The Elementalist - Dragon Age Trilogy Builds

[@AKisHerceg]

If you like my videos, you can support the channel here: www.buymeacoffee.com/akisherceg 🍕 Thank you! :) It is finally here! The Elementalist Trilogy Build. :) Thanks for the patience, I know it took awhile to put it together. Hopefully the next one won't take so long. :)

[@StarMarshal]

Top tier content is always worth the wait.

[@AKisHerceg]

@@StarMarshal Thanks! :)

[@eduardosantos2477]

The mage class in origins is one of the best in all rpg fantasy games ever imo, so many options , a real shame that it was simplified in inquisition

[@eraythehan]

Agree

[@elvenatheart982]

I have to add that it is still pretty op.

[@thekingflea2199]

The lore behind origins was so good in my opinion but they definitely hurt the series bad with 2/inquisition the connection is there and strong but i felt as if the races are misinterpreted nowadays the Qunari didn’t really feel like any Sten weve met previously again in my opinion And i wish our story choices held more impact as far as if we picked harrowmont or behlen the dwarves would either be more underground still and living on old traditions more when visited in new games or if behlen ruled it would be more carta based lore in that storyline instead giving a different narrative in the entire world instead of just simpler things I just personally wanted all my decisions to make a MAIN storyline impact for example,different endgame bosses depending on my choices from origins in dreadwolf, or different followers maybe even the ability to build up small armies that you can fight alongside against big bosses or siege’s at big turning points They combat could be a little more fun to its pretty dull they have 3 motions 😂 We need some bannerlord/for honor combat system for melee and mages kinda gotta be how they are pretty much but they can add a couple more in that are casted without wielding a staff or something

[@fraisertinko]

No it wasn't, it was ridiculously OP from the very beginning) pick up fireball, blood magic spec with area CC (don't remember the spell name) and just easily crush CCed enemies) 0 challenge even on the nightmare difficulty) Oh, there is a big mage against you? 😮 No problem, just oneshot him with the mana clash)

[@morrisguinn6868]

Hopefully they adjust and elevate the mage class to it’s true epic potential in the next game

[@StarMarshal]

The Avatar build in other words. Can't wait to binge on this when I can properly enjoy it later! Keep up the great work.

[@AKisHerceg]

Yeah, these Trilogy Builds always end up being extremely long. I always have way too much to say in them lol. I guess one of the downsides is that you really have to find the time to be able to go through them from start to finish. I hope you guys have some refreshments or popcorn while watching them. :)

[@NatsTrapp]

I really hope Bioware returns lightning spells to their former glory in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Part of me was hoping you'd found some secret to the storm tree, but realism took hold, and I had to accept that the storm tree might just actually be pretty bad in terms of active skills. Lightning had always been my favorite element in any fictional universe. Throwing it around in Origins and 2 was fun though. Discharge combo looks awesome too. I suppose I'll continue to hope that lightning has really good spells the next time around!

[@AKisHerceg]

Lightning spells are good, its just when it comes to damage, they fall short. The highest damage comes from Static Cage + Energy Barrage, and that will pretty much empty your mana pool. I am not sure why, but Bioware also decided to cut the duration of its negative status effect(Paralyze) way too short to the point where on Nightmare, you can't even perform a Lightning Bolt + Stonefist combo for Discharge, because the animation takes longer than the duration of the status effect. So you can only detonate Static Charge this way. What could be the reason for this? I really don't know, since balance is pretty much out of the question, because freeze is actually very similar to paralyze and yet you can detonate that non-stop. Lightning turned into more of a cc school of magic, and sadly it is a weaker one than the Winter even on that front(because of the duration of the status effect). There is just no spell that could cause similar damage to Fire Mine or Winter's Grasp on chilled enemies. Yet, in Origins the scariest spell was Chain Lightning. Just as scary as Fireball at low levels. Just like you, I also hope that they fix this and give at least one high damage spell to the Storm tree.

[@NatsTrapp]

@@AKisHerceg So I've noticed that your "Golden Knight" inquisitor typically has the "Terrifying" Dorian from your AI builds in the party. I've noticed that lightning bolt seems useful for party members to use because your warrior is able to quickly capitalize off of the paralyze effect that lightning bolt gives. Have you tested how that works the other way around? Do the AI Warriors, if they have Lunge and Slash, or Shield Bash favorited, react quick enough to capitalize off of the controlled character casting lightning bolt on a nearby enemy? I really like the spell, and while I'm happy to let an AI controlled character use it, I'm curious if I could get any mileage off of playing a character built similarly to your "Terrifying" Dorian, and was curious if you had an answer to this! I greatly appreciate the hard work and effort that goes into these videos! Been watching since your "The first 10 abilities you need when you start Nightmare in DAI", and it's been a pleasure to see your abilities, knowledge, and content creation grow and improve. Super excited to see what you come up with next. Especially once Dragon Age: Dreadwolf releases!

[@AKisHerceg]

@@NatsTrapp Thank you very much for the kind words! I really appreciate your viewership! :) As for the Paralyze: yes, squad members indeed try to detonate combos as best they can. However, this can be a bit tricky, since they don't think ahead. For example: when it comes to the player, we would wait for Dorian to activate Lightning Bolt and THEN we would use a Shield Bash or Lunge and Slash on the Paralyzed enemy. That is why the AI in Origins was better since you could set them up to react to status effects: like "if target is paralyzed use x ability". With the AI in Inquisition, it is different. If you favorite the skill(which means you want them to use it often), they would fire it off whenever it is not on cooldown and they have enough stamina to perform it. Which means they lack foresight to hold it back until you hit them with Lightning Bolt. They fire it off as soon as they can so when you prime the target, they might have the detonator ability on cooldown or they will be out of stamina. Personally, that is why I like making the AI prime combos while I detonate them. It's like letting them set the charges and I blow up the bomb when I want to. I'm in control. When you let them detonate, sadly, they can mess things up. Even though they really try to detonate your primed targets. And since the AI can really only detonate with Shield Bash(Lunge and Slash can glitch out on them to the point where it will crash your game), it really is the best if you are the one who gives the ok for the "boom". Now, the only "cure" for this is to make it possible for you to create as many primers as possible and extend their mana pool while also lowering their cooldowns. Sigil of the Great Bear with a stamina regen amulet can help them with the stamina problem, Flow of Battle passive with critical change gear can help them with the cooldowns. After this, you need to do your best to create as many primed targets as possible. :)

[@matteomancini7069]

Ohhhh yesss it's finally here! Thank you for always delivering us these amazing and detailed videos, always take your time because the quality is always super high

[@AKisHerceg]

Thank you very much! :)

[@verymelonman12]

It's cool to see a game as old as Origins getting love from the fans with build videos like this. Only thing missing is a lore ridden backstory like what Fudgemuppet does with their builds but either way great job.

