Companion builds and tactics

[elysium_fic]

If there has been one feature of DAO I feel I have been missing getting the most out of in the time I've been playing, it's the more challenging combat. Mostly, this hasn't been a problem because I've been doing RP playthroughs where it doesn't matter that I'm on easy mode. But even with mods that should make it possible for me to be able to play on Normal or even Hard mode, I still can't.

Part of the problem is, I think, that my computer is a bit too slow for the game. I meet the minimum specs, but there still seems to be some sort of response lag. I can throw a bomb and it will be well over a minute before it detonates. I can take aim at a TRASH mob and be attacking it for 30-60 seconds before its health bar ever drops below 100%. So it's taking a prohibitively long time for me to clear out even trash, and all the while the trash is pounding on my companions. I had to download a mod that added a bunch of elite militia at Redcliffe to have even a hope of getting through the siege with any of the town's militia alive. And that was on Normal mode.

Lag issues aside, I suspect my other problem to be that I'm not building my companions or using the tactics efficiently. Mostly, I take the "default" tactics set and tweak it a little to add things like lyrium and health potion usage.

I've decided before DA2 comes out, I want to do one final playthrough of DAO and Awakening, and I want to challenge myself a bit and do it on a harder mode. I think I will uninstall all but the most crucial mods (the ones that fix bugs and things like Advanced Tactics) to see if that helps the response lag. But I also want to get the most out of my companions and their tactics.

So, hit me. How do you have your companions built and how do you deploy them?

Comments

[zute]

I think I've seen mods to disable certain graphic things. They might help some.

I love advanced tactics and I use it a lot. I got so I found the combat was really unchallenging, even on nightmare mode for most fights. I always went heavily cunning for my rogues and used that one ability that lets cunning stand for dexterity... lethality.

Archery is crap in DAO but great in Awakening, so I rarely play with Leliana, especially if my PC is a rogue. I like the sleep/horror combination. Force field is extremely useful when someone has something like stinging swarm and death hex on them and you can't heal them. Just stick them in a force field until the death hex wears off.

I never remember to use Alistair's templar abilities. Sometimes I put them in advanced tactics though. I always start healing at 50% and if heal isn't up, then I use group heal if 2 or more players need a heal and they're below 75%. It's kind of cautious but better that than have an unpleasant splat. It's all in my tactics setup.

Usually I use Alistair, PC, Wynne and Zevran as a team and ignore everyone else. Dagger rogues can do wonderful damage if you spec them correctly. There were some guides to builds I read at one point, I'm sure they're still around.

[zute]

I forgot to mention, I have a mod so I can respec characters. So if I don't like their build, I start over and allocate points and abilities to suit myself.

I'm not found of two-handed fighting at all. So I either respec them or use someone else.

I like Justice as a tank. Maybe because I respec him, I don't remember.

[visser]

DA Mutator! I can't LIVE with this mod! Turns off graphics of all sustained auras and enchants, and lowers the AOE graphics.

I couldn't play above Low settings until i got DA Mutator <3333

http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=166

[elysium_fic]

I have that one, and I have the graphics effects turned off. It don't think it's a graphics issue, because everything moves just fine, the video isn't laggy at all. The game just takes a LONG ASS TIME responding to my commands.

[visser]

Yeah, I'm thinking it's a memory leak, because it happens even without mods. I'm gonna search the forums and see if there's any posts on it, and if there's any patches in the works.

[darkrose]

As far as patches for Origins, there aren't going to be any. All of the resources have been shifted to DAO, and the issues with Origins and Awakening will not be addressed.

[visser]

Yeah that thought occurred to me. I also checked to see if my video card had an update, and sure enough there was one. Maybe that will help.

[lemontwisted]

Hmm, thinking about visser's comment about memory leaks made me wonder... do you have anything else running while you play? Maybe an anti-virus program or something? Some of those can be real resource hogs, and if DA:O has it's own share of memory problems, that could cause issues like you're seeing.

