33 réponses à ce sujet

[wepeel_]

As a commander, I do not feel success unless my entire team survives an encounter without dying.  People love to post the super-slow solo nightmare kills of KE, but I find the real struggle as a KE in keeping my team alive while countering barrier/guard, and dps'ing when possible.

 

So speaks a true commander.

 

On the other hand, I also think it makes sense from an immersion standpoint to imagine some of the party "deaths" to be just how the gameplay mechanic presents it: someone getting knocked out/incapacitated for awhile without having to be mortally wounded - like Aragorn vs the cave troll in Moria, if you will - and the rest of the party gritting their teeth and fighting on in the face of worse odds. It would feel a bit weird to cruise through the game with everyone on their feet and unharmed throughout every encounter.

[Bigdawg13]

So speaks a true commander.

 

On the other hand, I also think it makes sense from an immersion standpoint to imagine some of the party "deaths" to be just how the gameplay mechanic presents it: someone getting knocked out/incapacitated for awhile without having to be mortally wounded - like Aragorn vs the cave troll in Moria, if you will - and the rest of the party gritting their teeth and fighting on in the face of worse odds. It would feel a bit weird to cruise through the game with everyone on their feet and unharmed throughout every encounter.

 

I agree completely.  But if Gandalf was too busy dps'ing and let Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli die....well, the end would be quite different.  I admit, when one of my rogues takes a dirt nap I don't think too much about it.  But when I lost 3/4 of my team, and do so consistently, something is wrong.

[sillymonkboy]

It's not an issue of race, but rather play style.

As an Elf, either is justifiable and either will get you a little blurb from Solas.

From a play style perspective, KEs are most effective when zipping around the field, using their superior mobility and defenses to deliver massive point-blank damage where they can do the most good. RMs are most effective finding someplace safe and spamming massive nukes from a distance, kiting away if you get in danger. However, you can play both either way if you desire.

[Bigdawg13]

Anyone know if patch 5 fixed stonefist detonator?

 

*EDIT*  Finally figured out how to update to patch 5 and still use mods.  Stonefist is still bugged.  Looks like the Devs have it pretty far down in priority.

[sillymonkboy]

I get where you're going with the response. Rogue is the #1 single target dps machine. But I wanted a mage playthrough to see how certain decisions play out.



I've come to the same conclusion. I have seen countless threads discussing how the rift mage dps is superior given the +30% damage to weakened mobs, but all too common to have weakness not applied, or shock interfering, or worst case a fire-immune mob. Stonefist is bugged. And the real deal killer for me, was that spirit blade has utility for countering guard.

Fight a heavy guard / fire-immune enemy as a rift mage and you'll see how weak you feel spamming stonefist.

I also really think the firestorm damage is super awesome, until you realize dragons move out of it too quickly, and there are quite a few fire-immune mobs.

I admit the KE isn't super high single-target dps, but I feel extremely tactical when I'm playing my KE. As a commander, I do not feel success unless my entire team survives an encounter without dying. People love to post the super-slow solo nightmare kills of KE, but I find the real struggle as a KE in keeping my team alive while countering barrier/guard, and dps'ing when possible.

While Rogue is dps king, KEs can do very high single-target dps. Here's an excerpt of a post I made describing how I like to play my KE:

"I point my quizzie towards the demon, trying to angle my approach so that I'm in line with any other close by demons. Just as it charges up (or a wraith or despair demon shoots a bolt at me), I hit fade step. The instant I pass through it, I torque the mouse and 180 back into it, hitting it with frost step twice. I materialize, hit fade cloak, and drop a fire mine. As I fade back in, the pride demon is hit with massive spirit damage. I swing my blade once, twice, boom! the fire mine explodes. I hit fade step again, immediately whipping the mouse to zoom in a tight circle, again causing frost step to hit twice. Fade cloak again and drop an immolate and slash the beast again with my spirit blade.

Really, really, really fun times."

As for being a commander, I used to feel the same way. In Origins, I would save before each encounter and if a companion went down, I would reload again and again until everyone survived. Eventually, I realized that while a commander is responsible for their troops overall, the individual troop is also responsible to fight and survive to the best of their own ability. We are commanders, not hand holding babysitters. I do my best to make sure that everyone is properly equipped, has their orders (tactics screen), is prepped and ready to perform at peak capacity. In combat, I'll look out for my people as best as I can, but that's all I can do. Once the battle starts, the AI is in charge of them and I do not pause/tac-cam. If a companion does something foolish and gets knocked out/incapacitated, that's on them.

[Reptillius]

Through paying attention and something actually living just long enough for me to see it. shocked plus weakened to sleep actually goes one step further.  I'm not sure if it's the detonation off of stonefist or another shock but I've seen enemies end up nightmare as a next step a couple times.  I'm still trying to get things to live long enough to figure out exactly how I am doing it.

 

 

And my next mage playthrough. I haven't decided a race but I've decided it's going to be a necro...  I just find real enjoyment in making corpses explode.  I just wish the AI on the spirits was better.

[Bigdawg13]

Definitely not the detonator from Stonefist as it's bugged.

[Reptillius]

Actually thanks to another thread bringing something to my attention and I've been so busy. I think I'm causing the nightmare affect on an asleep target with immolate. I will have to try it out a bit to figure out if that's exactly what's doing it.

[iheartbob]

A range based KE who does not spam spirit blade/fade cloak all the time turned out to be my favorite spec in the game.

 

I really enjoyed Rift Mage too.

 

So it may depend on who you are planning to bring in your party. If either Vivienne or Solas are going to be staples in your party, I'd go with the other specialization.