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Just started the game, not sure about mage tree


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#1
Lakshun

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I played Dragon Age so I got a basic idea of what battles are like as mage but I only played an hour or two of this game so far.

 

I made an elven mage and after looking up some spells I came up with a tree but I'm not sure if it's that good. I also heard Knight Enchanter is going to have low damage and will just make battles last longer.

 

The idea is to get a variety of good spells from several trees. Mainly Storm tree's great passives and a couple from fire for low cd, combined with a barrier that raises mana regen so I can use my attack spells frequently.

And having an additional revive just in case is always nice. I guess I want some kind of decent close range mage, not some weak imitation of a melee class but a mage that doesn't just stand far back and cast and also won't die that easily.

 

This is a tanky melee mage with lots of cd reduction, so I think it might be fairly spammy as well, but I seem to be missing out on most high damage spells, the best I got is Fade Step with the 1000% damage upgrade.

It would probably rely a lot on spamming Spirit Blade but I don't know if that's any good (I don't know how its charge system works either)

 

I changed a bit and came up with this, still using Knight Enchanter but more of a focus on attacking:

http://www.rpg-gamin...36146553462a71e

This has less super powered barriers but they should still be quite good and make me a bit sturdier. Spirit Blade is still an option but I added some more offensive spells.

Fade Step lets me recover yet more mana but as main damage move I got static cage + Fire Mine. Static Cage doesn't do much in terms of actual damage but I general have bad experiences with setups like Fire Mine and enemies like to walk just around stuff like this.

 

How good are these trees? Any tips? Should I go with a different Specialization?

 



#2
Dai Grepher

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If you're looking for damage, I guess KE is still best. Necro is good too because of Spirit Mark. Walking Bomb is a good spell to use, especially when you get an item of craft one that inflicts Walking Bomb, because that way you can trigger it whenever you want.

I played Rift Mage myself, for story reasons mostly, but I think I prefer it because the two best spells are at the top of the tree, and the passives weaken enemies so that they take more damage from all sources.

#3
cJohnOne

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I think I like Barrage.  You needed to know that.



#4
HeartOfRage

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best mage spells (and thats all u need):

- energy barrage -> (66%dmg x 12 x 1.3 ability ring x 2 inferno belt = 2059% dmg every 8 sec)

- static cage +(old upgrade) -> best combo: static cage on an enemy then cast energy barrage....ZAP ZAP ZAP

- fire mine+ (new upgrade)

- fade step (ice upgrade)

- immolate (old upgrade)

- chain lightning (new upgrade)

 

This spells are perfect for single+multi targets.

Rift/Necro/KE doesnt matter.

 

And take a QUNARI because vitaar boosts damage. Staves have the lowest base-damage in game.

So stat wise u will have 20-30% more damage if playing qunari.



#5
PapaCharlie9

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I made an elven mage and after looking up some spells I came up with a tree but I'm not sure if it's that good. I also heard Knight Enchanter is going to have low damage and will just make battles last longer.


Where did you hear that? That's not true.

Highest damage mage is Necromancer (with Trespasser DLC). KE would be next, followed closely by Rift Mage.
 
The core strengths of each spec:
  • KE - barrier regen from doing damage
  • Necro - EDIT: health/mana regen from enemies dying nearby and damage buff from Panicked status
  • Rift Mage - mana regen from Weakened status
So your KE build should optimize around barrier regen. For example, Chaotic Focus from Inferno pairs well with Fire Mine, since you can afford to sacrfice your barrier to buff damage, you gain it right back from doing damage.
 

The idea is to get a variety of good spells from several trees. Mainly Storm tree's great passives and a couple from fire for low cd, combined with a barrier that raises mana regen so I can use my attack spells frequently.
And having an additional revive just in case is always nice. I guess I want some kind of decent close range mage, not some weak imitation of a melee class but a mage that doesn't just stand far back and cast and also won't die that easily.

KE is best for melee or tanky mage, so you have the right specialization.

But why do you want to pull abilities from so many trees? You're diluting your strength. It's particularly bad to that deep into Inferno and not get Fire Mine. That's one of the highest damage spells for the mage class.

