13 replies to this topic

[HannahRose]

Okay! Soooooooooo I've finally actually had enough of this game, at least for the foreseeable future, and I've decided to put it on "The Shelf", along with other great titles that I've lived and loved, but have decided to put away in favour of actually making a dent in my "must play" library of other games.

 

Before I say goodbye to my dear Cullen, Dorian, Cassandra, Varric, Iron Bull.. etc etc I could go on, I decided to post a thread with all of my favourite character and class end game builds, some of which are probably a little bit unique (thus the thread title), in hopes that others might yet get some fun out of them. I know at least one person really enjoyed my "Face Tank Sera/Tempest" build, which I will include here, so maybe my others might interest some of you. Before I begin that though I have a few points of interest to put out there.

 

* Almost all of the builds require the Trespasser DLC. So if you don't have it, well uhm.. you should get it. It's really good. lol

* I know that I recommend crit rings as the ring of choice for every single one of these builds, but you can easily swap them out for other stuff if you either don't have said rings, or if you don't want to cheat and multiply the ones you do have. I tried to avoid making any of my builds reliant on them for fear that Bioware would one day patch the storage glitch (which they didn't and very likely never will so yay but still).

* I'm playing on PS4. I can't spawn crafting mats or use mods, I have to farm everything legit. That's why most of my recommended/listed crafting mats are only tier 3. You can use different ones if you're able, or don't have the ones I listed.

* I came up with these builds with the goal of being enjoyable and occasionally providing a challenge or something new for myself. So feel free to comment about how you think one or two of them might be improved for the sake of others who like the idea, but want more damage or defense or utility than my preferred setup might offer, but keep in mind that the weapons and the attachments/upgrades for them that I've chosen are all just that, my personal preference. I'm not making any claims about these builds being the best or most powerful, I just find them entertaining. Most of you probably get that without me having to explain, but, well.. this is the internet. lol

 

Anyway, without further ado here are my favourite builds.

 

Rogues

 

Face Tank Sera / Tempest (Yeah starting with this one.)

Spoiler

Tempest Tree: Flask of Frost (Frostbite), Flaskmaster, Ride the Storm, Flask of Lightning (Quicksilver), Flask of Fire (Unquenchable Flames), Fury of the Storm, Killer's Alchemy

Archery Tree: First Blood, Explosive Shot, Pincushion

Double Daggers Tree: Twin Fangs (Unyielding Fangs), Parry (Effortless Riposte), Flank Attack, Bloodied Prey, Unforgiving Chain, Spinning Blades (Flurry)

Sabotage Tree: Poisoned Weapons (Leeching Poison), Fighting Dirty, Hook and Tackle (It Beats Walking)

 

Skill Wheel : Flask of Frost (Preferred), Flask of Lightning, Flask of Fire, Twin Fangs, Parry, Poisoned Weapons (Preferred), Hook and Tackle, Spinning Blades

 

Total Points Needed: 27

 

Accessories: Amulet: Malika's Guard (Necessary and amazing.)

                     Belt: Belt of Life, or Enhanced Belt of Urgency (If you're not using it on someone else.)

                     Rings: Crit Rings

 

Weapons: 2 x Hakkon's Mercy (12 Everite, 16 Dragon Scales, 3 Great Bear Hide)

 

Armour: Refined Prowler Mail (11 Craggy Skin / Anything that gives %Ranged Defense, 5 Dales Loden Wool / Anything that gives % Magic Defense)
              Prowler Coat Arms (8 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Craggy Skin)

              Prowler Armour Legs (8 Craggy Skin, 4 Dales Loden Wool)

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Overlord Helm (4 Any third or fourth tier metal, 10 Dales Loden Wool)

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Everite (Heal 25% damage over 10 seconds), Fade-Touched Bloodstone, Fade-Touched Dawnstone (Walking Fortress)

 

The idea behind the armour is to bulk up Sera's ranged and magic defense as high as possible. Melee defense is taken care of by Flask of Frost and Parry. As for the weapons, I like Hakkon's Mercy because the passive "chill" ability that all of the Hakkon weapons have is amazing, and my choice of using dragon scales to craft them will provide Sera with a nice boost to both her cunning as well as her dex, giving her enough crit chance, crit damage and %att to still be a contender on the battlefield. If you find that her crit chance is too low for your liking, then you can always craft the daggers with mats that exclusively give cunning, but I personally find you lose too much crit damage/%att from the dex you're giving up if you do that. You could aaaaalso use different weapons all together, but imo the passive chill bonus (not to mention the 16% boost to ranged defense that you get from cunning) is just too nice to pass up on a DD rogue, especially one that's supposed to be fighting up close and personal with its enemies, AND that will be using Flask of Frost so much. The only problem you might run into is if Sera catches the attention of an enemy DD rogue, but I find that if you try to keep an active barrier on her with one of your mages when those pesky rascals are around, then that particular situation will be so rare that you may not even run into it at all during the course of a single play through.

