DragonAge:Origins:ClassGuidebyasmiroth

DragonAge:Origins ClassGuidev0.5 byMarcSeguinakaAsmiroth strongandlong@hotmail.com Copyright2009MarcSeguin TABLEOFCONTENTS Introduction (DAO:1) ClassBasics (DAO:2) Warrior (DAO:2.1) Rogue (DAO:2.2) Mage (DAO:2.3) GroupMakeup (DAO:3) TypicalGroup (DAO:3.1) BetterGroup (DAO:3.2) BestGroup (DAO:3.3) (DAO:4) Characters Alistair (DAO:4.1) Dog (DAO:4.2) Leliana (DAO:4.3) Secret (DAO:4.4) Morrigan (DAO:4.5) Oghren (DAO:4.6) Shale (DAO:4.7) Sten (DAO:4.8) Wynne (DAO:4.9) Zevran (DAO:4.10) Warrior (DAO:5) Tank (DAO:5.1) Attributes (DAO:5.1.1) Abilities (DAO:5.1.2) Build (DAO:5.1.3) Summary (DAO:5.1.4) Melee (DAO:5.2) Attributes (DAO:5.2.1) Abilities (DAO:5.2.2) (DAO:5.2.3) Build Summary (DAO:5.2.4) Rogue (DAO:6) Melee (DAO:6.1) Attributes (DAO:6.1.1) Abilities (DAO:6.1.2) Build (DAO:6.1.3)

Summary (DAO:6.1.4) Ranged (DAO:6.2) Attributes (DAO:6.2.1) Abilities (DAO:6.2.2) Build (DAO:6.2.3) Summary (DAO:6.2.4) Mage (DAO:7) Tank (DAO:7.1) Attributes (DAO:7.1.1) Abilities (DAO:7.1.2) Build (DAO:7.1.3) Summary (DAO:7.1.4) Caster (DAO:7.2) Attributes (DAO:7.2.1) Abilities (DAO:7.2.2) Build (DAO:7.2.3) Summary (DAO:7.2.4) VERSION Jan18,20090.5Morefixes Dec02,20090.4Morebuildfixes,andtyposcorrected Nov28,20090.3Fixedsomeerrorsinbuildsections Nov27,20090.2Addedbuilds,modifiedRoguesection,cleanup Nov20,20090.1FirstVersion INTRODUCTION(DAO:1) DragonAge:OriginsisthesequelinpricinpleoftheBaldur'sGate,Icewind DaleandNeverwinterNightslineofgames.ThoughDA:Odoesn'tnecessarily followtheDungeons&Dragonsmethodofgameplay,manysimilaritiesexist. WhatwefindinsteadisamixofD&Dwithmultiplayeronlinegames,suchas WorldofWarcraft.Allinall,thismakesthegamemuchmoreaccessibletoa widergroupofpeoplethanyourstandardpenandpaperRPG. Andyes,therearespoilersabound. CLASSBASICS(DAO:2) Ifyou'veeverplayedanyRPGinthepast,you'reprobablyfamiliarwiththe rolesrequiredtosucceedinthelongrun.Wheresomegamesrequireonlybrute forceandothersexceedinglytediousstrategy,DA:Otendstofavorthelatter. Inonlyabriefamountofsituationswillsendinginyourgroupblindly succeed.Youwillfindyourselfpausingthegame,issuingcommandsand probablyreloadingafewtimesalongtheway.Duetothisrequirementof strategy,it'sagoodideatounderstandthebasicsofclassmakeup. Warrior(DAO:2.1) Warriorsareyourtypicalgruntforcetrauma.Theywadein,takeabeatingand dishoneoutinkind.Thesearethecharactersthatgetdeepanddirtyin

combat,sotheyrequireaslightlylesshandsonapproach.Withtheright tacticssetup(thedefaultscrapperisusuallygood),sendingawarriorto attackandforgettingabouthimforafewsecondswillnotkillyou. Oneofthekeyfeaturesofawarrioristheirheavyarmorandweapons.The formermakesthemquiteeffectiveatabsorbingdamage,iftheycanmaintainthe enemies'focusforlongenough.ThreatenandTauntarekeyabilitiesforthis typeofcombatant.Whenacharacter'smainroleistoabsorbdamage,theyare referredtoasatank. Lookingattheothersideofthewarriorcoin,damagedealing.Warriorsare hugebrutesswingingmassiveweapons.Inthelaterstagesofthegame,they canalsoattackagroupofenemieswithasingleswing,makingthemquite usefulforgroupattacks.Charactersthatfocusondealingdamagetoenemies atcloserangearereferredtoasmeleedamagedealers,ormeleeforshort. Rogue(DAO:2.2) Roguesareyourtypicalsilentstalker.Residingintheshadows,theyarethe mastersofrangedphysicalattacks,backstabsandpoisons.Nottomentionthe otherutilityskillssuchaspickingpocketsandlocks.Similartothe warrior,roguesfocusondealingmaximumdamagebutwhiletakingtheleast amountpossible.Iftheycan'tkilltheenemyquickly,theywilluse additionalskillstofurtherdisableit.Typically,aroguedoesnotdealwell withmultipleenemiesatoncebutexcelsatsingletargetcombat. TherearereallytwokeyareasoffocusforroguesinDA:O,damageupcloseand damagefromrangewithaboworcrossbow.Thishasanimpactinattribute allocationandevenmoresowithabilities.Afullypoweredrogueatrangeis byfarthedeadliestcharacterinthegame.Rangedattackersarecalledranged damagedealers,orrangedforshort. Mage(DAO:2.3) Themysticalmage.Therereallyisn'tmuchthatamagedoesn'tdo,ifonly limitedbytheirmanapoolandabilitiesselected.Amagecanfightupclose, theycancastfromtheback,thecancontrolgroupsofenemies,theycanheal, theycaneventransformintootherbeasts. Atthemostbasiclevel,amageisthetypeofcharactertheneedsthemost finesse.Justleavingthemtocastwhateverspellwheneverisnotthebest waytowinafightandinsomecases,willkillyououtright.Inpartdueto thelargeamountofspellstheycanchoosefrom,youhavealottoconsiderin everybattleyouenter. Thoughtheabilitytohealisaveryimportantone,itisnevergoingtobethe primaryroleofamage.Theyareyouraceinpocket,castingacleverspellto trickortraptheenemymakinglifeeasierforeveryothercharacter. Ofveryinterestingnoteisthatwiththeproperspecialization,themagecan fillinperfectlyasatank.Sowhereyoumightfindyouroptionslackingin yourpartymembersyoucanalsomakeyourowntruejackofalltrades.

GROUPMAKEUP(DAO:3) Thoughyoucouldtrytoplaythegamealoneifyouwantedto,DA:Oallowsyou and3partymemberstoformagroup.BythetimeyoufinishLotherian,you'll potentiallyhave6memberstochoosefrom,whichismorethanenoughforthe restofthegame.Overthecourseoftheentiregame,youwillencounter6 warriors,2roguesand2mages.Combinedwiththeclassyou'veselected,you cancertainlyformanytypeofteamyouwouldlike. Oneasyandnormal,it'sverypossibletoplaytheentiregamewithoutany magestocasthealingspells.Youcouldhave4warriors,usepotionsand poisonsandgetthrough99%ofthegamewithrelativeease,ifyoupay attention.Onthehardestlevelhowever,youcannotforgoamagefor2main reasons.Thefirstistheirabilitytohealmembers,whichismoreeffective thanpotionsalone.Thesecondistheirabilitytostun/controlenemiesin combat.Manytimesyouwillencounter24rankedenemieswhocaneasilytear yourgroupapart.AwelltimedPetrifyorCrushingPrisonisalifesaverin thosecases. TypicalGroup(DAO:3.1) Yourtypicalgroupincombatwillcontainonetank,onemageand2damage dealers.Intheearlystagesofthegameandoneasierdifficultiesyoucan choosetohavealloftheminmeleerangeifyouwish.Thedownsideisthat youaregroupingupyourcharacters,whichcanputthemallatriskofarea effectspellsandabilities.Thisalsomeansthatyourcharactersneedtorun aroundinordertoengageenemiesatadistance.Anytimeyouarenotswinging yourweaponatanenemyandtheyareistimewhereyouarelosing. BetterGroup(DAO:3.2) Atank,amageand2rangedattackersareanimprovementoverthetypical group.Whileyourtankrunsinandengagestheenemy,theirroleisnotto dealdamagebuttoabsorbit,sothereisnotimelost.Inthemeantime,all yourrangedattackerscanfocusonandeliminateenemytargetswithrelative ease.Apossiblehiccuphereisthatenemieswillstarttoruntowardsyour rangedattackers,meaningthetankwillberunningaroundawholelotand you'llneedtoreallymanageyourteam.Still,fromadamagedealing perspective,thisgroupisaverysolidmakeup. BestGroup(DAO:3.3) Obviouslyusingthewordbestissubjective.Everyonewillhavetheirown opinionaboutthisbutinmyexperience,thisistheeasiestwaytomove throughthegamewithoutcontinualreloading.Asmentionedintheprevious section,rangedcombatispreferabletomeleesinceyou'redealingdamagethe entiretimeratherthanrunningaround.Italsoensuresthatyou'reusingthe mostpowerfulclassinthegametotheirmaximumpotential. Thebestgroupismadeupofatankand3mages.I'msureyou'rethinking,wow it'shardenoughtomanageasinglemage,howcanIhandle3?That'sthe beautyaboutit,youonlyreallyneedtomanageasingleone.Puttheother twoontacticsthatattackwhomeveryouaretargettingandletthecomputer castaway.Icanguaranteethat3magescastingBlizzard,InfernoandTempest willdestroyanygroupofenemiesyouencounter.Evenmoresoiftheyallhave

accesstoForceFieldtoprotectyourtankandeachother.Ifyou'rerunning withanArcaneMage,youcouldpotentiallyhaveFrost,FireandTelekenetic Weaponspellsallactiveatthesametime! Therearemanywaystobuildyourgroupandintheendit'suptoyoutodecide whichformationworksbestforyou. CHARACTERS(DAO:4) Throughoutthegameyou'llencounterawidevarietyofcharacters.Ibriefly mentionedthefactthatyou'llencounteratotalof10throughoutbutkeeping themallwithyouatthesametimecanbeachallenge. Animportantnotewhencharactersjoinyourgroup:theywilltypicallyjoinat yourlevelor+/1.IfyoufindWynnewhenyourcharacterislevel17,then shewillbelevel17andalreadyhaveallherattributesandspellsselected. Soifyouwanttohavetheultimatecontrolonyourgroup'scharacters,find themearly. Allcharactersareoptional,exceptforperhapsAlistairinashortpartofthe game. Alistair(DAO:4.1) LocationFound:Ostagar Role:Alistaircomeswith2abilitiesalreadyintheShieldtree,soit'sa goodideatokeephimthereandbuildhimtobecomeatank. Dog(DAO:4.2) LocationFound:RoadbetweenOstagarandLotherian(ifyoudidthequestin Ostagar) Role:Beingadog,it'sroleispurelyoffensiveandsimilartoamelee characterbutwithoutweapons.Youcanequiphimwithacollarandsomepaint toenhancehimbutforthemostpart,it'sapetthatyoupointtoatargetand he'llbitetiltheydie. Leliana(DAO:4.3) LocationFound:Lotherian Role:Lelianacomeswithsomearcheryabilitiesalreadyselectedbutbeing earlyinthegame,youcanmovehertoanotherroleifyouwish.Iprefer keepingheratrangethoughandfocusingentirelyondexterity.Attheendof thegame,sheisthedealiestcharacteronyourteam. Loghain(DAO:4.4) LocationFound:Denerim,lateinthegame Role:Hecomesinverylateinthegameasawarrior.Oddsareyouwon'tlevel himmorethan12levelsandhisroleispurelythatofa2handedwarrior.

