How to play an Arcane Warrior?

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:06 am

Can you cast sustained spells that don't drain your mana, such as Rock Armor or Flaming Weapons without any actual mana?

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:41 am

Crenshinibon wrote:Can you cast sustained spells that don't drain your mana, such as Rock Armor or Flaming Weapons without any actual mana?

I can cast Mana Drain without any mana.

I can also use Morrigan's shape-shift without mana.

Rock Armor, Arcane Shield, the "Weapons", etc. (regular NON-specialization spells). ALL black-out for me if I don't have the required minimum mana.

The Arcane Warrior's spell however doesn't seem to require the minimum mana. I don't know about trying it without any mana at all.

EDIT: Interesting.. I'm getting Miasma NOT "blackened out" when the mana goes below its requirements. I haven't tried it out at that point yet.

Bummer that I deleted previous saves.. could have gone back and re-checked the operation of other spells to see If I was remembering it wrong.

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 12:48 pm

Strange. None of my sustained spells black out if I have no mana. If I don't have enough mana space, I can still cast them, but will get the "Insufficient Mana" message.

Ragin Cajun · Post by **Ragin Cajun** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 3:16 pm

Just curious if this is a platform issue; PC vs 360?

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:01 pm

PC version for me..

And again to those thinking of selecting the Arcane Warrior specialization - it's EXCELLENT.

It provides a lot more than it "costs", even for just the 1st spell and *without* using the spell.

More particularly it opens up not only ALL armor use (..depending on how high your Magic ability is vs. Strength), but also weapon use - particularly melee weapon ENCHANTMENT ..especially with *2* weapons. :mischief:

(..and note that enchantment could easily be crafted with defensive rather than offensive capability.)

And with regard to armor use - the "fatigue" of heavy armor does NOT place a fatigue on mana regeneration.. it's pretty much like it doesn't exist ..nor does stamina. (Of course you don't have the extras that a warrior or rogue base talent would have that costs stamina).

Note that you don't even need to build your character around spell buffs in the creation line - Wynn has that covered. (..Heroic Offense, and latter Heroic Defense and Haste.) This is even pre-supposing that the purpose of the build will be offensive melee, again - you might just want it for a spell caster with excellent defense capability that doesn't limit your mana pool OR does, but with Fade Shroud regenerates your more limited mana pool more quickly.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 3:31 am

Where do you get the info that fatigue cost doesn't apply to mana? Because it's supposed to do so.
I also get blacked out sustained spells if I don't have the minimum mana free.

If you a play an Arcane Warrior and decide to dualwield (Why not? Spellweaver is easily the best sword for you, and Flaming Weapons grants more to dualwielders than to twohanders.), DEX does gain some importance. It's still used as the minimum requirement for daggers, your only offhand option.

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 5:32 am

Fatigue influences nothing aside from the stamina/mana cost of a talent.

I had my Arcane Warrior max out the Haste line early and found it to be rather useless, even close to end game. Heroic Offense is only good for characters that lack attack to hit enemies, which, with the help of Miasma, won't be you. Heroic Aura is okay, but then again, damage shouldn't be bothering you. Heroic Defense adds bonus to your defense, but you don't really need it, and I like the glyphs a bit more. Haste increases your damage and attack speed, but reduces attack, not to mention it drains your mana and shuts off when done. Shimmering shield also drains your mana, but stays on even when it's drained - except it makes you near invulnerable. Since you'll be having it on all the time, Haste will turn off pretty fast, unless you keep drinking your lyrium potions, which, in my opinion is simply not worth it.

If you decide to dual wield, you want to have a minimum of 30 dexterity with your items in order to use The Rose's Thorn. I'm still not sure about what's better for you to use on your weapon, Flaming Weapons or Telekinetic Weapons. I can't really tell which adds more damage since we'd need to know the armor of our opponents. The Crushing Prison tree, judging by the other skills however, is much better than the primal tree.

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 11:46 am

GawainBS wrote:Where do you get the info that fatigue cost doesn't apply to mana? Because it's supposed to do so.
I also get blacked out sustained spells if I don't have the minimum mana free.

