Spoilerless mini-guide to Nightmare (the all "Trials" is ON)

[frostyshad]

Classes

Warrior

— Low damage.
Well, actually it is hard in game to do damage in close combat. Shoters can hit hard in melee range with "Leap Shot" for an example, and mages can do serious damage in short range too. Monsters have a huge damage in melee, in addition knockback and stuns and so on.

— Low survivability.
No barrier, "Guard" will not help against mages and small help against rouges/archers. No invisibility. Moderate HP helps, but in most cases monsters doing such a large damage that a difference in HP with rouges/archers is not much help.

— Main role — tank/stuner.
"Provoke" is great skill in this game.

— Strength: probably weakest class in the game, but useful against groups of low HP enemies if two-handed weapon and as tank with "Provoke".

— Tactics: either close distance or hide from magic projectiles and arrows. Try to do something until "Barrier" and "Guard" is gone.
Do NOT use AoE warrior skills near allies. "Provoke" single-hard-to-defeat enemies.

Mage

— Main role — anything, even a tank.

— High damage/Very high damage.
Enemies in game have resistances, like Rage demon against fire, but the mage can change staff and use frozen magic instead, and that because will be a very high damage. You need only try types of magic staves: Electric, Frozen and Fire.

— Moderate/High survivability.
"Barrier" + automatic "Barrier" on low HP + invisibility + lyrium potions is powerful combination. In addition stuns and disables that can win a time before skills recharge.

— Strength: probably the most powerful class in the game. Can do damage, stun, disable, hide into invisibility, ressurect allies, insta-send-to-Fade demons that spawning.

— Tactics: "Barrier" + "Dispel" + "Energy Barrage" + "Winter's Grasp"

Rouge

— Main role — demage-dealer, support.

— High damage (very high with proper equipment).

— Moderate survivability.
Invisibility is overpowered but without magic Barrier it will not making rouges so tough as mages.

Tactics: shot from a far and "Leap Shot" if monsters going to close combat... You can try to do damage in close combat with dual-daggers, but it will far more difficult due to decent enemies evaporazing anything in meele.

In general, most easy game will be probably for archer with invisibility or a mage with invisibility, if you want some hardcore — play warrior without "Provoke"... >_<

1) AoE abilities that said in description 'target enemies' usually will hit your own group too. So to have two frontline fighters will be very hard.

2) "Dispel" magic is extremely powerful against the Rifts, with single Dispel group can send into Veil two or three demons that yet to materialize, making the battle much more easy.

3) Your group also will need "Provocation" and/or "War Cry" abilities. Without such a thing hard mele fighters will wreak a havoc through your damage-dealers.

4) Rouge in the regime of invisibility can be seen if nearby and you look carefully. Sometimes target system picking up the target in invisibility nearby. Then AoE skills can be used to hit invisible units.

5) Gathering resources is mean you may sell it to money. Resources is important.

6) Crafted items have no level requirement, so you can craft weapon for 15 000 worth schematics and use it by your low-level char.

Missions

Champions of the Just

A very hard mission, you need keep in mind do not let slider of "Main Hall" to low down less than 25% (second time characters will complain about, first time they talking on 50%), and also if you accept ritual and disobey the noble, that noble will die — I have read it in Wikipedia after second failed attempt to complete the quest.

The battle with the 'boss'...

Equipment:

— The best fire-damage staff available in the Antiquarian (over 16K gold).

— The best bow aviable in the Antiquarian (not "Perseverance"), fully upgraded grip for bow (over 12K gold for schematics of the bow itself).
Personally I picking Dexterity bonus. But Critical hit damage or Flanking damage will be lot damage too.

Group:

— We need "Provoke".

— We need range damage dealers (melee damage dealers will not 'work' because of instant-death AoE of the boss).

— We need rouge to open locked doors.

— We need a mage (optional but very adviced).

Personally I fight the main villian of the mission on 12th level, but keep in mind, the moron is scaling it's level, son on 12th level Envy will has over 60k of HP...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2946697107
And the personal choice of group was: Nevvaran's shield-mace woman, brain-damaged elven archer (unfortunuatelly gnome-cowboy is nearly useless in terms of DPS compared to the well equipped elf), stupid mage bold woman, and my useless in the battler noble warrior with two-handed axe. The party choice was because of story deduction — Nevvarrianér and stupid boldy woman mage is good with nobles and templars, and brain-damaged elf was picked because of DPS.

