Starting DA:origins, need help
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Mages ar amazing in DA:O. By the end of my game my mage was the best tank, healer AND debuffer in my party. Thanks to Arcane Warrior I was litterally untouchable 99% of the time and when I did takes damage I had so many buffs that I barely felt it. With Blood Mage I had a ready supply of HP to use on magic (I was doing more damage to myself than all my enemies combined) and in Awakening I got the Battle Mage Specialisation which enhances Arcane Warrior so much I could solo most encounters.
The other classes are cool too, Warriors doing well for tanking, rogues for DPS or ranged attacks, but overall mages are the best choice. They are the best at controlling the battlefiled, tanking, healing and buffing/debuffing. Rogue archers can do the highest raw damage but that's really the only straight advantage anyone has over a mage.
Also, without Mana Clash enemy mages are a massive pain, with it the last about 1-2 seconds in a fuight.
The other classes are cool too, Warriors doing well for tanking, rogues for DPS or ranged attacks, but overall mages are the best choice. They are the best at controlling the battlefiled, tanking, healing and buffing/debuffing. Rogue archers can do the highest raw damage but that's really the only straight advantage anyone has over a mage.
Also, without Mana Clash enemy mages are a massive pain, with it the last about 1-2 seconds in a fuight.
Mages are the best, if you go one you'll barely have any trouble and if you take an extra mage with you, you practically cant lose if you both have the heal spell. (and thats before you get to ridiculous combos with Blood Magic or Arcane Warrior..also Cone of Frost and blizzard are fun)
Warriors can be pretty fun and by the time you get to Awakening they can kill anything in 1 hit.
Rogues are terrible, especially archers. Although certain builds can be devestating late game, sucking for most of the game before that isnt worth it.
Warriors can be pretty fun and by the time you get to Awakening they can kill anything in 1 hit.
Rogues are terrible, especially archers. Although certain builds can be devestating late game, sucking for most of the game before that isnt worth it.
Really, any class is tangible if you play it right.
My first playthrough I went a rogue, got high dexterity and cunning, got skills for lockpicking and persuasion and stealth, and I put most of my points into dual wielding talents. It was fun, and I only rarely came across a challenge.
My second playthrough I played a mage, and I will say they have an insane amount of power. Build them correctly, and they are massively OP.
I haven't played warriors, but they seem like a rogue with a different skillset that isn't good for disarming traps and picking locks, but has more health and damage.
Really, it doesn't matter too much what you choose. Most of what that will effect will be who you take with you. Trust me, you will have more fun if you choose your character for RP purposes or W/E - more the character that you feel like playing than the 'I want to play this as it will be the easiest'.
My first playthrough I went a rogue, got high dexterity and cunning, got skills for lockpicking and persuasion and stealth, and I put most of my points into dual wielding talents. It was fun, and I only rarely came across a challenge.
My second playthrough I played a mage, and I will say they have an insane amount of power. Build them correctly, and they are massively OP.
I haven't played warriors, but they seem like a rogue with a different skillset that isn't good for disarming traps and picking locks, but has more health and damage.
Really, it doesn't matter too much what you choose. Most of what that will effect will be who you take with you. Trust me, you will have more fun if you choose your character for RP purposes or W/E - more the character that you feel like playing than the 'I want to play this as it will be the easiest'.
Have a Warrior (Tank), Two Mages (1 for DPS, the other for crowd control and healing), and a Rogue for utility and supplementary DPS.
The "Easiest" party to use, I find, is Alistair, Morrigan, and Leiliana. All three are spec'd properly for their roles (well...Morrigan has a wasted slot in Shapeshifting, but mages are so powerful it barely matters). You can substitute based on personal preference, especially if playing a Tank warrior or Rogue, but otherwise they'll carry you easily through most of the game, and you get them early to boot.
Once the main quest starts, go to either the Mage's Tower or the Brecilian Forest first.
Best class is likely Mage, but that locks you into a single origin regardless of race. My personal favorite is either Human Noble or Dwarf Noble. Both are very story-relevant, and Dwarf Noble allows you to start the game with a lot of money and some very nice equipment if you play your cards right.
Otherwise, try to make friends with teammates as best as possible. At the very least with the ones you use. The game works on a non-standard morality system, where you actions aren't judged omnisciently but instead on a party member-to-party member basis. Making them hate you carries pretty stiff penalties, including making them leave the party, while winning their favor gives them stat bonuses.
The "Easiest" party to use, I find, is Alistair, Morrigan, and Leiliana. All three are spec'd properly for their roles (well...Morrigan has a wasted slot in Shapeshifting, but mages are so powerful it barely matters). You can substitute based on personal preference, especially if playing a Tank warrior or Rogue, but otherwise they'll carry you easily through most of the game, and you get them early to boot.
Once the main quest starts, go to either the Mage's Tower or the Brecilian Forest first.
Best class is likely Mage, but that locks you into a single origin regardless of race. My personal favorite is either Human Noble or Dwarf Noble. Both are very story-relevant, and Dwarf Noble allows you to start the game with a lot of money and some very nice equipment if you play your cards right.
