Best Mage Build Dragon Age Origins

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Best Mage Build Dragon Age Origins

Dragon Age Origins Best Build For Mage
Dragon Age Origins Best Mage Build Reddit
For Dragon Age: Origins on the PC, Blood Magic Guide by atomicmew. Blood Mage is by far the best specialization for a caster mage. It has to do with the ability. Race - elf (+2magic +2 willpower is the best for mage) Stat - all in magic No Hitpoints - mage can be never attacked at all, and it's easier to drink mana potions than have a lot of mp - with 80+ magic the smallest ones on every difficulty will regen over 1/2 of mana). Like any RPG, one of the best things about Dragon Age Origins is the way it allows you to fully customize your character. I'm guessing it's more like PS3. Fireball is one of my favorites. Mage is by far my favourite class. Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition.
This post is a part of an ongoing feature here at Nightmare Mode to provide you with an expert's strategy guide on playing Dragon Age. This time, we'll be going over the mage class.
In Dragon Age, you learn the value and awesome power the mage holds early in the game. Of course, let us not forget that Morrigan (voiced by Claudia Black of Farscape), is Dragon Age's entertaining, mysterious, yet incredibly sexy mage. Venturing away from Ostagar, equipped with only the most basic of magic spells, you see that Morrigan is a force unto herself. She proves to be such a valuable asset, that no darkspawn-kicking party would be complete without her.
Wynne is the other mage, and her great power comes in healing spells–quietly hiding in the background and preventing your demise on the front lines. We aren't sure how she does it exactly, but she keeps everyone alive and well so nobody asks any questions. All you have to do in return is make sure nobody with a blade gets anywhere near her.

There are other benefits to being a mage. One being you get access to the blood mage specialization, and if you don't have it, you have the chance to unlock it. Another benefit being the sheer joy of unleashing powerful spells on enemies and annihilating them.
I made what is perhaps an unorthodox choice. With my mage playthrough, I chose to build a healing mage–leaving Wynne behind at the Circle Tower, and taking Morrigan with me. This means that my character took the place of Wynne. It's a bit of a challenge playing the healer. It isn't exactly something that is common in RPGs, since you usually play a character that deals damage. If you're reading this to find out how to build an awesome mage, don't worry. I've played the game enough times to know how to do it anyway…especially given that each time I play, including this time around as a healing mage, I take Morrigan with me.
As always, raise your cunning to at least 20 so you can manipulate conversations in your favour. Otherwise, guiding the development of the mage is the easiest of all. You don't need strength. You don't need dexterity, because staff hits never miss. You don't need cunning beyond 20, there is no point. You don't need constitution either, since you are banking on never getting hacked down. All you need to worry about, are willpower, and magic.
A general rule of thumb I use for building Morrigan, is a 2:1 ratio of magic:willpower. This ensures she is very powerful by the end of the game, and also ensures that she won't run out of mana for spells in your run of the mill battles. On occasion I'll pump all 3 points into magic. Again, as a general rule, I also give the herbal skill set to Morrigan. One thing that is absolutely useless is the shapeshifter talent tree. Don't waste your talent points on this, go for something a little more useful.
Read on to read the rest of the strategy guide!
The best spells for a power mage are cone of cold, crushing prison, stinging warm, and death hex. Cone of cold for a nightmare mode player is essential. I'm not sure you can play on nightmare mode without it. It is a strategic spell you can use to freeze an entire line of enemies. Even if you are playing as another class, micromanaging Morrigan to strategically freeze an enemy front is invaluable. You can combine cone of cold with a variety of spells, like crushing prison, to shatter enemies. Make sure to experiment with following cone of cold up with different spells and abilities, to see some unique effects. This is true of most spells: following them up with something else, can sometimes yield unique effects. For example, you can do improve drain by casting vulnerability hex, and then following it up drain to yield 'improved drain.'
The fourth spells in each elemental tree (fire, ice, lightning) are in my opinion, completely useless. They cause friendly fire damage first of all, and second, they encompass the entire fighting area. When an enemy mage uses one of these attacks, it is possibly the most annoying spell anyone can cast. The lightning spell in particular, not only causes huge damage to your guys but also restricts movement. In most cases your healing mage can't keep up and you run the risk of killing your entire party.
As a general rule of thumb for building Wynne, is 2:1 willpower:magic. For my own healing mage, It might be more like 1:1 as I'm a little better than the AI at looking after my mana levels. It is better to be safe than sorry as far as willpower goes, the last thing you want as a healer is to run out of juice to heal people with. Skill set is up to you, other than coercion anyhow.
Must-have spells for a healing mage are, not surprisingly, all of the spirit healer tree, and the first tree in the creation group from heal to mass rejuvenation. Group heal is a must-have talent, as is mind blast. I've also equipped my healing mage with cone of cold and crushing prison for some extra punch. The very first tree, the mage tree, is also worth filling out, as it gives you the arcane shield, and the last spell in the tree is a passive one that increases your spellpower. Don't want to give that one up. Cleansing Aura in the spirit healer tree is also a must. Although it is a sustained spell, and uses up a lot of mana, not having to use injury kits is a huge bonus. Of course it doesn't heal your own gaping wounds so you can save the kits for yourself. You don't need to have it activated all the time either, just a short burst after battle if someone fell down, heal them of their wounds and de-activate it, you're good to go.
Mages come in all colours of the rainbow. You can make yours a healer, a power mage like Morrigan, or even a bit of both. Maybe a wielder of all those weird ailment-type magics, which in any other RPG would be a waste of time, but hey, they actually work in Dragon Age. A blood mage, even. Keep in mind that if you intend on using blood mage spells, you're going to have to increase your constitution in place of willpower.
Party member recommendations? Anything goes, as long as you have someone who can heal. Whether that's you, or Wynne. You also need a power mage, which is either you, or Morrigan. You could, in theory, even have a 3-mage party. Be warned though, any battle with a large amount of enemies will prove problematic because of the absence of a front line. The mages tower in particular is difficult with a three-mage team. Your mages can't take much. It's good to have a big warrior with a lot of constitution and heavy armour to draw all the damage for you.
Recommended final stats (without stat bonuses):
Power Mage: Strength: 14

