across this thread, but the arrangement of how stats and bonuses work here compared to say, DAO, are still a bit quizzical for me.  I tell myself, finish a play-through or two for the lore and role playing purposes, then dig into stats deeper, yet here I am looking for that edge.... ugh

 

http://forum.bioware...afting-testing/

 

There is some discussion on the use of Willpower that interests me and might end up being something to consider, at least during crafting.  Also makes me want to reexamine arm and leg pieces for attack% instead of just +dex/cun like those on the tier one crafted scout pieces. 

 

The assassin line is something else I haven't looked too deep into yet, such as the auto crit from stealth, but as poster pointed out, having another crit focused archer (or in my case my 2H) really helps with CD on full draw and long shot, which with my current build allows for consistent 1000-1200k hits and the occasional stealth flank hit in nearly 3k, but still far less than they are getting regularly. 

 

Right now, I seem to have fair stamina pool and spend more time waiting on my CD using auto attacks than I want to.  I think I need to adjust my gear setup as well, as I've been lazy and using drops for my companions while crafting my own, and noticed my rogue as 75% of the armor as my tank and nearly the same amount of health, he is tough but isn't hitting as hard as he should. 

[Novadove]

I have points in dagger, poison and subterfuge all for the passives except stealth and flip which I actively use/

rest of points go into artificer and archery. I do not have enough points at lvl 23 to have poison skill and I don't have flipping shots either. 

 

5k damage is head on without flanking bonus on a dragon in Du Lion. 7k damage is flanking on a pride demon.

that said, these figures are achieved at lvl 23 and I have not finished the game yet.

 

tbh, I did not try to power gaming DAI. it was simply a thought process that reveals the design flaws of that 1 passive artificer has which is CD reduction from crit. however the potential is not really visible and available to low/mid level characters (I am level 20 when I respect and craft everyone crit gears other than tanks on a hard difficulty)

 

it definitely isn't god like. it's just that it makes archery simply easier and fights faster.

 

it is no longer necessary to stealth before every combat and also eliminates the need to move-in to get a "flanking" position.

by the time a dagger rogue got to flanking position, I would have got in explosive shot 1k, long shot 3k and full draw 5k on the mob's face without the need for flanking damage within 1 full archery rotation. 

 

by the time cole got out of stealth and did a 6k backstab on 1 mob, I would have obliterate the whole entire battlefield.

( this is at most only hypothesis because artificer requires the one other dps to add into the crit party in order for your CD to refresh faster; therefore cole is definitely not a good candidate for this )

 

if the mob doesn't die, the only skill I use is elemental mines for buying time to press the stealth button to move on to another save position but that is rarely happening.

 

the whole idea of most damage in the shortest possible period puts tempest and artificer on the same level with all context factored in.

but in a long fight, whichever class has the fastest CD will put that class on top of every others.

[draken-heart]

I have decided to go back to a 2 handed Qunari Female warrior. With a Rogue Hawke and Mage Warden.

 

I will probably try a male Dwarf Rogue at some point, but until then...

[Bombadyl]

by the time cole got out of stealth and did a 6k backstab on 1 mob, I would have obliterate the whole entire battlefield.

( this is at most only hypothesis because artificer requires the one other dps to add into the crit party in order for your CD to refresh faster; therefore cole is definitely not a good candidate for this )

 

if the mob doesn't die, the only skill I use is elemental mines for buying time to press the stealth button to move on to another save position but that is rarely happening.

 

the whole idea of most damage in the shortest possible period puts tempest and artificer on the same level with all context factored in.

but in a long fight, whichever class has the fastest CD will put that class on top of every others.

 

Ok, now I understand why you are using Sera as a crit setup, as it didn't even dawn on me how long it takes my mele players to reach the target, where another archer already has several shots on mark.  I don't have enough points yet to reach that level of crit potential and I'm struggling to keep agro on my tank in some fights, which is another place my 2H comes in, but I see how that arrangement would work really well.   I admit I typically start out very defense oriented until I get a feel for the flow and synergy of a party, then shift to "the best defense is a great offense" mode, which is where I'm transitioning to now. (Go left in sabotage for poison offense or left for the stamina bump and sundered armor)

 

I realized a lot people bypassed artificer in favor of raw DPS burst, but seeing the last two passives in that line that are party centered made me look first, not to mention the getaway's of lantern or far better, elemental mines.  I'll be curious if this line will be as looked over in a month, after people have experimented.