Start with one element, and then add a second. Typical starting 2 elements:
  • Inferno down through Fire Mine + upgrade + Energy Barrage from Storm + electricity staff
  • Left and right side of Storm through Static Cage + upgrade + Immolate from Inferno
  • Winter from Winter's Ruin through Chilling Array and Ice Armor + Frost Steap + Energy Barrage from Storm + fire staff (this is the lowest damage of three)
Once you've gotten the best abilities from two trees (around level 16-18), you can start building into a third.
 
None of this counts the minimal investment in Spirit. KE could arguably put a lot of points in Spirit, since Rejuvenating Barrier buffs the mana regen of a KE.

Fade Step is important for a KE also, since you want a quick way to close to melee distance.

Finally, there is a staff called the Blade of Tidarion which was designed for KE's. It is wielded like a 2H sword. You can use it instead of Spirit Blade.
 

This is a tanky melee mage with lots of cd reduction, so I think it might be fairly spammy as well, but I seem to be missing out on most high damage spells, the best I got is Fade Step with the 1000% damage upgrade.
http://www.rpg-gamin...32446156560670d
It would probably rely a lot on spamming Spirit Blade but I don't know if that's any good (I don't know how its charge system works either)
 
I changed a bit and came up with this, still using Knight Enchanter but more of a focus on attacking:
http://www.rpg-gamin...36146553462a71e
This has less super powered barriers but they should still be quite good and make me a bit sturdier. Spirit Blade is still an option but I added some more offensive spells.
Fade Step lets me recover yet more mana but as main damage move I got static cage + Fire Mine. Static Cage doesn't do much in terms of actual damage but I general have bad experiences with setups like Fire Mine and enemies like to walk just around stuff like this.
 
How good are these trees? Any tips? Should I go with a different Specialization?


The second build is a lot better than the first.

Here are some other KE builds you can look at (find KE links within these threads):

https://forum.biowar...ilation-thread/

https://forum.biowar...hey-like-using/
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#6
Sylvius the Mad

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Static Cage was my staple spell for pretty much the whole game. In combination with anything that hits multiple times (Energy Barrage, Leaping Shot, Flask of Lightning, Hidden Blades, Throw Everything) or multiplies damage (Mark of Death), it could end most battles in seconds.

#7
ottffsse

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best mage spells (and thats all u need):

- energy barrage -> (66%dmg x 12 x 1.3 ability ring x 2 inferno belt = 2059% dmg every 8 sec)

- static cage +(old upgrade) -> best combo: static cage on an enemy then cast energy barrage....ZAP ZAP ZAP

- fire mine+ (new upgrade)

- fade step (ice upgrade)

- immolate (old upgrade)

- chain lightning (new upgrade)

 

This spells are perfect for single+multi targets.

Rift/Necro/KE doesnt matter.

 

And take a QUNARI because vitaar boosts damage. Staves have the lowest base-damage in game.

So stat wise u will have 20-30% more damage if playing qunari.

 

 

Just choose a specialization based on what you feel is most appropriate for your quizzy, they're all good if you have the above core spells + barrier+ your specialization spells (well maybe not chain lightning + immolate...those are good but more build/ elemental damage focus specific, like if you want to overweigh a certain element like fire (immolate) or lightning (chain lightning)). And qunari do make the best mages because of the vitaars.

 

Game play wise here are the broad stokes though:

KE: tanky front line battle-mage, very good consistent damage+ defense synergy due to fade shield, good with any tree for damage, but inferno results in most damage due to fire mine arrays

Rift: crowd control god "stand in the back" control the battlefield and nuke away, good with inferno and winter tree for damage, lightning tree causes some problems with rift mage passives

Necro: the more "rogueish" of mages, best when you constantly shift positions and maneuver on the battlefield and strike enemies when it really hurts them and know how to do so, like set off walking bomb explosion stacks etc, good with inferno and lightning trees, not so ideal with winter.


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#8
StarFlorge

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I know i haven't been here for a while now, but i think many people will know that on a daily activity i test builds over and over and over, and played over 200 hours on mage alone. Currently the strongest mage spec is Rift mage by far. If you put a Necro and a KE in a fight both against a Rift mage, the Rift mage would be able to destroy them both. This is one of my most popular builds and you may love it, infinite mana - infinite cc - infinite damage. Try it out you will love it :)

 

 

 

Also all the people saying KE is the best please don't, it's really not..... And i have a ton of prove, not maths or theories but hours of testing.

