Review in LKI№4 2011

The majestic arches of Kirkwall shine under the bright sun. Rich people of the Upper City, high estates, casemates, stone sculptures, templars, magicians, slave traders, power, money...

There is a huge world ahead, full of friends and enemies, treasures and horrors, tragedies and glorious deeds. We must make our hero worthy of a great life, but this requires not only a sense of adventure, but also knowledge. Yes, the very knowledge that, as you know, is power!

Do you have a plan, Mr. Hawk?

To raise Hawk well, we need to know what to expect. By the end of the game you can reach level 21-25 if you complete all the main and side quests. That's 20-24 skill points and 60-72 stat points to distribute. In addition, the game provides us with a chance to “earn extra money” for our development. In the original game, three books were found that provide additional skills. How to get them?

We look into Hubert's shop in the Upper Town in the first chapter.

After returning from the Deep Paths, we visit the Dalish elf merchant.

We ask the demon in the Shadow for knowledge in the second chapter.

Now an increase in characteristics.

We buy the book at the trinkets store in the Lower Town in the second chapter (+2 stat points).

We solve the puzzle with the book and barrels in the Shadow in the second chapter (+3).

We read the first of the “evil books” found in the second chapter (+2).

We ask for power from the demon in the Shadow in the second chapter (+6).

We buy the book in “Blades of Corval” in the third chapter (+2).

Unfortunately, the demon will not be able to beg both knowledge and power at once, so you will have to choose: 1 skill or 6 stat points. The third option (magic) gives us a protective rune.

The total is 22-27 talents and 69-87 stat points. We will rely on these numbers when planning the development of our character.

This is interesting: In the very first days after the game’s release, the developers released the “Black Shop” add-on, in which you can purchase several interesting items. Among them there are things that give additional skill points and characteristics, as well as a whistle calling for help fighting dog mabari.

All skills in Dragon Age 2 are clearly divided into three types - activated, switched and passive. Activated ones give a one-time effect that costs a fixed amount of stamina or mana. The included ones give a permanent effect, but require us to “reserve” part of our mana or stamina reserves. Passive abilities do not require any cost, and their benefits begin immediately upon acquisition.

The concept of “interclass interaction” has been introduced into the game. It works like this. Warriors can stun enemies, robbers disorientate, and magicians - to do fragile. The other two classes have abilities that deal additional damage to enemies in one of these states. Thus, the developers are pushing us to use all three specialties - maintaining, for example, a warrior and three magicians will be unprofitable.

Full list skills, see the table. In the meantime, we'll talk about classes, their abilities and specializations.

Interclass interaction
Dazed	The warrior begins: Hilt Repeated concussion The Ripper begins: Voracity	The robber continues: Merciless Strike The duelist continues: Family feud	The magician continues: Paralyzing Dungeon Chain reaction The magician of power continues: Creator's Hammer The blood mage continues: Paralyzing bleeding
Disorientation	The robber begins: Disorienting Shot Sweltering Fog The shadow begins: Critically disorientated tipping blow	The warrior continues: Scattering The Ripper continues: Gluttony	The magician continues: Golem Fist Spiritual Strike walking bomb
Fragility	The magician begins: Winter blast Deep freeze Withering	The warrior continues: Crushing blow Claymore	The robber continues: Crushing Arrow Piercing Arrow The killer continues: Destruction

Warrior

	Weapon and shield. One of two basic options for developing a warrior. Defensive skills predominate. Good ability shield defense, Immunity to critical hits is also interesting. It makes sense to take attacking abilities only together with improvements.
	Two-handed weapon. Almost the entire branch is strong. If you develop a warrior with a two-handed weapon, then you should not save skill points here. I would especially like to note the combination vortex(with improvement tornado) and passive split.
	Vanguard. Various attack skills. Useful for a warrior with a two-handed weapon. We'll definitely take it dissection With claymore(necessary for inter-class interaction) and passive exterminator(reduces enemy damage resistance).
	Intercessor. More suitable for a warrior with a shield. The skills here are not so impressive unless you play on the maximum difficulty level. And in a “nightmare” they will also be useful elemental shield(certainly with improvement), and stronghold, And steadfastness.
	Warmonger. Two activated abilities, useful for a warrior who likes to attack (and also for cross-class interaction), and two skills for a regular “tank”. Moreover mockery- a very important skill for a warrior with a shield on high levels difficulties.
	Combat master. An interesting branch aimed at restoring the group’s stamina and mana. Goes well with any development option. Coherence in battle- A required skill for a group defender. Support recharges very quickly - with its help you can completely restore your stamina. Encouragement will quickly restore stamina and mana for the entire group.
	Templar. At first glance, this is not the strongest specialization. Magic fighters receive +10% damage against spellcasters and creatures of the Shadow. Also in the arsenal are dispelling magic and silence, which not only prohibits the use of magic, but also prevents enemy robbers from becoming invisible. Of the passive skills, it is noteworthy liquidation, granting 50% magic resistance.
	Berserk. As you might guess, these skills are aimed at increasing damage. Furious warriors receive bonuses to stamina recovery, but this does not help much, since the berserker abilities require a very high cost. Help out death blow(but you can’t get it before level 15) and skills support And second wind from the Combat Master branch.
	The Ripper. Warriors of this specialization spare neither themselves nor their enemies. The first ability bloody frenzy hints that leading a healthy lifestyle is harmful. Nice and passive fervor, but you can’t get it before level 13. Voracity And gluttony participate in interclass combinations. Also, for specialization, 5% damage is added to all attacks.

Furious Ripper

Specializations: berserker at level 7, ripper at level 14.

Characteristics: strength up to 41, endurance up to 31, willpower - the rest.

Furious Ripper
Mighty blow	Adrenalin
Giant's Limit	Endless Berserker Rage
Force	Reckless Squall
Control	Berserker's Wild Rage
Scythe	Bloody Frenzy
Dissection	Deadly Strike
Destroyer	Slaughterhouse
Split	Devouring
Berserker's Rage	Sacrificial Fury
Dam	Aura of pain
Claymore	Fervor

The flying dead are a common sight around Kirkwall.

Yes, with such a handsome man there is no point in using fire!

It is important: here and in subsequent tablets italics Improvements to previously taken abilities will be highlighted.

A furious warrior is created to do good, that is, to inflict maximum damage in a minimum time. All skills are matched to this idea. Mode berserker It uses up stamina very quickly, so you should think about taking skills supports And second wind. The main advantages of the ripper are: bloody frenzy And fervor. Don't forget to use dam in the midst of a difficult battle. Do not undergo treatment unless absolutely necessary. Remember - your damage is higher, the less health you have.

But you can develop a little differently. For example, abandon the second specialization and invest skill points in improvements two-handed weapons.

Inquisitor

Specializations: ripper at level 7, templar at level 14.

Characteristics: strength and endurance as 2:1.

Inquisitor
Crushing blow	Reaper
Giant's Limit	Support
Control	Second wind
Scythe	Killer Strike
Force	Slaughterhouse
Dissection	Cleansing
Vortex	Silence
Bloody Frenzy	Long cleansing
Destroyer	Righteous Strike
Claymore	Liquidation
Split	Wave of cleansing

Simple strikes from a warrior with a two-handed weapon damage multiple enemies.

What does the main character think about when we're not looking at him?

A good warrior, “sharpened” for fighting magicians and robbers. He interacts well with other team members; in addition to the narrow-profile skills of a templar, he has a set of crushing blows. Mighty blow, reaper, split, claymore— try to use all this only for its intended purpose, that is, against fragile targets or to stun. Support recharges very quickly, use it during short breaks in battle. Considering second wind and potions, you shouldn't have problems with stamina.

It doesn’t matter in what order to take the specializations - from the branch the ripper we only need one skill. You can become templar at the seventh level and earlier get cleansing And silence or postpone this opportunity and develop Two-handed weapon And avant-garde.

Defender

Specializations: Templar at level 7.

Characteristics: strength and endurance.

