Dragon Age Legion Of The Dead Armor

• Dragon Age Legion Of The Dead Armor Location

Equipment modifies how tactics can be used in Dragon Age Origins. Having the best equipment is great, but having equipment which matches your tactics is even better. For example, some characters in Dragon Age Origins are warriors who are meant to be offensive, while others use defensive tactics. Each set of fighting tactics is better suited for certain kinds of equipment available in Dragon. Legion of the Dead Armor is one of the Heavy Armor Schematics in Dragon Age: Inquisition (DAI). Schematics are special plans that allow you to craft items in game. Once you reach Skyhold, you will have the opportunity to complete the Arcanist mission at the War Table which will unlock masterwork slot on armor and weapon schematics.

Strength 20 Dexterity 17 Willpower 15 Magic 12 Cunning 11 Constitution 13Starting InventoryWarden's Longsword (Grey Iron)Splintmail Armor set (Grey Iron)Templar's Shield (Ash)Runic Worry TokenTalent SelectionAlistair can present some pretty difficult choices about what you take first. My early priorities were a helpful mix of offence (e.g. Overpower, Assault, Bravery), making sure Alistair draws 'aggro' onto himself and away from his allies (e.g.

Threaten), the defensive (e.g. Shield Tactics), and having something in place to recover stamina during battle (e.g. After that, filling out the Templar and Champion talents become my next priorities. I ended up giving the Shield Defense talent tree the lowest priority because Alistair started off without any talents in the tree and thus risked compromising a more effective development in the time it would take to reach Shield Expertise. At least with other trees Alistair was one or two away from rounding things out.Starting TalentsRighteous StrikePowerfulShield BashShield PummelShield BlockShield Cover5th levelThreaten - Alistair is my main tank, so as much as possible I want the monsters to concentrate their efforts on him.6th levelOverpower - I script Alistair so that he can knock multiple foes off their feet with his shield in succession as they close in. Very handy.7th levelShield Defense - I don't have any room in my script for this yet, but it's the only available talent where Alistair hasn't fallen short of the prerequisites.8th levelBravery - One of my mottos when playing Dragon Age is 'Passive talents are your friend.'

This is one of the best for a Warrior. It always grants a small bonus to physical resistance and damage. The real kicker is that it provides an increased chance for critical hits that rises in proportion to the number of foes above two that Alistair faces.9th levelCleanse Aura - This is one ability that I prefer to use manually since it is useful, but only in select situations since it will remove my own enchantments as well.10th levelShield Tactics - A passive ability that prevents the foes from gaining flanking bonuses against Alistair.11th levelPrecise Striking - A 10% slowdown to attack speed is well worth the bonus to attack and the up to maximum +15% chance of scoring a critical hit.

This is especially the case when Wynne adds Haste as a sustained ability.Note. Paracelsi would prefer to have Alistair get this much earlier, since improving attack bonus is much more of a concern at lower levels. It is a valid point. But like I said, developing a warrior who can include the full run of the shield-based talents, as well as the Templar and Champion talents, is always going to confront a player with difficult choices. In my case I prefer that Alistair acquire as many shield-based talents as possible as the first priority. One is not necessarily the better.

There is indeed room for subjectivity in how you want to develop your characters.12th levelDeath Blow - Allows Alistair to recover stamina each time he lands a killing blow on his target.13th levelAssault - A nice talent for scoring quick damage in four blows. I script him to use it on an enemy that has 90% or more of its Health.14th levelShield Mastery - A passive ability that improves pretty much every other Shield-based talent for Alistair.15th levelShield Balance - A stepping stone to.16th levelShield Wall - Once this is acquired, it becomes Alistair's shield-sustained talent for the balance of the game.

It provides a hefty bonus to armor, and a +10 bonus to defense on account of Shield Mastery.17th levelShield Expertise - Augments Shield Wall so that Alistair cannot be knocked down, as well as a +5 bonus to defense.18th levelWar Cry - In case Alistair gets surrounded and feels the need to relieve the pressure. It is also a stepping stone to.19th levelRally - A sustained ability that Alistair will always keep active to always provide allies within a certain radius from himself with a bonus to defense. Can be wickedly powerful in conjunction with Miasma.20th levelMotivate - Enhances Rally so that it also provides a +10 bonus to attack.21st levelMental Fortress - Provides a welcome +25 bonus to mental resistance. It could wait though.22nd levelHoly Smite - A useful anti-magic ability that will stun Mages, and inflict extra spirit damage on them. A frequent tactic is for Alistair to use Holy Smite on the Mage, then close the distance before the Mage snaps out of it. By the time the Mage recovers, it is usually too late.