Morrigan(DAO:4.5) LocationFound:WildsafterOstagar Role:The"evil"mageinthegame,sinceyoucollectherearlyyoucanfocus heronwhateverroleyouwish.Ipersonallydon'tliketheShapeshifterspells sinceyouloseaccesstoallothermagespellsbutit'syourpreference. Oghren(DAO:4.6) LocationFound:Orzammar Role:He'ssetupasabeserkerandfor2handedweapondamage.Thisisa greatroletokeephimin,especiallyifyoucatchhimearlyinthegame. Shale(DAO:4.7) LocationFound:HonnleathDLC Role:Shaleisagolemyoucancollectthroughdownloadablecontent.Beinga golem,youwouldthinkhewouldfocusondamagedealingbutinfactbytheend ofthegame,you'llhavemaxedouteveryskillofhis.Combinedwiththegems heusestoaugmenthisbody,it'suptoyoutodecideifyouwanthimtobea tankoradamagedealer.Bewarnedthathedoesareaofeffectdamage,soif therestofthegroupisnearhim,theywillgetdamagedaswell. Sten(DAO:4.8) LocationFound:Lotherian Role:YoufindStenveryearlyinthegamebuthestillhasacouplepoints into2handedweapons.SinceyoualreadyhaveAlistairintankmode,keepSten inmeleemode.Statisically,hewillbestrongerthanOgrenbecauseyoucan givehim2specializationsthoughoddsareonewillbebeserkeranyhow. Wynne(DAO:4.9) LocationFound:CircleofMages Role:WynnecomesinalreadylineduptobeaSpritHealer,havingagroupheal andrevivallinedup.Beingamage,thesearetwogoodspellsandeventhe entiretreeisgoodlaterinthegame.Trytocollectherearlysothatyou canmaximizeherattributedistributionandmovehereitherintoArcaneMageor BloodMage. Zevran(DAO:4.10) LocationFound:Randomeventafterclearing1majorquest. Role:Zevranisameleeroguebutdependingonwhenyoucollecthim,hecanbe veryweakstatistically.Thisisatoughcallsinceyouwillmostlikely finishthefirstmajorquestatlevel910andreallyonlyneed1rogueinthe group.LelianaisabetterchoicesoZevranreallytakesabackseatinthe game.Toobad,he'saninterestingoneatthat.

WARRIOR(DAO:5) Tank(DAO:5.1) Thetank'smainroleistoabsorbdamageandkeepenemyattention.Tothat end,theywillbefocusingondefensiveitemsandabilities. Attributes(DAO:5.1.1) Strength: 42 Dex: MAX Willpower: n/a Magic: n/a Cunning: n/a Constitution: 20 Sincethebestarmorinthegamerequires42strength,that'swhatyou'regoing tobeaimingfor.Pastthatpoint,strength'sonlypurposeistoincrease meleedamage,whichisnotagoalforthisrole.Constitutionat20ismore thanenough,especiallyifyoupickuptheLifeGiverringinOrzammar. There'snothingwrongwithmorehitpointsbutthedifferencebetween15and20 constituionisonly25hitpoints.Dexterityshouldbemaxedasmuchas possibleforafewreasons.First,itincreasesyourchancetohit.Second itdecreasesyourchancetobehit,whichisofgreatbenefittoyourhealer. Abilities(DAO:5.1.2) YourmainfocuswillbeontheWarriortree,theShieldtreeandthe specializationtrees.DualWieldandTwoHandremovetheabilityto useashield,whichisbadsoavoidthem.Ifyourmaincharacteris awarrior,youcanalsoacquire2newskillsintheWarden'sKeepquest. Warriorabilities: Powerful:Thisoneisanecessityforanywarrior.Reducedfatigueand increasedhitpointsisallgood. Threaten: Again,arequirementforatank.Everyswingyoutakeincreases enemyhostilitytowardsyou.Itshouldalwaysbeactiveand yourtankshouldbehittingmorethanoneenemytokeepthemall onhim. Bravery: Passiveincreasetodefensiveandoffensivestatisticsifyou havemorethan2enemiesattackingthetank.Thishappensin 90%ofallbattles,sothere'sadefinitebenefittobehad. DeathBlow: Ifyourwarriorstrikesthefinalblow,heregainssome stamina.Thiswillonlyhappenuntilyoureachlevel89, afterwardsyourothercharactersaredoingthekilling.Since youcanonlygetthisat12,avoiditaltogether. PreciseStriking:Asustainedabilitythanincreasesyourchancetohit. CombinedwithThreatenthisensuresyou'rehittingtheenemy

 andgettingtheirattention,whichisagoodthing.Keepit on. Taunt: Ahh,themeatandpotatoesofengagementatthehigherend. Sendyourwarriorintothethickofthings,castthisskilland watcheveryonetargethim.Incombatwith6ormoreenemies, thiscankillyourwarrioroutright,soyourhealersneedtobe ontheirtoes.CombinedwithForceFieldonthetankthis allowsyoutoTaunt,ForceField,thencastasmanyareaeffect skillsasyouwantwithnorisktothetank. Disengage: Thisgoesagainsttheideaofatanksothere'snoreasontouse it. PerfectStriking:Practicallyensureseveryswingisahit,whichsoundsgood intheorybutit's2skillpointsyoucanputelsewherefor morebenefit. Warden'sKeepabilities: BloodThirst: Moredamageoutputbutyoutakemoredamagetoo.Asasustained ability,youshouldavoidusingthisasatank.Thankfullyyou getitforfree. BloodFury: Anotherbadtradeoffforatank.Losinghitpointsisnevera goodthingandthere'snoreasontousethisabilityasatank. ShieldTreeabilities: ShieldBash: Knockingenemiesdownisgood.Ontopofthat,ifeveryanother partymembergetsgraspedorjumpedon,thisattackwillbreak thehold.Greatlivesaver. ShieldPummel: Stunningattacksaregreatastheysetuptheenemyformore damage.AlternatingbetweenBashandPummelwillkeepmost enemiesoutofcombatuntiltheydieoryourunoutofstamina. Overpower: Anotherknockdownattack,thistimecostingabitmorestamina. IpersonallypreferBashbecauseofthecost.You'rereallynot aimingfordamagebutinapinchitcanfreeapartymemberfrom agrasp/jump. Assault: Ashielddamageattack.Again,yourgoalistotakedamageand preventitfromhittingotherpartymembers,soyoureallydon't needthis. ShieldDefense:ThisshouldbeonatalltimesuntilyougetShieldWall. Increasedchancetoavoidmisslesisgoldwhenyou'resurrounded byenemies. ShieldBalance:Improvesshielddefense,nothingbadhere. ShieldWall: Youdolessdamagebuttakeawholelotlessyourself.This abilityshouldalwaysbeactiveonceyouhaveacquiredit. Always.

 ShieldExpertise:Beingimmunetoknockdownisahugebenefitandshouldbe theabilitytoselectatlevel12.Atankthat'sstandingis atankthat'skeepingalltheenemiesonhim. ShieldBlock: Flankingreducesyourdefensetozero,meaningyoucan'tavoid damageandtherforetakemore.Thispassiveabilityremoves flanksfromthefront,whichisagood50%ofallattacks. ShieldCover: GreatforavoidingmisslesbutShieldWallisbetter. ShieldTactics:Nowyou'reimmunefromallflankingattacks.You'llnotice thechangeassoonasyouacquireit. ShieldMastery:Improvesnearlyeveryshieldabilityyouhave,agreat investment. BeserkerSpecialization: Aninterestingchoice,sincetheattributegaindoesnotmatchupwiththe specializationabilities.Abeserkertradesstaminaformoreoveralldamage. Again,sincethetank'smaingoalistoavoidtakingdamageandreducethe effectonothers,there'snotawholelottogainfromtakingthispath, otherthanthe2strengthand10hitpointstakenbyselectingitonthelevel upscreen. TemplarSpecialization: ThefocusofaTemplarisagainstmages.Inmanycombatsituations,therewill bemagesattackingyoubutyourrangedattackersshouldbefocusedonthem. Theabilitiesofatemplarareallinmeleerangeandreallydon'taffect regularenemiesandthereforedonothaveanynoticeablebenefittothetank orthegroup. RighteousStrike:Manadrainisgoodbuttherearepoisonsthatdothismore effectively. CleaseArea: I'veyettoseeahugebenefithere,exceptforhealinggroup membersofdealycurses. MentalFortress:Significantincreasetomentaldefense,whichreallyonly stopsCrushingPrisonattacks. HolySmite: Interestingattackthathitsyourtargetandothersnearbyfor spiritandfiredamage.Therealbenefitisthegroupstunand knockbackattackthataccompaniesit. ChampionSpecialization: Nowthisisatankingspecialization.Increaseattributesonyourteamand reducetheenemy'sabilitytohityou.Great! WarCry: Acrythatreducestheenemychancetohitisgreatforatank. IfyouselectSuperioritylateron,thiscanalsoknockdownall enemiesaroundyou.