 

Scout Varric / Artificer

Spoiler

Artificer Tree: Spike Trap (Pyrotechnics), Opportunity Knocks, Set Them Up, Elemental Mines, And Take Them Down, Fallback Plan (Clear the Board), Tricks of the Trade

Archery Tree: Death From Above, Leaping Shot (Shot From the Shadows)

Sabotage Tree: Poisoned Weapons, Fighting Dirty, Explosive Toxin, Toxic Cloud (Lost in the Mist), Caltrops, Looked Like it Hurt

Subterfuge Tree: Stealth (Clinging Shadows), Easy to Miss, Knockout Powder (Rude Awakening), Evasion, Evade (Shadow Step)

 

Skill Wheel: Knockout Powder (Preferred), Leaping Shot, Stealth, Toxic Cloud, Fallback Plan, Evade, Spike Trap, Elemental Mines

 

Total Points Needed: 27

 

Accessories: Amulet: Party: Amulet of Accord, or Kitty's Collar if you're not using it on another character

                                    Solo: Cooldown Amulet

                     Belt: Any Grenades Belt

                     Rings: Crit rings

 

Weapon: For Varric: Bianca (Craft her upgrades for high crit chance and dexterity)

               For the Inquisitor: Any bow with at least 30% - 40% crit chance (depending on your other gear), then dex, %Att, or crit damage for the rest

 

Armour: Usual rogue damage gear, snoufleur skin, etc etc (if you want me to elaborate just ask, but it should be pretty straight forward). This may be a scout build, but you still want to be doing some decent damage with your traps and grenades.

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Solo: Mask of the Grand Duchess

             Party: Superior Skirmisher Hat crafted with Dex materials

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Snowfleur Skin (1% health per hit) Fade-Touched Everite or Dawnstone work in a pinch if you can't find Snowfleur skin, but their healing mechanics are conditional on getting hit in the first place. What you need is a way to regenerate health, but you *don't* want to have to put yourself in harm's way for it to happen. OR if you're playing on PC and can spawn whatever you want, then you could be really cheap and craft armour with the Fade-Touched Honeycomb masterwork, and just turn the "Rub Some Dirt On It" trial off so you can use potions to restore health.

 

I know that building for maximum damage output with your skills seems a bit contrary to the whole "scout" thing, but bear with me. The idea of this build, if you're playing it with a party, is to run ahead of the rest of your party in stealth, throw out a bunch of grenades or traps or whatever, then retreat and let your team run in after you've already made a mess and done a fair bit of damage with your Knockout Powder, Confusion Grenades, Spike Traps, Elemental Mines or whatever. After that you can run around and do your thing from the background, causing chaos from the shadows. If you're playing solo, you can run toward a bunch of enemies in Stealth, use a Bee grenade, Spike Trap, or whatever you have time for in the three seconds after you've attacked (thanks to the Clinging Shadows upgrade), and finish up with a Knockout Powder, then use Leaping Shot to go back into Stealth and hide while you wait for Leaping Shot's CD to run out so you repeat the cycle, which (thanks to Opportunity Knocks) shoooooould happen right about the time that your enemies receive a "Rude Awakening". And if the enemy is immune to sleep, then upgraded Confusion Grenades and/or Bees are freakin' amazing early game. Then in the late game, you'll have access to your other traps and stuff and your grenades should be fully upgraded at that point and yeah, you'll have a lot of other options. lol

 

If you're wondering why I bothered to include Fallback Plan and Poison Mist at all (though you're probably not wondering about PM cuz a lot of people like it, but I hate it so ima justify its use here for my own sake), it's because I usually hate using the "Elusive" mechanic, but for a scout I find that it's appropriate for the role-playing aspect of it. Also it does help in a pinch, like if you used one too many skills/grenades before Leaping Shotting away. As for Fallback Plan, it's nice to have just in case. Although since the AI doesn't actually use detonator abilities like FP or WB by itself as far as I know, if you're letting it run this build, then you could swap it out for something else. Maybe Shadow Strike with the Long Shadows upgrade for the stamina recovery.

