Dragon Age: Inquisition

FreudianSlippers

Varik wrote: »

Always have a tank but how are people choosing their party, I tend to go by the enemies/story; area with darkspawn I go with blackwall.

How come?

I never use Blackwall unless I'm collecting his quest items. I'm a dps mage so I use cassandra, sera and dorian.

I've been trying cassandra, iron bull and dorian and I'm not so sure it works.

I just don't know why I'd pick anyone else over cassandra

Varik

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

How come?

I never use Blackwall unless I'm collecting his quest items. I'm a dps mage so I use cassandra, sera and dorian.

I've been trying cassandra, iron bull and dorian and I'm not so sure it works.

I just don't know why I'd pick anyone else over cassandra

You get approval for some people after fighting certain enemies, there's also specific dialogue.

Iron bull gets approval for tevinter kills and has some very excited opinions on dragons.

Blackwall is the best tank in the game, champions are nearly unkillable. I only use cassandra when I'm doing her mission or some main ones.

FreudianSlippers

Varik wrote: »

You get approval for some people after fighting certain enemies, there's also specific dialogue.

Iron bull gets approval for tevinter kills and has some very excited opinions on dragons.

Blackwall is the best tank in the game, champions are nearly unkillable. I only use cassandra when I'm doing her mission or some main ones.

Might give him a go so. Blackwall is a sword/shield guy IIRC?

Kiith

Varik wrote: »

Always have a tank but how are people choosing their party, I tend to go by the enemies/story; area with darkspawn I go with blackwall.

Inquisitor was a Rogue (who always died unless i controlled him), Cassandra was my tank, with Dorian and Vivienne as my damage dealers. Mages were by far the best imo. And Blackwall was probably a better tank, but i wasn't trying to sleep with him, so...

I would change it if i thought the story required it though (i.e. Solas where Elves were about).

Varik wrote: »

Clear that place out, where are they. Is it a schematic in that fortress.

There's a merchant (or lack of a merchant) in a canyon near one of the camps. Think i got it there. Or maybe it was the fort at Emprise du Lion.

Generic Dreadhead

Odd question, but which is more like Skyrim? This or one of the Witcher games? (or whatever other game for that matter)
My Bro-in-law is obsessed Skyrim and blanket ignores all other games.
So I want to get him one thats as close to Skyrim as possible
Single player only

Sephiroth_dude

Cormac... wrote: »

Odd question, but which is more like Skyrim? This or one of the Witcher games? (or whatever other game for that matter)
My Bro-in-law is obsessed Skyrim and blanket ignores all other games.
So I want to get him one thats as close to Skyrim as possible
Single player only

I would say this, massive open world like skyrim , witcher 3 will also have a massive open world if you want too wait for that, I haven't played the previous two games but I think there more linear in level design terms.

Kiith

Witcher 3 will be like Skyrim in that it's an open world. The previous two games weren't.

Inquisition is also open world, so he'd probably be happy with either.

Varik

RopeDrink wrote: »

Prefer Cassandra as tank considering her party buffs and added damage vs demons and the likes, plus the dispel which removes demons before they spawn on 2nd rift waves along with the mages - I'd take that over Blackwall any day of the week.

Not sure why people make comments like "X is the best" when every character can use the same template and more often than not have situational abilities from their own character builds. Then again, it's not like the game is hard enough (even on Insane) to dissuade people from picking whatever characters they prefer and just trucking through it.

As for setup, I rolled with:

Inquis (DW Assassin)
Cole (Ranged Assassin)
Vivienne (Lightning + Spirit + Enchanter)
Cassandra (Cheek Bone Tankage)

Cleared Insanity with ease and loved every minute of it. Sadly, despite being able to backtrack and do whatever you like once the game is completed, I lost interest after the second playthrough - but will look forward to DLC.

As for the underwhelming ending - Inquisition is clearly expansion bait so we'll have to see how the story progresses from there.

