Post by vixsyn on Oct 29, 2016 12:12:12 GMT
I am attempting to preserve some of the guides and information from the old forum by reposting it here. I do not claim authorship of any of these guides unless explicitly stated. Where necessary I have added links to various videos included in the guide where the original links failed to copy. In some cases I have also tried to tidy up/unify formatting. Edits/addendums from me are in this lovely orange colour! I hope these guides continue to be relevant and helpful to players of these excellent games. -Vix
Guide Credit: AreleX
Please note that the early part of this guide is relevant to the game prior to the 1.02/1.03 patches. This is also stated just below in black but is important enough to try getting your attention twice!
July 24th 2011 - Guide updated for 1.02/1.03, check the bottom of the post and leave me alone.
Your party is hurting. Archers surround you on all sides. A Lieutenant rallies his troops, making them even deadlier and more resilient. You manage to take a few down, but the Lieutenant himself just won't drop. This is going to be difficult.
Then, when things couldn't get any worse, a Templar Hunter emerges from the shadows. He throws down a flask that explodes into a cloud of smoke, and makes a sound that almost all have come to know signifies one thing: death. He re-emerges seconds later, daggers sunk deep inside the back of an unsuspecting companion, as they fall to the ground, lifeless. Just as soon as he appeared, he vanishes, preparing to systematically destroy your entire party. Death now becomes not a question of 'if', but of 'when'...but what if there was another way? What if you yourself could become like this? For those looking to find answers to these questions, I present...
Dual-Wield Assassin - When Overkill Isn't Enough
Videos!
I suggest watching in 720p.
The Battle for Kirkwall - Special Video!
The Ultimate Assassin
The Ultimate Assassin 2: Glass Cannon Destroyer
Faceroll Frenzy
The Real Walking Bomb
All That Remains - special video
DW Assassin - Tranquility (Editor Note: This is blocked in some countries by SME for copyright infringement, including the UK where I'm based, so I can't verify the content)
DW Assassin on the Wounded Coast
DW Assassin - Night Lies
DW Assassin vs the Ancient Rock Wraith
DW Assassin - 1:30 Hybris Kill
DW Assassin - 28-Second Deep Roads Dragon Boss Kill
DW Assassin - 30-Second Sundermount Mature Dragon Kill
DW Assassin - Two-Minute Nexus Golem Gauntlet Clear
DW Assassin - One-Minute Varterral Kill
DW Assassin - Templar vs Templar (Midnight Meeting/Dissent)
DW Assassin - Sleep Now in the Fire / Non-US/Canada bros that have vid blocked (Note: Also blocked in the UK; unverified)
Why DW Assassin?
Rogue Assassins have what is, bar none, the highest single-target spike damage in the game. Low on survivability, but high on killing power, they step out of the 'glass cannon' realm at the end of Act I, and become 'glass goddamned Predator drones' in mid-to-late game scenarios. What if I told you that you could instantly kill Lieutenants and Templar Hunters/Assassins before they even have a chance to swing their swords like morons, or disappear into a cloud of bull****? That's why you play DW Assassin; because there are times when it's not enough to just kill enemies. you want to utterly obliterate them out of existance, past, present, and future, along with their entire immediate family. I'm going to teach you how to do just that.
Abilities
Dual Weapon
Backstab
Really not that great of a skill, but you'll need it to get at the ones you actually want. It can, however, be used for mobility and repositioning purposes, helping you get yourself to an advantageous position. If you're playing console and low on ability binds, drop this as soon as you unlock more of the good stuff.
Explosive Strike (Merciless Strike)
This is a great ability when combined with the effects of Blindside, and one of the first you'll unlock that lets you finish a cross-class combo (CCC). With Unforgiving Chain fully loaded, you can hit hard enough to one-shot an Assassin off of a stagger, and If I said I made this build with anything but one-shotting Assassins in mind, it would be a goddamn lie. The physical force modifier really helps too, and if you don't kill something outright, you'll most certainly knock it on its ass.
Unforgiving Chain
A great passive all around for the entire game. Since you can get pretty close to guaranteed criticals (still investigating exactly what's needed to get there), this will help to put you over the edge. Late game, you will spend most of your time auto-attacking, and free criticals never hurt anyone, right? Besides that mercenary who just said he'll 'stick you like a pig', I mean, but **** that guy.
Twin Fangs (Reversed Grip)
This is another one of the first abilities that really lets you put the hurt on some enemies. You get a guaranteed two-hit critical off of it, along with the same force modifier as Explosive Strike. I'll often use Twin Fangs in conjunction with a few basic attacks for a fast way to kill Archers (who you will soon find to be the bane of your existance) and other tough enemies. The Reversed Grip upgrade gives you a 10s cooldown reduction, which should make it one of your more often chosen 'general use' abilities.
Specialist
Speed
The DW Assassin can, in a nutshell, be summed up to 1 thing: Loading up on single-target damage as fast as possible. Grab Speed from the Specialist tree to help you lay on more auto-attacks for when you aren't using your heavy-hitter talents.
Scoundrel
Blindside
Blindside is a 'great if everyone is doing their jobs right' ability. It ups your damage by 20% when you're attacking a target that's engaging an ally, which should translate into free damage for you, provided things are going the way they ought to.
Subterfuge
Stealth
This is your 'go beat on Lady Man-Jaw and leave me alone!' button. Even with just one point, it's useful, since it instantly takes all threat off of you (be aware that enemies using projectile attacks can still hit you, even while stealthed, if they started their attack before you entered it). I'll often open up combat with Stealth, get close to my target, and de-cloack once threat has been adequately directed to Aveline.
Specializations
Assassin
Assassin is where you get a large majority of your pain dealing tools from. It should be the first specialization you take, no matter if you go Shadow or Duelist. You'll be nearly maxing out this tree, so there are lots of things to take note of:
Mark of Death (Mark of Doom/Enduring Mark)
Here's where the fun begins. Mark of Death lowers enemy damage resistance, softening them up so that you can hit them even harder with your abilities. The great thing about Mark of Death is that their damage resistance means EVERYONE can hit them harder, not just you, so it's essentially helping out everyone to do more damage. Grab Mark of Doom and Enduring Mark for for a stronger and longer lasting debuff, respectively.
Bloodlust
This is an awesome passive that increases your STA regeneration on kill. Since you won't be investing many/any points in Willpower at all, you're going to need all the help you can get, and this is a great/easy way to get it.
Devious Harm
You're gonna be looking to pump out the highest criticals you can, and the Devious Harm passive adds +1% critical damage for every point of CUN you have. This one is a no-brainer.