 Rally: Givesyourentiregroupabonustoattackanddefense.Nothing wrongwiththatatall. Motivate: IncreasesthebonusesfromRally.Onitsown,notthatgreat sincetheupkeepcostisratherhigh. Superiority: MakesWarCryknockdownagroupofenemies.Veryworthwhile whenyouhavethestaminatospare. ReaverSpecialization: Somegoodandsomebadhere.Theabilitytohealfromcorpsesandbemore effectivewithTauntandThreatenisgoodbuttakingdamagetodomoredamage isdefinitelybad. Devour: Essentiallyahealbasedontheamountofcorpsesaroundyou.I hadproblemsgettingthistoworkconsistentlysoitmightbe buggy.Intheorythough,veryuseful. FrighteningAppearance:Worksjustlikeastunonasingletarget.Howeverthe sidebenefitisthatThreatenandTauntaremuchmore effective,soit'sveryusefultohave. AuraofPain: Givedamagetotakedamage.It'ssortoflikeyoualwaysbeing insideaTempestorInferno.Sure,everyonetakesdamageand therebyhitsyoumoreoftenbutyoualsoarelosinghitpoints. ThisisagoodabilitytouseifTauntisn'tworkingoutoris oncooldown,justdon'tkeepitactivetoolong. BloodFrenzy: Younolongerregeneratehealthandyoudomoredamage proportionatelytotheamountofhealthyou'velost.I personallyfeeltheupkeepcostistoohighhereandyourgoal isnottodomoredamage.Notonmylistofabilitiestouse. SuggestedBuild(DAO:5.1.3) Attributes: Focusonincreasingstrengthto42early,soyoucanequipthe bestarmor.Addtodexteritytousetheshieldabilitiesas theybecomeavailable.TrytogetConstitutionaround20when youhavethepointstospare. Abilities: Iwillonlylist1abilityperlevel(2forthefirstandone atlevel5whenyoubecomeaGreyWarden)eventhoughyoucan acquiremorepointsfrombooksandquests.Warriorsgeta freeskillatlevel1,dependingontheiroriginstory.Asa tank,youwantShieldBashpreferably,soaHumanoraDwarf Noblearethebestracesinthatregard. 1) Powerful+PreciseStriking 2) ShieldDefense 3) ShieldBlock 4) Taunt 5) Threaten+ShieldPummel 6) ShieldCover(DEX16) 7) WarCry

8) ShieldBalance 9) ShieldTactics(DEX20) 10) ShieldWall 11) ShieldMastery 12) ShieldExpertise 13) Rally 14) Motivate 15) Devour 16) Superiority 17) Overpower 18) Assault 19) YourChoice 20) YourChoice Summary(DAO:5.1.4) Thewarriortankisoneofthemoresolidoptionsasacharacter,ifonly becausethevariationsaresmall. Enoughstrengthtoequipmassivearmor(42) Enoughconstituiontotakeafewhits(20) Everythingelsegoesintodexteritytoincreasedefense FocusonWeaponandShieldabilitytree Thegoalisnottododamagebutabsorbit InvestinThreatenandTauntearly Championisyourbestbetasaspecilization Reaverisadecentsecondspecializationifyoucan Melee(DAO:5.2) Yourrolehereissimplytodoasmuchdamageaspossible,toasmanyenemies aspossible.Sinceyoucanuseheavyarmoryoucanalsojumpinandtakeafew hitsifeverrequired.Remember,themorearmoryouhave,thelessstaminayou canuse,soyoumightendupattheendwithlightormediumarmorinstead. DualWieldingisanoptionforawarriorbutdoeslessoveralldamagewhen comparedtoatwohandedwarrior.Thisisduealmostentirelyovertheneedfor asignificantinvestmentinDexteritycomparedtoputtingallthosepointsinto Strength.IfyouwanttoDualWield,aRogueisamuchbetteroption. Attributes(DAO:5.2.1) Strength: MAX Dexterity: 18 Willpower: 25 Magic: n/a cunning: n/a Constitution: n/a Forawarriorinmeleetheroleisrathersimple,smashthings.Youshould focusprimarilyonraisingstrengthtodomoredamageandusebetterweapons. Dexterityisat18simplytoacquireDisengage.Ifyoudon'tplanontaking

thatability,youdon'tneedtoputasinglepointhere.Willpowerhasa directeffectonstaminaandthathasaneffectonhowmanyabilitiesyoucan useincombat.Ifindthat25issufficientforthemostpartbutyoucanput moreifyoufindtheneed.Ifyoureachlevel20,you'llhave60pointsto allocateasyouwishbetweenessentiallytwoattributes. Abilities(DAO:5.2.2) Asameleeyouhavetwomainoptions,dualweaponandtwohanded.Sinceyou requiredexterityformanyofthedualweaponabilitiesandonlystrengthfor thetwohandedones,Ihighlysuggestyougothelatterroute.Ifyourmain characterisawarrior,theycanacquire2skillsforfreeintheWarden's Keep. Warriorabilities: Powerful: Thisoneisanecessityforanywarrior.Reducedfatigueand increasedhitpointsisallgood.Itallowsyoutouseheavier armorwithlesspenaltytoabilityusage. Threaten: Thisisatankability,soyoushouldnothaveitactiveunless youwanttogethit. Bravery: Youshouldn'thaveanyenemiesattackingyousothisabilitydoes notincuranyrealbenefit. DeathBlow: Ifyourwarriorstrikesthefinalblow,heregainssomestamina. Thiswillhappenfrequentlyasyourwarriorgetsstrongerbutyou havetogothrough2uselessabilitiestogethere.Iwould avoidituntilyou'vemaxedotherabilitiesfirst. PreciseStriking:Asustainedabilitythanincreasesyourchancetohit.You needthisonprettymuchconstantlyatthebeginningandmuch lessasyourstrengthhitsthe40s.Itdoesgetovershadowed byIndomitablethough. Taunt: Neverusethisunlessyouwanttotakeanap.Becauseyouhave nodefensiveattributesorabilities,oddsareyouwilldiein justafewseconds. Disengage: Greatifyoufindyourselfsuddenlythetargetofanenemy. Withproperplanning,thisshouldn'thappenverymuch. PerfectStriking:Practicallyensureseveryswingisahit,whichsoundsgood intheorybutit's2skillpointsyoucanputelsewherefor morebenefit.ThesameruleaswithDeathBlowapplieshere. Warden'sKeepabilities: BloodThirst: Sinceyou'renotgettinghit,thisisn'tabigproblemtohave active.Indomitablegivesasimilarbenefitwithnorisk though. BloodFury: Therearetimeswhereyouneedtoknockbackanenemyandhave thehitpointstospare.Iwouldusethisinrarecasesbut

 sincetheabilityisfree,that'snotaproblemwhenassigning points. TwoHandedabilities: PommelStrike: Abasicknockdownattack.Veryusefulagainsttoughenemies andcasters.Willalsobreakgraspattacks. Indomitable: Anincreasetodamageandattackwhilebeingimmunetoknockdown. ThisisslightimprovementoverPreciseStrikingandIwould suggestthisbeactiveinstead. StunningBlow: Apassivechancetostunopponents.Sure,thenumberisn'thuge butastunatanytimeisagreatthing.Evenmoresoifyou putparalyzingrunesintoyourweapons. CriticalStrike:Almostaguaranteedcriticalhitandwithtwohandedweapons, we'retalkingbigdamage.Usedagainstrankedenemies(yellow andred)thiscanhaveasignificanteffectontheirhit points. SunderArms: Twostrikesandreducesthetarget'schancetoattack.Avery powerfulabilityforsuchalowcost. ShatteringBlows:Moredamageagainstgolemsandconstructs.IthinkIfought 10golemstotalintheentiregame,notmuchheretolookat. Maybeinfuturecontent. SunderArmor: Twostrikesandreducesthetarget'sarmor.Goldenability againstrankedenemies,whereyoudoubleyourdamageandmake theenemyweaker. Destroyer:Igenerallylovepassiveabilitiesandthisoneissignificant. Eachattackeffectivelylowerstheenemy'sarmorbutitdoesn't stacktogether.Still,combinedwithTelekeneticWeaponsand otherskills,thisturnsaheavyarmoredfoetopaper.Ogres comequicklytomind. MightyBlow: SimilartoCriticalStrikebutsomehowdoeslessdamage.Still quiteuseful. PowefulSwings:Moredamageineachattackbutyouloweryourattackand defensescores.IpersonallypreferIndomitablehere. TwoHandedStrength:Improvespowerfulswingsbyreducingthepenalties.This isgoodbutsinceIndomitableneverhadpenaltiestostart, makesyouwonderwhyit'sanoptionatall. TwoHandedSweep:Finallyanareaattackability.Isuggestyougetthisat level10sinceitwillmakeabigdifferenceinyourdamage output.Itkeepsitsusefulnessallthewayuntiltheendof thegame. BeserkerSpecialization: Beserkersfocusondealingdamage,straigthinlinewithwhatwewanttodo.

Sure,thereisanincreasedcostinstaminabutwithabitmorepointsinto Willpowerthisisn'tabigconcernoverall. Beserk: Youdomoredamagebuthaveasignificantpenaltytostamina regeneration.Furtherabilitiesalongthistreereducethe penaltyandthatmakesthisagreatabilitytohaveactive. Resilience: atureresistanceandsmallerstaminapenaltyforbeserk. N Great. Constraint: Reducesthestaminapenaltytoalmostnothing,whichisnothing tosneezeat. FinalBlow: Tradeallyourstaminaforasingleattack.Hugeriskhere sinceyoucanmisstheattackandendupwithnostamina.You canalsostartcombatwiththisanddealrediculousdamage, probablytheeasiestwaytogetthe250damageinasingle attackachievement.Still,havingnostamina2secondsinto combatisnotagoodthingbutwithpotionscanbeveryuseful. TemplarSpecialization: Thefocushereistokillmages.Youwillencounteryourfairsharealongthe tripbutneverenoughtomakeanyabilitieshereworthwhile.Poisonsgive nearlythesameeffectoverall.Therearenorealoffensiveabilitiestospeak of. ChampionSpecialization: Theseabilitiesaremostlyorientedtowardsimprovingyourgroupanddisabling theenemy,whichistheroleofthetank.Therearebetterspecializationsfor youtoinvestin. ReaverSpecialization: Amixedbagasbefore.Thefocusismoreondefensivesideofthingsthan offensebuttherearesomepossibilitiestolookat. Devour: Essentiallyahealbasedontheamountofcorpsesaroundyou.I hadproblemsgettingthistoworkconsistentlysoitmightbe buggy.Intheorythough,veryuseful. FrighteningAppearance:Singletargetstunisgood.BenefitstoTauntand Threatenarenotusefultoyousinceyoudon'tusethose abilities. AuraofPain: Areaeffectdamageisbadwhenyoudon'twanttogethit.There aregoododdsthatyou'llincurthehateofmanyenemiesifyou usethisandthetankisnotprepared. Moredamageasyourhealthdecreases.Firstoff,you BloodFrenzy: shouldn'tbegettinghit,secondyouincreaseyourriskofdying thelongerthisisactive.Nextplease.

