Dragon Age Inquisition - Class Build - Lightning Rift Mage Guide!

This guide focuses on how to build your class using a combination of standard skills from the Storm, Winter skill trees, and new active and passives from the Rift specialization.
With about 15-20 points to place, you can put together a very powerful Rift that has everything it needs to dominate on the battlefield.
Storm
Chain Lightning / Arcing Surge (Skill upgrade) / Energy Barrage / After that, take whatever path you want to get to Static Cage and it's upgrade, Lightning Cage
In Winter, take Fade Step and Winter Stillness
In Rift, I take everything here, including upgrades. The passives here benefit from weakness, so upgrading our skills gives us a lot of uptime on Weakened enemies.
Opening combo for aoe, I Pull of the Abyss, Static Cage, and then Chain Lightning. Pull of the Abyss wears off fairly soon so Veilstrike is next to keep enemies weakened. While Static Cage is still up, I might as well throw an Energy Barrage and destroy any single targets. Stonefist to knockdown and/or reapply weakness to any remaining enemies.
For AI settings, Pull of the Abyss, Static Cage, and Veilstrike on Preferred. Also set Behavior to Follow self.
Check out the previous guides below!
Top 10 Inquisition Perks! Tips and Tricks Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Party, Tactics and Behaviors Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Masterwork Crafting and Gearing Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Knight Enchanter 2.0 Support Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Sword and Shield Templar Tank Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
2 Hand Champion Warrior Tank Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Dual Dagger Tempest Rogue Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Assassin Archer Rogue Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Artificer Archer Rogue Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Pyro-Necromancer with Endless Pets Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Tempest Archer Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Rift Mage Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Champion Warrior Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Dual Dagger Assassin Rogue Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Two-Hand Templar Warrior Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Reaver Warrior Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Knight Enchanter - In-Depth Guide!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
Check out the playlist for a full list of guides!
• Dragon Age Inquisition...
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[@lordkibagami]

cast pull of the abyss - set fire mine in middle - surround them with static cage - watch fire mine blast and bounce them off the cage. It's hilarious.

[@ngoctuinh1342]

Your combo is quite sick and twisted, So I gave you my like.

[@dix_mois]

Thanks man, excellent idea!

[@bronysaiyan5236]

Im imagining it and thought of a full power Fus Ro Dah lmfaooo

[@joshuabarrett7997]

7:16 "Vealstrike"-- You summon a torrential downpour of baby cows from the Fade to crush your opponents XD

[@danielhorack8533]

Bahahahaahahahahahahahahahahah

[@davidhujik6078]

Its magic meat! -sakka-

[@empressmondays7109]

No one will get hungry!

[@bandagebandit]

that pull of the abyss+static cage+firestorm combo had me SHOOK

[@KineticGTR]

One of my favorites :) I think this was the first time I did that combo before this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6OvZ596mt-ir9Em53s

[@robert1234566gravett]

bandagebandit Think about how the enemies feel😂

[@willgreen3561]

"Alright here we go for the rift Mage skill tree" *holds breath* "first, vEilstrike..." YOU DID IT

[@KineticGTR]

lmao XD

[@dikkenmasoup8348]

I have a fantastic mage setup for you to try out. It combines this build with the Knight Enchanter specialization, in a way. Now, my mage specializes in the Knight Enchanter tree for three major things: Spirit Blade + Clean Burn synergy, Barrier + Chaotic Focus synergy, and insane mana regeneration. Your Spirit Blade pretty much replaces your auto attack since it has no cooldown, and only 10 mana cost. Every time you swing the Spirit Blade, you reduce the cooldown of all your spells by 1 second. I shouldn't have to explain how great that is. And you're probably wondering where the "Rift Mage" part comes in. This is it... You need to have a staff or armor crafted with Fade Touched Nevarrite; this grants you a chance to cast Pull of the Abyss on hit. Yes, you now have the ability to become a Rift Mage and Knight Enchanter at the same time! Also, if you can, have gear that has a chance to cast Hidden Blades alongside your PotA gear. The spells I use give me great chances of casting PotA. Chain Lightning and Energy Barrage are my two beauties, especially since they have virtually no cooldown thanks to Clean Burn, and are spammable due to your massive mana regeneration. After PotA is casted, do what is shown in the video: cast Static Cage in the center. The stupendous amount of hits against your enemies constantly spit out more PotA's, which provides potentially infinite crowd control as long as you are spamming lightning. All these hits also send out Hidden Blades all over the battlefield, greatly increasing your DPS, and can even send out more PotA's since they count as hits (duh). I highly recommend using this class. Without upgrades: 16 Points KE: Spirit Blade, Combat Clarity, Fade Shield, Knight-Protector SPIRIT: Barrier STORM: Chain Lightning, Energy Barrage, Conductive Current, Static Charge, Static Cage INFERNO: Immolate, Flashpoint, Pyromancer, Clean Burn, Chaotic Frenzy, Fire Mine ARMOR AND STAFF: Chance to cast Pull of the Abyss on hit, and Chance to cast Hidden Blades on hit. You have a good number of points remaining to add whatever you like.

