Weapon Guide

Mastering Weapons in Dragon Age: Inquisition

Weapons are the cornerstone of your offensive capabilities in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Understanding the different weapon types, their associated stats, and how they interact with combat mechanics is crucial for maximizing your party's effectiveness. This comprehensive guide will cover everything from the fundamental weapon archetypes to advanced acquisition methods and crafting, ensuring you can equip your Inquisitor and companions with the most potent armaments the world of Thedas has to offer.

Weapon Types and Combat Mechanics

Each weapon class offers a distinct playstyle and set of advantages:

• Melee Weapons:
  • Swords: Versatile, good balance of speed and damage. Effective against most single targets.
  • Axes: Higher damage than swords, but slower. Can have bonus effects against certain enemy types.
  • Maces/Hammers: Slowest melee weapons, but deliver devastating blows. Excellent against heavily armored foes due to their armor-piercing capabilities.
  • Daggers: Fastest melee weapons, ideal for Rogues. Offer high critical hit chance and are essential for stealth attacks and flanking bonuses.
• Ranged Weapons:
  • Bows: Standard ranged weapon for Archers. Good range and rate of fire.
  • Crossbows: Slower than bows but deal significantly more damage per shot and have higher armor penetration.
• Staves: The primary weapon for Mages. While they don't deal direct physical damage, staves significantly boost a mage's spell power, elemental damage, and can have unique passive effects that enhance spellcasting.

Key Weapon Stats:

• Damage: The base amount of damage the weapon inflicts.
• Attack Speed: How quickly the weapon can be swung or fired. Faster weapons allow for more frequent ability activations.
• Critical Chance: The probability of landing a critical hit, which deals bonus damage.
• Armor Penetration: Reduces the target's armor, increasing damage dealt.
• Elemental Damage: Adds bonus damage of a specific element (fire, frost, lightning, spirit).
• Other Modifiers: Can include bonuses to stats like Strength, Dexterity, Cunning, Willpower, or grant unique passive effects.

Combat Mechanics:

• Melee Range: Warriors and some Rogues engage in close-quarters combat. Positioning and flanking are crucial for maximizing damage and avoiding damage.
• Ranged Combat: Archers and Mages attack from a distance, requiring careful positioning to avoid enemy engagement and maintain line of sight.
• Stamina/Mana: Abilities consume Stamina (Warriors/Rogues) or Mana (Mages), limiting their use. Faster weapons and certain gear can help regenerate these resources more quickly.
• Critical Hits: Landing critical hits is vital for burst damage. Rogues excel at this with daggers, while other classes can build critical chance through gear and abilities.

General Weapon Acquisition

Beyond specific War Table operations, you can acquire weapons through several means:

• Looting Enemies: Defeated enemies, especially bosses, often drop weapons. The quality and type of loot are often tied to the difficulty of the encounter and the level of the enemies.
• Purchasing from Merchants: Various merchants throughout Thedas sell weapons. Their inventory refreshes periodically and can be influenced by your Inquisition's level and completed quests.
• Quest Rewards: Many main story quests, side quests, and companion quests offer unique weapons as rewards upon completion.
• Crafting: This is arguably the most powerful method for obtaining top-tier weapons. By gathering schematics and crafting materials, you can create weapons with custom stats and Masterwork slots.

War Table Operations for Weaponry

The War Table is a vital tool for unlocking powerful weapons and schematics. Here's a breakdown of key operations:

Key Weapon Acquisition Operations

Crafting-Focused Operations

These operations are tied to specific Inquisitor specializations and provide valuable crafting components or grips:

Crafting Weapons: Schematics and Materials

To craft weapons, you'll need:

• Schematics: These are blueprints found throughout the world, purchased from merchants, or obtained via War Table operations. They dictate the type of weapon and the number of upgrade slots it has.
• Crafting Materials: Various materials are required, categorized by type (e.g., Metal, Leather, Cloth). Higher-tier materials result in better weapons. Common materials include Iron, Silverite, Invar, Leather, Silk, and rarer items like Dragon Bone and Obsidian.
• Masterwork Components: These are special materials that can be slotted into a weapon's Masterwork slot to provide powerful passive bonuses (e.g., increased damage, health on hit, mana/stamina regeneration).

Strategy Tip: Always prioritize obtaining schematics for the weapon types your party members use most effectively. When crafting, pay close attention to the stats provided by different materials and Masterwork components to tailor weapons to your specific needs.

Important Considerations and Pitfalls

• Inquisition Rank: Many of the most powerful weapon-related operations require a certain Inquisition Rank. Focus on completing main story quests and War Table missions to increase your rank.
• Advisor Choices: For operations like "Negotiate a Deal for Weapon Plans," the choice of advisor (Leliana, Cullen, or Josephine) can influence the specific reward. Researching which advisor yields the desired item is recommended.
• Specializations: Operations tied to crafting are often locked behind specific Inquisitor specializations. If you want to access these, ensure your Inquisitor has the appropriate specialization unlocked.
• Exploration: Many schematics and crafting materials are found through exploration. Thoroughly search every nook and cranny of the game's vast environments.

By understanding the intricacies of weapon types, mastering the War Table, and leveraging the crafting system, you will be well-equipped to face any challenge that Thedas throws your way.