[@FerreusVir]

What a well done video! It was a joy to watch from beginning to end, and I really enjoyed your breakdowns of each game. Off to watch anything else you've got!

[@AKisHerceg]

Awesome, thanks! :)

[@АлександрИВанов-ж5н4ь]

Love the builds, but I believe "Mana Clash" in the spirit tree in Origins is worth mentioning. It allows you to pretty much one-shot any magic users within a considerable radius. (especially combining with vulnerability curse) And not just mages, spell effects abominations, and most demons as well, making a mage tower walkthrough a cakewalk (aside from those pesky templars. Having two mages with this spell allows destroying any mana-users even before the battle begins.

[@AKisHerceg]

I purposefully did not pick Mana Clash, because I felt like it did not fit into my Elemental focused build. Most of the time I do pick it up with my mages, because of its op nature, like with my Blood-Necro Origins build. :)

[@mauricesteel4995]

No Aang, you can't oneshot the Firelord with Manaclash, you have to fight and kill him with your elements.

[@ekaril]

Lol your comment about Aveline being a mop!! That's hilarious and poor Aveline but you're right, she can take it. Girl is a beast, tankier than even the unkillable Blackwall. Anyway nice build video! Definitely one of the most fun build and one I've done as well across the trilogy. Like you, hardest part was the 8 skill cap in Inquisition. I did mine differently though. I used no specialization skills and focused only on the other 4 trees. Yeah Stonefist was an elemental skill in Origins and 2, but I wanted to adapt to Inquisitions limitations and make do. So I took 2 skills each from the 4 trees, and also Necromancer passive. It wasn't a min max build but still very fun. Haven't really tested it against all the hardest bosses though and now that I've watched this video, you've given me ideas on how I ca improve it, such as using Masterworks to get either Chain Lightning or Immolate for free. So thanks for the tips! Your Golden Knight build videos was also really inspiring. Hoping to see more build videos in the future!

[@AKisHerceg]

Thanks! :) You will definitely see more Trilogy build videos in the future!

[@ecsqueeshi]

Thank you so much for this! Timing was perfect! I was going to do origins, dragon age 2 and a fourth run of inquisition -- all will be mages too so this was soooo good. I can't wait to try all of this!

[@IQTruth]

You’ve inspired me to do a trilogy as a two hand warrior as a Templar 🙌🏾

[@ConstantEve]

It's here. Let's gooo

[@Shashino]

Man, the format is so cool ! Love to see how you build an archetype in the whole trilogy (The Golden Knight is also very cool). This one is very nice, I think I'll try taking some inspiration from this one and your stealth rift mage build, do some tests and see what I like or not. Also, I'll try both Lovias and Tidarion to see which one I prefer. Anyway big thx for the content, can't wait to see what you'll do on DA 4 !

[@Jdwill206]

This was very cool to watch and gave me some ideas to try. I usually play the elemental route too. I might remake some of my armor and weapon accessories to get a little more crit dmg/chance. I usually just spec them with +% attack and mag/will for higher attack rating but I might try swapping out mag/will for dex. I play as a right mage too and go PoA (to weaken), static cage, barrage (upped attack but random target upgrade), stone fist (to reapply weaken), chain lighting, immolate (stone fist or chain lightning available again). Since mana jumps back up to full I can do all this before static cage ends. If anything is left standing after all that, PoA and static cage are ready to go again if needed. I also pair the hidden blades masterwork with barrage, and chain lightning and when it pops, and also sometimes on multiple enemies, that's another 5 hits from static cage each. It seems to pop frequently for me doing this. I like the idea of WB, I just wish that the 100% FT material didn't only drop from the sentinels. I don't mind not getting the big numbers on single targets because I play in the mindset of spreading out the dmg over multiple enemies at once because if they're not dead by time I've finished my attack sequence, they've been so severely weakened that my party members just take care of the scraps. Again your video was excellent and you gave me some really good ideas to try! One thing I would love to know is how you were able to spam barrage back to back like that. If I can do that paired with static cage, I'd be ecstatic!

[@Linkforlife199]

For those who want to try this build, activate Spell Might, then use Blizzard + Tempest and watch as enemies can't even get near you. Since we are using Chain Lightning in DA2, wouldn't it be better to use Fenris as our frontline tank so he can set up Staggers to allow our Chain Lightnings to do even more damage?

[@AKisHerceg]

I need a tank. To me, on Nightmare, Fenris does not last long at all. The only one who can reliably take punishment is Aveline.

[@somnus7959]

You finally released it lol! I’ve been waiting since you kept teasing us haha! Can’t wait to reinstall DA:I and try out all your new stuff.

[@Alpha_Morningstar]

Will good to see a combination between a tank a reaver and a berserker

[@СергейКубачёв-ж7ц]

Спасибо за ролик. Для мага лучшая броня это средний превосходный доспех Вейда. Шлем двужильных. Ключ от города. Антимагический оберег. Благословение Андруила. Второе кольцо на ваш вкус. Посох лорда магистра. Второй посох любой, но должен наносить урон огнём. С таким билдом можно вообще не качать ману, а только интеллект и хитрость до 16. К тому же можно включить две ауры и перегруза не будет. Для соло прохождения можно заменить магическую мощь на щит из боевой магии не включая саму боевую магию. С кольцом живитель у вас выйдет 48 брони, а это больше чем у масивного доспеха с включённой глухой обороной. При этом нет перегруза.