If you a play an Arcane Warrior and decide to dualwield (Why not? Spellweaver is easily the best sword for you, and Flaming Weapons grants more to dualwielders than to twohanders.), DEX does gain some importance. It's still used as the minimum requirement for daggers, your only offhand option.

Fatigue cost with respect to regular armor doesn't seem to be effecting my character's mana pool in any way, OR if it is then it isn't noticeable (..heavy chain currently). It could be something specific about the Arcane Warrior.

Yeah, Dexterity becomes important for dual-wield - especially if you want another weapon capable of enchantment that is good (..the "Rose" is the best). On the other hand you do have several attribute modifiers in-game.

Again, you could skip the "Warrior" (offensive) part for something like the "Hale" or "Dwemnor" runes OR the "Paralysis" runes as an alternative.

I'm building mine more for the defense than the offense. Offensively I have the "bombs", with Hex and layers of Paralysis.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 4:05 pm

I thought you said that armour didn't influence the mana cost. My mistake.

I don't see the need to build an extremely defensive AW (except for Shimmering Shield & Miasma), since you also probably lack the threat generation to tank effectively.

Personally, I have Telekinetic Weapons active, and Wynne has Flaming Weapons active, so it's the best from both world. Generally, I think that Flaming Weapons is the better choice, since you get the same benefit from it, regardless of enemy armour type.

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 4:43 pm

GawainBS wrote:I thought you said that armour didn't influence the mana cost. My mistake.

I don't see the need to build an extremely defensive AW (except for Shimmering Shield & Miasma), since you also probably lack the threat generation to tank effectively.

Personally, I have Telekinetic Weapons active, and Wynne has Flaming Weapons active, so it's the best from both world. Generally, I think that Flaming Weapons is the better choice, since you get the same benefit from it, regardless of enemy armour type.

The Dragonbone stuff that alters spell casting mana cost, may have some influence.. don't know.

When I say "defensive" for the AW.. I mean:

1. Enhanced Armor from weapon damage, and access to armor that provides additional resistances. (..and not necessarily "chest" armor either.)
2. AW specific spell/talent grouping from weapon damage.
3. Rune-based enchantments adding to defensive capability for Spell Resistance and/or Physical Resistance. (2 runes for the better long swords.)

There is a LOT there IMO that can add to an increasingly effective arcane *caster*. (..not a "tank".)

Telekinetic Weapons is particularly useful for Backstab/Critical's. Obviously it's also useful against any opponent with some value for armor. "Flame" or "Ice" can of course be resisted depending on the opponent, and only an additional "Hex" will help you decrease that. Again, taking the classic "Revenant" - "Flame" is useless without a successful "Hex", and nearly so with it. "Ice" only seems to operate at about 50% of the damage without a successful "Hex". One other thing; there isn't anything comparable to Telekinetic Weapons in the potion/poison grouping, but there is for elemental damage. (..of course item and runic enchantment has armor penetration, but it's limited.)

probe53 · Post by **probe53** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 6:17 pm

Interestingly I immediately wanted to do arcane warrior since it reminded me of the "tenser mage" back in D&D. I was also interested in the "blood magic" of blood mages (VBtM anyone?)
But geeze, didnt realize that sucker could be one of the most abusive setup of the mage by default (abusive as in powerful)

Anyway, thinking of being a bit different now and need a little clarification here...

Damage by weapon of arc.war. is calculated using MAG score instead of STR but does anyone know if it is in the SAME amount as STR applies to weapon attack and damage? ex. .5 damage per STR or something? (not sure if anyone figured out the exact damage)

also, is Spirit healer's bonus to HP regen a set % of hp or a set amount of hp?

thinking of making a arc.war-healer but just taking healer for stat bonus, not for skills (unless i can afford the mana cost)

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 5:18 am

I play an AW/SpiritHealer, since I don't want to make the Blood Mage unlocking decision. The Health regen is pretty minor, though.

Yes, MAG is used in the same way as STR is to calculate damage, i.e. twohanded weapons get 110% bonus damage from STR, etc.