Tactics:

1) Start the battle with throwing Provoke and run away with the guy that used Provoke somewhere away from your demage-dealers.

2) When Envy launch the projectiles — "Battle Roll" or "Shield Wall" or simply evade by running around or hide before rectangular column.
Beware, projectiles are deadly, not as much as AoE, but still enough to wreak a havoc to your group.

3) Watch out Lyrium Potions and always keep mana for "Revival", dead tanks is quickly mean dead a whole party...

4) When moron starting to call minions — either hide your characters over rectangular colums ("T", double click right-mouse buttons to "Hold position"), or VERY fast attack Marksmens (~12K HP) and defeat them. Beware, the archers are totally deadly, they dealing more damage than Envy itself but they can be stuned, knockback and so on.

That is all. I spent over near 40k gold for equipment, just keep in mind. And do not let "Great Hall" line fall too much, because the beardy knight in that case will die. I read it in Wikipedia after second failed attempt to defeat the boss.

P. S. A pale zombie-idiot will drinking poitions infinitely, so he is totally useless in the battle. He keep drinks even after the battle ends... Lol...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2946697142

In Your Heart Shall Burn

This quest is a beach... Anyone who like protecting and limited time missions on hardcore difficulty of course will like it.

Group:

Not strict group limits, but we need Alpha-damage (instant lot of damage), not tunnel-damage (large DPS). Why? — Becayse enemies will have passive ability to regen Barrier on the hit! A totally insane stuff if your group have no Alpha-damage. Impossible to defeat.
Keep in mind that Varric and Vivienne will be very aproved in this mission, but Varric is useless due to extremely low damage with Biance, so it is like "-1" the in group... I have read it in Wikipedia after few failed attempts.

Equipment:

— Anything but NOT fire-damage related. Better Ice-damage instead.

Tactics:

— After we achieved quest to save peoples, fast turn right for the first battle against two rouges, mage and common soldier, you need to defeat them faster than they will kill two inquisition soldiers. If you complete task +80 to reputation, in other cases better reload...

— After defeat of the above mentioned attacker, fight near Trebuche (South), and then turn back.

— Near stairs fight group of enemies, but NOT go to South. Instead go fast North and rescue human in the house!

— After that, return to the place where you saved two soldier, ignore other battles (go down stairs that you used, and turn left).

— Go South to the Trebuche, not too much further, then save game...

— You will see a hole in the fence on east side (the side closer to Chantry), jump and fast run into South, get up, very fast... You will see two squashed humans, resque them instant!

— Then go down stone stairs, you will see on right a burning house, inside is wuman, resquie her! And the difficult subquest is done (only quartermaster left to rescue, but it is easy, she fight near Chantry, simply defeat enemies)... Better to use fast-traveling skills, anything that can increase your char's speed.
If at least single human died — reload the game.

— In the battle with magical-guys use Alpha-damage and focus single enemy, AVOID to stand in lightning circle... And of course avoid fire-magical mines. The battle is very hard, you need lot of nerve system and lot of damage...

To be continued... (You can find parts of the guide further in this thread.)

[barzai]

Originally posted by frostyshad:

Hissing Wastes: Fully explored, I have found some weird woman in the desert. Chant or something, I thought it was a quest, but nothing, she just dispersed.

It is a quest. Since you spend a considerable--disproportionate--amount of time traveling from point A to point B in the HW, you can encounter the Chanter multiple times. If you encounter and speak with her four times, you get a pretty decent--not great, but decent--bow.

...I assume you're not oblivious to the existence of the Dragon Age Wiki, which has the answers to all your questions and more, yes?

[frostyshad]

Originally posted by NeutronVortex:

I'm not sure who you are referring to in the Hissing Wastes, sorry.

Thank you. Mosaics is actually not very impressive, I thought after I finish a mosaic it will become kind of good decorative thing, but it actually small, grey, and hard to understand (in addition I have minimum graphic setting) — another fail decision of developers.

In Hissing Wastes there is a womans character which I have found, she is only sing a song of Church, and then she dissapeared, and I never found she again despite explored the whole map! I thought it should be another quest, story or something.