Pinpoint Strikes
Pinpoint strikes is an ok early-game skill, since you won't have near guaranteed criticals right off the bat. None of that even matters, though, because the most important part is what it unlocks for you. I'd get a skill called 'Hawke Falls on the Ground, Goes into Fetal Position, and Cries for the Rest of the Game' if it unlocked ****ing Assassinate. You may think I'm kidding. I'm not.
Assassinate (Annihilate/Overkill)
Here we are. This is the ultimate big boy toy. When you invest your first point into it, the heavens should open up, and angels should start singing. Assassinate is the centerpiece of this build, it's what makes it so dangerous: the ability to one-shot nearly every enemy in the game, under the right conditions. Grab Annihilate and Overkill to take yourself from 'unholy monster' to 'destroyer of worlds'. Also, a rule: If you critical for over 25k with Assassinate, you have to scream 'I must break you' in your best Ivan Drago voice at your monitor/TV. No exceptions, this is not up for discussion.
Duelist
I won't lie to you, you are in this tree for pretty much one reason: Vendetta. Don't let this discourage you too much, because you can pick up attack-boosting passives, freeing you to load up on CUN to get even more glorious criticals. You also get another skill to cut defenses with, for those times when you REALLY wanna knock the ever-loving ****** out of something.
Throw the Gauntlet
Errbody seen the leprechaun say yeah! YEAH!
Parry
Irrelevant because you shouldn't really be getting hit anyways, and a waste of your already meager STA pool, but you need it for Vendetta, so SUCK IT UP!
Sure Strikes
A good passive for maxing your attack without taking points from cunning, plus you need it to unlock Vendetta. I still don't know what you want from me!
Vendetta (Blood Feud)
If Assassinate is Our Lord & Savior, then Vendetta is His begotten son. This is your 'IN YOUR GODDAMN FACE TEMPLAR HUNTER' button. If I had to draw a comparison, it's most akin to the Vanguard Charge from Mass Effect 2; Instant contact from as far as you can target them. This ability is a TON of fun to use, and pretty damn powerful, too; you can capitalize on a stagger from anywhere on the screen once you get Blood Feud. Vendetta is Backstab's intelligent, successful, good-looking, non paste-eating brother.
Criticals and You (Yes, you!)
Just hitting something for a crit with Assassinate isn't enough. How do we get those numbers up into the ten thousands and up? The answer is BRITTLE. Mages can make targets Brittle using either Petrify/Dessicate or Winter's Grasp/Winter's Blast, setting you up for a glorious Assassinate CCC. Watch for the BRITTLE icon over their heads, because I'm finding it to be rather inconsistent. You can also have Aveline with Might/Muscle use Rally when a target goes Brittle for extra pain. An example scenario would be this:
Hawke (Player)
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Mark of Death
Merrill/Anders
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use Current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Petrify
Aveline
Enemy: BRITTLE - Rally
Hawke (Player)
Enemy: BRITTLE - Assassinate
Weapons - Coming soon! Section not added - would benefit from discussion.
Armor - Coming soon As above
Companions
The DW Assassin really shines in a party setting, since you need CCCs to reach your highest potential, solid tanking, so you aren't stumbling backwards while you get beaten on in the face, and buffs/heals to keep you frosty/up your damage and attack speed. Below is my favorite squad, but I'm welcome to trying others, if people want to see.
Aveline
I totally apologize for all the mean things I said about Aveline and her Jay Leno chin in my other thread. She's been the true heart and soul of my team in this playthrough. Be it taking hits so I don't have to, setting myself and my mages up for CCCs, and boosting me with Rally to up my critical damage, she is the real superstar of my party. I'm just the ridiculously gorgeous rogue that can put up higher numbers than the amount of DA2 copies returned (too soon? I kid!), which is a pretty nice role to have as well. Put her points into STR, CON, and WIL.
Anders
You know, this is really ****ing weird. The second I'm playing a char where it really doesn't MATTER if Anders is in my way, he suddenly becomes a very good companion who stays where he's supposed to. I'm 100% convinced he has been trolling me since I put the game in my goddamned Xbox, but I digress. Anders isn't just a healer/pick setter any more, he can put up very serious damage in Vengeance, and keep you near perma-hasted. His Heroic Aura critical chance increase is great for putting you on the right path towards guaranteed crits, and he can cast Petrify to set you up for Assassinate while Merrill is on cooldown. Put his points into MAG, CON and WIL.
Merrill
My beloved Merrill is still number one in my heart, and she still works great for this build, as well. She can still capitalize on staggers just as well as in the Mach-5 build, and she'll have help from Anders this time around, almost guaranteeing that the enemey will be hurting every second of every fight. She's got a near-limitless mana pool, gives you elemental weapons, hits incredibly hard off of staggers, sets you up for Brittle Assassinate CCCs with Petrify/Dessicate or Winter's Grasp/Winter's Blast, and she's adorable. What more can you really want from one character?
Tome/Elixir Locations
Act I
Tome of Technique (+1 Skill)
(Hubert's Fine Goods, Hightown)
Avernus's Experimental Draught (+2 Attribute)
(Dark Epiphany, only if you spared him in Origins DLC Warden's Keep)
Act II
Greater Tome of the Mortal Vessel (+2 Attribute)
(Trinkets Emporium, Lowtown)
Tome of Technique (+1 Skill)
(Ilen's Crafts, Sundermount)
Elixir of Heroism (+1 Bonus Level)
(Corpse, after meeting with Orsino during Qunari attack)
Act III
Arcane Tome of the Mortal Vessel (+1 Attribute)
(Korval's Blades, Hightown)
The Black Emporium
Greater Tome of the Mortal Vessel (+2 Attribute)
Greater Elixir of the Mortal Vessel (+2 Attribute)
Elixir of Arcane Technique (+1 Skill, Mage)
Elixir of Physical Technique (+1 Skill, Warrior/Rogue)
You can also get bonus attribute points from:
- Completing the Fade puzzles in Feynriel's dream. (Act II, Night Terrors) Make sure you save before trying them, because if you fail to solve them in the allotted number of moves, you lose your chance at them. Check this video to see how it's done.
- If you spare Idunna, the blood mage you meet in the Blooming Rose during Enemies Among Us in Act I, you will get a quest in Act II called Forbidden knowledge. Destroy all of the tomes except for the Fell Grimoire (read it), or you will NOT be able to complete this quest/fight Xebenkeck!
- I won't even list Torpor, because if you take his offer, you are a bad person, and you should feel bad.