SuggestedBuild(DAO:5.2.3) Attributes: IncreaseStrengtheverylevelunlessyouneedtoincrease Dexteritytoaccessanewability,whichIdon'tthinkyou'll require.IncreaseWillpowerwhenyoustarthavingstamina issues. Abilities: Iwillonlylist1abilityperlevel(2forthefirstandoneat level5whenyoubecomeaGreyWarden)eventhoughyoucanacquire morepointsfrombooksandquests.Noteaboutstartingskills: Human: ShieldBash DalishElf: PinningShot CityElf: DualWeaponSweep CommonDwarf: DualWeaponSweep NobleDwarf: ShieldBash Asyoucansee,nonearereallytargettedtowardsthemeleebuild. 1) Powerful&PreciseStriking 2) SunderArms 3) MightyBlow 4) PowerfulSwings 5) PommelStrike&Indomitable 6) StunningBlows 7) Beserk 8) Resilience 9) StunningBlows 10) Constraint 11) TwoHandedStrength 12) TwoHandedSweep CriticalStrike 13) 14) Devour 15) FrighteningAppearance 16) ShatteringBlows 17) SunderArmor 18) Destroyer 19) FinalBlow 20) YourChoice Summary(DAO:5.2.4) Themeleewarriorgivesalotmorefreedomofchoicewhenitcomesto abilities.Youcangodualwieldbutitrequiresmoreinvestmentin dexterity.Youcangoarcheryforevenmoredexterity.Youcangointotwo handedweaponsforastrengthfocus.Youcanspecializeintoalmostanytree. Mypersonalpreferenceformaximumdamageistwohandedweaponsasyousimplify allthesequestionsdowntoasinglepath. Enoughwillpowertouseyourskills Enoughdexteritytohittheenemy(20) Everythingelseintostrengthtomaximizethedamage MakesureTaunt/Threatenaredisabled

BeserkerisverypowerfulifyouavoidusingKillingBlowallthetime Reaverisagreatsecondchoiceasaspecialization ROGUE(DAO:6) Aspecialnoteaboutrogues.Thisclasshastheabilitytobackstabany opponentthatcanbeflanked.Standinthedarkareaonthetargettingcircle andyouwillhaveanewanimationwhenattacking.Thisisabackstabthat dealsadditionaldamagetotheenemy.Manyabilitiesfurtherenhancebackstabs andcanmakeaverybigdifferenceinyourplaystyle. Melee(DAO:6.1) Amelee'sroleistogetupcloseandpersonaltotakeouttheenemy.With thiscomesincreasedriskoftakingdamagebutmorecontrolontheoverall outcomeofthebattle.Alwaysmakesureyourrogueisonthebacksofyour enemiestoensuremaximumuseofbackstabs. QuickTheorycraftingforyouStrengthvsCunningfordualwielding. Firstoff,readthispost http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/66/index/223777 There'salotofinformationthat'salittletoocomplicatedforthisguide. Basically,itstatesthatdualdaggersandfullCunningisthewaytogo. Attributes(DAO:6.1.1) Strength: 20 Dexterity: 32/36 Willpower: 20 Magic: n/a Cunning: MAX Constitution: n/a Attributesareaverystrangethingforrogues.Dexterityisaprerequisite forawholepileofabilities.Ifyouplanongoingwithswords/axes,you'll needtoinvestintoDualWeaponMasteryat36dexterity,otherwise32willbe enoughtogetalltheabilities.Strengthisusefulforacquringthebest armor.IfyouplanongoingwithSwords/Axes,thenfurtherinvestmentinto strengthisagoodidea.Formaximumdamage,cunningisthewaytogo. Abilities(DAO:6.1.2) Thisisameleerogue,sowe'regoingdowntheDualWeaponabilitytree.If yourmaincharacterisaRogue,youcanunlocktwomoreabilitiesinthe

Warden'sKeepquest. RogueAbilities: DirtyFighting:Nodamagebutthetargetisstunned.Typicallythisgives timefortheroguetomoveintobackstabrangebutcombined withanotherability,itallowsbackstabsfromthefront.I usethisallthetime. CombatMovement:Increasesthebackstabrangebynearly100%.Makes positioningincombatawholeloteasier. CoupdeGrace: Stunnedandparalyzedtargetsgetbackstabbed.Thisability makesmeleeroguesextremelydeadlyifyouknowhowtomanage yourstuns.Withproperplanningaroguecantakeoutanogre alonebecauseofthis. FeignDeath: Droptoyourfeetandpretendyourdead.Sure,thismakesthe enemytargetsomethingelsebutyouhaveenoughabilitiesto stayalivetoetotoewithanyenemytomakethissomethingof apointwaster. BelowtheBelt:Defensepenaltiesaregood,meaningeveryonehasabetter chanceofhittingthetarget.Especiallygoodonyellowand redenemies. DeadlyStrike: Increasedarmorpenetrationisfinebutyougetabettereffect fromTelekeneticWeaponsorevenjustpointsincunning. Lethality: Actually,afterhavingdonesomemorenumbercrunching,this abilityhasasignificantimpactondamageoutput. Evasion: Oneinfivechanceseemshighbutwhenyoufigureyoualready havethatchancewith32dexterity,whocares?Enemies shouldn'tbehittingyouinthefirstplace. DeftHands: ChestrequireCunnin10tounlock.1Pointinthisskillis10 morepointsinCunning.4pointsheregives40Cunningandthe hardestchestsneed70tounlock.30Cunningisallyou'll needtobeabletounlockeverything. Stealth: Thefirstlevelletsyouwalkaround.Thesecondletsyou disabletraps,whichisverypowerfullateron.Thethirdlets youstealthincombat,whichoddlyenoughdoesn'tworksuper welluntilyougetthefourthrank.Stealthincombat essentiallyguaranteesacriticalhit,whichisgoodbutI foundmyselfgettingbywithoutit. Warden'sKeepabilities: DarkPassage: Passiveabilitythatincreasesmovementspeedanddefensewhile instealth.What'stherenottoloveaboutthis? TheTaintedBlade:Youlosehealthbutdomoredamage.Honestly,justcoat yourweaponwithapoisonforthesamebenefitandno downside.

 DualWeaponabilities: DualWeaponTraining:Youdealnearnormaldamagewiththeoffhandweapon. Therereallyisn'tachoicehere,takethisability. DualWeaponFinesse:Abonustoattackanddefenseiswhatmakesyouabetter killer.Again,arequiredability. DualWeaponExpert:Increasedcriticalchanceandthechancetomakethetarget bleed.Don'tyoujustlovepassiveabilities?Takethis one. DualWeaponMastery:Nowyoucanuseaxesandswordsandmacesintheoffhand. Doeshaveabigimpactondamageoutputifyou'regoing downthestrengthroute. DualStriking: Usethisabilitywhenyoucan'tgetintobackstabrange.One ononefights,magekillscometomind.Itisn'tusedoften butcanmakeadifference. Riposte: Stunpluscriticalhit.CombinedwithDirtyFighting,thisis yourmagekillingability.Verypowerful. Cripple: Criticalhitpluspenaltiestodefenseandattackonthetarget. Youshouldusethisabilityineveryfightandespecially againstyellowandredenemies. Punisher: Canyousaycrazy?Doesfourhitswiththelastbeingboth weaponsatoncefortwocriticalhits.DidImentionitalso addspenaltiestoattackanddefensewiththechanceofa knockdown?Verypowerful. DualWeaponSweep:Interestingareaofattackabilitythatdoesmorethan normaldamage.Greatforgroupattacksbutbackstabseems todomoredamage. Flurry: Threenormaldamagehits.Nothingwrongwithmoredamageand timedcriticallycanmakeabigdentinenemyhitpoints. Momentum: Increasedattackspeedatthecostofabigdrainonstamina. Youbasicallyturnintoachainsaw,withthesameeffectas Hastefromthemagetree.It'sgoodbutcostly. Whirlwind: Hitseverynearbyenemywithbothweaponsfornormaldamage.I rarelyfindmyselfsurroundedbyenemieswitharogue,that'sa tank'sjob.Youkindofexpectsomethingmorepowerfulfroma skillwiththisname. Assassinspecialization: Afocusonkillingfromthistree.Allaboutdoingmoredamage,whichisfine byme. MarkofDeath: Markthetargetforabout15secondswheretheynowtakemore damagethannormal.Youneedtobeinmeleerangetousethis

 skillbutit'sverypowerful,especiallyondragonsand revenants. ExploitWeakness:Backstabdoesmoredamagethemorecunningyouhave.Ido believeit'scunning10,soevenifyouneverputapoint intocunningit'sadamageincrease.With30cunning,it's 20moredamage,verynice. Lacerate: Youputacontinualdamageontheenemywithasuccessful backstab.Iknowitsays"enoughdamage"butI'veyettosee whatthenumberactuallyis. FeastoftheFallen:Ifyoukillsomeonewithabackstabyouregainstamina. Giventhefactthatyoushouldbebackstabing90%ofthe timeandprovidingkillingblowstoo,thisisaworthwhile investment. Bardspecialization: Allsongshereareaffectedbycunningscores,soifyoudon'tplanon investingdownthatattribute,avoidthisspecialization.Onlythelastsong requiresyoutobeinmeleerange. SongofValor: Increasemanaandstaminaregeneration,whichisbeneficialto theentiregroup.Keepitactive. Distraction: Goodwaytogetanenemyoffyourbackbuttherearebetter abilitiestouseforthesameeffect. SongofCourage:Grantsbonustoattack,defenseandcriticalchanceforthe group.Thisisusefulatthestartofthegamebutnearthe endmanaandstaminaareabiggerconcern. CaptivatingSong:Stunsnearbyenemiesbutthebardcan'tmoveorattack.This isanicheability,whereitsonlyuseisinlargegroup areaswhereyouneedtokeepeveryoneundercontrol.Sadly, therangeisverysmall. Rangerspecialization: Thisspecializationfocusesonsummoningpetstohelptheattacker.Asamelee therearebenefitstohavingmoreenemiesattacking.Having3rangersis reallyimpressivefromadamageperspective. SummonWolf: Thebasicwolfcastshowlthatreducesenemydefense.The upgradedwolfcanShred,whichisa100%criticalhit. SummonBear: Basicbearcanmaulwhichknocksbacktheenemy.Theupgraded bearhasragewhichincreasesdamageoutputandcanOverwhelm. SummonSpider: Basicspiderhaswebwhichimmobilizesanenemywhilethe upgradedonehasapoisonspitforcontinualdamage. MasterRanger: Givesyouaccesstotheupgradedanmials.

Duelistspecialization: DuelistsaremoreofanextensionoftheRogueclassthanatrue specialization.Theabilitiesareimprovementstoexistingonesorsimplyan overallupgradetothebasicclass. Dueling: Ansustainedabilitythatincreasesyourattackrating.Keen Defensewillalsoincreasedefensewhilethisisactive.I personallykeepthisoneonallthetimeasmorehitsmeanmore damage. UpsetBalance: Nodamagebutdecreasesenemydefenserating.TheRoguehas manyothersimilarskillssothiscanbeusedwhentheothers areoncooldown. KeenDefense: Apassiveincreasetodefense.Sinceyourdexterityisalready prettyhigh,thisdoesn'tmakeabigdifferenceinthegrand picture. PinpointStrike:Forabout20seconds,everyhitisacriticalhit.Combined withHaste/Flurry,+AttackandDefenseskills,theRogueis basicallyakillingmachine.Theonlydownsidehereisthe cooldownof3minutes. SuggestedBuild(DAO:6.1.3) Attributes: Increasestrengthto20towearthebestarmor.Dexterityis increasedasyouneedtogetnewskills.Everyotherpointis prettymuchallocatedtocunning. Abilities: Iwillonlylist1abilityperlevel(2forthefirstandone atlevel5whenyoubecomeaGreyWarden)eventhoughyoucan acquiremorepointsfrombooksandquests.Rogues automaticallygetDirtyFightingforfreeatlevel1. 1) DualWeaponSweep+BelowtheBelt 2) DualStriking 3) DualWeaponTraining 4) Flurry 5) DeadlyStrike+DualWeaponFinesse 6) CombatMovement 7) MarkofDeath 8) Lethality 9) DualWeaponExpert 10) CoupdeGrace 11) Momentum 12) ExploitWeakness 13) Riposte 14) Lacerate 15) Dueling 16) Cripple 17) Punisher 18) FeastoftheFallen 19) Yourchoice 20) YourChoice