Otherwise, try to make friends with teammates as best as possible. At the very least with the ones you use. The game works on a non-standard morality system, where you actions aren't judged omnisciently but instead on a party member-to-party member basis. Making them hate you carries pretty stiff penalties, including making them leave the party, while winning their favor gives them stat bonuses.
I usually just play a warrior in games like DA:O and beat everything to death with a sword and shield.
Play warrior, basic and easy to understand, have a mage follower to heal, get a tank (Be a damaging warrior and have Alister tank or someone) And get a mage/archer for damage
Pretty simple set up, but when you get better go for mages and rogues
I loved playing through the hardest difficulty as a blood mage tank
Twas fun
That game was so amazing
Pretty simple set up, but when you get better go for mages and rogues
I loved playing through the hardest difficulty as a blood mage tank
Twas funThat game was so amazing
Pick whatever you like. You have companions to fill the other roles anyway.
"Best" choice if you want to min-max is probably offensive mage since they are so very powerful and you can build yours the from the ground up whereas Morrigan starts off with a useless specialisation (shapeshifting) so she won't be as good as one you make yourself. Tho warrior is probably easier for the first playthrough but again it doesn?t really matter what you pick.
I recommend doing the mages tower early since that?s where you get Wynne (healer).
Edit: Oh and when you unlock a specialisation it?s unlocked for all. So if unlock it, then reload your game and don't make the choice required to get it or start another character it is still unlocked. (Of course that is a bit cheap )
Archery can be pretty powerful at the end if you build it right but honestly its useless for most of the game and boring to play IMO
"Best" choice if you want to min-max is probably offensive mage since they are so very powerful and you can build yours the from the ground up whereas Morrigan starts off with a useless specialisation (shapeshifting) so she won't be as good as one you make yourself. Tho warrior is probably easier for the first playthrough but again it doesn?t really matter what you pick.
I recommend doing the mages tower early since that?s where you get Wynne (healer).
Edit: Oh and when you unlock a specialisation it?s unlocked for all. So if unlock it, then reload your game and don't make the choice required to get it or start another character it is still unlocked. (Of course that is a bit cheap
)Archery can be pretty powerful at the end if you build it right but honestly its useless for most of the game and boring to play IMO
I agree with you that Archery sucks balls in DA:O. However, If you've played Awakening you you should know that the higher level archery skills that become available turn the whole tree into a long range death dealing machine. It's mostly caused by one buff called "Accuracy" which increases attack, damage, ranged critical chance, and ranged critical damage by a massively significant margin. That said it's only for awakening so you may as well ignore archery in Origins. Just don't overlook it during Awakening.Fappy said:
Three words: Virulent Walking Bomb. Sure, you'll probably kill your party, but damn if it ain't fun as hell.
I play rogue. Always. It's pretty much habit at this point. Also, if I don't play rogue, I ALWAYS run into traps and spend five seconds wiggling helplessly waiting for my character to get free. Always have a rogue in the party to detect, disarm, and loot.
My play style was to be a dual-wield cunning/dex rogue and take the assassin specialization. Basically, my main was my boss-killer; I'd always go after the stronger targets and let my companions handle the cannon fodder. My companions would be a warrior for tank, a mage healer (Wynne), and a rogue with a bow. Bows suck early on, but once you get Scattershot, it's worth it.
As for storyline, the mage kinda gets screwed over story-wise. They have their moment of glory in the Circle quest and then nothing after that. I usually play Human Noble, they get good story mileage, especially towards endgame. Be an elf if you want to spew hatred at every human you come across. And the dwarf storylines aren't bad, either; they make Orzammar a lot more involved.
My play style was to be a dual-wield cunning/dex rogue and take the assassin specialization. Basically, my main was my boss-killer; I'd always go after the stronger targets and let my companions handle the cannon fodder. My companions would be a warrior for tank, a mage healer (Wynne), and a rogue with a bow. Bows suck early on, but once you get Scattershot, it's worth it.
As for storyline, the mage kinda gets screwed over story-wise. They have their moment of glory in the Circle quest and then nothing after that. I usually play Human Noble, they get good story mileage, especially towards endgame. Be an elf if you want to spew hatred at every human you come across. And the dwarf storylines aren't bad, either; they make Orzammar a lot more involved.
Not as bad as Dalish. As far as I can recall you only get one small encounter later on that relates to you background and a few different lines here and there. Even the Dalish quest involves a different clan so it makes little difference.Tho from an RP perspective it does give you an excuse to ask stupid questions without it seeming random I guess.Tahaneira said:
Arcane Warrior is decent if you like being tankier, but for outright destruction, go Spirit Healer + Blood Mage. Annihilate everything with your Blood Mage abilities, then see your health go right back up to maximum the minute you finish wiping the floor with the enemy.AC10 said:
Mages is easy mode. Seriously. A well made mage is basically a WMD in mortal form. Your friend either never played as one, never tried to make a decent one, or is lying out his/her ass.
