24 réponses à ce sujet

[mattig89ch]

Hidy ho all, I'm in the process of completing my first run on PC, with a melee rouge character. Duel wielding swords, with that dual weild skill for faster attacks, and the first bard skill. I'm thinking about another run with a mage. And since I have everything except blood magic unlocked, the idea of a melee arcane warrior build, appeals to me. But after searching a bit, there are alot of conflicting reports on roughly how to build an arcane warrior. Given that this game is a bit old nowadays, I wanted to know if there were any guides which were more respected on arcane warriors. Or if there were some general tips for arcane warriors.

[Deadly dwarf]

Very good question.  I've always found arcane warrior somewhat disappointing.  Basically, the mage can wear heavy armor and use the arcane sword when the enemy is in melee distance, but no special activated skills...unless of course certain of the skills from the various mage schools work best with arcane warrior?

[Qis]

There are three types of AW

 

i. Fully melee with sustains - melee auto-attack with sustained magic on

ii. Half melee and half caster - cast magic first then finish with melee

iii. Fully caster - armor is just for show if wear armor, or else just want to use Shimmering Shield and become ethereal while wearing robe

 

So before you build an AW you must decide which type you want to to build because all three are different. Keep in mind that wearing armor and Combat Magic add fatigue and spells cost more.

[Elhanan]

I prefer more of a full Caster type as described above, but can and will use arms to defend themselves if the need arises. I also recommend the use of armor over robes, especially those sets that aid Mana/ Stamina Regen and have lower fatigue.

For such a design, I generally use this design:

STR - base; MGC will supplement the rest.

DEX - 20+. The reason more can be included here is some like to use Daggers which requires DEX as a prereq; same for DAA.

CON - 12+. A few pts here can help; up to 20 for DAA, but this may not be required. This one may vary depending on how often melee options are selected.

WILL - 30+; adds fuel to the firer, so to speak. Increase to 40 if desired for DAA.

MGC - everything else, as this is the Primary attribute.

CUN - 16+. Only the base is needed for aiding Skills, but more can be chosen to help dialogue choices.

[Qis]

If fully caster i don't think gong melee is really necessary, no point in going melee. Shimmering Shield is just for OP defense buff, and just that if really need it anyway. It is more effective against magical attacks than anything, better than any anti-magic buff spells. Anti-Magic Ward is only 10 seconds, Spell Shield will drain your mana on hostile spell impact, while -10 mana for Shimmering Shield can be bypassed by items and it can last long

[Elhanan]

If fully caster i don't think gong melee is really necessary, no point in going melee. Shimmering Shield is just for OP defense buff, and just that if really need it anyway. It is more effective against magical attacks than anything, better than any anti-magic buff spells. Anti-Magic Ward is only 10 seconds, Spell Shield will drain your mana on hostile spell impact, while -10 mana for Shimmering Shield can be bypassed by items and it can last long.

There are occasions when Mana can get low, and having a decent weapon and/ or shield can be helpful in Mana Regen, as well as aid defense during some encounters; planned or unplanned. But I utilize a good staff as my primary weapon, and place my set of arms choice as a secondary plan.

But I agree that Shimmering Shield is superior to many other options. What I do like is the versatility of having the choice.

[Deadly dwarf]

There are three types of AW

 

i. Fully melee with sustains - melee auto-attack with sustained magic on

ii. Half melee and half caster - cast magic first then finish with melee

iii. Fully caster - armor is just for show if wear armor, or else just want to use Shimmering Shield and become ethereal while wearing robe

 

So before you build an AW you must decide which type you want to to build because all three are different. Keep in mind that wearing armor and Combat Magic add fatigue and spells cost more.

 

Now how would you go full melee with no special warrior talents?  Just get the most massive armor you can find and put the most powerful runes on arcane sword?  That, to me, seems like a very second-rate warrior.  The way I've played AW falls somewhere between your ii. and iii.  Casting is always the mage's primary weapon/primary purpose.  However, having armor and a sword mean the AW doesn't get crushed quickly if the enemy gets within melee distance.  The AW can defend him/herself in melee against lower level enemies and hold off stronger enemies until the tank comes to the rescue.  I always give this to Wynne since making your healer more survivable seems like a good idea.

 

One of the few things Inquisition actually improves is AW which they now call Knight Enchanter.  Even this isn't full melee though...