[HeroxMatt]

Yeah, the game has only been out for just over a week so, while there has been great analysis on all the classes/specs on these forums (and others) still a little early to have tried everything in a 50+ hour campaign.

 

Reading through GhoXen's thread, I thought this was interesting.

 

Attk vs AP Theorycrafting

 

Spreadsheet on Attk vs AP: https://mega.co.nz/#...tM3cZHv1pBq8REE

 

Conclusion:

1% Attack will always be better than 1% AP regardless of weapon damage and enemy armor rating.

1% Attack is marginally better than  2% AP while the enemy's armor rating is less than 50% of player's weapon damage.

When enemy's armor rating equals 50% of player's weapon damage, 1% Attack = 2% AP.

2% AP is marginally better than 1% Attack while the enemy's armor rating is greater than 50% of player's weapon damage.

 

Since even at extreme and impossible armor rating, 20% AP still only offer an extra 10-20 damage than 10% Attack. This is not considering the fact that Attack has more utility, as it applies to non-physical damage and receive greater benefits from damage buffs.

 

After much testing and theorycrafting, my regretful conclusion is that AP is overall an inferior stat than Attack. However, the difference is only somewhat marginal. What's been shown is that AP is more than a useless stat - it does a good enough job improving damage when Attack % is not available.

 

 

This would suggest that Ambush, while a great skill on Armored opponents, maybe isn't as beneficial from a stastical point of view. Especially considering it requires almost four points before getting to the Skill, it may not be worth it. Instead, investing in Poison/Bleed/Crit based Skills may have more influence on damage dealt.

 

However, Ambush (50%), mixed with Gap in the Armor (25%) adds to 75% Armor Penetration, which will cut through most bosses. This would be one of the better applications of it. However, I wouldn't invest on creating weaons that deal Armor Penetration.

[Novadove]

one interesting observation is that varric is an artificer. if you are a tempest, based on the setup, varric should be able to do the same. unfortunately, this is not true simply because while a player is in slow motion mode, one fails to notice how fast varric's skill CD.

 

in fact, as a tempest, you are "helping" varric to refresh CD like crazy.

I would rather I be the artificer and be a haste archer than the one hasting varric. (I like varric!)

 

initially I started out the same as you in which I go defensively. but now I am fully stacked in cunning with 91% crit chance without the flanking 100% passive as I deemed it too situational and useless cos AI tanks tend to move the mob to face you whenever you try to flank. I also use 2 x 20% crit damage rings to offset the low dex. (cunning is better than dex in this game for me and is especially true with tempest sera critting like no tomorrow)

[Novadove]

i am 100+ hrs in alrdy =)

[Bombadyl]

initially I started out the same as you in which I go defensively. but now I am fully stacked in cunning with 91% crit chance without the flanking 100% passive as I deemed it too situational and useless cos AI tanks tend to move the mob to face you whenever you try to flank. I also use 2 x 20% crit damage rings to offset the low dex. (cunning is better than dex in this game for me and is especially true with tempest sera critting like no tomorrow)

 

THIS frustrates me to no end!  Also, I've had more than one dragon encounter where my companions respawn from the edge while I'm at the max of my range just out of the blue, no reason, just poof, there they are.   gggrrrr

 

While it is early and the game mechanics are still being explored, one thing I did note from the above link was that rings do not stack, so two crit rings might not be the benefit you think.  Granted, I am half taking the word of someone else, but they seem intent on discovering what every .5 percent does, something to consider?

 

 

Yeah, the game has only been out for just over a week so, while there has been great analysis on all the classes/specs on these forums (and others) still a little early to have tried everything in a 50+ hour campaign.

 

Reading through GhoXen's thread, I thought this was interesting.