Scott, once you have Shimmering Shield active, I don't see the need for any other defensive gear, since all your resistances are maxed out. Defense is taken care of by Arcane Shield & Armour by Rock Armour.
I use my armour to get more offense out of my AW.

jparm3rd · Post by **jparm3rd** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 7:37 pm

I've been playing an Arcane Mage for awhile now & I've come up with a few tips/observations:

*The Arcane mage is able to cast some spells without sheathing its melee weapon. One example is Crushing Prison, probably the best spell in the game. You don't want to be caught with your hand in your sheath.

*Sustainables are what makes an Arcane Mage so powerful. The right blend is key to leveraging the build to its maximum.

*It is possible to make an armored mage that uses a staff. The arcane warrior chain provides the ability to wear massive armor (without activating combat magic) and have only Shimmering Shield active. This uses a very small amount of mana, allowing the mage to be better protected, especially with rock armor and arcane shield active. You could even have a staff on one weapon set and a sword/shield on a switch. Nuke the room from the front turn on your sustainables, and clean up the mess with your sword. This negates one of the issues with the super spells--clocking your own party because they are now beside or behind you instead of in front of you. Nice eh? Now who doesn't dream of playing a super strong warrior and mage in a game at the same time???

*Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healer is a ridiculously powerful combination.

*The Arcane Mage is very flexible regardless of difficulty. The simple passive ability (Combat Magic) to use your magic attribute for strength is pure gold.

*Do not underestimate the power of Telekinetic Weapons, especially in Nightmare. This allows your melee weapons to do greater damage to the heavily armored denizens you face late game. Its well worth its cost. Early on, sure Flame Blade and Frost Weapons are fine, but they often get resisted, especially in Nightmare. Telekinetic Weapons are rarely resisted.

*Make sure each of your melee fighters has at least 1 rank in the poison skill. This will allow them to coat their blades with poison. This can add a lot of damage and neutralizes the enemy's health rengeneration rate. This is really important on boss fights in Nightmare. This is especially good for your mage when using a melee weapon. Remember, you are a warrior now.

*If you are having problems with $, max out one of your characters in stealing. It's worth 16 cunning on one character because it allows you to make a ridiculous amount of money. The consequences are small. You do have a run-in with the law in Denerium, which is a large battle. But you can handle it, can't you? After all, think of all the loot from the bodies.... If there are any other consequences, I haven't seen any. Steal from everyone you can, including Duncan. I got a very nice Grandmaster Hale rune from him and a gold tiara from one of the women in the Denerium market. Just make sure that when you attempt to steal, you are behind the intended victim. Your chances of success are *much* higher than if you try it from the front.

Mister Bean · Post by **Mister Bean** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:56 pm

What determines the attack rating of an Arcane Warrior?

My soloist AW is seldom able to hit a target with his sword, so I've been just using a staff (when I'm not chugging Lyrium and pounding out spells).

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 2:09 am

Mister Bean wrote:What determines the attack rating of an Arcane Warrior?

My soloist AW is seldom able to hit a target with his sword, so I've been just using a staff (when I'm not chugging Lyrium and pounding out spells).

DEX determines to hit, as does STR when in melee, alongside with plain "+ attack", and your first two AW spells also increase to hit.

Some tips: don't put a single point in STR, some points in DEX help, as does the maintained spell "Miasma". As long as Combat Magic is active, I never had problems hitting.

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 10:14 am

I never put any points into Strength or Dexterity. I was able to hit everything just by having Miasma active.

Scottg · Post by **Scottg** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 10:55 am

I've been playing one with just the base combat magic active and even with miasma only hit infrequently.

I think the additional Arcane Warrior "passive" talent/spells are critical to leveraging you magic score to better hit opponents.

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:59 pm

When I played, I never put any points into anything but Magic, so that could be why. No one else in my party had any auras or buffs active.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 4:10 pm

I did put some points in DEX & WIL, and I never had trouble hitting. I even think MAG doesn't come to play in the to hit equation.

Mister Bean · Post by **Mister Bean** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:06 pm

GawainBS wrote:I even think MAG doesn't come to play in the to hit equation.

I think you're right. Oh well, I'm going to sell all my swords and poisons now.

If difficulty level affects your chance to hit, that may explain why I can't.