21 réponses à ce sujet

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

And I am actually going to use traps and mines....wish me luck.

[GuyNice]

I've been using DW Artificier extensively on Varric and plan to do so for my Inquisitor on my next playthrough. So far I'm loving it. You get insanely fast cooldown times, especially if you take stuff like Energy Barrage and Static Cage on your mages, or bring a 2nd rogue in your party.

 

Spike Trap deals insanely cost efficient (375% for 35 stamina) damage if you use Pull of the Abyss and Static Cage to group up mobs, and has a helpful knockdown as well. I like using the traps to spread Poison Weapons for more sustained AoE damage. Elemental Mines have great synergy with Static Cage as well. My current abilities on Varric (level 17) are:

 

1. Flank Attack+

2. Twin Fangs

3. Shadow Strike

4. Poisoned Weapons

5. Stealth

6. Evade

7. Spike Trap

8. Elemental Mines

 

I'm still not sure which skill I would drop for Mark of the Rift on rogue inquisitor. Overall it feels completely viable when you consider the party benefits, and it's a lot of fun to play.

[FoamingForias]

I've been using DW Artificier extensively on Varric and plan to do so for my Inquisitor on my next playthrough. So far I'm loving it. You get insanely fast cooldown times, especially if you take stuff like Energy Barrage and Static Cage on your mages, or bring a 2nd rogue in your party.

 

Spike Trap deals insanely cost efficient (375% for 35 stamina) damage if you use Pull of the Abyss and Static Cage to group up mobs, and has a helpful knockdown as well. I like using the traps to spread Poison Weapons for more sustained AoE damage. Elemental Mines have great synergy with Static Cage as well. My current abilities on Varric (level 17) are:

 

1. Flank Attack+

2. Twin Fangs

3. Shadow Strike

4. Poisoned Weapons

5. Stealth

6. Evade

7. Spike Trap

8. Elemental Mines

 

I'm still not sure which skill I would drop for Mark of the Rift on rogue inquisitor. Overall it feels completely viable when you consider the party benefits, and it's a lot of fun to play.

 

That build looks like so much fun.

 

How much do you use Elemental Mines and how useful is it? Do you have the upgrade that drains all your stamina?

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

That build looks like so much fun.

 

How much do you use Elemental Mines and how useful is it? Do you have the upgrade that drains all your stamina?

I think that is the goal. Other builds with Tempest or Assassin might be DPS monsters but this seems the most fun with variety to boot.

[prosthetic soul]

Isn't its special focus ability only for archers though?

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

Isn't its special focus ability only for archers though?

Special focus abilities are not obligatory and some are not even worth using.

[Matth85]

Focus abilities trivialize the game. They are not necessary to use. You reach god-mode either way.

And about the question about what to drop:

 

Drop poisoned Weapons if you want the focus ability. The damage is mediocre, and the upgrade only applies to your base damage. 

[Selea]

I would try to go the Knockout Powder + Mercy killer route instead than Poisoned Weapons for the build. Sincerely I don't know if critical kills works on traps but anyway the sleep on enemies fits well the build and if Elemental Mines can crit you have a very powerful combo (and even fun to use).

[prosthetic soul]

Special focus abilities are not obligatory and some are not even worth using.

Yeah but it would still bug the crap out of my OCD though. 

[TeamLexana]

Because of the up closeness of the traps and jelly bean grenade, I think it probably would work better with a DW'r. I got spoiled though and used the elemental (jelly bean! lol) grenade in the mp first with the alchemist and so now I can't stand using that grenade without fire flask which is literally impossible in the sp.

 

Changing Varric to DW to me both feels sacrilegious and with the lack of tactics, very inefficient for my style of play. If I wanted to use the arty skills and constantly manually reposition a character to flank with dw. then I'd do it with my own rogue. Not that I don't love using the other characters from time to time, just MOST of the time, I'd like to use mine, lol. That's just me though, yall play however you like of course!

[Ou_Deis]

How good is Fallback Plan? Does it still restore him to full health even if he gets knocked out? 20 seconds of immortality followed by teleport, plus cooldown reduction skills (maybe shadowstrike too?), not bad... can placing traps be interrupted?

 

I tried using Varric's "place traps while remaining hidden" ability when the rest of my party was just far enough away that the enemies wouldn't notice them... and the game was kind enough to automatically teleport the rest of the party right next to the enemies. And the one trap I had managed to place at an enemy's feet didn't even trigger. Maybe it's time to give it another try, I loved traps in the previous games.

[GuyNice]

That build looks like so much fun.

 

How much do you use Elemental Mines and how useful is it? Do you have the upgrade that drains all your stamina?

I didn't take the upgrade for Elemental Mines, since it can hurt you if you miss the mine toss and leave you with 0 stamina. The mines are very useful, combined with Static Cage+ it deals a ton of damage.

 

I'm still experimenting with this, right now I replaced Poisoned Weapons with Deathblow on my hotbar (this skill does too much damage to ignore). I may end up bringing poison back and removing Shadow Strike, but I think all of these have their pros and cons and are quite fun to try out.

