71 réponses à ce sujet

[ThomasBlaine]

Like i said, on paper you can imagine this and that, but playing it is a different thing.

 

Using Burning Man is it just an option. yes you can use Burning Man form for this or that reason and play like this or play like that, in anyway it is not "when you build two handed warrior, put everything in strength, use Burning Man form in the Fade and shoot fireballs", do you must use Burning Man form? A two handed Templar can get through the Fade as easy, provided you have the stats, wearing Templar armor, without even turn into anything. So if want to argue for the sake of arguing, it will be an endless ego battle.

 

And you just prove the point that "put all in strength" build is heavily depended on party set up, or else it will suck. Like i mentioned, what if your Mages can't do things they should? Run out of mana, run out of mana potion, on cooldown, got disabled, dead, ect? if you need Group Heal, you must need Wynne, in order to get Wynne you must go to the Circle after Lothering, before you arrived you might come across pack of wolves overwhelm your whole party, Morrigan is the only mage and is at level 7...even so, yo MUST need Wynne by siding with the Circle, means you have no choice than siding the Circle, or else you MUST make Morrigan a healer and stuck with her for the rest of the game...

 

That is why it is not a guide, it is ridiculous, it is "this is how i play and i want you to play like me", a guide is supposed to leave options to the readers/players, not about how you play and how you're happy with it.

 

Maybe you can solo in nightmare, yeah that's great, but not all people play like you

 

I just played it yesterday with a dual-rogue who didn't stand a chance against four mages at once, and not only did I discover the Fireball tactic in practice but I was also extra satisfied with my rogue for being flexible and pragmatic and using the Fade-granted powers intelligently instead of just sticking to what was familiar and comfortable.

 

I don't see how feeling that you have to build and equip your character specifically to fight those particular mages raw is less restricting than having to use the Burning Man for two minutes.

 

Morrigan has Mind Blast from the get-go, an instant-stun with AOE and Force Field as the next talent in the tree, not to mention Winter's Grasp. Dog has Howl to the same effect. Dirty Fighting, another instant stun, is practically mandatory for rogues. Sten has Pommel Strike which staggers, interrupting both ogres and wolves as well. Alistair's various staggers and stuns and knockdowns do the same. Wynne has Stonefist. And yes, then there's Indomitable. And again, lyrium potions are EVERYWHERE. I haven't bought a single one in my entire playthrough, I have 17 minor and 5 average lyrium potions going into Orzammar at level 10 and I haven't even been careful about using them. There's no excuse for running out of mana.

 

It's not "depending on party setup" when it's harder to set your party up not to have anything to do in a given situation. Every class and build is pretty much screwed if they're playing solo and is grabbed by an ogre or overwhelmed by wolves, that's not a particular weakness of the "all in strength" mentality. And if your two-handed warrior really is crushed by an ogre at some point in the game because you truly did run out of options, so what? It doesn't mean the character isn't perfectly viable. It doesn't mean your character is defective against ogres. It doesn't even mean you've lost that fight.

 

My rogue has been killed by archers, spells and normal attacks several times over at this point. I think I won five out of six of those battles regardless,  not one of them involved wolves or ogres and not one of them convinced me that my rogue isn't the most badass character in the party.

[dainbramage]

FWIW, I'm on the 100% strength train. I've also taken a 2H warrior through the entire game on nightmare, solo (alongside most other builds... I've spent an unhealthy amount of time on this game). Every point went into strength.

 

Dex gets better the more you have. That is to say, the difference between being hit 100% of the time and 90% of the time is not significant. The difference between being hit 15% of the time and 5% of the time is. For dex to pay off, you need to have a lot of it. If you do this on a 2h you will hit like a wet noodle.

 

Con is honestly the worst stat in DA:O. In a game with potions and healing spells, taking less damage is far better than having a higher health pool. You get enough hp from level ups to survive bursts - my solo warriors (none of whom put a single point in con) all finished the game with 350-400 hp.

 

Will is the same thing. In DA:O you have natural regen, particularly at low stamina. 10 willpower gets me one extra mighty blow before I'm out - 10 strength gets me 5 attack and ~8 damage. This not only applies to talents made with my stamina pool, but also all regenerated stamina. But that's ignoring the real reason here, which is deathblows. From level 12 you get stamina back from killing things. Higher strength = less stamina expended to kill something, and if you hit hard enough then you can get back more stamina from killing something than you expended.

 

Cunning (past 16) and magic are only useful for rogues and mages respectively. So obviously not them.

 

Lastly, dex and con are mentioned here as defensive stats, so that when you're being hit you don't die as quickly. Here's why strength is also a defensive stat:

• Early on, higher strength = higher armour.
• All your cc talents are tested against strength. The higher your strength, the more likely your knockdowns are to succeed, and the more likely you'll debuff enemies' attack.
• If you want to reduce your damage taken, consider that dead things can't hit you.