 

Multi Hit Madness Cole / Assassin

Spoiler

Assassin Tree: Hidden Blades (No Witnesses), I Was Never Here, Knife in the Shadows, Mark of Death (Lasting Mark)

Archery Tree: Death From Above, Leaping Shot (Shot From the Shadows), First Blood, Explosive Shot, Pincushion
Sabotage Tree: Caltrops, Looked Like it Hurt, Cheap Shot, Throwing Blades (Precision Targeting)

Subterfuge Tree: Stealth (Clinging Shadows), Evasion, Easy to Miss, Evade (Shadow Step), Ambush, Shadow Strike (Long Shadows)

 

Skill Wheel: Hidden Blades, Mark of Death, Leaping Shot (Preferred), Throwing Blades, Evade (Preferred), Shadow Strike, Stealth, Any

 

Total Points Needed: 26

 

Accessories: Amulet: Amulet of Accord, or Kitty's Collar

                     Belt: Any belt of Urgency

                     Rings: Crit rings

 

Weapon: Perseverence (24 Everite, 20 Great Bear Hide, 6 Craggy Skin/Lurker Scales, 12 Everite)

 

Armour: Usual rogue damage gear, snoufleur skin, etc etc (if you want me to elaborate just ask, but it should be pretty straight forward).

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Solo: Mask of the Grand Duchess

             Party: Superior Skirmisher Hat crafted with Dex materials

 

Recommended Masterworks: Hidden Blades. 3 or 4 or 5 hit, doesn't matter. Use one on your armour, and one on your weapon. Remember to use different ones for each though since the different tiers don't stack.

 

Not very much to say here since this build is pretty typical. Basically you're just spamming skills that hit multiple times to get the HB masterworks to activate as often as possible so you can do even more damage. This is pretty much the only character/build that I use those masterworks with though, since I generally hate applying skill masterworks to classes that don't have the actual skill in their arsenal. That's just my personal preference though, if you don't have the same reservations then by all means try out whatever you want. This build is perfect for playing around with the "10% chance to activate ___" masterworks, so you may as well experiment.

 

Warriors

 

Kitty's Collar Iron Bull / Reaver (Wouldn't recommend this one for Inquisitors, but it works super well for IB)

Spoiler

Reaver Tree: Ring of Pain (Painbringer), Blood Frenzy, Terrifying Fury, Devour (Lifeblood), Dragon-Rage (Leashed Fury)

W+S Tree: Shield Wall, Bear Mauls the Wolves, Warrior's Resolve

2Handed Tree: Block and Slash, Flow of Battle

Battlemaster Tree: Grappling Chain (Give Them the Boot), Crippling Blows, Combat Roll (Coming Through), Coup De Grace, Horn of Valour (Fortifying Blast)

Vanguard Tree: War Cry, Charging Bull (Gore and Trample), It'll Cost You, Livid (Endless Strength)

 

Skill Wheel: Ring of Pain, Devour (Preferred), Dragon-Rage, Grappling Chain, Combat Roll, Charging Bull, Livid, Rampage, Horn of Valour (Preferred)

 

Total Points Needed: 27

 

Accessories: Amulet: Kitty's Collar
                     Belt: Belt of Urgency

                     Rings: Crit rings or Charging Bull rings.

 

Weapon: Masterwork Jagged Battleaxe (22 Everite, 8 Everite, 8 Everite, 6 Everite)

               Inscribed Two-Handed Haft (6 Great Bear Hide, 3 Everite)

               Etched Pommel (6 Everite, 3 Great Bear Hide)

 

Armour: Battlemaster Armour (4 Everite, 4 Everite, 4 Hardened Gurn Hide)

              Battlemaster Armour Arms (8 Everite, 4 Volcanic Aurum)

              Battlemaster Armour Legs (8 Everite, 4 Hardened Gurn Hide)

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Cretahl Vitaar

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Bloodstone (7.5% damage per enemy within 8meters), and Fade-Touched Everite (Heal 25% of damage taken over 10 seconds). I know that FT-E might seem a bit counter productive with how the rest of this build/gear is designed, but it will help to make sure that IB doesn't take too much damage too fast. I mean you want his health low, but you don't want him dying *constantly* either, which can be an issue sometimes when you're fighting against certain enemies.

