Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition

Warrior

Master Warrior specializations in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Learn to absorb damage, control crowds, and deliver devastating blows in martial combat.

Warrior Specializations

The Warrior class in Dragon Age: Inquisition forms the unyielding backbone of any adventuring party. They are masters of martial combat, capable of absorbing staggering amounts of damage, dictating the flow of battle through superior positioning and crowd control, and delivering devastating physical blows. While all Warriors are inherently formidable, their true potential and unique combat philosophies are unlocked through specialized training. This comprehensive guide will delve into each of the Warrior's specializations: the defensive and inspiring Champion, the demon-slaying Templar, and the life-force-fueled Reaver. We will detail their acquisition methods, unique playstyles, key abilities, and offer strategic advice to help you choose and master the path that best suits your Inquisitor and party composition.

Champion Specialization

The Champion is the epitome of a stalwart defender and inspiring leader. This specialization focuses on enhancing survivability, drawing enemy aggression, and bolstering the party's overall resilience. Champions are the anchors of any frontline, ensuring their allies remain safe while they themselves stand unyielding against the onslaught.

Unlocking the Champion Specialization: The "The Champion" Operation

To unlock the Champion specialization, your Warrior Inquisitor must undertake a specific War Table operation. This operation becomes available after reaching a certain Inquisition Rank and having the Champion specialization as a potential choice.

  1. Prerequisites:
    • Your Inquisitor must be a Warrior.
    • Your Inquisition Rank must be 8 or higher.
    • You must have already selected the Champion specialization as one of your potential choices.
  2. Accessing the War Table: Travel to any War Table located in Skyhold or one of your other strongholds.
  3. Locate the Operation: Navigate to the "Connections" section of the War Table. Look for an operation titled "The Champion."
  4. Initiate the Operation: Select "The Champion" and assign your agents. The operation requires 240 minutes (4 hours) to complete.
  5. Rewards: Upon successful completion of "The Champion" operation, you will receive valuable crafting materials:
    • 10 Dragon Bone
    • 10 Scale of the Absurd
    • 10 Elven Leather

Champion Playstyle and Key Abilities

The Champion's playstyle is defined by their ability to control the battlefield, absorb damage, and provide crucial buffs to their allies. They are less about raw damage output and more about sustained presence and unwavering defense.

  • Taunting and Threat Generation: Champions excel at drawing enemy attention, using abilities to force enemies to attack them, thus protecting squishier party members.
  • Defensive Buffs: They possess abilities that significantly increase their own or their party's defensive capabilities, such as damage resistance or guard generation.
  • Crowd Control: While not their primary focus, Champions have access to abilities that can disrupt enemy formations or briefly incapacitate foes.
  • Party Support: Champions often have passive or active abilities that provide passive bonuses to their allies, making them invaluable for overall party survivability.

Example Abilities and Interactions:

  • War Cry: A signature ability that generates a large amount of guard for the Champion and nearby allies, while also taunting enemies. This is fundamental to their tanking role.
  • Challenge: A single-target taunt that forces an enemy to focus on the Champion, crucial for isolating dangerous foes.
  • Guard Rate: Many Champion abilities and passives focus on increasing the rate at which they generate guard, a temporary shield that absorbs damage before health is affected.
  • Offensive Skills: While defensive, Champions still have access to powerful offensive abilities that can be enhanced by their defensive stance, allowing them to contribute to damage while holding the line.

Building a Champion involves prioritizing abilities that enhance guard generation, defensive stats (Constitution, Armor), and threat generation. Gear with bonuses to Constitution, Strength, and abilities that increase guard or damage resistance is highly recommended. Their effectiveness is measured by how long they can hold aggro and how little damage their party takes.

Templar Specialization

The Templar specialization is a holy order dedicated to combating abominations, demons, and mages. They wield divine power to smite their foes, protect their allies from magical threats, and disrupt enemy spellcasting. Templars are particularly effective against magical enemies and provide crucial support against the supernatural.

Unlocking the Templar Specialization: The "The Templars" Operation

To unlock the Templar specialization, your Warrior Inquisitor must complete a specific War Table operation. This operation becomes available after reaching a certain Inquisition Rank and having the Templar specialization as a potential choice.

  1. Prerequisites:
    • Your Inquisitor must be a Warrior.
    • Your Inquisition Rank must be 8 or higher.
    • You must have already selected the Templar specialization as one of your potential choices.
  2. Accessing the War Table: Travel to any War Table located in Skyhold or one of your other strongholds.
  3. Locate the Operation: Navigate to the "Connections" section of the War Table. Look for an operation titled "The Templars."
  4. Initiate the Operation: Select "The Templars" and assign your agents. The operation requires 240 minutes (4 hours) to complete.
  5. Rewards: Upon successful completion of "The Templars" operation, you will receive valuable crafting materials:
    • 10 Dragon Bone
    • 10 Scale of the Absurd
    • 10 Elven Leather

Templar Playstyle and Key Abilities

The Templar's playstyle is characterized by their ability to disrupt enemy spellcasters, deal bonus damage to demons, and provide magical defenses for their party. They are excellent at controlling the battlefield by neutralizing magical threats.

