How do you build your companions?
There are so many nice abilities in the generic trees, but it feels like you should use their specializations as much as you can to set them apart. Additionally, combos are nice, so I like to get some incapacitating effects/detonators.
But with only 8 ability slots, you can't do it all. You can only do two of the three, really: Specializations, combos or other abilities.
I always keep my characters as what they are - I don't respec Cole to an archer or anything like that. In my head I figure that they are grown adults (or spirits) and are what they want to be. I tend to initially build all three warriors the same way and go heavy on the Vanguard tree to get them guard - especially Iron Bull since the AI doesn't play him so well. I always get all of them grappling chain too (am I the only person who goes all mortal kombat and says "Come here!!" from that game? I just dated myself. LOL). With the mages Dorian goes fire, Viv goes ice and Solas goes lightning. All three get guardian spirit/barrier/dispell. Usually someone gets mind blast too just so I can giggle at breaking boxes (thus proving I'm easily amused). With the rogues I build Sera and Varric the same way as well. I think if you let the game auto-spec Varric it gives him the poisony stuff, but I really don't like much from that tree, preferring to get evade and shadow and whatnot.
I let my characters learn lots of things. Like Shield Wall for the SS types, but I don't ever spec it because I know I personally won't use it when I control my companions. I'll give Dorian Fade step, but I rarely use it outside of a nightmare run.
The dwarven banner merchant makes a living off of my Tactician's Renewal purchases. I respec my companions several times per PT.
Except for the first PT. I didn't know enough on the first playthrough to know what to change, and anyway, I was paying more attention to the story and banter than to the skills and combat.
After the first PT, I get more interested in optimizing skills, particularly for combos and passives synergy. I also like to try weird stuff, like Cole deep into Sabotage and Dorian deep into Necromancer. The battlefield gets so fogged up with poison clouds and walking bomb emanations that you can't tell friend from foe. That makes me chuckle.
I tend to initially build all three warriors the same way and go heavy on the Vanguard tree to get them guard - especially Iron Bull since the AI doesn't play him so well.
Isn't that the truth. He can get a little guard from the two-hander tree by upgrading Block and Slash, but he doesn't use it much. He can self-heal with Devour, but he doesn't use it much. Putting the abilities on "Preferred" doesn't seem to make a lot of difference either, for some reason.
When I first got him and didn't know about companion specializations, I went full Vanguard and he generated lots of guard. May have to respec him with a little bit of that.
I skipped out on Iron Bull's Reaver Tree, the AI didn't seem to know how to use it right.
Instead I put some points into Two-Handed, some into Vanguard (upgraded War Cry dramatically increases 2H survival rates with that 200% armor buff), and then dumped a bunch into Battlemaster, mainly the passives and Horn of Valor. He ended up as a good off-tank and buffer.
Also I don't let him drink Health Potions, the guy's an addict.
I tend to try and max (most) of their specializations when they are unlocked, which probably means using the respec amulet for at least my usual party. But that also somewhat depends on if FF is on of off, because if I want to be lazy with it on then for the mages I get more mileage with a mixture of elemental trees, although I will still max their specs. For Sera and Varric, they get nearly everything in their passives either way. Also get most of Templar and Champion either way, of course.
Cole, Vivienne and Iron Bull are my least used squadmates. I did spec Bull fully into Reaver as an experiment to see if the AI could play him decently, but it didn't really seem like it was working out, at least not with the way I setup the tactics. If I were to try again, I might just put Devour / Consume on active and grab most of the passives, then fill out the rest from 2H and a mix of Vanguard and Battlemaster. AI does seem to do ok with Charging Bull now.
Charging Bull works great. I only give it to IB because it makes sense to me. Now he rarely has guard issues and I don't need him to go deep in Vanguard tree.
I also give him Whirlwind and it's great fun to see him use it.
Isn't that the truth. He can get a little guard from the two-hander tree by upgrading Block and Slash, but he doesn't use it much. He can self-heal with Devour, but he doesn't use it much. Putting the abilities on "Preferred" doesn't seem to make a lot of difference either, for some reason.
When I first got him and didn't know about companion specializations, I went full Vanguard and he generated lots of guard. May have to respec him with a little bit of that.
In my current game I'm playing my quinquisitor Hannah as a 2H warrior so I don't use Bull too much. I like to make Bull a weapon that generates guard on hit. I can usually get a tier 3 great sword by going to the Hissing Wastes so I farm Volcanic Arum and Navarrite there and make him a high level sword he can keep for most of the game, occasionally upgrading the rune that is on it as I get more/better rune schematics. I do the same for Cole with daggers. Find him a tier 3 schematic and get him some guard on hit. It helps a lot. But still, those two need more micromanagement than any other character types.
Retour en haut