The best spell combos in Dragon Age Inquisition for Solo Mages on Nightmare!

[@AKisHerceg]

If you like my videos, you can support the channel here: www.buymeacoffee.com/akisherceg 🍕 Thank you! :)

[@veloway]

I was so excited to see the subject of this video especially since this is still my main game. I don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing that every time I am about to pull away just a little bit you throw up some ideas that I have to try. There is no doubt in my mind that when they finally release version 4, that this will be far and away primary channel to watch. if someone is still playing DAI in 22 and they aren’t subscribed here then they are doing it wrong.

[@AKisHerceg]

Thanks! :)

[@garrywatkins2358]

Same dude I still love this game so much if the combat is as good as this in 4 plus letting us use more then 8 abilities and bring back all weapon mages and sword warriors it would be fantastic

[@rickbarker4467]

Idea! Blade of Tidarion Created with Fade-Touched Gurgut (5 Guard on hit) with armor that also is created with Fade-Touched Gurgut.

[@capolean2902]

its all gud i still play my fav mmo’s and rpgs ( dragons dogma da,elden ring, dcuo, bloodborne and this)

[@KamikazeChickenWing]

You really are making DA-Builds until the forth game is coming out, isn´t it?

[@AKisHerceg]

Yup. :)

[@joak-web]

@@AKisHerceg doing andraste's work here

[@samflood5631]

I wonder what the class and specialization skills in Dragon Age Dreadwolf are going to be.

[@Cobernikus]

Man, it's aways amazing tô see your vídeos. I Love DAI, aways keep playing it.......and every upload you do, i see i still have A LOT tô learn. Tnx!!!

[@AKisHerceg]

Thanks! Yeah, I still see and learn new stuff every day too! :)

[@herrkebalto2547]

Hey man, just curiosity, have you ever thought in doing a LP or walkthrough of Dragon age games?. Considering you have such a vast knowledge of this games would be cool to see that. Again great job!

[@AKisHerceg]

Yes, I have. And I would love to do it eventually. Sadly, I still have not been able to fix my sound. Getting a better headset is not that much of a problem, but this constant background noise I have to deal with would ruin the quality of the video. Still, I hope I will be able to something like that eventually. Either do a playthrough or stream since I would also love to talk to my subs as well. :)

[@garrywatkins2358]

Yeh I really hope you can sort it out I would love to watch all your play throughs of the games I have been wanting to watch playthroughs that know what there doing but I don't so you would become like all I watch

[@AKisHerceg]

@@garrywatkins2358 Thanks! That is nice to hear! :)

[@AzureNox16]

I don't use comment on vids but this is excellent. Especially since I'm stuck with the ps3 vanilla version. I can still use most of these combos.

[@aarongibbs2260]

I hit up to 12,000 as a knight enchanter on nightmare. Some of the passive elemental skills really shot up the damage, plus it’s a really good class at sustaining a constant barrier during fights

[@pharaohsmagician8329]

I've never played Dragon Age before. (well I played Origins 10 years ago and forgot it all but I beat it and enjoyed it) I'm about to get back into the franchise by playing Inquisition. Is playing as a solo mage with no party members on easy difficulty a good way to experience the story? I don't like party based games but I know Dragon Age relies alot on that so am I gonna miss alot of lore and important plot dialogue or flavor dialogue? I just want to play solo but I know the companions are fun. I tried playing Inquisition many years ago but couldn't get past 2 hours the combat was too grindy and boring and I got stuck doing side quests in Hinterlands I never left that area and got bored of the game, alot of people say it's a meme that the hinterlands and too many mmo style quests killed the game for them there. But I really want to give this game another chance and try to enjoy it. Thanks for reading but do you have any tips for how I should play this game best. I really want to be a solo mage. Wish they let us use a bow and magic at the same time or any weapon combo we wished. I don't like class locks.

[@aarongibbs2260]

@@pharaohsmagician8329 it’s definitely a game built around grinding. There’s definitely an option to solo it, but I prefer party members just because of their unique dialogue. It also made me more aware of certain abilities on what goes with what. At the end of the day it’s up to you, but nothing will change how much of a grind this game was fresh start to finish on nightmare

[@widaflow]

What's your ability set up and weapon, armor accessory build?

