Gameplay doesn't support it but I headcanon my dalish apostate being as good at hitting things with her staff as she is casting spells with it. It just makes sense to me that with the life they lead magic isn't always the best option for a dalish mage. KE was a natural progression with her personality and previous training.
And that spec had Revive so it was the closest thing to making her a healer.
^ Just pretend like the staff animations are from DA2. Problem solved! 
Rift for me. My Mage wants to know everything possible about the rifts, the mark, and the fade... Plus raining meteors down on dragons is just fun.
Necro is interesting and the heal on kill bit is handy. But that's becomes irrelevant with the proper weapon upgrades. The rest of Necro is just icing. A waste IMO.
Knight Enchanter makes you a little tougher, which isn't really useful. If your mage is getting hit then you are doing something wrong. That skyrim conjured sword thingy looks cool, but if I wanted to use a sword I would have made a warrior.
I am a mage and I will nuke the battle field and reduce you and your armies to a thin, slightly sticky, somewhat runny paste should you dare take up arms against my Inquisition.
Knight Enchanter for this Dalish Keeper's First who wanted to rediscover her people's past.
I think the devs really missed out on an opportunity by not having followers be your instructor for specializations. That would have been so cool, maybe even get a special personal final quest with just the two of you as a conclusion to unlocking their particular spec. *le sigh*
I think it's an interesting idea - being able to learn from companions and perhaps having a bit of a quest (even the one where we search for ingredients, like we do in DAI), unlike just a bit of dialogue, like we have in DAO in case of some specializations.
However I think I know why they haven't done it in DAI - not all companions are actually good teacher materials... I mean, can you imagine Sera trying to teach anyone how to be a Tempest? 
Another issue is the fact that not all companions can be recruited, which would ultimately lock people out of access to the quest and mean that BW would spend a lot of time, effort and resources crafting quest nobody will care about or see. Then, from an RP standpoint, there's a matter of friendship or lack thereof between companions and Inquisitor - would teaching be even possible if both Inky and their teacher hated one another?
In any event, it is implied that each companion adds something from themselves - depending on the role, we have to go and find a book near each companion that describes the specialization and we can discuss things with quite a few of them, so it's quite easy to RP that they've contributed to Inquisitor learning or honing chosen set of skills.
Knight Enchanter with its lore and backstory of Knight Enchanters personally serving the divines is perfect for a chantry loyalist trying to restore order in the face of the ruthless and destructive rebel mages and templars and for putting down a evil Tevinter cult led by a ancient evil.
Same. My main IQ is a female Trevelyan, so I RP her as pro-Chantry, if pro-reform. She took her role as the Herald seriously, and became a bit powerhungry (subconsciously, she can justify her reasons as for the greater good) so compared herself to Andraste. She wanted to be a female leader of armies and be at the front of any battle, lead by example. And she was not happy about knowing so little about the Anchor, so she didn't want to be a rift mage and basically strengthen this unknown permanent magic for unexpected results. Seeing Your Trainer's fate, she wasn't about to mess with it.
And if we take companion specializations as part of their character rather than just gameplay, Solas repeatedly said that he has walked the Fade more than anyone else and has access to lost knowledge. Trevelyan wasn't confident enough in her Circle training to think that she could unlock the Fade as easily as an elf who has spent much of his life dreaming. And this is before the reveal, of course.
I think it's an interesting idea - being able to learn from companions and perhaps having a bit of a quest (even the one where we search for ingredients, like we do in DAI), unlike just a bit of dialogue, like we have in DAO in case of some specializations.
However I think I know why they haven't done it in DAI - not all companions are actually good teacher materials... I mean, can you imagine Sera trying to teach anyone how to be a Tempest?
Another issue is the fact that not all companions can be recruited, which would ultimately lock people out of access to the quest and mean that BW would spend a lot of time, effort and resources crafting quest nobody will care about or see. Then, from an RP standpoint, there's a matter of friendship or lack thereof between companions and Inquisitor - would teaching be even possible if both Inky and their teacher hated one another?
In any event, it is implied that each companion adds something from themselves - depending on the role, we have to go and find a book near each companion that describes the specialization and we can discuss things with quite a few of them, so it's quite easy to RP that they've contributed to Inquisitor learning or honing chosen set of skills.
Well it's already partially implemented since the companions have the tomes, and if we don't recruit them we buy the tomes in VR.