 

As for why I call the build "Kitty's Collar Iron Bull", it's because, quite simply, I equip IB with the Kitty's Collar pendant and focus on having the rest of his equips buff his DPS, total health, increased healing, etc etc (and try to avoid resistance buffs because they'll hurt this build and waste crafting slots). The pendant will increase the amount of damage he takes considerably, so he'll be able to take full advantage of the Reaver skill tree since his health will usually be super low, and he'll also get enough extra stamina from Warrior's Resolve that even with Ring of Pain constantly draining him he'll rarely be short (especially if you equip a Great Bear sigil on his armour). The other obvious benefit/reason for using this pendant on IB is that it will also probably revive him if/when he does die, so you don't have to worry about him running into the middle of a giant mob and getting himself killed since there's a 75% chance that he'll just get back up again. That being said, if you're relying on the AI to control your reaver then remember to only let him use Dragon-Rage with the Leashed Fury upgrade. If he uses the basic skill, or the other upgrade, and happens to kill himself with it, Kitty's Collar can't revive him. And above all else you NEED the Bear Mauls the Wolves passive. The goal with this build is to keep IB's health low so his Reaver skills can shine, but it kind of defeats the purpose if a rogue can easily one shot you with flanking damage, even at full health. That's where BMtW will (usually) save you.

 

Holy Lightning Cassandra / Templar

Spoiler

Templar Tree: Spell Purge (Spell Shatter), Champions of the Just, The Last Sacrifice, Wrath of Heaven (Embrace the Light)

W+S Tree: Shield Wall (Immovable Object), Payback Strike (Sweet Revenge), Turn the Bolt, Lunge and Slash (Great Lunge), Shield Bash (Ring the Bell) Turn the Blade

2Handed Tree: Block and Slash, Flow of Battle

Battlemaster Tree: Grappling Chain, Crippling Blows, Coup De Grace, Combat Roll (Coming Through)

Vanguard Tree: War Cry, Untouchable Defense, It'll Cost You, Livid (Endless Strength)

 

Skill Wheel: Spell Purge, Wrath of Heaven, Shield Wall, Payback Strike, Lunge and Slash, Shield Bash, Combat Roll, Livid (Preferred)

 

Total Points Needed: 28

 

Accessories: Amulet: Cooldown Amulet

                     Belt: Belt of Urgency, or any health belt

                     Rings: Crit Rings

 

Weapon: Bolt + Dense Longsword Grip (7 Great Bear Hide, 3 Everite)

Shield: The Best Defense (6 Everite, 8 Everite, 5 Lurker Scales)

 

Armour: Battlemaster Armour (4 Everite, 4 Everite, 4 Hardened Gurn Hide)

              Battlemaster Armour Arms (8 Everite, 4 Volcanic Aurum)

              Battlemaster Armour Legs (8 Everite, 4 Hardened Gurn Hide)

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Mask of the Grand Duchess, or Helm of the Inquisitor (10 Everite)

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Everite, Fade-Touched Bloodstone

 

Basically this build exists because I wanted to use the sword Bolt. It's badass, and I thought that the Templar class would work best with a lightning wielding warrior. I've played a number of RPGs that have Templar or Paladin classes using lightning skills, soooo yeah. That's my logic here. lol

Now, to answer a few other obvious questions before anybody asks them: "Why didn't you use Grappling Chain?" Because I prefer Lunge and Slash for closing the gap between myself and enemies and moving around the battlefield, and in terms of realism I find Grappling Chain to be one of those skills that's just a little bit ridiculous. Apparently Cassandra (or even Blackwall for that matter) can drag full grown men, among other heavy enemies, allllllll the way across the battlefield no matter how far away they happen to be with a single pull? Like I said, ridiculous. "Why didn't you use Horn of Valour?" I always have two warriors when I'm in a party. Always. It's RPG 101 in my book. The other warrior will have HoV, so I don't grab it on Cass or my Templar Inquisitor since there are better uses for those two points. "Why would you play a Templar this way when _____ will make you do more damage?" Because I want to. Bolt is cool. Doing lightning damage with a Templar is cool. Cool? Cool.

 

En Garde Blackwall / Champion

Spoiler

Champion Tree: Line in the Sand (Everlasting Barricade ^{Inquisitor Only}), Bulwark, Adamant, To the Death (En Garde)

W+S Tree: Payback Strike, Turn the Bolt

2Handed Tree: Block and Slash (Flawless Defense), Flow of Battle, Pommel Strike (Lightning Jab), Guard Smasher

Battlemaster Tree: Grappling Chain, Crippling Blows, Combat Roll (Coming Through), Coup De Grace, Horn of Valour (Fortifying Blast)

Vanguard Tree: War Cry, Untouchable Defense, Charging Bull (Gore and Trample), It'll Cost You, Livid (Endless Strength)

 

Skill Wheel: Line in the Sand, To the Death, Block and Slash, Pommel Strike, Combat Roll, Horn of Valour (Preferred), Charging Bull, Livid

 

Total Points Needed: 28

 