 Summary(DAO:6.1.4) Themeleerogueisthedoitallcharacter.Youhaveawideassortmentof tricksupyoursleeve,areagreatwaytomakeextramoneyandcankilla rankedenemywheneveryouwant.Notthebestideatolettherogueplayon theirownthough,oryou'llendupwithnostaminaleft. Enoughdexterityforthedualwieldabilities(32) Strengthtogetthebestlightarmor(20) Cunningtothemax Assassinationisthebestspecializationsinceitmaximizesbackstabs Duelistwillincreaseyourdamagepotential Ifyouhavestealth,useit! Ranged(DAO:6.2) Thebeautyofthisrogueisthatyouwillrarelygethitbyanythingandhave thediscretiontokillwhateveryouwant,whenyouwant.Youalsohavevery littleneedformeleerangeskills,givingyouadditionalfreedominability selection. Ifyoufindyourrangedattackerisfrequentlyswappingtomeleeweapons,you mighthaveDirtyFightingenabledinyourtactics.Alsonotethatifyouare inmeleerangefortoolong(say3attacks)there'sastrongchanceyou'llgo intomeleemode.Noideawhy. Attributes(DAO:6.2.1) Strength: n/a Dexterity: MAX Willpower: 30 Magic: n/a Cunning: 30 Constitution: n/a Theonlyreasonyouwouldneedstrengthistoequipbetterarmorbutbetter armormeansmorefatigueandyoushouldnotbegettinghitinthefirstplace. Willpowerwillgiveyouthestaminarequiredtouseallyourabilitiesbutyou mayfindyouneedmoreorless,dependingonyourstyle.Cunning,again,is requiredonlyifyouwishtounlockdoorsandchestsorinvestintheBard tree.Maximumdexteritymeansthatyouwillbedoingcrazydamagewithyour bow,criticalhitsthroughtheroofandnear100%hitrate.Iassureyou,a rangedrogueisthedeadliestsinglecharacterinthegame. Abilities(DAO:6.2.2) TherangedroguewillevidentlybefocusingontheArcheryabilitytree.Dual Wieldoptionsdon'tpresentanybenefitstothisroleandeventhe

specializationtreesofferlittleintermsofpurebenefits.Ifyourmain characterisarogue,youcanacquire2freeabilitiesintheWarden'sKeep. RogueAbilities: DirtyFighting:Nodamagebutthetargetisstunned.Thisisstillagreat abilityevenifyouareattackingfromrange.Let'ssay someonewalksuptoyou,usethisandyoucangetinafew freeshotsandgivetimeforthetanktopickthemupoffyou. CombatMovement:Sinceyouwon'tbebackstabbing,notmuchpointhere. CoupdeGrace: Again,nobackstabs,nobenefit. FeignDeath: Droptoyourfeetandpretendyourdead.Thiscouldbe beneficialifyoufindyourselfgettingattackedalotbut inthelargerpictureyouhavemuchbetteroptionselsewhere. BelowtheBelt:Ameleerangeattack,whichyoubeingrangedwon'tbeusing. DeadlyStrike: Anothermeleeattack,nousehere. Lethality: Oddsareyourcunningwillbehigherthanyourstrengthand additionaldamageisalwaysgood.Increasedcriticalchanceis sugarontop.I'mnotsureifthisstacksthough. Evasion: Yourdexterityisgoingtobeinthe50satleast,whereenemies willmissyouallthetimeanyhow.Notworththeinvestment. DeftHands: Ifyouplanoninvestingincunningto30,alwaysselectthis abilitywhenitbecomesavailable.Otherwise,justleaveit alone. Stealth: Thefirstlevelletsyouwalkaround.Thesecondletsyou disabletraps,whichisverypowerfullateron.Thethird letsyoustealthincombat,whichoddlyenoughdoesn'twork superwelluntilyougetthefourthrank.Thisisaveryuseful abilityforarangedattacker,especiallyatmaximumrank.Use itwheneveryoucantobreakenemieschasingyouortoincrease yourdamageoutput. Warden'sKeepabilities: DarkPassage: Passiveabilitythatincreasesmovementspeedanddefense. What'stherenottoloveaboutthis? TheTaintedBlade:Youlosehealthbutdomoredamage.Thisonlyseemsto affectmeleedamage,sonorealbenefit. Archeryabilities: MeleeArcher: Nolongerbreaksrangedattacksifyougethit.Excellent ability.

Aim: Youmightshootabitslowerbuttheoveralldamageseemsto increaseifonlybecauseoftheincreasetoattack.Atabout level10thislosesitslusterasyouwillbehittingalmost 100%ofthetime. DefensiveFire:Increasingdefenseandslowerrateoffiredoesnotmeanmore damage.Iwouldnotusethis. MasterArcher:Increasesthefunctionofnearlyeveryotherabilityandallows youtouseheavyarmorwithoutaspeedpenalty.Thisisn'ta badskill,itjustshouldn'tbethefirstthingyoutryto acquire. PinningShot: Iteitherslowsthemdownordisablesthemforabout10 seconds.Agreattooltohavefightingagroupofenemies. CripplingShot:Reducestheenemy'sattackanddefense,whichisperfect againstredandyellowenemies.Noneedtouseagainstregular enemies. Sincethisalsohasthebenefitorarmorpenetration,you're CriticalShot: goingtoseeabignumberherewhenithits.Dragons, revenantsandbosseswillmakeyouchaincastthisability. ArrowofSlaying:Asinglemassivedamageattackthatcanpotentiallykill theenemyinasingleblow.Yesit'spowerfulbutthecost isdisproportionatetothedamagewhenyoucompareitto CriticalShot. RapidShot: Youshootabout10%fasterbutcan'tgetacriticalhit.The onlytimethisisaproblemiswhenyourcriticalchancewith abowisabove15%.Otherwise,keepthisactiveatalltimes. NotethatabowwiththeRapidAimskilldoesthesamething asthisandtheydonotstack. ShatteringShot:Normaldamagebutreducesenemyarmorforatime.Hasahuge impactonhigharmorbosses,especiallywhencombinedwith telekeneticweapons(formelee).Alsoknocksdownenemies. SuppressingFire:Everyattackfurtherreducestheenemy'sabilitytoattack. Whilethisiscertainlybeneficialagainstsomeenemiesmost oftheoneswhereyouwouldthinkthistobegreathaveother attacksthathit100%ofthetime.Thisonlyappearsto affectregularattackstoanygreatamount. Scattershot: Crazypowerfulabilityhere.Youwillstunanentiregroupof enemiesabout99%ofthetime,itissorarelyresisted.A greatwaytolineupagroupinordertosendafewareaof effectspellstheirway. Assassinspecialization: Sincethisspecializationfocusesnearlyentirelyonbackstabsandyouwon't beusingthatskillatall,thereisreallynoneedtogodownthispath.

Bardspecialization: Allsongshereareaffectedbycunningscores,soifyoudon'tplanon investingdownthatattribute,avoidthisspecialization.Onlythelastsong requiresyoutobeinmeleerange. SongofValor: Increasemanaandstaminaregeneration,whichisbeneficialto theentiregroup.Keepitactive. Distraction: Goodwaytogetanenemyoffyourbackbuttherearebetter abilitiestouseforthesameeffect. SongofCourage:Grantsbonustoattack,defenseandcriticalchanceforthe group.Thisisusefulatthestartofthegamebutnearthe endmanaandstaminaareabiggerconcern. CaptivatingSong:Sureanareaeffectstunisnicebuttherangeissmalland youhavetobeinmelee.Hardtouseasarangedattacker. Rangerspecialization: Asarangedattackerarangerworksincredbilywell.Youkeepthepetactive andsendtheminwhileyousnipefromfaraway.It'salmostlikehavinga fifthpartymember. SummonWolf: Thebasicwolfcastshowlthatreducesenemydefense.The upgradedwolfcanShred,whichisa100%criticalhit. SummonBear: Basicbearcanmaulwhichknocksbacktheenemy.Theupgraded bearhasragewhichincreasesdamageoutput. SummonSpider: Basicspiderhaswebwhichimmobilizesanenemywhilethe upgradedonehasapoisonspitforcontinualdamage. MasterRanger: Givesyouaccesstotheupgradedanmials. Duelistspecialization: Theduelistfocusesonmeleeattacksforthemostpartbuttherearesome potentialbenefitsinthelongrun. Dueling: Asustainedabilitythatincreasesyourattackrating.Keen Defensewillalsoincreasedefensewhilethisisactive.If youfindyourselfmissingalot,thenthere'sabenefit. UpsetBalance: Nodamagebutdecreasesenemydefenserating.Thisrequires meleerangesoyouwon'tbeusingit. KeenDefense: Apassiveincreasetodefense.Sinceyourdexterityisalready prettyhigh,thisdoesn'tmakeabigdifferenceinthegrand picture. PinpointStrike:Forabout20seconds,everyhitisacriticalhit.Combined

 withHaste/Flurry,+AttackandDefenseskills,theRogueis basicallyakillingmachine.Theonlydownsidehereisthe cooldownof3minutes.Youcanprettymuchkill3ogreswith thisabilityactive. SuggestedBuild(DAO:6.2.3) Attributes: Increasestrengthto20towearthebestarmor.Dexterityis whereyouputeveryotherpoint,unlessyouplanon lockpicking.30pointsand3ranksofdefthandsareenough. Abilities: Iwillonlylist1abilityperlevel(2forthefirstandone atlevel5whenyoubecomeaGreyWarden)eventhoughyoucan acquiremorepointsfrombooksandquests.Rogues automaticallygetDirtyFightingforfreeatlevel1. 1) DeftHands+RapidShot 2) ShatteringShot 3) PinningShot 4) CripplingShot 5) SuppressingFire+ImprovedTools 6) CriticalShot 7) SummonWolf 8) SummonBear 9) Scattershot 10) SummonSpider 11) MeleeArcher 12) ArrowofSlaying 13) MasterRanger 14) SongofValor 15) Aim 16) DefensiveFire 17) MasterArcher 18) YourChoice 19) YourChoice 20) YourChoice Summary(DAO:6.2.4) Therangedrogueisthesingledeadliestcharacterinthegame.Ithasone jobanditdoesitverywell.Sinceyouonlyneedtofocusonasingle attribute,youroptionsarenarrowerandyouthereforebecomeastronger killer. Enoughcunningtoopendoors/chest,ifyouwant(30) Everythingelseintodexterityformaximumdamagewithabow Rangerisbyfarthebestoptionasaspecialization BardgivesmorebenefitforlessinvestmentthanDuelist Usestealthifyouhaveit! MAGE(DAO:7)