[@Loli.Rancher]

17:50 I shuddered in utter satisfaction when I saw those numbers flying out. xD I'm personally addicted to fire mines, but I really enjoyed watching your awesome AoE lightning build! Thank for making another awesome character build guide; I've already recommended my friends to your channel because of your clear, concise, and informative manner of commentary and delivery. I look forward to any and all future uploads, including more video guides from your Black Desert series. :)

[@KineticGTR]

Previous Build - Sword and Shield Templar Tank Guide! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHfamJVpfMSpadU

[@MiguelAbd]

The slow motion on the video where added by you?

[@ahmadareshi4413]

bast Reaver build put material give you heal on kill in weapon , grip and pommel to allow you use Dragon range skill all time without fear from death I get 35% heal on kill in my weapon

[@safarlama7743]

I want to see a dps reaver that can take a hit

[@KineticGTR]

Miguel Almeida No, that's added by the game when you perform a combo

[@MiguelAbd]

KineticGTR Really? Never noticed it... I think I need to pay more attention when I'm fighting

[@georgeprentice9830]

I read a lot online that rift doesn’t synergies well with lightning, but the fact that it’s so easy to combo (putting enemies to sleep with weakened and electric attacks) that your focus rebuilds faster, allowing for more uses of the meteor skill. I think that’s awesome, no?

[@joaogomes9405]

A fantastic combo is necromancer terror with the armor reduction upgrade, mixed with energy bombardment and static cage. Probably the best dps a mage can achieve, especially if paired with belt of the storm pact, and the terror/ static cage combo provides great control as well. Pair it with mana regen passives like the spirit tree's passive and winter stillness and you can prioritize the strongest enemies in a group while providing enough control over the weaker enemies so your party can pick them off by themselves with no problem.

[@Mactav3]

I have mixed feelings about this build, on one side the lightning tree compliments the aoe control aspect with it's multi target damage, on other the interaction between shocked -> weakness applying sleep and removing weakness shoots the rift into his own foot because you lose the benefit of all your weakness passives (ESPECIALLY the mana return one. Though the increase damage and status duration are helpful too), meaning you are often starved for mana.

[@BarokaiRein]

If you're watching these videos while replaying the game keep in mind that all the passives work nowadays ''at least on pc idk about consoles'' and if you have DLC there are new upgrades you should consider. Btw if you want to just crush nightmare difficulty have 2 characters in the party with this type of build at the same time. I gave solas static cage on top of myself using it and my god having 2 castings of that going off right after first one ends makes everything just melt.

[@Jakesmith943]

Great video, and I love the fact that you provide a lengthy demonstration of the build in actual gameplay at the end :)

[@yzrider_6697]

I love how you put together pull of the abyss with the lightning combos. You just wreck havoc man. I enjoy watching your videos. Good job.

[@OwlsAreAmazing]

Stormbringer works, at least on ps4, its an amazing passive. It rains mayhem. MAYHEM.

[@OwlsAreAmazing]

Oh and gathering storm too!

[@OwlsAreAmazing]

B)

[@roswynn5484]

karl wightman As far as you know, mate, do they work on PS3 as well? Plz plz answer thanks! ^__^

[@crazyorganist1609]

Great video. K No pretentious crap very straight forward. Thanks. Helpful to a newbie

[@ArmedJam0414]

17:50-18:17 Overkill much?!?!?!

[@CXG44]

Well this certainly answered my question in the message! I appreciate this video, Kinetic!