I would have liked if some of the companions could teach specializations, as that would be more realistic than everyone being able and willing. Your point with Sera as an example. E.g. Vivienne could have happily taught a friendly Inquisitor KE, but an unfriendly relationship means she required the three Circle books returned before she would teach us. And if she's not recruited, then Leliana brings in the trainer. It's unrealistic due to too many resources, I know, but ideally it could be nice.
Then, for companions like Sera or Iron Bull who can't actually instruct us in their personal style, they would still have contacts to people who could train us. We could have to perform a solo mission for the Red Jennies to save a merchant carrying the recipes for tempest potions. Or we could go with Iron Bull to clear out a nest of drakes and find a Qunari informant who has discovered the Reaver ritual. I think this would at least give us more interactions with the companions rather than meeting three strangers and finding three items to return to them.
I also would have liked a return to the DAO mechanic where once we learn a specialization, it's unlocked permanently. Given the Golden Nug, it would have been nice if all completed specializations transferred between games.
Yes, I can imagine it. It would be terrible, and magnificent.I think it's an interesting idea - being able to learn from companions and perhaps having a bit of a quest (even the one where we search for ingredients, like we do in DAI), unlike just a bit of dialogue, like we have in DAO in case of some specializations.
However I think I know why they haven't done it in DAI - not all companions are actually good teacher materials... I mean, can you imagine Sera trying to teach anyone how to be a Tempest?
Now this, I admit, would be a problem, but I bet the devs could figure something out.Another issue is the fact that not all companions can be recruited, which would ultimately lock people out of access to the quest and mean that BW would spend a lot of time, effort and resources crafting quest nobody will care about or see.
Sure it would be. You are the Boss of all bosses, if said follower wants to remain in the Inquisition then they would have to swallow their pride and start teaching. Could you imagine how amazing the tension and dialogue would be? Anyway, I don't want to derail the thread any further.Then, from an RP standpoint, there's a matter of friendship or lack thereof between companions and Inquisitor - would teaching be even possible if both Inky and their teacher hated one another?
This is pretty much how I feel. Rift is the perfect fit with the Anchor. Necromancy, as much as I like it for an actual spec, is kinda creepy story-wise. KE, with the trainer's talk of wading into battle alongside my soldiers, just seemed unappealing (I don't like to melee as a mage).
I always choose my spec for RP reasons, and never numbers reasons. I never took blood spec in DAO or DA2 for the same reasons, and will not take it if it's offered again in DA4.
I miss force spec...
(Yes, I know Rift has some elements of this, but still.)
So do I. I also choose based on what my character would do. I've not played a bloodmage but it's not because I wouldn't it's moer that I've not played a character that would choose it yet.
As for my fave DAI spec that goes to Rift mage. I've played all 3 and enjoyed all of them. For me I like Rift mage most because I usually from a gasmeplay perspective prefer to keep my enemies at range and the Rift mage spec at least for me I find the best way of achieving this goal.
Rift Mage in general because of the Mark and the Breach. Knight-Enchanter for a faithful Inquisitor.
I think the devs really missed out on an opportunity by not having followers be your instructor for specializations. That would have been so cool, maybe even get a special personal final quest with just the two of you as a conclusion to unlocking their particular spec. *le sigh*
In any event, it is implied that each companion adds something from themselves - depending on the role, we have to go and find a book near each companion that describes the specialization and we can discuss things with quite a few of them, so it's quite easy to RP that they've contributed to Inquisitor learning or honing chosen set of skills.
It has to go to Knight-Enchanter for me. I want to get in the enemy's face, hit everything in sight and then zap 'em all full of lightning or set them on fire.
It was a pity in a way that you weren't told certain things about the spec by your companions until after you had taken it. So as an elf I only found out that the Knight Enchanter was similar to Arcane Warrior when Solas commented on my choice. Vivienne also only tells you about its connection to the guardians of the Divine after taking it, which my Trevelyan mage would have appreciated knowing before. On the whole, though, I feel that Knight Enchanter does seem the best fit because it is meant to be for a mage who wants to take a leadership role and be at the forefront of the action.
Rift mage is useful for someone who has an interest in the Fade but, as others have said, if you didn't know exactly what it was going to give you beforehand, would you really want to risk becoming like your trainer? If you could have gone to Solas for advice and have his assurance that you would probably be okay, that would have made sense.
I really couldn't see any reason why I would want to take Necromancer, particularly as I could include Dorian in the party if I wanted to draw on those skills. Being able to heal/revive the party on mass was what first drew me to the Knight Enchanter spec but I then discovered it made my mage a kick a** dragon slayer as well. I definitely had more fun with that than the Rift mage
My Qunari mage was quite a sarcastic guy, who in his story to Josephine about summoning wisps to scare bandits into surrender had me chuckling. He became a necromancer so he could more easily troll people.