 

i. two handed auto-attack is slow, even if you have high damage, you can't beat Rogue DPS in anyway, so if your intention to put extreme strength for high damage it is a moot effort because Rogue is far better in DPS

 

ii. your character cannot get it's full potential and always depends on companions for survival, if your companions down, your character will go down like domino...low health, low stamina, low defense...get overwhelmed by wolves or werewolves, grabbed by orges or curse of mortality by emissaries, will dead in seconds if your companions too late to do anything

 

iii. you will likely reload many times in the Fade because those mages can one shot kill you

 

iv. because of low stamina, you can't do power attacks often, chain lighting or lightning will de-buff your Indomitable because it drain large portion of your stamina making your character useless. You also can't benefit from specializations because of that

 

i. Yes, a backstabbing cunning rogue has the highest DPS in the game. Assuming the enemy can be flanked, isn't immune to backstabs, isn't aggroing the rogue, and that the rogue isn't disabled in some manner, has a warrior to tank for him and has attack buffs provided by a friendly mage. That still doesn't mean other characters shouldn't aim for damage. Two-handers have poor dps on paper, but their reliability really kicks up them several notches.

 

ii. Really? In my experiences 2h don't rely on party members at all.

 

iii. Fire form is immune to most enemy spells and its fireball one-shots pretty much everything. Golem is even more ridiculous.

 

iv. See above, though a single lightning/CL isn't enough to wipe out your stamina either way. And if you're fighting mages first thing you should do is bob them with your pommel, then kill them before they can stand up. As for specs, in what sense, using their talents? Templar's main benefit is wearing knight commander's plate, reaver's talents are cheap. Champion's talents come late enough you'll have plenty of stamina anyway. As for berserker, which you've said you sometimes go. Honestly I think this is crap on a 2h (8 damage is far better on a DW attacking 5x faster), but the spec gives you 8 damage in exchange for 20 upkeep, 5% fatigue, and -2 stamina regen. This is a worse deal than getting strength instead of willpower.

 

To get those items you must travel throughout Ferelden and fight through enemies, it is like saying "you don't need invest in anything before you fight darkspawns, abominations, dragons, ect...and having tons of gold to buy....then you get all those stuff, so yeah"

 

Early on, until level 8 or so, you want all your points in strength to wear the heaviest possible armour anyway. By that point, if you want, you can have executioner's helm, warden commander boots and knight-commander's plate. 100 stamina between them, and a better option than putting 20 points in will. After 3 main quests you have access to a maul with +75 stamina.

 

That also, to me, kinda shows the comparative strength of strength (heh). You can find boots that give +50 stamina, or a ring with +10 vit (and +3 armour, +3 hp regen). But imagine how overpowered +10 str boots or a ring would be, or a +15 str dragonbone weapon. Not even awakening has items with str buffs that big. 

[NRO TYN]

Soooooooo I guess all strength is till the way to go?

[Mike3207]

Soooooooo I guess all strength is till the way to go?

Yes, you want to go all strength with 2h. I have gone 50/50 and ended up with 60 str and 60 dex with other warriors but I'm not sure that would be best with 2h.

 

@dainbramage. 2 armor chestpieces give you +8 strength, the complete Sentinel set gives you +14, +8 for the boots alone. I still have the Legion of the Dead Heraldry give me +20 to all stats, including strength. THat's only on console though.

[Qis]

Soooooooo I guess all strength is till the way to go?

 

No, put 2 Strength each level ups, 1 for others, you won't regret it.

 

Even if in vanilla only, there are 25 levels, at the end (without Fade and items bonus) you get 50 Strength, that's already high, and enough. More than 50 don't make much difference. Maximum Strength required for two handed talent is 40 (in vanilla)

 

Invest in other stats makes your two handed warrior more stable and for role-play

 

Have enough Cunning will open up new dialogues and detect traps without Rogues, have enough Magic makes your potions more effective, have enough Willpower makes you can use power attacks often and activate buffs without relying on not easy to get items.

 

When you filled up other stats, then wear those high end items when you get them, your character will become far better than all Strength min max character

[capn233]

Soooooooo I guess all strength is till the way to go?

 

Too bad they don't have the poll function anymore.

 

There is a range of things that will work.  I prefer all strength.

[Qis]

50 Strength already giving high damage if damage is the only thing you cared about, more than that don't give much difference

 

Remember that to handed talents can ignore enemy armor rating, can stun, deal more damage to undead, trees and golems (with fix mod), so having more than 50 is not as grand as you might think.