Attribute Allocation
This one is easy. Don't invest a single point into anything but DEX and CUN. Up your Dexterity enough to help you equip the strongest daggers (which require 42 DEX), and once you can, pump the rest into Cunning (for harder-hitting criticals). Use stat-boosting armor/accessories to help boost your Willpower and Constitution for more stamina and health, respectively, so you don't have to invest points into them. My current stats at level 19 with attribute boosting gear equipped are:
15 STR
42 DEX
13 MAG
53 CUN
16 WIL
15 CON
As you can see, you have a very small margin of error to work with, if you want the most power possible. Personally, this makes the game much more exciting, but others may not share the same sentiment, so boost up things like CON to personal preference, and what you feel most comfortable with. So long as you keep your DEX high, and your CUN higher, you're free to do as you wish with the remaining points.
Companion Attribute Allocation/Level-Up Guide
Click on the names for companion build/level-up guide. Respec with Maker's Sigh as soon as possible, then follow the list. Note Anders' guide assumes you do his personal quest at level 16 for free Vengeance.
Merrill
- MAG/CON, alternating 2:1, then straight MAG when she has 30 CON. Manually activate Arcane Shield.
Anders
- MAG/CON/WIL, boosting his MAG and CON early, when he won't have as many spells to cast/sustains to hold, then go 2:1 MAG/WIL when he has 200 HP.
Aveline
- CON/STR/WIL, keeping her STR high enough to equip the best gear available for your level, her WIL high enough to hold sustains and comfortably use Cleave/Taunt, and the rest into CON to aid her tanking high-damage output enemies/being surrounded, and to give her a large enough health pool to comfortably work with Bodyguard/Hero's Synergy for you. Prioritization should be CON > STR > WIL.
Level-up Guide
Respec to remove Miasmic Flask as soon as possible, then follow this list:
Hawke
1. Backstab
2. Unforgiving Chain
3. Stealth
4. Explosive Strike
5. Speed
6. Blindside
7. Assassin Specialization, Mark of Death
8. Merciless Strike, Twin Fangs (Tome of Physical Technique)
9. Bloodlust
10. Reversed Grip
11. Pinpoint Strikes
12. Assassinate
13. Devious Harm
14. Duelist Specialization, Mark of Doom, Annihilate (Tome of Physical Technique)
15. Enduring Mark
16. Overkill
17. Throw the Gauntlet
18. Parry, Vendetta (Tome of Physical Technique)
19. Sure Strikes
20. Blood Feud
21. Precision (Elixir of Heroism
22. Power
23. Harmony
24. Lightning Speed
25. Energizing Speed
26. Back-to-Back
Tactics
Note that as of the current Title update, Jump to Tactic is bugged, and it will go to x -1. These tactics compensate for that, and will be updated once the bug is fixed.
Merrill (set to Ranged)
self: hp: <50%: deactivate: Blood of the First
self: hp: <25%: use Health Poultice
enemy: attacking Hawke: Barrier
Aveline: hp: <75%: Barrier
enemy: target of Hawke: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: elite or higher: Hex of Torment
Hawke: being attacked by ranged or magic: Stonefist
enemy: BRITTLE: skip tactics
enemy: target of Hawke: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: elite or higher: Petrify
enemy: STAGGERED: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: elite or higher: Crushing Prison
enemy: STAGGERED: Chain Lightning
enemy: clustered with 3 enemies: Tempest
enemy: target of Hawke: Attack
self: hp: <50%: use current condition for next tactic
self: mana: <10%: use Lyrium Poultice
self: hp: >=50%: activate: Blood of the First
Arcane Shield, Rock Armor, and Elemental Weapons activated manually.
Anders (set to Ranged)
1. self: hp: <50%: deactivate: Vengeance
2. ally: hp <50%: Heal
3. ally: hp: <50%: deactivate: Vengeance
4. ally: hp: <50%: deactivate: Heroic Aura
5. ally: hp: <50%: activate: Panacea
6. ally: status: dead: Regroup
7. ally: hp: <50%: Aid Allies
8. self: any: deactivate: Panacea
9. self: at least 1 enemy is alive: Haste
10. enemy: attacking Anders: Stonefist
11. enemy: attacking Hawke: Glyph of Paralysis
12. enemy: BRITTLE: Martyr
13. enemy: STAGGERED: Chain Lightning
14. enemy: elite or higher: Petrify
15. enemy: clustered with 3 enemies: Tempest
16. self: mana <75%: activate: Heroic Aura
17. self: hp: >75%: activate: Vengeance
18. self: mana: >50%: skip tactics
19. self: hp: >75%: Martyr
20. self: mana: <10%: use Lyrium Poultice
Aveline (set to Aggressive)
self: hp <25%: use Health Poultice
self: Avaline being attacked: use current condition for next tactic
self: hp <75%: activate Shield Defense
enemy: attacking Avaline: Cleave
self: surrounded by 3 enemies: Taunt
enemy: BRITTLE: Rally
enemy: BRITTLE: Bolster
enemy: elite or higher: Shield Bash
self: surrounded by 3 enemies: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: normal or higher: Shield Bash
self: surrounded by 3 enemies: activate: Battle Synergy
enemy: Boss or higher: activate: Battle Synergy
Hawke: hp: <90%: activate: Bodyguard
self: stamina: <25%: Bolster
enemy: target of Hawke: Attack
self: at least 1 enemey is alive: skip tactics
self: any: deactivate: Battle Synergy
self: any: deactivate: Shield Defense
self: any: deactivate: Bodyguard
Patch 1.02 (Console) and 1.03 (PC) Build/Tactics/Notes Updates
Since the ruination of the game (courtesy of the patch), it's now all about picking Shadow, staying Obscured, and facerolling with auto-attacks, and the builds have been updated to better play to the strengths and 'diversified gameplay' (I just made myself sick) that 1.02/1.03 bring with them. What you want to do is redirect threat (Dog works great, and Decoy has a built-in Taunt-eqsue function when you drop it) to get your Blindside bonus, unload your big-ticket abilities on Elites/Lieutenants (note that vs a BRITTLE target, an ability that auto-crits, such as Twin Fangs, will recieve a +50% damage increase for free), and auto-attack through the trash.
Note that if you plan on playing without Aveline, you may omit Lacerate and Maim from these builds. If you don't plan on doing every single quest/don't care about which is the 'better' of the two, you should choose Duelist/Shadow, since it builds much faster, and is 'complete' quicker.
For your ability distribution, invest enough CUN to open traps at your level, pump DEX until you get 96-98% crit rate (through armor, items, weapons, accessories, Parry if Duelist, etc), then the rest back into CUN. A Duelist/Shadow rogue might want to throw a few points into WIL as well, since they will have an additional sustain to hold (Parry).
Respec with a Maker's Sigh potion, then follow the list below.