[@AdrianB-uv3np]

Yoooo just in time, i always wanted to play a mage in origins on nightmare, and i ve waited for your video, its like you knew i wanted to play a mage and made a video about it xD

[@AKisHerceg]

Hah! That is great then! I hope you will have fun! :)

[@Linkforlife199]

For my mage trilogy run (I completed Origins and 2 before checking out this video), I loosely followed this build to put my own spin on it, and it does so much damage, poor Blackwall was having issues keeping the enemies off me so the Inquisitor kept dropping like a rock, the worst area for it was during the Descent DLC, especially during the Darkspawn parts (on a side note, to hell with those Sha-Brytol crossbow wielders, they sniped the Inquisitor so many times, sometimes before I even saw them). For my own spin on the build, I went Necromancer, the ability to keep casting after getting sniped by reinforcement archers really brought out some serious firepower. The Fire and Ice Mines are really fun to use though, especially if you line them up right so enemies go through all 3 to reach you. The ability to clear out rooms of enemies with Fire Mines is so much fun. My main party I use is Blackwall, Sera and Vivienne. As of writing this comment, I have yet to kill Corypheus or attempt Jaws of Hakkon or Trespasser.

[@loghead1015]

Hey man, been watching your content for a while after I decided to get back into Origins and I gotta say, ive never had more fun with the series than I have after watching so many of your videos, playing your builds, and using all your tips. Even Nightmare and Trials have never felt soo.... inconsequential i guess is the right word. Your one of the best Dragon Age channels and you honestly deserve more views and subs with the work and passion you put in. Hope you find more success once they finally release Dragon Age 4. And speaking of, what is it you wanna so come out of Dragon Age 4 or what is your ideal Dragon Age game. All the best stuff from the each game and what you want to see in the future. Have a great day man.

[@AKisHerceg]

Thank you very much! :) I want a good story and likable characters when it comes to that part. In terms of gameplay, I would love it if Bioware would go back to the core of the first DA, and it would try to mix the elements of all three games into something awesome. I want them to keep the fast paced combat, but it would be nice if we would have the tactical mode back in its full glory, along with the normal tactics menu. More weapon classes! Why taking away classes instead of adding more? I would love to have the Dual Wield Warrior back(I would also love to use a crossbow) and many of the old specializations too, like the unique Arcane Warrior, the Blood Mage or the Spirit Warrior. I think if Bioware would get these right, I would be very happy. :)

[@adrianblania5565]

amazing work! Pleasure to watch :D

[@AKisHerceg]

Thanks! :)

[@petawilleatacat8963]

These videos inspired me to play again. Thank you 😁

[@elvenatheart982]

These characters look badass, I love the fierce look the warden has! Also, I love Dragon age the gane where dragons cann be killed with a bunch of bees!

[@-Pawuloniasty-]

I like pyromancer with Torch of Falon'Din staff (16% fire dmg & 2 rune slots) and Robes of Unblemished Cleanliness (2 all attributes, 24% all ele dmg, 1 rune slot).

[@daltonburns9909]

I'm about to do a mage run on nightmare, and i'm still torn between Necro and Rift Mage, but i want to feel like a spellcaster haha. I love this build concept but Walking Bomb just seems so powerful

[@eraythehan]

U should try making worst builds as well. I love ur videos keep making it 💓

[@fraisertinko]

In DA 2 there is a ring which will give you +24% to electrical and fire damage) I think it is from act 3 and can be purchased from Magnus) though it is expensive

[@paynehunter]

What's your favorite dragon age game? For me it's origins, inquisition and 2, in this order. I played origins when it came out and it was one of the best rpg games I ever played. I think I read every wiki page on origins. Mage class was so cool, with its combos. The only bad thing about it today is the graphics, which are still pretty good. It holds a special place in my heart.

[@AKisHerceg]

Same here. Origins>Inquisition>DA2. Origins - 10/10 Inquisition - 9/10 DA2 - 7/10 That is how I would rate them based on how much I like them. :)

[@cloven6315]

Yooo let’s go and now we need a two hand one and I would cry

[@ronnyj2983]

Love the builds here dude! Do you find on inquisition that the elemental resistances/immunities on nightmare pose a real problem at times? Or does the elemental variety in spells/switching staffs as needed cover bases enough and keeps your dmg output good? Never really played mage on DAI, especially a damage focused one so it’s a bit new to me. Thanks!

[@AKisHerceg]

Well one thing is for sure: it's nowhere near as annoying as it is in DA2. Most of it can be solved with a simple trick. Since most enemies are weak to the opposite of the element that they are immune to(for example fire immune dragons are weak to ice), it is easy to balance it with the proper mix of spells. Fire Mine is awesome for damage and more than enough to represent fire in your arsenal. For ice, pick up Energy barrage and craft a staff that has Ice base. Also get Winter's Grasp. This way, enemies who are immune to ice get blasted with Fire Mine, and the ones who are immune to fire will be bombarded with Energy Barrage and Winter's Grasp. There are only 2 enemies in the game who are immune to both: the Earthshakers in the Descent dlc, and the Qunari Spearmans in the Trespasser dlc. Against them just either use the party, or use spirit or electricity damage.

[@RodricksHomeInspire]

My favorite build to play to be honest!!!

[@n1kl051]

For DAI, dexterity on mage. Huh, wouldn't have thought of that. I used the same armor schematic (superior seer for helm) but I went with magic stacking. I have a total 117% attack, wonder how it compares to your build, which effectively has +93% attack if you multiply the extra crit dmg with crit chance

[@dubby856]

Hey man! Thanks for all these build guides, you made it legit difficult to settle on what class for my inquisition replay in anticipation of veilgaurd lol! I ended up settling with this one though, when do you think is a good idea to start actually investing points into the rift tree? Currently lvl 12, and I just unlocked it. B-line for the restorative veil/stonefist or wait till I get some more skill points? I don’t have too much experience playing mage on DAI so not sure what passives are necessary to have early or if I should just focus on skills. Thanks!!