[@armandvista]

For the Weapon and Shield Reaver, I would like to see a build that can maintain somewhat low health like around 50% and retain high gaurd to do so. The low health will allow you to make the most of your Ring of Pain, Dragon Rage, and Devour. Stamina generating passives or even accessories help too. Thanks for reading the comments section, few youtubers do that nowadays :)

[@KineticGTR]

Thanks for the support! I really appreciate it! :D

[@SeanGee]

I'm playing this game again as a mage and I love this build.

[@ashleysteffy7224]

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you! :)

[@KineticGTR]

Glad I could help :)

[@YellowZnake]

KineticGTR : Gameplay - Tutorial - Review your guides are fantastic :)

[@tg_516]

love the lightning tree!I believe it is the best because very few enemies have immunity especially early on,my favorite combination is lightning knight enchanter,it was my most fun gameplay!

[@jonathandoeman7496]

Rift mages are the best. I can cast a every spell on my bar loadout on every cooldown and they cooldown pretty fast. Stonefist w/ upgrade, Restorative Veil, Winter Stillness, Flashpoint, Clean Burn, and Gathering Storm. I almost never use basic attacks. If I do its only 1 volley and then I am back to casting spells. Gotta Love Restorative Veil. My favorite is to pull em in with Call of the Abyss, Cast Lightning Cage. Then proceed to AoE everything down. It freaking rocks killing 5 people at once.

[@brambutterham]

A thing worth mentioning about the Stonefist upgrade is the fact that it is an AoE of 4 meters and how wonderfully that goes together with Pull of the Abyss! The Pull clusters and weakens enemies. Combined with all the buffs against weakened enemies, you throw the Stonefist boulder for 115% of 500 weapon damage and you'll hit all the enemies since it's now an AoE and the enemies are clustered. To go NUTS, add a second Spirit/Inferno mage that sacrifices own barrier to power a Fire Mine and place that centered in the Pull of the Abyss rift for crazy damage. (Lastly, have an Assassin Rogue cast Mark of Death + Hidden Blades on a single on top of this madness and they won't stand a chance!)

[@BlackXSunlight]

The passives work, it's just hard to see and measure them mid-battle. In story mode, at least, the easiest way to see how a passive works is to disable all party members except for the character you're testing, then engage enemies.

[@majormalfunction7279]

Really loving these build videos. Thanks, Kinect! Was thinking of going Knight Enchanter with my current Mage build, but after seeing the defensive/offensive potential of Pull Of The Abyss I now feel inspired to go Rift Mage instead. Nice work, Kinect!

[@byrunstedmann2753]

I can say that Stormbringer works. I started up a new mage and am working off your first build. It has actually been very useful.

[@marekstora]

My sword and shield Reaver build is quite versatile, I'd say. In my build, I've included skils from SnS Tree, that keep my Inquisitor alive, like these passives and Shield Wall, and Shield Bash for the guard damage. I took War Cry and Charging Bull, to keep the aggro on me and generate guard. And as you said previously, nearly everything from Reaver Tree is useful. The way I play my character in battle could be divided in two stages. First, being defense stage is where I taunt my enemies and usually put Ring of Pain on (i just love this skill since Origins) and wait for Terrifying Fury passive to work (that or I use Dorian to inflict fear on enemies). When my enemies flee away, I bash down my target and continue with stage two, which is offense. And that's when Dragon Rage comes into play. Deal as much damage as possible and go back to stage one, to regain control over the battle.

[@Codex7777]

I'm sure you know this now but this is for anyone still learning the game... Rift Mage and Lightning just do not mix. All the advantages of Rift Mage disappear if you mix in Lightning. The Rift Mage has amazing passives but ALL those passives rely on enemies being weakened. All 3 Rift Mage spells can apply Weakness. The problem is, that Weakness + Lightning/shock = Sleep. In other words enemies end up asleep and lose the weakened state. You thereby lose ALL of the advantages of being aRift Mage. If you want to be a Lightning mage, best go Necromancer or Knight Enchanter. Fire, Ice and Spirit are all fine. Lightning is a no no. The one exception is Energy Barrage. This a great spel but, although it's in the Storm tree, it's damage is based on your staff type. Thus, if you have a fire or ice based staff, you're fine taking Energy Barrage. Just don't use an electricity based staff. In fact, that holds true for all Rift Mages, with or without Energy Barrage. Don't use an electricity based staff! Btw, as well as Energy Barrage, there are a couple of passives in the Storm tree that are ok to take. In fact, they're pretty good. Gathering Storm reduces all your cooldowns with each basic attack. Conductive Current increases your damage, based on how much mana you're missing. You can probably get away with Static Charge, as it's a defence against melee attacks, so won't proc that often. Thought there are much more useful passives, for a Rift Mage. Stormbringer should definitely be avoided. It's the worst of the Storm tree passives anyway, so no great loss.