 

Happy Adventuring :)

 

Note: This build if following the combo and just general use, some how get's around the annoying bug that many people have, with the lightning tree. If however you are having problems with the lightning tree, just swap it with inferno spells. Shouldn't need to do this but just a precaution :)


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#9
Bear43

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Very interesting! Lots more potential in a Rift mage than I have noticed before. I usually do KE.


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#10
Bayonet Hipshot

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I am going to advocate for Rift Mage 

 

Ranged Build:- http://www.rpg-gamin...35443152a65c701

 

Solo Build (melee viable):- http://www.rpg-gamin...35443d52a65c701

 

Why Rift Mage ? 

 

1) Crowd control. If you have played an MMO games or Multiplayer games and be a victim to constant stagger and stunlock then you know how annoying it is to play against a crowd controller. Necromancer has some crowd control with Horror spell but all of the Rift Mage's spells except Firestorm has crowd control capabilities. 

 

2) Weakness. Weakness is a core feature of Rift Magic and it can allow a Rift Mage to gain increased mana regeneration, damage reduction, damage debuff and status effects debuff. You know Necromancer has Horror and Blinding Terror which grants 15% damage bonus to panicked / feared targets ? Well, Rift Mage has Veilstrike, Stonefist and Pull of the Abyss to weaken enemies and grant 15% damage bonus to weakened targets. Plus, Veilstrike is cheaper than Horror and Stonefist is better than Horror for inflicting a status effect. Lastly, only Giants can properly resist weakness but Panic / Fear can be resisted by many enemies.

 

Most importantly, Rift Magic gives the highest mana regeneration out of all the mage specialization regardless of distance or number of enemies. Knight Enchanter gains mana regeneration by being close to a target. Necromancer gains mana regeneration by killing targets. Rift Mage gains mana regeneration by weakening and damaging said weakened targets. Sometimes, enemies won't be close to you or sometimes its not a good idea to be close to an enemy. Sometimes you cannot kill quickly enough to gain enough mana back. However, you will be constantly weakening and damaging targets with the only exception being Giants (unless Trespasser decides to screw you over but this is very rare). Sure, you have spells like Fade Step and equipment like Sigil of Great Bear or Amulet of Renewal or Andraste's Sacrifice for mana regeneration but with Rift Mage, you can use Fade Step for damage (Fade Step is the best damage spell cost to ratio wise in the Winter tree) and use other equipment such as ones that focus on defense and health gain since Rift Mages do not have any passive that grant health on hit or on kill. 

 

3) Combos. Previously, Knight Enchanter held the title for the Clean Burn-Spirit Blade combo because Spirit Blade can be spammed (it still can these days but it is not very effective).  Now, Rift Mage holds the crown for the Clean Burn combo because you can cast Veilstrike or Stonefist or Pull of the Abyss and spam Immolate + Consuming Fire with little worry, which allows Clean Burn to work really well and reduce cooldowns for spells. Rift Mage can also reliable perform other combos such as the Shatter combo (enemies frozen via Chilling Array or Winter's Ruin + Stonefist) and Sleep (Chain Lightning + Veilstrike / Stonefist / Pull of the Abyss). 

 

4) Roleplay. Rift Magic has a lot going for it, dialogue wise. Only a Rift Mage can have special dialogue options in Solas' personal quest involving his spirit friend and only a Rift Mage can point out to Morrigan that the Crossroads is decaying / dying when Morrigan shows them the place. Also, there's this:- https://forum.biowar...-meets-the-eye/

 

5) Flexibility. I personally find that Rift Magic grants a lot of flexibility, even with the Shock-Weakness bug (https://forum.biowar...age-weaken-bug/ ). For enemies that are weak to lightning but highly resistant or immune to fire and frost (the Qunari idiots in Trespasser), I use this spell setup:-

  1. Fade Step (Energizing Step)
  2. Energy Barrage (with lightning staff + spirit rune)
  3. Chain Lightning (Arcing Surge)
  4. Veilstrike (Punching Down)
  5. Stonefist (Shatterstone)
  6. Pull of the Abyss (Devouring Veil)
  7. Dispel (either upgrade)
  8. Barrier (either upgrade)

It is not ideal but you can work with it just fine and occasions where you need to switch to this setup is not often and only occurs in Trespasser DLC. 