Hawke - Assassin/Shadow
1. Backstab
2. Unforgiving Chain
3. Save Talent Point
4. Explosive Strike, Speed
5. Lacerate
6. Twin Fangs
7. Assassin Specialization, Mark of Death, Blindside (Tome of Technique)
8. Merciless Strike
9. Bloodlust
10. Maim
11. Pinpoint Strikes, Reversed Grip (Elixir of Technique)
12. Assassinate
13. Devious Harm
14. Shadow Specialization, Pinpoint Precision, Disorienting Criticals (Tome of Technique)
15. Mark of Doom
16. Inconspicuous
17. Decoy
18. Sturdy Decoy
19. Annihilate
20. Enduring Mark (Elixir of Heroism)
21. Overkill
22. Precision
23. Power
24. Harmony
25. Lightning Speed
26. Energizing Speed
Hawke - Duelist/Shadow
1. Backstab
2. Unforgiving Chain
3. Save Talent Point
4. Explosive Strike, Speed
5. Lacerate
6. Twin Fangs
7. Shadow Specialization, Pinpoint Precision, Blindside (Tome of Technique)
8. Inconspicuous
9. Disorienting Criticals
10. Maim, Merciless Strike (Elixir of Technique)
11. Reversed Grip
12. Decoy
13. Save Talent Point
14. Duelist Specialization, Sturdy Decoy, Throw The Gauntlet, Parry (Tome of Technique)
15. En Garde
16. Vendetta
17. Blood Feud
18. Sure Strikes
19. Precision
20. Power (Elixir of Heroism)
21. Harmony
22. Lightning Speed
23. Energizing Speed
24. Back-to-Back
25. Follow-Through
Companion Builds/Level-up Guides/Tactics
Suggested party compositions are:
Hawke, Anders, Merrill, Varric (Team YOU WON'T BE FORGIVEN FOR THIS!, aka YWBFFT)
Hawke, Anders, Varric, Sebastian/Isabela (Team Complete and Utter Faceroll)
Hawke, Anders, Aveline, Varric (Team I'm Not Good Enough to Play Without a Tank/I Like My Women Granite-Jawed)
CLICK ON THE COMPANION NAMES FOR BUILD/LEVEL-UP GUIDES.
Anders
Set to Aggressive. Invest in MAG/WIL 2:1, then MAG/WIL/CON 1:1:1, alternating each level. Purchase the Black Emporium Tome for Anders as soon as possible (likely sometime in Act II). Build assumes you do Dissent at level 15 for free Vengeance.
Self: Health <50% - Deactivate: Vengeance
Self: Health <25% - Use Potion
Self: Mana or Stamina <10% - Use: Lyrium Potion
Hawke: Health <25% - Heal
Varric/Sebastian/Isabela: Health <10% - Heal
Enemy: BRITTLE - Martyr (shout out to SuicidalBaby)
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Petrify
Self: At least one enemy is alive - Haste
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Spirit Bolt
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Stonefist
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Chain Lightning
Enemy: Target between short and medium range - Tempest
Hawke: Health <50% - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Attacking Hawke - Glyph of Paralysis
Self: Being attacked by a melee attack - Glyph of Repulsion
Self: Health >=50% - Activate: Vengeance
Self: Any - Activate: Heroic Aura
Self: Mana or stamina >=50% - Skip tactics
Self: Health >=75% - Martyr
Merrill
Set to Aggressive. Invest in MAG/CON 2:1, stopping at 225-250 health.
Self: Health <50% - Deactivate: Blood of the First
Self: Health <25% - Use Potion
Hawke: Health <25% - Barrier
Enemy: BRITTLE - Hex of Torment
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Petrify
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Wounds of the Past
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Stonefist
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Chain Lightning
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Spirit Bolt
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Ensnare
Enemy: Target at short range - Tempest
Self: Health >=50% - Activate: Blood of the First
Self: Any - Activate: Wrath of the Elvhen
Self: Any - Activate: Elemental Weapons
Self: Any - Activate: Rock Armor
Self: Any - Activate: Elemental Shield
Self: Health >=50% - Skip tactics
Self: Mana or stamina <10% - Use: Lyrium Potion
Enemy: Using ranged attack - Attack
Varric Varric linked to somewhere on the social.bioware site and wasn't accessible.
Set to Aggresive. Invest in CON to 15, WIL to 15, DEX until he gets guaranteed criticals (100%), then the rest into CUN.
Self: Health <25% - Use Potion
Self: Mana or stamina <10% - Use: Stamina Draught
Enemy: Target at short range - Rush
Enemy: Attacking Anders - Kickback
Self: Surrounded by at least three enemies - Evade
Enemy: Attacking Anders - Rhyming Triplet
Self: Any - Activate - Precision
Self: Any - Activate - Bianca's Song
Enemy: Health >=50% - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Skip tactics
Hawke: Obscured - Skip tactics
Hawke: Any - Chameleon's Breath
Hawke: Any - Fatiguing Fog
Enemy: Attacking Anders - Attack
Enemy Resistance Chart
(Courtesy of Bioware College's 'Most likely to sleep with your girlfriend' recipient, IN1)
Different enemies have different weaknesses and resistances. Keep a few different staves on hand for Merril and use this guide to make sure you're always getting the most out of her Elemental Weapons.
Enemy Type: C(old), E(lectricity), F(ire), N(ature), S(pirit)
Arcane Horror type: C=low, E=low, F=normal, N=low, S=immune.
Carta type: C=low, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=normal.
Coterie type: C=normal, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=immune.
Dalish type: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Darkspawn type (including Emissaries and Ogres): C=normal, E=normal, F=normal, N=low, S=low.
Desire demon and shade type: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=low, S=immune.
Dragon type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Fire Pride demon type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=low, S=normal.
Generic undead type (including corpses, skeletons, Shadow Warrior captains): C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=low.
Golem type (including Gate Guardians): C=low, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Kirkwall type (including Bloodrager Thralls): C=immune, E=normal, F=low, N=normal, S=normal.
Mabari type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Mage type (including Blood and Circle High mages): C=normal, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=low.
Mercenary type: C=immune, E=normal, F=normal, N=low, S=normal.
Orsino: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=low.
Poison Pride demon type: C=normal, E=low, F=low, N=immune, S=normal.
Profane type (including Ancient Rock Wraith): C=low, E=immune, F=normal, N=normal, S=low.
Qunari type (including the Arishok): C=low, E=immune, F=immune, N=low, S=normal.
Rage demon type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Raider type: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Revenant type: C=immune, E=low, F=nomal, N=immune, S=low.
Spider type (including Varterral): C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Street thug type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Templar type (including Meredith): C=low, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=low.
Tevinter (slaver) type: C=immune, E=normal, F=low, N=normal, S=normal.