[@gpolenik]

could you make a video about what kind of parties you should use. For example ''if your character is an assassin dual wield rogue use them...'' Could be really useful since i still have no idea who to use and keep changing the party.

[@pelleee8981]

Depends I use Mage, Warrior and warrior

[@gpolenik]

Pelleee i'm also rolling with my dual wield and then have Vivienne as my knight enchanter with barriers and Cassandra as my sword and shield templar tank... what else? I'm thinking either a 2nd mage or a 2nd warrior. Also not sure if solas or dorian for my mage or Dunwall or iron bull as my 2nd warrior.

[@joaomiguelmachado8178]

that's the ideia ,bro! experimentation !

[@joaomiguelmachado8178]

i ,personaly, like to run 2 mages both with healing skills, i have killed many overleveled dragons in nightmare this way:p

[@KineticGTR]

Changing party members is half the fun of the game for me. The only real need you have in DAI, is a strong tank in your party either Blackwall or Cassandra. The rest can be anything and any class combination you like. Thanks for the feedback!

[@mikeauditore881]

Question: If I put a Spirit rune on my staff will Energy barrage also do 66% extra Spirit damage per hit?

[@jaredbarreda7984]

Mike 2011qwerty unfortunately no... i just tried..

[@joshfiore2027]

Stormbringer works you just got to have a good eye to see the random lightning bolt hit your enemies

[@ArngrimTV]

Seems Rift Mage is the closest ill get to the Force Mage from DA2, i loved that class to death, so think ill enjoy the Rift Mage.

[@911Emodude]

In my experience, this is the best build for me. I'm currently using it on my own mage.

[@Slininstien]

Just another question/comment. Is Vivienne running your support KE build? And I was very curious on what to run with a spirit build but being that almost no enemies are resistant that's a very good idea. Especially on nightmare where the enemies that are resistant only feel 1 damage. I think I'm gonna do something similar especially cause the mana regeneration from rift is so immense.

[@KineticGTR]

Yes, she's my support KE. :)

[@NaliaaS]

I would love to see either build. Mostly though, I would like a Tank. Not for purpose, but for variety. Normally Reaver is viewed as the DPS spec for Warriors and that would be awesome to see a build for it.

[@ajkingx2]

I have a good question. In your builds Videos you don't talk about your gear, is that? Because gear doesn't matter and you can put on whatever you want, as long as it helps out with your skill points that you've chosen for your said build

[@lordkibagami]

A sword&board Reaver sounds like tying one hand behind your back, no wait, it's almost literal.

[@user-nc4yb8rd3g]

Static charge works for me though. Some people might think that you get engulfed in lightning by just doing normal attacks, but it only happens when you do special attacks

[@Voorhees75]

it's a amazing build. It's the one I'm using and it's a very formidable build.

[@Aklaif]

My greatest moment was combing Solas' Pull of the Abyss with my Anchor to take out 5 Red Templars that were 4 level above us at the time. Since then I been trying to figure out combos. And in my next play through I'm choosing a rift mage; do to someone doing something to block off the only source of rift magic, if your not specialized into it yourself. Trying to avoid spoilers. How am I doing some far?

[@rosskliebenstein8363]

love you builds man keep up the good work

[@Slininstien]

Just btw the left side does work on the lightning path. The bolt of lightning Is like a flash of like 400 damage ish. And the cool down thing pops up in the bottom right of the screen. So yea.

[@TkMdHD]

i just realized you sound kinda like snake from MGS when you finish some of your sentences....cool

[@waywardson911]

I use a rogue archer, so I have a great view of the action. I noticed The Lighting passives work for Dorian. He constantly has a little lighting orb popping up. Maybe the passives don't show when the character is player controlled?