Alistair will keep him knocked off his feet with his shield talents. Death is usually a matter of course. However, considering that Aldarion has anti-mage abilities of his own, this could wait.23rd levelSuperiority - Augmenting War Cry so that it knocks enemies back.24th levelTaunt - Another method for Alistair to draw aggro on himself. Whereas Threaten is a sustained ability that draws aggro with each blow Alistair lands on his target, Taunt is an activated ability that will increase aggro on all enemies within a certain radius. Other talents were a more immediate priority.Skill SelectionStarting SkillsCombat TrainingImproved Combat TrainingExpert Combat Training6th levelCombat Tactics - One of my priorities for Alistair is for him to have a very extensive script so that he can react to a whole bunch of different situations while on autopilot. Combat Tactics adds another slot to his script menu.9th levelImproved Combat Tactics - Same thing12th levelMaster Combat Training - This is a prerequisite to some of Alistair's shield and weapon talents.15th levelExpert Combat Tactics - Rounding out this skill tree.18th levelMaster Combat Tactics - And finishing it off.21st levelSurvival - More of a filler than anything else. The other thief-type skills don't really make sense for Alistair.24th levelImproved Survival - Another filler.Attribute IncreasesMy first priorities are 42 Strength so that Alistair is more or less within reach of Dragonbone massive armor, and 26 Dexterity, which is a prerequisite for some of the shield talents.

One thing to keep in mind is that I will up Alistair's Cunning when I want to add a talent like Master Combat Training or Master Combat Tactics. Once I'm getting close to 42 Strength and 26 Dexterity, I go with a steady +1 Dexterity, +1 Willpower, and +1 Constitution. Dexterity simultaneously increases attack and defense. Willpower provides more stamina so that Alistair can use his activated talents. Constitution increases his staying power as a tank.

ScriptSelf: Any - Shield WallSelf: Any - RallySelf: Any - ThreatenSelf: Any - Precise StrikingSelf surrounded by at least 4 Enemies - War CryEnemy over 90% Health - AssaultEnemy over 50% Health - OverpowerEnemy at Short Range - Shield PummelEnemy at Short Range - Shield BashNearest Visible Enemy - AttackAlistair is scripted to keep his crucial sustainables up at all time, and to use his shield to knock down incoming enemies, in succession if he has to. Cleanse Aura and Holy Smite are two abilities I prefer to use manually, since they are very situation-specific.InventoryMain Weapon: Keening Blade (Grandmaster Flame Rune x2, Grandmaster Silverite Rune)Shield: Duncan's ShieldMissile Weapon: Antique Warden CrossbowArmor: Cailan's Armor setAmulet: Magister's ShieldBelt: Swordsman's Girdle1st Ring: Runic Worry Token2nd Ring: Ring of the WarriorHigh defense, attack, and damage are the staples for a shield-wielding warrior. Cailan's Armor set comes with almost no fatigue penalty, allowing Alistair to both use sustainables and his various activated talents.

I also used to have Alistair wield the Cailan's Arms set, but I now I consider the Keening Blade and Duncan's Shield as providing greater aggregate benefits. Strength 14 Dexterity 16 Willpower 21 Magic 24 Cunning 12 Constitution 10Starting Inventory / Magic Staff (Steel), Morrigan's Robes, Clasp of the WildsTalent SelectionStarting Talents at 7th levelSpider ShapeWinter's GraspFrost WeaponsLightningVulnerability HexDisorientHorrorDrain LifeThere's more than one way to develop Morrigan. She's two steps away from Blizzard and Tempest each, so she may be a natural candidate for a damage caster who can cast the Storm of the Century Combo. She'll also need to develop the Mana Alteration spell tree in order to acquire Spell Might to complete the combo.

A benefit of this is that she'll then be one step away from Mana Clash, one of the best anti-mage abilities in the game. This is certainly a powerful build that works and cannot be faulted on any level. Problem for me is I've already designed my Arcane Warrior for this.An alternative build for Morrigan is one that allows her to take advantage of both the Shapeshifter and the Blood Mage specializations in a nearly seamless system. The idea requires a bit of explanation. Once Morrigan develops her Blood Mage abilities, she will always keep the Blood Magic sustained ability active.

Blood Magic draws upon health to power spells instead of mana. It amounts to a calculated gamble that the increased spell casting power will suffice to win the battle quickly enough to minimize the risks of drawing on health to empower spells. This gamble is often justified, since a single casting of Blood Wound for example often suffices to win a battle outright. If Morrigan's health is getting too low for comfort, she invokes the Flying Swarm ability. This will basically turn Morrigan into a fast and mobile spell-like entity that inflicts continuous nature damage on all enemies next to her.

It also won't affect her comrades. Any attacks no her while in Flying Swarm mode will not detract from her health. It will instead reduce her mana, which will have been untapped while she was in Blood Mage mode. With Master Shapeshifter, the Flying Swarm will recoup health whenever it inflicts damage on the monsters. For an idea of what Morrigan can do with Flying Swarm, check out this video (not made by me). So, Morrigan can let loose as a Blood Mage. If her health is getting low, she can turn into a Flying Swarm.

Any attacks to her only reduce her untapped mana. Her own damage on the monsters recoups her health. Once she's back to full health, she can revert back to human form and resume Blood Magic. This can lead to quite a destructive and self-replenishing cycle, assuming the battle will even last that long.If you do rely on Morrigan as your single Mage for your party, and whichever build you choose for her, be sure to include Heal in the mix so that she can aid her comrades once in a while. Get her Arcane Tomes if you rely on her as your sole mage.