 

This would suggest that Ambush, while a great skill on Armored opponents, maybe isn't as beneficial from a stastical point of view. Especially considering it requires almost four points before getting to the Skill, it may not be worth it. Instead, investing in Poison/Bleed/Crit based Skills may have more influence on damage dealt.

 

 

I wish I would have bookmarked a thread I read the other night discussing some of the bonuses of the sabotage tree, namely for archers, but also how the stamina bump/sunder worked with DW assassin, so if I find it again I'll link it as it would probably be of interest to you.

 

Like Novadove, I'm probably well at 100+hours already and I'm several levels below them (I turn over a lot of stones) ooooo look string!  Also found some pretty cool drops though.   Thank the stars I work night shift remotely, otherwise I'd lose 8hours of game time each night. 

[Novadove]

earlier levels I tried equipping 2 same rings the game refueses. however I am able to wear 2 purple rings of the same stats together now. and I think they both stacks. I may be wrong. I will post some pics later when I get back home.

 

Edit: and I saw that 40% of the crit damage were added. instead of 20%

 

the bow I am using

 

 

2 rings of crit hit dmg total 40%

 

 

without flanking on a dragon head using a 185dps bow. this was before I crafted my current 228 dps bow.

 

 

136% crit hit with 40% comes from 2 rings of crit dmg. full cunning gear with crit bow at 93% crit chance.

do note that my hand and feet are tier 2 and tier 1. haven't found tier 3 yet. so I believe it is possible to get 100% crit chance if there is no game cap.

 

[cn3wton]

Whats nice about ambush is that it gives a 50% AP bonus (I believe?). Stack that with some an armor sundering ability, which is 20% AP I believe, and you sitting at 70% AP. 

 

I think comparing building AP and Attack may be the wrong way to go about it. Are there abilities that increase attack? I don't believe so. So I think the better way to put it is that you may not want to build AP if you don't have skills that increase your AP passively.

 

If I am wrong about the total above please let me know.

 

Also I am interested to see what an increased AP does exactly. For instance if you have an AP of 10, and compare it to 20, how much more damage do you do? Do you deal more damage as you cut through more armor? I could probably figure it out but its late and I am tired.

 

I just find it hard to believe that AP is "useless"

[Bombadyl]

earlier levels I tried equipping 2 same rings the game refueses. however I am able to wear 2 purple rings of the same stats together now. and I think they both stacks. I may be wrong. I will post some pics later when I get back home.

 

Edit: and I saw that 40% of the crit damage were added. instead of 20%

 

 

136% crit hit with 40% comes from 2 rings of crit dmg. full cunning gear with crit bow at 93% crit chance.

do note that my hand and feet are tier 2 and tier 1. haven't found tier 3 yet. so I believe it is possible to get 100% crit chance if there is no game cap.

 

That is very interesting, as I've never had any issues wearing two of the same ring, just wasn't sure if they stacked or not, because if this is the case, then that changes things a whole lot!  

 

Have to say, made me grin to see a bow named Dove, cranking out 5,600+ damage that reminds me of the contrarian likes of Iron Butterfly or Led Zepplin.

 

I have looked pretty hard for something tier 2/3 that added dex/cun bonuses, but haven't found any yet, so figured it was specific to the scout arms/legs?  

 

I did a respec to make some minor adjustments and managed to consistently hit in the 1500+k range with most autos doing around 150-300/w a 132 base - 173dps  bow, but I noticed that since I have bull spec'd with reaver (minus dragon) that during longer fights when he starts really putting out some nice damage, my damage skyrockets as well (as does my party), so I'll have to dig a bit into this to see what is actually taking place. 

[HeroxMatt]

Was that a basic attack or Activated ability?

 

Whats nice about ambush is that it gives a 50% AP bonus (I believe?). Stack that with some an armor sundering ability, which is 20% AP I believe, and you sitting at 70% AP. 

 

I think comparing building AP and Attack may be the wrong way to go about it. Are there abilities that increase attack? I don't believe so. So I think the better way to put it is that you may not want to build AP if you don't have skills that increase your AP passively.

 

If I am wrong about the total above please let me know.