Defender
Shield Bash	Series
Shield defense	Scattering
Blade retraction	Shield Wall
Storm	Protection from the elements
Elemental Shield	Unity
Diffusion	Fearless Coherence
Stone wall	Heroic Coherence
Stronghold	Support
Encouragement	Second wind
Coherence in battle	Vigilance
Cleansing	Security
Push	The last push

One of possible options"tank". The defender is immune to flank attacks and critical hits. Encouragement will help spread elemental shield on party members and restore mana or stamina reserves. Use the mode coherence in battle in combination with gravity ring magician, and you will be securely covered in any battles.

For a robber, a defender will be a best friend. His shield stuns enemies and diffusion And storm can cause serious damage to disoriented targets. After chaos or sweltering fog better to apply scattering, because it hits several targets, but at the same time series hits harder.

Mage

Elements. Fire skills, unfortunately, are not very useful in Dragon Age 2. Slavers are vulnerable to fire, but qunari, street gangs, mabari, some demons and all dragons are resistant. With cold, the situation is the opposite: mabari, qunari, templars, street gangs, dragons, demons, golems are vulnerable, while slave traders, mercenaries and city guards are resistant. Besides, winter explosion And deep freeze can make the enemy fragile. True, without mastery of the elements the chance is very small. If you have two magicians in your party, then it is advisable for one of them to develop this branch completely.
Spontaneous. Here, unlike the previous thread, we are dealing with earth and lightning. Creatures of darkness, qunari, mercenaries and some demons are vulnerable to natural skills; spiders, Dalish elves, golems and the dead are resistant. With electricity it’s the other way around, only the Qunari have stability. Golem Fist, Wither And chain reaction participate in interclass combinations. Storm- one of two spells of mass destruction that do not affect team members even at the “nightmare” level. Overall, a very strong thread.
Entropy. School of weaknesses and curses. good torture room And removing spoilage: The first allows your rogue to perform critical hits unhindered, while the second protects against powerful enemies. Horror stuns and does good damage, use it regularly. Entropic cloud gives a good effect, but for the last skill of the branch it is rather weak.
Spirit. A set of assorted spells. Spiritual Strike It's cheap and recharges quickly, use it for cross-class interaction. Dispel Magic can help out in some situations. But the most interesting spell is walking bomb. With certain skill, it can cause enormous damage, but at the maximum difficulty level it is of little use - there is a high chance of killing your own group.
Sorcery. Protective magic predominates here. Magic shield It works less well than stated in the description. Barrier lasts only six seconds, and you are unlikely to be able to turn the tide of the battle. Not the most useful school, but you can benefit from it. Effects elemental weapons from different magicians stack, and theoretically group members can hit with several types of elemental magic. Crushing Dungeon(with improvement) - the most powerful spell that deals damage to a single target, in addition, stunned enemies receive additional damage from it.
Creation. This name combines buffs, health restoration, and runes. Rune of Paralysis It works well, but for a very short time, even with improvement. Heroic Aura And acceleration can seriously increase your team's combat effectiveness. Well, at least one magician must have treatment.
Mage of strength. A new class that was not in Dragon Age: Origins. A good choice for any magician. Fist of the Maker recharges quickly and combines with Military Daze. Passive steadfastness will protect the magician from troubles with interrupting spells. Gravity ring— the best ability in the branch, an excellent protective spell; use it in combination with acceleration.
Spiritual healer. Classic first aid kit. When playing on high difficulty, you will need a healer. Of the characters being added, only Anders is vying for this role, so the specialization under discussion will be popular among players. The first aid kit contains a standard set: healing aura, group healing, revival. Viability - a passive skill that may be of interest to all magicians.
Blood Mage. The general concept of “forbidden” magic has not changed since the first part. Life force- a mode in which it is not mana that is spent on casting spells, but health. Victim And grave desecration provide an opportunity for treatment. Bleeding - a very powerful skill that deals enormous damage to stunned enemies and does not affect group members (an extremely valuable property on the “nightmare” difficulty level). This is perhaps the best “bloody” magic.

Power Sorcerer

Specializations: strength mage at level 7.

Characteristics: magic and willpower are like 2:1.

Power Sorcerer
Icy grip	Mastering the Elements
Fire ball	Creator's Hammer
cone of cold	Spiritual Strike
Firestorm	Spiritual Strike (upgrade)
Winter blast	walking bomb
Elemental weapons	Corrosive walking bomb
Crushing Dungeon	The pull of the abyss
Deep freeze	Edge of the Abyss
Fist of the Maker	Paralyzing Dungeon
Telekinetic Eruption	Infectious walking bomb
Gravity ring	Steadfastness
Apocalyptic Firestorm

The cone of cold perfectly scatters advancing enemies.

Many enemies in the game are vulnerable to cold. Use it!

Fire support for the team. The sorcerer interacts well with both the warrior and the robber. Mastering the Elements gives us a good chance of making enemies fragile with our ice skills. Spiritual Strike Deals additional damage to disoriented targets. A few words about the walking bomb: at the "nightmare" level, you should abandon the improvement that makes the effect contagious. And you may have to not use this spell at all if you cannot provide high resistance to one of your allies. How can I do that? A templar with liquidation and appropriate equipment. Or any other fighter with improved elemental shield. In the latter case encouragement will spread the stability effect to other squad members.

Why was the force mage chosen? He controls the battlefield perfectly. Gravity ring is capable of protecting the entire group in melee combat, and immediately after the effect ends we will apply telekinetic eruption. The pull of the abyss will help deal with arrows, and you can safely use firestorm. Steadfastness helps in use cone of cold.

Blood Mage

Specializations: strength mage at level 7, blood mage at level 14.

Characteristics: magic and willpower (for items), the remainder is stamina.

Blood Mage
Chain lightning	Torture whipping
Stone armor	Stone fist
Treatment	Turn to stone
Horror	Withering
Chain reaction	Despair
Fist of the Maker	Life force
Steadfastness	Victim
The pull of the abyss	A terrible victim
Gravity ring	Bleeding
Barrier	Paralyzing Bleeding

If enemies get too close, you should not run away. Get your team together and use the gravity ring.

The mage summons a firestorm, which has a great effect on ghosts. Yes, and it looks impressive!

Bloodbenders get unique opportunity cast spells, paying with your health. All magic becomes 50% cheaper for us, but this is not the limit! Taking improvement vitality, we bring the ratio to 1 to 3. In addition, you can find items that give an even greater effect. In the original game, you can increase the ratio to 7 mana per 1 point of vitality - which means a virtually endless supply of energy. This is perhaps the main advantage of forbidden witchcraft.

A nice bonus will be the release of 50% of your mana reserve (the other half is spent on blood magic). This energy can be spent on activated abilities - magic shield, stone armor, elemental weapons and so on. Should not be discounted and bleeding- a very powerful spell. The downside is the notorious impossibility of treatment. Due to the special vulnerability of blood mages, it is worth considering defensive skills like barrier.

The presented development option cannot be classified as “clean”. The bet is made on the use of blood magic mainly in the second half of the game, when the reserve of our hero’s abilities will correspond to “infinite” mana.

Priest

Specializations: spiritual healer at 7th level.

Characteristics: magic and willpower.

Priest
Treatment	Group healing
Heroic Aura	Heroic Aura (upgrade)
Spiritual Strike	Renaissance
Big treatment	Great Acceleration
Elemental weapons	Unity
Dispel Magic	Second chance
Conversion	Viability
Acceleration	Update
Healing aura	Refusal

The classic version of a full-time doctor. Useful in any game, required at high difficulty levels. The priest will heal, strengthen, speed up, and can even dispel enemy magic. True, to maintain heroic aura, elemental weapons And healing aura At the same time, 60% of your mana reserve will be required. Therefore, the healer's ability should be activated only for use group healing or revival, the passive effect of the mode is not so important in battle.

With such development, you will have a few skill points left, and they can be used at your discretion. I would try to take spells that involve cross-class interaction.