[@aarongibbs2260]

@@widaflow using a bunch of dlc items from the deep roads, crafted my own staff, got masterwork upgraded weapons. Thinking of re-downloading just to play again, path of exile isn’t quite hitting that scratch.

[@evilsocietyHD]

As a solo mage nightmare all trials, how do you manage, all the difficult fights in the hinterlands ? like the mage in the first fight in crossroad, with his infinite barrier even with a full party quite a strong opponent at this stage, when you are basically butt naked, and with not many options considering that these mages are immune to frost damage

[@AKisHerceg]

Promoted mages are always a pain. Their Barrier is rejuvenating so it is extremely hard to take them down. Naturally, Dispel can be a great help with the Barrier(your support mage can handle it if you are not doing a solo run, otherwise get Dispel), and panicking them by burning them with fire(since they are immune to cold they are weak to fire) with Flashfire is a pretty effective solution. You can also pick up Energy Barrage with a fire staff so you can deal considerable damage on them.

[@ravenwolf4074]

With KE. The mine/cage field combo...you can use decloaking blast...for extra BOOM power

[@AKisHerceg]

Hell yeah!

[@ravenwolf4074]

@@AKisHerceg it acts like a fire mine, but spirit, idk if you thought of that while making this video

[@AKisHerceg]

@@ravenwolf4074 Yeah, it was part of my Trap-Enchanter build in a video I made a while back. I love Decloaking Blast. :)

[@ravenwolf4074]

@@AKisHerceg same, it's hilarious to watch..like miss, BOKM then searing mine, double boom i love a fun KE build

[@somnus7959]

You’re back again. Welcome. Hope ur doing well. Did you ever look into Dragon’s Dogma?

[@AKisHerceg]

Hello there! :) Yes, I am back and ready for action! I did! Well, I was super busy and I have yet to try it, but during the Christmas sale I remembered your suggestion so I picked up Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen on Steam! Hopefully now that things are a bit less busy I will have time to play it. :)

[@somnus7959]

@@AKisHerceg Dope! I’m always so glad to see you return. Even tho I play the game on and off, I always look forward to your DAI vids. Glad you’re back. I cannot wait for your DD:DA vids. I’m so excited to see what you come up with.

[@AKisHerceg]

@@somnus7959 Thanks! :)

[@jaded-harper]

just curious but have you ever played the mass effect series before? the multiplayer in me3 was some of the most fun I've ever had as there's a somewhat similar combo system in that game. it was really cool playing with other people and them being able to prime/detonate targets for each other to delete large groups of enemies or huge chunks of hp to boss types

[@AKisHerceg]

It is my other favorite. :) I have videos on it if you are interested.

[@jaded-harper]

@@AKisHerceg sorry should've checked first!! lol will do

[@rickbarker4467]

ME:A MP is actuly really fun still.

[@vladmakhno2431]

Hi, genius. I am going to solo nightmare mage playthrough with all trials. What is the best build for this? Pre-Skyhold phase should be so painful

[@AKisHerceg]