Dexterity: 16
Willpower: 35
Magic: 55
Cunning: 12
Constitution: 10
Healing Mage: Let me finish my game first! Sheesh.
Anything else: you're on your own.
Dragon Age: Origins is an amazingly deep masterpiece of a roleplaying game from Bioware, available on PS3, PC, and Xbox 360. In fact, it has so much hidden depth that even after reading walkthroughs, the wiki, and tip pages, and playing through countless times, as I have, there are still more secrets to discover. To help you get the most out of it, here are the best walkthroughs, guides, resources, and secrets I've found.

FAQOpening Locked Chests – Unlocking chests and doors without a key is a thief-only skill, and their rank in the skill has to be high enough for the task. If your character isn't a thief, you can take control of Leliana or Zevran, after they join your party, to have them attempt to pick the locks. Another thing to be aware of is that injuries can cause a thief to temporarily be unable to open chests and doors they otherwise could.Apparently, the ability for all classes to be able to 'bash' open locks was meant to be included in the game, but didn't make it into the final version. If you'd like, you can download a mod that restores this ability here: Lock Bash. There is some realism to it in that you occasionally destroy an item in the bashing, and the broken door or chest are left behind. Installation instructions are in the description at the link.
Curing Injuries – Injury kits cure those persistent injuries that lower your party's stats; the stronger the kit, the more injuries it can cure at once on the same character. Injury kits can be purchased in limited amounts at merchants, or can be crafted by an herbalist if they have the recipe and sufficient skill. A free way to cure wounds is to take your party back to camp. You don't have to sleep or do anything special, just be at camp, and the injuries will heal.
Dragon Age Origins Best Build For MageGauntlet Bridge Puzzle Solution – The Gauntlet walkthrough on wikia has the full solution for the Test of Faith and the rest of tests.
Where do I find all of the Black Vials? – This is a tricky quest because one of the vials is in a random encounter, and another is often missed due to a cutscene in the Werewolf Lair. Here's a walkthrough for the Revenant and phylactery locations: Black Vials Walkthrough.
What's the deal with landmarks? – Occasionally, you'll see a landmark marked on your map. When you find it and click on it, if you have the war dog in your party, the game will say something about your dog being interested in it. Switch to your dog and click on it again for a benefit.
My game keeps crashing during the Final Battle with the Archdemon! – At least a few of us are running into problems in that final battle despite our computers handling the game fine until then. If that's happening to you, possible solutions include turning your graphics settings down, drawing your camera angle as far back as possible, and/or trying to minimize the spell effects on screen at once. I kept crashing when I had the arch demon's health bar down by 3/4, still with lots of army running around battling. To get through it, I un-ticked 'persistent gore' and 'sparkle effects around loot' under options, then kept my character on the ballistas rather than under the archdemon's feet.
Companions in Dragon Age Origins Alistair – Warrior Templar
 Leliana – Rogue Bard
 Oghren – Warrior Beserker
 Wynne – Mage Healer