Robber

A weapon in each hand. Twin blades are one of the robber's development options. Explosive Strike can cause huge damage if used at the right time. Backstab not only hits hard, but also allows you to move instantly. Double fangs- the third and best attack skill in this branch. On the downside, not a single robber’s ability with daggers provides a disorientation effect.
Archery. An alternative to daggers is bows. Explosive Arrow And pinning shot useful in inter-class interaction . Shower of Arrows does little damage, is good at the beginning of the game or can be improved due to its slowdown. Archer's Spear- An extremely powerful skill. Standard combination: the magician gathers opponents on himself, uses a cone of cold, and the shooter runs in from the flank and kills the unfortunate ones with one shot.
	Scoundrel. The skills from this branch are moderately useful, but there is nothing from the “mandatory program”. Weakness Grants a potential damage increase on a critical hit. Instigator can be good if you think in advance about what to use it for. Develop the branch to the end if you expect to use it in battle a harsh chain.
	Sabotage. Two of the three ways a robber can disorient an enemy are: chaos And sweltering fog- are among the sabotage skills. This is already a serious reason not to ignore this thread. Other abilities include: jerk - This is a rare opportunity to damage multiple enemies and is useful in the early and mid game.
Specialist. A unique section of skills, almost entirely consisting of switchable abilities. At first glance, the mode accuracy- the best option, but by the middle of the game speed might be more useful. Especially if you have the ability to carry out critical hits with impunity (for example, using merciless blows the killers). In such a situation, +15% attack speed and rapid talent recovery will be a powerful argument.
	Trick. Typical thieves' skills, a strong branch. Stealth used to deal critical hits and can help survive in difficult situations. WITH residual veil You can perform two critical hits in a row. The remaining skills allow the rogue to break away from the attacking enemies and do the main job - causing damage.
	Shadow.Shadow Veil in combination with residual veil allows you to regularly perform two critical hits from invisibility. Accurate strike And predator sharply increase damage, and critical disorienting blow works in cross-class interaction. Overall, a very strong branch, useful for both archers and melee fighters. Pairs well with killer.
Duelist. The main feature is the ability blood feud. Fast travel and swipe- what any robber needs. However, you should know that family feud not always better than the original. In combination with marked for death an improved version will apply less damage. The thing is that the assassin's skill provides additional damage, and the duelist's strike ignores all resistance or vulnerability modifiers. It's another matter if you have a warrior and want to beat stunned enemies...
	Murderer. The most powerful option. All abilities without exception are worthy of attention. Death Mark, targeted strikes, indirect harm make the robber a real killing machine, and assassination attempt- the most powerful blow in the game!

Sniper

Specializations: assassin at level 7, duelist at level 14.

Characteristics: dexterity and cunning.

speed From a killer we need almost all the skills, and from a duelist only blood feud, which no need improve. The main striking combination will be the following sequence: merciless blows, death mark, assassination attempt, blood feud, stealth. This way we can deal huge damage to a single target and remain elusive.

If you plan to reliably protect your shooter and think that he does not need precautionary measures, then we are at your service and explosive arrow, And pinning shot, And archer spear. The interclass interaction of the archer is better developed than that of the robber with daggers.

The strongest blow

An interesting competition has emerged between fans of Dragon Age 2. Players are wondering who is capable of inflicting the most damage on a single target? The maximum values ​​are constantly updated, but at the time of writing, the palm belongs to the robber with a bow. At the end of the game, he managed to inflict just over 217 thousand points of damage in one hit. The unfortunate victim was the Archmage Orsino.

Archmage Orsino should have thought carefully about his behavior, but he didn’t know what awaited him!

How is this possible, you ask? Fenris had his mode activated muscle strength and he used encouragement, thereby giving your group +25% critical damage. A new character from the downloadable content, the archer Sebastian, was also featured. The Exiled Prince has an ability like harsh chain and a finishing shot that will give about 45% vulnerability to damage. In addition, the party magician applied to the victim torture whipping and with the help of a winter explosion made a target fragile.

Hawk himself developed as much as possible cunning, drank a potion +10% damage, used on Orsino death mark(with improvements) and delivered the most powerful blow - assassination attempt(also fully developed). But the most important thing: main character was equipped with a bow that deals fire damage. There are enough things in the game that increase the damage done, but if physical damage increases by 3-6%, then fire damage can be increased by 12-15% with items of the same level. That is, elemental weapons are potentially more powerful than physical ones. In general... you wouldn't want to be in Orsino's shoes at that very moment!

Shadow Assassin

Specializations: assassin at level 7, shadow at level 14.

Characteristics: dexterity and cunning.

Sniper
Evasion	Stealthy running
Stealth	Disguise
Speed	Indirect harm
Tactical retreat	Indelible mark
Death Mark	Doom Mark
Bloodlust	Excess
Aimed Strikes	Destruction
Assassination attempt	Merciless strikes
Challenge to a duel	Exciting speed
Parry	Lightning speed

Shadow Assassin
Backstab	Destruction
Harsh chain	Recapture
Explosive Strike	Indirect harm
Evasion	Doom Mark
Breath of the Chameleon	Merciless strikes
Insidiousness	Accurate injection
Punching	Excess
Double fangs	Critically disorienting blow
Death Mark	Predator
Bloodlust	Inconspicuousness
Aimed Strikes	Bait
Assassination attempt	Shadow Veil

Isabella thrusts her blades not only up close, but also from a distance. A real pirate!

This icon above the magician means
that he is fragile. Think,
the hint is clear.

Sniper with daggers - these are precise and extremely painful blows. Each dagger individually does less damage than a bow; an attack with two daggers combined does more damage. Fully developed skills the killers— there’s simply nothing to refuse.

Use the same attack sequence as the archer, except blood feud. We won't have dueling skills, but we will shadows there are other advantages. We disorientate enemies with attacks from cover, score critical hits by attacking from the flanks, get a bonus to damage, and create a double when we need to create a distraction. The best option for a robber with daggers.

Raider

Specializations: duelist at 7th level, shadow at 14th level.

Characteristics: dexterity and cunning.

Merciless blow and family feud deal additional damage to stunned targets, and the team fighter, in turn, helps the rogue deal additional damage with weak point. Back to back will quickly move you to your partner, after which you can strike from behind. The duelist's specialization allows him to strengthen his defense, which is useful for a hero with poor health.

We briefly went over the variety of options for Hawk's development. The game provides ample opportunities for creating characters, despite the fact that you can no longer play as either a gnome or an elf. How effective your champion will be depends only on your imagination!

Raider
Backstab	Harmony
Harsh chain	Sure blows
Back to back	Tricky maneuvers
Explosive Strike	Accurate injection
Speed	Family feud
Accuracy	To end
Double fangs	Invisible friend
Merciless Strike

Since our warrior is so harsh that he kills everyone indiscriminately, using someone else in close combat will sooner bring you to the grave than imaginary enemies. The only effective tactic is Hawk + 3 mage/archer. But Dragon Age 2 is still a role-playing game, so I will briefly describe how to develop all the companions.

Aveline

Two-handed warrior 1.03

Two-handed warrior 1.03

The only full-fledged companion tank in the game. Although you can do just fine without a tank. We put stat points into physique, but we shouldn’t forget about strength in order to keep up with the demands of better equipment. Of the abilities, we develop the branches of intercessor, defender, weapon and shield.

Anders

Two-handed warrior 1.03

Two-handed warrior 1.03

The only full-fledged healer companion in the game. Therefore, the mana reserve is our priority. We invest 2 points in willpower and 1 in magic. We teach personal branch and Creation. It wouldn't hurt to learn stone armor, mind blast, and barrier. The repulsion rune will also help protect the healer.

Bethany

Two-handed warrior 1.03

Two-handed warrior 1.03

Available from the very beginning of the game, but after deep paths it leaves us. Since Bethany is a combat mage, we give 2 points for magic and 1 for willpower. We teach the elemental branch to the end (fire first). We give Parlatan's staff, runes and jewelry also for fire, and at the beginning of the game we have a death machine. It also makes sense to learn healing.

Varric

Two-handed warrior 1.03

Two-handed warrior 1.03

An archer, or rather a crossbowman. We focus on cunning to open locks, but we shouldn’t forget about dexterity either. First of all, we learn the personal branch, and improve the accuracy of the specialist branch to the maximum. Now you can work on the Bianca branch.

Isabel

Two-handed warrior 1.03

Two-handed warrior 1.03

If you plan to run only with Isabella among the robbers, focus on cunning to open locks. Otherwise, agility is more important. We learn the personal branch and the weapon branch in each hand. It will be useful to learn invisibility.