Obviously a KE is the best option for solo mages(Fade Cloak with the Enduring Cloak upgrade and Spirit Blade with the Amplified Blade upgrade can grant you non-stop invulnerability). This combo is really for the harder parts, like the Hakkonite Battles or the Sha-Brytol Bolters' volley. Other than this little combo, you should use my Frost/Fire Crusader build. That is a build that can solo the game with relative ease. Of course you first need to get to the point where you can actually get the spec, right? So let's see how I would go about it: Level 1: You have 2 spells, and +1 if you go with a human. So you should go with a human on this playthrough because Trials are hard and you need the extra spell advantage. So first spell is Barrier. Second is Guardian Spirit(extra protection that will save your butt). Third is Flashfire. This is not really a good damaging spell, but it will cause panic, which is very effective early on. The most dangerous enemies will be those annoying mages with their rejuvenating Barrier, and this spell not only panics them, but also deals extra damage since they are weak to fire(the shades summoning during the Pride Demon battle are also easier to fight this way). Fourth should be Winter's Grasp. Yet another spell that has a huge range, and it can also disable enemies by freezing them. Downside of course is that the annoying mages are immune to its damage. But it works well on Warriors and Rogues, so it's a must have. Fifth is Flashpoint. Sixth is Pyromancer. You see were we are going with this, right? Seventh is Fire Mine! Boom we unlocked the most damaging spell at level 6. Your weapon will have terrible damage, but this spell will still deal huge damage. The alternate route is of course, getting Peaceful Aura and Dispel. Dispel is pretty awesome at removing the annoying Barrier from those mages. I can't stress enough how infuriating those things are. Especially when you solo. Warriors and rogues can be dealt with by using Parthian tactics(basically using ranged attacks then running away), but mages have high damage ranged frost attacks, and they are immune to frost, so no sniping them with Winter's Grasp from afar. Also consider getting Fade Step early, since it can get you out of trouble fast. Same with Mana Surge. Lightning Spells can't really be on the table. They are far too weak. Winter's Grasp with Winter's Ruin deals 1000% damage on chilled enemies, and Fire Mine deals 1600% weapon damage, so they are great for spike damage. Nothing in the Storm tree can be compared to these. The only spell you should think about picking up from the Strom tree is Energy barrage. If you use a staff with cold damage, this will apply chilled effect on the target, and you can use Winter's Grasp to capitalize on the 1000% extra cold damage. So be prepared for a tough beginning! With these spells, you have the key to success, but the gameplay still have to be very cautious. Hit and run tactics and sniping from afar are mandatory if you want to survive. Enemies will just deal too much damage, they will rip your Barrier to shreds in seconds. Oh yeah, and don't forget to target the archers first in every encounter.

[@djamabo]

How do you get that awesome mage blade like staff? Definitely want to craft it if possible

[@AKisHerceg]

It is called the Blade of Tidarion. It comes with the Trespasser dlc, and you need to complete the War Table Mission Stop war between Nevarra and Tevinter with Josephine. You will get the schematics afterwards.

[@krakenproductions2844]

Having a hard time trying to decide between a KE or a rift mage. Can a rift mage keep up with a KE dps? Which in your personal opinion is more fun??

[@AKisHerceg]

KE is safer, Rift has more control. When it comes to damage, both can wreck everything with the Fire MIn/Winter's Grasp/Energy Barrage combo. Rift Mage however has fantastic force manipulating spells - whirling crowds together, knowing them down etc. Knight Enchanter lack that kind of crowd control, but it has superb survival spells - like the passive that lets it gain Barrier by simply putting out damage or the spell that makes you completely invincible for a while.

[@krakenproductions2844]

@@AKisHerceg Safe is great but versatility sounds more fun and sounds like the rift mage takes the lead with versatility (not saying that the KE can't be versatile). I was worried that Rift mage would lose out of a lot of spirit damage unlike the KE but then I found about the nightmare combo which is helpful. Heard a lot of people saying Rift mage struggles a lot in Tresspaer DLC and soloing bosses/dragons, compared to KE anyway. Would you say in your own experience that this is the case? Sorry for all the questions 😂

[@AKisHerceg]

​@@krakenproductions2844 Well, depends. Yes, KE is more suited to fight bosses, since its survivability is much better. Rift mage needs to be nimble and fast. You have to constantly watch for your Barrier too. Still neither spec is a true boss killer, so their kill time is roughly the same. You can compare them easily based on my videos. I have a video about each one(KE, Rift, Necro) going up against Saarath solo. So in that sense they all "struggle" a bit. The Rift Mage does not struggle with a team. At all. Especially with the Walking Bomb Masterwork. Alone, yeah, it could be a bit tricky(but this is true for all solo mages, even KE since assassins there can dispel your Barrier) because of the immunities, but it is manageable.