[@AKisHerceg]

Hmm... At level 12 I had 14 points as a human so: Barrier, Guardian Spirit, Energy Barrage, Immolate(did not use this, just need it to get to Fire Mine), Flashpoint, Pyromancer, Fire Mine, Fade Step, Winter's Grasp, Winter's Stillness, Stonefist, Shatterstone, Veilstrike, Restorative Veil. My tactic was to freeze enemies with Winter's Grasp and blast them with Fire Mine, or shatter them with Stonefist. Also I used Stonefist to knock down and weaken enemies, then I used WG or Fire Mine on them to leech back my mana. I also used Energy Barrage on targets with high health. Whenever I was mobbed, I used Veilstrike. Once I had high crit chance equipment, I re-specced and picked up Clean Burn asap to reduce cooldowns.

[@dubby856]

@@AKisHerceg thanks so much for the quick detailed answer bro, will definitely give these tactics a try!!

[@brother_able4592]

Would love to see you do a reaver/berserker hybrid class. For origins

[@tjs1212]

Hi! Love your videos. I was wondering if it's viable to stack magic on this build instead of dex in DAI, maybe with Tidarion?

[@AKisHerceg]

Yes. Magic gives more Attack, so your damage will still increase, but you won't get those sweet crits. But it is absolutely viable.

[@dillonboles6226]

Yooooooooo I’ve been waitin😬😬😬😬 like like like like

[@imjeff2448]

Hi! I was wondering, what order do you pick your spells and passives? Same with party members? Also, do you ever switch out party members for certain quests or scenarios? Like, say that my romance partner isn’t part of my main party unless you’re a female human in love with Blackwall, which I never play. Instead I was thinking of building a party with this elementalist, Blackwall, Iron Bull and Varric, or Blackwall, Dorian and Varric.

[@ligmamalemindset457]

Thank you so much for the guide. I've been playing through Dragon Age 2 on nightmare for the first time and it's been a challenge gathering reliable info for optimal set ups. Would you consider doing a Blood Mage trilogy? I know DA:I doesn't have it so maybe a "necromancer" trilogy? I hope I don't seem ungrateful for the knowledge you've already bestowed.

[@AKisHerceg]

Yeah, later on I could do one. :)

[@christinefarrell6438]

Hand of Winter is such a fun spell, I hope it makes a return someday. How did you use Earthquake? It always seemed suboptimal to me compared to Blizzard's freeze effect and ability to stack with Tempest to make Storm of the Century

[@AKisHerceg]

Very situational spell, almost has no use... You can use it during Redcliffe to trip and slow the undead as they go through your Inferno for example. It slows enemies so they can take more damage in Tempest, Blizzard or Inferno. That's pretty much it.

[@christinefarrell6438]

@@AKisHerceg Thank you! So pretty much "it exists on the way to Petrify" is what I gather. It would be cool if Earthquake made a return is something like an AOE stonefist, there's a lot of potential to the spell.

[@SVS304]

Thanks for the video. Got a few questions though. So, thinking about playing a qunari mage in Inqusition (after I've finished game as human "Golden Knight"). What would be pros and cons if I'll switch to Blade of Tidarion, will it be viable? Same question about Antaam-saar, will it work? And finally helmet slot. All regular helmets are no go for qunari, can you recommend another one?

[@Nagram_]

Finally

[@surmankeith]

I absolutely love your builds and the work you put into this. Do you have a recommendation for how to level the party members until you can get the full builds for them?

[@AKisHerceg]

Thank you! :) In which game? All three?

[@t.t6294]

Origins might look dated but it had so many damn options. it's a shame the RPG elements were streamlined in Inquisition

[@AKisHerceg]

Yup, true!

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

A very fun build indeed! The idea of controlling the elements and utilizing them is fascinating, whether it’s fighting fantastical beasts or for everyday life. Other than that though I did have a question: What would be changes you would make to Dragon Age 2? I remember reading a comment, in one of your older videos, you replied to talking about your dislike for DA2 so I was wondering.

[@AKisHerceg]