I really couldn't see any reason why I would want to take Necromancer, particularly as I could include Dorian in the party if I wanted to draw on those skills. Being able to heal/revive the party on mass was what first drew me to the Knight Enchanter spec but I then discovered it made my mage a kick a** dragon slayer as well. I definitely had more fun with that than the Rift mage
Rift Mage, because regardless of your race/back story, it makes sense for an Inquisitor mage to learn more about the power of rifts.
The flip side is that Necromancer makes no sense for any of the race/back stories. If the human back story had some connection to Nevarra, like mom was from Hasmal after the conquest and dad was the Trevelyan, it might make sense. If the vashoth back story had the family spending time in Nevarra before settling in the Free Marches, that would make sense also. But no, the back stories don't even come close to those possibilities.
But what about Lavellan? I can't make any sense out of a Dalish mage going necro.
Even the justification for Dorian being necro is weak. Sure, he's never going to be a blood mage, but why necro?
So without wild contortions of headcannon, I can't see how necro fits into the story.
Doing my next-gen playthrough, so I am at the crossroads where you pick your spec. Still torn between Necro and KE, but leaning Necro. Played Diablo 3 this weekend, so my love for the Witch Doctor is pushing me towards Necro. Fits the rebel mage sticking it to the Chantry.
Rift Mage, because regardless of your race/back story, it makes sense for an Inquisitor mage to learn more about the power of rifts.
The flip side is that Necromancer makes no sense for any of the race/back stories. If the human back story had some connection to Nevarra, like mom was from Hasmal after the conquest and dad was the Trevelyan, it might make sense. If the vashoth back story had the family spending time in Nevarra before settling in the Free Marches, that would make sense also. But no, the back stories don't even come close to those possibilities.
But what about Lavellan? I can't make any sense out of a Dalish mage going necro.
Even the justification for Dorian being necro is weak. Sure, he's never going to be a blood mage, but why necro?
So without wild contortions of headcannon, I can't see how necro fits into the story.
I don't think there has to be a connection to Nevarra for Necro to make sense, since all of the trainers come to Skyhold. One just has to have an interest in the method, and that can be role-played however the player wants. I can't offer anything for the other origins, but a Trevelyan mage, constrained by the Circle, might want to go for something that might have been looked down on, or disallowed by the Circle and Chantry.
As for Dorian, I think there is a mismatch with most of the specs and the followers who have them in terms how how it's presented. I can see him having those skills, but not that it would be associated with the Mortalitasi of Nevarra. He has an interest in such macabre things, and Tevinter's attitude is different with regard to manipulating spirits and such, even different from that of Nevarra who worship their dead. It is not akin to blood magic, but that is a topic for another thread, and I'll not clutter this one with discussions of it.
Hahaha.
In my first file I wound up as Knight Enchanter simply because I ran across all the annoying ingredients/conditions for it when I was looking for a spec for my mage. That she's a Trevelyan mage sort of makes it work.
In my second file as a Trevelyan Mage I deliberately set out to become a rift mage as a means to help control and understand the Fade through what her Trainer can teach her, and compare it against the effects of the Anchor.
Pseudo-Jedi Knight-Enchanter FTW.
Pseudo-Jedi Knight-Enchanter FTW.
bah, jedi... its an ancient elven knowldge My sacrificed warden was arcane warrior.
Haven't played with a KE in a year, completely different class now with the spirit charges. Necro seems much more powerful this go around. But then, KE does seem a lot more interesting now instead of spamming blade, no so much of an easy button.
Rift Mage, because regardless of your race/back story, it makes sense for an Inquisitor mage to learn more about the power of rifts.
The flip side is that Necromancer makes no sense for any of the race/back stories. If the human back story had some connection to Nevarra, like mom was from Hasmal after the conquest and dad was the Trevelyan, it might make sense. If the vashoth back story had the family spending time in Nevarra before settling in the Free Marches, that would make sense also. But no, the back stories don't even come close to those possibilities.
But what about Lavellan? I can't make any sense out of a Dalish mage going necro.
Even the justification for Dorian being necro is weak. Sure, he's never going to be a blood mage, but why necro?
So without wild contortions of headcannon, I can't see how necro fits into the story.
You may have an inquisitor who wants to build up a terrifying reputation and use fear as a weapon, something the trainer outright admits is part of the spec.
My Qunari became one because he's kind of a troll.
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