[@TheAwesonymous]

I played as a lightning rift mage first playthrough. I didn't think of the awesome name for it though!

[@lespretend]

The part at 17:50 really makes me wanna try a rift mage, but with my current mage I think I'm going KE. Can't pass up the ability to stay in melee and dropping triple fire traps. Nice lightshow.

[@pedrohenriquemiranda8650]

Hey Kinetic, what is your favorite of the Rogue specializations? I'm trying to decide mine and I'm stuck between Artificer and Tempest .

[@WanderingRagabond]

I had no idea Static Cage zapped enemies that took damage from other sources. Lack of attention on my part... but maybe this also pairs well with Necromancer. Not only will enemies panic and run into the walls of the cage to get zapped even more, but with the bonus damage against panicked enemies, and with Walking Bomb, the damage potential is even greater. Or you can just do the video's build and bring Dorian along, either way works.

[@DallasKillpack]

which build do you prefer? I quite liked your previous rift mage build as well. it seems all you've changed is some passive stuff (which way or may not work so I won't mention anything about it) and the fire mine and the lightning barrage ability. other than fade step for glacial. but do you think the barrage is better fit instead of the fire mine? I want to know because I am going to be picking a specialization soon and want to know how to respec. I love your videos! they are very nice to listen and watch with all of the good information you have. please let me know! keep up the awesome Dragon Age work my friend.

[@dancher3844]

Kinetic, I don't know if you noticed but "Winter Stillness" also reduce Cooldowns for your spells. (You only spoke about Mana regen so I assume you missed the "Reduce Cooldown" part, but I may be wrong.)

[@Zenowitz22]

Hey Kinetic. I plan on switching from normal to hard but I wanted to know what is your recommended party setup. I have Varric, Cassandra, and Dorian rn. And by party setup I mean in terms of classes.

[@plottwist3364]

My best Inquisitor so far was with this build: i'll take notes next time i launch the game to give you my gear's stats but i got tons of damages with the staff from Black Emporium. The one with a spiky sun ^^

[@DarkHeroCC]

I've been using something similar with solas but I take a more defensive-barrier build as I usually have 2 Warriors (my Main-Reaver and a Sword&Shield tank) Cole as a Rogue and room for 1 mage

[@MotivatedFitness1]

This Mage build looks fun as hell

[@scruffybasterd2209]

I'm lvl 17 LRM and I still can't figure out my party set up. I've been enjoying Cass as my support warrior and usually swap Cole and Sera depending on what mage I bring. Would your cryomancer work with this build, which is fantastic by the way :) I have Vivi speced as a support/cryo KE with spirit and winter full and working down the KE tree and I pair her with sera. Dorian is my pyromancer and I use Cole as my rogue so no matter what I have two up front and two in back. What's your favorite party for this kick ass build?

[@Marvolzz]

Can you please tell me what kind of staff are you using. Where can I find the schematic for it??

[@NebulaAnimations]

If I may ask what in your opinion is stronger this build or your archer build? I'm wanting to have the best experience after switching from ps4 to pc and would love to start the game off right. :) thanks

[@oliverleg8848]

Is friendly fire on in your playthrough? cuz' I ended up respecking away from lightning build as I was dealing too much damage to my party.

[@blank9786]

+Oliver “GamingDruid” Leg lmao no rift mage would play with friendly fire on. Thats suicide for your team

[@Nyarlathotep_Flagg]

I find this one piece of information impossible to come by. Does gathering storm reduce the cd of the passive Stormbringer?

[@bronysaiyan5236]

What masterworks do you have on your gear? Ik those can make or break builds in itself lol

[@Jason99942]

What a fun looking build. I'm going to replicate this, if you don't mind :) I haven't played in over a year so this will be good fun.

[@itstvoicrush5610]

where did you get this great looking armor? 😭

[@cristello94]

For Winter's Stillness, does standing still imply not casting spells and just plain standing still, or can you still cast spells and just not moving from one spot to another while doing so?

[@konel8245]

this build works...but he's using it wrong. 1. use static cage, then whatever recovers mana. 2. use pull of the abyss and get that upgrade that makes pull of the abyss explode doing like 600dmg 3. recover then drop them then remove barrage, this class is not single target based and can never be except with KE replace with a rune, fire or ice depends on the enemy...if it's hakkon, use ice until hakkon himself, if it's desent, fire all the way, if its trespasser...anything works. but it works better if it weakens. after selecting a rune and upgrade...never the triple rune if you're not KE. ...gonna see if pull if the fade touched pull if the abyss is any good with actual rift mage, so that fade touched, I'm hoping works with the upgrade of additional dmg...if so, goddamn!