I would change a lot... :) The combat system is too rigid and stiff like in Origins, yet the pace of the combat is much, much faster. In fact it is more rigid than in Origins, since you can't interrupt your own attacks. This leaves you exposed so many times, it is unfathomable how Bioware did not think to fix this. It appears that they are unaware of the fact that sometimes when you activate an ability(or just use a basic attack) you might have a microscopic change(I'm being sarcastic lol) to want to reposition? Not sure why... oh, maybe to... hmm... dodge?? This is so apparent with the Arishok battle it is embarrassing that they gave an "ok" to this system. Did they even test this? The Arishok can literally turn into a racing car and hit you in less than a second, so if you are in an attack animation at that time, you are doomed. Since you can't dodge it. Not exactly realistic is it? Bioware wants you to constantly play chicken(an lose) with enemies who can rip you apart. This is by far the biggest problem in the game - and guess what? It was not in Origins! You could interrupt anything there: normal attack, active skill, consumables, sustained ability - literally everything. Seems like back then they understood the value of "dodge". I would change the ridiculous wave system, which summons enemies out of nowhere. Completely backwards. Lazy, sloppy, dumb. What is the point of the lore if the gameplay will break it constantly? For example abominations literally coming out of the ground? Huh? Just to summon the next wave? I thought a mage needs to be possessed in order to turn into an abomination. Here apparently demons can summon them from the ground. The wave system is rightfully gone from Inquisition and hopefully forgotten forever(or at least re-worked into something sensible with the rifts). The resistances... oh my god. Once again, how in the hell are they making any sense? In Origins, they did make sense! A Rage demon made out of pure fire will be immune to fire. Perfectly sensible. Same with corpses being immune to poisons and golems resist petrify. This is all fine and understandable. But how in the hell a normal human peasant is immune to fire in DA2? How can it be that those bloodrager thugs are immune to cold? These are just ordinary humans! It just stinks from lazy development and an inept way to ramp up the difficulty for Nightmare. And what is up with these hostile mages and rogues?? Can we nerf that backstab damage just a little bit? I mainly talk about early levels here. I mean come on... if they one shot your rogue or mage, ok that is tough, still silly(it did not happen in Origins), but ok they are weak with low health. But to one shot your tank? Often times hostile rogues can even stagger or knockback! Which means they WILL stun-lock your butt! And you literally have 2 seconds to "flush them out". And the only way to flush them out is to use an aoe damage skill, which will hurt your party, unless it is a lightning skill or blood magic. Dumb. Same with the silly Saarebases. They can summon that lightning ball in the middle of your party in less than a seconds and it starts dealing very high otd immediately, so you will definitely use up your group heal if you get surprised. If you don't have a group heal at that time, your rogues will go to sleep instantly. Same with Blood Mages. Insane. Stat distribution. What were they thinking? Cunning for defense and crit chance, and dex for crit dmg? Once again, just dumb. Why on earth would I put more points on cunning if I already have 120% crit chance? And I only need 100% to hit crit all the time? Oh, yeah because my defense is still just around 60%. So I end up wasting stats on something I already achieved(100% crit chance), because that stat is tied to another essential ability(defense). So instead of me placing my attributes on dex for more damage, nope, you still have to boost your cunning since below 75-80% defense is a death sentence for any ai rogue. That is why most people don't bring Isabella on Nightmare. How come enemies can literally spam incredibly powerful skills? Is this a glitch or it was planned? How come a Revenant can use mass pull 3 times in 12 seconds? Not funny Bioware. How come skills can still "home" on you?? Melee skills! Renged or magic? Okay, fine. I get it. But melee?? Did you see my Arishok battle with my Elemental Force Mage? He hits me with a melee attack from the other end of the room! Baffling. All because that is a "targeted" ability which you can't dodge. They were present in Origins too but very scarce(basically the Golem's "Slam" ability and the Ogre's "Ram"). So instead of fixing those senseless skills they actually added more! And they also included in a DUEL(with the Arishok)! I mean a dual is all about hitting and dodging! And yet, I can't doge your skills? Instead of studying what a duel is supposed to be Bioware must have blasted MC Hammer while they designed the game. Only they switched "You can't touch this" with "You can't dodge this". Now this is not combat related, but it still bugs me: the enemy variations. Seriously? I go through all this trouble to defeat a horde of massively op undead to find out that the main boss of this herculean quest is... yet another Pride Demon!? All of the main bosses for any of the non-main quests are either Pride Demons, Desire Demons, Arcane Horrors, Revenants or Dragons... The exact same enemy types we already fought before. They are just on massive doses of steroids apparently since they deal way more damage and they have an insane amount of health. Oh, and they spawn even more enemies. Lazy, boring, uninspired and just not fun. So you end up not wanting to replay any of these quest in subsequent playthroughs. Plus what is with the Varteral? I thought Arienne said in Origins that they are "only legends", which means they are a "bit" rare, right? So how come the Dalish keeper talks about it as if it's just another pest that entered their cave? And we fight with it just like we would with a big fat boring spider instead of a creature from legends? And we fight two! So it seems like the Free Marches are like a breeding ground for legendary creatures! Oh wait, no... it's just the devs re-using the same enemy type because it is faster/cheaper than to create something unique. Very disappointing. There are many more(characters, story, protagonist, the choices and the dialogue wheel), but I think you get the gist of it. All of these problems could have been fixed with some BASIC testing and a little effort. Or just by replaying their own game that they made a few years earlier. I can't really put all the blame on Bioware, they were on the clock working for EA, and they had to meet the deadline. Still, the result almost destroyed the entire franchise. Thankfully, Inquisition came to the rescue. :)

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

@@AKisHerceg oh yeah trust me, I definitely agree on combat. On nightmare, it’s ridiculous to play the game because of the imbalance. Playing low levels is a literal nightmare. It’s too bad they took out trap-making and skills like that because that would’ve been useful against rogues and the constant mobs. Story-Wise, I saw potential but that got rushed and was just not that great. A big gripe with me is the personality choices for Hawke. A person is layered but they literally wanted you to be one type of personality and it was weird. That’s why in my playthroughs I have my Hawke just use all of them depending on the situation. The whole Templar/Mage could’ve been more developed. I still think of the possibility of Templars and Qunari having conflict about the treatment of Mages. It could’ve been interesting.

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

Thanks for replying though, I always enjoy listening and talking Dragon Age with others. Another reason I am asking too is because my sister and I plan to write about my canon Dragon Age world state. I’ve planned on certain changes(some big, some small) to the stories and events. It’s an exciting project and journey that I can’t wait to start. I’ve enjoyed hearing what people liked and disliked and have taken stuff into account when it came to ideas. That actually leads me to another question: do you have any media like Discord or anything?

[@AKisHerceg]

@@indeathsacrifice6781 No, not really. I do have Discord but I barely use it nowadays. My comment section is open however and I rarely miss a comment. So feel free to write here, I will be happy to answer. :)

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

@@AKisHerceg Awesome to hear! Actually, am I able to link Questionaires or Google form links on YT? I actually have some that asks about certain ideas and stuff like that. I would be glad to give it to you and anyone who comes across the comment.

[@vlad_Che561]

Hello. Can this build beat bosses of DLCs? I mean The Golems of Amgarrak and Mark of the Assassin. I'm also looking for a build for Tallis.

[@AKisHerceg]

I finished every dlc with this build on Nightmare, so, yup. :) We are talking about NM right? The difficult thing is to keep her alive, otherwise she is basically a watered down Assassin. She has similar skills and she can deal a lot of damage. I might put together a video about all DA2 characters and their functional AL builds.

[@-Pawuloniasty-]

Please, reaver/berserker with two handed weapon :) There was a knight in golden armor, now a bloodthirsty Warrior ;)

[@jimbostunna]

Is there any reason you dont take the Chaotic Focus passive? It seems like losing half your barrier would help you get closer to proccing Mana Surge to freeze enemies.