 'Secret Companion' – If you take the opportunity to recruit someone when Riordan suggests it, you can recruit a new companion as late in the game as The Landsmeet.As 'Secret Companion' suggests, it is very possible to miss opportunities to have companions join your party, or even antagonize them into leaving. Some can be aggravated to the point of fighting your Warden to the death, if you choose the right ('wrong') conversation options and actions. Your only healer, if you're a non-Mage Warden, for example, can easily be missed, or driven off, or can become so incensed by certain story-line choices she will try to kill you.
Dragon Age Origins Best Mage Build RedditIn fact, every companion except Dog can be irritated into challenging you. Most will do so with weapons, willing to fight to the death. Only Alistair will not leave your character before the Grey Wardens make their case at the Landsmeet, no matter how much he hates you. That's his personality: putting his duty before personal feelings. The others, however, can be driven away or killed, if you wish.And your Healer option – Wynne – can be missed, or driven off at multiple points, so have care with her, particularly your first time through the Tower of Mages.
To gather everyone you can, and keep them, you have to be careful with the conversation options when you meet them, and listen closely to their personalities and approval/disapproval as you adventure with them. Each has gifts they like, and enjoy being listened to, so if your approval ratings with them start to slip, these are ways to bring them back up again. Not being a total jerk of a character helps.For more about the companions:Wikia Dragon Age: Origins Companions SectionWith more information and entries on speculated, temporary, and downloadable content companions.
SpecializationsYou get two specializations related to your class to further customize your character. Specializations can be taken at level 7 and 14, if you've unlocked them. They can be unlocked at any level, and are learned from an NPC or by buying a manual from the game's NPC merchants. Once you've unlocked a specialization, your subsequent characters will have access to it.Companions join the party with one specialization and are able to take a second later.

The specializations are:
Rogue:Assassin, Bard, Duelist, Ranger

Mage:Arcane Warrior, Blood Mage, Shapeshifter, Spirit Healer
Specialization benefits and skills, and who teaches them or where to buy a manual can be found here: Dragon Age Specializations.
Where to Find the Best Armor and WeaponsJust click the item name for a text walkthrough on how to get it. The best weapons and armor in DA:O are: 1) Starfang Longsword or Greatsword 2) Juggernaut Armor Set 3) Hidden Ageless Greatsword 4) Yusaris The Dragonslayer Greatsword 5) Keening Blade Longsword 6) Imperium Crossbow 7) Far Song Longbow 8) Fade Wall Shield
Dragon Age Origins Cheats, Trophies, and Achievements
Cheats for Dragon Age are entered through console commands on the PC. Instructions at the link. Alternatively, Dragon Age has an extensive and talented mod community where you can find items to fulfill just about any cheat need you could want, like:The Utility Sack mod, which can be used to add stat points, gold, items, change the tier level and material of items, add bonuses and remove restrictions on the fly, dispose of items for gold anyplace rather than carting your full pack back to a merchant, and many other fun and useful cheats. Find them at NexusMods.

