(response to Anvil encounter question)
I haven't found a cheap trick. It's a real fight.
With PC as a mage, use Wynne (Morrigan if she has heals). The key is to save the friendly golems, who will all lose their solo battles without help. Ignore or kite Branka until you have the adds under control. Open with two Crushing Prisons, and one Force-Field, keeping one FF in reserve. Take down one enemy golem fast, and move your target according to whomever the friendly golem decides to hit next. Stone Aura seems expensive because it turns off Shale's attack, but it's Group HOT, Crack, Buff, Debuff, and Slow, all of which stays active through a Force-Field. Miasma is usually trash, but actually works on this boss. If you're lucky, Branka will aggro Shale, and you can Force-Field Shale to distract Branka for a long time. Any mage she attacks needs to kite, but Oghren can ignore her and add damage on the golems. Keep him up with heals. Be very careful with debuffs, because DAO mobs always aggro debuffs, and those little golems can kill a mage. Better to heal the friendly golem if possible. Once you're down to Branka, try to use your last Force-Field on her target. Once you do that, don't debuff or bomb her. Stick with baseline damage, and she will just ignore you until she cracks up. Her hail-mary split trick has its limits. You only have to kill one of them. So stand tough with Oghren (once he's out of FF) while the mages kite like yellow dogs.
I haven't found a cheap trick. It's a real fight.
With PC as a mage, use Wynne (Morrigan if she has heals). The key is to save the friendly golems, who will all lose their solo battles without help. Ignore or kite Branka until you have the adds under control. Open with two Crushing Prisons, and one Force-Field, keeping one FF in reserve. Take down one enemy golem fast, and move your target according to whomever the friendly golem decides to hit next. Stone Aura seems expensive because it turns off Shale's attack, but it's Group HOT, Crack, Buff, Debuff, and Slow, all of which stays active through a Force-Field. Miasma is usually trash, but actually works on this boss. If you're lucky, Branka will aggro Shale, and you can Force-Field Shale to distract Branka for a long time. Any mage she attacks needs to kite, but Oghren can ignore her and add damage on the golems. Keep him up with heals. Be very careful with debuffs, because DAO mobs always aggro debuffs, and those little golems can kill a mage. Better to heal the friendly golem if possible. Once you're down to Branka, try to use your last Force-Field on her target. Once you do that, don't debuff or bomb her. Stick with baseline damage, and she will just ignore you until she cracks up. Her hail-mary split trick has its limits. You only have to kill one of them. So stand tough with Oghren (once he's out of FF) while the mages kite like yellow dogs.