My progression for Morrigan was:8th levelBear Shape - More of a stepping stone to other abilities.9th levelSleep - A useful spell for a group of enemies that surround the party. Morrigan can also follow up by casting Horror on a sleeping target to either kill it outright or otherwise inflict plenty of spirit damage. This is the Nightmare combo.10th levelInsect Swarm - See my comments above.11th levelDeath Magic - This doesn't work very well with Blood Magic, so it's really a stepping stone to other abilities in the tree.12th levelMaster Shapeshifter - The real point of this is so that Flying Swarm will recoup Morrigan's health whenever she inflicts damage.13th levelCurse of Mortality - A deadly single-target spell.

It inflicts minor damage, but also prevents the target from getting healed for its duration.14th levelBlood Magic - Allows Morrigan to draw upon her health instead of Mana to power her spells.15th levelBlood Sacrifice - Use with care. Can bail out Morrigan if she's low on health and she wants to continue to use Blood Magic, but can also kill a wounded party member. It's also a stepping stone to.16th levelBlood Wound - This is like Crushing Prison on crack. It may not score as much spirit damage on an individual target as Crushing Prison, but the fact that it has pretty much the same effect on multiple foes and can be cast without hurting your comrades even if they're in the area of effect means this spell often suffices to win battles by itself.17th levelDeath Cloud - Blood Wound inflicts spirit damage, so it makes sense to add a storm-spell that also uses spirit damage.

This point will become evident when I describe Morrigan's inventory.18th levelCone of Cold - Now she starts to round things out by adding cold damage to her repertoire, which will be enhanced by her Robes of Possession. It may be an equally valid choice to take this and Blizzard earlier, especially if you rely on Morrigan as your only Mage. I suspect the reason I put it off till this point may be because Aldarion already had it.19th levelBlizzard - Icing on the cake.20th levelAffliction Hex - A minor spell with the benefit on reducing the target's elemental resistances.21st levelMisdirection Hex - A spell that causes its target to pretty much miss all of its physical attacks. Keep in mind that it will draw that target's 'aggro' when you use it.22rd levelDeath Hex - The target will be vulnerable to critical hits for the duration. It will also draw 'aggro' from the target. This spell, in conjunction with Death Cloud, can also subject the target to the Entropic Death combo that inflicts massive Spirit damage.23rd levelBlood Domination - This has some utility, but Morrigan's other abilities often prove decisive.24th levelWaking Nightmare - Another card for Morrigan's deck.

It works very similarly to Chaos in older D&D rules systems whereby multiple foes simply wander around and become sitting ducks for the party's attacks.Skill SelectionStartingHerbalismImproved HerbalismCombat TrainingImproved Combat Training9th levelExpert Herbalism - The real point to this is to be able to take advantage of a method for raising limitless gold that involves selling Potent Lyrium Potions at a profit. The method requires the Master Herbalism skill, so Expert Herbalism is really just a stepping stone.12th levelMaster Herbalism - And voila.15th levelCombat Tactics - Unlike Wynne or Aldarion, I heavily script Morrigan since her participation is often in situations where I don't have direct control over her. I thus like to give her as many tactics slots as possible.18th levelImproved Combat Tactics - Same thing.21st levelExpert Combat Tactics - Same thing.24th levelExpert Combat Training - Improving her ability to cast a spell despite damage.Attribute IncreasesI pump up Magic first to get fourth talents in various spell trees. After that, I go with +1 Magic and +2 Constitution. This makes sense, considering the particular system I have set up for Morrigan, and also because she has items that provide considerable boosts to Spellpower so there isn't as much of an onus to increase Magic as much. Strength 18 Dexterity 22 Willpower 16 Magic 14 Cunning 17 Constitution 10Starting Inventory / Enchanted Dagger (Grey Iron), Seeker's CircleTalent SelectionStarting Talents at 7th levelSong of ValorDirty FightingBelow the BeltDeft HandsImproved ToolsPinning ShotCrippling ShotRapid ShotShattering ShotThe Bard and Ranger specializations have a certain synergy or way of complementing each other that makes this the perfect build for Leliana.

I have certain priorities to address, and in a certain order.Mechanical Expertise at 8th level: A lot of traps that will come shortly will require this, so not getting it now means missing out on a lot of experience. This, by the way, coupled with a high enough Cunning score, suffices for pretty much every trap in the game.Archery: For Leliana to simply acquire Aim represents the economic route to making her an effective Archer.

Aim, in conjunction with the Song of Courage and bonuses from many of her items, will also allow her to score critical hits with her bow with great frequency. Leliana often makes certain parts of the game so much easier by either using her bow to egg on outlier monsters as part of the 'drawing out' technique, or by wiping them out as a sniper in a process of attrition. The delay caused by Aim will be more than offset by the Repeater Gloves that drastically reduce the firing time.

She will towards the end acquire Master Archery, but by then it becomes icing on the cake.Bard Songs: The two key songs here are the Song of Courage and the Captivating Song. The Song of Courage provides hefty bonuses to critical chance and attack bonus. The bonuses increase with her Cunning score.

The Captivating Song is one of the best 'swarm control' abilities in the game. If her comrades are surrounded by a lot of enemies, Leliana can plant herself in the thick of it and keep the monsters locked down in a nearly perpetual state of stun.