 Themageisaninterestingclass.Youcan'treallypigeonholethemintoa particularroleastheycandoprettymuchwhateveryouwant.Needhealing? Needsingletargetdamage?Groupdamage?CrowdControl?Buffsanddebuffs? Heck,magesevenmakeincrediblygoodtanks.ForthesereasonsandmanymoreI won'tbreakdownthemageintoparticularrolesjustyet,therearesimplytoo manyoptionstoconsider.Instead,I'llbreakitdownintotankandcaster, thetwocoreconceptsbehindmages. Tank(DAO:7.1) Themagetankhasspecificrequirementsmovingforward.Firstoff,youmust haveaccesstotheArcaneWarriorspecialization.Thiscanbeacquiredalmost assoonasyouleaveOstagar.Withthisspecializationanditsfirstability, youwillbeabletouseyourmagicattributeinplaceofstrengthwhenitcomes toequipingweaponsandarmor.Withoutmassivearmorandgoodmeleeweapons you'llbelyingonthefloorinapoolofyourownbloodveryquickly. Alsoworthmentioningthatbecauseyouarethetankandusingsustained abilitiesyouwon'thavethelibertytocastanyspellanytime.Youwill requireadditionalpartymemberstopickupthecastingslack.Duetothe sheernumberofavailablespellstothetankIwillonlydiscusstheonesI thinkthetankshouldacquire.Iwilldiscussallthemagespellsinthe castersectionin7.3. Attributes(DAO:7.1.1) Strength: n/a Dexterity: 20 Willpower: 30or40 Magic: MAX Cunning: n/a Constitution: n/aor20 Withtheproperskillallocationyoushouldn'tneedanypointsintostrength. CunningisonlyusefulfortheCoercionskillonyourmaincharacterbutonly verylittle.ArunthroughtheMage'sCircleshouldsufficeinregardstostat boosting.Thedistributionofstatsdependsonityoutakeasecond specializationornotandwhichonethatis.IfyougoBloodMage,you'llneed moreconstitutionandlesswillpower.Anyotherformwillrequireahigher investmentinwillpower. Importanttorememberisthatwhilethewarriorandroguestilldotremendous damagewhentheyareoutofstaminaamagecanonlyrelyonastaffforwhat seemspitifulamountsofdamage.Ifyoufindyourselfalwaysgoingoutofmana feelfreetoputmorepointsintowillpower. Abilities(DAO:7.1.2) Ifyourmaincharacterisamageyouwillhavetheoptionofnotonlyselecting twospecializationsbutalsopossiblyacquiretwoextraspellsthroughthe

Warden'sKeepquest. Magespells: ArcaneBolt: Simplespiritdamage,nothingcomplicatedthoughabowwould havemoreoverallutility.Thisissimplyaprerequisite forthenextspell. ArcaneShield: Asustainedshieldthatincreasesdefense,meaningyouwill avoidincomingdamage.Thisshouldalwaysbeactive. RockArmor: Providesanincreasetoarmorsothehitsyoudotakedoless damage. Winter'sGrasp:Singletargeticespellthathasagoodchanceoffreezingthe opponent.Greatsetupforashatterattack,whichmeansan instantkillifthere'sacriticalphysicalattackonthem. FrostWeapons:Everyswingdoescolddamage.It'sasustainedabilitythatI don'tthinkthetankshouldbeusing. ConeofCold: Verypowerfulspellthathasagreatchanceoffreezing whomeveritconnectswith.Thisshouldbeusedinalmostevery groupencounter. Heal: Forwhenyouneedaquickjoltofhitpoints.Thisspellis neverwasted. MindBlast: Awideareastunwhichreducesthreatlevels.Nottozero though,soyoustillneedsomeoneelsetoattackthestunned enemiestogetthemoffyourmage. ForceField: Thiswillsavelives,plainandsimple.Instantcasttoeither removeanenemyfromcombatorsaveagroupmemberfromdeath. Greattoolforuseagainstdragons. TelekeneticWeapons:Thisspellensureseveryweaponhitdoesextradamage againstarmoredfoes.Thinkogres,dragonsandrevenants. Verypowerful. CrushingPrison:Thegoldenspellofamage.Notonlydoesthislastaslong asForceFieldbutitalsodoesdamagetotheenemy.Itgets resistedfromtimetotimebuteverymageinyourpartyshould havethisspell.ImaginethreemageswiththisandForce Field.Youcouldkeeptheentirebattletooneononefights. Insane. Miasma: Ifyouhavethemana,thisisagoodspelltokeepsustainedas itdecreasesenemyattackanddefensewithafairlygoodrange. Disorient: Singletargetspellthatreducesattackanddefense.Moreofa prerequisiteforothersdownthisline. Horror: Interestingspellwhereasingletargetisimmobilized.Ifthey areasleepwhenthisiscast,abugchunkoflifeistakenaway.

 Sleep: Areaattackthatputsallenemiestosleepandtheywakeif theyarehit.Thisisaverypowerfulcrowdcontrolspell andcombinedwithHorrorcandosignificantdamagetoasingle targetwithnorisktothecaster. WakingNightmare:Beautyofaspellingroupcombat.Notmanyenemieshave mentalresistance,especiallytheweakerones.Expectto seeabunchofpeoplejustrandomlymovingaround,sometimes hittingtheirownparty.Greatwaytokeepenemiesoffthe tankwhiledoinggroupdamagetothem,especiallywhen combinedwithSleep. DeathMagic: Keepingthisactiveisagoodwaytokeephealingyourtank duringcombat. Warden'sKeepspells: DarkSustenance:Loseabitofhealth,gainagoodportionofmana.Youwould thinkthisisabadtradeoffbutyouactuallygaininthelong run,especiallyifyouuseaneasilyacquiredhealingpotion orhealspellrightafter.Bloodmagesgetevenmorebenefit here. BloodyGrasp: Loselifetododamage.Thereislessbenefitheresinceyou candodamagebetterwithregularspellsthanthisability. Shapeshifterspecialization: Basicallyyouturnintoananimalandloseaccesstoallyourspellswhile gainingaccesstoafewabilities.Thisisbyfartheweakestofallthe specializationsinthegameandshouldbeignored. SpiritHealerspecialization: Thisspelllineprovidesyouwithmanywaystohealyourgroupandyourtank. Verypowerfulonthemoredifficultlevelsandevenmoresoifyoudon'thave anothermageinthegroup. GroupHeal: Healstheentiregroupforasignificantamount.Combinedwith Healthisiswhatkeepsgroupsalivewhentherearenohealt potions. Revival: IfindifIamusingthissomethinghasgonedrasticallywrong inthefight. Lifeward: Keepitactiveonthetankandyousaveafewhealsinthelong run. CleansingAura: Beautifulspellifyouhaveothermeleeinthegroupasthe auraisn'tterriblylarge.Howeveritisasignificantmana drain.

 BloodMagespecialization: Averyinterestingcombinationofspellswhereyoutradehitpointsformana ordamage.Ifyoupayattentiontocombat,thiscanbeadevastatingoption. BloodMagic: Youusehitpointstocastspells.Oneofthereasonsablood magerequiresasignificanthitpointpoolinsteadofmana. Canbepowerfulifyouplanahead. BloodSacrifice:Onitsown,whywouldyoupotentiallykillateammatetoheal yourself?Well,ifthatsomeoneisaRangerpetthenthere's norealproblematall! BloodWound: Enemieswithblood(everythingbutagolemprettymuch)take bigdamagethroughoutthearea.Thisisagreatequivalentto Tauntandperfectforatank. BloodControl: Iftheyhavebloodtheybecomethemage'spet,elsetheytake significantdamage.Moredamageisgreat.Possessingan Emissaryisevenbetter. ArcaneWarriorspecialization: Thecorespecializationbehindamagetank.Withthisbuildyouacquirethe abilitiestotank,equipwhatyouwantandbepracticallyimmunetodamage. CombatMagic: Justselectingthisabilitymeansyoucanequipanyitemby swappingthestrengthrequirementformagic.Massiveplate herewecome.Ontopofthat,withitactiveyouhaveahigher attackstatandusespellpowerfordamage,whichwithahigh magicstatshouldbeverylargeindeed. AuraofMight: ImprovedCombatMagic.Yesplease. ShimmeringShield:Blocksdamageandincreasesarmorandresistancebutcosts achunkofmanatokeepup.Combinedwithcraftymana managementthisreallyisn'tahugeproblem.Another mainstayofyoursustainedspells. FadeShroud: Thisreallyistheicingonthecake.Bettermanaregenand evenabetterchancetoavoidattacks.Verypowerfuland passive! SuggestedBuild(DAO:7.1.3) Attributes: Youhaveafairamountofchoice,dependingifyougodownthe bloodmageorspirithealerspecialization.Dexterityat20 willletyouhittheenemymostofthetime,constitutionat about20isfineforspirithealerbut30isbetterforablood mage.Getwillpowertowhereyouhaveenoughmanatokeepyour spellsactiveandtherestgoesintoMagic.

 Abilities: Iwillonlylist1abilityperlevel(2forthefirstandone atlevel5whenyoubecomeaGreyWarden)eventhoughyoucan acquiremorepointsfrombooksandquests.Mages automaticallygetArcaneBoltforfreeatlevel1. 1) Winter'sGrasp+Heal 2) MindBlast 3) ForceField 4) TelekenticWeapons 5) CrushingPrison+FrostWeapons 6) ConeofCold 7) CombatMagic 8) RockArmor 9) ArcaneShield 10) Weakness 11) Paralyze 12) AuraofMight 13) Miasma 14) BloodSacrifice 15) BloodWound 16) ShimmeringShield 17) FadeShroud 18) BloodControl 19) YourChoice 20) YourChoice Summary(DAO:7.1.4) Thebeautyofthischaracterisreallyinit'ssimplicity.Keepafewspells sustained,equipmassivearmor,afewspellsandrarelygethit.Seemslike theperfectcombinationtome. Haveenoughwillpowertokeepyoursustainedabilitiesactive CombatMagicandShimmeringShieldshouldalwaysbeon Getdexteritytothepointwhereyouhitenemies Moremagicmeansmoredamageandbetterarmor YoumustbeanArcaneMage BloodMageisagreatsupplementwithSpiritHealeralesseroption UseBloodWoundonaRanger'spetsforsomefreehealing! Caster(DAO:7.2) Thecaster'struestrengthcomesintheinsanelywideamountofspellsattheir disposal.Youcanfocusonsingletargetattacks,groupattacks,helpingthe restofthegrouporanycombinationoftheabove.It'sreallyuptoyou. Thereareonlyafew"core"spellsthateverymageshouldnow,afterthat,it's uptoyou. AnoteonStaves,eachonedoesaparticulartypeofdamage,so Attributes(DAO:7.2.1)

 Strength: n/a Dexterity: n/a Willpower: 40 Magic: MAX Cunning: n/a Constitution: n/aor20 Withtheproperskillallocationyoushouldn'tneedanypointsintostrength. CunningisonlyusefulfortheCoercionskillonyourmaincharacterbutonly verylittle.ArunthroughtheMage'sCircleshouldsufficeinregardstostat boosting.Dependingontheroleyouwishtoplay,casterortank,you'llhave afewmoreoptionswhenconsideringattributes.Foracaster,40willpowerand maximummagicisagreatwaytomoveforward.Plentyofmanaandthespells willbepowerful. Importanttorememberisthatwhilethewarriorandroguestilldotremendous damagewhentheyareoutofstaminaamagecanonlyrelyonastaffforwhat seemspitifulamountsofdamage.Ifyoufindyourselfalwaysgoingoutofmana feelfreetoputmorepointsintowillpower. Abilities(DAO:7.2.2) AsImentioned,plentyofoptionsavailabletoacaster.I'llgothrough everysinglespellpossibleforamageandmentionthefewcoreskillsIthink youshouldtakeandmythoughtsontherest. Again,ifyourmaincharacterisamageyoucanacquiretwofreespellsthrough theWarden'sKeepquest. Magespells: ArcaneBolt: Asimplespiritbaseddamageattack.Everymagehasit. ArcaneShield: Increasesdefensewhileactive.Youshouldn'tbegettinghit sothere'snotmuchneedforit. StaffFocus: About10moredamagefromastaffattack.Therearebenefits certainlysinceit'spassivebutinthegrandschemeofthings thegainisminimal. ArcaneMastery:5spellpowerwhichisessentiallya5%increaseinspell effect.Iwashopingforsomethingabitmorepowerfulto behonest. PrimalSpells: FlameBlast: Aconeoffiredamageaheadofthecaster.Doesdecentdamage butwillensureenemieswilltargetthemagesaftercasting. FlamingWeapons:Makesallweaponsdoanadditional510firedamageperhit. Greatwithabunchofmeleeattackers.