There are other benefits to being a mage. One being you get access to the blood mage specialization, and if you don't have it, you have the chance to unlock it. Another benefit being the sheer joy of unleashing powerful spells on enemies and annihilating them.
I made what is perhaps an unorthodox choice. With my mage playthrough, I chose to build a healing mage–leaving Wynne behind at the Circle Tower, and taking Morrigan with me. This means that my character took the place of Wynne. It's a bit of a challenge playing the healer. It isn't exactly something that is common in RPGs, since you usually play a character that deals damage. If you're reading this to find out how to build an awesome mage, don't worry. I've played the game enough times to know how to do it anyway…especially given that each time I play, including this time around as a healing mage, I take Morrigan with me.
As always, raise your cunning to at least 20 so you can manipulate conversations in your favour. Otherwise, guiding the development of the mage is the easiest of all. You don't need strength. You don't need dexterity, because staff hits never miss. You don't need cunning beyond 20, there is no point. You don't need constitution either, since you are banking on never getting hacked down. All you need to worry about, are willpower, and magic.
A general rule of thumb I use for building Morrigan, is a 2:1 ratio of magic:willpower. This ensures she is very powerful by the end of the game, and also ensures that she won't run out of mana for spells in your run of the mill battles. On occasion I'll pump all 3 points into magic. Again, as a general rule, I also give the herbal skill set to Morrigan. One thing that is absolutely useless is the shapeshifter talent tree. Don't waste your talent points on this, go for something a little more useful.
Read on to read the rest of the strategy guide!
The best spells for a power mage are cone of cold, crushing prison, stinging warm, and death hex. Cone of cold for a nightmare mode player is essential. I'm not sure you can play on nightmare mode without it. It is a strategic spell you can use to freeze an entire line of enemies. Even if you are playing as another class, micromanaging Morrigan to strategically freeze an enemy front is invaluable. You can combine cone of cold with a variety of spells, like crushing prison, to shatter enemies. Make sure to experiment with following cone of cold up with different spells and abilities, to see some unique effects. This is true of most spells: following them up with something else, can sometimes yield unique effects. For example, you can do improve drain by casting vulnerability hex, and then following it up drain to yield 'improved drain.'
The fourth spells in each elemental tree (fire, ice, lightning) are in my opinion, completely useless. They cause friendly fire damage first of all, and second, they encompass the entire fighting area. When an enemy mage uses one of these attacks, it is possibly the most annoying spell anyone can cast. The lightning spell in particular, not only causes huge damage to your guys but also restricts movement. In most cases your healing mage can't keep up and you run the risk of killing your entire party.
As a general rule of thumb for building Wynne, is 2:1 willpower:magic. For my own healing mage, It might be more like 1:1 as I'm a little better than the AI at looking after my mana levels. It is better to be safe than sorry as far as willpower goes, the last thing you want as a healer is to run out of juice to heal people with. Skill set is up to you, other than coercion anyhow.
Must-have spells for a healing mage are, not surprisingly, all of the spirit healer tree, and the first tree in the creation group from heal to mass rejuvenation. Group heal is a must-have talent, as is mind blast. I've also equipped my healing mage with cone of cold and crushing prison for some extra punch. The very first tree, the mage tree, is also worth filling out, as it gives you the arcane shield, and the last spell in the tree is a passive one that increases your spellpower. Don't want to give that one up. Cleansing Aura in the spirit healer tree is also a must. Although it is a sustained spell, and uses up a lot of mana, not having to use injury kits is a huge bonus. Of course it doesn't heal your own gaping wounds so you can save the kits for yourself. You don't need to have it activated all the time either, just a short burst after battle if someone fell down, heal them of their wounds and de-activate it, you're good to go.
Mages come in all colours of the rainbow. You can make yours a healer, a power mage like Morrigan, or even a bit of both. Maybe a wielder of all those weird ailment-type magics, which in any other RPG would be a waste of time, but hey, they actually work in Dragon Age. A blood mage, even. Keep in mind that if you intend on using blood mage spells, you're going to have to increase your constitution in place of willpower.
Party member recommendations? Anything goes, as long as you have someone who can heal. Whether that's you, or Wynne. You also need a power mage, which is either you, or Morrigan. You could, in theory, even have a 3-mage party. Be warned though, any battle with a large amount of enemies will prove problematic because of the absence of a front line. The mages tower in particular is difficult with a three-mage team. Your mages can't take much. It's good to have a big warrior with a lot of constitution and heavy armour to draw all the damage for you.
Recommended final stats (without stat bonuses):
Power Mage: Strength: 14
Dexterity: 16
Willpower: 35
Magic: 55
Cunning: 12
Constitution: 10
Healing Mage: Let me finish my game first! Sheesh.
Anything else: you're on your own.
Dragon Age: Origins is an amazingly deep masterpiece of a roleplaying game from Bioware, available on PS3, PC, and Xbox 360. In fact, it has so much hidden depth that even after reading walkthroughs, the wiki, and tip pages, and playing through countless times, as I have, there are still more secrets to discover. To help you get the most out of it, here are the best walkthroughs, guides, resources, and secrets I've found.