[@hypertion]

Use rift mage well and you can use that mana restore on weakened to effectively fire off every spell you can slot on cool down.

[@toddgemmill9591]

Another great video and guide. I would love to see more guides on crafting and how to do it, where to find plans, how the upgrades work etc or some suggestions on how to gear up effectively. Still one of the most confusing parts of the game for me. :( Love your stuff though, tks!

[@SargeWolf010]

14:43 I may use this but slightly tweaked to fit my own preferences 😅

[@chukwuemekanwozuzu4876]

Hey Kinetic, so here's my question... I'm on level 9, my character is a lightning mage, I have blackwall as a two hander till champion, Cassandra as a sword and shield till templar, Sera as a dual wielder, and solas as my cold mage... who do you think I should take with me. I'm on nightmare difficulty

[@2smoothone670]

I was wondering the best way to put together a combination of ice//lighting rift Mage any ideas

[@ascentlx4222]

what are the only necessary perks for barriers in the spirit tree? I don't want someone to cast them all the time, but just have it for themselves/ a rainy day

[@1908d2]

thank you for this! I had been doing this in my DA:I. I thought it was just me.

[@robertcartwright2236]

I heard that there Fade-touched Neverrite gives you a chance to cast pull of the abyss, can you confirm?

[@junkka83]

I have question; can companions use skills even if it's not equipped in their skill slot as long as it's enabled in tactic?

[@JoelGonzalez-sc3mm]

How do you choose a tree for your own character for example the rift mage without solas?

[@Zawakawaka]

half the lightning build doesnt work. The both abilities of lightning bolt dont work static bolt passive doesnt activate :(

[@tiagopassarela]

how about the upgrade for energy barrage? is it working right now? do you think it is worth getting it?

[@MrIodolar]

Man, thanks for the awesome videos. I want to ask, how you handle dragons and boss fights as rift mage? Since both your builds seem more aoe oriented to me.

[@KineticGTR]

Static Cage and Energy Barrage as often as possible, with a staff that has the elemental weakness of the dragon :)

[@gokage617]

Can someone help me fix this potion glitch problem. OK so I started a new game on nightmare mode and I realized like 10hrs In that my party is sharing the health potions. Idk why but they are. I read online ppl saying that you indeed share health potions but I went back to my first chatarcter I made when I beat game on hard and my party DOESN'T share potions each member has there own supply of health potions. My question is is it because I'm playing on nightmare that my party shares health potions?

[@vavakxnonexus]

I play on normal and everybody shares HP potions. The game must have been easier with 4 times the potions.

[@Suvorov928]

Those passives in Electricity work on PS4. Curious about those who say they are not working.

[@Mooinator3000]

Nice build might use this for my mage but quick question what armour were you using

[@SrebX7]

Thank you, I really like this build :-P My only concern for it though is single target damage... I know it's not that common in that game but I'd like to see it's capabilities... Wish you showed it in that video lol

[@lordkibagami]

Stone Fist, Lightning Bolt, Energy Barrage. What concern?

[@ascentlx4222]

Hey, how do you feel about doing a pure support mage? I looked, but I can't find anything

[@timothygillis7768]

(I know it's late but ehh) the knight enchanter build he had is the closest thing to a support build it has revive barriers and everything a support build needs

[@ZaeBae22]

Hey is Sera good dual daggers? My party is all based around crowd controll (stuns and such) and i wanted to make sera daggers to synergize with poison AoE and stun (sleep powder) currently i have her as bow and shes kind of weak to be honest but i kept hearing she dies so easily if AI is controller her. What do you think? I'm playing on nightmare (party is KE viv, your tank cass build, necro mage (my character) and sera)

[@ZaeBae22]

Nice static cage huge aoe fight with 2 characters that use barrier works pretty nice so far :P

[@plottwist3364]

+MxZeal I finished Trespasser with Archer Sera and she never died: use +5 guard on hit materials, combined with flask of thunder or leaping shot it gives her guard easily