[@DamianVattgern]

I have tried all of my specializations. I also recommend that you try this way. Save the game, and the selection and use the skill reset amulet. KE was good, but I assume that the mage should control the battlefield from a distance, so he is out. I was tempted by rift mage and pull of the abyss, because I like the control of the opponent and taking entire groups. however, I found after trying that I rarely use it because it has a long cooldown. I have the impression that the necromancer is smaller, maybe because of passives. and you can control the crowd too. Eg electric cage and walking bomb or horror in the middle gives a very good effect

[@widaflow]

​@@krakenproductions2844Rift Mage is ok but I don't see it goin SOLO on NIGHTMARE and all TRIALS ON and survivin it though. Especially against those Hakkonite Archers and Mage of Jaws Of Hakkon, Sharbrytol gun-range and dual dagger rouges of The DeepRoads and those Qunari heavies in Tresspassers. KE will be the last man standing over any other class, including warriors and rogues.

[@Baadriano]

OK so I've been analyzing your mage build and mage part\AI builds you do. I have never seen you use dispel. I know it is only helpful in banishing demons and destroying barrier only but you never had any problems with barriers or guard on enemies. I mean enemies on ALL trials. How do you deal with additional protection of the enemies. Any specific build or you just extra guard damage against guard and damage in your crafted weapons ???

[@AKisHerceg]

Usually I don't use Dispel on my mage because it is situational. Plus when I create a mage I usually use Magic as my main attribute, so that gives an enormous damage bonus against Barriers. Still, I do like having Dispel on my team, but I do disable it when I don't need it. They have a tendency to use it even when they don't fight against mages so it is just a waste of mana then. Guard is hard to wear down with a mage, but not with a warrior. With a Strength focused build with Guard Smasher and the upgraded Shield Bash it is pretty easy to destroy it even on all trials.

[@Baadriano]

@@AKisHerceg thanks for the helpful info :D

[@Baadriano]

@@AKisHerceg forgot to tell. Yeah, I use the same with dispell, I got it on my mages but dont use it unless enemies got barries or rift situation

[@eeeeyyyees]

How to remove massive Guard from Promoted enemies on Trials: 1. Warrior's Shield Bash with the upgrade 2. Warrior's Guard-smasher passive 3. Warrior's War Horn with Break the Spirit upgrade 4. KE Spirit Blade, fully charged, can one shot most of these Guard provided that you have good bonus %Attack from Magic and Willpower. 5. Strength 6. Guard damage bonus from crafted weapons and/or Accessories.

[@Baadriano]

@@eeeeyyyees to the point. thanks man :D

[@WyllBG3]

Whats the name of the weapon you are using? great video!

[@AKisHerceg]

The Blade of Tidarion Schematics.

[@carpediem8873]

Inquisition is my first dragon age game. So far I'm level 6 and the combat has been kind of bland and slow. I see this video and man it looks like what i was hoping for. What level are you in the video? Do I get more spells if I level more? The video looks like a different game from what I'm playing lmao

[@AKisHerceg]

Around level 23. Naturally you unlock more spells and talents as you progress. The best thing about Inquisition is that the skills and spells have no level requirements, which means you can unlock some of the best spells at low levels. For example Fire Mine is arguably the highest damage spell in the game, and you can unlock it at early as level 4(level 3 if you are a human).Simply because it has no level requirement so you just have to spend enough skill point in the Inferno tree to reach it. Your spells are also gonna get stronger if you stack your magic attribute(from passive spells and equipment). You can also go the critical damage route, which is basically stacking critical chance and critical damage, so your spells will often crit and deal enormous damage on enemies. I have some low level builds for every class if you are interested. :)

[@carpediem8873]

Yeah. That'd be great. I can find on your channel? Haven't had time to check yet

[@Hypegreene05]

Great... another video showing is the we are inferior.🤣🤣🤣 I didn't think about the KE fire and ice mine combined with static cage. Now I've got to make another KE. I did however use your necromancy suggestion Haroldson in JoH. I had Solas use pull of the abyss, Sera thew antivan fire bomb, I threw a pitch bomb, Cass ran and used spell wrath +spell purge and then I ran and the ice mine, fire mine and virulent bomb, and Solas the meteor spell. The fight didn't last 2 mins.🤣🤣 Do you find that Corephus is easy on Nightmare? I got more of a challenge out of Florian.