 

At the end game, darkspawns are one hit killed anyway

[RiverHillBlue1]

I'm in the middle of a 2H Templar warrior on Nightmare difficulty and I've gone 99.9% strength. (except 1 cunning to get to 12).  For the record I'm doing a no DLC play through, no item duping, no money glitiching, no lyrium potion making/selling.  It's just fine like most say.  While I'm not solo, the game is going smooth.  Wynne needs to cast Force Field every now and then when I get Overwhelmed (that move is good) but it is what it is.  Wade's Superior Dragon Scale makes her unbelievable.  I'm still using her original staff at level 19 due to lack of money.  My 2H Templar can 2H sweep, Holy Smite and Pommel Strike mobs for cc and Death Blow restores stamina.  It's not brainless but it's a legit most strength build.  

 

I'm using Knight Commander's Plate, Andruil's Blessing, Spellward, Key to the  City, and finally Warrior's Ring to boost stats.  While I cannot comment on solo I would say all strength is the way to go for 2H with a party.  I'm almost at level 19 and it only gets easier.  I'm using the mediocre Berserker as my second spec for extra damage.  It's just okay.

 

You can get enough Willpower and Constitution from gear I think without putting points into them.  The order you perform quests can be a big deal, especially in a no DLC run like I'm doing on nightmare.  Orzammar gives so many good stuff early, even if you don't finish the quest.  If I didn't have Wynne it may be different but I'm doing fine on Nightmare with no DLC or money glitching and trash mobs do nothing but die to my buttons.  

 

2H warrior is probably my second favorite to mage, which obviously points the finger and laughs at the game. When I need a 2H companion, Sten is one of my favorite companions because you get him early and can go all strength.  A second spec would be nice but he just destroys people the longer he goes.  

 

All strength isn't the only way to go but I'm a believer.  Hit rate and damage/cc is fine mid to late game.  If nothing else we're still talking about this great game 6 and 1/2 years later right?  Give us tactics in DA4!!!

[capn233]

50 Strength already giving high damage if damage is the only thing you cared about, more than that don't give much difference

 

I suppose it is relative.

 

My last 2H had 98 Str (90+8) when I did the Battle of Denerim.  There I could usually kill white ogres with Sunder Armor and Mighty Blow only.  At most it would take an extra auto attack.  Alternatively, Sunder Arms, Mighty Blow and an auto attack.  This was with CGM.

 

This was basically an all strength build, although I know I had a point in Cunning (for Coercion), might have had a stray or two in Will.  I am pretty sure it was basically "2 shotting" the white ogres in the Deep Roads as well, but I would need to reload and look at Str there, level, etc.

 

I don't know how many extra hits various units will take with only 50 Str (assuming base, so 58 or whatever total), but that seems pretty low to me.  Also seems like you would need to run greatsword over maul for higher base damage (but lower attribute modifier).

[Qis]

I am using calculator here

 

http://social.bioware.com/project/353/

 

This is example of character planer using calculator above, this below are BASE only for vanilla (77 points to invest on Human Noble). Invest Strength by 2:1 ratio

 

Level 25

 

STR : 68

DEX : 20

WILL: 17

MAG :14

CUN : 13

CON : 16

 

Now isn't this already high enough?

 

Key to the City will add 2 to all, Warrior ring add 2 to STR and DEX, The Fade add 4 STR, DEX and WILL, 2 MAG, 5 CUN and 2 CON, Champion spec add 1 CUN, Templar spec  add 2 MAG...add all up just that becomes

 

STR : 76

DEX : 28

WILL: 21

MAG :20

CUN : 20

CON : 20

 

Isn't that enough? That's good already without invest everything into Strength, your character become a good Champion-Templar that rock the whole Ferelden

 

Feel free to to adjust above value suite your need using that calculator, above is just an example...put everything into Strength is RIDICULOUS

[capn233]

That's my question, what is the threshold for enough?  You want high burst / spike damage to require as few swings as possible.  Killing elites with a quick chain of 2 talents is better than 3 or 4.

 

This would be like a powerful single shot weapon vs an automatic in a shooter.  For example something like Javelin vs Hurricane in Mass Effect 3.  Javelin has base DPS of ~600, Hurricane is more like 900.  But with proper damage buff Javelin crosses the damage threshold to one-shot a variety of enemies, so that doesn't matter as much in practice.  It's just that Javelin is firing every 2.2 seconds instead of continuously.

 

If I skimped on damage and it required 1.1 shots per enemy, or 2.1 for elites, I am wasting time and letting the Hurricane catch up.

 

Getting back to DAO: My last 2H had these stats at Battle of Denerim.  I think I put several extra points into Cun to get higher Coercion earlier.  Not necessary.

 

Level 23

 

Str 98 (90+8)

Dex 24 (18+6)

Will 27 (14+13)

Magic 19 (13+6)

Cun (18+7)

Con 31 (15+16)

 

CGM

Helm of Honnleath, Evon's / Wades Superior Dragonscale mixed set

Andruil's, Spellward, Key to the City, Lifegiver,

 

Spellward gives 5 Will (in addition to 30% spell resistance, why wouldn't anybody run this), and if you want Con slap on Lifegiver for +10.  What gear is there for +10 Str?