The monsters will have most, or at least many, of their attacks interrupted when this song is active. More Cunning will make the Captivating Song harder to resist.Ranger Pets: Whatever shortcomings Leliana may have in comparison to a melee Rogue build that focuses on dual-wielding talents (like Zevran), they will be more than made up for by the Ranger pets. My usual choice was the Blight Wolf. It is very fast, has a higher defense than the other pets, and can use Overwhelm to score hideous damage on its target.

The Blight Wolf can also help clear out monsters close to the party faster, thus allowing Leliana to return to her bow quicker.Sometimes though, certain boss battles make defense negligible since the boss will hit most of the time anyway. In such isolated instances I will summon a Great Bear that has far more health.At later parts of the game, one of my practices was for Alistair to turn off his Rally and for Leliana to turn off her Song of Courage as soon as they arrive in a new area. Leliana then summons her Blight Wolf. Now Alistair will turn Rally back on, and Leliana will turn Song of Courage back on. The Blight Wolf will now be empowered by both sustained abilities, and the results are impressive. The Blight Wolf can also augment Leliana's use of Captivating Song, since it provides an extra attacker to chomp away on the stunned monsters.Note that summoned pets and other sustained abilities will make a huge demand on stamina. But Leliana will be effective without activated talents.

Sure, the odd Dirty Fighting or Deadly Strike is nice, but Leliana's efficacy will not rise or fall by it.Melee Attacker and Backstabber: Leliana is no slouch when she's forced to draw her axe and dagger, even before she attends to this priority. But once she's attained Aim and the Ranger talents, I have her round things out with Dual-weapon talents and Rogue close combat talents. She becomes equally deadly with either bow or axe & dagger, and with the Blight Wolf in tow to boot.Note. Paracelsi is absolutely correct when he says it is easy for a player to struggle with this build during the low to mid levels, although it really starts to shine at the higher levels once things fall into place. One of his recommendations for attenuating the rough early going is to have Leliana make frequent use of poisons for her melee weapons when she has to fight up close, and to use elemental grenades to damage multiple foes when opportunities present themselves. ScriptSelf: Any - Song of CourageEnemy at Long or Medium Range - AimEnemy at Long or Medium Range - Jump to Tactic #7Enemy at Short Range - Switch to MeleeEnemy at Short Range - Dirty FightingEnemy: High Armor - Deadly StrikeEnemy Target of Leliana - AttackLeliana's default script is to keep Song of Courage active, and use Aim with her bow.

She only draws her axe and dagger when the monsters come close enough. There are three instances of manual control. One is where the monsters in melee range have been cleared out, only leaving those that are still at a distance. In this instance I manually switch Leliana back to her bow. Note that you can't integrate any switch back into the script, otherwise she'll get stuck in an endless weapon switching loop.

The second is where I want to pick the right moment and the right spot to use Captivating Song.The third is when I summon a Ranger pet. This in part because I want to retain control over my choice of pet. It is also because whenever I enter a new area and do not have to fight right away, I have to summon the pet again and reset its script. Yes, it's a headache, but it is worth it. ScriptSelf: Any - IndomitableSelf: Any - Precise StrikingSelf: Any - Powerful SwingsSelf Health 50% - Mighty BlowEnemy using Melee Attack - Sunder ArmsEnemy Target of Sten - AttackThe attack bonus from Precise Striking offsets the attack penalty for Powerful Swings, allowing Sten to increase his damage. Strength 14 Dexterity 14 Willpower 26 Magic 29 Cunning 16 Constitution 13Starting Inventory: Silver Aron, Senior Enchanter RobesTalent SelectionThe setup that I describe here provides just the right mix of offensive damage, healing, and crowd-control such that you can pretty much rely on her as your sole mage from the word 'go', if you're so inclined.

As a side note, I also have Wynne cherry-pick the Blood Specialization. ScriptSelf: Any - Spell WispSelf: Any - Flaming WeaponsSelf: Any - HasteSelf: Any - Arcane ShieldSelf: Surrounded by at least three enemies - Rock ArmorSelf: Health. Strength 42 Dexterity 21 Willpower 24 Magic 14 Cunning 12 Constitution 21Starting Inventory: Silverite Battleaxe, Silverite Dwarven Heavy Armor set, One for the DitchTalent SelectionsStarting Talents at 19th levelBerserkResilienceConstraintFinal BlowPowerfulThreatenBraveryDeath BlowPommel StrikeIndomitableStunning BlowsCritical StrikeSunder ArmsShattering BlowsSunder ArmorDestroyerMighty BlowPowerful SwingsTwo-Handed StrengthTwo-Handed SweepI can't really give advice here.

Strength 20 Dexterity 34 Willpower 20 Magic 14 Cunning 16 Constitution 10Starting InventoryLeather Armor set (Hardened)Long Sword (Red Steel)Crow Dagger (Red Steel)Mixed Metal RoundsTalent SelectionIn previous run throughs I used to have Zevran pick up whatever leather armors and daggers were left after Leliana had first dibs. After a while it felt like Zevran was just picking up the scraps. So I started to invest some thought into how Zevran could become a uniquely powerful character in his own right.

