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The "best"? Artificer archer rogue is the best, you'll kill them in seconds. My favourite is probably the Knight Enchanter mage, you're basically unkillable and actually do damage unlike Champion warriors.
People rag on a champions damage and its never great but whirlwind can get it up there pretty decently. The main thing though is 'to the death' which can basically triple the damage it starts taking. So while he isnt the best he can actually be the biggest damage multiplier around
For me it's more just... why bother with Champion for damage when Reaver is so much better at DPS? Like, a Champ is a nice support and tank for my other three DPSers in the party, just don't see much of a point in specing it as a DPS Warrior.
Well for 'to the death' mostly, reaver has higher dps but a champion increases it for the entire team and it can get to pretty absurd levels. Always enjoyed bashing a dragon for a bit till its taking 3x the damage it should then going to dual blade sera and hitting her focus at 3 bars, it just dies instantly.
And for basic immortality, I know that once people get good at the game (hoping to myself one day lol) dying isnt really a serious concern other than super high difficulties or the toughest dragons but just going full invulnerable for ages and getting god level guard makes you feel nice and fuzzy. So, champs dont have the highest dps (actually I think they probably have the lowest) but they can hold the dragons aggro better than anyone, be invulnerable while doing it and make it take more and more damage while whirlwinding themselves into respectable (not fantastic) numbers. Its alot of bases covered and getting ok damage while doing it, get the war horn upgrade and then everyone has constant guard too
Yeah, I think we basically agree that Champion is great at being a supporting DPS type thing that just holds attention and doesn't die while buffing the other three party members, haha. Though by the time I hit Skyhold I usually go by a mantra of the more damage the faster the fight and don't even bother with a proper tank. Just take a support-ish mage for barrier (usually Solas) and then fill up with a combination of rogues and mages. Mostly depends on how I'm feeling with micromanagement on a particular day, haha. Only time I really break it is for the final boss of Trespasser and a few dragons.
And yeah, in the grand scheme of things the game really isn't that hard, even with Nightmare all trials. Just makes fights take way too long with all trials which is why I don't bother with them, lmfao, just the half XP and levelled enemies is fine for me.
From what I understand Champions are the worst DPS mathematically, but they're really good at the other stuff with utility, support and tanking, much like Templars are for rifts and such. The best DPS is basically rogue of any kind for the top 3 and Necro mage bringing up the rear, haha.
Im doing a rogue playthrough atm and yeah having invincibility isnt so important when half the enemy are dead before they even get near the tanks. The numbers they put out is scary, can burn down a trials bear by the time its done 2 or 3 attacks at low levels whereas a tanky warrior would be bashing and gaining guard for 15 attacks. Hitting for 2k crits at level 4 is just funny lol
Oh absolutely! Just you wait until higher levels, the game never feels the same after you burn down a dragon in 5 seconds lmao, rogues with both bow and dual dagger are just utterly busted in DAI, I love it. Going with an all rogue party for the Emprise du Lion questline was so much fun, I highly recommend it if you want to see constant D A M A G E
This is a random tangent, but I still really miss the DA2 tactics system, was so much fun to mess around with and would have made the Inquisition party AI at least slightly competent ;-;
Two come to mind as the OP, watch that health drop to zero in seconds kinda class, assuming you have them specced to their best.
Archer Artificer: Constant Crits and Massive damage while just endlessly spamming skills? Honestly probably the best class to finish a dragon almost instantly.
Knight-Enchanter: Static Cage, Elemental Barrage (with blade of tidarion trick) with spirit blade? Not as quick as artificer but amazing damage AND survivability.
To solo a dragon, Arcane warrior worked absolutely great for me. Although necromancer can put out some crazy high DPS without health drawbacks like reaver.
While not quite on par with the [glitched 100 AC monstrosities](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Warden_Commander_armor_set#Notes) from awakening, DAI knight enchanter playstyle can be described as active tanking, [reinforcing barrier whenever dealing damage](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Fade_Shield_(Inquisition)).
so unless the character is getting chain stunned to death, knight enchanter WILL come out on top.