 

I very well may not have bothered running Lifegiver in this battle and took bonus damage ring instead, but I was running that battle solo.

 

The defense difference between 28 Dex and 24 or even 18 isn't going to be noticeable, and the gap is lower earlier game when the difference is fewer points.

 

18 post-fade Con vs 15 post-fade Con is a 15 hp difference.

 

How do any of these differences make pure Str obsolete?

[Qis]

Like i mentioned before...sigh...

 

Evon the Greatmail = 107 gold

Andruil Blessing = 106 gold

Spellward = 87 gold

Lifegiver = 87 gold

 

Where do you get 387 gold? From THE GLITCH or from THE EXPLOIT?

 

Oh not to mention...

 

Evon the Greatmail is at Denerim

Andruil Blessing is at Mage Tower

Lifegiver is at Orzamar

 

Before you go to those places you got overwhelmed by wolves, got blasted by Emissaries, got assassinated by Loghain bounty hunters, got eaten by dragon ect ect

 

So don't give me those numbers, all these so called guides are total BS

[NRO TYN]

Like i mentioned before...sigh...

 

Evon the Greatmail = 107 gold

Andruil Blessing = 106 gold

Spellward = 87 gold

Lifegiver = 87 gold

 

Where do you get 387 gold? From THE GLITCH or from THE EXPLOIT?

 

Oh not to mention...

 

Evon the Greatmail is at Denerim

Andruil blessing is at Mage Tower

Lifegiver is at Orzamar

 

before you go to those places you got overwhelmed by wolves, got blasted by Emissaries, got assasinated by Loghain bounty hunters

 

So don't give me those numbers, all these so called guides are total BS

 

This is something I wanna know also. I've been careful not to buy any unnecessary things like injury kits, and potion bombs, but I still can't see myself saving up to get everything. I really don't wanna have to use cheats or exploits as thats just a cheap way to beat the game.

 

I also have yet to buy any tomes, but man do I need them.

[Qis]

This is something I wanna know also. I've been careful not to buy any unnecessary things like injury kits, and potion bombs, but I still can't see myself saving up to get everything. I really don't wanna have to use cheats or exploits as thats just a cheap way to beat the game.

 

I also have yet to buy any tomes, but man do I need them.

 

In vanilla, you have 24 perk points to invest on talents for 25 level, this is enough to fill in the default perks, you get one default perk free at the beginning such as Shield Bash for Warrior and Dirty fighting for Rogue. You also get free perks point by plot such as The Joining, saving Redcliff...tomes are just for extra talents you want,  especially if you play as a Mage who want a lot of spells. You don't really need those tomes, but if you want to unlock achievements just by one, use then reload

 

And in vanilla, you can't get everything if play normally...but maybe if you don't recruit anyone you can sell all those excessive equipment you usually give to companions, that might give you extra golds...but still only enough to buy one or two stuff, don't know...well if you recruit Sten, he have nothing, it is you who give him everything isn't it? So don't recruit Sten and sold those stuff you usually give him

[capn233]

Like i mentioned before...sigh...

 

Right, you keep mentioning the same things that have nothing to do with the viability of all strength vs whatever mixed allocation you created.
 

Evon the Greatmail = 107 gold
Andruil Blessing = 106 gold
Spellward = 87 gold
Lifegiver = 87 gold

 

Your first assumption is that all of this is required to begin with, or that it is purchased at the beginning of the game. You do not need all of that gear for the character to be viable, especially if you aren't solo.

You keep claiming that pure strength doesn't work for whatever reason, and that all the people through the years who played all Str 2H builds somehow didn't notice it didn't work.  What explanation is there for this?
 

Oh not to mention...
 ...
 
Before you go to those places you got overwhelmed by wolves, got blasted by Emissaries, got assassinated by Loghain bounty hunters, got eaten by dragon ect ect

So don't give me those numbers, all these so called guides are total BS

 

Where are your numbers? You have repeatedly made vague claims that all Str 2H doesn't work, but where is the proof?
 

You show a 3 point investment in Con relative to the character I posted.  That's only 15 health difference between the two characters with the same gear.  You're going to have to explain how early you get these three points given that Warrior gains 6 health per level, and the later you invest the Con point, the less relative value it adds.  Are you going to claim you take it extremely early game?  Doing so delays unlocking talents and going to heavier armor.  If you spread out allocating those three points to early, mid, and late game the difference between pure Str and your mixed build is barely anything.

 

Let's look at Dex.  6 points allocated.  Post fade 24 sans gear.  2H Str build will have 18 dex sans gear.  Again, how many extra attacks are you dodging with 6 more defense?  Something like 83 defense vs 77 defense at 25, no gear bonus.  When are these points allocated to Dex?  If they are evenly split over the game, how does 2 extra defense transform non-viable 2H Str build into unstopple mixed attribute build that dodges all the overwhelms from wolves?