Here I make a case for an exclusively melee-based Rogue that combines the Duelist and Assassin specializations together. There are some essential ingredients for this build.Maximum Defense: The Dueling sustained talent (augmented by Keen Defense), the Dual-Weapon passive abilities, pumping up Dexterity, and item bonuses work together to put the Rogue's defense through the roof. This Rogue build can wade into the thick of it with little fear of dying.Maximum Attack Rating: Again, the Dueling sustained talent, Dual-weapon passive abilities, pumping up Dexterity, and high item bonuses means the Rogue will rarely miss.Maximum Critical Hits: The inherent bonus to melee critical chance from the Assassin specialization, item bonuses, and the Lethality talent will make this Rogue build a beast for landing critical hits. Zevran's chance of scoring critical hits ranged from 36% to 39%, and that was even before Leliana's Song of Courage kicked in during those occasions they worked together. Some hardcore Dragon Age buffs like to engage in extensive Damage Per Second calculations, and the frequent argument is that Cunning-based dagger Rogues have the best DPS since daggers have a somewhat faster attack animation. My beef with this is that it doesn't take into account the frequency of critical hits and backstabs, something the DPS calculators themselves acknowledge. Dual wielding two full-sized weapons slows things down to be sure.

Wielding a full-sized weapon and an off-hand dagger represents a good compromise, especially when you can find the right sword and dagger combination to justify it. Suffice to say I was quite pleased with how this build for Zevran turned out, notwithstanding that it can be pulled off more effectively for your own Grey Warden build than for Zevran himself. Note also that I don't even bother with Pinpoint Strike on account of my high probability for scoring critical hits passively anyway.Maximum Opportunities for Backstabs: The Coup de Grace and Combat Movement talents, plus having a Rune of Paralysis in his main-hand sword, will also give Zevran plenty of opportunities for backstabs. I also script Zevran to enter Stealth mode whenever he can after his Health drops to 75% or less, which will provide even more opportunities for backstabs.Momentum: Dual-wielding weapons slows down weapon attack animations by 0.5 for each weapon. Momentum speeds up weapon attack animations by 0.7 for each weapon.

This definitely increases the damage output for this Rogue-build. Keep in mind that it drains stamina so be prepared either for the ability to shut down once your Rogue runs out of stamina during a prolonged fight, or have stamina regenerating items in place.Dual-Weapon Mastery: Again, many Rogue builds rely on daggers so they don't bother with Dual-Weapon Mastery. I still take it (albeit towards the end), since it will reduce the activation cost for the dual-weapon talents.Feast of the Fallen: Until I acquire this talent, I limit Zevran's script so that he keeps Momentum and Dueling active, while not calling upon any activated talents.

ScriptSelf: Any - DuelingSelf: Any - MomentumEnemy Elite or Higher - Mark of Death.Note. Paracelsi notes you may need to be careful with this, since it can turn into Zevran isolating himself from the rest of the party and exposing himself to a boss by himself. At the same time, it is also my experience that it is only an Elite or higher enemy that is worth using this talent on. If you do script in this fashion, keep a careful eye on where Zevran is going.Self: Health. Strength 22 Dexterity 21 Willpower 14 Magic 10 Cunning 10 Constitution 32Talent SelectionStarting Talents at 10th levelPowerfulThreatenPrecise StrikingTauntPulverizing BlowsSlamQuakeStoneheartBellowRock MasteryHurl RockStone ArmI think it is easier to give advice on Shale by not giving a level by level breakdown, but rather an explanation of the fundamentals of how Shale works (and since Shale should be able to acquire all available talents anyway).Shale has access to four unique talent trees, the Pulverizing Blows tree, the Stoneheart tree, the Rock Mastery tree, and the Stone Aura tree. The first talent in any of the trees is a sustained talent. The Stone Aura tree has all passive talents as its second, third, and fourth talents.

The other trees have activated talents as their second, third, and fourth talents. When you select one of the four sustained talents, Shale can only use the activated (or passive) talents from the same tree as the sustained talent. This means that Shale has four different modes or styles of play.Pulverizing Blows: This mode embodies the maxim, 'the best defense is a good offense'. She'll get +11 to damage, +3 to armor, and -10 to defense. I might be willing to treat this as Shale pretending to be a two-handed warrior. But the fact remains that the activated talents here are so sucky that the -10 penalty to defense becomes even harder to swallow. Slam takes too long to connect.

Quake will inflict friendly fire damage on party members. This means Shale has to put her neck out well ahead of the party to make effective use of it.

And even if she does, the penalty to defense means the monsters will chop her down before her comrades can bring in the cavalry. Killing Blow drains all of her stamina, making this a highly committal move. Not my preferred mode for Shale.Stone Aura: This mode allows Shale to confer some pretty nice buffs on her comrades, but also makes her extremely vulnerable. The +12 bonus to armor does not make up for the whopping -50 penalty to defense. I rarely if ever use this mode.

Leliana at least rarely takes a scratch when using Captivating Song.Rock Mastery: This mod emphasizes attack at a distance. The key benefit is that any archers in the party will gain a +10% chance for ranged criticals, and reduced firing time. This could definitely work well if Leliana is in the party. My problem with this is that the activated talents require Shale to get closer to the enemies, so much so that the enemies will close in rather more quickly than I would like in an archery or spell themed battle. I might keep this active if my strategy for a given fight is to have an archer with a powerful bow snipe at a long distance. But that's about it.Stoneheart: The only mode that I seriously consider as having value on an ongoing basis.