Merrill

Two-handed warrior 1.03

Two-handed warrior 1.03

The only companion of the battle mage after Bethany left. We distribute the characteristics in the same way as the younger sister. We learn elemental branches and sorcery. Since the magic shield in version 1.03 only gives the group 5% elemental resistance, there is no point in rushing to improve it.

The Warrior class in Dragon Age 2 can either be a damage dealer or a "tank". The class itself has access to most weapon types with the exception of staffs and ranged weapons. In addition, the Warrior can equip the heaviest of armors plus they have the ability to equip shields that also give an armor bonus. It"s also important to note that you won"t be able to dual-wield weapons.

If you"re wanting a tank character, then you"ll definitely want to invest in the Weapon and Shield skill tree. You"ll also want to invest at least a few points in the Warmonger skill tree to gain access to Taunt. Apart from that, the Defender skill tree is quite appealing and the Battlemaster skill tree contains a few abilities that will help you hold the attention of enemies.

If you"re wanting to use the Warrior as a damage dealer, then you"ll definitely want to invest points into the Two Handed weapons skill tree. You"ll also want to purchase skills from the Vanguard skill tree. You may also want to invest a few points in the Battlemaster skill tree, as some of the skills boost your stamina regeneration.

Dragon Age 2 Warrior Guide: Useful Attributes for the Warrior

As with the other two classes, the Warrior has several attributes that are quite useful. However, you probably won't be able to boost all to satisfactory levels and this is partly where sustained abilities enter the equation. You should pick sustainable abilities that help whichever statistic, such as attack and defense, is lacking if possible.

As far as what the recommended attributes are, it depends on what type of character you want. First of all, strength and constitution are needed to wear the strongest armor. Next, you need to boost cunning if you don"t want your Warrior to be hit often (it also increases your critical hit chance). Strength also boosts your damage and increases your attack rating, which determines your chance to hit enemies. If you want to cause critical hits a lot as well, you"ll need to boost dexterity. Constitution also increases your health points and willpower increases your stamina. Keep in mind that your health and stamina pools don't increase with levelling anymore as well.

With the introduction and attributes covered for the Warrior, the skill trees are detailed on the next few pages.

A Guide to the Warrior Class in Dragon Age 2: Weapon and Shield Skill Tree

This skill tree is pretty much essential if you want to play a tank. Certainly on higher difficulties at least. Lets take a look at each of the skills in the tree, along with their respective upgrades.

Shield Defense : Shield Defense will help you withstand attacks made by enemies attacking from the front but it also lessens the amount of damage done. It"s a nice skill to take, but it"s perhaps best to use it only when you don"t need to create extra threat by causing more damage. Granted, you do have taunt abilities, but ideally, you don"t want to have to taunt in order to get the attention of enemies.

The upgrade for the skill is called Shield Wall and this helps mitigate damage from rear attacks. It also helps with mitigating damage from the front. So, it's a nice upgrade to pick.

Perception : I"d recommend picking up Perception when possible because it"ll further help reduce the damage taken when combined with Shield Defense and Shield Wall.

Safeguard : As with Perception, you can"t go wrong taking Safeguard. You won"t suffer large damage spikes with this ability if your armor is up to date with it eliminating critical hits.

Shield Bash : Shield Bash for me is the basic attack in the Weapon and Shield tree. It can be used to damage an enemy and knock

them back, but don"t expect it to produce any spectacular results. However, with the Pummel upgrade, it can stagger enemies. This helps to make it better at least.

The other two skills you can take, Scatter and Assault, are highly recommended alongside their upgrades. This is because they can both affect multiple foes and knock them back, as well as deal nice damage.

A Guide to the Warrior Class in Dragon Age 2: Two Handed Weapon Skill Tree

The Two Handed weapon skill tree is the one you"ll want to pursue if you want to be dealing a fair amount of damage, rather than "tanking" enemies to prevent them attacking the squishier characters in your party, like the mages. Below, the skills and their upgrades are detailed:

Mighty Blow : You should be familiar with this skill if you"ve played Dragon Age: Origins. \\the only difference is that it can hit more than one for some extra damage. It"ll also be your main attack skill wise, when using two handed weapons.

With upgrades, the skill can deal more damage and it can also be made to deal large amounts of damage against brittle targets. All in all, the skill is definitely recommended alongside its upgrades.

Scythe : Scythe will send your character charging forward and gives them a chance to knock enemies down, while dealing damage. With the upgrade, it can deal quite a fair bit of damage against brittle targets.

Giant's Reach : This skill doesn't do much apart from give a passive range increase for your two-handed weapon attacks. It"s a pre-req for Whirlwind, so you"ll want to take this skill if going down the two-handed weapon skill tree.

Whirlwind: A really nice ability due to it being an area of ​​effect attack with the added bonus of being able to knock enemies down. The upgrades are also great, so the ability and upgrades are recommended.

Sunder : If you"re going to go down the two-handed weapon skill tree, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn"t purchase this skill. It's passive and can stagger enemies, alongside increasing your basic critical chance.

Dragon Age 2 Class Guide: Vanguard Skill Tree

The Vanguard skill tree is perhaps best combined with the Two-Handed Weapon skill tree because it is also designed to help you deal damage to enemies. So, lets take a look at the Vanguard tree's skills.

Control : The Control skill is a sustainable ability that increases your attack by a set amount, meaning you"ll have a greater chance to hit enemies and cause more damage. The upgrade further helps damage and you"ll possibly want the ability turned on while fighting with two-handed weapons.

Destroyer : You"ll want to pick this ability up as soon as you can, especially if focusing on hitting the enemy with critical hits. Essentially, it lowers the amount of damage that the enemy mitigates.

Might : Might is another sustained skill and this time, it increases your damage. So, if you find your attack rating is high, switch to this ability instead. It also helps to boost your critical hit damage when upgraded. At the end of the day, it depends on what attributes you"ve developed with regard to which sustainable ability you use. Granted, there"s nothing stopping you using both sustainable abilities from the tree but you won"t have a big pool of stamina to work with.

Cleave: This is a really nice ability and it"s passive, though I imagine it"s not that great on easy and possibly normal due to enemies having lower health/being more susceptible to damage. It lets you kill enemies automatically, below a certain threshold.

Assail : This is an activated ability that lasts for a couple of seconds and it"s best used in conjunction with the Might sustainable ability as they compliment each other nicely. With the upgrade, it"ll hit multiple enemies.

Dragon Age 2 Class Guide: Defender Skill Tree

The Defender skill tree is most suitable for tank characters. The skills are detailed below.

Stonewall : Stonewall will make your character unable to attack during the skill"s duration. However, it reduces the damage you take and does give the ability to knock enemies back. Overall, it"s quite nice when you need to quickly lessen the amount of damage you"re taking, so you can have a heal spell cast on your character. It"s also handy to use if you"re in trouble, but your potion cooldown is nearly up.

The upgrade makes it even more worthwhile.

Adamant : Adamant is a passive ability that decreases the damage you take across the board by 5%, so it"s another handy ability.

Turn the Blade : This is a sustained ability, which increases your defense by 10%. If you"re lacking defense for a tank, then you should definitely take the ability. The upgrades further boost the effect and also boost your fortitude. It"s also a pre-req for Resilience, which

will make your character immune to knockbacks. So, all in all, it"s quite nice if you want to be immune to knockbacks or to have an extra boost to defense.

Resilience : As explained above, this passive ability makes you immune to knockback. So, if you find knockbacks are annoying you, pick it up.

Elemental Aegis : This will help you minimize the damage you take from magical spells, so pick it up along with the upgrades if you find you"re taking too much damage from magic and the elements. I especially found that the Qunari spellcasters can cause a lot of damage on at least the hard difficulty.

Resolute : This reduces damage by a flat 10% when magic and the elements are concerned. As magic damage can be quite harmful, this ability and Elemental Aegis do come in handy.

A Look at the Warmonger Skill Tree for the Warrior Class in Dragon Age 2

The Warmonger skill tree, even if you"re not that interested in it should you be playing a tank character, does contain one essential skill for tanks and that is Taunt and its upgrades.

Pommel Strike : Pommel Strike stuns your enemies and it"s also useful for tank characters because when it"s used, it essentially resets everyone"s threat level as far as the enemy that it"s used on are concerned. With the upgrade, the cooldown will be lessened and the stun"ll last longer, while staggering a target. All in all, it"s a pretty nice skill though enemies can become resistant to stuns as you go up the difficulty levels.