 

Against enemy with 100 attack rating:

 

77 defense = 77% chance to be hit

83 defense = 71% chance to be hit

 

This isn't very different.

 

Of course there is the matter of how many extra attacks do you have to defend when you are killing the enemies at a lower rate due to lower damage per swing?

 

If you are going to claim 2H pure Str build isn't viable, where is some actual evidence or number crunching to prove this?

 

Nobody says you can't run 2H investing in various attributes, and if your build works for you fine.  What has been said repeatedly is that all Str does work on this character, and many of us prefer it.

[RiverHillBlue1]

@NRO TYN

 

I've purchased 1 Tome, Knight Commander Plate, Andruil's Blessing, Spellward, Lifegiver, Great Chasind Maul, all the backpacks, and a couple of bomb recipes without any glitches or exploits.  I'm currently about halfway through the deep roads at level 19, having done all of the other treaty quests and DLC missions.  

 

I just prioritize what my team needs and get one item at a time, all while leveraging a lot of good free gear you get throughout the game.  I've found opening up Orzammar early gives such a good boost to gold and loot early (Ageless, Key to the City, Knight Commander Plate, Gloves of Diligence, Champion Shield).

[Qis]

I don't say all Strength isn't viable, i say it is ridiculous.

 

I find out that investing in DEX does blocking enemy attacks by Two Handed, i don't know how the game calculate behind the scene, but it does, and my two handed character less likely taking damage, enemy attacks just passing through.

 

What i am suggesting to OP is a more stable character, a character that more likely to survive practically, than just imagining things by numbers, it is not about on paper, but what on screen.

 

Min max posters like you love numbers isn't it?

 

Okay, for HN, at level 1, you put the free 5 all into Strength and only invest 3 points each level up on CON to level 8 and stop until level 25

 

13 CON = 115 health,

at level 8 with 30 CON = 242 health,

at level 25 with 30 CON = 344 health

 

if you only add 1 point each level up to level 8 and stop until level 25

 

13 CON = 115 health

at level 8 with 20 CON = 192 health

at level 25 with 20 CON = 294 health

 

if you don't invest in CON at all up to level 25,

 

13 CON = 115 health

at level 8, 13 CON = 157 health

at level 25, 13 CON = 259 health

 

How is that a "little difference" as you and min maxer claim?

 

Above is just basic level ups, add items and bonus it will make a huge difference

[dainbramage]

^ A level 8 char with 157 hp and massive armour is tankier than one with 242 hp and light.

At higher levels, yeah I think the difference is negligible. That's like a single medium poultice.

Counter question. How much hp do you think you save in a fight by hitting more reliably with cc? Or just killing things faster? That 17 con is equivalent to 8.5 acc, 17% on cc checks, and 13 damage

Edit: also what's with the money questions? I don't sell dlc items, use any exploits or abuse crafting and I can afford pretty much anything I want. The only "necessity" for a 2h is a big piece of armour, and it just so happens the best one is available straight out of lothering dirt cheap

[NRO TYN]

@NRO TYN

 

I've purchased 1 Tome, Knight Commander Plate, Andruil's Blessing, Spellward, Lifegiver, Great Chasind Maul, all the backpacks, and a couple of bomb recipes without any glitches or exploits.  I'm currently about halfway through the deep roads at level 19, having done all of the other treaty quests and DLC missions.  

 

I just prioritize what my team needs and get one item at a time, all while leveraging a lot of good free gear you get throughout the game.  I've found opening up Orzammar early gives such a good boost to gold and loot early (Ageless, Key to the City, Knight Commander Plate, Gloves of Diligence, Champion Shield).

So Far I've brought the backpacks at Ostagar, the Circle, and from Bodahn, and if iirc I got one at Lothering also. But I went to the circle first for the stat boost, and did Redcliff up to the point of saving Connor, and now planning on getting Shale before I got to Ozarmar. But I'm planning on getting Shale and doing some side quest cause I wanna get her approval up cause I wanna side with Branka. ANYWAY do you think its still possible for me to buy those equipment? I currently have 24 gold.

 

I don't say all Strength isn't viable, i say it is ridiculous.

 

I find out that investing in DEX does blocking enemy attacks by Two Handed, i don't know how the game calculate behind the scene, but it does, and my two handed character less likely taking damage, enemy attacks just passing through.

 

What i am suggesting to OP is a more stable character, a character that more likely to survive practically, than just imagining things by numbers, it is not about on paper, but what on screen.

 

Min max posters like you love numbers isn't it?