[@AKisHerceg]

Yes... Cory has one spell that is really hard to counter(the red beam that comes from both of his hands while he uses the orb in the final stage, which can zero even Blackwall if it connects when he closes his arms), but other than that he really is a terribly weak boss. Same with his dragon. By the time you reach them, you probably already killed Gurd and finished the Descent so you have been through way more dangerous stuff. But even if you only have the Trespasser dlc, fighting Saarath after killing Coypheus can definitely feel like a Herculean feet. Which is pretty weird, since Cory is one of the ancient magisters who supposed to be incredibly powerful. Especially with the Orb. And yet the qunari could eat Cory for breakfast, and he is just a huge Saarebas.

[@Hypegreene05]

@@AKisHerceg ok see I was wondering if I was just overpowered. I put it on Nightmare for a challenge and I didn't get it with that fight. I think he was much harder in DA2. My only issue with the KE and Battlemancer is that blade. It's slow and clunky. However, I don't know if you use mods but there is one that turns the Sword brand into the blade of tidarion. It could be cool as a duel weilding KE.

[@AKisHerceg]

@@Hypegreene05 Definitely! Cory in DA2 was a real challenge. In fact that fight is a bit of a bs to be honest, because he spends way too much time being invincible. So you run away from his aoe more and you fight more with Shades than with him...

[@Hypegreene05]

@@AKisHerceg that fight was a lot. I didn't even touch Nightmare. If I didn't have Anders I wasn't getting through it. I may go back and play da2 after watching your videos. But not Dao, too long.

[@Marcos-cp4ry]

Lighting cage + blizzard is a good combo? this was my main combo since blizzard causes aoe damage and cc, and lighing procs when enemies get ice damage

[@AKisHerceg]

It is a good combo, but I personally do not like Blizzard that much. It's a bit too expensive for a little aoe cold damage. If you use it with Static Cage, you basically finished your mana. In fact if you go with the Winter Winds upgrade(which I actually prefer), you can't even cast them directly after each other because they need too much mana(unless you drink a Lyrium Potion or use the Sigil of the Great Bear). With the Rift Mage and its mana leech it definitely works if you sustain it yourself though. You can even have a never ending Blizzard. :)

[@Marcos-cp4ry]

@@AKisHerceg I use Fase Step with Energizing Step upgrade right after to rebuild mana and keep up the fight. I liked your suggestion for the mana sustain. I will try them

[@ververkovs5931]

Hi, could you explain how do you get invisible on mage?

[@AKisHerceg]

It’s an item called The Ring of Doubt. You can get it from the quest Something to Prove in the Emerald Graves. :)

[@ververkovs5931]

Tnx, man!

[@djamabo]

And how do you do that multi hit combo with energy bombardment 😅

[@AKisHerceg]

The Flashpoint passive has a wired effect that works well with Energy Barrage. It will nullify the cost and cooldown of any talent while it is active. So if you press Energy Barrage fast enough(this is the only spell you can do this with) you can have multiple activation if Flashpoint is active on you.

[@djamabo]

@@AKisHerceg so those four shadows that stab the enemy as you unleash energy bombardment is from the flashpoint passive?

[@AKisHerceg]

@@djamabo Oh, sorry I misunderstood you. That effect comes from a Masterwork that lets you have a chance to proc the Assassin skill Hidden Blades on hit. You can farm the highest tier of that masterwork from Red Templars in Emprise du Lion. It is called Fade Touched Plush Fustian Velvet.

[@djamabo]

@@AKisHerceg Thank you so much just finished my first one now doing it on nightmare with this class as well as a rogue archer and dual-wield dagger for different perspective. Cant wait to become OP appreciate you

[@user-qv4qt1jz3b]

What is the kind of sword and how can you use it playing for mage ?

[@AKisHerceg]

The Blade of Tidarion. It's a dlc schematics, if you have Dreadwolf. You can get it if you complete the Stop War between Nevarra and Tevinter war table quest with Josephine. Then you can craft it in the staff section of the forge in Skyhold.

[@yand.8317]

How do you recover so many mana at every skill u cast ? I only use Pull of The Abyss an all my mana is gone.