Playing a templar, and didn't know about being able to prevent them spawning. As my PC is a templar cassandra losses some points but she's still usefull, as I said blackwall is the best tank not the best overall or anything else. The champion tree is very geared to defence.

Find templar makes better 2h dps than tank with the combos and stunts.

Noopti

Kiith wrote: »

Yeah, i generally found myself finding rares that were useless compared to the crafting gear. Crafting gear in general is far better then any rares you will find, with a few exceptions. As for the rings, i usually kept one ability damage bonus and one purple crit/damage ring.

If you have a Rogue in your party, go to the Hissing Wastes and get tier 3 dual blades asap. The damage increase is flippin insane.

Thanks for the tip! I use Cole in my standard party. In fact I rarely change my party:
Me (Warrior, two handed, tank)
Cassandra
Cole
Dorian

I sometimes throw in Varric, Blackwall or Solas. But very rarely.
For fighting dragons (I have only fought and defeated two so far), I usually replace Cole with Blackwall.

GodlessM

RopeDrink wrote: »

Prefer Cassandra as tank considering her party buffs and added damage vs demons and the likes, plus the dispel which removes demons before they spawn on 2nd rift waves along with the mages - I'd take that over Blackwall any day of the week.

Not sure why people make comments like "X is the best" when every character can use the same template and more often than not have situational abilities from their own character builds. Then again, it's not like the game is hard enough (even on Insane) to dissuade people from picking whatever characters they prefer and just trucking through it.

As for setup, I rolled with:

Inquis (DW Assassin)
Cole (Ranged Assassin)
Vivienne (Lightning + Spirit + Enchanter)
Cassandra (Cheek Bone Tankage)

Cleared Insanity with ease and loved every minute of it. Sadly, despite being able to backtrack and do whatever you like once the game is completed, I lost interest after the second playthrough - but will look forward to DLC.

As for the underwhelming ending - Inquisition is clearly expansion bait so we'll have to see how the story progresses from there.

I don't the ending itself is underwhelming, but more the quest that handles it. Also I think possibly they overhyped our big bad when you first meet him. Then again, it is a video game, so you know you are going to kick the bad guy's ass at every turn.

calex71

GodlessM wrote: »

I don't the ending itself is underwhelming, but more the quest that handles it. Also I think possibly they overhyped our big bad when you first meet him. Then again, it is a video game, so you know you are going to kick the bad guy's ass at every turn.

I found the end ok actually , more believable than most in it's genre and given how much I enjoyed the game I thought

it's pointing to a DA:Inquisition 2

which is ok by me.

I did spend a lot of time talking to

Solas

so the ending

was pay off for my deep suspicions about him from the time that orb was first mentioned

Kiith

Regarding the ending...

I just thought Solas was going to be a spirit. Wasn't expecting him to be a former god/dread wolf thing, though his conversations in the Temple near the end make more sense that way. Will be interesting to see what happens with the expected dlc. Guessing it'll be the Search for Solas...followed by The Voyage Home :pac:

calex71

I'd like to see an "awakening" type DLC for that , but anything I've seen from Bioware lately makes me thing they are not going to cover that or offer something that big as DLC , they seem more focused on the multiplayer , which is wrong imo as they have regained some good faith with this game imo and should deliver on it, I would take what they set up at the end as a sequel no problem.

Xenji

RopeDrink wrote: »

Stuns, dispels, party buffs and other abilities are no lesser for tanking.

Nothing against Blackwall but my Cass outanked him in every playthrough in every respect. Hell the NPC was practically solo'ing dragons while most of Blackwalls attempts saw him eating dirt or not doing much except stand there like a wall. That has its place but it does not translate to 'best tank in the game' in my mind - not by a long shot.

I found the same with Cassandra, set up the right way on nightmare barely anything did much damage to her and I think she never died once, nearly all her gear was crafted with her being a tank in mind, never found Blackwell that useful, same with Cole. Using tank coupled with two mages makes the game a tad too easy, add in a rogue for poison aoe damage and no fight lasts long.