 

Okay, for HN, at level 1, you put the free 5 all into Strength and only invest 3 points each level up on CON to level 8 and stop until level 25

 

13 CON = 115 health,

at level 8 with 30 CON = 242 health,

at level 25 with 30 CON = 344 health

 

if you only add 1 point each level up to level 8 and stop until level 25

 

13 CON = 115 health

at level 8 with 20 CON = 192 health

at level 25 with 20 CON = 294 health

 

if you don't invest in CON at all up to level 25,

 

13 CON = 115 health

at level 8, 13 CON = 157 health

at level 25, 13 CON = 259 health

 

How is that a "little difference" as you and min maxer claim?

 

Above is just basic level ups, add items and bonus it will make a huge difference

 

I have to admit, so far since the first answer I gotten I've been putting points into all strength, but more of a 2:1, 3:0, 2:1 ratio. And I gotta say my guy keeps missing and dying after he gets swarmed by two to three enemys and its not fun. But heres where my guy is now stats wise, his strength is really 40, and can I salvage him to make him more sturdy.

[capn233]

I have to admit, so far since the first answer I gotten I've been putting points into all strength, but more of a 2:1, 3:0, 2:1 ratio. And I gotta say my guy keeps missing and dying after he gets swarmed by two to three enemys and its not fun. But heres where my guy is now stats wise, his strength is really 40, and can I salvage him to make him more sturdy.

 

What may be getting partially obscured with this build argument is that 2H is pretty micro intensive, and knowing when to use what talent is more important than a stray attribute point here or there.

 

Berserker is not that great of a specialty for 2H.  I took it on my last 2H though, sort of just to take it.  More damage is nice, but it doesn't scale well with attack speed, and Berserk robs a lot of stamina regen that you need early.  Templar would have made your life a little easier, especially if you were willing to bypass the bounty hunters in the Frostback Mountains in order to buy Knight Commander Plate for 27 gold, 24 silver.  18.9 armor, 40% spell resist, and 5 willpower for just that piece.  But it is more than possible to work around this Berserker spec.

 

As far as missing goes, it looks like you invested something like 5 in Con.  That's 2.5 attack lost, but isn't too horrible.  It isn't a bad idea to get Wynne or Morrigan set with a tactic to constantly cast Heroic Offense on you for the attack rating boost.  Ideally it is set to constantly cast so they will do so out of combat when their mana regen is higher and one of those casts will last into the first portion of combat.  Also you have Precise Striking which you should activate in a fight after using some of your initial stamina on abilities like Sunder Arms.

 

Sunder Arms should be used as much as possible.  It is like an autoattack that hits twice but also can debuff the enemy.   The stamina cost is reasonable, the cooldown is reasonable.  When it debuffs the target, it is like you gain 10 defense.

 

Save Two Handed Sweep until you are surrounded, then use it to knock everyone around you down.  2H survival is largely about temporarily disabling enemies, not evading their attacks or soaking damage.  It looks like you put 7 points into Dex.  60 vs 53 Defense doesn't make much of a difference with respect to how many enemy attacks you end up avoiding, which is why several of use have not recommended investing there.  At least it still buffs attack and physical resistance.

 

If a single target, preferably an annoying elite, has aggro'd on you hit them with Pommel Strike.  If the enemy has Indomitable himself, don't bother you can't knock him down.

 

Speaking of which, you don't have to leave Indomitable on all the time.  Activate it after you have already used stamina on damaging attacks.

 

Do not use Taunt, do not activate Threaten.  You have Alistair in your party, Taunt should be his job.  Ideally if he has the attention of enemies, you can flank them and get the flanking bonus to attack.

 

Powerful Swings not worth it at this stage of the game (arguably ever...) as the attack penalty is too steep relative to your standard attack score.

 

Try not to order a talent in the middle of your character's swings.  If you do you end up wasting animation time.  Also since you are in a party, if you hit a target and he has only a small amount of health left, just go to the next target and let a party member with faster attack speed and lower damage per hit finish them.

 

From here I would invest pure STR until the end of the game.  Hypothetically if you pumped pure Dex from here and hit 87ish Defense at level 20, you might start to find you are avoiding a lot of attacks from typical mobs, but your damage output will be hugely gimped.  Your chance to stun and apply debuffs will also be reduced since those checks go against Strength.

 

There are really two dangerous things to 2H and they aren't really overwhelm or grabs.  Those are encounters where you are getting your armor sundered (like shattering shot), and enemy magic (crushing prison / curse of mortality shenanigans).  In a party run, the team can help you with mages (Mana Clash to erase them before they cast, various spells to break the effects if they do), or by nuking archers.  You can also run Templar and buff magic resistance to nullify mages (not a bad idea). 

 

Your armor rating is what defends you from physical attacks, and is the chief component of warrior durability practically regardless of weapon style (caveat for super dex pumped dagger DW).  Hence the sunders are dangerous.  Stacking Physical Resistance will reduce the length of the effect, if not beating the check to begin with.