 Fireball: Alovelyspellthatnotonlydoesinstantfiredamageitalso knocksbacktheenemyandleavesashorttermfirespellfor moredamage.There'senoughtimetocastthis,thenInferno whiletheenemyisgettingbackupforsometremendousdamage. Inferno: Lastsabout30secondsandifanenemystandswithinthelarge areaofeffect,theywillmostcertainlydie,evenyellow rankedcreatures.CombinedwithFireballforsomegreat damage. RockArmor: Sustainedspellthatincreasesyourarmorrating.You'renot gettinghitsonorealneedhere. StoneFist:KnocksanenemydownandcantriggeraShattereffectona frozenorpetrifiedenemy. Earthquake: Largeareaofeffectthatmakesalltargetsstumbletothe ground.Effectivetostopalargegroupfromrunningtoyou whileyoupickthemoffwithrangedattacks. Petrify: Thissingletargetspellturnstheenemytostoneforabout15 seconds.Thisgivesyourmageenoughtimetoeithershatter themorhavethegroupkillthemwithoutworry.Veryuseful spell,uptherewithForceFieldandCrushingPrison. Winter'sGrasp:Singletargetspellthatdoesmoderateicedamageandhasa goodchanceoffreezingtheenemy. FrostWeapons: Enchantsallweaponswithfrostdamagefor510extradamage perhit.Greatwithanallmeleegroup. ConeofCold: Coneattackthatdoessomedamagebutevenbetter,freezesmost targetsinplace.Agreatwaytosetupadditionaldamage withouttheenemybeingabletoreturntheattack. Blizzard: Thinklargeareaofeffect,moderatedamageandaveryhigh chanceoffreezingtheenemy.Quitepowerfulbuthighriskto useifyouhaveanymelee. Lightning: Singletargetformoderatedamagethatalsodrainsstamina/mana. Shock: ConeattackthatdoesthesamethingasLightning.Dangerous sinceitangersalotofenemies. Tempest: Largeareaofeffectspellthatdoesokdamagebutevenbetter, drainsmanaandstaminafromtheenemy.Thisisrarelya concernthoughsinceitalsodrainsmana/staminafromyourgroup toosoIdon'tuseitoften. ChainLightning:Alightningattackthatjumpsmultipletimesfromtargetto target.Candosomegreatdamageatadistancebutshould neverbeusedupcloseasitcandevastateyourgroup. Creationspells:

Heal: Everymageshouldhavethis,there'snoreasonnotto. Rejuvenate: Increasethestamina/manaregenerationofasingletarget.On itsown,prettygoodbutreplacedmyMassRejuvenation. Regeneration: Increasethehealthregenerationofasingletarget.Notthat usefulreallyasthegainisminimalandwon'tpreventyoufrom healinglater. MassRejuvenation:Allthegroupgainsstamina/manaforashortwhile.The costofthespellisessentiallyreturnedafterthespell durationsoit'swinwin.Toobadyouhavetotake2less usefulspellstogethere. HeroicOffense:Asingletargetgetsincreasesattackforashorttime.Not thatgood. HeroicAura: Thetargetisessentiallyimmunefrommissileattacks.Your tankalreadyhasthisability. HeroicDefense:Increasedefenseandresistanceonasingletarget.Notenough inmybooks. Haste: Theusefulspellinthisline.Theentirepartattacksfaster, whichisgreatinameleegroupbuthasnobenefittoother mages. GlyphofParalysis:Chancetoparalyzeasingletarget.Manyotherandbetter skillsareavailable. GlyphofWarding:Booststhedefenseandresistanceofthegroupmembers aroundtheglyph.ThinkHeroicDefensebutgroupbased. Decentbutshortrange. GlyphofRepulsion:Knocksbackenemiesthattrytocrosstheglyph.Greatfor apurerange/magegroupotherwisenotmuchuse. GlyphofNeutralization:Neutralizesalleffectsandregeneration.Considering theamountofmovementinthisgame,youwillrarely ifeverfindauseforit. SpellWisp: Grantsanextra(100+spellpower)*0.05spellpowerbutadds fatigue.Thisisatmost10spellpower.Notabigfan. Grease: Areathatslowsdownenemiesandifyoucastafirespellcan burneveryonewithinrange.Useagreasetrapinsteadofthis spell. Spellbloom: Manaregenerationtofriendandfoeisnotaterriblygoodidea. StingingSwarm:Forabout20secondsaswarmofinsectsattacksasingle targetforsomeconsiderabledamage.Thistargetcanstill attackhoweverandthecostofgettinghereismuchhigherwhen youcomparetosay,CurseofMortalityorWalkingBomb. SpiritSpells:

 SpellShield: Thisisessentiallyamanashield.Ihavetwomainproblems withthisspell.First,ifyou'reusingit,you'replanning ongettinghit,whichisodd.Second,withoutmana,evenan ArcaneWarriorisuseless.Losethehpandtakeapotion instead. AbouttheonlyuseIcanthinkforthisspellisCurseof DispelMagic: Mortality.Almosteveryotheraffectisnegligible. AntiMagicWard:Otherthanthefinalrunsofthegame,thereareveryfew instanceswherecastersareaproblem.Thatbeingsaid,three particularencountersareterriblydifficultduetoCrushing Prison,CurseofMortalityandFireballs. AntiMagicBurst:Thisspelltypicallycausesmoreharmthangoodsinceyou cannotcontrolwhogetsaffected. ManaDrain: Averyusefulspellforreplenishingmanasupplies.Iuseit frequently. ManaCleanse: Verynicespellifyoucangetupclosetoenemycasters. Completelychangesthetideofafight. SpellMight: Surespellsaremorepowerfulbutthetradeoffissignificant. Youstillwon'tkillsomeonewithasinglefireballbutthemana costswillbenearlydouble. ThinkManaCleanseplusgreatdamage.Powerfulbutvery ManaClash: situational. WalkingBomb: Ifyouhaveasingletank,thisisgreat.Ifeveryoneisin meleerange,thiscancauseissues. DeathSyphon: Rarelyofanybenefitaswhenthere'senoughcorpsesonthe ground,thebattleisoveranyhow. VirulentWalkingBomb:EssentiallyachaincausingWalkingBomb.Same restrictionsapplytobothspells.Canbedeadlywhen combinedwithaFireballorotherareaeffectspell. AnimateDead: Thecostishugeforapetthatdoesn'ttankanddoesminimal damage.Spendthatmanaonadifferentattackformorebenefit. MindBlast: Getit.Itwillsaveyourmage'slifefrequently. ForceField: Useittoeithertakeoutanenemyforsometimeorsaveyour tankfromdeath.Taunt,ForceField,areaeffectspellswill killmostgroupswithease. TelekeneticWeapons:Notveryusefulearlyonbutwhenyoureachabossor largeenemy(sayanOgreorRevenant)thishasaverybig impactonthedamageyoucando.UseFire/Coldonregular enemiesandthisoneveryrankedenemy. CrushingPrion:Canyousayoverpowered?Everymageshouldhavethisspell. Notonlydoesitremovetheenemyfromcombat,ittakesaway about50%oftheirhealth.DidImentionyoucanstillattack

 thesepeopletoo?Twomagesinyourgroupwiththisspelland ForceFieldwilldestroy99%ofallgroupsyouencounter. EntropySpells: Weakness: Penaltiestodefenseandattackaregoodbuteverycharacterhas thisability.Ipreferotherabilitiessincetheyofteninflict thesameeffectbutdodamageaswell. Paralyze: Stopsanenemyfromactingforabout10seconds.Theycanstill beattacked.Greatforcontrollingrankedenemies. Miasma: Asustained,areaeffectversionofWeakness.Hasitsuses certainlybuttypicallyaForceFieldisabetterapproach.As atankyou'llseemorebenefitbutasarangedcasters,you're toofaroutofrangeformuchuse. MassParalysis: PracticallytheexactsamespellasMindBlastbutyoucan targetthisone.Expecttohaveeveryenemyruntoyouif youtankcan'tgettheirattentionafteritwearsoff. VulnerabilityHex:Reallyonlyaffectsyourmageandthenonlyonhighhit pointenemies.I'dratherjustthrowanextradamagespell. AfflictionHex:Sameasabovebutonagroup.Evenlessuseful. MisdirectionHex:Powerfulagainstdragonsandrevenants.Keepsyourtank alive. DeathHex: Ifyoucangetthistostickonanenemy,expectyourdamage numberstogothroughtheroof.Verydeadlyonanyenemyyou hit. Disorient: Again,penaltytoattackanddefensewithnodamage.Next. Horror: SameasParalyze. Sleep: Onitsown,dangerousbecausewokenenemiesrunforthecaster. CombinedwithWakingNightmare,lookoutforcrazytime. WakingNightmare:Iwouldn'tuseitwithoutfirstcastingSleep.Basicallyfor 75manayoutakenearlyeveryenemyoutofcombatfor15 seconds.ThisisalmostaspowerfulasForceFieldand CrushingPrisonandwillsaveyourlife. DrainLife:AbetteroptionthancastingHealonthemagebuthardto justifyspendingtheabilitypointonasingleusespell. DeathMagic: UsefulforArcaneWarriortanksbutnorealuseforothermages. CurseofMortality:Thisisprobablythespellthatwillkillyouthemost,at leastinmyexperience.Theproblemisthatittakesa longtimetotakeeffect,soreallyisonlyofuseonred rankedenemiesofwhichtherearefew. DeathCloud: RememberCloudKillfromBaldur'sGate?Meetit'spowerful