About Dragons on the difficulty I playing and all that Trials — for now I have hell no idea how to defeat them, my plan for now is next: farm Fade-Touched Everite and Fade-Touched Dawnstone, Fade-Touched Royale Sea Silk, and then buy proper armore schematics from Black Emporium and then chellange dragons.
I have actually alot of increadibely rare crafting materials, also because when playing with always Trials, from time to time the reward shipment is going into the chest at the base of Inquisition — good actually, helpful.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3023754471

Originally posted by barzai:

...I assume you're not oblivious to the existence of the Dragon Age Wiki, which has the answers to all your questions and more, yes?

I do not like spoilers, so I using Wikipedia only with things like list of crafting materials, or after I explored location on 100% and cannot find some small text note. To be said, some Codex text is inaccessible. For an example in the mansion of Emerald Grave textbook is inaccessible.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3023757302

[frostyshad]

Rouges with dabble-daggers is, as usually in DA-series, imbalanced. Only 20th level: The Bosun's Blade + Sigil of Deepstalker = 10k - 20k critical Alpha-damage (Skill based) on common enemies, 5k - 10k on Elite... Well, usually enemies on 20th level have 20 - 50k HP, so it is not a total imbalance, but still, compared to garbage warriors it is demogod-style.
The minus of Roguge with two daggers only that AI cannot control it normal, it is the only one, single class that player should not to trust Artificial Intelligence.

[barzai]

Originally posted by frostyshad:

To be said, some Codex text is inaccessible. For an example in the mansion of Emerald Grave textbook is inaccessible.

There are a handful of items--that one included--that are placed just slightly too high to be accessible from ground level. If you jump on top of the place it's located you can read it with no problem.

[frostyshad]

How to utilize in battles Knight Enchanter? I have a hell no idea... Disabled Spirit Blade of that misreable woman, because she run into close combat - and of course she fails, and the lost even a single mage (usually, I bring two, my protagonist is Champion with two-handed battle axe) in a serious battle is usually means no good... Maybe I am doing something wrong, and King Enchanter can fight close combat?

Also I have tested Templar class (the stupid lokin character with a scar) - Wrath of Heaven is useless due to the stun is much more deadly to my own group than to enemies.

[frostyshad]

Have found a strange ornamental box with few small stone hands figure, durin the mission "Ameridan's End", after my protagonist touched the box, it disappeared and characters has been teleported, after I searched that place again - no any strange box has been found... Well, nevermind.

[frostyshad]

WARRIOR ACTIVE SKILLS

Two-Handed Weapon

Mighty Blow: AoE skill that can knock back enemies in front of warrior on short distance

Damage — Very Low

Main targets — Non-Barrier, weak opponents

Usefulness — Not very useful actually, due to low damage and AoE, only if the group have no any other close combat character

Block and Slash: Block and counter-strike, that eating stamina during use

Damage — Very Low

Main targets — Anything that hit in close combat

Usefulness — Helpful due to to direct close combat attacks invulnerability during parring, useless against large and dangerous enemies

Whirlwind: Kind of vortex AoE, with no stun

Damage — Low

Main targets — Anything no-Barrier, small size, low HP

Usefulness — In case your party have no any other close combat characters, have some minimal use

Pommel Strike: Single target stun

Damage — Very Low

Main targets — Non-Barrier mages, archers

Usefulness — Pretty useful

Earthshaking Strike: AoE stun

Damage — Very Low

Main targets — Very weak enemies

Usefulness — Better avoid, due to AoE stun friendly-fire = death to your party

Vanguarg

Challendge: Aggression single target skill

Damage — None

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Extremely useful, without it the fight will be chaotic madness, the main skill of warrior

War Cry: Pretty weak AoE version of Challendge, powerful debuff

Damage — Debuff seriously increasing dmg to taget

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Pretty useful, in weak fight can grant Guard, which is helpful, in serious battles, not very usefull

Charging Bull: Fast run, AoE damage, knock-back weak enemies

Damage — Extremely Low

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Very useful skill, as to start the fight, and run away, be careful to avoid friendly-fire

Livid: Buff for damage reduction and damage

Damage — None, but some addition to output damage exist

Main targets — Mobs

Usefulness — Not very useful, the strong enemies do not care Livid, only against weak one

Bodyguard: Buff for damage transfer, aggression

Damage — None

Main targets — None

Usefulness — Not very useful, of course if you do not want to resurrect two characters instead of one

Weapon and Shield

Shield Wall: Buff for armor

Damage — None

Main targets — None

Usefulness — Nearly useless

Payback Strike: Single target stun, aggression

Damage — Very Low

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Have some use due to stun and agression