Tremor : It"s basically an AoE attack that can knock enemies backwards. With the upgrades, it can also stun and stagger them. It"s another nice ability really.

Taunt : This is essential for tanks as it allows them to transfer all of the threat from enemies to themselves. Even if you only pick up

one ability from this tree, make it this one and its upgrade.

Bravery : Another nice ability here, especially when the upgrades are taken. However, if you keep your warrior near the other party members, then you might be able to manage with the Battle Synergy ability from the Battlemaster skill tree when upgraded for generating threat and keeping enemies off other characters.

A Look at the Battlemaster Skill Tree for the Warrior Class in Dragon Age 2

The Battlemaster skill tree consists of support and sustained abilities. It's a nice tree to invest points in.

Rally : Rally basically boosts the mana and stamina regeneration of all party members and this is especially handy if you let your characters expend their mana at an alarming rate. It also enables party members to gain the benefit of some of the warrior"s sustained abilities, so it"s useful for all types of characters. The upgrade is also nice.

Battle Synergy : This sustained skill boosts the defense of your party and with the upgrades, it enables the warrior to generate 50% of the threat from party members, while also decreasing the damage they take. By taking the Hero"s Synergy upgrade though, characters will receive less damage while your warrior receives more. Another caveat is that you"ll need to keep your warrior close to your party for the threat generation.

Bolster : A warrior can only regenerate stamina by killing enemies, so this is a nice ability as it helps negate that but the main reason you"ll want to take the ability is to access Second Wind and Deep Reserves.

Deep Reserves : Deep Reserves is a passive ability that also boosts your stamina regeneration.

Second Wind: This is an activated ability that restores all of your stamina, so it"s great for long fights. The upgrades also enable the skill to reduce the cooldown for other abilities and also the cooldown for Second Wind itself.

Dragon Age 2 Warrior Specializations Guide: Templar Specialization Skill Tree

If you find you"re having trouble with enemy spellcasters, then this is certainly the specialization to take. In addition to making you more effective against spellcasters offensively, the skill tree contains a passive ability that gives you 50% to magic resistance, which is really nice.

Cleanse : Cleanse allows you to dispel any enemy magic in effect, within a specific radius. Upgrades increase the radius and also give the ability to silence enemies, making them unable to cast for a short while.

Holy Smite : This activated ability deals spirit damage to enemies that are nearby. Upgrades make it more effective against demons and spellcasters, while also enabling it to have a 50/50 chance of stunning normal enemies.

Silence : This ability is guaranteed to prevent an enemy from casting spells for a short while. With the upgrade, you can use Silence more often.

Righteous Strike : This is a passive ability that gives each strike a low chance to prevent enemies from casting spells for a few seconds. Due to the low chance of triggering, you may not find it as useful as it could be, but it is a requirement for Annulment which is quite handy.

Annulment : As mentioned above, this passive ability is useful. It increases your magic resistance by 50%.

Dragon Age 2 Warrior Specializations Guide: Reaver Specialization Skill Tree

The Reaver specialization helps you to deal damage and it can also heal you, but the healing is countered by the fact that your health will be drained by using the Reaver"s abilities. Thanks to a passive ability, you"ll also find you deal increased damage when your health is low.

Blood Frenzy : This passive ability increases the damage you deal, but it"s depends on how low your health bar is.

Devour : This activated ability allows you to attack a single enemy, dealing damage while also regaining some health. The upgrades allow it to deal more damage, stagger foes and also stun them with more health being regenerated. In addition, it becomes more effective against disoriented targets, while having a decreased cooldown.

Sacrificial Frenzy : This activated ability allows you to deal more damage, but it does lower your health. The upgrade reduces the ability"s cooldown timer.

Aura of Pain : This is a sustainable ability and it deals damage to enemies at set intervals within a specific radius, though it also damages you. The upgrades increase the damage done and also reduce the damage you take by having the ability active.

Fervor : This is a passive ability that increases your attack speed for a short period of time after an enemy's death.

Dragon Age 2 Warrior Specializations Guide: Berserker Specialization Skill Tree

The Berserker specialization tree is all about helping you deal damage, though you"ll find your stamina is drained at the same time even without using abilities thanks to needing Berserk active to use the tree"s abilities.

Berserk : This is a sustainable ability that increases the damage you deal at the cost of draining your stamina. The upgrades reduce how much stamina is consumed and also increase the damage done.

Adrenaline : This ability can only be activated if Berserk is active. It has a short cooldown timer and if activated in quick succession before the duration runs out, the effects stack. Basically, Adrenaline increases your damage. Upgrades increase your damage and eliminate the cooldown timer.

Barrage : This increases your attack speed for a period of time, but it does make you take more damage from attacks. Again, Berserk must be active for this to be used as well. Upgrades lessen the amount of damage you take and also increase the ability"s duration.

The majestic arches of Kirkwall shine under the bright sun. Rich people of the Upper City, high estates, casemates, stone sculptures, templars, magicians, slave traders, power, money...

There is a huge world ahead, full of friends and enemies, treasures and horrors, tragedies and glorious deeds. We must make our hero worthy of a great life, but this requires not only a sense of adventure, but also knowledge. Yes, the very knowledge that, as you know, is power!

Do you have a plan, Mr. Hawk?

To raise Hawk well, we need to know what to expect. By the end of the game you can reach level 21-25 if you complete all the main and side quests. That's 20-24 skill points and 60-72 stat points to distribute. In addition, the game provides us with a chance to “earn extra money” for our development. In the original game, three books were found that provide additional skills. How to get them?

We look into Hubert's shop in the Upper Town in the first chapter.

After returning from the Deep Paths, we visit the Dalish elf merchant.

We ask the demon in the Shadow for knowledge in the second chapter.

Now an increase in characteristics.

We buy the book at the trinkets store in the Lower Town in the second chapter (+2 stat points).

We solve the puzzle with the book and barrels in the Shadow in the second chapter (+3).

We read the first of the “evil books” found in the second chapter (+2).

We ask for power from the demon in the Shadow in the second chapter (+6).

We buy the book in “Blades of Corval” in the third chapter (+2).

Unfortunately, the demon will not be able to beg both knowledge and power at once, so you will have to choose: 1 skill or 6 stat points. The third option (magic) gives us a protective rune.

The total is 22-27 talents and 69-87 stat points. We will rely on these numbers when planning the development of our character.

This is interesting: In the very first days after the game’s release, the developers released the “Black Shop” add-on, in which you can purchase several interesting items. Among them are things that give additional skill points and characteristics, as well as a whistle that calls the mabari war dog to help.

All skills in Dragon Age 2 are clearly divided into three types - activated, enabled and passive. Activated ones give a one-time effect that costs a fixed amount of stamina or mana. The included ones give a permanent effect, but require us to “reserve” part of our mana or stamina reserves. Passive abilities do not require any cost, and their benefits begin immediately upon acquisition.

The concept of “interclass interaction” has been introduced into the game. It works like this. Warriors can stun enemies, robbers disorientate, and magicians - to do fragile. The other two classes have abilities that deal additional damage to enemies in one of these states. Thus, the developers are pushing us to use all three specialties - maintaining, for example, a warrior and three magicians will be unprofitable.

For a complete list of skills, see the table. In the meantime, we'll talk about classes, their abilities and specializations.