GodlessM

calex71 wrote: »

I found the end ok actually , more believable than most in it's genre and given how much I enjoyed the game I thought

it's pointing to a DA:Inquisition 2

which is ok by me.

I did spend a lot of time talking to

Solas

so the ending

was pay off for my deep suspicions about him from the time that orb was first mentioned

Apologies. When I meant the ending, based on the post I quoted, I thought we were talking about the ending of the main quest, not the post credits awesomeness. Not sure it will lead to a DA: I2 as many have said however, as if you check the Codex entry of the subject after completing the main quest, it will strongly imply that the Inquisition are done on that particular subject. I do think it will play a big part in the next game alright, I just don't think the Inquisitor and Co' will be leading it.

And the best part about the post credits ending? The fact that, in my opinion, it speaks loudly that Bioware are not done with DA.

Also, while everyone is talking about DLC's, am I the only one that thought a stand-alone DLC about Malcolm Hawke would have been awesome?

calex71

Wow yes there is scope there doesn't

Morrigan say at the end that hawk had gone quiet where ever she was , think she was gone to check up on the wardens

ZiabR

65 hours in now and I have completed every area in full and all side quests. Now I am just working through the main story line. Should be finished the game by Sunday, loving it.

Noopti

Decided to progress the storyline a bit, by doing the mission to go to the Orlesian ball. Was really cool actually, and some funny moments talking to the various party members. Haven't finished the quest yet, but it's pretty fun.

So far I have found some great variety in the main quests and more significant side quests.

Evade

calex71 wrote: »

Wow yes there is scope there doesn't

Morrigan say at the end that hawk had gone quiet where ever she was , think she was gone to check up on the wardens

Hawke DLC might be hard to pull off if you left him in the fade like I did.

calex71

Evade wrote: »

Hawke DLC might be hard to pull off if you left him in the fade like I did.

Ah forgot about that ,

I left the warden

Frankly my dear

Cormac... wrote: »

Odd question, but which is more like Skyrim? This or one of the Witcher games? (or whatever other game for that matter)
My Bro-in-law is obsessed Skyrim and blanket ignores all other games.
So I want to get him one thats as close to Skyrim as possible
Single player only

The upcoming Witcher 3 will be the closest thing to Skyrim, as in it is actually an open world game. where you wander from one side of the map to the other with no loading screens (just like skyrim) Dragon age is a bunch of large(ish) areas that you take your character to, with a loading screen between each area. It's not an "open world game" the way Skyrim is.

Kiith

I found Mages were better without needing good gear. My Inquis Rogue was an absolute beast once i geared him out, but up to that point i wasn't that impressed with him. May have been my build though, plus if i ever let the AI control him, he inevitably stood in front of big enemies and spent more time dead then alive.

ZiabR

What makes Cass so good guys? I mean if you were to respec Blackwell and Cass to the same spec how could Cass be better? I went from Cass to Black because her righteous crap got to me but I would go back to her if she is indeed that much better than Black.

Also what spec are you running that Cass does not get killed by a Dragon?

Are you running a 2 x Mage, 1 x Rogue, 1 x Warrior?

calex71

Thats why you spec dorian or one of the other mages to be able to pick the tanks up if they fall Be sure to set that as preferred in tactics.

Saved me a hell of a lot in the mid-game on hard.

By the end of the game I was controlling Varric all the time , once he had upgrades , hail of arrows, tier 3 focus ability and stuff to boost crit chance / damage he was insane with that back flip move he has and the proc to the next shot after it. The AI could not be trusted to use him correctly so I let it tank me character for me.

ZiabR

Thanks Calex, but if Cass and Black are speced the same way, how would Cass be better? Am I missing something here?