 

As for Fallback Plan, I haven't used it much as it seems kind of a wasted skill, I prefer using Evade to get out of trouble (AI is great with it too, set to preferred), and I don't find the teleport back utility useful, especially as a DW.

 

For those wondering about engaging with traps and "preparing" before battle, I usually just use them I would any ability/spell, since they activate immediately when near an enemy. In fact, that's kind of the benefit of going DW Arty, you can use your traps aggressively since you're right next to the enemy.

[Ou_Deis]

Since I just crafted my DW main character tier 3 daggers, I might experiment with giving Varric my old daggers and seeing if fallback plan can let him tank for 20 seconds while I slaughter everything and build guard. Plus I find Varric annoying at times (he reminds me too much of a parody of myself, perhaps) so watching him get butchered trying to parry and evade (with fallback plan, I might even be able to let the AI do it all) might be fun. Maybe try out an all-rogue party with my Tempest PC, Sera (with flask of frost), and Varric alternating as tank....

[GuyNice]

So after further experimentation this is the build I currently use as a DW Artificier (currently level 19 Varric):

 

Double Daggers

 

Twin Fangs

Dance of Death

Sneak Attack

Flank Attack+

Bloodied Prey

Unforgiving Chain

Spinning Blades+

 

Sabotage

 

Caltrops

Looked Like It Hurt

Cheap Shot

 

Subterfuge

 

Stealth

Evasion

Evade

Ambush

 

Artificier

 

Everything except the upgrades and Hail of Arrows.

 

Planned upgrades:

 

Twin Fangs+

Stealth+ (making it instant will let you apply it constantly in battle for the damage boost/armor penetration).

First Blood=>Explosive Shot=>Pincushion (right side Archery passives. Pincushion in particular should be good).

 

Current Masterworks

 

1. 10% on hit to cast Hidden Blades - this is a major source of damage as it procs really often with Spinning Blades.

2. 10% on hit to cast Fade Cloak - become invincible and immune to interrupts with near 100% uptime (when attacking). This is crucial not only to avoid damage but to avoid having Spinning Blades interrupted.

3. Guard on hit. This one I consider optional and up to personal preference. Min-maxing damage should be Hidden Blades x2 (4-hit and 5-hit versions stack).

 

Why I chose Spinning Blades:

 

While experimenting with DW Arty I quickly realized that with minimal crit gear and a decent party setup, you can easily spam your active skills. So your ability usage becomes stamina capped instead of cooldown capped. With that in mind, I found that Spinning Blades basically pays for itself once you have a bit of crit gear and Sneak Attack (Unforgiving Chain helps to a lesser extent), thanks to Looked Like It Hurt. Using this skill also makes you much less reliant on your party for cooldown reduction, so you can switch around party members without issue.

 

How it plays

 

Combat usually involves alternating between Twin Fangs and Spinning Blades and using Flank Attack to reposition/stealth as needed. Elemental Mines are great against grouped up mobs, especially when combined with Static Cage+/Pull of the Abyss. Spike Trap is similarly effective against grouped enemies, but also serves as a quick interrupt/knockdown for things like terror demons. Evade to move out of **** when Fade Cloak isn't up or close distance. Arty Inquisitor can use Mark of the Rift, while Varric has access to Fallback Plan and Caltrops, and could optionally add Poisoned Weapons if you can fit it in.

 

Overall I'm loving this spec right now, I'm planning to use it on my Dwarfquisitor next playthrough.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

So after further experimentation this is the build I currently use as a DW Artificier (currently level 19 Varric):

 

Double Daggers

 

Twin Fangs

Dance of Death

Sneak Attack

Flank Attack+

Bloodied Prey

Unforgiving Chain

Spinning Blades+

 

Sabotage

 

Caltrops

Looked Like It Hurt

Cheap Shot

 

Subterfuge

 

Stealth

Evasion

Evade

Ambush

 

Artificier

 

Everything except the upgrades and Hail of Arrows.

 

Planned upgrades:

 

Twin Fangs+

Stealth+ (making it instant will let you apply it constantly in battle for the damage boost/armor penetration).

First Blood=>Explosive Shot=>Pincushion (right side Archery passives. Pincushion in particular should be good).

 

Current Masterworks

 

1. 10% on hit to cast Hidden Blades - this is a major source of damage as it procs really often with Spinning Blades.

2. 10% on hit to cast Fade Cloak - become invincible and immune to interrupts with near 100% uptime (when attacking). This is crucial not only to avoid damage but to avoid having Spinning Blades interrupted.

3. Guard on hit. This one I consider optional and up to personal preference. Min-maxing damage should be Hidden Blades x2 (4-hit and 5-hit versions stack).

 

Why I chose Spinning Blades:

 

While experimenting with DW Arty I quickly realized that with minimal crit gear and a decent party setup, you can easily spam your active skills. So your ability usage becomes stamina capped instead of cooldown capped. With that in mind, I found that Spinning Blades basically pays for itself once you have a bit of crit gear and Sneak Attack (Unforgiving Chain helps to a lesser extent), thanks to Looked Like It Hurt. Using this skill also makes you much less reliant on your party for cooldown reduction, so you can switch around party members without issue.