FAQOpening Locked Chests – Unlocking chests and doors without a key is a thief-only skill, and their rank in the skill has to be high enough for the task. If your character isn't a thief, you can take control of Leliana or Zevran, after they join your party, to have them attempt to pick the locks. Another thing to be aware of is that injuries can cause a thief to temporarily be unable to open chests and doors they otherwise could.Apparently, the ability for all classes to be able to 'bash' open locks was meant to be included in the game, but didn't make it into the final version. If you'd like, you can download a mod that restores this ability here: Lock Bash. There is some realism to it in that you occasionally destroy an item in the bashing, and the broken door or chest are left behind. Installation instructions are in the description at the link.
Curing Injuries – Injury kits cure those persistent injuries that lower your party's stats; the stronger the kit, the more injuries it can cure at once on the same character. Injury kits can be purchased in limited amounts at merchants, or can be crafted by an herbalist if they have the recipe and sufficient skill. A free way to cure wounds is to take your party back to camp. You don't have to sleep or do anything special, just be at camp, and the injuries will heal.
Dragon Age Origins Best Build For MageGauntlet Bridge Puzzle Solution – The Gauntlet walkthrough on wikia has the full solution for the Test of Faith and the rest of tests.
Where do I find all of the Black Vials? – This is a tricky quest because one of the vials is in a random encounter, and another is often missed due to a cutscene in the Werewolf Lair. Here's a walkthrough for the Revenant and phylactery locations: Black Vials Walkthrough.
What's the deal with landmarks? – Occasionally, you'll see a landmark marked on your map. When you find it and click on it, if you have the war dog in your party, the game will say something about your dog being interested in it. Switch to your dog and click on it again for a benefit.
My game keeps crashing during the Final Battle with the Archdemon! – At least a few of us are running into problems in that final battle despite our computers handling the game fine until then. If that's happening to you, possible solutions include turning your graphics settings down, drawing your camera angle as far back as possible, and/or trying to minimize the spell effects on screen at once. I kept crashing when I had the arch demon's health bar down by 3/4, still with lots of army running around battling. To get through it, I un-ticked 'persistent gore' and 'sparkle effects around loot' under options, then kept my character on the ballistas rather than under the archdemon's feet.
Companions in Dragon Age Origins Alistair – Warrior Templar
 Leliana – Rogue Bard
 Oghren – Warrior Beserker
 Wynne – Mage Healer

 'Secret Companion' – If you take the opportunity to recruit someone when Riordan suggests it, you can recruit a new companion as late in the game as The Landsmeet.As 'Secret Companion' suggests, it is very possible to miss opportunities to have companions join your party, or even antagonize them into leaving. Some can be aggravated to the point of fighting your Warden to the death, if you choose the right ('wrong') conversation options and actions. Your only healer, if you're a non-Mage Warden, for example, can easily be missed, or driven off, or can become so incensed by certain story-line choices she will try to kill you.
Dragon Age Origins Best Mage Build RedditIn fact, every companion except Dog can be irritated into challenging you. Most will do so with weapons, willing to fight to the death. Only Alistair will not leave your character before the Grey Wardens make their case at the Landsmeet, no matter how much he hates you. That's his personality: putting his duty before personal feelings. The others, however, can be driven away or killed, if you wish.And your Healer option – Wynne – can be missed, or driven off at multiple points, so have care with her, particularly your first time through the Tower of Mages.
To gather everyone you can, and keep them, you have to be careful with the conversation options when you meet them, and listen closely to their personalities and approval/disapproval as you adventure with them. Each has gifts they like, and enjoy being listened to, so if your approval ratings with them start to slip, these are ways to bring them back up again. Not being a total jerk of a character helps.For more about the companions:Wikia Dragon Age: Origins Companions SectionWith more information and entries on speculated, temporary, and downloadable content companions.
SpecializationsYou get two specializations related to your class to further customize your character. Specializations can be taken at level 7 and 14, if you've unlocked them. They can be unlocked at any level, and are learned from an NPC or by buying a manual from the game's NPC merchants. Once you've unlocked a specialization, your subsequent characters will have access to it.Companions join the party with one specialization and are able to take a second later.
The specializations are:
Rogue:Assassin, Bard, Duelist, Ranger
Mage:Arcane Warrior, Blood Mage, Shapeshifter, Spirit Healer
Specialization benefits and skills, and who teaches them or where to buy a manual can be found here: Dragon Age Specializations.
Where to Find the Best Armor and WeaponsJust click the item name for a text walkthrough on how to get it. The best weapons and armor in DA:O are: 1) Starfang Longsword or Greatsword 2) Juggernaut Armor Set 3) Hidden Ageless Greatsword 4) Yusaris The Dragonslayer Greatsword 5) Keening Blade Longsword 6) Imperium Crossbow 7) Far Song Longbow 8) Fade Wall Shield
Dragon Age Origins Cheats, Trophies, and Achievements
Cheats for Dragon Age are entered through console commands on the PC. Instructions at the link. Alternatively, Dragon Age has an extensive and talented mod community where you can find items to fulfill just about any cheat need you could want, like:The Utility Sack mod, which can be used to add stat points, gold, items, change the tier level and material of items, add bonuses and remove restrictions on the fly, dispose of items for gold anyplace rather than carting your full pack back to a merchant, and many other fun and useful cheats. Find them at NexusMods.
 (Copyright November 7, 2009. This guide, written by me, was originally published on Squidoo.com. When Squidoo closed, I moved it to my own site. No other site has permission to display this guide. If you find it useful and want to share, please link to this page, don't copy.)