BioWare’s fantasy RPG series Dragon Age offers a wide range of classes and playstyles, each with unique benefits and drawbacks. Combat and gameplay have evolved throughout the series, from Dragon Age: Origins’ tactics-based gameplay to Dragon Age Inquisition’s more action-focused combat. At times, this can make it difficult to determine which class best fits each of the Dragon Age games.
All three Dragon Age games feature three broad character classes to choose from: Mage, Warrior, and Rogue. Each class is then divided into specializations, allowing players to create in-depth builds with unique skill and ability combinations throughout the game. However, some Dragon Age classes hold up better than others overall in terms of combat and storytelling.
Some classes can use multiple different types of weapons, armor, and out-of-combat abilities – such as lock-picking or bashing items. This provides additional incentives for players to try out each class at least once.
The Best Class To Play In Dragon Age: Origins
The Oldest Game In The Series, But With The Most In-Depth Character Builds
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Best Classes |
Dual Weapon Rogue, Arcane Warrior Mage |
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Good Classes |
Weapon and Shield Warrior, Two-Handed Warrior, Archery Rogue, Mage |
While its storytelling holds up today, one of the harsh realities of replaying Dragon Age is that combat in Dragon Age: Origins isn’t nearly as fast-paced or energetic as many modern RPGs. However, Dragon Age: Origins is less streamlined than its sequels and offers a wide variety of class and specialization builds that work well.
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Playing as a Rogue with Dual Weapon talents is the best class choice for players who want to deal incredible damage. The game features Dual Weapon talents that deal both high single-target and area-of-effect damage, which can be combined with the essential Momentum ability (one of the best abilities in Dragon Age: Origins) for a massive increase in attack speed. Rogues can take down the game’s biggest and toughest enemies with a flurry of lightning-fast attacks.
Rogues also have a unique class feature where attacking enemies from their flanks results in backstabs.
Backstab attacks gain extra critical damage, making Rogues even more lethal.
In addition, the Dual Weapon Rogue build is supported by many Rogue specializations. The Assassin specialization is specifically built to boost backstabs with additional damage, bleeding effects, and even stamina restoration. Players can also choose the Bard specialization to buff their companions with various effects such as mana or stamina regeneration, increased damage, and critical chance. Rogues also have useful exploration abilities, including lockpicking, making them the best and most versatile class in Dragon Age: Origins.
Other unique builds are also excellent. Dragon Age: Origins’ Mage characters have a gigantic spellbook filled with magical talents, and players can even pull off ability synergies using their companions. This includes freezing enemies and Shattering them with a critical hit for maximum damage or even creating pools of grease that can be set on fire. Mages suffer some drawbacks, however; compared to later games, they attack slowly and are vulnerable to attack.
However, players can also pick the unique Arcane Warrior specialization for a mage/warrior hybrid build that still stands out as one of Dragon Age’s most unique playstyles. Arcane Warriors can use their Magic attribute instead of Strength to equip swords and heavy armor, allowing them to combine close combat with spellcasting. Arcane Warriors make effective tanks and are capable of dealing significant damage. In tough situations, they also have easy access to beneficial healing abilities for the whole party.
There are also plenty of easy-to-build classes in Dragon Age: Origins, including Warrior builds with shields and swords for tank roles and two-handed Berserker builds. Players should also keep storytelling in mind, as each race and class has its own hour-long origin prologues and unique story choices and encounters throughout the game. Mage characters are limited to the Magi Origin, while options for Warriors and Rogues are more varied.
Regardless, all of Dragon Age: Origins’ character origins are excellent and worth experiencing at least once, so players should ideally try them all with multiple playthroughs.
The Best Class To Play In Dragon Age 2
Only One Race And Background Choice, But With Three Classes To Choose From
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Best Classes |
Force Mage |
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Good Classes |
Templar Two-Handed Warrior |
The Mage is Dragon Age 2‘s best class. Unlike both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age 2 features only one origin. Players step into the shoes of Hawke, a refugee who flees the Fifth Blight as depicted in Dragon Age: Origins, and arrives in the city of Kirkwall. Mages in Kirkwall’s Circle of Magi are chafing under the rule of the Templar Order, whose goal is to guard the Circle, protect people from magical threats such as demonic possession, and hunt down rogue mages known as apostates.
A Mage Hawke is an apostate mage, giving them a unique perspective on Kirkwall’s Mage-Templar conflict. While initially it may seem easy to sympathize with the Mages, Hawke will encounter characters embodying both sides’ best and worst qualities. In summary, choosing the Mage class in Dragon Age 2 gives players extremely close ties to the game’s story, which the Warrior and Rogue classes lack in comparison.
Many of
Dragon Age 2’s
best companions
also have their own views on the conflict and regarding a Mage Hawke as well. Players can build lasting relationships based on Friendship (by making decisions companions approve of) or Rivalry (by making decisions companions dislike).
Mage is also the best class to play from a combat perspective. Combat in Dragon Age 2 features fewer abilities, but is far smoother and less tactically demanding compared to Dragon Age: Origins. Most classes, including the Mage, attack faster and can combo abilities for increased damage and unique effects.