 

How it plays

 

Combat usually involves alternating between Twin Fangs and Spinning Blades and using Flank Attack to reposition/stealth as needed. Elemental Mines are great against grouped up mobs, especially when combined with Static Cage+/Pull of the Abyss. Spike Trap is similarly effective against grouped enemies, but also serves as a quick interrupt/knockdown for things like terror demons. Evade to move out of **** when Fade Cloak isn't up or close distance. Arty Inquisitor can use Mark of the Rift, while Varric has access to Fallback Plan and Caltrops, and could optionally add Poisoned Weapons if you can fit it in.

 

Overall I'm loving this spec right now, I'm planning to use it on my Dwarfquisitor next playthrough.

All hail dwarves!

[FoamingForias]

So after further experimentation this is the build I currently use as a DW Artificier (currently level 19 Varric):

 

Double Daggers

 

Twin Fangs

Dance of Death

Sneak Attack

Flank Attack+

Bloodied Prey

Unforgiving Chain

Spinning Blades+

 

Sabotage

 

Caltrops

Looked Like It Hurt

Cheap Shot

 

Subterfuge

 

Stealth

Evasion

Evade

Ambush

 

Artificier

 

Everything except the upgrades and Hail of Arrows.

 

Planned upgrades:

 

Twin Fangs+

Stealth+ (making it instant will let you apply it constantly in battle for the damage boost/armor penetration).

First Blood=>Explosive Shot=>Pincushion (right side Archery passives. Pincushion in particular should be good).

 

Current Masterworks

 

1. 10% on hit to cast Hidden Blades - this is a major source of damage as it procs really often with Spinning Blades.

2. 10% on hit to cast Fade Cloak - become invincible and immune to interrupts with near 100% uptime (when attacking). This is crucial not only to avoid damage but to avoid having Spinning Blades interrupted.

3. Guard on hit. This one I consider optional and up to personal preference. Min-maxing damage should be Hidden Blades x2 (4-hit and 5-hit versions stack).

 

Why I chose Spinning Blades:

 

While experimenting with DW Arty I quickly realized that with minimal crit gear and a decent party setup, you can easily spam your active skills. So your ability usage becomes stamina capped instead of cooldown capped. With that in mind, I found that Spinning Blades basically pays for itself once you have a bit of crit gear and Sneak Attack (Unforgiving Chain helps to a lesser extent), thanks to Looked Like It Hurt. Using this skill also makes you much less reliant on your party for cooldown reduction, so you can switch around party members without issue.

 

How it plays

 

Combat usually involves alternating between Twin Fangs and Spinning Blades and using Flank Attack to reposition/stealth as needed. Elemental Mines are great against grouped up mobs, especially when combined with Static Cage+/Pull of the Abyss. Spike Trap is similarly effective against grouped enemies, but also serves as a quick interrupt/knockdown for things like terror demons. Evade to move out of **** when Fade Cloak isn't up or close distance. Arty Inquisitor can use Mark of the Rift, while Varric has access to Fallback Plan and Caltrops, and could optionally add Poisoned Weapons if you can fit it in.

 

Overall I'm loving this spec right now, I'm planning to use it on my Dwarfquisitor next playthrough.

 

Massive thanks for posting this. I've been agonizing over what spec to take for ages now (I don't have much time for play so am progressing very slowly) and I think this might have won it. Looks like a great build. Thanks for answering my questions, too.

[GuyNice]

You're very welcome I love the design work Bioware put into the specs this time around. You know they did something right if you can still figure out new and effective ways to play after 200+ hours.

[FoamingForias]

You're very welcome I love the design work Bioware put into the specs this time around. You know they did something right if you can still figure out new and effective ways to play after 200+ hours.

Definitely, the complexity of character creation and design is what I love about these games.

 

Question: Is the masterwork fade cloak the same as the mage version which only lasts for two seconds? Does the shortness of the ability tend to be an issue? Edit: Never mind. I did some research and figured out that it is the same version, but with the number of hits you're getting, probably isn't a problem.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

I am only level 14 but so far I can understand why people tend to go with the bow instead of daggers. Elemental mines would be great if they actually landed where the enemy is as often times they land away from them and are never activated.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

Max out Solas' Pull of the Abyss and Elemental Mines are amazing.

[GuyNice]

Max out Solas' Pull of the Abyss and Elemental Mines are amazing.

This, and Static Cage+. Plus they pay for themselves with crits. They do require some practice to gauge the distance you toss them from. When detonated in a cluster of mobs with Static Cage followed by Spike Trap, things tend to melt. 

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

This, and Static Cage+. Plus they pay for themselves with crits. They do require some practice to gauge the distance you toss them from. When detonated in a cluster of mobs with Static Cage followed by Spike Trap, things tend to melt. 

Most fun rogue build by far and spike trap is great CC with the daggers,