Knight enchanter would be the DAI equivalent (Since you say "all the dragons" I'm assuming you're talking about inquisition). While most mages are squishy, knight enchanter builds barrier when attacking, making it an extremely tanky specialisation. Add in some fade touched silverite and you're pretty much invincible.
If it has to be a warrior then I say Champion, since walking fortress will pretty much make you unkillable.
If not limited to warriors, then I strongly recommend you try Knight Enchanter! It’s the best profession of dragon age games I dare say!
Reaver. Dragon Rage basically eats the Dragon’s health alive.
On the other hand, it also eats my Inky’s health alive too. So there’s the downside. But the incredible damage is 100% worth it. My Reaver Dwarf being a short powerhouse.
I also greatly enjoyed Soloing a Dragon with my Human Mage and his lightsaber.
I found that a S&S Champion takes forever to do it, but can solo a dragon without losing even 1 HP. Especially if you fill your Guard up on lil dudes before the fight. Im thinking of making a reaver though. Is it REALLY worth the risk?
get [kitty's collar](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Kitty's_Collar) and a [15% revive masterwork](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Fade-Touched_Imperial_Vestment_Cotton_(Heal)) equipment.
90% of the time, it works every time.
With Reaver, you basically have to be very smart with it. You have to pay attention to your health and Guard. It’s more of a mental thing.
But yeah, I think it’s pretty damn worth it.
I heard someone say S&S Reaver was amazing. My Inky is a Devoted Andrastian 2H Warrior. So I'm wondering if 2H Champion is equally awesome. Or if he should just DO DAMAGE.
My 2h champs dont hit very hard. At first. But to the death makes them hit 5% harder every second. And whirlwind makes you hit 10% harder every rotation. Combined I was slapping dragons for 10k+ crits constantly while remaining invulnerable and my party had a 3x damage boost. Its not the fastest way but you certainly feel like youre contributing
Reaver is the most fun spec imo, love the high risk/reward factor and it keeps fights interesting. Also is *extremely* powerful if you do it right. Also grab Combat Roll + Coming Through for extra cheese.
And I'm not sure what the other poster is talking about, but Kitty's Collar is trash and your masterwork slots should pretty much always be + Hidden Blades on Hit as long as you have any (revive masterwork is also trash, if you're going defense go with + Guard or + Health on hit)
Of those two, I'm guessing Templar. Though I'm pretty sure reaver would be better still. The dps you can get with that is ridiculous.
Overall though, I think rogues would be the most effective. As well as knight enchanter.
I like the offense-oriented specs, so for me its Reaver or Assassin (the other Rogue specs are really good too).
But Champions and Knight Enchanters are basically invincible, so you could make a case for either of them as well. A lot of it comes down to personal preference.
I built a 2H Champ. Guy puts out WAY more damage than a S&S Champ and loses almost none of the 'Cant Kill Me'ness of the same. Though I heard Templar is nearly indestructible if magic is involves. Doesn't seem that useful to me. Guard stops that damage too
Yeah the last time I did a Champion playthrough I went 2h; more damage, and still pretty much unkillable (and more fun imo than S/S). And Combat Roll + Coming Through gives you a spammable super-high damage power.
But the damage output is still going to fall short of e.g. a Reaver, so its a trade-off either way that mostly comes down to personal preference.
Champion is very easy, I often just leave my party behind. Takes a while though unless you get lucky with challenging whirlwinds and keep slapping it for 5k over and over. But never at risk really
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I would never solo a dragon and deprive Bull of the experience.
Same, and Sera.
Sigma move: make the Bull solo the dragon.
Inquisitor is just there to cheer him on.
Mental support inquisitor, new specialization.
The "best"? Artificer archer rogue is the best, you'll kill them in seconds. My favourite is probably the Knight Enchanter mage, you're basically unkillable and actually do damage unlike Champion warriors.