Accessories: Amulet: Amulet of Evasion, Amulet of Renewal, or Cooldown Amulet

                     Belt: Health Belt

                     Rings: Crit Rings

 

Weapon: Anderfels Cleaver (22 Silverite, 8 Everite, 6 Infused Vyrantium Samite, 6 Everite)

               Inscribed Two-Handed Haft (6 Great Bear Hide, 3 Everite)

               Etched Pommel (6 Everite, 3 Great Bear Hide)

 

Armour: Battlemaster Armour (4 Everite, 4 Everite, 4 Hardened Gurn Hide)

              Battlemaster Armour Arms (8 Everite, 4 Volcanic Aurum)

              Battlemaster Armour Legs (8 Everite, 4 Hardened Gurn Hide)

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Griffon Helmet (5 Silverite, 10 Everite)

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Everite, Fade-Touched Bloodstone,

 

Some people make Blackwall a tank. I like making him a one on one duelist. Though if you read my Templar build, orrrrr any of my other (favourite) builds in this thread really, you're probably not that surprised given that they're literally all offensively oriented. lol

"En Garde!" And yeah admittedly a W+S builds might work better for the whole duelist theme, and I do have a S&S variant if anybody's interested, but I usually prefer two-handed weapons for warriors in general, so that's what I'm posting in this, my list of favourites. Also, I know that most people tend to avoid Line in the Sand, but I find that it gives me a neat escape option, and the ability to create choke points in certain areas is pretty great too.

 

Mages

 

Just Wants to Watch the World Burn Solas / Rift Mage

Spoiler

Rift Mage Tree: Veilstrike (Punching Down), Restorative Veil, Smothering Veil, Pull of the Abyss (Shaken Veil), Firestorm

Spirit Tree: Barrier (Energetic Defense), Guardian Spirit, Peaceful Aura, Dispel (Transmute Magic)

Inferno Tree: Immolate (Consuming Fire), Flashpoint, Pyromancer, Clean Burn, Fire Mine, Wall of Fire (Wave of Flame)

Storm Tree: Energy Barrage (Energy Storm), Conductive Current

Winter Tree: Fade Step (Energizing Step), Winter Stillness

 

Skill Wheel: Veilstrike, Pull of the Abyss, Dispel, Immolate, Fire Mine, Wall of Fire (swap for Firestorm when you've built up enough focus for a tier 3 blast, or for big boss fights with enemies that can't be panicked), Energy Barrage, Fade Step

 

Total Points Needed: 27

 

Accessories: Amulet: Amulet of Renewal

                     Belt: Belt of the Inferno Pact (Obviously)

                     Rings: Crit Rings

 

Weapon: Heart of Rage

               Or

               Encore (24 Dragon Bone, 8 Dragon Webbing, 8 Dragon Webbing, 6 Everite)

               Hilted Staff Grip (8 Great Bear Hide, 3 Dragon Webbing)

               Dragon Staff Blade (6 Great Bear Hide, 3 Everite)

 

Armour: Superior Battlemage Armour (6 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Volcanic Aurum, 4 Lurker Scales)

              Battlemage Armour Arms (8 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Imperial Vestment Cotton)

              Battlemage Armour Legs (8 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Imperial Vestment Cotton)

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Mask of the Grand Duchess, or Battlemage Cowl (5 Dales Loden Wool, 10 Dales Loden Wool)

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Hardened Gurn Hide (10% Chance to Inflict Immolate), Fade-Touched Hardened Gurn Hide (30% Damage Bonus if not being hit for 5 seconds), or Fade-Touched Lurker Scales (10% Chance to cast veilstrike)

 

Basically this build is designed to do one thing, spam the crap out of Immolate. Fire Mine is reserved for big dangerous enemies, and Fire Wall is for when they get too close to you. Otherwise, you're just using your Rift Mage skills to weaken enemies so you can draw mana from them as you, once again, spam the crap out of Immolate, aaaaand occasionally launch an flaming Energy Storm or two. I grabbed the Energetic Defense upgrade for Barrier even though I left the actual skill off my skill wheel because, while I want Guardian Spirit to be as potent as possible in case of an emergency, I don't actually want to spend any time or mana on protection spells. This build is alllllll offense, even if it may prove detrimental to its own health at times. And yes I know it's screwed against fire resistant enemies. This build isn't about utility though, it's about explosions and burning things. So it may have to sit on the sidelines for some battles and let the rest of the team do the heavy lifting, but I mean even then it can still at the very least weaken and slow a few enemies down with the Rift Mage skills. Reducing an enemy's damage output by 30% is nothing to sneeze at, even if the character isn't doing anything else.