[@Silenthitman44]

Sera's fine with dual daggers depending on her build and your party's makeup and their builds. Currently using her with the right half the dual daggers plus the top left ability, the left poison tree and her left specialization . Along with a barrier mage, with a warrior who has war horn, her and my mage character and it's working pretty well

[@joaomiguelmachado8178]

so , i like to run a bit diferente set, a use fire mine right after static cage and since a like to bring 2 mages (vivienne and my rift mage inquisitor), i realy invested in the ice schol all the way down to get blizzard, the combination really is powerfull, becase all this habillities deal area damage. I kill all enemies at once, really effective. then some rogue powers also help, like explosive shot, especialy when combined with poisoned arms.

[@KevinG9012]

Hey Kintetic, love the videos man. Keep up the awesome work! I have a few questions. This build looks awesome, I'm heading towards something very similar. Would you say the storm build is better than your fire rift mage build that you did before? Would you also say that his is better than your fire Necro? I've heard mixed things about Necro, how it's the weakest of the mage specs, any opinions on that? Also, I've noticed that you don't do many builds with Blizzard. Any reason for that? I'm at the point in my game where I'm picking a spec and just wanted your opinions since you make great, very complete, videos. Thanks again! Edit: Also, I wanted to ask some more about Necro. I've been using it on Dorian and have noticed a few issues. Walking bomb only detonates for 200% damage and I don't think Simulacrum lasts for 10 seconds. Do you have any experience with either of those?

[@lordkibagami]

Pull of the Abyss + Static Cage is OP, it almost take out the challenge even on Nightmare. Cooldown passives with a couple Static Cage rings(+30% duration on both) and I got enemies on lockdown almost 100% of the time. Ya, it's OP. Fire isn't as heavy on CC, more of a challenge than Lightning but challenge in fun, right?

[@LiqnLag]

His other build was almost as much lightning as fire, it really needed clean burn, barrage and fade step though.

[@KineticGTR]

1. They are both good builds. Fire mines and Immolate work great with Static Cage. 2. Yes, anything is better than a Necro to me :P 3. For me it's not an issue of being a weak spec, more that it's simply not my type of Necromancer. 4. I was thinking actually of doing a Cryomancer with the Winter line and Necro. I just haven't had good reason to go heavy into Winter. 5. I have not seen those issues with Necro. Could be a bug? Add it to the long list of DAI bugs :\

[@KevinG9012]

KineticGTR Thanks for the reply! Yes I agree that it isn't a traditional Necro and that's definitely a let down. I think the Simulacrum issue may have just been the first time I used it I didn't see it at first, so it seemed short. But the Walking Bomb definitely only deals 200% on detonation, which is a pretty big bummer. I've found it best to use the ability when pull of the abyss is active from Solas and then detonate walking bomb with it's upgrade. Massive Damage.

[@robertcartwright2236]

What were you using to increase static cages duration?

[@chaos4854]

what's the highest Damage causing mage set up? fire, lighting ,ice?

[@GaryBoyles342]

How about use the main character for this build? You get that focus rift too, and use that and the pull of the abyss to pull enemies caught in the static cage.

[@venolye7547]

I'd like to point the lightning perks do work its just not as visibly flashy. Try 1v1 on a enemy you'll see the stuns and random thunder strikes

[@debonairgallant]

Do you know if they have fixed the passive effects?

[@nathanielwiley8745]

Hey Kinetic, you might have answered this before but what is your favorite of the Mage specializations? I'm trying to decide mine and I'm stuck between Enchanter and Rift.

[@emporung7292]

Enchanter is way more powerful but gets rather boring real quick. And rift is the opposite, harder but more fun to youse.

[@KineticGTR]

Definitely Rift Mage. :)

[@nathanielwiley8745]

KineticGTR Then Rift Mage it is! On a side note, have you any updates or changes to your main Reaver build? Or are you still running exactly what you have in your Reaver guide?

[@LiqnLag]

What people have been saying, you want a Champ tank as 2h or sword and board Templar as sword and board; Revers are not good tanks. From there, melee dps combos need manual control always or they suck down your potions and/or are not worth ressing; never let the AI control them for more than .05 seconds. So from there more tank, more range? Having all 3 class archetypes is good for those odd walls/doors/glypths when running about randomly.