Too many people have said it but none have managed to state it properly. Here is how the game is played - you have a party of four people and you generally have the following roles - cannon fodder (warrior), beatstick (warrior), dead weight (rogues), God (mages). As for the party itself, you need:
- a dead weight - to open locks/disable traps. Since these can specialise in ranged or melee, maybe ranged is better, because they tend to survive longer in a fight. However, I've had several experiences with a melee dead weight that manages to use some of the more powerful abilities in the beginning and as such turns (very) briefly into a cannon fodder and a beatstick. Don't take more than one, it's a waste of space.
- beatstick - give them a weapon or two and give them the boring job - grind down the HP of the enemies. God should just stand back and do the actual work - buff/debuff and own the fight.
- cannon fodder - they are there to absorb damage, obviously. They can even turn into HP batteries for God later on (Blood Mages). You definitely need one to take the heat. Also try to keep him alive for a bit but he's not essential for the entire fight. Also, don't play a cannon fodder. Beatsticks and God should focus on finishing the battle, even the dead weight can be a more contributing factor there.
- God - one, preferably you, and maybe two to split the responsibility and double the effectiveness. The responsibility of God is to win. Pure and simple.
There are specialisations for God, that (unless those of lesser classes) actually matter - they are the following:
- Shapeshifter - useless. Worse than the dead weight.
- Spirit Healer - not too bad but one of your party members will already have that. It is still possible to pick it if you are God.
- Blood Mage - you have to get it. Period. You (or one of the other Gods) will absolutely troll the battlefield - the first ability, Blood Magic, will make you cast from HP. Not impressive but can give you extra juice to win a fight. The second ability, Blood Sacrifice, takes HP from those party members that don't need it (i.e., not Gods) and gives it to you. The third is Blood Wound. THIS IS WHY YOU PICKED A BLOOD MAGE. Is that clear? No? OK, here, let me rephrase: DOT and immobilisation for everyone in a huge AOE and neither is broken if the targets are attacked afterwards. Only works on enemies with blood, which means most of them. Oh and there is also Blood Control - pick an enemy and make it an ally. Or deal massive damage if it fails (although there was a bug that didn't deal the damage, IIRC).
- Arcane Warrior - if you want to take over the job of beatsticks and cannon fodder and be better at it. It does take some planning to use effectively but an Arcane Warrior Blood Mage (yes, you can have two specialisations) is probably the most powerful being you'll encounter. And you'll be that being if you're playing God.
As for what you play, you can take the role of the dead weight - it's actually fun and if you're doing the job, chances are you'll be able to considerably outdo the other dead weights. To the point where you're useful to the fight. It makes the whole party more effective because you don't need to drag a true dead weight with you.
- a dead weight - to open locks/disable traps. Since these can specialise in ranged or melee, maybe ranged is better, because they tend to survive longer in a fight. However, I've had several experiences with a melee dead weight that manages to use some of the more powerful abilities in the beginning and as such turns (very) briefly into a cannon fodder and a beatstick. Don't take more than one, it's a waste of space.
- beatstick - give them a weapon or two and give them the boring job - grind down the HP of the enemies. God should just stand back and do the actual work - buff/debuff and own the fight.
- cannon fodder - they are there to absorb damage, obviously. They can even turn into HP batteries for God later on (Blood Mages). You definitely need one to take the heat. Also try to keep him alive for a bit but he's not essential for the entire fight. Also, don't play a cannon fodder. Beatsticks and God should focus on finishing the battle, even the dead weight can be a more contributing factor there.
- God - one, preferably you, and maybe two to split the responsibility and double the effectiveness. The responsibility of God is to win. Pure and simple.
There are specialisations for God, that (unless those of lesser classes) actually matter - they are the following:
- Shapeshifter - useless. Worse than the dead weight.
- Spirit Healer - not too bad but one of your party members will already have that. It is still possible to pick it if you are God.
- Blood Mage - you have to get it. Period. You (or one of the other Gods) will absolutely troll the battlefield - the first ability, Blood Magic, will make you cast from HP. Not impressive but can give you extra juice to win a fight. The second ability, Blood Sacrifice, takes HP from those party members that don't need it (i.e., not Gods) and gives it to you. The third is Blood Wound. THIS IS WHY YOU PICKED A BLOOD MAGE. Is that clear? No? OK, here, let me rephrase: DOT and immobilisation for everyone in a huge AOE and neither is broken if the targets are attacked afterwards. Only works on enemies with blood, which means most of them. Oh and there is also Blood Control - pick an enemy and make it an ally. Or deal massive damage if it fails (although there was a bug that didn't deal the damage, IIRC).
- Arcane Warrior - if you want to take over the job of beatsticks and cannon fodder and be better at it. It does take some planning to use effectively but an Arcane Warrior Blood Mage (yes, you can have two specialisations) is probably the most powerful being you'll encounter. And you'll be that being if you're playing God.
As for what you play, you can take the role of the dead weight - it's actually fun and if you're doing the job, chances are you'll be able to considerably outdo the other dead weights. To the point where you're useful to the fight. It makes the whole party more effective because you don't need to drag a true dead weight with you.
Human mage was my favorite class pick in DA:O. Don't play a warrior, that's my only advice. You get so loaded down with warriors and only get 2 rogues and 2 mages in total, saying you collect every party member. I loved playing as a blood mage specializing in Entropy, and I think you would too.