[@AKisHerceg]

It is a unique passive skill from the Rift Mage spec. It is called Restorative Veil - it will restore a huge amount of mana from enemies who are under the effect of Weakened. So I recommend upgrading your active Rift Mage spells with the upgrade that applies the Weakened de-buff on enemies. This way you will constantly restore mana as soon as you damage them. Be careful though: you can't apply Weakened to enemies who are under the effect of Shocked. This results in a unique Sleep combo, which will not restore your mana.

[@yand.8317]

@@AKisHerceg Thank u so much ! U saved my build.

[@longhornsfreddy8001]

Great Vid

[@syfyky]

Im still learning the game. What specialization are you? I cut e en tell? Lol

[@AKisHerceg]

I show footage of all three specializations in this video. :)

[@syfyky]

@@AKisHerceg Thank you, I just realized I spelled *I can't even tell super wrong*. I must have been super tired when commenting ! 😂

[@JosieJOK]

More great combos!

[@luisalbertosandovaldumitru4742]

This is THE PAGE

[@mercboy111]

I notice you attack from behind. Should we invest in flanking damage buffs?

[@AKisHerceg]

Sure, you can if you want. As long as flanking buffs don't diminish your other buffs like crit chance, damage and attack. :)

[@mercboy111]

@@AKisHerceg got it. Thanks again as always 😊

[@Wolferys]

Is mind blast useful? I always thought it's useless cause it doesn't stun like it did in previous games, and there are other detonator that deal more damage

[@AKisHerceg]

You can see how useful it is in my next video. :) In short: yes it is very useful. It has short cooldown, it can detonate multiple types of combos(Basic - weaker, Nightmare - stronger). It staggers almost every enemy in the game and with the upgrade, it can even give you Barrier or remove negative status effects. Pretty good spell if you ask me.

[@uuuurghcryaboutit2417]

Hi buddy great video l, but I noticed the weapon you're using isn't a staff can you tell me how you did that lol

[@AKisHerceg]

It's a unique staff called the Blade of Tidarion. It's from the Trespasser dlc. If you have it installed, then completing the Stop War Between Nevarra and Tevinter War Table mission will reward you with the schematics. :)

[@uuuurghcryaboutit2417]

@@AKisHerceg amazing thank you

[@Massinissathefirst]

Great!

[@lzmreddragon3474]

How do you get the purple dude that’s attacking?

[@AKisHerceg]

Not sure what you mean. Can you time stamp it? No idea what purple dude you are referring to.

[@Bargalie]

Think he's proccing the assassin ability from a masterwork set

[@AKisHerceg]

@@Bargalie Ah, the Hidden Blades Masterwork! Yeah, the "purple dude". :)

[@wandersonoliveira8724]

I was looking for a comment asking about that purple dude too lol... I thought that was a item or some ability that I never saw before... thanks for asking first! Helped a lot.

[@moneytree4265]

is that blade of tidarian a good staff?

[@AKisHerceg]

Yes, it’s good. :)

[@paynehunter]

The first song in the video name?

[@AKisHerceg]

Dragon Age Inquisition - Ferelden Frostback. It's the music that plays during the fight with that dragon. :)

[@paynehunter]

@@AKisHerceg ty

[@ravenwolf4074]

Do you have a KE nightmare build?

[@AKisHerceg]

All of my builds are for Nightmare. I have the Frost/Fire Crusader and the 5 Knight Enchanter builds video. Plus I also have the Origins/Inquisition video about the Mage/Rogue build. :)

[@gamerhex7335]

What armor r u wearing?! Looks dope 👌

[@AKisHerceg]

The Superior Battlemage Armor schematics. :)

[@gamerhex7335]

@@AKisHerceg Thanks! I've been having trouble finding good looking armor for my mage lol

[@shaunmiura9463]

Can you show us the equipment you used?

[@AKisHerceg]

I always use the same equipment, but sometimes change the material I make it from. :) Superior Battlemage Armor - and the upgrades Blade of Tidarion schematics Archon Fire Staff schematics Ring of Slice Andraste's Sacrifice Superior Battlemage Cowl schematics

[@shaunmiura9463]

@@AKisHerceg thanks, I will use those in my next playthrough.

[@plainjoy9481]

😘