 cousin.MoredamagethanInfernobutarguablyamorecostly investmentwhencompared. Warden'sKeepspells: DarkSustenance:Loseabitofhealth,gainagoodportionofmana.Youwould thinkthisisabadtradeoffbutyouactuallygaininthelong run,especiallyifyouuseaneasilyacquiredhealingpotionor healspellrightafter.Bloodmagesgetevenmorebenefit here. BloodyGrasp: Directdamagespellsaremuchmoreeffectivethanthisability. ShapeshifterSpecialization: AsImentionedbefore,theShapeshifteriseasilytheweakestofall specializations.Thisissolelyduetothefactthatyouloseaccesstoall yourmagespellswhiletransformedandwhat'samagewithoutspells? SpiderShape: BonustonatureresistanceandyougainaccesstoWeb(Paralyze) andPoisonSpit(damageovertimeattack).WithMaster Shapeshifter,youcannowOverwhelmenemies,tacklingthemto theground. BearShape: GainstoarmorandtheabilitytoSlam(Knockdown)andRage (increasedmeleedamage).MasterShapeshiftergivesyouthe Overwhelmability. FlyingSwarm: Oddabilityhere.Youbasicallyhaveanauraaroundyouthat doescontinualdamagetoenemies,moresothecloseryouareto them.Youcanalsodirectlyattackcasters,drainingmana insteadoflife.Youcan'tbehitbymissles,arehardtohit withmeleeandtakehugedamagefromfire.MasterShapeshifter givesyoutheabilitytodrainlifewhenattacking. MasterShapeshifter:Increasestheattributesofallformsandprovidesnew abilities. SpiritHealerspecialization: Thisspelllineprovidesyouwithmanywaystohealyourentiregroup.This shouldbeacorespecializationforoneofyourmages,it'sthatpowerful. GroupHeal: Healstheentiregroupforasignificantamount.Combinedwith Healthisiswhatkeepsgroupsalivewhentherearenohealth potions. Revival: Canbeusedtoreviveatankbutmorethanlikelyyou'velost thefightifyouhavetocastthisspell. Lifeward: Keepsthetankalivewheneverythingelseisoncooldown. CleansingAura: Verylargerangeforwhatamountstoahalfhealeveryfew

 seconds.Youwon'thaveitoneveryfightbutwhentheentire groupistakingcontinualareadamage,itwillsaveyou.Plus itfreesyoufromInjuryKits. BloodMagespecialization: Averyinterestingcombinationofspellswhereyoutradehitpointsformana ordamage.Ifyoupayattentiontocombat,thiscanbeadevastatingoption. BloodMagic: Youusehitpointstocastspells.Oneofthereasonsablood magerequiresasignificanthitpointpoolinsteadofmana. Canbepowerfulifyouplanahead. BloodSacrifice:Onitsown,whywouldyoupotentiallykillateammatetoheal yourself?Well,ifthatsomeoneisaRangerpetthenthere's norealproblematall! BloodWound: Enemieswithblood(everythingbutagolemprettymuch)take bigdamagethroughoutthearea.Thisisessentiallyamagic tauntspell.Usewithextremecaution. BloodControl: Iftheyhavebloodtheybecomethemage'spet,elsetheytake significantdamage.Moredamageisgreat.Possessingan Emissaryisevenbetter. ArcaneWarriorspecialization: Greatforatank,verylittleuseforastandardmage,ifonlyforthefirst abilitytoequipheavyarmorwithyourMagicattributeinsteadofStrength. CombatMagic: Justselectingthisabilitymeansyoucanequipanyitemby swappingthestrengthrequirementformagic.Massiveplate herewecome.Norealbenefittootherdamagesinceyou'llbe castingfromtheback. AuraofMight: ImprovedCombatMagic.You'renottanking,noneedforthis. ShimmeringShield:Makesyouhardertohitbutthisshouldn'tbeaproblemin thefirstplace. FadeShroud: Nearlyimmunetomeleehitsandmanaregen.Heavycostto investifyoudon'tplanongettinghitinthefirstplace. SuggestedBuild(DAO:7.2.3) Attributes: Simpleenoughhere,putenoughpointsintowillpowertohave enoughmanatocastyourspells,3035isusuallygood.Every thingelsegoesintothemagicstat. Abilities: NomatterwhatIputdownhere,therearegoingtobeother alternativesthatarejustasappealing.Iwouldsuggestthat youhavemorethanonemageinyourpartyandsplitthespells

 betweenthemforevenmoredevastationandpower.Insteadof breakingitdownbylevel,I'lljustbrieflylistthespells youshouldtakeahardlookat,regardlessofthespellsyou havetoacquirebeforetakingit.Justrememberthatarea effectspellswillmostlikelymaketheenemyrunstraight towardsyourmage.Remember,magesautomaticallygetArcane Boltatlevel1. 1) Heal 2) Fireball 3) MindBlast 4) ForceField 5) Fireball 6) CrushingPrison 7) Blizzard 8) Petrify 9) GroupHeal 10) BloodMagic 11) Revival 12) Lifeward 13) BloodSacrifice 14) CleansingAura 15) Sleep 16) WakingNightmare 17) Haste 18) DeathHex 19) Miasma 20) BloodControl Summary(DAO:7.2.4) Asyoucansee,thetraditionalcasterrolehasawidevarietyofoptions available.Youcanfocusonsingletargetdamage,control,healing,disabling andsomeneattricksalongtheway.Therearethreecorespellsthatevery mageshouldlearn:Heal,ForceFieldandCrushingPrison.Theyaresimplytoo powerfultoignore. Ifyouhaveonlyonemageinthegroup,IwouldsuggestaSpiritHealerasthey provideasignificantboosttosurvivability.Ifyouhavemultiplemages,have themgodownvariousspelltreestomaximizeyourvarietyandincreasethe chanceforspellcombinations. IncreaseMagictogetCrushingPrisonearly,thenaddtoWillpower MoreMagicmeansspellsarehardertoresist MoreWillpowergivesyoumorespellstocast,upto15manaperlevel Don'tbuy2weakspellstoget1goodone Staveshit100%ofthistimebutneverhitforcriticaldamage Staveseachhavetheirowndamagetype,checktheirinformationfordetails. Ifyoufindanenemyisimmunetoyourdamage,changestavesorgotoabow. SpellCombinations(DAO:7.3) Whenyoucombinetwoormoreparticularspellstogetheryoucanunlockanifty combination.Somearemoreusefulthanothers,that'sforsure.

 GreaseFire || Grease&FireSpell Anyonecaughtinthegreaseffectisalsoaffectedbylingeringfiredamage FlameQuencher || GreaseFire&Blizzard RemovestheGreaseFire StormoftheCentury || Spellmight&Blizzard&Tempest Insanelydeadlyspellcombination.YoulosetheeffectsofBlizzardbutthe entirecloudgetssignificantlybiggeranddoesmoredamage.Worksbestifyou have2magesworkingtogethertocastthisspell. Shattering || Petrified/FrozenEnemy&Criticalhit/ StoneFist/CrushingPrison Oddsareyou'llseethisoneearlyon.Thisinstantlykillstheenemy. ParalysisExplosion || GlyphofParalysis&GlyphofRepulsion Instantlyparalyzeseveryoneinrangeandremovesbothglyphs. Entropy Nightmare|| Sleep&Horror Losethesleepeffectbutenemytakesabigchunkofdamage. ImprovedDrain || VulnerabilityHex&DrainLife/DrainMana Thedrainspellsaretwiceaseffective. EntropicDeath || DeathHex&DeathCloud Verybigdamagebutsingletargetonly. Spirit Shockwave|| ForceField&CrushingPrison You'llbeseeingthisalmosteveryfightpastlevel15.Createsaknockdown shockwaveoneveryonebutthetarget. AdvancedReanimation || SpellMight&AnimateDead Skeletonsthatcomeouthavemoreabilitiesandarestronger. SPECIALIZATIONS(DAO:8)

 Itgoeswithoutsayingthatthereare**SPOILERS**beyondthispoint. I'llbrieflyexplainhowtounlockeachspecialization.Onceunlocked,it staysactiveonthenextplaythroughorreload.Thismeansinmanycasesyou shouldsaveyourgame,buyabookandthenreloadthegametogetyourmoney back. Warrior(DAO:8.1) Templar: LearnfromAlistairwithhighapproval.Youcanalsobuythe bookfromBodahnatcamp. Champion: YouneedtocuretheArlinRedcliffewiththeAshes.Youcan declinethespecializationifyouarenotcareful. Reaver: Tainttheashesthenvisitthereaverstocollectthis specilization. Beserker: LearnfromOghrenwithhighapprovalorbuythebookfromGorim inDenerim. Rogue(DAO:8.2) Assassin: LearnfromZevranwithhighapprovalorbuyinDenerimfrom Alarith. Bard: LearnfromLelianawithhighapproval. Ranger: BuythebookfromBodahnatcamp. Duelist: LearnfromIsabellaatthePearlinDenerim.Youmustcatch hercheatingorbringahighdexteritycharacterwithyouto helpoutafterafewfailures.Persuasionapparentlyworks. Mage(DAO:8.3) Shapeshifter: LearnfromMorriganifyourapprovalishighenough. SpritHealer: YoucanbuythebookintheWondersofThedasshopinDenerim. BloodMage: YoumustbeamageandentertheFadewhilehelpingcurethe Arl'schildinRedcliffe.MakeatradewiththeDesireDemon tolearnthisspecialization. ArcaneWarrior:IntheAncientTempleintheBrecilianForestisaroomwith aphylacteryandanaltar.Helpthespirittodieandyou'll gainthisspecialization. TIPS(DAO:9)

 Hereareafewtipsandnotesthatyoushouldkeepinmindwhenplaying DragonAge. CompletingtheCircleofMagestowerwillrewardyouwith4Strength, 4Dexterity,4Willpower,2Magic,5Cunningand2Constitution.Ifyou planonminimallyinvestinginparticularattributes,dothisquestfirstto giveyouabetterideaofwheretoputotherpoints. PCbug:Whenyoulevelup,youcanredistributeattributepoints.Let'ssay youareamageandwanttoreducecunningtoincreasemagic.Putthe3 pointsintocunningandthenclickReset.Now,clicktheleftarrownextto cunning.Thiswillremove3pointsgivingyouatotalof6toplaywith.You candothisasoftenasyoulikebutcanonlyredistributeoneparticular attributeperlevelup.MyArcangeWarriorhad1strengthand1cunningwith thismethod. Atmerchants,buybackpackseverytimeyouseethem.Theyhelpyouacquire moreitemstobetterequipyourentireteam. Atmerchants,buybooksinthisorder.Abilities,Attributes,Skills. Atmerchants,ifyouseeaSpecializationbooksavefirst,buythebookthen reloadyourgamewiththespecializationunlocked. EverythingyouselltoyourCampvendorstaysonhimforever.Ifyoufind you'relowoninventoryspace,sellhimsomeitemstolightenyourload. Alternatively,ifyouhavetheWarden'sKeepDLC,completethatquestto unlockgroupstorage. WhenEnchanting,youdon'tloserunesputintoweapons.Ifyouwanttomove runesaroundsimplyremovethemfromaweaponandputthemintoanother. WhenEnchanting,TanksshouldfocusonPhysicalResistance(60max),damage dealersshouldlookforElectric/Ice/FireandParalyzingrunes. Theearlieryouacquirepartymembers,thelowertheirlevelsandthemore youcancustomizethem.Allistairjoinsatlevel23withonly4abilities alreadyselected.Oghrencanbeacquiredverylateinthegameandleaveno roomatallforselectingapathotherthanmelee. FINALNOTES(DAO:10) ThebeautyofDragonAgeistherereallyisn'tabadwaytoplaythegame. Therearecertainlyeasierwaysthanothersbutifyouwantachallengeall thetime,thatoptionsurelyexists.