Guide Credit: AreleX
Please note that the early part of this guide is relevant to the game prior to the 1.02/1.03 patches. This is also stated just below in black but is important enough to try getting your attention twice!
July 24th 2011 - Guide updated for 1.02/1.03, check the bottom of the post and leave me alone.
Your party is hurting. Archers surround you on all sides. A Lieutenant rallies his troops, making them even deadlier and more resilient. You manage to take a few down, but the Lieutenant himself just won't drop. This is going to be difficult.
Then, when things couldn't get any worse, a Templar Hunter emerges from the shadows. He throws down a flask that explodes into a cloud of smoke, and makes a sound that almost all have come to know signifies one thing: death. He re-emerges seconds later, daggers sunk deep inside the back of an unsuspecting companion, as they fall to the ground, lifeless. Just as soon as he appeared, he vanishes, preparing to systematically destroy your entire party. Death now becomes not a question of 'if', but of 'when'...but what if there was another way? What if you yourself could become like this? For those looking to find answers to these questions, I present...
Dual-Wield Assassin - When Overkill Isn't Enough
Videos!
I suggest watching in 720p.
The Battle for Kirkwall - Special Video!
The Ultimate Assassin
The Ultimate Assassin 2: Glass Cannon Destroyer
Faceroll Frenzy
The Real Walking Bomb
All That Remains - special video
DW Assassin - Tranquility (Editor Note: This is blocked in some countries by SME for copyright infringement, including the UK where I'm based, so I can't verify the content)
DW Assassin on the Wounded Coast
DW Assassin - Night Lies
DW Assassin vs the Ancient Rock Wraith
DW Assassin - 1:30 Hybris Kill
DW Assassin - 28-Second Deep Roads Dragon Boss Kill
DW Assassin - 30-Second Sundermount Mature Dragon Kill
DW Assassin - Two-Minute Nexus Golem Gauntlet Clear
DW Assassin - One-Minute Varterral Kill
DW Assassin - Templar vs Templar (Midnight Meeting/Dissent)
DW Assassin - Sleep Now in the Fire / Non-US/Canada bros that have vid blocked (Note: Also blocked in the UK; unverified)
Why DW Assassin?
Rogue Assassins have what is, bar none, the highest single-target spike damage in the game. Low on survivability, but high on killing power, they step out of the 'glass cannon' realm at the end of Act I, and become 'glass goddamned Predator drones' in mid-to-late game scenarios. What if I told you that you could instantly kill Lieutenants and Templar Hunters/Assassins before they even have a chance to swing their swords like morons, or disappear into a cloud of bull****? That's why you play DW Assassin; because there are times when it's not enough to just kill enemies. you want to utterly obliterate them out of existance, past, present, and future, along with their entire immediate family. I'm going to teach you how to do just that.
Abilities
Dual Weapon
Backstab
Really not that great of a skill, but you'll need it to get at the ones you actually want. It can, however, be used for mobility and repositioning purposes, helping you get yourself to an advantageous position. If you're playing console and low on ability binds, drop this as soon as you unlock more of the good stuff.
Explosive Strike (Merciless Strike)
This is a great ability when combined with the effects of Blindside, and one of the first you'll unlock that lets you finish a cross-class combo (CCC). With Unforgiving Chain fully loaded, you can hit hard enough to one-shot an Assassin off of a stagger, and If I said I made this build with anything but one-shotting Assassins in mind, it would be a goddamn lie. The physical force modifier really helps too, and if you don't kill something outright, you'll most certainly knock it on its ass.
Unforgiving Chain
A great passive all around for the entire game. Since you can get pretty close to guaranteed criticals (still investigating exactly what's needed to get there), this will help to put you over the edge. Late game, you will spend most of your time auto-attacking, and free criticals never hurt anyone, right? Besides that mercenary who just said he'll 'stick you like a pig', I mean, but **** that guy.
Twin Fangs (Reversed Grip)
This is another one of the first abilities that really lets you put the hurt on some enemies. You get a guaranteed two-hit critical off of it, along with the same force modifier as Explosive Strike. I'll often use Twin Fangs in conjunction with a few basic attacks for a fast way to kill Archers (who you will soon find to be the bane of your existance) and other tough enemies. The Reversed Grip upgrade gives you a 10s cooldown reduction, which should make it one of your more often chosen 'general use' abilities.
Specialist
Speed
The DW Assassin can, in a nutshell, be summed up to 1 thing: Loading up on single-target damage as fast as possible. Grab Speed from the Specialist tree to help you lay on more auto-attacks for when you aren't using your heavy-hitter talents.
Scoundrel
Blindside
Blindside is a 'great if everyone is doing their jobs right' ability. It ups your damage by 20% when you're attacking a target that's engaging an ally, which should translate into free damage for you, provided things are going the way they ought to.
Subterfuge
Stealth
This is your 'go beat on Lady Man-Jaw and leave me alone!' button. Even with just one point, it's useful, since it instantly takes all threat off of you (be aware that enemies using projectile attacks can still hit you, even while stealthed, if they started their attack before you entered it). I'll often open up combat with Stealth, get close to my target, and de-cloack once threat has been adequately directed to Aveline.
Specializations
Assassin
Assassin is where you get a large majority of your pain dealing tools from. It should be the first specialization you take, no matter if you go Shadow or Duelist. You'll be nearly maxing out this tree, so there are lots of things to take note of:
Mark of Death (Mark of Doom/Enduring Mark)
Here's where the fun begins. Mark of Death lowers enemy damage resistance, softening them up so that you can hit them even harder with your abilities. The great thing about Mark of Death is that their damage resistance means EVERYONE can hit them harder, not just you, so it's essentially helping out everyone to do more damage. Grab Mark of Doom and Enduring Mark for for a stronger and longer lasting debuff, respectively.
Bloodlust
This is an awesome passive that increases your STA regeneration on kill. Since you won't be investing many/any points in Willpower at all, you're going to need all the help you can get, and this is a great/easy way to get it.
Devious Harm
You're gonna be looking to pump out the highest criticals you can, and the Devious Harm passive adds +1% critical damage for every point of CUN you have. This one is a no-brainer.
Pinpoint Strikes
Pinpoint strikes is an ok early-game skill, since you won't have near guaranteed criticals right off the bat. None of that even matters, though, because the most important part is what it unlocks for you. I'd get a skill called 'Hawke Falls on the Ground, Goes into Fetal Position, and Cries for the Rest of the Game' if it unlocked ****ing Assassinate. You may think I'm kidding. I'm not.