 

Have a nice day and cheers. I will make a post below about Knight Enchanters. 



#11
Bayonet Hipshot

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For Knight Enchanter, here is the build I recommend:-

 

Build Link:- http://www.rpg-gamin...36543d52a61e701

 

Build Rationale:- 

 

1) I did not pick Chaotic Focus because Chaotic Focus is bugged with Flaming Array ( https://forum.biowar...-chaotic-focus/ ). 

 

2) I use Static Cage because Knight Enchanter seriously lacks crowd control spells. With this build, a Knight Enchanter can have Chilling Array and Lightning Cage for crowd control. Sure, Chain Lightning is good for charging up Spirit Blade but Energy Barrage is just as good, if not better if you want to charge up Spirit Blade. Besides, Static Cage + Energy Barrage can destroy bosses. 

 

3) I use Chilling Array for the purposes of crowd control and damage reduction. If you play on Nightmare difficulty and if you have Walk Softly trial option toggled on, you will realize that enemies hit hard and plenty of them have 'Barrier Breaker' trait, which means a mage will need more than just Barrier for survivability. Chilling Array procs Ice Armor all the time, giving a mage 50% damage reduction. 

 

4) I did not upgrade Barrier because Knight Enchanters gain barrier with each attack because of the Fade Shield passive. 

 

5) If you play as a Human Knight Enchanter, you can end up getting up to 32 ability points without using any exploits (28 from leveling, 1 Amulet of Power from Crestwood, 1 Amulet of Power if you reconcile Celene & Briala, 1 extra ability point from Exclusive Training in the Inquisition perk tree and 1 extra ability point due to being Human). I would recommend you spend the remaining 1 ability point on the Resurgence focus ability, especially if you toggle Rub Some Dirt On It trial option on because healing potions will not be very effective or invest that 1 ability point on Swift Aegis upgrade for Aegis of the Rift focus ability. 

 

6) Recommended amulets are Andraste's Sacrifice, Amulet of Renewal, Superb Cooldown Amulet. Recommended belts are Superb Belt of Health, Belt of the Elements, Superior Belt of Pacts (depending on your preferred element). Recommended rings are Ring of Doubt, Superb Ring of Life-Drain, Ring of Slicing, Ring of Smashing. Best armor, weapon and apparel set is the one in Trespasser - Skin That Stalks, Bind That Guides, Eye That Weeps, Hand That Cuts, Ring of Doubt together with Encore staff. However, be warned that the armor Skin That Stalks look awful on anything other than Elves or Human Females. 

 

7) This build relies on getting Spirit Blade charges. I stress this because Fade Cloak can be used either as Decloaking Blast or Enduring Cloak. Enduring Cloak is quite helpful when SHTF and goes FUBAR. So remember to cast spells to power Spirit Blade up. Also, Rejuvenating Barrier is a must since Knight Enchanter's mana regeneration is not as good as Rift Mage and spells like Static Cage are expensive. 

 

8) If you are not playing on the harder difficulties or playing with Trials toggled on, switch Chilling Array for Winter's Ruin and upgrade Barrier. If you are a Human Mage Inquisitor, pick up Resurgence as well. That would give you more damage at the loss of some damage reduction. 

 

9) Best masterworks for defense include Fade Touched Silverite or Fade Touched Obsidian (gain guard on hit), Fade Touched Snoufleur Skin (heal on hit), Fade Touched Royal Sea Silk (Fade Cloak on hit) and Fade Touched Dawnstone (Waking Fortress on hit). Best masterworks for damage include Fade Touched Plush Faustian Velvet (Hidden Blades on hit), Fade Touched Bloodstone (extra 7.5% damage per enemy within 8 meters).

 

Advantages of Knight Enchanter

 

1) Best specialization against bosses, especially High Dragons. Neither Necromancer nor Rift Mage comes close. 

 

2) Quite self sufficient, can be the single mage in the party and quite easy to solo with. 