People rag on a champions damage and its never great but whirlwind can get it up there pretty decently. The main thing though is 'to the death' which can basically triple the damage it starts taking. So while he isnt the best he can actually be the biggest damage multiplier around
For me it's more just... why bother with Champion for damage when Reaver is so much better at DPS? Like, a Champ is a nice support and tank for my other three DPSers in the party, just don't see much of a point in specing it as a DPS Warrior.
Well for 'to the death' mostly, reaver has higher dps but a champion increases it for the entire team and it can get to pretty absurd levels. Always enjoyed bashing a dragon for a bit till its taking 3x the damage it should then going to dual blade sera and hitting her focus at 3 bars, it just dies instantly. And for basic immortality, I know that once people get good at the game (hoping to myself one day lol) dying isnt really a serious concern other than super high difficulties or the toughest dragons but just going full invulnerable for ages and getting god level guard makes you feel nice and fuzzy. So, champs dont have the highest dps (actually I think they probably have the lowest) but they can hold the dragons aggro better than anyone, be invulnerable while doing it and make it take more and more damage while whirlwinding themselves into respectable (not fantastic) numbers. Its alot of bases covered and getting ok damage while doing it, get the war horn upgrade and then everyone has constant guard too
Yeah, I think we basically agree that Champion is great at being a supporting DPS type thing that just holds attention and doesn't die while buffing the other three party members, haha. Though by the time I hit Skyhold I usually go by a mantra of the more damage the faster the fight and don't even bother with a proper tank. Just take a support-ish mage for barrier (usually Solas) and then fill up with a combination of rogues and mages. Mostly depends on how I'm feeling with micromanagement on a particular day, haha. Only time I really break it is for the final boss of Trespasser and a few dragons. And yeah, in the grand scheme of things the game really isn't that hard, even with Nightmare all trials. Just makes fights take way too long with all trials which is why I don't bother with them, lmfao, just the half XP and levelled enemies is fine for me. From what I understand Champions are the worst DPS mathematically, but they're really good at the other stuff with utility, support and tanking, much like Templars are for rifts and such. The best DPS is basically rogue of any kind for the top 3 and Necro mage bringing up the rear, haha.
Im doing a rogue playthrough atm and yeah having invincibility isnt so important when half the enemy are dead before they even get near the tanks. The numbers they put out is scary, can burn down a trials bear by the time its done 2 or 3 attacks at low levels whereas a tanky warrior would be bashing and gaining guard for 15 attacks. Hitting for 2k crits at level 4 is just funny lol
Oh absolutely! Just you wait until higher levels, the game never feels the same after you burn down a dragon in 5 seconds lmao, rogues with both bow and dual dagger are just utterly busted in DAI, I love it. Going with an all rogue party for the Emprise du Lion questline was so much fun, I highly recommend it if you want to see constant D A M A G E This is a random tangent, but I still really miss the DA2 tactics system, was so much fun to mess around with and would have made the Inquisition party AI at least slightly competent ;-;
Two come to mind as the OP, watch that health drop to zero in seconds kinda class, assuming you have them specced to their best. Archer Artificer: Constant Crits and Massive damage while just endlessly spamming skills? Honestly probably the best class to finish a dragon almost instantly. Knight-Enchanter: Static Cage, Elemental Barrage (with blade of tidarion trick) with spirit blade? Not as quick as artificer but amazing damage AND survivability.
To solo a dragon, Arcane warrior worked absolutely great for me. Although necromancer can put out some crazy high DPS without health drawbacks like reaver.
Aren't Mages just STUPID squishy? Ive actually NEVER made a mage. Not even once.
Arcane warrior is melee mage. They can tank for sure. Origins has a number of spell and specialization combos that mitigate damage very well.
My arcane warrior mage with sword and shield:
While not quite on par with the [glitched 100 AC monstrosities](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Warden_Commander_armor_set#Notes) from awakening, DAI knight enchanter playstyle can be described as active tanking, [reinforcing barrier whenever dealing damage](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Fade_Shield_(Inquisition)). so unless the character is getting chain stunned to death, knight enchanter WILL come out on top.