Assassinate (Annihilate/Overkill)
Here we are. This is the ultimate big boy toy. When you invest your first point into it, the heavens should open up, and angels should start singing. Assassinate is the centerpiece of this build, it's what makes it so dangerous: the ability to one-shot nearly every enemy in the game, under the right conditions. Grab Annihilate and Overkill to take yourself from 'unholy monster' to 'destroyer of worlds'. Also, a rule: If you critical for over 25k with Assassinate, you have to scream 'I must break you' in your best Ivan Drago voice at your monitor/TV. No exceptions, this is not up for discussion.
Duelist
I won't lie to you, you are in this tree for pretty much one reason: Vendetta. Don't let this discourage you too much, because you can pick up attack-boosting passives, freeing you to load up on CUN to get even more glorious criticals. You also get another skill to cut defenses with, for those times when you REALLY wanna knock the ever-loving ****** out of something.
Throw the Gauntlet
Errbody seen the leprechaun say yeah! YEAH!
Parry
Irrelevant because you shouldn't really be getting hit anyways, and a waste of your already meager STA pool, but you need it for Vendetta, so SUCK IT UP!
Sure Strikes
A good passive for maxing your attack without taking points from cunning, plus you need it to unlock Vendetta. I still don't know what you want from me!
Vendetta (Blood Feud)
If Assassinate is Our Lord & Savior, then Vendetta is His begotten son. This is your 'IN YOUR GODDAMN FACE TEMPLAR HUNTER' button. If I had to draw a comparison, it's most akin to the Vanguard Charge from Mass Effect 2; Instant contact from as far as you can target them. This ability is a TON of fun to use, and pretty damn powerful, too; you can capitalize on a stagger from anywhere on the screen once you get Blood Feud. Vendetta is Backstab's intelligent, successful, good-looking, non paste-eating brother.
Criticals and You (Yes, you!)
Just hitting something for a crit with Assassinate isn't enough. How do we get those numbers up into the ten thousands and up? The answer is BRITTLE. Mages can make targets Brittle using either Petrify/Dessicate or Winter's Grasp/Winter's Blast, setting you up for a glorious Assassinate CCC. Watch for the BRITTLE icon over their heads, because I'm finding it to be rather inconsistent. You can also have Aveline with Might/Muscle use Rally when a target goes Brittle for extra pain. An example scenario would be this:
Hawke (Player)
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Mark of Death
Merrill/Anders
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Use Current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Petrify
Aveline
Enemy: BRITTLE - Rally
Hawke (Player)
Enemy: BRITTLE - Assassinate
Weapons - Coming soon! Section not added - would benefit from discussion.
Armor - Coming soon As above
Companions
The DW Assassin really shines in a party setting, since you need CCCs to reach your highest potential, solid tanking, so you aren't stumbling backwards while you get beaten on in the face, and buffs/heals to keep you frosty/up your damage and attack speed. Below is my favorite squad, but I'm welcome to trying others, if people want to see.
Aveline
I totally apologize for all the mean things I said about Aveline and her Jay Leno chin in my other thread. She's been the true heart and soul of my team in this playthrough. Be it taking hits so I don't have to, setting myself and my mages up for CCCs, and boosting me with Rally to up my critical damage, she is the real superstar of my party. I'm just the ridiculously gorgeous rogue that can put up higher numbers than the amount of DA2 copies returned (too soon? I kid!), which is a pretty nice role to have as well. Put her points into STR, CON, and WIL.
Anders
You know, this is really ****ing weird. The second I'm playing a char where it really doesn't MATTER if Anders is in my way, he suddenly becomes a very good companion who stays where he's supposed to. I'm 100% convinced he has been trolling me since I put the game in my goddamned Xbox, but I digress. Anders isn't just a healer/pick setter any more, he can put up very serious damage in Vengeance, and keep you near perma-hasted. His Heroic Aura critical chance increase is great for putting you on the right path towards guaranteed crits, and he can cast Petrify to set you up for Assassinate while Merrill is on cooldown. Put his points into MAG, CON and WIL.
Merrill
My beloved Merrill is still number one in my heart, and she still works great for this build, as well. She can still capitalize on staggers just as well as in the Mach-5 build, and she'll have help from Anders this time around, almost guaranteeing that the enemey will be hurting every second of every fight. She's got a near-limitless mana pool, gives you elemental weapons, hits incredibly hard off of staggers, sets you up for Brittle Assassinate CCCs with Petrify/Dessicate or Winter's Grasp/Winter's Blast, and she's adorable. What more can you really want from one character?
Tome/Elixir Locations
Act I
Tome of Technique (+1 Skill)
(Hubert's Fine Goods, Hightown)
Avernus's Experimental Draught (+2 Attribute)
(Dark Epiphany, only if you spared him in Origins DLC Warden's Keep)
Act II
Greater Tome of the Mortal Vessel (+2 Attribute)
(Trinkets Emporium, Lowtown)
Tome of Technique (+1 Skill)
(Ilen's Crafts, Sundermount)
Elixir of Heroism (+1 Bonus Level)
(Corpse, after meeting with Orsino during Qunari attack)
Act III
Arcane Tome of the Mortal Vessel (+1 Attribute)
(Korval's Blades, Hightown)
The Black Emporium
Greater Tome of the Mortal Vessel (+2 Attribute)
Greater Elixir of the Mortal Vessel (+2 Attribute)
Elixir of Arcane Technique (+1 Skill, Mage)
Elixir of Physical Technique (+1 Skill, Warrior/Rogue)
You can also get bonus attribute points from:
- Completing the Fade puzzles in Feynriel's dream. (Act II, Night Terrors) Make sure you save before trying them, because if you fail to solve them in the allotted number of moves, you lose your chance at them. Check this video to see how it's done.
- If you spare Idunna, the blood mage you meet in the Blooming Rose during Enemies Among Us in Act I, you will get a quest in Act II called Forbidden knowledge. Destroy all of the tomes except for the Fell Grimoire (read it), or you will NOT be able to complete this quest/fight Xebenkeck!
- I won't even list Torpor, because if you take his offer, you are a bad person, and you should feel bad.
Attribute Allocation
This one is easy. Don't invest a single point into anything but DEX and CUN. Up your Dexterity enough to help you equip the strongest daggers (which require 42 DEX), and once you can, pump the rest into Cunning (for harder-hitting criticals). Use stat-boosting armor/accessories to help boost your Willpower and Constitution for more stamina and health, respectively, so you don't have to invest points into them. My current stats at level 19 with attribute boosting gear equipped are:
15 STR
42 DEX
13 MAG
53 CUN
16 WIL
15 CON
As you can see, you have a very small margin of error to work with, if you want the most power possible. Personally, this makes the game much more exciting, but others may not share the same sentiment, so boost up things like CON to personal preference, and what you feel most comfortable with. So long as you keep your DEX high, and your CUN higher, you're free to do as you wish with the remaining points.