Shield Bash: Stun, Guard-damage, attack debuff

Damage — Low, but it have some damage against Guard

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — A very useful due to debuff and guard damage

Lunge and Slash:

Damage — Very Low

Main targets — Weak enemies

Usefulness — Useless

Battlemaster

Grappling Chain: Drug the target, stun

Damage — Neglectable

Main targets — non-Barrier, Rouges, Mages, Archers

Usefulness — A very useful skill due to stun

Combat Roll: Roll forward through enemies

Damage — Neglectable

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Extremely useful skill due to powerful enemies AoE avoiding and cancel any disables

Horn of Valor: Party-buff

Damage — Not a bade add to damage output

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — A pretty useful skill

War Horn: A powerful AoE debuff

Damage — Heavy

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — A very useful skill against Guard

Champion

Line in the Sand: Blockin thing

Damage — None

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Useless

Counterstrike: A powerful Focus-buff

Damage — Low

Main targets — Any weak enemies

Usefulness — Not very useful due to serious enemies doing a massive amount of elemental damage that cannot be countered

To the Death: A very powerful single debuff

Damage — Extreme

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Probably the most powerful thing among second Classes of characters, single target debuff that can make insane amount of damage to a single target

Walking Fortress: A powerfull buff

Damage — None

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Your best friend-skill in the battlefield, massive Focus bonus

Templar

Spell Purge: A very powerful cancel-magic AoE

Damage — Moderate

Main targets — Mages, Barriers

Usefulness — A very useful

Blessed Blades: Debuff against demons

Damage — Moderate

Main targets — Demons

Usefulness — A pretty useful

Rally: Moderate power Focus party buff

Damage — None

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Pretty useless

Wrath of Heaven: A moderate damage AoE, stun, heal

Damage — Moderate

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Pretty useless due to friendly-fire

Reaver

Ring of Pain: Moderate AoE damage buff

Damage — Moderate

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Useful due to your party always on less than 10% HP due to all Heal Potions is not usable

Rampage: Moderate power Focus-buff for attack speed and heal

Damage — Moderate

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Useless

Devour: A powerful damage buff, life-steal

Damage — Moderate

Main targets — Anything without Barrier

Usefulness — Pretty useless

Dragon Rage: Moderate power damage bonus buff

Damage — Moderate

Main targets — Anything

Usefulness — Pretty useless

[frostyshad]

Does anyone know how to defeat that son of... in "The Descent" (Deep Roads seems to be final monster)? My char 23th level, I have explored all available locations (not count main quests), have many powerful artefacts, but still cannot win.

Anyway, I am not preapared my group yet. I left Tier 4 craft for dragons, but it seems I should use it earlier. I think to use masterwork crafts material to create powerful weapons and armors (1 HP damage, Walking Fortress, Fade Cloak and so on).

[frostyshad]

The Battle with Dragons. Tactics

Dragons have a lot of armor, they casting Guard from time to time. Also they have totally devastating abilities: fireball shot, vortex and dragon breath.

1) Armor: no need to make any Armor Penetration items, it is enough of some skills of characters in the group with Sunder, it is additive.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3029015135
2) Guard: this is kind of problem, but not much in this case. Actually dragon do not generate significant amount of guard.

3) Fireball Shot — a totally devastating thing, especially by its perma AoE burning, do not try to manually Revival char when he is lying in burning place, obviously. Dragon breath totally devastating too — just go close to the dragon, and this is because if your character is not a mage, you should control a mage in your group manually. Otherwise if the mage is dead, more likely it is defeat.
Vortex — stay close toward the dragon or your party will face a wipe out.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3029017578
4) Imbued debuff of rings that stick to your group, to every character. Can be defeated only by using of Dispel, otherwise your party will fall on the ground faster than you can say 'Mississippi'.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030096412
5) Summoning of minions — a pretty devastating ability of dragons. Should be countered with a lot of damage (simply focus on dragon and ignore minions), or some tanks in group.

6) Equipment: Kitty's Collar, Fade-Touched Dawnstone armor, Dawnstone is in Emprese Du Lion can be farmed. In Deep Roads can be found powerful shields with the same bonus as Dawnstone: 10% chance to cast Walking Fortress.

[frostyshad]

AMERIDAN'S END

What you need, of course somebody can defeat the monster with other strategy, but your humble servant will tell the one that I won.

