This may sound like an odd question, but how do your ai companions handle the 8 slot limitation?
For example, some of my characters have 9 or 10 skills unlocked and all of these are set active. Will they use all of these skills in battle or only those who are put in one of these 8 slots in the character menu?
I hope, you understand what I mean... my english is not very good...
Your characters won't use an ability that isn't on the skills that are on the active 8 slot bar (except for passives, which are never on the bar). It's such a waste on the PC, since there is no good reason not to get to see and use all your abilities on a bar with a lot more slots. I just pick the 8 I'd use most and the rest are wasted throughout the game since changing the 8 slots would be a pain throughout the game.
Your characters won't use an ability that isn't on the skills that are on the active 8 slot bar (except for passives, which are never on the bar). It's such a waste on the PC, since there is no good reason not to get to see and use all your abilities on a bar with a lot more slots. I just pick the 8 I'd use most and the rest are wasted throughout the game since changing the 8 slots would be a pain throughout the game.
Thank you for your fast reply. Even though I'm one of those "hated" console players, I can understand your anger about the limitation. It just seems not right on pc.
Regarding my question: Wow... I'm 100 hours in the game and never realized that. *lol*
How do you handle it on your companions? Do you choose only 8 skills + passives or 9-10 skills and switch between them depending on area / enemies?
Your characters won't use an ability that isn't on the skills that are on the active 8 slot bar (except for passives, which are never on the bar). It's such a waste on the PC, since there is no good reason not to get to see and use all your abilities on a bar with a lot more slots. I just pick the 8 I'd use most and the rest are wasted throughout the game since changing the 8 slots would be a pain throughout the game.
It's not just a waste on the PC since consolers could map another 4 buttons. Or they could have just kept the fly wheel like past games.
Aw, I don't hate console players personally. 
For dragons, I'll pick the mage who has the elemental that will work best against that particular dragon and I'll chose between my rogues by who can best live through the fight, earlier in the game, but for the most part, I pick the companions I'm using based on if they have a particular interest in the area I'm in or the quest I'm doing. But overall, I pick my companions based on who I like the most and whose banter I like to hear. I'm playing on normal but if I ever play on hard or nightmare, I know I'll need to be pickier about my choices.
I do stop using some of the earlier skills that my companions get, once they get better ones in the trees they are using. I switch the earlier ones out for new/better skills but other than that, I don't fiddle with the 8 slot skill bar much. I do try to get good passives so will use points on skills I'll never use, just to get certain passives. There are other folks who have all the good strategies down to a science so they will have better advice than my low key way of doing things. 
It's not just a waste on the PC since consolers could map another 4 buttons. Or they could have just kept the fly wheel like past games.
Thank you for your fast reply. Even though I'm one of those "hated" console players, I can understand your anger about the limitation. It just seems not right on pc.
Regarding my question: Wow... I'm 100 hours in the game and never realized that. *lol*
How do you handle it on your companions? Do you choose only 8 skills + passives or 9-10 skills and switch between them depending on area / enemies?
Your companions will use any abilities you have set up as enabled in the tactics menu for them. The 8 slot is only limiting when you are controlling the character in combat. If you micromanage combat, then you can disable all the abilities on the active bar and enable the abilities you want them to use when you are not controlling them. So they get a few extra abilities that only trigger when the AI has control. Otherwise, if you let the AI use them most of the time, just put the abilities on the bar that you need them to use in specific circumstances (like setting up or triggering combos) and let the AI handle the rest by enabling abilities in tactics that you want them to focus on using.
Your companions will use any abilities you have set up as enabled in the tactics menu for them. The 8 slot is only limiting when you are controlling the character in combat. If you micromanage combat, then you can disable all the abilities on the active bar and enable the abilities you want them to use when you are not controlling them. So they get a few extra abilities that only trigger when the AI has control. Otherwise, if you let the AI use them most of the time, just put the abilities on the bar that you need them to use in specific circumstances (like setting up or triggering combos) and let the AI handle the rest by enabling abilities in tactics that you want them to focus on using.
That's not how I understood things to work but if that's how it really does work, that's great.
Posted this on another thread just earlier but applies here as well. We were talking about the use of shift/control/tab to give you 3 slot bars.
"meh. PC player who has been using controllers on nearly every game since my first Apple 2c. Controllers aren't what limits you to 8 slots. I played DAO with a rumblepad 2 and a creative xpadder profile. hint you can hit more than one trigger at a time to create even more profile modifiers. You can also use dpad macros to have as many modifier profiles as you can think of. So no consoles aren't the limiting factor. This was a design choice, whether by design or laziness."
Not to mention use of radial menus. With creative programming you can have every bit of control and pre slots that a KB/M can have.
In fact, I argue that controllers are better because they fit the human hand. Lets be clear we only have 10 fingers. On a KB you waste 3 of them just to move. Sure you have more buttons, but is it efficient? To me no. Therefore even though I'm a PC gamer I prefer gamepads. There is no reason why they couldn't have come up with a solution for say up to 16 to 20 quickslots on a gamepad. Totally doable and even if they didn't want to do that they could have used the radial menu to change quickslots during battle. Its not hard.
As far as the use of non quickslotted skills on companions. I wish I knew. I've seen both situations happen within my games, so I'm not sure which way is correct and which way is just bugs. Plenty of times my companions have done things not on the quickslot, but I'm not sure if its supposed to be that way.
I bought the PC version exactly because I was expecting there to be a limitation on the number of abilities in the console version and not the PC version.
@mutantspicy:
Perhaps they fit the human hand, but they're not exactly healthy to use. It can be very painful for me to use controllers. It's the same with k+m though. Working and gaming too much eventually caught up with me, and I'm still hoping for better control schemes in the future.
^Well I'm a bass player. So I do a hell of a lot of worse things to my hands than play video games. But sorry to hear it and get it. My hands go numb while driving, typing, etc from time to time. This is my preference do to my own personal comfort, just pointing out its never been a limitation to use a controller compared the so called expertise that KB/M players have. Its whatever works for you. I prefer the underhand position, because its easier on my wrists, and I feel more natural especially with movement.
For the future.. Remote tablet controls are where pcs are headed, with consoles motion detection. I personally hope both platforms explore both of those options more realistically. Seriously, why hasn't PC adapted motion sensing more legitimately yet?
Eight skills is fine UNLESS YOU ARE A MAGE. But yes companions use all enabled skills, even if they don't fit on the bar.
All in what suits you and, I am a KBM (and a keyboarder/pianist) so yeah a bunch of keys is my thing. Still, I know a few "Bass players" than can out kite and out dance me on the screen any day.
The 8-skill limit is amongst the worse decisions made by bioware in the DA franchise.
I actually agree. I used to be a proud member of the PC master race, but now I prefer the controller for some games and k+m for others.just pointing out its never been a limitation to use a controller compared the so called expertise that KB/M players have.  Its whatever works for you.  I prefer the underhand position, because its easier on my wrists, and I feel more natural especially with movement.
I'm hoping for something highly configurable at the very least. Sitting in the exact same position for many hours is what hurts you.For the future.. Remote tablet controls are where pcs are headed, with consoles motion detection.  I personally hope both platforms explore both of those options more realistically.  Seriously, why hasn't PC adapted motion sensing more legitimately yet?
Eight skills is fine UNLESS YOU ARE A MAGE. But yes companions use all enabled skills, even if they don't fit on the bar.
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