Companion Attribute Allocation/Level-Up Guide
Click on the names for companion build/level-up guide. Respec with Maker's Sigh as soon as possible, then follow the list. Note Anders' guide assumes you do his personal quest at level 16 for free Vengeance.
Merrill
- MAG/CON, alternating 2:1, then straight MAG when she has 30 CON. Manually activate Arcane Shield.
Anders
- MAG/CON/WIL, boosting his MAG and CON early, when he won't have as many spells to cast/sustains to hold, then go 2:1 MAG/WIL when he has 200 HP.
Aveline
- CON/STR/WIL, keeping her STR high enough to equip the best gear available for your level, her WIL high enough to hold sustains and comfortably use Cleave/Taunt, and the rest into CON to aid her tanking high-damage output enemies/being surrounded, and to give her a large enough health pool to comfortably work with Bodyguard/Hero's Synergy for you. Prioritization should be CON > STR > WIL.
Level-up Guide
Respec to remove Miasmic Flask as soon as possible, then follow this list:
Hawke
1. Backstab
2. Unforgiving Chain
3. Stealth
4. Explosive Strike
5. Speed
6. Blindside
7. Assassin Specialization, Mark of Death
8. Merciless Strike, Twin Fangs (Tome of Physical Technique)
9. Bloodlust
10. Reversed Grip
11. Pinpoint Strikes
12. Assassinate
13. Devious Harm
14. Duelist Specialization, Mark of Doom, Annihilate (Tome of Physical Technique)
15. Enduring Mark
16. Overkill
17. Throw the Gauntlet
18. Parry, Vendetta (Tome of Physical Technique)
19. Sure Strikes
20. Blood Feud
21. Precision (Elixir of Heroism
22. Power
23. Harmony
24. Lightning Speed
25. Energizing Speed
26. Back-to-Back
Tactics
Note that as of the current Title update, Jump to Tactic is bugged, and it will go to x -1. These tactics compensate for that, and will be updated once the bug is fixed.
Merrill (set to Ranged)
self: hp: <50%: deactivate: Blood of the First
self: hp: <25%: use Health Poultice
enemy: attacking Hawke: Barrier
Aveline: hp: <75%: Barrier
enemy: target of Hawke: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: elite or higher: Hex of Torment
Hawke: being attacked by ranged or magic: Stonefist
enemy: BRITTLE: skip tactics
enemy: target of Hawke: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: elite or higher: Petrify
enemy: STAGGERED: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: elite or higher: Crushing Prison
enemy: STAGGERED: Chain Lightning
enemy: clustered with 3 enemies: Tempest
enemy: target of Hawke: Attack
self: hp: <50%: use current condition for next tactic
self: mana: <10%: use Lyrium Poultice
self: hp: >=50%: activate: Blood of the First
Arcane Shield, Rock Armor, and Elemental Weapons activated manually.
Anders (set to Ranged)
1. self: hp: <50%: deactivate: Vengeance
2. ally: hp <50%: Heal
3. ally: hp: <50%: deactivate: Vengeance
4. ally: hp: <50%: deactivate: Heroic Aura
5. ally: hp: <50%: activate: Panacea
6. ally: status: dead: Regroup
7. ally: hp: <50%: Aid Allies
8. self: any: deactivate: Panacea
9. self: at least 1 enemy is alive: Haste
10. enemy: attacking Anders: Stonefist
11. enemy: attacking Hawke: Glyph of Paralysis
12. enemy: BRITTLE: Martyr
13. enemy: STAGGERED: Chain Lightning
14. enemy: elite or higher: Petrify
15. enemy: clustered with 3 enemies: Tempest
16. self: mana <75%: activate: Heroic Aura
17. self: hp: >75%: activate: Vengeance
18. self: mana: >50%: skip tactics
19. self: hp: >75%: Martyr
20. self: mana: <10%: use Lyrium Poultice
Aveline (set to Aggressive)
self: hp <25%: use Health Poultice
self: Avaline being attacked: use current condition for next tactic
self: hp <75%: activate Shield Defense
enemy: attacking Avaline: Cleave
self: surrounded by 3 enemies: Taunt
enemy: BRITTLE: Rally
enemy: BRITTLE: Bolster
enemy: elite or higher: Shield Bash
self: surrounded by 3 enemies: use current condition for next tactic
enemy: normal or higher: Shield Bash
self: surrounded by 3 enemies: activate: Battle Synergy
enemy: Boss or higher: activate: Battle Synergy
Hawke: hp: <90%: activate: Bodyguard
self: stamina: <25%: Bolster
enemy: target of Hawke: Attack
self: at least 1 enemey is alive: skip tactics
self: any: deactivate: Battle Synergy
self: any: deactivate: Shield Defense
self: any: deactivate: Bodyguard
Patch 1.02 (Console) and 1.03 (PC) Build/Tactics/Notes Updates
Since the ruination of the game (courtesy of the patch), it's now all about picking Shadow, staying Obscured, and facerolling with auto-attacks, and the builds have been updated to better play to the strengths and 'diversified gameplay' (I just made myself sick) that 1.02/1.03 bring with them. What you want to do is redirect threat (Dog works great, and Decoy has a built-in Taunt-eqsue function when you drop it) to get your Blindside bonus, unload your big-ticket abilities on Elites/Lieutenants (note that vs a BRITTLE target, an ability that auto-crits, such as Twin Fangs, will recieve a +50% damage increase for free), and auto-attack through the trash.
Note that if you plan on playing without Aveline, you may omit Lacerate and Maim from these builds. If you don't plan on doing every single quest/don't care about which is the 'better' of the two, you should choose Duelist/Shadow, since it builds much faster, and is 'complete' quicker.
For your ability distribution, invest enough CUN to open traps at your level, pump DEX until you get 96-98% crit rate (through armor, items, weapons, accessories, Parry if Duelist, etc), then the rest back into CUN. A Duelist/Shadow rogue might want to throw a few points into WIL as well, since they will have an additional sustain to hold (Parry).
Respec with a Maker's Sigh potion, then follow the list below.
