Suggestions for DAII character builds

[T0kR4M]

I know that asking for suggestions here for DAII it's like asking for a filet mignon in a Vegan Reastaurant, but here it comes:

I'm about to replay for the third time DAII and I'm looking for suggestions.

I have played my first time as a Rogue (SPOILERS: although I screwed up some skill point I've managed to solo the Arishok)

My second was a Mage

Warriors never fascinate me in rpgs...

I will finish soon my replay of Da (Rogue City Elf Dual-Wielder Good Guy Warden) and I'd like to follow with DaII and I am open to everything you have in mind or you think it will be fun.

I'm looking for a damager type of character (more appropriate for the Champion), fun to play and fun to roleplay.

Thanks in advance...

[EastFrame]

A damager fun to play? If you like Rogues, I'd suggest the obvious - select all Twin Weapon talents, then Assassin and Duellist specializations. You should be able to get about 27 talent points so take eight from each of those specializations, ignoring the uppermost upgrades on the tree. Defeating the Arishok should not be too difficult with this build.

You might also try taking Twin Weapon, Shadow and Assassin specializations. However, you might need to build Avelline differently: If you intend to stealth, she'll need to have increased threat levels.

I never managed to complete even chapter one as a mage: Carver p*ssed me off too much.

A problem with DA2 gameplay is that it was designed to work around a basic attack supplemented by special abilities, so the physical game mechanics get boring after a couple of replays (press A/click mouse until something dies)! So actually having all these build options is pretty meaningless... it doesn't actually change your playing experience that much.

I preferred to see Hawke as a warrior (role-play wise, at least); which irrationally takes longer to kill your enemies than the other two classes - it's not well balanced. This improves in chapter 3 where you can get a 2h sword that does spirit damage, and the lyrium rune that Sandal makes from the Golem in Bartrand's estate (chapter 3) adds decent speed to the attacks.

If you like playing games at higher difficulty levels, be warned: the percentage-per-level compared to enemy resistance mechanics used in this game do not work. For example; by the time you get a warrior to level 16 to acquire the Templar magic resistance bonus of 50%, it's actually worth about 5%. Avoid any talents which offer these type of bonuses - they do not work.

I hope that helps!

[T0kR4M]

Thanks.
I appreciate the suggestions.

Maybe I'll take another chance with rogue and surely take your thoughts in mind.
Now I'm playing for the first time Dao as a Rogue/assassin/duelist with points in shadow. I'm on Hard and he's really fun to play.
My party is Alistair for tanking, wynne for healing/buffing and shale as tank/buffs. And my elf backstabbing to death everyone!

I know that for Hawke's dialogue options I will go as much ironic/sarcastic as possible, so I think Rogue is a natural option instead of warriors or mages.

I like mages but they're not so fun to play in Da2. In Origins I' m an ultrafan of ArcaneWarrior (3 replay as AW).

[EastFrame]

You're welcome! If you can squeeze more fun out of the game, go for it.

Funny you mention the conversation options, I think they are the best reason to replay the game! I like being able to initiate romances, rather than be forced into some crappy romance conflict just because your NPC approval rating is high, like in the first game.

Speaking of which, you mention Arcane Warriors for DA:O. I started playing a mage for that purpose, but never finished since I find DA:O really dull beyond the first (and last) few hours. I tried to play through to get the AW sword to import into Awakenings, which I prefer, but never even got that far. Have any suggestions for AW spell selections? Doesn't having one of the AW sustained abilities on drain too much Mana to sustain 'haste' as well? Since there are no ability rearrangement options in DA:O, I'm unwilling to play more in case my selections are wrong...

Thanks!

[T0kR4M]

For AW you have to go for the AW tree (when you got ALL the spells you became god on earth...).

And then sustained abilities like:
- Miasma (best taken as first)
- Death Magic to regenerate health
- Death Syphon to regenerate mana
- Virulent walking bomb (which you can cast with your weapon drawn)

just take these and the game is a piece of cake.

For the 2nd specialization I'd go for Blood Mage:
- Blood Wound (and you don't need to fight your way through nothing. Darkspawns just die hopeless....)

For weapon AW is best with sword (any sword will be fine) and shield (I used the Revenant Shield).

For the armor in my opinion it's just a matter of aesthetic (I prefer the Legion of the dead armor set), but for maximizing the power you'd want to wear anything that boost mana/stamina regen.

And more on topic:

Funny you mention the conversation options, I think they are the best reason to replay the game! I like being able to initiate romances, rather than be forced into some crappy romance conflict just because your NPC approval rating is high, like in the first game.

I'm with on this. Conversation in DAII is the best reason to replay the game.