[capn233]

There are a lot of effective ways to build an Arcane Warrior.

 

In general the most powerful weapon you can have equipped is the staff though.  Which means that most of your core abilities won't be much different than with any other mage.  So you will need to decide which sort of powers you like.  A decent core of powers would be something like this:

 

Arcane Shield

Fireball

Stonefist

Cone of Cold

Walking Bomb

Mind Blast

Vulnerability Hex

 

Those and the powers en route to those will cover mostly anything in the game, especially if you add glyph of repulsion and paralysis (paralysis explosion is great).

 

As far as AW stuff is concerned, I don't run armor on them any longer, just robes.  Robes are a bit better for casting, some have decent defense or armor buffs, and your various sustains should be sufficient to reduce damage.  For example, a "tanky" robe would be something like Reaper's Vestments with +12 armor, +6 con, and 10% chance to dodge.  Other robes with mana regen also are helpful.  You can get up to 12.25 armor from Rock Armor.  Arcane Shield gives defense.  Various other items give defense, dodge or armor.

 

I prefer to go dual wield on AW as far as melee is concerned to take advantage of attack speed.  Since they didn't scale on hit procs for attack speed, generally more attack speed is better, and can outweigh the loss in attribute modifier from going DW without DW training.  So damage runes, potentially flame weapons, poisons.  Usually it isn't worth going melee until you have exhausted mana using bread and butter mage spells though.  So use those to open an encounter, then initiate sustains to support melee, and stab whatever is left.

 

It is helpful if you have your weapon set switch key bound to something that is easy to press so you can go between staff and melee weapons quickly, as staff gives you the best spellpower, and not all spells can be cast with melee weapons drawn.

 

It is most efficient to just invest attributes into magic on AW (Combat Magic uses magic, not spellpower for melee damage calculations).  The caveat is that if you wanted to go pure melee with dagger-dagger, you can invest in dex for more rapid melee  attack gain, but that is for something of a specialized hipster build that will utilize as many on hit effects as possible (and you will still need high spellpower to max out defensive and weapon sustains).

[Elhanan]

Now how would you go full melee with no special warrior talents?  Just get the most massive armor you can find and put the most powerful runes on arcane sword?  That, to me, seems like a very second-rate warrior.  The way I've played AW falls somewhere between your ii. and iii.  Casting is always the mage's primary weapon/primary purpose.  However, having armor and a sword mean the AW doesn't get crushed quickly if the enemy gets within melee distance.  The AW can defend him/herself in melee against lower level enemies and hold off stronger enemies until the tank comes to the rescue.  I always give this to Wynne since making your healer more survivable seems like a good idea.
 
One of the few things Inquisition actually improves is AW which they now call Knight Enchanter.  Even this isn't full melee though...

To be fair, there are only a couple W&S activated Talents that I like: Shield Bash and Pummel. These and Shield Wall, plus the Passives to improve them are what makes this a superior Warrior.

However, the AW can improve his default standing with spell buffs, runes, Heraldry, etc. In my own experience, I prefer not to use DW, as even a full set of Hale runes does not help much, though Dweomer runes can be useful. But a decent shield and arms set can make melee something quite unpleasant for enemies.

[dainbramage]

Now how would you go full melee with no special warrior talents?  Just get the most massive armor you can find and put the most powerful runes on arcane sword?  That, to me, seems like a very second-rate warrior.

 

You can actually build them to be competent front-liners. Dual-wield daggers, get enough magic to hit 75 spellpower (where flaming weapons caps), and rest in dex. It won't quite match the dps of a DW warrior or rogue, but it's not actually too far behind - it's somewhere around 70% the dps of a backstabbing rogue. While being indestructible and buffing your party with haste and flaming weapons + debuffing enemies with miasma.

[Qis]

Now how would you go full melee with no special warrior talents?  Just get the most massive armor you can find and put the most powerful runes on arcane sword?  That, to me, seems like a very second-rate warrior.  The way I've played AW falls somewhere between your ii. and iii.  Casting is always the mage's primary weapon/primary purpose.  However, having armor and a sword mean the AW doesn't get crushed quickly if the enemy gets within melee distance.  The AW can defend him/herself in melee against lower level enemies and hold off stronger enemies until the tank comes to the rescue.  I always give this to Wynne since making your healer more survivable seems like a good idea.