Hawke - Assassin/Shadow
1. Backstab
2. Unforgiving Chain
3. Save Talent Point
4. Explosive Strike, Speed
5. Lacerate
6. Twin Fangs
7. Assassin Specialization, Mark of Death, Blindside (Tome of Technique)
8. Merciless Strike
9. Bloodlust
10. Maim
11. Pinpoint Strikes, Reversed Grip (Elixir of Technique)
12. Assassinate
13. Devious Harm
14. Shadow Specialization, Pinpoint Precision, Disorienting Criticals (Tome of Technique)
15. Mark of Doom
16. Inconspicuous
17. Decoy
18. Sturdy Decoy
19. Annihilate
20. Enduring Mark (Elixir of Heroism)
21. Overkill
22. Precision
23. Power
24. Harmony
25. Lightning Speed
26. Energizing Speed
Hawke - Duelist/Shadow
1. Backstab
2. Unforgiving Chain
3. Save Talent Point
4. Explosive Strike, Speed
5. Lacerate
6. Twin Fangs
7. Shadow Specialization, Pinpoint Precision, Blindside (Tome of Technique)
8. Inconspicuous
9. Disorienting Criticals
10. Maim, Merciless Strike (Elixir of Technique)
11. Reversed Grip
12. Decoy
13. Save Talent Point
14. Duelist Specialization, Sturdy Decoy, Throw The Gauntlet, Parry (Tome of Technique)
15. En Garde
16. Vendetta
17. Blood Feud
18. Sure Strikes
19. Precision
20. Power (Elixir of Heroism)
21. Harmony
22. Lightning Speed
23. Energizing Speed
24. Back-to-Back
25. Follow-Through
Companion Builds/Level-up Guides/Tactics
Suggested party compositions are:
Hawke, Anders, Merrill, Varric (Team YOU WON'T BE FORGIVEN FOR THIS!, aka YWBFFT)
Hawke, Anders, Varric, Sebastian/Isabela (Team Complete and Utter Faceroll)
Hawke, Anders, Aveline, Varric (Team I'm Not Good Enough to Play Without a Tank/I Like My Women Granite-Jawed)
CLICK ON THE COMPANION NAMES FOR BUILD/LEVEL-UP GUIDES.
Anders
Set to Aggressive. Invest in MAG/WIL 2:1, then MAG/WIL/CON 1:1:1, alternating each level. Purchase the Black Emporium Tome for Anders as soon as possible (likely sometime in Act II). Build assumes you do Dissent at level 15 for free Vengeance.
Self: Health <50% - Deactivate: Vengeance
Self: Health <25% - Use Potion
Self: Mana or Stamina <10% - Use: Lyrium Potion
Hawke: Health <25% - Heal
Varric/Sebastian/Isabela: Health <10% - Heal
Enemy: BRITTLE - Martyr (shout out to SuicidalBaby)
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Petrify
Self: At least one enemy is alive - Haste
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Spirit Bolt
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Stonefist
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Chain Lightning
Enemy: Target between short and medium range - Tempest
Hawke: Health <50% - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Attacking Hawke - Glyph of Paralysis
Self: Being attacked by a melee attack - Glyph of Repulsion
Self: Health >=50% - Activate: Vengeance
Self: Any - Activate: Heroic Aura
Self: Mana or stamina >=50% - Skip tactics
Self: Health >=75% - Martyr
Merrill
Set to Aggressive. Invest in MAG/CON 2:1, stopping at 225-250 health.
Self: Health <50% - Deactivate: Blood of the First
Self: Health <25% - Use Potion
Hawke: Health <25% - Barrier
Enemy: BRITTLE - Hex of Torment
Enemy: Target of Hawke - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Petrify
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Wounds of the Past
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Stonefist
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Chain Lightning
Enemy: DISORIENTED - Spirit Bolt
Enemy: Clustered with at least three enemies - Ensnare
Enemy: Target at short range - Tempest
Self: Health >=50% - Activate: Blood of the First
Self: Any - Activate: Wrath of the Elvhen
Self: Any - Activate: Elemental Weapons
Self: Any - Activate: Rock Armor
Self: Any - Activate: Elemental Shield
Self: Health >=50% - Skip tactics
Self: Mana or stamina <10% - Use: Lyrium Potion
Enemy: Using ranged attack - Attack
Varric Varric linked to somewhere on the social.bioware site and wasn't accessible.
Set to Aggresive. Invest in CON to 15, WIL to 15, DEX until he gets guaranteed criticals (100%), then the rest into CUN.
Self: Health <25% - Use Potion
Self: Mana or stamina <10% - Use: Stamina Draught
Enemy: Target at short range - Rush
Enemy: Attacking Anders - Kickback
Self: Surrounded by at least three enemies - Evade
Enemy: Attacking Anders - Rhyming Triplet
Self: Any - Activate - Precision
Self: Any - Activate - Bianca's Song
Enemy: Health >=50% - Use current condition for next tactic
Enemy: Target rank is Elite or higher - Skip tactics
Hawke: Obscured - Skip tactics
Hawke: Any - Chameleon's Breath
Hawke: Any - Fatiguing Fog
Enemy: Attacking Anders - Attack
Enemy Resistance Chart
(Courtesy of Bioware College's 'Most likely to sleep with your girlfriend' recipient, IN1)
Different enemies have different weaknesses and resistances. Keep a few different staves on hand for Merril and use this guide to make sure you're always getting the most out of her Elemental Weapons.
Enemy Type: C(old), E(lectricity), F(ire), N(ature), S(pirit)
Arcane Horror type: C=low, E=low, F=normal, N=low, S=immune.
Carta type: C=low, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=normal.
Coterie type: C=normal, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=immune.
Dalish type: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Darkspawn type (including Emissaries and Ogres): C=normal, E=normal, F=normal, N=low, S=low.
Desire demon and shade type: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=low, S=immune.
Dragon type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Fire Pride demon type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=low, S=normal.
Generic undead type (including corpses, skeletons, Shadow Warrior captains): C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=low.
Golem type (including Gate Guardians): C=low, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Kirkwall type (including Bloodrager Thralls): C=immune, E=normal, F=low, N=normal, S=normal.
Mabari type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Mage type (including Blood and Circle High mages): C=normal, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=low.
Mercenary type: C=immune, E=normal, F=normal, N=low, S=normal.
Orsino: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=low.
Poison Pride demon type: C=normal, E=low, F=low, N=immune, S=normal.
Profane type (including Ancient Rock Wraith): C=low, E=immune, F=normal, N=normal, S=low.
Qunari type (including the Arishok): C=low, E=immune, F=immune, N=low, S=normal.
Rage demon type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Raider type: C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Revenant type: C=immune, E=low, F=nomal, N=immune, S=low.
Spider type (including Varterral): C=normal, E=low, F=normal, N=immune, S=normal.
Street thug type: C=low, E=normal, F=immune, N=normal, S=normal.
Templar type (including Meredith): C=low, E=normal, F=normal, N=normal, S=low.
Tevinter (slaver) type: C=immune, E=normal, F=low, N=normal, S=normal.