 

3) It fits thematically well if you plan to romance Josephine Montilyet as a mage since her romance arc involves the Inquisitor fighting with a sword. The only mage that knows how to use swords decently is the Knight Enchanter. 

 

4) It synergizes really well with Elemental Array spam (Flaming Array + Chilling Array spam), which is the new meta for high mage damage. 

 

5) Tanks are not absolute necessities since Knight Enchanters can tank to a certain extent. This is useful if you are like me and want to bring Dorian, Solas and either Cole or Varric to the Temple of Mythal and Adamant Fortress questlines. 

 

6) There is that sense that the mage Inquisitor is a leader in the sense of someone who leads from the front line. If the Inquisitor is Human Mage, being a Knight Enchanter can be seen as someone who wish to have close ties or relations to the Chantry since it is a Chantry approved specialization. If the Inquisitor is an Elf Mage, being a Knight Enchanter can be seen a someone who wish to preserve whatever is left of the ancient Elven Arcane Warrior fighting style. 

 

7) There is no need to worry about any bug or worry about picking specific weapon types whatsoever. Rift Mage and their followers has to stay away for Lightning weapons and Lightning abilites unless the situation is really dire due to the Shock-Weakness bug. Necromancer's panic does not work on everything and Spirit Mark can be buggy or be annoying because of the purple aura it gives out when you use it too much. 

 

Disadvantages of Knight Enchanter

 

1) Lack of crowd control spells. Static Cage and Chilling Array solves this somewhat.

 

2) The need to be close to the enemy to gain mana regeneration. Rejuvenating Barrier and certain amulets coupled with Lyrium potions solve this problem somewhat. 

 

3) Enemies with Barrier Breaker can be a pain in the arse. Chilling Array + Ice Armor helps to deal with this to an extent. 

 

4) The Mage Inquisitor is no longer a pure mage which can be off-putting to some players. 

 

Have a nice day and cheers. 



#12
thesuperdarkone2

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Wasn't rift mage bugged so that weakened wasn't applied if I think electricity damage was taken or was that patched? If it wasn't, that might impact your decision.



#13
Bayonet Hipshot

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For Necromancer, there are lots of build options:-

 

1) Elemental Array Spammer:- http://www.rpg-gamin...33d42a54c61e701

 

2) Defensive Controller:- http://www.rpg-gamin...33d42a54c61e701

 

3) Pyrelectnecromancer:- http://www.rpg-gamin...31142a54c61e701

 

4) Pyro-Electro Bomber:- http://www.rpg-gamin...31142a54c61e701

 

Important note:- If you are a Human and have 32 ability points, pick Rejuvenating Barrier passive in the Spirit tree or Swift Aegis upgrade for Aegis of the Rift focus ability or Wildfire upgrade for Immolate. 

 

I will address each build specifically before moving onto the general Necromancer tips:-

 

I) Elemental Array Spammer

 

This build is a close quarters combat build whereby the Necromancer gets right up close to the enemy, spams Chilling Array and Flaming Array followed by Walking Bomb and what have you. It is a high risk, high reward build since with the right combination of enchantments and apparels, it will give you the highest damage out of any mage specialization. At the same time, with a few toggles, you can turn this build into a crowd controller defensive build for ranged spellcasting alongside crowd control and survivability. This build is excellent for solos. 

 

II) Defensive Controller

 

This build is a ranged build that gives a Necromancer incredible survivability on top of crowd control. For defense, the Necromancer has Barrier, Simulacrum passive, Death Siphon and Chilling Array. For crowd control, the Necromancer has Horror + Terror, Lightning Cage and Chilling Array. For damage, the Necromancer has Searing Glyph, Energy Barrage, Walking Bomb and Lightning Cage. The only difference between Elemental Array Spammer and Defensive Controller is that Defensive Controller is a ranged build. I would personally recommend this build for Dorian, provided you remove Lightning Bolt and Gathering Storm and replace with Static Charge to save ability points.  Or you can have your Inquisitor equip defensive potions and play a support role with some damage. This build is viable for solos. 