 

One of the few things Inquisition actually improves is AW which they now call Knight Enchanter.  Even this isn't full melee though...

 

Yes we can go full melee and can solo with it

 

Useful sustains

- Arcane Shield

- Flaming Weapon*

- Frost Weapon*

- Rock Armor

- Telekinetic Weapon*

- Spell Shield or Shimmering Shield

- Miasma

 

Optional sustains

- Death Siphon

- Death Magic

- Cleansing Aura

 

* depends on enemy you face

 

By these sustain spells alone you can solo as AW, just activate Combat Magic and all sustains. Other Mages on your party can cast offensive spells especially Misdirection Hex and Death Hex

 

[mattig89ch]

Wow, I have to say, I wasn't expecting so many responses so quickly.

 

So, my plan is to make a melee arcane warrior.  From that, I had figured spells like miasma and death magic were must haves.  Given my character was going to be wading into the thick of it.

 

I was also thinking having some ice spells would be good too, for their slowing abilities.  And a spell like mana clash, to deal with enemy magic users.  Finally, something like mass paralysis, and an aoe attack to deal with some of the lesser enemies.

 

But, given I've never really built a melee magic user before, I was mostly guessing.

[Qis]

AW can be an overpowered Templar if you focus on Spirit School anti-magic. Mana Clash is just one shot kill regular Mages, abominations and anyone who have mana.

 

Too bad that Anti-Magic Burst need high level where you maybe already dealing with Mages before getting it, and it can de-buff you too if not carefully cast.

 

Dispel Magic is a quick magic de-buff, a spell that too easy not to take. It can de-buff Curse of Mortality and any magic buff on specific target

 

Anti-magic AW is an excellent Templar to think about it.

[mattig89ch]

Interesting. I've never done a warrior build in the game before. Typically, I beat games like this so completely that I just walk away from them for a while. Not being able to transfer my unlocks from my 360 to my PC, made me stay away from this game for longer then normal (I didn't want to start from scratch again). What got me back into it, was starting to play 2, and then wanting a save to import into it. All that said, a warrior build never really appealed to me. The mage class, was awesome to play. And I like the idea of the rouge from the wilds (summon a creature to fight beside you). But, having played the game a bit recently, I had to bring Alistair along to stop some of those powerful mage bosses. And I really saw how awesome a Templar could be. So turning my Arcane warrior towards canceling out other mages sounds like a good idea. I'll just need a stupidly deep mana pool to draw from. Now I choose death magic and miasma for obvious reasons. Death magic, to help keep me alive, and miasma to weaken and slow my enemies. Something like frost weapons seems like a good idea as well, to slow my enemies even more. But should I be avoiding the frost school of things? The DA wiki said most of them you need to sheath your blade to use those spells. While spells like fireball can be cast with weapon in hand. Also, glyphs might be something to use as well. To freeze, repel, and stop mages from being able to cast at me and my party. But should I be seriously looking at some other areas?

[Qis]

Glyph spells are good but they are stationary, that's why i am not a fan of it, I usually give them to Wynne, but you can utilize Glyph spells suite your need.

 

For full melee it is better to use sustain spells only, but for half melee and half caster it is best using spells that can be cast right away, sheathing weapon will become annoying, believe me. For full caster it will be a no problem since you're using staves.

 

When play full melee Spirit Healer AW, i leave offensive spells to other Mages, it is easier. Only using sustains and healing magic

[Elhanan]

Glyph spells are good but they are stationary, that's why i am not a fan of it, I usually give them to Wynne, but you can utilize Glyph spells suite your need.
 
For full melee it is better to use sustain spells only, but for half melee and half caster it is best using spells that can be cast right away, sheathing weapon will become annoying, believe me. For full caster it will be a no problem since you're using staves.
 
When play full melee Spirit Healer AW, i leave offensive spells to other Mages, it is easier. Only using sustains and healing magic

Glyphs may be cast indirectly, so one may use them in other areas, around the corner, etc. Winter's Grasp is like this too; perhaps others.

[mattig89ch]

Originally I was going for a full melee guy. But the idea of wading into combat, hitting things with spells, then a giant starp metal stick kind of appeals to me. I'm honestly not sure which I'm going to choose now. Thanks for the suggestions though. If I do choose something like a half caster, is there anything I'm going to be needing to get? Or just whatever appeals to me?