Interclass interaction
Dazed	The warrior begins: Hilt Repeated concussion The Ripper begins: Voracity	The robber continues: Merciless Strike The duelist continues: Family feud	The magician continues: Paralyzing Dungeon Chain reaction The magician of power continues: Creator's Hammer The blood mage continues: Paralyzing bleeding
Disorientation	The robber begins: Disorienting Shot Sweltering Fog The shadow begins: Critically disorientated tipping blow	The warrior continues: Scattering The Ripper continues: Gluttony	The magician continues: Golem Fist Spiritual Strike walking bomb
Fragility	The magician begins: Winter blast Deep freeze Withering	The warrior continues: Crushing blow Claymore	The robber continues: Crushing Arrow Piercing Arrow The killer continues: Destruction

Warrior

	Weapon and shield. One of two basic options for developing a warrior. Defensive skills predominate. Good ability shield defense, Immunity to critical hits is also interesting. It makes sense to take attacking abilities only together with improvements.
	Two-handed weapon. Almost the entire branch is strong. If you develop a warrior with a two-handed weapon, then you should not save skill points here. I would especially like to note the combination vortex(with improvement tornado) and passive split.
	Vanguard. Various attack skills. Useful for a warrior with a two-handed weapon. We'll definitely take it dissection With claymore(necessary for inter-class interaction) and passive exterminator(reduces enemy damage resistance).
	Intercessor. More suitable for a warrior with a shield. The skills here are not so impressive unless you play on the maximum difficulty level. And in a “nightmare” they will also be useful elemental shield(certainly with improvement), and stronghold, And steadfastness.
	Warmonger. Two activated abilities, useful for a warrior who likes to attack (and also for cross-class interaction), and two skills for a regular “tank”. Moreover mockery- a very important skill for a warrior with a shield at high difficulty levels.
	Combat master. An interesting branch aimed at restoring the group’s stamina and mana. Goes well with any development option. Coherence in battle- A required skill for a group defender. Support recharges very quickly - with its help you can completely restore your stamina. Encouragement will quickly restore stamina and mana for the entire group.
	Templar. At first glance, this is not the strongest specialization. Magic fighters receive +10% damage against spellcasters and creatures of the Shadow. Also in the arsenal are dispelling magic and silence, which not only prohibits the use of magic, but also prevents enemy robbers from becoming invisible. Of the passive skills, it is noteworthy liquidation, granting 50% magic resistance.
	Berserk. As you might guess, these skills are aimed at increasing damage. Furious warriors receive bonuses to stamina recovery, but this does not help much, since the berserker abilities require a very high cost. Help out death blow(but you can’t get it before level 15) and skills support And second wind from the Combat Master branch.
	The Ripper. Warriors of this specialization spare neither themselves nor their enemies. The first ability bloody frenzy hints that leading a healthy lifestyle is harmful. Nice and passive fervor, but you can’t get it before level 13. Voracity And gluttony participate in interclass combinations. Also, for specialization, 5% damage is added to all attacks.

Furious Ripper

Specializations: berserker at level 7, ripper at level 14.

Characteristics: strength up to 41, endurance up to 31, willpower - the rest.

Furious Ripper
Mighty blow	Adrenalin
Giant's Limit	Endless Berserker Rage
Force	Reckless Squall
Control	Berserker's Wild Rage
Scythe	Bloody Frenzy
Dissection	Deadly Strike
Destroyer	Slaughterhouse
Split	Devouring
Berserker's Rage	Sacrificial Fury
Dam	Aura of pain
Claymore	Fervor

The flying dead are a common sight around Kirkwall.

Yes, with such a handsome man there is no point in using fire!

It is important: here and in subsequent tablets italics Improvements to previously taken abilities will be highlighted.

A furious warrior is created to do good, that is, to inflict maximum damage in a minimum time. All skills are matched to this idea. Mode berserker It uses up stamina very quickly, so you should think about taking skills supports And second wind. The main advantages of the ripper are: bloody frenzy And fervor. Don't forget to use dam in the midst of a difficult battle. Do not undergo treatment unless absolutely necessary. Remember - your damage is higher, the less health you have.

But you can develop a little differently. For example, abandon the second specialization and invest skill points in improvements two-handed weapons.

Inquisitor

Specializations: ripper at level 7, templar at level 14.

Characteristics: strength and endurance as 2:1.

Inquisitor
Crushing blow	Reaper
Giant's Limit	Support
Control	Second wind
Scythe	Killer Strike
Force	Slaughterhouse
Dissection	Cleansing
Vortex	Silence
Bloody Frenzy	Long cleansing
Destroyer	Righteous Strike
Claymore	Liquidation
Split	Wave of cleansing

Simple strikes from a warrior with a two-handed weapon damage multiple enemies.

What does the main character think about when we're not looking at him?

A good warrior, “sharpened” for fighting magicians and robbers. He interacts well with other team members; in addition to the narrow-profile skills of a templar, he has a set of crushing blows. Mighty blow, reaper, split, claymore— try to use all this only for its intended purpose, that is, against fragile targets or to stun. Support recharges very quickly, use it during short breaks in battle. Considering second wind and potions, you shouldn't have problems with stamina.

It doesn’t matter in what order to take the specializations - from the branch the ripper we only need one skill. You can become templar at the seventh level and earlier get cleansing And silence or postpone this opportunity and develop Two-handed weapon And avant-garde.

Defender

Specializations: Templar at level 7.

Characteristics: strength and endurance.

Defender
Shield Bash	Series
Shield defense	Scattering
Blade retraction	Shield Wall
Storm	Protection from the elements
Elemental Shield	Unity
Diffusion	Fearless Coherence
Stone wall	Heroic Coherence
Stronghold	Support
Encouragement	Second wind
Coherence in battle	Vigilance
Cleansing	Security
Push	The last push

One of the possible options for a “tank”. The defender is immune to flank attacks and critical hits. Encouragement will help spread elemental shield on party members and restore mana or stamina reserves. Use the mode coherence in battle in combination with gravity ring magician, and you will be securely covered in any battles.

For a robber, a defender will be a best friend. His shield stuns enemies and diffusion And storm can cause serious damage to disoriented targets. After chaos or sweltering fog better to apply scattering, because it hits several targets, but at the same time series hits harder.

Mage

Elements. Fire skills, unfortunately, are not very useful in Dragon Age 2. Slavers are vulnerable to fire, but qunari, street gangs, mabari, some demons and all dragons are resistant. With cold, the situation is the opposite: mabari, qunari, templars, street gangs, dragons, demons, golems are vulnerable, while slave traders, mercenaries and city guards are resistant. Besides, winter explosion And deep freeze can make the enemy fragile. True, without mastery of the elements the chance is very small. If you have two magicians in your party, then it is advisable for one of them to develop this branch completely.
Spontaneous. Here, unlike the previous thread, we are dealing with earth and lightning. Creatures of darkness, qunari, mercenaries and some demons are vulnerable to natural skills; spiders, Dalish elves, golems and the dead are resistant. With electricity it’s the other way around, only the Qunari have stability. Golem Fist, Wither And chain reaction participate in interclass combinations. Storm- one of two spells of mass destruction that do not affect team members even at the “nightmare” level. Overall, a very strong thread.
Entropy. School of weaknesses and curses. good torture room And removing spoilage: The first allows your rogue to perform critical hits unhindered, while the second protects against powerful enemies. Horror stuns and does good damage, use it regularly. Entropic cloud gives a good effect, but for the last skill of the branch it is rather weak.
Spirit. A set of assorted spells. Spiritual Strike It's cheap and recharges quickly, use it for cross-class interaction. Dispel Magic can help out in some situations. But the most interesting spell is walking bomb. With certain skill, it can cause enormous damage, but at the maximum difficulty level it is of little use - there is a high chance of killing your own group.
Sorcery. Protective magic predominates here. Magic shield It works less well than stated in the description. Barrier lasts only six seconds, and you are unlikely to be able to turn the tide of the battle. Not the most useful school, but you can benefit from it. Effects elemental weapons from different magicians stack, and theoretically group members can hit with several types of elemental magic. Crushing Dungeon(with improvement) - the most powerful spell that deals damage to a single target, in addition, stunned enemies receive additional damage from it.
Creation. This name combines buffs, health restoration, and runes. Rune of Paralysis It works well, but for a very short time, even with improvement. Heroic Aura And acceleration can seriously increase your team's combat effectiveness. Well, at least one magician must have treatment.
Mage of strength. A new class that was not in Dragon Age: Origins. A good choice for any magician. Fist of the Maker recharges quickly and combines with Military Daze. Passive steadfastness will protect the magician from troubles with interrupting spells. Gravity ring— the best ability in the branch, an excellent protective spell; use it in combination with acceleration.
Spiritual healer. Classic first aid kit. When playing on high difficulty, you will need a healer. Of the characters being added, only Anders is vying for this role, so the specialization under discussion will be popular among players. The first aid kit contains a standard set: healing aura, group healing, revival. Viability - a passive skill that may be of interest to all magicians.
Blood Mage. The general concept of “forbidden” magic has not changed since the first part. Life force- a mode in which it is not mana that is spent on casting spells, but health. Victim And grave desecration provide an opportunity for treatment. Bleeding - a very powerful skill that deals enormous damage to stunned enemies and does not affect group members (an extremely valuable property on the “nightmare” difficulty level). This is perhaps the best “bloody” magic.