Shale gets hefty bonuses to armor, health regeneration, and stamina regeneration. This also complements the activated talents that allow Shale to exercise crowd-control and to draw 'aggro' upon herself from other monsters. I develop this tree first. Everything else is mere filler as far as I'm concerned.ScriptSelf: Any - Activate Precise StrikingSelf: Any - StoneheartSelf Surrounded by at least 4 Enemies - Regenerating BurstSelf Surrounded by at least 3 Enemies - BellowEnemy Elite or Higher - Stone RoarNearest Visible Enemy - AttackShale always keeps Precise Striking and Stoneheart active to maximize her attack bonus. She'll activate crowd-control talents when she's surrounded. She'll also 'aggro' a particularly powerful enemy when it shows itself.

Shale can get a decent defense rating with the right crystal, and in conjunction with other party members' abilities like Rally and Miasma. Even if her defense rating isn't the highest imaginable, it is also compensated for by the armor and regeneration bonuses provided by the Stoneheart mode.InventoryLarge Brilliant Ice CrystalSmall Brilliant Lightning CrystalThese two crystals best complement the Stoneheart mode in my opinion. The Ice crystal provides a hefty +15 bonus to defense, and a bonus to health regeneration that will stack with the +12 health regeneration provided by the Stoneheart mode. The lightning crystal provides bonuses to both attack and dexterity (and thus defense as well).Attribute IncreasesThe first priorities are 38 Strength so she can wear a small brilliant crystal, and 38 Constitution so she can wear a large brilliant crystal. After that I pump up Dexterity, which amounts to a decision to use her as a tank.

It is, at least to some degree, justified by wearing the Large Brilliant Ice Crystal. However.A Different Vision for Shale'Item-wise, there is no one perfect item setup for Shale.

Ideally you should be changing item setups depending on the type of enemies you intend to fight - against undead, for example, equipping small crystals with the fire element for offense will significantly increase Shale's damage output (almost all undead and darkspawn take%bonus damage from fire). If you specifically intended to fight an undead horde of mindless zombies, then you'll also want to equip large ice/electric crystals for defense which would give you extra defense/dodge/health regen. Against an undead horde of spellcasters a large spirit crystal for defense would be more appropriate for the spell/spirit resistance, and so on.' 'Takes work and planning, yeah.

For the record only Abominations and the Archdemon have lightning resistance, so great advice on using a small lightning crystal - it works on pretty much everything else. When Shale's damage is converted to an element type it ignores armor. High end small crystals also grant her a free +30% damage.' 'You'll want to tailor her stat distribution to the role you expect her to fill. While it's possible to make her something of a jack-of-all-trades, I wouldn't recommend it. Dropping most of her points into str seems to work for me because Shale is ultimately an inferior tank - she simply lacks too many of the +defense talents other warriors have. She does get a hefty amount of dodge/missile avoidance from large lightning crystals, so she can be a decent tank when required but her real strengths lie in her buffs (most are unique to her) and damage abilities (affected by str, and gain massive bonuses from small crystals).'

.Note. Just to clarify, I contemplated the concept that Paracelsi describes before I ever wrote this guide. My viewpoint (and I admit that it is my particular viewpoint) is that emphasizing Strength and damage dealing would have been my choice as well if any of the crystals provided significant bonuses to both armor and health regeneration. If there were such crystals, Shale's resiliency would have depended on damage reduction and passively recouping health, and not at all dependent on increasing her defense rating. The problem was I don't think any of the available crystals provide good enough armor and health regeneration bonuses to justify it. The ones that come closest are the Large and Small Brilliant Natural Crystals, but the bonuses they provide are too meager in my honest opinion.

Nonetheless, Paracelsi does provide some valuable insights for those of you wanting to include Shale as a core party member. Starting Attributes at 1st level/Strength 10 Dexterity 10 Willpower 16 Magic 22 Cunning 11 Constitution 10Talent SelectionThere's sort of a continuum to how you can play and develop your Arcane Warrior.

I describe three approaches along that continuum, and explain my preference as well.Tank Arcane Warrior: The idea is that as soon as possible your Arcane Warrior acquires all of the sustainable talents like Stone Armor, Miasma, Shimmering Shield, Combat Magic, etc. And always keeps them active.

Dragon Age Legion Of The Dead Armor Location

In other words, this is a roundabout way of creating a tank. For an early-career Arcane Warrior, Mana for actual spellcasting can be a challenge. For those who like this build, any spellcasting that comes afterwards is incidental to the main function of the build. My view is that, at least in the early going, this doesn't provide anything that you couldn't get through a heavily-armored and shield wielding Champion.Pure Spellcasting Arcane Warrior: The idea is to focus exclusively on spellcasting power. Win the fight in short order through your spells. Switch over to your sword in the event that any happen to make it close enough. Sure, it works.