My main character is a Mage and I run with another Mage, Warrior and Rogue. Mages are ranged and Warrior and Rogue are melee. I am not having trouble in the game at all really with the exception of some dragons.

How are you specing Dorian?

calex71

Didn't use Cass or Black myself as I was a 2 handed warrior ...... started on nightmare and this was a mistake I should have rolled a ranged character. I was using me , Dorian , Vivenne, Varrik mostly.

The difference in cass and blackwall is specialization after Skyhold perhaps no ???

I was using Dorian for Barrior , and his necro magic he has one that makes enemies fight for you which is useful, one of the spells on barrior picks up fallen players but of course its at the bottom and needs a fair few points to get to, I speced Vivinne cold magic as I found with a warrior 2 handing lots of the attacks , gave sunder and shatter to frozen enemies which triggers the cross class 'combo' thing vital to building focus fast. Thats what I was using for draogns, I'd use mine then swap to varrik and destroy them with his and bianca

GodlessM

Gotta agree. I was always partial to my own character because he was mine, but after a certain point he was an absolute beast. I remember when I first read the trophies and thinking the one to deal 1000 damage in one hit might be hard; my Inquisitor laughed at tis in the end.

Evade

logik wrote: »

What makes Cass so good guys? I mean if you were to respec Blackwell and Cass to the same spec how could Cass be better?

Cass' Templar specialisation gives her some very useful abilities against demon, mages and barriers.

logik wrote: »

Are you running a 2 x Mage, 1 x Rogue, 1 x Warrior?

I was a bit blasphemous and ran 1 mage (Dorian or Vivienne) and 3 warriors (Cass, Iron Bull, and Inq) for most of the game. I was lazy and auto-levelled everyone but the Inq too.

Equip eveyone with heavy armour that has guard on hit and you'll be practically invincible, even on nightmare

Varik

Anyone playing multiplayer, just tried today seems fun.

GodlessM

RopeDrink wrote: »

Every character later in the game unlocks their own unique specialization (an individual/unique talent tree). All characters are technically 'the same' up until that specific point - then each one brings their own unique abilities to the table to give them a different 'edge', with the slight exception of the Inquisitor who merely gets 1x unique ability & 1x unique passive (instead of a unique talent tree), but also the chance to learn the abilities of companions that are the same class as your main character.

Eg. Cole is an Assassin - You can train your Rogue Inquis to be one as well (and highly recommend it). There is a glitch in the game (PC at least - not sure if it applies to all versions) where characters you don't bring out into the world (after new trees are unlocked) won't show their unique tree until you do so. This whole change triggers during or shortly after your trip to Skyhold (when your Inquis gains the new spell after meeting Corypheus). At that point, if a character has their abilities unlocked but you just hate them and never bring them anywhere, you can't even put points into it because the new tree won't show up unless you've brought them somewhere - so keep that in mind, folks.

Regarding Cass v Blackwall, it's true - BWall is literally a wall - but I find that pales in comparison to Cass who brings utility (buffs & CC/Debuffs) in her Templar based kit. The fact she can AoE Dispel chunks of demons before they spawn on 2nd-Waves of Rifts (or, alternatively, dispel barriers and enemy buffs), AoE stun groups and/or AoE increase party damage means I rate her far higher over Blackwall's more defence orientated 'draw a line in the sand and just take more damage' kit. That isn't to say people who just flat-out prefer Blackwall, or have no problem with him being beefier, can't succeed by choosing him. The game is very lenient that way and every character can be made to excel in certain situations. For me, being the beefiest on the block doesn't constitute immediate 'best tank' status by a long-shot. That isn't saying BWall doesn't also bring his own abilities, either - but compared to Cass, I find his far more lacklustre and also handled absolutely horribly by the AI.

The glitch exists but all you have to do to fix it is put them in your party, travel somewhere, and then head home. And I'm not sure that it is a glitch. It makes sense that you wouldn't know the special fighting style of someone you never fought along side.