Keeper

Master the Keeper class in Dragon Age: Inquisition with our expert build guide. Learn ability upgrades, strategies, and recommended gear for an aggressive support role.

Alright, let's talk about the Keeper class in Dragon Age: Inquisition. This is your elven magic user, and they're all about buffs, shields, and some sweet AoE stuns. Think of them as a proud protector, wielding Dalish magic to either defend their allies or lay waste to enemies. You're playing as Neria, an apprentice to Keeper Elindra, and your job is to make sure the Dalish elves aren't forgotten. You're a Dalish emissary to the Inquisition, so you've got a lot on your plate!

So, how does the Keeper stack up? Here's a quick breakdown:

Attribute	Our Rating
Damage (AoE)	5/5
Damage (Single Target)	2.5/5
Durability	2/5
Buffs & Debuffs	4/5
Taunts / Aggro	1/5
Fun Factor	3.5/5

As you can see, they really shine in AoE damage and buffs, but they're not exactly tanks. You'll want to play smart!

Ability Unlock Order

When you're leveling up, here's a good order to grab your key abilities:

• Level 4: Grab Fade Step upgraded. This is your go-to for dodging and repositioning.
• Level 10: Get Upgraded Disruption Field. This is huge for crowd control.
• Level 16: Pick up Guardian Spirit, Upgrade Chain Lightning, and get Gathering Storm. These will significantly boost your survivability and damage output.

After that, fill in the rest of your points wherever you feel you need them. Experiment and see what works best for your playstyle!

Strategy: Aggressive Support

The main goal with a Keeper build is to be an aggressive support. You can hang back and just spam barriers, but honestly, you're much more effective when you're actively contributing to your team's damage and crowd control. Let's make Fade Step and Disruption Field offensive tools!

Opening Moves

• First things first, barrier your team before you charge in. Safety first, always!
• Then, charge straight into the middle of the enemy group and cast Disruption Field. Stay in that bubble! You'll be immune to ranged attacks, and melee enemies will be frozen.
• If any melee baddies aren't frozen, your barrier should soak up the hits.
• As soon as Fade Step is off cooldown, use it to get to the flanks and start casting Chain Lightning.
• Keep your Barrier ready to go for your team if they get into trouble. Don't just spam it, though; use it when it's actually needed.
• Fade Step can now be used to dodge enemies, and you can get back to a more traditional Keeper role: auto-attacks, strategic barriers, and Chain Lightning.

Key Abilities Explained

Recommended Abilities	Description
Barrier	Provides an additional health bar which must be depleted before you are damaged. 4m AoE, 24s cooldown. 50 mana cost. Upgrade reduces cooldown by 4s.
Fade Step	Evade ability. 2s Duration, 12s cooldown. Upgrade grants 300% weapon damage and 8s chill when passing through enemies.
Disruption Field	Slows and weakens enemies. Enemies in a 3m AoE have a 50% speed reduction for 10 seconds. 24s cooldown, 65 mana cost. Upgrade reduces speed by 99% for 5s.
Chain Lightning	250% weapon damage, 8s shock, up to 4 hits, 5m arc range, 8s cooldown, 50 mana cost. Upgrade gives +4m arc range and 2 additional hits.

Important Passives

Mandatory Passives	Description
Strength of Spirits	50% barrier bonus.
Guardian Spirit	Barrier activates when you are badly injured.

Dealing with Tougher Enemies

Disruption Field is your best friend here. It'll freeze pretty much everything except for the really big bads like Behemoths, Pride Demons, Templar Commanders, and Demon Commanders. Use it to lock down Guardians, enemy rogues, and any other high-priority targets.

Zone 5 Strategy

In Zone 5, your main job is to keep your team alive. No heroics needed here! Focus on keeping everyone's barriers topped up and ensuring all four of you make it out. Crucially, do NOT get in the line of sight of Archers. Seriously, if you go down, your team likely follows if you're their main support. Stay safe!

Best Weapons

While your abilities are key, having a good weapon helps too. Here are some top picks:

#	Best Weapons	Type	Rarity	Item Level	DPS	Damage
1	Pyre of the Forgotten	Staff	Unique	21	112	69 Fire
2	Fury of the Veil	Staff	Rare	23	110	68 Electricity
3	Mindchill Staff	Staff	Rare	22	107	66 Cold
4	Staff of the Void	Staff	Unique	20	105	35 Electricity
5	Sorcerer’s Staff	Staff	Rare	21	100	62 Fire