But if this is where you wanna go, why not just develop a staff-shooting Spirit Healer or Blood Mage?Hybrid: My preference, and the one I view as most in the spirit of playing an Arcane Warrior. I don't race for the Arcane Warrior sustainables right away, because there's plenty of activated spells that I like to use. And indeed, the armor bonus provided by Rock Armor at lower levels is pretty negligible.

Weakness and Paralyze as prerequisites to Miasma are pretty hard to swallow in the early stages of an Arcane Warrior who still wants to cast spells. The idea is to tactically squeeze the utmost out of your activated spells in order to damage the monsters, or otherwise tip the scales in your favour, so that the spells either win the battle outright or assure the advantage when you close in. Melee combat often represents the finishing touch. At mid to higher levels I then pick up sustainables like Miasma and Rock Armor, which then become much more meaningful. It is at this point that I start to have my cake and eat it too (although my Arcane Warrior was doing just fine in melee combat beforehand). Keep in mind that use of activated spells will often 'aggro' monsters against the Arcane Warrior.

Either a high defense, or an activation of Shimmering Shield, or both, can very often suffice to neutralize the 'aggro'.There's also an exploit, if you want to call it that, to get the most out of a hybrid Arcane Warrior. At higher levels I often have the Arcane Warrior max out with a lot of combat-related sustainables.

However, if I know that it would be advantageous to start a certain battle with activated spells at a distance, I'll simply turn off those sustainables and let the Arcane Warrior recoup a now larger pool of available stamina. He then uses whatever activated spells he wishes on the monsters from a distance. Should any of the monsters close in, the Arcane Warrior's script will kick in and begin to reactivate his combat-related sustainables.StartingArcane Bolt - A default starting spell for a Mage. It is useful as a damage option in the early going.1st levelWinter's Grasp - This spell has lasting value, since its ability to inflict cold damage on a single target increases with each level, and it comes out in a flash.Frost Weapons - This becomes useful when Aldarion surrounds himself with party members. However, its damage is inferior to that of Flaming Weapons and I mostly quit using it after Wynne joins the party. It still does find occasional use against fire-based creatures though.2nd levelCone of Cold - The advantage of starting with an Elf mage and putting all your bonus points into Magic is so that you can use this awesome spell as early as the 2nd level.

It does significant damage in its own right, but the clincher is that it sets up the monsters for significant hacking down by the fighters while they remain frozen. This in indeed one of the best spells for a hybrid Arcane Warrior. It is also often the first part of the Shatter Combo whereby a critical hit, or Spirit Prison, or Stone Fist, will kill the target outright.3rd levelMind Blast - Sometimes useful as a stop gap in its own right since it can stop an incoming swarm in its tracks. Keep in mind that the stun effect is brief, and it will 'aggro' the monsters, so you better have a good follow-up.4th levelForce Field - There are three strategic uses for this spell. One is if you anticipate that the monsters are about to swarm a single character en masse. Cast Force Field over that character, buying the rest of your party time to go to work while the monsters waste their efforts.The second use is if you are dealing with a boss creature who may be quite tough, but his followers may be decidedly easier to handle. Take that boss out of the fight temporarily by putting the Force Field over him, and then go to work on his followers.

Once you've finished taking out the followers and the Force Field has worn off, you can hopefully deal with the boss by himself.A third potential use is the Shock Wave combo. Maybe there is a tough monster, but he's at a distance. Keep him out of the fight for bit with the Force Field. If after a while he's still surrounded by comrades, cast Spirit Prison right over top the Force Field to unleash a Shock Wave. Keep in mind that opportunities to pull this off are usually rare, but keep an eye open.5th levelTelekinetic Weapons - Once the party becomes settled, Aldarion maintains this spell while Wynne will maintain Flaming Weapons.

The two spells together will dramatically increase damage output for the party during up close combat.Lightning (bonus) - A useful single-target damage spell, but also a stepping stone.6th levelShock - Inflicts electrical damage in a cone-area. This is often the perfect follow up to Cone of Cold. First, freeze several monsters in place with Cone of Cold. Then deliver even more damage with Shock over the same area.

Keep in mind that any monsters that survive will go 'aggro' on you once they are no longer frozen in place.7th level - Arcane Warrior as 1st SpecializationCrushing Prison - This is a fantastic spell that can keep a monster stuck with continuous spirit damage for its duration. If you're so inclined, you can follow up with other spells or physical attacks to kill it in short order. It is also a capper spell for both the Shatter and the Shock Wave combos.8th levelTempest - This blankets a decent-sized area with continuous electrical damage. It is also part of the Storm of the Century combo.9th levelCombat Magic - I didn't get this right away at 7th level because I had yet to find a useful set of armor. But when the time is right Combat Magic allows an Arcane Warrior to use their Magic score instead of Strength to determine armor and weapons that can be equipped. It also allows the Arcane Warrior to use Magic to determine weapon damage, thus obviating any need to put any points into Strength.10th levelWeakness - Now I'm heading for Miasma.Paralyze (Tome of Arcane Technique) - Same thing.11th levelBlizzard - Blankets the area with continuous cold damage, and also has the potential to freeze enemies in place.