 

Cryomancer Dorian / Necromancer

Spoiler

Necromancer Tree: Horror, Death Siphon, Blinding Terror, Simulacrum, Walking Bomb (Virulent), Power of the Dead

Spirit Tree: Barrier (Elegant Defense), Peaceful Aura, Dispel, Rejuvanating Barrier, Guardian Spirit

Inferno Tree: Immolate, Flash Point, Clean Burn

Storm Tree: Energy Barrage, Conductive Current

Winter Tree: Fade Step (Frost Step), Winter's Grasp (Winter's Ruin), Winter Stillness, Ice Mine (Brittle Glyph), Ice Armour, Blizzard (Winter Winds)

 

Skill Wheel: Walking Bomb, Spirit Mark, Barrier, Dispel, Fade Step, Winter's Grasp, Ice Mine, Blizzard

 

Total Points Needed: 28

 

Accessories: Amulet: Amulet of Renewal

                     Belt: Belt of the Winter Pact

                     Rings: Crit Chance Rings

 

Weapon: Sentinel Staff (20 Silverite, 6 King's Willow Weave, 6 Dales Loden Wool, 6 Lurker Scales)

               Inscribed Staff Grip (6 Everite, 3 Great Bear Hide)

               Battlemage Staff Blade (6 Dragon Webbing, 3 Dales Loden Wool)

 

Armour: Superior Battlemage Armour (6 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Volcanic Aurum, 4 Lurker Scales)

              Battlemage Armour Arms (8 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Imperial Vestment Cotton)

              Battlemage Armour Legs (8 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Imperial Vestment Cotton)

              Sigil: Sigil of the Great Bear

 

Helmet: Mask of the Grand Duchess

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Everite, Fade-Touched Imperial Vestment Cotton (Walking Bomb version)

 

Freeze an enemy(s) with Ice Mine. Cast Walking Bomb. Detonate Walking Bomb to shatter frozen enemy(s). Rinse, repeat, and enjoy. I didn't really like ice magic when the game first came out, but I've gotta admit that since Trespasser it's grown on me a bit. Now that I can cast Blizzard without having it drain my mana pool, I find it a whole lot more viable. Oh, and the Winter's Ruin upgrade for Winter's Grasp doesn't hurt either, although I dislike using it on anything other than an ice mage because it feels too powerful for a non-themed build. But it's okay here! And I know that this build isn't particularly unique either, but I enjoy it, so I'm posting it. Also I had trouble coming up with anything out of the ordinary for Necromancers sooooooo yeah. You get a Cryomancer. Enjoy.

 

Electro.. Lightning.. Energy Sword Blaster Oh Whatever I don't Care I Don't Even Use Her Vivienne / Knight Enchanter

Spoiler

Enchanter Tree: Spirit Blade, Combat Clarity, Fade Shield, Knight Protector, Fade Cloak (Decloaking Blast), Veiled Riposte

Spirit Tree: Barrier (Energetic Defense), Guardian Spirit, Peaceful Aura, Dispel (Transmute Magic), Rejuvenating Barrier

Inferno Tree: Immolate (Consuming Fire), Flash Point, Clean Burn

Storm Tree: Energy Barrage, Conductive Current, Lightning Bolt (Exploding Bolt), Gathering Storm

Winter Tree: Fade Step (Energizing Step), Winter Stillness, Winter's Grasp (Winter's Ruin)

 

Skill Wheel: Fade Cloak, Barrier, Dispel, Immolate, Energy Barrage, Fade Step, Winter's Grasp, Lightning Bolt

 

Total Points Needed: 27

 

Accessories: Amulet: Amulet of Renewal

                     Belt: Belt of the Winter Pact (Let's make Winter's Grasp into a mini nuke)

                     Rings: Crit Rings or Winter's Grasp Rings

 

Weapon: Wrath of Lovias (24 Silverite, 8 Lurker Scales, 6 Lurker Scales, 8 Great Bear Hide)

               Inscribed Staff Grip (6 Everite, 3 Great Bear Hide)

               Ornate Staff Blade (4 Everite, 2 Plush Fustian Velvet)

 

Armour: Superior Battlemage Armour (6 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Volcanic Aurum, 4 Lurker Scales)

              Battlemage Armour Arms (8 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Imperial Vestment Cotton)

              Battlemage Armour Legs (8 Dales Loden Wool, 4 Imperial Vestment Cotton)

              Sigil: Sigil of Lyrium, or if you're having mana problems then use the Great Bear Sigil

 