[@AKisHerceg]

Sadly, that passive does not with the the Flaming Array upgrade. That is why I did not pick it up. :)

[@jdd8743]

In this DAO Playthrough you had Alister, Morgan and Stem as your main party? I'm curious if there is a video showing or anyway you could provided their skill tree, main stats distribution and how your AI was set up for each party member? Love the content - Keep up the good work.

[@AKisHerceg]

I will probably make a video about it in the future. :)

[@Thorkou]

do you plan on doing a Arcane knight trilgy too? I know the Arcane knight is only possable in Origans and Inquisition but maybe there's a way to make something close in Dao2. and what about a 2 handed warrior build too?

[@AKisHerceg]

I might. I really have no idea about DA2 though. I know Spirit Healer can be tanky as hell, but there is no option for melee weapons for mages there sadly.

[@-Pawuloniasty-]

About robes... Vestments of the Seer from DLC is good too?

[@AKisHerceg]

Yup.

[@ПертВасильев-н6ь]

What music plays from 25:40? Enjoyed it so much, but wasn’t able to find it with my Shazam?

[@AKisHerceg]

Scout Lace Harding Instrumental version. :)

[@ПертВасильев-н6ь]

@@AKisHercegWow! Thank you so much for your quick response! :)

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

Where do you get the armor for the Dragon Age 2 build? It looks awesome!

[@AKisHerceg]

It's a dlc armor that comes with the edition that I bought on Steam. I did not buy the dlc individually, they were in the bundle so I don't know the name of it for sure, but according to the wiki, it is from the All Class Item Pack II - Mage Item Pack II. It's called Aldenon's Vestments.

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

@@AKisHerceg thanks for the reply. I looked up and saw it was from one of those bundles :(. Too bad. It’s one of the coolest armors I’ve seen.

[@daltonburns9909]

So decided to go this route, quick question for party, could viv be swapped with Dorian using your "Terrifying Dorian" build? or would the skills clash?

[@AKisHerceg]

You have to pick a different spell tree then for Dorian, since Lightning messes up your ability to leech back mana as a Rift Mage(because if you apply the Shocked status effect on Weakened enemies, it will remove the Weakened effect, and as a Rift Mage you leech mana by damaging Weakened enemies). However, if you are willing to not leech mana, you can perform non-stop Sleep combos(because if you apply Weakened status to Shocked enemies, they go to sleep).

[@daltonburns9909]

@@AKisHerceg gotcha, I kinda was worried about that. I know a lot of people have done fire necros, I could try that route maybe? I know viv is strong, just don’t like her personality and plan to romance Dorian on this playthrough ha.

[@anfelvainwitstond143]

I've installed some big modpack to replay DAO and try the primal path for the first time and my fireball has the same cast time as inferno now, in general I can't seem to be able to go wild with primal without killing my whole team. Maybe just to try sniping the backlines, but rogues feel better at that. Guess I'm going with utility mage this time... again...

[@borrow4654]

Hey quick question about the armor schematic. Mine can only reach 244 armor rating. Is it because I'm lv 21? Will the schematic allow me to crank it up to 269 once I'm higher level, or did I mess up by buying it at my level? The same happens with the blade of Tidaruon for exampme...where i can only reach 85 but the wiki says it can go up to 87

[@AKisHerceg]

It depends on what materials you make it from. Tier 4 materials(Dragon Bone, Ice Dragon Bone, Veil Quartz, Silken Nether Cloth, Dragon Webbing, Dragon Scale, Avvar Twil, Ice Dragon Scale, Imbued Tusket Hide) are needed for the highest numbers. :)

[@GattoSe1vatico]

Two handed templar trilogy?)

[@Hypegreene05]

Have you tired using the mod for the pandemonium setting? Using your advice I'm just too overpowered for Nightmare mod. I'm redoing my solavellen and I'll be using your wraith build.

[@AKisHerceg]

I haven’t. I have not used any mods for Inquisition. :)

[@Hypegreene05]

@@AKisHerceg I have to. Your builds have made me so op. I just finished a run as a Templar and that spell purge combo was excellent as was my run as a Battlemancer. It was just way too easy for Nightmare. So this should be a nice challenge with the walk softly trail on, plus I picked up one to make the final fight with Corephyus more challenging too.

[@AKisHerceg]

@@Hypegreene05 That's awesome! I love that you are pushing the limits of my builds with new challenges! :)

[@The-Policy-Puls]

Really enjoying this, is there any reason to not go with the sword if I decide to stack magic instead of crit and crit damage?

[@The-Policy-Puls]

Also if I decide to use heal on hit( don't be ashamed Ik it's cheese) would you recommend the bomb master work, chain lighting or hidden blades?

[@AKisHerceg]

1. Nope, no reason. Blade of Tidarion kicks ass so go for it! :). 2. I would go for Walking Bomb, definitely.

[@imjeff2448]

Another question; Will we see this mage return when you play Veilguard? I sure hope so! It seems like I’m one of the rare few that’s actually excited about the new game anymore! 😂

[@AKisHerceg]

That depends on what Veilguard will allow. I hope we can see all of my Trilogy Builds return! :)

[@imjeff2448]

@@AKisHerceg Of course then you’ll have to call them quadrillogy builds! 😂😂😂

[@imjeff2448]

@@AKisHerceg Hey! Sorry if I’m pestering you at this point, but you never answered my first question about what order I should get my skills for my character and companions. Do I just make a beeline for Rift Mage skills after the pre-Skyhood build or should I respec once I unlock the Rift Mage specialization?

[@AKisHerceg]

@@imjeff2448 Respec and get the Rift Mage spells with the weakening passive. Then get Fire Mine and Winter’s Grasp.

[@imjeff2448]

@@AKisHerceg Thanks! What about for my team? Obviously Blackwall has Champion specialization, Varric, Artiificiar, and Viviene, Knight Enchanter. But other than that, how should I level them up and what order?