It is also another part of the Storm of the Century combo.Miasma (from Tome of Arcane Technique) - Always imposes -10 penalties to attack and defense to any monsters within its radius, making it highly commendable to Arcane Warriors.12th levelAura of Might - A passive talent that increases the power of Combat Magic.13th levelMana Drain - A stepping stone to other talents in the Mana tree. 14th levelShimmering Shield - A powerful ability that lessens the damage the Arcane Warrior takes, either physical or elemental. Very powerful but also drains Mana rapidly. I script it so that it's activated only when Aldarion is surrounded by three or more monsters. This is often the key to neutralizing 'aggro' when my Arcane Warrior has used activated spells on the monsters.15th levelMana Cleanse - This spell is bugged and does the exact opposite of its stated description. It replenishes enemies' Mana instead. Nonetheless, it is a stepping stone to both Spell Might and Mana Clash.16th levelFade Shroud - A passive ability that augments Combat Magic so that it provides a Mana regeneration bonus as well as a 25% chance to dodge attacks.17th levelSpell Might - The last piece needed for the Storm of the Century combo, and also a stepping stone to Mana Clash.18th levelMana Clash - This is probably the best anti-mage ability in the game.

It drains enemy mages of Mana, and scores just as much damage on them at the same time. It also comes out in a flash, and doesn't require an Arcane Warrior to sheath his weapon first.19th levelRock Armor - Now the armor bonus it provides is meaningful.20th levelWalking Bomb - This and Virulent Walking Bomb add another possible offensive weapon to Aldarion's repertoire. It is also a stepping stone to Death Syphon.Note.

I usually restricted my use of this spell against groups of enemies like archers that I knew would stay back, and thus present no risk of infecting my party members. Paracelsi makes the additional point that this and Virulent Walking Bomb can provide very effective weapons against boss enemies like Dragons, since there is no risk of the boss monster dying outright and infecting nearby party members.Death Syphon - This is one of the linchpins of the build, as it allows Aldarion to recoup Mana from enemies that die within its radius. Greater spellpower means more Mana recouped.

It is this ability that often allows Aldarion to sustain his Shimmering Shield through especially intense and prolonged battles.21st levelVirulent Walking Bomb - Provides another potent offensive weapon, as long as I can make sure its targets stay well back from me.22nd levelArcane Shield - The defense bonus provided by this spell correlates with the spellpower of the caster, so it makes sense to put off acquiring this until later. And it is a perfect fit with Aldarion's abilities as an Arcane Warrior.23rd levelStaff Focus - Aldarion does sometimes use his staff for long-distance missile fire. It's also a stepping stone to.24th levelArcane Mastery - A passive ability that provides a much welcome +5 bonus to spellpower.25th levelChain Lightning - Rounding out the Lightning tree with another offensive option.Mass Paralyze (Tome of Arcane Technique) - An option that temporarily paralyzes any monsters within its area of effect. Another card in my deck.Skill SelectionStartingHerbalism and Combat Tactics - These are given to a Mage Warden by default.1st levelCoercion - Coercion is a key skill for any Grey Warden character, as only the Grey Warden can make use of it during dialogues.

Not developing this skill can mean a lot of lost opportunities that could have come your way.3rd levelImproved Coercion - To make doubly sure that I can make my Coercion or Persuasion checks during the early parts of the game.6th levelTrap-Making - It is possible to exploit the 'Traps are a Girl's Best Friend' quest in Lothering repeatedly for limitless gold and xp, as long as the Grey Warden character has at least one rank in the Traps-making line of skills. ScriptSelf: Any - Activate Combat MagicSelf: Any - Death SyphonSelf: Any - Spell MightSelf: Any - MiasmaSelf: Any - Spell MightSelf: Any - Rock ArmorSelf: Any - Arcane ShieldSelf: Any - Telekinetic WeaponsSelf surrounded by at least 3 Enemies - Activate Shimmering ShieldSelf surrounded by no Enemies - Deactivate Shimmering ShieldNearest Visible Enemy - AttackI set this script up to keep the combat sustainables up.

Shimmering Shield is activated only when the physical fighting gets crowded, and then deactivated once the pressure lets up. Strength 20 Dexterity 17 Willpower 15 Magic 12 Cunning 11 Constitution 13Starting Talents at 7th levelGrowlDread HowlFortitudeChargeTalent SelectionsI can't really give any advice here, since the Hound will easily be able to get every talent available to him. I have to say I never really use the Hound on any ongoing basis. His armor, attack, and defense ratings are not anything to write home about.

He does have a few things going for him. One is I guess the 'coolness' factor of having your own dog as a joinable companion. Another is that the Dog is one of the relatively best for using the 'drawing out' technique, since his running speed allows him to quickly regroup with the party. One other is that the Hound is not susceptible to grab attacks from certain boss monsters like the High Dragon and the Brood Mother. In the end, it just isn't enough for me to keep him on as a core party member. One thing I wanted to point out regarding Leliana: I believe it's absolutely worth it to max out the Stealth tree for her. With Master Stealth she can go invisible during combat, and the bigger benefit is that first attack when coming out of Stealth is guaranteed Crit (works on ranged weapons too).So basically, Master Stealth = 0 stamina Critical Shot talent with regular (faster) attack animation & initial target dying before animation finishing doesn't cause extra hassle.

Since stealth works as an escape button, you can relatively safe drop the dual-wield package in its favor.