 

Champion is probably the most natural specialization on 2H, and will be a good choice regardless of the other spec.  If you let your squad help handle hostile magic, then you might want to pick this at 14.  War Cry debuffs enemies (like adding 10 defense for you) and knocks them down when upgraded; and Rally adds another 10 Defense plus 10 attack (when upgraded).

[Qis]

I have to admit, so far since the first answer I gotten I've been putting points into all strength, but more of a 2:1, 3:0, 2:1 ratio. And I gotta say my guy keeps missing and dying after he gets swarmed by two to three enemys and its not fun. But heres where my guy is now stats wise, his strength is really 40, and can I salvage him to make him more sturdy.

 

-snip-

 

 

Survival is not just by stats, but also how you play, this is true even for solo. I don't know how you play. but i see you have very low Willpower, pump that up and so you can use power attacks often and activate more buffs

 

Remember that...

 

Indomitable consume 60 stamina

Powerful Swings consume 30 stamina and have -10 attack -10 defense (un-upgraded), -5 attack -5 defense (upgraded), +5 damage

Precise Striking consume 40 stamina, give +10 attack, -10 attack speed

 

Precise Striking can help with your auto attack, but really it is better using power attacks than auto-attack for two handed. By these alone you consumed 130 stamina, and you also have FATIGUE. You now only have 160 stamina

 

Beserk consume 20 stamina plus -2 stamina per-second (un-upgraded)

 

And also remember that some enemies can give negative buff on you, either by magic (usually by Undead), their self buff (like some Shades and Revenant), these make you miss attacks even when having high Strength and lower your defense. So Perfect Striking (+100 attack, 15 seconds) is good for this situation, otherwise if you have Wynne, use spells that boost your attack and defense (not much though)

 

Pump your Willpower enough for you to activate all buffs and using power attacks

 

For now that's all i can suggest

[NRO TYN]

What may be getting partially obscured with this build argument is that 2H is pretty micro intensive, and knowing when to use what talent is more important than a stray attribute point here or there.

 

Berserker is not that great of a specialty for 2H.  I took it on my last 2H though, sort of just to take it.  More damage is nice, but it doesn't scale well with attack speed, and Berserk robs a lot of stamina regen that you need early.  Templar would have made your life a little easier, especially if you were willing to bypass the bounty hunters in the Frostback Mountains in order to buy Knight Commander Plate for 27 gold, 24 silver.  18.9 armor, 40% spell resist, and 5 willpower for just that piece.  But it is more than possible to work around this Berserker spec.

 

As far as missing goes, it looks like you invested something like 5 in Con.  That's 2.5 attack lost, but isn't too horrible.  It isn't a bad idea to get Wynne or Morrigan set with a tactic to constantly cast Heroic Offense on you for the attack rating boost.  Ideally it is set to constantly cast so they will do so out of combat when their mana regen is higher and one of those casts will last into the first portion of combat.  Also you have Precise Striking which you should activate in a fight after using some of your initial stamina on abilities like Sunder Arms.

 

Sunder Arms should be used as much as possible.  It is like an autoattack that hits twice but also can debuff the enemy.   The stamina cost is reasonable, the cooldown is reasonable.  When it debuffs the target, it is like you gain 10 defense.

 

Save Two Handed Sweep until you are surrounded, then use it to knock everyone around you down.  2H survival is largely about temporarily disabling enemies, not evading their attacks or soaking damage.  It looks like you put 7 points into Dex.  60 vs 53 Defense doesn't make much of a difference with respect to how many enemy attacks you end up avoiding, which is why several of use have not recommended investing there.  At least it still buffs attack and physical resistance.

 

If a single target, preferably an annoying elite, has aggro'd on you hit them with Pommel Strike.  If the enemy has Indomitable himself, don't bother you can't knock him down.

 

Speaking of which, you don't have to leave Indomitable on all the time.  Activate it after you have already used stamina on damaging attacks.

 

Do not use Taunt, do not activate Threaten.  You have Alistair in your party, Taunt should be his job.  Ideally if he has the attention of enemies, you can flank them and get the flanking bonus to attack.

 

powerful Swings not worth it at this stage of the game (arguably ever...) as the attack penalty is too steep relative to your standard attack score.

 

Try not to order a talent in the middle of your character's swings.  If you do you end up wasting animation time.  Also since you are in a party, if you hit a target and he has only a small amount of health left, just go to the next target and let a party member with faster attack speed and lower damage per hit finish them.

 

From here I would invest pure STR until the end of the game.  Hypothetically if you pumped pure Dex from here and hit 87ish Defense at level 20, you might start to find you are avoiding a lot of attacks from typical mobs, but your damage output will be hugely gimped.  You chance to stun and apply debuffs will also be reduced since those checks go against Strength.

 

There are really two dangerous things to 2H and they aren't really overwhelm or grabs.  Those are encounters where you are getting your armor sundered (like shattering shot), and enemy magic (crushing prison / curse of mortality shenanigans).  In a party run, the team can help you with mages (Mana Clash to erase them before they cast, various spells to break the effects if they do), or by nuking archers.  You can also run Templar and buff magic resistance to nullify mages (not a bad idea). 