[@adrianblania5565]

Hey, can you tell me where did you get the ring of transitional power? Like I mentioned in the previous video. There is no info on the fan wiki. I forgot to ask which class is for you the most enjoyable in DA2?

[@AKisHerceg]

I got that as random loot from a chest. I think it is the rogue. The fully specced rogue Assassin can finish enemies in seconds. :)

[@adrianblania5565]

@@AKisHerceg facts. I'm running a duelist/assassin rogue and twin fangs, loaded explosive shot, assasinate and vendetta finish enemies in seconds 😁 Random loot ? You're lucky. I'm already act 3 and found nothing. I am specifically searching for them thanks to your trilogy builds. 😁

[@AKisHerceg]

@@adrianblania5565 Ah that is too bad. I hope you will get it in act 3. Good luck! :)

[@adramahlihko]

hey again man, what and where are some good early game items i can get? currently at level 9 almost reaching skyhold, damage is decent but i get the feeling it could be better, im using the crafted staff and armor from val royeaux, which i believe is tier 2 currently

[@AKisHerceg]

Tier 2 is fine until you get enough money for a tier 3 or 4 from the Black Emporium- where I get most of my schematics. :)

[@adramahlihko]

@@AKisHerceg also, where can i get some good staves? i cant get wrath of lovias yet and neither encore

[@AKisHerceg]

@@adramahlihko As soon as you reach Skyhold, just complete the War Table quest Stop War between Nevarra and Tevinter. This will give you the Blade of Tidarion - an awesome staff(but technically a sword). You can keep it permanently too, since it is a perfectly good end game staff. Either way it should be good enough until you can afford the others.

[@adramahlihko]

@@AKisHerceg sorry to bother but i have another question -im just too excited with this build-. Could it work if i go for a atack% path instead of pure crit?

[@AKisHerceg]

@@adramahlihko Yup. It definitely works that way too. :)

[@vlad_Che561]

How did you get through the game without a rogue in the group? I mean Origins. Who opened the locks and disarmed the traps?

[@AKisHerceg]

No one. Where I absolutely wanted to open a lock I quickly picked Leliana, opened the lock then sent her back to camp. Since I already know where all the traps are in the game, I don’t really need a rogue to disarm them. :)

[@vlad_Che561]

@@AKisHerceg ty, sir!

[@dillonboles6226]

Would you leave dual striking on for Alistair since it doesn’t allow for critical hits on regular swings outside his abilities ?

[@AKisHerceg]

Yes. Dual Striking is amazing. :)

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

I actually need some help with something. Awhile ago I tried a nightmare playthrough of DA2 again as a two handed Hawke. I went into the vanguard tree and put only some points into two handed tree but after that fully focused on Berserker and Templar tree. She did well in combat but the companions were a little wonky. Attributes were also a little hard to think of so I searched it up and was told I needed more willpower for berserk. I believe by endgame I had like 70 strength(74 with Hawke’s Key), 30 Willpower, and I believe 30 Constitution. I had set ups for combos with companions but I felt like they were not enough. Do you have a suggested builds I can have for companions to make the game easier to play?(specifically Isabela, Varric, Sebastian, Fenris). Also tips on attribute disruption for the build I went for with my Hawke if that wasn’t the right move.

[@AKisHerceg]

Well, Berserkers can have a massive damage boost based on their current stamina pool, so it is wise to go after Willpower instead of strength. The Berserk ability gives you 10% damage bonus based on your stamina pool's current amount. Savage Berserk increases this to 15%. So obviously with high Willpower - high stamina pool - that damage can be pretty impressive. Adrenaline increases your damage after each activation, so you can keep stacking it to the point where you can hit insanely hard(with Adrenaline Rush you have no cooldown on it) - just drink a stamina potion to fill up your stamina bar when the multiple Adrenaline activation depletes it(Adrenaline Rage increases the damage bonus). You can one shot the Arishok this way. So instead of Strength you should definitely go after Willpower, since it will increase your stamina, therefore your damage. The Vanguard tree has some good sustainable skills, unfortunately they take away your damage - remember, you gain damage based on your current stamina pool. So if a sustainable skill takes away 40% of you stamina pool, you will deal 40% less damage. Isabella is very difficult to keep alive on Nightmare, especially if you are next to her dishing out tremendous friendly fire. Same with Fenris - either go after single target skills like Pommel Strike - this can prime targets with stun - or forget it and pick Aveline(as a Berserker on Nightmare, you can't really take that much damage anyway so you definitely need a tank). Fenris is also a friendly fire monster so it is not the best thing to be next to him. Varric is good, as long as you give him Pinning Shot and his specialization's skills(boost his cunning for defense). His other archery skills cause massive friendly fire so don't pick those. Same with Sebastian. Anyone is good as long as they are far away from you. Except Aveline, since she will survive no matter what.

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

@@AKisHerceg so you recommend only focusing on passives in vanguard and only put strength up to armor requirements?(I like using champion armor). Sounds interesting, I’ll definitely have to try that out. So how should I focus attributes early game? I do plan on getting Beserker at level 7.

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

@@AKisHerceg okay so I went to an old save before the final battle and messed with my Hawke a bit. I played two different ways: one with Hawke’s Key and another with The Blade of Mercy. Hawke’s Key Build: The stats(with equipment that boost stats as well) were - 34 Strength 73 Willpower 30 Consitution This one went well damage wise but whenever Barrage was off cooldown I felt the slowness. The buffs with the key though helped a lot. Blade of Mercy Build: The blade had a crit rune and the primival red lyrium rune. The stats were - 44 Strength 59 Willpower 30 Constitution This build I felt pretty powerful because of the attack speed with the weapon, rune, and barrage. Overall I was seeing 100-400 plus damage numbers, maybe more because I stopped focusing after awhile but what is your opinion on both? Should I make changes or do you have more advice? Ik you said not to use talents, and I didn’t, but I had spare points so should I use scythe or something for spike or go for more defensive passives? I built Aveline as a tank with multiple buffs so that helped in combat and I had Sebastian and varric and they seemed to survive and do well so I’m good with that thankfully.