The Mage class provides players with wide-ranged attacks that can easily clear out fields of enemies without the help of companions, and a diverse set of magical talents and spells are available. A mage Hawke can wield fire, ice, earth, and lightning, tap into the spirit forces of the Fade to crush enemies, or use glyphs to heal allies and hex enemies with debuffs.
One of the best builds to try is a Force Mage build.
YouTuber jayvee
has a great video on how to build a Hawke based on this specialization.
Other classes can still be played, and different builds, including the Two-Handed Warrior and Dual Weapon Rogue, are still viable and effective. The Dual-Wield Rogue, in particular, can cause some serious damage to single enemies with the Shadow and Assassin Specializations. However, Dragon Age 2’s updated combat mechanics ultimately put magic on an equal footing with other playstyles.
As the Mage combines excellent crowd-control abilities with closer links to the story, it is easily the best class choice for Dragon Age 2.
The Best Class To Play In Dragon Age: Inquisition
Multiple Race And Background Choices And Lots Of Potential Character Builds
|
Best Classes |
Any. All three Dragon Age: Inquisition classes feel broadly equal, and players will find viable and fun builds for each. |
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Good Classes |
Dragon Age: Inquisition is widely considered the most balanced game of the series in terms of combat, so the benefits of playing one class over any other are less pronounced than in previous titles. Players once again have multiple origins to choose from, and their chosen character background arguably has as much impact on the story as their class choice. As such, it’s easy to recommend any class since all three are viable, have some of the best abilities in the game, and are fun to play.
For solo combat, players should pick a Dragon Age: Inquisition Warrior build. Warriors are the best tanks due to their ability to build Guard, which shields their health bars from damage. With a high degree of survivability, Warrior characters can explore other builds, including using a sword-and-shield Champion specialization to tank. Alternatively, the Reaver specialization offers a high-risk, high-reward playstyle.
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With the Reaver specialization, Warriors gain powerful abilities, including buffs and enemy debuffs, which reach their maximum potential when health is low. As such, a Reaver Warrior can batter enemies into submission using a lethal combination of Reaver abilities and a two-handed weapon. There are plenty of tough boss fights in Dragon Age: Inquisition, but Warriors can soak up damage and control the field. Warriors are an all-around versatile class with high endurance levels, regardless of specialization.
In contrast, Dragon Age: Inquisition Mage builds are excellent at dealing damage using area-of-effect attacks. Basic Mage abilities such as Chain Lightning and Blizzard allow Mages to target multiple enemies simultaneously, although they can also hit individual targets with other abilities such as Lightning Bolt. Specializations such as Rift Mage grant additional crowd control abilities, making Mages an excellent choice for controlling the field.
Mage characters can also fill other roles in a party. The tree of Spirit abilities is incredibly useful for providing companions with buffs and can even be used to dispel enemy magic. Alternatively, the Knight-Enchanter specialization can be chosen for a hybrid warrior mage playstyle similar to Arcane Warrior.
Due to the popularity of Mages, Rogue builds in Dragon Age: Inquisition are somewhat overlooked. However, Assassin Rogues can deal devastating damage with flurries of attacks and take advantage of stealth and armor penetration skills.
Overall, Dragon Age players have many different class options to choose from. Dragon Age: Origins has a few excellent in-depth class builds, which is a stark contrast to Dragon Age 2, where the Mage class is easily the best choice. Finally, Dragon Age: Inquisition levels the playing field with viable and fun builds for each of Dragon Age’s iconic three classes.
The Best Class To Play In Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Pick A Class That Best Suits Your Playstyle
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Class |
Pros |
Cons |
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Warrior |
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Mage |
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Rogue |
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Similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition, any of the three core classes are viable depending on your preferred playstyle. Each class has three different specializations that can customize your experience even further, with no option being considered better than the other. As long as you focus everything on one path, you shouldn’t have any problems as your journey continues.
The Warrior plays how they always have, with more health than the other classes to complement their aggressive strategies. Warriors can stagger enemies fast while taking far more hits than the Mage or Rouge can. You can use subclasses like the Slayer to enhance your offensive prowess, dip into the Champion to gain better defense or become a vampiric soldier like the Reaper to steal health from foes.
Feel free to look into the skill trees for each class to see if the abilities you will inevitably focus on are the ones you want to use. Figuring out which skills work best for you will help narrow down what class you want to play.
The Mage comes with their signature elemental attacks and AoE effects, seen the most through their Evoker subclass. Those who choose the Death Caller path can dip into necromancy, while Spellblades can take a page from the Warrior and specialize in melee attacks infused with magical properties.
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The most straightforward Rogue subclass, the Duelist, reinforces what makes this class special. Rogues are great at rapidly striking enemies with blindingly fast attacks while remaining on guard with parries and agile dodges. Those looking to have another focus may want to use the ranged capabilities of the Veil Ranger subclass, or the tricky traps used by the Saboteur path.
No matter what class you pick, this modern entry in the Dragon Age series is designed to make each choice viable. Unlike past titles, the newest Dragon Age game has tons of options for any build, allowing you to become strong based on careful synergy rather than one class’ core systems.
Source: jayvee/YouTube
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