Helmet: Mask of the Grand Duchess, or Battlemage Cowl (5 Dales Loden Wool, 10 Dales Loden Wool)

 

Recommended Masterworks: Fade-Touched Hardened Gurn Hide (30% Damage if not hit for 5 seconds), Any

 

Honestly I couldn't care less about the Knight Enchanter class. I hate Vivienne, and I'm annoyed that they nerfed the crap out of the Arcane Warrior concept only to give us... this. This bastard class, on an unloveable character. Yuck. This is literally the one class that I don't have a build for. Maybe if I were to put some actual thought into it I'd do something like use the KE passives to make an otherwise normal mage into a defensive monster, and then use the Lyrium sigil and one of the elemental belts to make it thoroughly dependent on having barrier active as a means of survival, but idk. Eh... actually I may as well do that just so I'm not ending this thread on a completely sour note. -goes back to edit the original build after ranting-

 

Well.. there you go. There are my favourite builds and equipment setups for every class in DA:I. I hope at least a few people get some enjoyment out of them. I know I sure did. And if you have any builds that you think are interesting or unique, feel free to post them here. I know this game may seem a little bit linear sometimes when it comes to character/class creation, but there is at least a little room for creativity.

 

Anyway, I'll probably still be on the forums from time to time lurkin' around, but as far as the actual game goes, I'm done with it. I know that has absolutely no relevance to any of you in any way since you don't know me, and the game isn't updating anymore so this thread will never not be up to date, buuuuuuut whatever. I'm saying goodbye to my Inquisitors not you guys. Why would you even think I was saying goodbye to any of you when I don't know you? That's just weird.

... Okay bye.

 

 

P.S. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Like I said I'll probably still be on the forums, and I'm more than happy to answer what I can, or even just read posts from people telling me how I'm wrong or should do something differently even though I clearly stated that these are MY favourite builds, because that's what the internet is for!

[Morrinna]

I'm so glad you've put these up---your Face Tank Sera build and Kitty's Collar Iron Bull are among my favourites.  Multi-Hit Assassin Cole and Holy Lightning Cassandra look like a blast to play! (Respecs are in order, I think) 

 

Re: Question. Why not a Kitty's Collar build for a Reaver Inquisitor when it works so well for Iron Bull?

[Brother Juniper]

Curiosity getting the best of me, I'd be interested in knowing what will be your next games. Always looking for ideas of what to play next.

[HannahRose]

I'm so glad you've put these up---your Face Tank Sera build and Kitty's Collar Iron Bull are among my favourites.  Multi-Hit Assassin Cole and Holy Lightning Cassandra look like a blast to play! (Respecs are in order, I think) 

 

Re: Question. Why not a Kitty's Collar build for a Reaver Inquisitor when it works so well for Iron Bull?

 

Because while the Kitty's Collar can revive the Inquisitor, the game almost immediately forces you over to another character when your controlled character dies. Assuming that most people probably spend most of their time controlling their Quisi, that could cause some problems if you're all of a sudden forced over to a different character that you're not prepared to take over. I mean it's still a viable build and if you WANT to use it for your Inquisitor you definitely can, I just find it a bit too bothersome to manage. Same reason I, as well as just about everybody else, avoid the Berserk Masterworks. Being guaranteed to die at least once during hard battles is just.. frustrating. lol

 

Curiosity getting the best of me, I'd be interested in knowing what will be your next games. Always looking for ideas of what to play next.

 

I picked up a game called Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, the enhanced edition of Divinity: Original Sin, and Dark Souls 3 to name a few. lol

[PapaCharlie9]

Hey, there's more than one fan of Face-Tank Sera! I've shared pointers to your build with several others and I'm a fan too.

Thanks for sharing your other builds, too. Are you leaving BSN too, or will drop by every now and then?

EDIT: One too many too's, I think

[HannahRose]

Why thank ya. And I'm still gonna hang around. Bioware is love. Bioware is life. They just need to hurry up and release the new Mass Effect already so I can continue binging on their games. lol

[HannahRose]

I'm so glad you've put these up---your Face Tank Sera build and Kitty's Collar Iron Bull are among my favourites.  Multi-Hit Assassin Cole and Holy Lightning Cassandra look like a blast to play! (Respecs are in order, I think)

 

Additional comment because I forgot to reply to this part of your post originally: Holy Lightning Templar is a blast. Personally, I loved using the build on my dwarf Inquisitor. Zipping around the battlefield with lunge and slash and dodging enemy attacks with combat roll just seems like the perfect battle strategy for a warrior of dwarven stature. And general quickness fits the "lightning" theme too. haha Hope you enjoy it.