[@AKisHerceg]

@@indeathsacrifice6781 Both seem fine to me. You can use talents for massive spike damage of course, I was mainly talking about sustainable skill that cut your stamina down as long as they active. Just try to keep your stamina high with stamina restoring skills and potions after talent activation to keep the damage buff.

[@indeathsacrifice6781]

@@AKisHerceg yeah I went into Battlemaster to get second wind, or whatever it’s called and it helped a lot. I also customized Aveline to use rally at a specific time. I will probably stick with mighty blow for brittle bonus, maybe, and go into whirlwind because I found myself surrounded a lot. I just have to be careful with Aveline lol.

[@Dar7501]

did you find that this build/playstyle works best without a rogue in the party or could you perhaps swap someone out

[@AKisHerceg]

Nope, if you are careful with FF a rogue is just as good as any warrior. Alistair can be switched for Leliana for example.

[@yanos3584]

When going solo in DAI you generate guard. So i assume you swap to a "guard on hit" staff? or is there another way?

[@AKisHerceg]

Andraste’sSacrifice amulet gives reduced cooldowns, bonus mana regen and a War Cry-like taunt effect that builds guard. :)

[@yanos3584]

there is so much, that is not written in the discription ^^ thanks for the reply. love your vids btw :)@@AKisHerceg

[@mjako81]

How do you get dex on a cowl that is cloth/cloth when dex is from leather? I assume the superior battlemage cowl is the tier 3 battlemage cowl, but I can only use cloth when crafting that and I can't find any schematic for a superior battlemage cowl even on the wiki.

[@AKisHerceg]

You use Avvar Cotton from the Jaws of Hakkon dlc. :)

[@AKisHerceg]

It is the normal Battlemage Cowl from the Jaws of Hakkon dlc. You can get it at the Stone Bear Hold Merchant. This one is actually a Tier 3 version. The other Battlemage Cowl(which you can get from random loot) is just Tier 2. So even though in name the devs forgot to add Superior, it is certainly superior. :)

[@mjako81]

@@AKisHerceg ok, then I've found the right schematic just have to go kill avvar for the cotton.. at lvl 11, think I'll wait a little for that upgrade.

[@Angelux51]

I have a qunari mage with this build. Any suggestions for what helm to use with qunari?

[@AKisHerceg]

The Cretahl Vitaar is good for this one.

[@asitisrequiredasitisrequir3411]

in DAI how do you not just run out of mana spamming spells like that?

[@AKisHerceg]

@@asitisrequiredasitisrequir3411 No. And I explain why in the video. :) Rift mages can leech mana from weakened enemies. After I weakened them, any damage I deal will result in mana leech.

[@GT-legendary]

i played this build on nightmare for DAO bruh...it felt like i was cheating i had to triple check the difficulty the start was so easy too

[@ConstantEve]

If playing as qunari what vitaar would you suggest using?

[@AKisHerceg]

Cretahl or the Felandis I think.

[@TLG6669]

It looks like you gave Viv the BoT. Is it cold with a lightning rune?

[@AKisHerceg]

I believe I made it from Veil Quartz, so that means the base is Lightning and I placed a Frost rune in it. :)

[@TLG6669]

@@AKisHerceg Walking Bomb masterwork?

[@AKisHerceg]

@@TLG6669 You can use that, if you want more damage, but I wanted her to be more durable, so I used Walking Fortress on hit and for crowd control I gave her Veilstrike on hi. :)

[@op-qn4kb]

Can you make the ultimate support

[@AKisHerceg]

Yup. :)

[@abraduks11]

Hi need advice proper tactic for tank warrior ?

[@AKisHerceg]

AI tactics? Or player tactics? Which game you need advice on?

[@abraduks11]

@@AKisHerceg origins need for origins and for ai like for Alister

[@AKisHerceg]

@@abraduks11 This is a Champion Templar Alistair - Weapon and Shield. Self - Any: Shield Wall Self - Any: Rally Enemy - Any: Taunt Enemy - Nearest Visible: Shield Bash Enemy - Any: Shield Pummel Enemy - Any: Overpower Enemy - Rank Elite or higher: Assault Self - Being attacked by melee: War Cry Ally - Status Immobilized: War Cry if I don't have a mage with Mana Clash then I make Alistair use Holy Smite on mages. This is what I use for Alistair whenever he is a Weapon and Shield Tank. :)

[@abraduks11]

@@AKisHerceg wow.... you fast like very fast .. Thank you much

[@Razyaze]

Can I use leliania instead of sten and make alistar the tank

[@AKisHerceg]

Yes, of course. Make sure she has lots of dex and Evasion. If you have the Battledress, put that on her along with your second Spellward(provided that you can buy it the first time you enter the party camp). She will be quite formidable with two good daggers or a decent bow.

[@jamesandrews3700]

You can't have flame and frost weapons active at once

[@AKisHerceg]

Depends. If both spells coming from you, then this is true. If they come from two different sources, then yes, you can.

[@jamesworkshop9181]

Lightning only drains stamina and not mana

[@zalu2981]

How do you get the armor ur mage is wearing in DAI?

[@AKisHerceg]

It's in the video: it is the Superior Battlemage Armor schematics from the Hissing Waste shop. You need the Short List Inquisition perk for it to periodically appear in the shop. :)

[@zalu2981]

@@AKisHerceg thx :)

[@Palpad100]

18:12 feel free to do so

[@GreyWardenWolf]

Xebenkeck Fight?

[@AKisHerceg]

I will check if I have a save before it. :)

[@conradkorbol]

Can you respec alistair without mods?

[@AKisHerceg]

Nope, you can't. So here, he is not re-specced either.

[@conradkorbol]

@@AKisHerceg wait he just has shield skills and you went dual wielding from there? You are a mad man. I love it. Your content is addicting lol

[@AKisHerceg]

@@conradkorbol Thanks! :) Yup, since he comes with you since level 3-4 you can tailor his skills easily to your own taste after levelling up.

[@conradkorbol]

@@AKisHerceg yeah but he has several levels in fighter and has 3 in the shield but I hear you.