Power Sorcerer

Specializations: strength mage at level 7.

Characteristics: magic and willpower are like 2:1.

Power Sorcerer
Icy grip	Mastering the Elements
Fire ball	Creator's Hammer
cone of cold	Spiritual Strike
Firestorm	Spiritual Strike (upgrade)
Winter blast	walking bomb
Elemental weapons	Corrosive walking bomb
Crushing Dungeon	The pull of the abyss
Deep freeze	Edge of the Abyss
Fist of the Maker	Paralyzing Dungeon
Telekinetic Eruption	Infectious walking bomb
Gravity ring	Steadfastness
Apocalyptic Firestorm

The cone of cold perfectly scatters advancing enemies.

Many enemies in the game are vulnerable to cold. Use it!

Fire support for the team. The sorcerer interacts well with both the warrior and the robber. Mastering the Elements gives us a good chance of making enemies fragile with our ice skills. Spiritual Strike Deals additional damage to disoriented targets. A few words about the walking bomb: at the "nightmare" level, you should abandon the improvement that makes the effect contagious. And you may have to not use this spell at all if you cannot provide high resistance to one of your allies. How can I do that? A templar with liquidation and appropriate equipment. Or any other fighter with improved elemental shield. In the latter case encouragement will spread the stability effect to other squad members.

Why was the force mage chosen? He controls the battlefield perfectly. Gravity ring is capable of protecting the entire group in melee combat, and immediately after the effect ends we will apply telekinetic eruption. The pull of the abyss will help deal with arrows, and you can safely use firestorm. Steadfastness helps in use cone of cold.

Blood Mage

Specializations: strength mage at level 7, blood mage at level 14.

Characteristics: magic and willpower (for items), the remainder is stamina.

Blood Mage
Chain lightning	Torture whipping
Stone armor	Stone fist
Treatment	Turn to stone
Horror	Withering
Chain reaction	Despair
Fist of the Maker	Life force
Steadfastness	Victim
The pull of the abyss	A terrible victim
Gravity ring	Bleeding
Barrier	Paralyzing Bleeding

If enemies get too close, you should not run away. Get your team together and use the gravity ring.

The mage summons a firestorm, which has a great effect on ghosts. Yes, and it looks impressive!

Blood mages have the unique ability to cast spells at the cost of their health. All magic becomes 50% cheaper for us, but this is not the limit! Taking improvement vitality, we bring the ratio to 1 to 3. In addition, you can find items that give an even greater effect. In the original game, you can increase the ratio to 7 mana per 1 point of vitality - which means a virtually endless supply of energy. This is perhaps the main advantage of forbidden witchcraft.

A nice bonus will be the release of 50% of your mana reserve (the other half is spent on blood magic). This energy can be spent on activated abilities - magic shield, stone armor, elemental weapons and so on. Should not be discounted and bleeding- a very powerful spell. The downside is the notorious impossibility of treatment. Due to the special vulnerability of blood mages, it is worth considering defensive skills like barrier.

The presented development option cannot be classified as “clean”. The bet is made on the use of blood magic mainly in the second half of the game, when the reserve of our hero’s abilities will correspond to “infinite” mana.

Priest

Specializations: spiritual healer at 7th level.

Characteristics: magic and willpower.

Priest
Treatment	Group healing
Heroic Aura	Heroic Aura (upgrade)
Spiritual Strike	Renaissance
Big treatment	Great Acceleration
Elemental weapons	Unity
Dispel Magic	Second chance
Conversion	Viability
Acceleration	Update
Healing aura	Refusal

The classic version of a full-time doctor. Useful in any game, required at high difficulty levels. The priest will heal, strengthen, speed up, and can even dispel enemy magic. True, to maintain heroic aura, elemental weapons And healing aura At the same time, 60% of your mana reserve will be required. Therefore, the healer's ability should be activated only for use group healing or revival, the passive effect of the mode is not so important in battle.

With such development, you will have a few skill points left, and they can be used at your discretion. I would try to take spells that involve cross-class interaction.

Robber

A weapon in each hand. Twin blades are one of the robber's development options. Explosive Strike can cause huge damage if used at the right time. Backstab not only hits hard, but also allows you to move instantly. Double fangs- the third and best attack skill in this branch. On the downside, not a single robber’s ability with daggers provides a disorientation effect.
Archery. An alternative to daggers is bows. Explosive Arrow And pinning shot useful in inter-class interaction . Shower of Arrows does little damage, is good at the beginning of the game or can be improved due to its slowdown. Archer's Spear- An extremely powerful skill. Standard combination: the magician gathers opponents on himself, uses a cone of cold, and the shooter runs in from the flank and kills the unfortunate ones with one shot.
	Scoundrel. The skills from this branch are moderately useful, but there is nothing from the “mandatory program”. Weakness Grants a potential damage increase on a critical hit. Instigator can be good if you think in advance about what to use it for. Develop the branch to the end if you expect to use it in battle a harsh chain.
	Sabotage. Two of the three ways a robber can disorient an enemy are: chaos And sweltering fog- are among the sabotage skills. This is already a serious reason not to ignore this thread. Other abilities include: jerk - This is a rare opportunity to damage multiple enemies and is useful in the early and mid game.
Specialist. A unique section of skills, almost entirely consisting of switchable abilities. At first glance, the mode accuracy- the best option, but by the middle of the game speed might be more useful. Especially if you have the ability to carry out critical hits with impunity (for example, using merciless blows the killers). In such a situation, +15% attack speed and rapid talent recovery will be a powerful argument.
	Trick. Typical thieves' skills, a strong branch. Stealth used to deal critical hits and can help survive in difficult situations. WITH residual veil You can perform two critical hits in a row. The remaining skills allow the rogue to break away from the attacking enemies and do the main job - causing damage.
	Shadow.Shadow Veil in combination with residual veil allows you to regularly perform two critical hits from invisibility. Accurate strike And predator sharply increase damage, and critical disorienting blow works in cross-class interaction. Overall, a very strong branch, useful for both archers and melee fighters. Pairs well with killer.
Duelist. The main feature is the ability blood feud. Fast movement and a strong blow are what any robber needs. However, you should know that family feud not always better than the original. In combination with marked for death an improved version will apply less damage. The thing is that the assassin's skill provides additional damage, and the duelist's strike ignores all resistance or vulnerability modifiers. It's another matter if you have a warrior and want to beat stunned enemies...
	Murderer. The most powerful option. All abilities without exception are worthy of attention. Death Mark, targeted strikes, indirect harm make the robber a real killing machine, and assassination attempt- the most powerful blow in the game!

Sniper

Specializations: assassin at level 7, duelist at level 14.

Characteristics: dexterity and cunning.

Sniper
Evasion	Stealthy running
Stealth	Disguise
Speed	Indirect harm
Tactical retreat	Indelible mark
Death Mark	Doom Mark
Bloodlust	Excess
Aimed Strikes	Destruction
Assassination attempt	Merciless strikes
Challenge to a duel	Exciting speed
Parry	Lightning speed
Blood feud

Hawk wanted to shout something about Sparta, but then he remembered that this was Kirkwall.

The robbers are coming to the rescue! Hawke and Varrick compete in critical strike rates.

Please note that when developing a sniper, not a single skill was taken from the branch archery. This doesn't mean that the archer's abilities are useless, it's just that the development system in Dragon Age 2 is quite flexible, and in this case we rely on stealth skills and mode speed. From a killer we need almost all the skills, and from a duelist only blood feud, which no need improve. The main striking combination will be the following sequence: merciless blows, death mark, assassination attempt, blood feud, stealth. This way we can deal huge damage to a single target and remain elusive.

If you plan to reliably protect your shooter and think that he does not need precautionary measures, then we are at your service and explosive arrow, And pinning shot, And archer spear. The interclass interaction of the archer is better developed than that of the robber with daggers.