[@roswynn5484]

Liquidated So do you think going around with the Iron Bull would be a poor tactical choice? I gather that yes, that's what you think, but I'd like to know if I guessed right...

[@edgemaverick8365]

Hey Kinetic wondering if you could either do or give a basic set up for an artificer dual dagger rouge a friend of mine and i are doing a duo play through and he wants to go artificer with the dual dagger rouge however there has been a problem with the class for me when i use it with varric because for some reason his elemental mines fizzle out more than they actually detonate and it seems as tho that would be a huge part of the build

[@MyNameIsBucay]

Wouldn't Pull of the Abyss and Static Cage work against each other? Since when people leave the cage, the ability takes effect?

[@KineticGTR]

The idea is to pull them together, and then trap them. Some enemies can teleport/fly out of PotA so the cage prevents that. The real damage comes from the upgrade, not so much the "if they try to leave" part. But that can also add up as soon as PotA ends.

[@reoopc5060]

KineticGTR Would you still recommend getting Pull of the Abyss when your inquisitor already has something similar in Mark of the Rift?

[@KineticGTR]

Patient. Zero. Absolutely! MotR is a focus ability that you can't use frequently. So you should definitely have PotA. I also recommend the Rift Mage focus ability Firestorm over MotR.

[@reoopc5060]

KineticGTR Ah I see, Thanks!

[@jrlude_]

KineticGTR How you doing? Liking all your guides, have been very useful. So far I'm a level 13 Sword/Shield. Bout to be trained for specializations. Since theres already a champion ss, and a reaver 2h in the party, i was thinking of becoming a Sword Shield Reaver. Do you agree with this? Also, what is your favorite class/skill?

[@llwinterll3876]

By any chance can you make a new build for the necro plz?

[@Underdog74745]

hey man i came back just to as if you could possibly tell me if rft mage or knight enchanter is worth speccing into.. I fight the dragons and ive seen rift mages not do so well.

[@MultiFernando360]

Adam Bryan Well, a bit late, but I can answer that for you. The KE becomes VERY boring to play after just a few hours, while the Rift Mage is very fun and good in most combat scenarios. And yes, you will need a KE when fighting dragons, so just bring Vivienne along. Better have a fun and good class to play the whole game then a boring powerful one. I hope that helped you, even with the delay of the response.

[@Greatuberlord]

Hey, I love stil build but was wonderin which tank and build u recommend keeping in mind it will mainly be ai

[@LiqnLag]

To be honest, Pota+ and then lightning bolt is insane aoe cc and direct damage. Also, clean burn; once you try it on a rift mage, it's really really hard to go back to slow casting. I liked your other riftmage(tweaked) build more.

[@KineticGTR]

For me, I feel like we have many different skills to cast, so we don't need reduced cooldown to repeat the same spells, but instead, need faster Mana regen. The only skills I am really repeating in the fight already have very low cooldown times.

[@LiqnLag]

KineticGTR It appears you auto attack way too much in the examples you show; It'd be one thing if Gathering Storm wasn't bugged to the point where it's a flat +3 will power boost. From what it appears, you've never specced a rift mage with clean burn to fairly discount it so easily. Also, If the rift mage is the inquisitor, the mark of the rift focus is better that firestorm, so skip that to free some cap (resists and the randomness of firestorm). Smothering veil needs some testing to see if it even works on the entire party and not just the caster. Definitely, skippable if self only, assuming you are controlling the mage,( AI controlled can use the personal protection). Am curious if you mixed up veil strike with stonefist in the description. Regardless, I'm not trying to be hostile with my comments and pretty much any rift build with static cage and poa is strong enough to get by just fine, even on nightmare.

[@KineticGTR]

Liquidated I'm not waiting on cooldowns though, I'm waiting on mana. So even if I have shorter cooldowns, it doesn't matter because of one of either two reasons. 1. Not enough mana or 2. I'm going to want to cast something else. Which is basically what I said in my previous reply.

[@kingdomecthulhu8738]

when you talked about trying to trigger on hit ability so on gearing something came up in my mind does hits from lighting cage count as hits if so that combine with 12 hits would be 24 and chains 6 hits would be worth 12 then basic hits however many shot

[@user-tn8hj3lm7p]

How do you have the enqwester skill tree and the rift skill tree?