 

III) Pyrelectnecromancer

 

This is a ranged build that sacrifices Chilling Array and Ice Armor for Chain Lightning. It provides a great deal of flexibility at the cost of survivability because with this build, you can deal with any type of enemy effectively on top of having decent crowd control in the form of Horror + Terror and Lightning Cage. If you encounter annoying Qunari that are immune or highly resistant to fire and frost, you can switch to a pure Lightning build and wreck them. If you encounter enemy that are weak to fire, you can switch to a pure Fire build and wreck them.

 

IV) Elemental Bomber

 

This build replaces Horror and Immolate with Wall of Fire. Wall of Fire is a 2-in-1 spell whereby it has fire damage and it panics / fears enemies, which goes really well with Blinding Terror passive. Otherwise, it is identical with Pyrelectnecromancer build. Horror + Terror is great for definitely locking down and killing one or two clustered enemies (if Horror + Terror is not resisted, drop a Searing Glyph or Flaming Array and the enemy is as good as dead) whereas Wall of Fire is great for lots of enemies as well as its low mana cost and damage over time which synergizes well with Static Cage. The only thing is that this is not much of a Necromancer, more of a Walking Bomber + Fire + Lightning. 

 

Armor, Enchantments, Weapons

 

i) The best armor enchantments are the ones that help with spell cost reduction and increase chance of critical hits for Flaspoint passive and because Necromancer spells are quite costly. 

 

ii) The best masterwork enchantment I would recommend for a Necromancer is Fade Touched Snoufleur skin that provides heal on hit because it synergizes really well with Death Siphon as well as Simulacrum to heal you.

 

iii) As for armor and apparel set, the best one for a Necromancer is the one you find in Trespasser :- Skin That Stalks, Bind That Guides, Eye That Weeps, Hand That Cuts, Ring of Doubt together with Encore staff. However, be warned that the armor Skin That Stalks look awful on anything other than Elves or Human Females. 

 

Roleplaying

 

Why Necromancer ?

 

A. Nevarran death mages are the best schooled and best educated Circle Mages outside of the Tevinter Imperium mages. They are most definitely more educated and better trained than members of the The Mages' Collective and Chantry-approved mages. Learning from the best is a good thing. 

 

B. Viuus Anaxas is ironically the sanest, most lucid and best teacher amongst the mage specialization trainer. By talking to him you realize that the man know his craft, respects his craft, and he explains very well what Necromancy entails - Use spirits to terrify (Horror), give the dead purpose once more (Spirit Mark), and rend the battlefield (Walking Bomb). By contrast, the other mage specialization trainers, quite frankly, a not very good. Commander Helaine spender her time pulling rank, yapping about being on the front lines of battle  and focusing solely on Spectral Blade instead of a thorough teaching of the Knight Enchanter discipline. Your Trainer is Fade-Addled and spends her time rambling about how the Inquisitor should be a Rift Mage because they are the Inquisitor and because its primordial power. Put simply, neither of them seem to be good teachers whereas Viuus Anaxas is. 

 

C. Being a Necromancer makes you Inquisitor scary. Part of being a Necromancer involves terrifying people to death. That can be a good thing if you want people to fear you (even a little bit), especially if you are an anorexic Elf. 

 

D. Being a Necromancer is practical. As Inquisitor and the Herald, you will spend your time killing a lot. Why not make use of all that death, it seems wasteful not to do so.

 

E. The Inquisitor is interested in learning more about spirits and death as well as being drawn to the taboo. None of the Inquisitors, be it Circle Mage or Dalish First or Tal Vashoth Saarebas are taught more about spirits and death because it is a subject that is taboo in many Circle of Magi, amongst most Dalish and the Qunari. Knowing something that many mages and non-mages do not can be give one the upper hand. 

 

General Tips

 

a. Necromancers can fire off two Walking Bombs in quick succession for the cost of a single Walking Bomb. The same is true of Energy Barrage which can proc masterworks and Flashpoint passive. 

 

b. If you play as a Necromancer with Chilling Array + Ice Armor, consider using Fade Touched Imperial Vestment Cotton (Walking Bomb on hit) because you can detonate that masterwork Walking Bomb in addition with the Walking Bomb you cast. 