 

Also I am interested to see what an increased AP does exactly. For instance if you have an AP of 10, and compare it to 20, how much more damage do you do? Do you deal more damage as you cut through more armor? I could probably figure it out but its late and I am tired.

 

I just find it hard to believe that AP is "useless"

 

Yeah, I don't think it's "useless" either. It takes a lot to get there, but if you're playing the right party/build that can maximise the utility of Ambush (as well as Sunder effects) it's perfectly fine. And you're right, it does give 50% and with Gaps in the Armor as an Assassin, you get huge 75% and that's just off the two of them.

 

Worth thinking about: Crit Damage, Crit Chance weapon bonuses or AP weapon bonuses? with the right gear one can reach 100% of any of them, but not all.

[xelander]

Upgraded Mark of the Assassin grants a temporary 20% armor reduction. Depending on calculation, that means either extra 5% or full 20% AP. As far as I can see, that is the most AP one can get without items. Coincidentally, that's the setup I'll try right after I get my next level-up. 

[tisdfogg]

I've been lurking for a bit in this thread (very insightful) and though I would just ask: Wouldn't it be kinda problematic to keep up the bonus from Ambush in AP build? I mean it only lasts 6 seconds and I don't think it's possible to spam Stealth that fast (I might be wrong). I imagine it would be a significant DPS drop if that is the case. I'm asking because I'm torn between Artificer and Assassin for my archer playthrough. Any advice/thoughts on this would be much appreciated!  

[cn3wton]

I've been lurking for a bit in this thread (very insightful) and though I would just ask: Wouldn't it be kinda problematic to keep up the bonus from Ambush in AP build? I mean it only lasts 6 seconds and I don't think it's possible to spam Stealth that fast (I might be wrong). I imagine it would be a significant DPS drop if that is the case. I'm asking because I'm torn between Artificer and Assassin for my archer playthrough. Any advice/thoughts on this would be much appreciated!  

 

You would definitely have to have Flank attack upgraded. You would use flank to open, then it gives you stealth, use ripping fangs for huge damage thats ignores armor. Rinse and repeat. 

[c3lix]

@Novadove where have you found your bow/recipe? I think I've done all high level stuff now and I've not found such a good recipe.

Also the master sockel effect. I have only found the 10% damage version

[tisdfogg]

You would definitely have to have Flank attack upgraded. You would use flank to open, then it gives you stealth, use ripping fangs for huge damage thats ignores armor. Rinse and repeat. 

 

That's a very valid strategy for DW build and I will try it out eventually (currently my DW char is a Tempest) but I was thinking more about an archer build. Still a nice idea so thank you m8. 

[Sriep]

FWIW Here is my rogue. I mainly go in first, and take out the nastyist looking spellcaster or marksman. Then prowl around the battlefield looking for the most injured enemy to finish off, using stealth and skirmish to turn invisible at will. Rushing to the help of anyone that needs it.

 

Lost in shadow is just so that I can avoid some difficult fights by going in solo.

 

1. Twin Fangs, Stealth

2. Flank Attack

3. Skirmisha

4. Dance of death

5. Sneak Attack

6. Deathblow

7. Lost in shadows

8. Ripping fangs

9. Thrill of victory

 

Respec

 

Twin Fangs

Stealth

Flank Attack

Skirmisha

Dance of death

Hidden Blade

Overkill

I was never here

Knife in shadow

Mark of doom

 

10. Sneak attack

11. Death blow

12. Throat cutter

13. Knockout bomb

14. Thrill of victory

15. Lost in shadow

16. Mark of doom

[Bombadyl]

@Novadove, after tinkering around with a few adjustments to my spec and and not being able to believe I missed the nice tier 2 +cunning arms, (for an amazing bargain price too) I am able to auto hit in the 600's, hit consistently in the 2000-3000k mark and crit for highs in the 4000k range. 