[darkrose]

I found that my game performance increased noticeably when I switched from Firefox to Chrome. Even without a ton of extensions, Firefox 3.5 and up is a tremendous memory hog.

[elysium_fic]

Hmm. I may try closing FF when gaming, perhaps.

[visser]

I'd switch to Chrome, as it is VERY light and fast, but I am way too paranoid to run without NoScript and AdBlock =X

[darkrose]

I don't know about NoScript, but there is a version of AdBlock for Chrome. Between that and FlashBlock, I've been very happy with Chrome. The only downside is that occasionally, I'll run into sites that don't render properly because they're only designed for FF or IE.

[elysium_fic]

I usually have Thunderbird, Firefox, and sometimes Open Office running. And, of course, my on-access virus scan.

[darkrose]

Try turning off Thunderbird, and either switching browsers, or cutting down to 3-5 tabs max.

[sakuratea]

open office is the biggest RAM hog in the history of ever. Just xing that might help.

[elysium_fic]

Ah, good to know. I usually keep it running because it seems to have a strange problem where, if I open and close it two or three times, eventually it won't start again unless I restart my computer.

[1smut_princess]

Y'know mine does that too, and I play 360. For that though it's usually pretty easy to fix - turn the console off for an hour or so.... and since mine's always on... (>.<)

[elysium_fic]

I like Advanced Tactics, too. It's one of my must-have mods. But then, I also use Mutator to unlock all tactics spots off the bat, which is cheating, but I just don't see how people function with four tactics spots.

I guess I just don't know the logic to get the most out of the tactics commands, such as choosing the right time to use a sleep/horror combo, or Alistair's templar abilities.

I'm not sure if it's my response lag or a problem with the way I have my commands written, but I find when I try to create a command to get Zevran to automatically apply his poisons, he burns through them too quickly (I think he's using them again before they wear off?) and also there's this weird thing at the end of combat where he keeps giving the acknowledgment for going into stealth repeatedly but takes a minute or two to actually GO into stealth.

It's all very weird. I wish DA had an only interface like WoW does where you can display your builds, so I could see the exact way other people construct their tactics commands. Maybe I'm using the logic improperly or something.

[visser]

If you wanted, I'd be happy to take screenshots of how I spec my companions and PC's. It's not the same as wowhead's talent calculator, but it's a start =3

[elysium_fic]

That would be very nifty, thank you!

[visser]

Here ya go =D

I took screenshots of everyone's spec but Sten and Oghren's, because I left theirs as the default specs- those two work fine on their own. (hell, Oghren makes a FINE 2H tank in Awakening) I also left out my mabari, because well, there's not much choice for specs XD I DID respec him to get overwhelm ASAP so he could use it on anything that ate Wynne's face.

(Note, that I use the Mutator that opens up all talents =X It's dirty, but I really like having the options- I mainly pick specs for the passive stat bonuses)

Leliana
Loghain (or Alistair, just replace Champion with Templar abilities)
Morrigan (she... ends up having to be my mabari's "target- attacking- overwhelm" target- with that spec, she pulls off Loghain, and that's saying something.)
Wynne
Zevran

PC's:

Sabia, dual wield rogue
Neisseria, Arcane Warrior/Healer
Thrax, Blood mage/healer (really OP combo- takes some micro managing so you're not DYING instantly, but it hits like a TRUCK)

Also- I stack Willpower/Magic on my mages (except for Thrax- he actually has near 30 constitution due to his blood magic)

For my melee, it's all cunning and dext- with cunning winning in favor of dex for Leliana and Zevran. For Sabia, she's looking at 56 dex and 38 cunning (note she's spec'ed in keen defence and evasion- she off tanks a LOT when Alistair's in the party)

For Loghain/Oghren/Sten, it's 42 Strength, then 16 cunning for skill slots, and the rest in Dex.

[elysium_fic]

Thank you very much!