  • Anti-Magic Focus: Templars excel at interrupting enemy spells, dispelling magical effects, and dealing increased damage to magical creatures, especially demons.
  • Holy Damage and Buffs: They utilize divine energy to enhance their attacks and provide protective buffs to their allies, often related to magic resistance or healing.
  • Disruption: Abilities like Spell Purge can remove buffs from enemies and debuffs from allies, making them invaluable for controlling chaotic encounters.
  • Supportive Role: While capable of dealing significant damage, Templars often shine in their ability to support the party by mitigating magical threats and providing crucial crowd control against spellcasters.

Example Abilities and Interactions:

  • Turn the Faith: A powerful active ability that grants the Templar and nearby allies increased resistance to magic and deals bonus damage to demons.
  • Spell Purge: An area-of-effect ability that damages enemies and removes hostile magical effects from allies. This is a critical tool against mages and spell-heavy enemies.
  • Spirit Strike: An ability that imbues the Templar's weapon with holy energy, dealing bonus damage to demons and other supernatural foes.
  • Templar Focus: Passives that increase the effectiveness of their anti-magic abilities or provide bonuses when fighting demons.

A well-built Templar prioritizes abilities that enhance their anti-magic capabilities, damage against demons, and party support. Gear with bonuses to Strength, Constitution, and abilities that increase magic resistance or damage against demons is highly beneficial. They are the ideal choice for parties facing numerous mages or demonic incursions.

Reaver Specialization

The Reaver specialization embodies a brutal, high-risk, high-reward combat style. Reavers channel their own life force to fuel devastating attacks, becoming a terrifying force on the battlefield that thrives in the heart of the enemy ranks. This path is not for the faint of heart, demanding a careful balance between aggression and self-preservation.

Unlocking the Reaver Specialization: The "Break" Operation

To become a Reaver, your Warrior Inquisitor must first complete a specific War Table operation. This operation is only available once your Inquisitor has reached a certain Inquisition Rank and has already chosen the Reaver specialization as a potential path.

  1. Prerequisites:
    • Your Inquisitor must be a Warrior.
    • Your Inquisition Rank must be 8 or higher.
    • You must have already selected the Reaver specialization as one of your potential choices.
  2. Accessing the War Table: Travel to any War Table located in Skyhold or one of your other strongholds.
  3. Locate the Operation: Navigate to the "Connections" section of the War Table. Look for an operation titled "Break."
  4. Initiate the Operation: Select "Break" and assign your agents. The operation requires 240 minutes (4 hours) to complete.
  5. Rewards: Upon successful completion of the "Break" operation, you will receive valuable crafting materials essential for high-tier gear:
    • 10 Halla Leather
    • 10 Lazurite
    • 10 Ring Velvet

Reaver Playstyle and Key Abilities

The Reaver's core mechanic revolves around sacrificing health for immense power. This translates into a dynamic and aggressive playstyle that can overwhelm enemies but requires constant vigilance.

  • Health as a Resource: Many Reaver abilities consume a portion of your current health to activate. This allows for potent offensive bursts or sustained damage output.
  • Life-Draining Attacks: To mitigate the health cost, Reavers often have abilities that drain life from their enemies, healing themselves in the process. This creates a self-sustaining loop if managed correctly.
  • Devastating AoE: Reavers excel at cleaving through groups of enemies with powerful area-of-effect attacks that often come with a health cost, making them excellent for crowd control and clearing waves.
  • High-Risk, High-Reward: A Reaver who overextends and depletes their health without sufficient lifesteal or support can quickly fall. However, a skilled Reaver who masterfully balances their health pool can become an unstoppable juggernaut, capable of turning the tide of any battle.

Example Abilities and Interactions:

  • Blood Frenzy: This passive ability increases your damage dealt as your health decreases, directly rewarding a lower health pool.
  • Grasping Vengeance: A powerful ability that deals damage in an area and heals you for a percentage of the damage dealt. This is a prime example of the Reaver's self-sustain mechanic.
  • Dragon's Breath: A potent cone-shaped attack that consumes health but deals massive damage to all enemies caught in its path.
  • Ring of Blood: An ultimate ability that creates a zone around the Reaver, draining the health of enemies within it and healing the Reaver.

Building a Reaver effectively involves prioritizing abilities that enhance survivability (like increased health regeneration or damage resistance) alongside their potent offensive skills. Gear with bonuses to Constitution, Strength, and Constitution regeneration is highly recommended. Mastering the Reaver requires a keen understanding of your health pool and the ability to weave in life-draining attacks to maintain combat effectiveness.

Choosing Your Warrior's Path

The choice of specialization is paramount to defining your Warrior's role and effectiveness in combat. Consider the following when making your decision:

  • Champion: Ideal for players who want to be the primary tank, protect their allies, and control enemy aggro. They are essential for survivability in challenging encounters.
  • Templar: The best choice for dealing with magical threats, especially demons and mages. They offer a strong mix of offensive power and crucial party support against supernatural foes.
  • Reaver: Suited for aggressive players who enjoy a high-octane, damage-focused playstyle and are comfortable managing a risky health pool. They can be devastating damage dealers when played skillfully.

Each specialization offers a unique and rewarding way to play the Warrior class. Experiment with different builds and gear to find the specialization that best complements your playstyle and the needs of your Inquisition.