 

My CD is way better but using Sera for crits is a mixed bag for me yet, as when she works it is pretty amazing, but my AI ranged players have this bad habit of wanting to rush dragons for some reason and she is a bit squishy without some armor upgrades and maybe more manipulation during boss fights.   Using Bull to crit is obviously way less, but I've improved his crit rate by 30% without a great deal of tweaking. (it was pretty dismal to start with to be honest)

 

 

A proper bow helps a great deal, and I didn't even realize I had acquired a monster bow grip this entire time and had been using the guarded grip... Ooof  (which is still decent)

 

 

 

Curious if anyone else has an issue with stealth breaking during any shot, or is just part of the game mechanics?   Even with upgraded stealth, where you can place traps without breaking, I still cannot even auto fire without breaking out of stealth.   Not a huge deal as my crit is 85%, but stealth would give me 100% @ 125% damage increase, so it would certainly help a lot.  Passing up attack% (dex) stuff hasn't been as much of an issue with missing the target, but the range certainly seems reduced and I need to get a bit closer, again where my panic button (Stealth) comes in really handy.

 

I would say artificer works really really well with archery as mobs die fast and larger mobs can be controlled a lot more easy than I expected, but I am going to play a bit with assassin for kicks, as an archer is basically a sniper.  

 

btw... the lack of AP you hardly notice when you see 3500k hits float and they drop dead, one shot.

[HeroxMatt]

TIP FOR ASSASSIN STAMINA REGEN:

 

Finding yourself low on stamina often?

 

This tip works best using item upgrades that reduce Stamina Cost.

 

Using the Poison Passive, Looked Like It Hurt, Rogues regain 10 Stamina with each critical hit. Using Activated Abilities with multiple attacks compounds this regain stat. Using Assassin's Passive skill, Knife in the Shadows, any Stealth attack becomes a critical hit. So here's a basic set up, using the aforementioned Passive skills.

 

Archer Assassin: Stealth 20 Stamina + Leaping Shot 35 Stamina  OR Thousand Cuts 65 Stamina.

= Leaping Shot has ~4 attacks of Crit to regain 40 Stamina.

= Thousand Cuts has ~6 attacks that regain 60 Stamina.

 

(Generally, Archer Assassins would open with Stealth + Full Draw. This is still viable. You kill the enemy, regain Stealth and Leaping Shot after, as you won't have enough for Thousand Cuts. You will after you regain stamina from Leaping Draw, however).

 

DW Assassin: Stealth 20 Stamina + Thousand Cuts (w/ Dance of Death Passive). This will give ~110 Stamina.

 

As Stealth has zero cooldown after a kill with the Assassin ability, I Was Never Here, you can easily cast Stealth at least twice.

 

While the Tempest's Flask of Fire zero cooldown spam is still faster, if you're an Assassin, this is a good alternative.

 

Using this build, Long Shot isn't as necessary. An upgraded Leaping Shot replaces it.

[HeroxMatt]

@Novadove, after tinkering around with a few adjustments to my spec and and not being able to believe I missed the nice tier 2 +cunning arms, (for an amazing bargain price too) I am able to auto hit in the 600's, hit consistently in the 2000-3000k mark and crit for highs in the 4000k range. 

 

My CD is way better but using Sera for crits is a mixed bag for me yet, as when she works it is pretty amazing, but my AI ranged players have this bad habit of wanting to rush dragons for some reason and she is a bit squishy without some armor upgrades and maybe more manipulation during boss fights.   Using Bull to crit is obviously way less, but I've improved his crit rate by 30% without a great deal of tweaking. (it was pretty dismal to start with to be honest)

 

 

 

A proper bow helps a great deal, and I didn't even realize I had acquired a monster bow grip this entire time and had been using the guarded grip... Ooof  (which is still deceCurious if anyone else has an issue with stealth breaking during any shot, or is just part of the game mechanics?   Even with upgraded stealth, where you can place traps without breaking, I still cannot even auto fire without breaking out of stealth.   Not a huge deal as my crit is 85%, but stealth would give me 100% @ 125% damage increase, so it would certainly help a lot.  Passing up attack% (dex) stuff hasn't been as much of an issue with missing the target, but the range certainly seems reduced and I need to get a bit closer, again where my panic button (Stealth) comes in really handy.

 

I would say artificer works really really well with archery as mobs die fast and larger mobs can be controlled a lot more easy than I expected, but I am going to play a bit with assassin for kicks, as an archer is basically a sniper.  

 

Attacks break Stealth.