[Cmpunker13]

Two fast questions:

1- can I use the champion build for an inquisitor tank? I need a taunt I guess, so I might take War Cry instead of Line in the sand? Or should I switch for a S&S build instead?

2- the tempest build looks cool, but it's not clear to me how the rotation works. Flask of Fire + Twin Fangs and Flask of Frost/Lightning when I need to reposition myself?

 

I played on Nightmare before Trespasser, I'm not sure what changed since I never played with a champion or tempest inquisitor

[PapaCharlie9]

Two fast questions:

1- can I use the champion build for an inquisitor tank? I need a taunt I guess, so I might take War Cry instead of Line in the sand? Or should I switch for a S&S build instead?

2- the tempest build looks cool, but it's not clear to me how the rotation works. Flask of Fire + Twin Fangs and Flask of Frost/Lightning when I need to reposition myself?

 

I played on Nightmare before Trespasser, I'm not sure what changed since I never played with a champion or tempest inquisitor

 

Champion changed very little, Tempest got much better upgrades (toggles) with Trespasser.

 

Sure, you can use the Champion build to tank as an Inquisitor, but personally, I found that boring. You'll have more fun with the face-tank Tempest build.

[Cmpunker13]

Champion changed very little, Tempest got much better upgrades (toggles) with Trespasser.

 

Sure, you can use the Champion build to tank as an Inquisitor, but personally, I found that boring. You'll have more fun with the face-tank Tempest build.

 

But how should I use the Tempest? Flask of Fire and Twin Blade spamming? The only rogue I played is the DW artificer, so I'm not really sure how to use the flasks. Thanks in advance!

[PapaCharlie9]

But how should I use the Tempest? Flask of Fire and Twin Blade spamming? The only rogue I played is the DW artificer, so I'm not really sure how to use the flasks. Thanks in advance!

There are a lot of different strategies, that's why Tempest is more interesting.

Flask of Flame and spam whatever you want. Throwing Blades/Precision Targeting is a favorite, since the damage stacks. With Killer Alchemy and Ride the Storm, you can do Flask of Lightning and do auto attacks to regain stamina, then immediately do Flask of Flame and then spam Throwing Blades. Ride the Storm gives you extra duration on the FoF which means one more toss of Throwing Blades. Throwing Blades damage stacks, so three consecutive spams of TB does massive damage.

But you can also Flask of Frost and just dive into melee and face-tank. Or you could rotate through Flask of Frost, Flask of Lightning, Flask of Flame for Ride the Storm and Killer Alchemy bonuses. Don't hesitate to drink health pots, regen pots, or tonics, since that buffs through Killer Alchemy also.

But perhaps one of my favorite things to do is not really a tanking strategy. This is pure damage. You have to adjust your loadout so that you only have Flask of Flame and then 6 or 7 other damage abilities, like Poison Weapons, Shadow Strike, Throwing Blades, all of the DD (except Parry), etc. Then with the Flask of Flame/Flaming Chain upgrade toggled, you can go through each ability one at a time, for free!

[HannahRose]

Two fast questions:

1- can I use the champion build for an inquisitor tank? I need a taunt I guess, so I might take War Cry instead of Line in the sand? Or should I switch for a S&S build instead?

2- the tempest build looks cool, but it's not clear to me how the rotation works. Flask of Fire + Twin Fangs and Flask of Frost/Lightning when I need to reposition myself?

 

I played on Nightmare before Trespasser, I'm not sure what changed since I never played with a champion or tempest inquisitor

 

I would use Challenge instead of War Cry if you're going to use the Champion build I put here. That way you can still taunt enemies if you need to, but you won't end up with more than you can handle which means you can keep the focus on offensive gear rather than wasting crafting slots on defense. And you could switch to S&S, but you'd lose damage, so if you're going to use it for your Inquisitor then I would stick with 2handed.

 

I tend to save flask of frost for when I'm fighting warriors. You don't need to worry about it as much with mages or most rogues since your magic and ranged defense will be almost impenetrable anyway. As for Flask of Lightning, I pretty much just use it for repositioning like you said, and occasionally quick burst damage. You can use Flask of Fire whenever you want/are able to.

[Cmpunker13]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I'll use both those Champion and Tempest builds with my Inquisitor and Sera/Blackwall, so I can play with both of them on the same playthrough

[PapaCharlie9]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I'll use both those Champion and Tempest builds with my Inquisitor and Sera/Blackwall, so I can play with both of them on the same playthrough

Always a good idea when not sure which you like better. Have fun!