The strongest blow

An interesting competition has emerged between fans of Dragon Age 2. Players are wondering who is capable of inflicting the most damage on a single target? The maximum values ​​are constantly updated, but at the time of writing, the palm belongs to the robber with a bow. At the end of the game, he managed to inflict just over 217 thousand points of damage in one hit. The unfortunate victim was the Archmage Orsino.

Archmage Orsino should have thought carefully about his behavior, but he didn’t know what awaited him!

How is this possible, you ask? Fenris had his mode activated muscle strength and he used encouragement, thereby giving your group +25% critical damage. A new character from the downloadable content, the archer Sebastian, was also featured. The Exiled Prince has an ability like harsh chain and a finishing shot that will give about 45% vulnerability to damage. In addition, the party magician applied to the victim torture whipping and with the help of a winter explosion made a target fragile.

Hawk himself developed as much as possible cunning, drank a potion +10% damage, used on Orsino death mark(with improvements) and delivered the most powerful blow - assassination attempt(also fully developed). But the most important thing: the main character was equipped with a bow, which deals fire damage. There are enough things in the game that increase the damage done, but if physical damage increases by 3-6%, then fire damage can be increased by 12-15% with items of the same level. That is, elemental weapons are potentially more powerful than physical ones. In general... you wouldn't want to be in Orsino's shoes at that very moment!

Shadow Assassin

Specializations: assassin at level 7, shadow at level 14.

Characteristics: dexterity and cunning.

Shadow Assassin
Backstab	Destruction
Harsh chain	Recapture
Explosive Strike	Indirect harm
Evasion	Doom Mark
Breath of the Chameleon	Merciless strikes
Insidiousness	Accurate injection
Punching	Excess
Double fangs	Critically disorienting blow
Death Mark	Predator
Bloodlust	Inconspicuousness
Aimed Strikes	Bait
Assassination attempt	Shadow Veil

Isabella thrusts her blades not only up close, but also from a distance. A real pirate!

This icon above the magician means
that he is fragile. Think,
the hint is clear.

Sniper with daggers - these are precise and extremely painful blows. Each dagger individually does less damage than a bow; an attack with two daggers combined does more damage. Fully developed skills the killers— there’s simply nothing to refuse.

Use the same attack sequence as the archer, except blood feud. We won't have dueling skills, but we will shadows there are other advantages. We disorientate enemies with attacks from cover, score critical hits by attacking from the flanks, get a bonus to damage, and create a double when we need to create a distraction. The best option for a robber with daggers.

Raider

Specializations: duelist at 7th level, shadow at 14th level.

Characteristics: dexterity and cunning.

Raider
Backstab	Harmony
Harsh chain	Sure blows
Back to back	Tricky maneuvers
Explosive Strike	Accurate injection
Speed	Family feud
Accuracy	To end
Double fangs	Invisible friend
Merciless Strike	Recapture
Challenge to a duel	Stunning Power
Weakness	Bleeding Power
Parry	Counter attack
Blood feud	Silent defense
Force

Don't miss the opportunity to take photos -
Rafe as a souvenir with one of the two peace-loving golems in the game.

A warrior's best friend. Fight on the front lines using a harsh chain And explosive blow. Merciless Strike And family feud deal additional damage to stunned targets, and the team fighter, in turn, helps the rogue deal additional damage with weak point. Back to back will quickly move you to your partner, after which you can strike from behind. The duelist's specialization allows him to strengthen his defense, which is useful for a hero with poor health.

We briefly went over the variety of options for Hawk's development. The game provides ample opportunities for creating characters, despite the fact that you can no longer play as either a gnome or an elf. How effective your champion will be depends only on your imagination!

Technically, Carver can also be a tank, but since he isn't available for most of the game in addition to the fact that Aveline, who is acquired very early in the game, is a much stronger candidate for this role, one shouldn't" t worry too much about shoehorning him into this important role. The Weapon and Shield tree obviously places an emphasis in supplying the frontline warrior with talents that dampen overall damage taken, such as Shield Defense, which fortifies a warrior's capacity to withstand blows. Other abilities like Shield Bash and Pummel are indispensable in a tank's arsenal of attacks. Passive abilities like Perception and Safeguard(required, in our humble opinion) grant the warrior immunity to flanking and backside attacks.

Two-Handed [edit]

• Suited For: Fenris, Carver, Hawke

For any warrior looking to develop into an offensive powerhouse, this tree should be filled out. No questions asked.

Vanguard [edit]

• Suited For: Any warrior

Vanguard follows the mindset that overpowering one's opponent with brute force isn't what wins the battle. Control, mastery, and discipline are just as invaluable as a warrior's sword. Cleave is probably the best ability in the tree and, along with Massacre, is a welcome addition to a two-handed warrior"s resume of damage-dealing. Depending on your style of play, Might and Control are also pretty handy sustained abilities that cannot be active at the same time. In choosing one, we prefer Might over the latter.

Defender [edit]

• Suited For: Any warrior

The abilities in Defender reinforce a warrior"s ability to withstand enemy attacks and thus, are best suited for tanks already deep in the Weapon and Shield tree. If there are points to spare, however, by all means spend some in Defender, but two -handed DPS warriors should turn their priority elsewhere Of particular note, Resilience is a fine passive skill for any warrior. Elemental Aegis is an invaluable ability considering a large majority of attacks you"ll encounter in the game derive from some kind of element.

Warmonger [edit]

• Suited For: Any warrior

A Warmonger is gifted in controlling enemy aggression with abilities like Taunt and Bravery. Putting points in these is mandatory. As for other warriors, it"s not a bad idea to spend points in Pommel Strike, its upgrade Pommel Blow, and Tremor, which all dig deep into the advanced tactics of exploiting cross-class combos (See its titular section in Appendix).

Battlemaster [edit]

• Suited For: Any warrior

This is a tree that trains a warrior for long endurance battles and constantly provides ways with which to replenish stamina. Bolster is a good ability to start with. Rally sounds great on paper and might be handy to have around, but in practice the only ability it works synergistically with is Elemental Aegis.

Templar [edit]

• Used by: Hawke

This is a specialization tree that requires spending a specialization point. The Templar specialization is of great service to the warrior seeking to render the abilities of magic users nearly useless. Abilities like Silence and Cleanse seriously hinder any mages who lean on casting abilities to maintain a baneful presence. Cleanse is incredibly useful at also removing negative ailments from allies as well. While Righteous Strike itself isn't as useful, it paves the way to the more fantastic Annulment.

Reaver [edit]

• Used by: Hawke

The Reaver is best suited for the daredevil players and is all about dealing more damage as Hawke's health falls. Hawke receives a small boost to damage in all elements. This tree and Two-Handed support each other in a very synergistic way. Abilities like Fervor offers a huge boost to DPS, but is rather deep in the tree. Blood Frenzy works in conjunction with Sacrificial Frenzy. Devour is an interesting ability that heals you as it harms enemies and, even better, Staggers the target, opening up a cross-class combo opportunity.

Berserker [edit]

• Used by: Hawke

Berserker's efficacy is directly proportional to Hawke's remaining stamina. For this reason, Battlemaster and Reaver are good trees to complement Berserker, with abilities like Bolster and Second Wind to buttress the Berserker's specialty of harnessing stamina into raw power. In our opinion, most of the abilities in this tree are just not worth dumping points into simply for the poor return on investment.

Guardian [edit]

• Used by: Aveline

Aveline"s obviously built to be a tank, as suggested by the name of her unique talent tree. However, a few of her abilities -- most notably, Immovable and Bodyguard-- are handy only in choice situations. Immovable should be activated manually in anticipation of a devastating attack; otherwise it freezes up Aveline and risks losing the enemy"s focus on her. The usefulness of Bodyguard can definitely be appreciated by the more fragile characters who"ve traded defense for pure damage, like mages and rogues. On the plus side, the other abilities available in the tree can be useful, but only after acquiring other abilities mandatory to the core tank abilities from Weapon and Shield and Defender.

Tevinter [edit]

• Used by: Fenris

Lyrium Ghost and Deflect are mandatory acquisitions. Spirit Pulse causes a good amount of spirit damage and helps Fenris reduce his threat level (which he would inevitably build).