 

On Artificer, I love dropping traps and then Leaping Shot out of the way. And then the PRETTY COLOURS from Elemental Mines!

[Novadove]

when fighting dragons, the problem is AI will always place the 3 other party members together with the dragon.

 

to kill a dragon with artificer in 5 sec in hard mode, this is what I do.

 

when dragon lands, they will usually roar with heads up. during this animation, immediately activate hail of arrow, artificer's special skill. ( I only have 1 bar of mark)

 

after that, open with full draw, long shot, long shot, long shot, full draw. after you have depleted hail of arrow, dragon will have like what, 10% hp left and have not even lift off the ground. add a few more shot and you can have your loot.

 

I wont bother with explosive shot because it wastes stamina and explosive shots is used to knock down enemies to prevent them from running away.

 

I hope this helps.

 

in long fights, artificer starts to shine, giving the thrill and fun of wanting to spam more and more skills due as compare to tempest's constant worry of waiting for skills to refresh.

 

last night I hit 9.8k in 1 shot and 16k overall output with 1 rotation. things are getting exciting.

[HeroxMatt]

ARCHER + POISON + ARTIFICER

 

Tips from Novadove.

Fighting bosses.
Upgraded Equipment and DMG.
Party members.

 

Suggested Party: Tempest Sera AND/OR Varric (for DPS Crits), Aggro Warrior (w/ high Crit Chance), Barrier Mage.

 

This is very much a party/support build. It focuses on maximising critical hit damage to abuse the Opportunity Knocks Passive in Artificer, reducing cool down (CD) for Activated Skills. To make the most of this, the PC will also need to regain Stamina quickly.

 

Stealth is useful, but not necessary. Dedicate 1 Point if you want to. The Artificer upgrade will let you plant Traps without breaking Stealth.

 

In Poison Tree, follow the Caltrops line. Upgrade it, picking up the Looked Like It Hurt passive underneath. Caltrops will receive Artificer Passive bonuses. Cheap Shot is also useful but not necessary at the early levels.

 

At least 3 Skill Points in Poison.

 

In Archer Tree, follow the Death From Above line. This is because it leads to Leaping Shot, which is imperative against mobs. Setting traps and then using Leaping Shot will allow you to deal a great deal of damage in a fast amount of time AND will give you at least 40 Stamina Regen from Looked Liked It Hurt from Leaping Shot alone. You will also receive Stamina Regen from trap damage, should it happen. Pick up the mobility Passive, Strafing Shots, as that will grant you better movement through the battlefield to set more traps. Finish with Full Draw as it does the most damage in the tree.

 

5 Skill Points in Archer.

 

Dedicate everything else to Artificer. For early builds, start with the getting the two Passives after Spike Trap. Opportunity Knocks and then Set Them Up. This will make your other traps more viable and live with reduced CD. From there, get Elemental Mines and the Passive beneath, And Take Them Down - this skill is vital for the build. It grants +5 Crit Chance. Using a team with Sera AND/OR Varric, this is a huge number. Upgrade all Trap abilities.

 

 Fallback Plan and Tricks of the Trade are helpful, but not necessary. Add these at higher levels. The Poison Tree Passive,s Looked Like It Hurt and Cheap Shot - both very good when getting Crits! Also, the six second Sunder effect from Cheap Shot would be extended by the Artificer Passive, Tricks of the Trade by 10%.

 

At least 7 Skill Points in Artificer.

 

Recommended:

1. Stealth
2. Caltrops
3. Death From Above
4. Leaping Shot
5. Looked Like It Hurt
6. Strafing Shots
7. Full Draw
8. Caltrops Upgrade
9. Cheap Shot

ARTIFICER skills

1. Spike Trap
2. Opportunity Knocks
3. Set Them Up
4. Elemental Mines
5. Throw Everything
6. And Take Them Down

Everything else after this is up to you. Long Shot may also prove useful.

 

ITEMS: Using items that Increase Crit Chance is imperative for both the PC and the Party members. This benefits Opportunity Knocks and Looked Like It Hurt to deal as much damage as possible, in between the reduced CD times of Traps and Activated Skills.