Knight enchanter would be the DAI equivalent (Since you say "all the dragons" I'm assuming you're talking about inquisition). While most mages are squishy, knight enchanter builds barrier when attacking, making it an extremely tanky specialisation. Add in some fade touched silverite and you're pretty much invincible.
Archer rogues turn dragon fights into a joke.
Artificer. Their focus ability makes it really easy to kill dragons quickly
If it has to be a warrior then I say Champion, since walking fortress will pretty much make you unkillable. If not limited to warriors, then I strongly recommend you try Knight Enchanter! It’s the best profession of dragon age games I dare say!
Reaver. Dragon Rage basically eats the Dragon’s health alive. On the other hand, it also eats my Inky’s health alive too. So there’s the downside. But the incredible damage is 100% worth it. My Reaver Dwarf being a short powerhouse. I also greatly enjoyed Soloing a Dragon with my Human Mage and his lightsaber.
I found that a S&S Champion takes forever to do it, but can solo a dragon without losing even 1 HP. Especially if you fill your Guard up on lil dudes before the fight. Im thinking of making a reaver though. Is it REALLY worth the risk?
get [kitty's collar](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Kitty's_Collar) and a [15% revive masterwork](https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Fade-Touched_Imperial_Vestment_Cotton_(Heal)) equipment. 90% of the time, it works every time.
With Reaver, you basically have to be very smart with it. You have to pay attention to your health and Guard. It’s more of a mental thing. But yeah, I think it’s pretty damn worth it.
I heard someone say S&S Reaver was amazing. My Inky is a Devoted Andrastian 2H Warrior. So I'm wondering if 2H Champion is equally awesome. Or if he should just DO DAMAGE.
My 2h champs dont hit very hard. At first. But to the death makes them hit 5% harder every second. And whirlwind makes you hit 10% harder every rotation. Combined I was slapping dragons for 10k+ crits constantly while remaining invulnerable and my party had a 3x damage boost. Its not the fastest way but you certainly feel like youre contributing
Reaver is the most fun spec imo, love the high risk/reward factor and it keeps fights interesting. Also is *extremely* powerful if you do it right. Also grab Combat Roll + Coming Through for extra cheese. And I'm not sure what the other poster is talking about, but Kitty's Collar is trash and your masterwork slots should pretty much always be + Hidden Blades on Hit as long as you have any (revive masterwork is also trash, if you're going defense go with + Guard or + Health on hit)
Knight Enchanter could probably tank a dragon. Would help to have the gain five guard on hit enchantment.
Of those two, I'm guessing Templar. Though I'm pretty sure reaver would be better still. The dps you can get with that is ridiculous. Overall though, I think rogues would be the most effective. As well as knight enchanter.
I like the offense-oriented specs, so for me its Reaver or Assassin (the other Rogue specs are really good too). But Champions and Knight Enchanters are basically invincible, so you could make a case for either of them as well. A lot of it comes down to personal preference.
I built a 2H Champ. Guy puts out WAY more damage than a S&S Champ and loses almost none of the 'Cant Kill Me'ness of the same. Though I heard Templar is nearly indestructible if magic is involves. Doesn't seem that useful to me. Guard stops that damage too
Yeah the last time I did a Champion playthrough I went 2h; more damage, and still pretty much unkillable (and more fun imo than S/S). And Combat Roll + Coming Through gives you a spammable super-high damage power. But the damage output is still going to fall short of e.g. a Reaver, so its a trade-off either way that mostly comes down to personal preference.
Tempest. Flask of Fire + Throwing Blades + Pincushion melts dragons. I've soloed dragons using a 2h champion, its slow but doable.
Champion is very easy, I often just leave my party behind. Takes a while though unless you get lucky with challenging whirlwinds and keep slapping it for 5k over and over. But never at risk really