[Elhanan]

Originally I was going for a full melee guy. But the idea of wading into combat, hitting things with spells, then a giant starp metal stick kind of appeals to me. I'm honestly not sure which I'm going to choose now. Thanks for the suggestions though. If I do choose something like a half caster, is there anything I'm going to be needing to get? Or just whatever appeals to me?

I recommend Evon's chestpiece in Wade's, along with the remaining Superior Heavy armor set. The best Staff in DAO is likely the one for sale in the Circle shop. For backup melee weapon set, Cailen's sword and shield offer good Magic Regen, but also look at the Fade Shield taken from Ghazkang if you get it to drop, and another weapon of choice. Spelling is unconfirmed....

[mattig89ch]

I know about a sword, only able to be used by arcane warriors, taken from the fanatics in the fanatics in the mountain top shrine. I forget what its called though, and I have no idea what the stats are.

[Elhanan]

I know about a sword, only able to be used by arcane warriors, taken from the fanatics in the fanatics in the mountain top shrine. I forget what its called though, and I have no idea what the stats are.

Spellweaver is OK, though I prefer Duncan's sword for late game due to being able to hold another rune.

[capn233]

Glyph spells are good but they are stationary, that's why i am not a fan of it, I usually give them to Wynne, but you can utilize Glyph spells suite your need.

 

Yeah that is a limitation, but there are a lot of places where you can use them to block a choke.

 

The best two are Paralysis and Repulsion though since Paralysis Explosion is probably the best all around spell combo in the game since it has very high utility and doesn't even use a resistance check, anything in he AOE just gets paralyzed.

 

The other two are somewhat situational, but ok in their roles.  Neutralization is just an extra point from Repulsion, so that can make it cheaper than Dispel Magic if you like paralysis explosions.

 

Originally I was going for a full melee guy. But the idea of wading into combat, hitting things with spells, then a giant starp metal stick kind of appeals to me. I'm honestly not sure which I'm going to choose now. Thanks for the suggestions though. If I do choose something like a half caster, is there anything I'm going to be needing to get? Or just whatever appeals to me?

 

Get things that buff spellpower, magic, stamina / mana regen, dodge, armor.  Spell wise, get bread and butter mage spells.

 

I know about a sword, only able to be used by arcane warriors, taken from the fanatics in the fanatics in the mountain top shrine. I forget what its called though, and I have no idea what the stats are.

 

Spellweaver

 

The good things are that it buffs magic (used for damage w/ Combat Magic), gives stamina/mana regen, has 10% spell resist, and has +3 electric damage which is sort of like having a built in Expert Lightning rune.

 

Of course unless you want to go melee weapons only, than the spellpower buff doesn't compare favorably with a staff, and not all spells can be cast with weapons drawn anyway.  So as above I just have staff equipped when I want to cast, for the most part.

 

The other downside is that it is just tier 6 / silverite, so there are potentially better longswords for some stats.  I still run this though since you don't really get any other chance to use it and it uses a neat looking model and has the stamina/mana regen.  Edge early offhand, then Rose's Thorn later.  If I wasn't going to run Spellweaver I would probably use Starfang, even though it doesn't have mana regen.

[Aren]

 

 

The AW build of sustainability can solo the game but that's because the AI is pretty naive,if the enemies had been more intelligent in this game they would dispel the sustainability effects on the AW before to easly kill it.

 

-A mana clash

-Dispel(Mages&demons)

-Cleanse aura(templars)

could easily kill this build that's why i don't like combat with false competitions.

[Aren]

 

The best two are Paralysis and Repulsion though since Paralysis Explosion is probably the best all around spell combo in the game since it has very high utility and doesn't even use a resistance check, anything in he AOE just gets paralyzed.

 

A simple fireball is more useful since is able to do damages and knock down for several seconds your foes there is no need for this strategy.

DAO was horribly unbalanced with the area effect spells the most notable was the combination between Blizzard+Thunder storm

[capn233]

 

A simple fireball is more useful since is able to do damages and knock down for several seconds your foes there is no need for this strategy.

DAO was horribly unbalanced with the area effect spells the most notable was the combination between Blizzard+Thunder storm

 

 

Fireball is a good spell, but PE works against a wider array of enemies including those that cannot be knocked down.

 

It isn't an either / or proposition anyway.

[mattig89ch]

Thanks for the suggestions all! Is this forum truly shutting down?