1) Use amulet of reset abilities on Sera (if she already not two-dagger rouge), and make from she two-daggers wielder. Why? We need her Thousand Cuts.

2) Equipment: on Sera The Bosun's Blade + Silencer, armor with 10% Chance To Grant 5 Second Walking Fortress + Sigil of the Deepstalker.

3) Group: Sera (Thousand Cuts), Vivienne (Resurgence), Dorian (Haste). Of course before the start of mission gather 300 Focus. And do not spent it until the final fight with cursed abomination.

Tactics

Defeat two pathetic large hammers wielders. Do not go close to mages until trash-can Avvars with hammers fall, make battle right near the rock thing where your group entered battler area. Mages on 26the level (with the above mentioned difficulty the level of enemies will always be no less than level of the protagonist, hello 25th+ Fenecs/Nugs...) — is kind of totally devastating enemy, minimum is need 2x Dispel and a hell a lot of damage to beat ~5% of Barrier left...
Use 300 Focus Mark Of The Rift and Thousand Cuts ring on evil magicians! Also you good to have Spirit Mark — It will a spirit of a dead magician to fight on for your group, a powerful spell.
After mages defeated go to the farther from enter fireplace and use Aegis Of The Rift when archers will appear. Focus on the main abomination, I did not remember how many armor and HP he has, but the point on this difficulty it is something like 130+ Armor and 200k - 300k HP, which is actually pretty low, due he have no ability to purge Sunder and To The Death (the most powerful debuff in the game), it is a pretty low, so do not focus on his minions.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030086876
After the battle, Sera can be returned to her loved bows and arrows using by buying another amulet of skill reset.

P. S. As a reader may see, Armor is the pretty useless stat in this game, such a poor tradition from Dragon Age: Origin...

P. P. S. Before the entrance to The Old Temple can be found a very weird box...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030100717
In The Old Temple can be found a weird snowman...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030099687

[frostyshad]

Somehow on 27th level the experience points stopped to farm in some locations. Despite my group defeating same-level monsters, for an example this one during Crestwood mission.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3031401454

[frostyshad]

THE GUARDIAN

Things such as Berserk +30% with masterworks on archer can help, for an example on Varric. To make the battle not so tough, the group should have 2x mages (Barrier).
Order the group to Hold Position, take control of the archer and shot into Lyrium Clusters, ignore Rock Flails. No any difference in which cluster to shot, can change target from time to time, HP of monster will go down regardless of chosen cluster. Kitty's Collar is a very advised equipment on the archer.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3035465965

[frostyshad]

WICKED EYES AND WICKED HEARTS

Not to much to say, there is suppose to be main 'boss' fight in the end, but I have never witnessed it. My advice — due to quest, as many other quests and story, lets say not very developed not very good, so better we must read Wikipedia from the start despite of spoilers.
Yes, it is stupid, but at least no need to replay because you opened wrong door with limited pathetic Halla statues... You is free to lost something like few dozens of Court Approval due to timer-based locations — another 'amazing idea', who will watch good design and explore location if timer tic-toc? — Dunno...

[frostyshad]

THE MOST POWERFUL ARTEFACTS

Kitty's Collar

On the above mentioned difficulty, simply the most powerful artifact in the game. It is a necklace. Must be used on Rouges or Warriors. Location: Western Approach - Griffon Keep.

Greatest Hits

If player using somebody with one-handed sword in the group for often - the best sword. Of course somebody may want to use one-handed axe or a mace, but this sword will overdue any of one-handed weapons for warriors. Location: Quest in Ministrel in the Inquisition tavern in Val Royeaux, you need to complet few main quests and then "!" will appear in Skyhold tavern.

Isatunoll

The best shields in the game. Location: Deep Roads.

Bosun's Blade

The most damage dagger in the game. Combination with Sigil of Deepstalker and some critical damage bonus can do insane damage. Location: operation Scout Ruins with diplomacy, then Locate Heretic Sister. After some large main quest missions.

[frostyshad]

SOME USEFUL COMBINATION (not default game-combos from Help, they are useless)

"Spirit Mark" + "To the Death"

Probably the most powerful 'combo' in routine fights — you will get a spirit on your side, the damage of which will increase with time. This thing can win some hard common battles.

Daggers + "Thousand Cuts" (Tempest class)

Can win Jaws of Hakkon battle against mages.