 

c. Necromancer's advantage include high burst damage, especially when paired with Ring of Doubt, Flashpoint, Clean Burn, Gathering Storm and Power of the Dead. Necromancers also do not have to worry about lightning staves or lightning abilities because there is no Shock-Weakness bug that affects Necromancers. Heal on hit and heal on kill enchantments go very well with Simulacrum and Death Siphon to create a Necromancer that is practically immortal. 

 

d. Necromancer's weakness is mana regeneration, spell cost and long cooldowns. This is why we use Fade Step + Energizing step as well as Gathering Storm and spell cost reduction enchanments.  

 

So there you go - Detailed tips for all three mage specializations. Hope you have fun and cheers. 


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#14
Bigdawg13

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Wasn't rift mage bugged so that weakened wasn't applied if I think electricity damage was taken or was that patched? If it wasn't, that might impact your decision.

 

If I recall correctly, it's not electricity damage directly  It's the shocked debuff.  And not every electrical spell causes this.  Furthermore, it's only really a problem on bosses.  I'll explain.

 

Normally a Rift Mage wants to put apply weakness because it returns mana when dealing damage to that target and also because it reduces the enemies' damage to your tank/party.  If the target has the "shocked" debuff, when you apply weakness as a Rift Mage, instead of applying weakness it will produce the sleep state.  This nullifies your ability to get mana back and to reduce damage to your tank.  On the other hand, it lets you setup cross-class combos as if you were a rogue.  

 

This is not a problem on normal enemies.  You just break sleep (stonefist or any eldritch detonator) and then apply weakness.  

 

The problem is on bosses, or anyone immune to sleep.  Because now you can't get rid of shocked on the enemy.  And applying weakness will just show "immune" on the boss instead.  Your Rift Mage is basically SOL for mana regen and the tank/party will take more damage for the duration of that fight.  The solution is to avoid anything that causes shocked when fighting a boss.

 

My problem is I forget to swap out things that could cause shocked before a boss.  So instead I avoid it entirely.  This pretty much rules out any ligthning-based staff.  It also voids use of Chain Lightning (any masterwork or spell on from another mage), Lightning bolt, and some electricity tree passives.  I do not recall if LIghtning Cage causes this problem, but I wouldn't be surprised.

 

This all said, there are plenty of ways to get mana back now.  For starters, the Sigil of the Bear is great on a mage (it works for their class).  Fade Step upgrade will return mana whenever you need it.  And there are passives in the spirit and winter tree that have dependencies.  Weakness for reducing tank damage is nice, but not needed if you know how to gear/equip a tank.


  • A PapaCharlie9 le gusta esto

#15
Bigdawg13

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I don't think I can top the information provided by StarFlorge, Bayonet Hipshot, et al, but I would like to recommend this site for some mage builds.  What's nice about them is they show the order you take your skills.  

 

http://dragoninquisi...om/mage-builds/

 

  1. Elemental Mage Build
  2. Invisible Pyromancer Build
  3. 3 Jack of All Trades Mage Build
  4. AOE Rift Mage Build
  5. Knight-Enchanter Mage Build
  6. Support + Combo Mage Build
  7. Fire Necromancer Mage Build

Note:  I don't agree 100% with any of the builds, but then again I doubt someone can show me a build where I say "that is IT!  that's the only way to do it!"

 

Part of the fun with this game is trying out new builds.  The respec amulet cost is prohibitive initially but after level 12 or so it is far more reasonable to buy them frequently IMHO.



#16
Mike3207

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How does qunari do 20-30% more damage-is it a specific vitaar?



#17
Bigdawg13

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How does qunari do 20-30% more damage-is it a specific vitaar?

It's because vitaar modify the base damage of the weapon.  Consider that a Vitaar may add 20 damage to your weapon's base.  For a staff which might have around 80 damage, that's an increase of 25% base damage.  Base damage for your weapon is what determines the damage of all of your abilities.  Fade Cloak which does 1000% weapon damage, will do 25% more from a Qunari.

 

On the other hand, consider a Qunari 2H warrior who has a 2H axe with a base damage of 300.  That 20 damage vitaar will only increase his damage by about 7%.

 

The downside to a Qunari is you cannot craft Vitaar.  So except for a few good ones at end-game, you just have to cross your fingers and hope.  And because you can't craft, you don't have as much control over the stats that you could equip like on another non-qunari character.