 

Your armor rating is what defends you from physical attacks, and is the chief component of warrior durability practically regardless of weapon style (caveat for super dex pumped dagger DW).  Hence the sunders are dangerous.  Stacking Physical Resistance will reduce the length of the effect, if not beating the check to begin with.

 

Champion is probably the most natural specialization on 2H, and will be a good choice regardless of the other spec.  If you let your squad help handle hostile magic, then you might want to pick this at 14.  War Cry debuffs enemies (like adding 10 defense for you) and knocks them down when upgraded; and Rally adds another 10 Defense plus 10 attack (when upgraded).

 

Lol I read my abilities but yet when i'm in the fight I just spam lmao I really need to break outta that habit. I pick Berserker cause i'm doing a big redo of all the DA games and my main Warden is a Berserk Champion so thats what i'm going with.

 

What do you have to say about stamina? As I keep losing alot when I get started with combat.

 

Another problem I have, that Alistair, my supposed Tank is dying not all that fast but still fast enough when hes engaging three enemys. I find myself in most engagements having to switch to Morrigan to cast that frost spell that freezes multiple foes,and mind blast.

[Mike3207]

About con, warriors naturally level up health at a excellent level, so it's one stat they really don't need to invest in.

 

Do you have Return to Ostagar? Cailan's Armor set does a excellent job of health regeneration. Shale also does a good job of buffing the party in her buff mode, forget the name if you've done that dlc.

[capn233]

Lol I read my abilities but yet when i'm in the fight I just spam lmao I really need to break outta that habit. I pick Berserker cause i'm doing a big redo of all the DA games and my main Warden is a Berserk Champion so thats what i'm going with.

 

What do you have to say about stamina? As I keep losing alot when I get started with combat.

 

Another problem I have, that Alistair, my supposed Tank is dying not all that fast but still fast enough when hes engaging three enemys. I find myself in most engagements having to switch to Morrigan to cast that frost spell that freezes multiple foes,and mind blast.

 

Keep on the lookout for gear that buffs stamina or willpower.  Stamina regen gear is helpful.  Also nice to have an armor set with a fatigue bonus.  That's why Wade's Superior Dragonscale is very nice, but you don't get that until later most likely.

 

Berserker Champion will work, it just won't be quite as straightforward as Templar-Champion overall.

 

What is Alistair's build and tactics setup?  Tanks can go on autopilot reasonably well in my experience, but your 2H Warden and possibly mages will need the micro.  Ideally you could get some tactics setup for the mages that are helpful when you can't control them (support powers).

 

edit:  Precise Striking buffs all attacks, auto or talents.  The swing speed penalty doesn't apply to the talents though.  It's a sustain though, just like Indomitable, so don't activate it until you've used a few powers.  Sustains "reserve" stamina, so activating them after you have used some stamina on active talents is more efficient than running them in and out of combat.

 

Also forgot to mention that you need to get Death Blow as soon after Level 12 as possible since this will give you stamina back for each kill.

[dainbramage]

capn's dead on above. Agree with pretty much everything he's said, though I'd go a step further on powerful blows and say that it's absolute garbage. I wouldn't trade 5 attack and defence for 5 damage on a 2h if it was free, let alone cost 2 talent points. Sweep is worth the terrible pre-requisites though.

 

At the same time I loaded an old save of mine (DN, 2h solo, 1 cun then every point into strength). Here's its stats and screenshots of the first fight in jarvia's hideout (an easy one, but it's where I happened to be up to): http://imgur.com/a/pr4Ye

If you're wondering, haste icon is from a mod that increases movement speed out of battle. I also don't know why I had powerful blows in my talent bar. Maybe my opinion wasn't as strong back then.

 

For the fight itself, I basically ran at the archer. He has shattering shot right at the top of his tactics which is no fun when a high armour value is the only thing keeping you alive. Pommel striked then sundered arms to try and kill him (both hits missed... yay. Also the only 2 misses of the fight). By then everyone else had caught up to me, and the archer was standing up, so it was sweep time. Mighty blow finished off the archer, and with no more possible -armour nothing else could hit me for harder than 1 damage.

 

I took a fair bit more damage than I would in vanilla because I run a mod that fixes DWE (only thing that could hurt me, everything else was reduced to 1 damage) to its intended damage. Probably should've killed the DW second but doesn't really matter.

 

Items are better than you'd expect someone in a party to have, but not that ridiculous. Most of my gold was spent on spell resistance (100% in that screenshot, not that you can tell), which also has the side effect of tonnes of +willpower. Warden commander boots were also helping out with stamina. That and deathblows is why I started with indomitable and precise striking on - early game I only turn them on after burning some talents. Other big item was lifegiver.