With my first Nightmare playthrough, I wanted to play it safe, so I thought, 'what's safer than playing a tank?' I still died, a lot, but it got pretty fun after I started figuring out how tanks work.
So for my second playthrough, I thought, 'I want to play a support mage'.
Now, the issue is: I didn't find a support build for a mage online.
I didn't want damage, or crowd control, I wanted raw support. I wanted to have one mage who could do Barriers, Dispels, and Revivals and a few basic elemental attacks, so I could bring along the warriors and rogues I neglected on my other playthroughs.
Eventually, that morphed into a personalized build, but it works really well!
My idea of a support involves: Barrier, Dispel, Revival. There are brave and skilled people who can get through the game without Revival, but I'm not one of them. Staying alive is also good, but since I'm controlling the Inquisitor, that's on me. I've played Solas/Vivienne plenty on my playthrough with Verity, so I'm confident in my ability not to kill a mage. Can't say the same about rogues, though.
For that purpose, damage is negligable to me. I literally don't care about damage. I'm fine with doing none. I'd rather support the rest of the team (or play the sole tank).
In addition to that, having the Inquisitor as my dedicated support mage, it frees up a few skill points for the other mages: I can get Vivienne Mind Blast only (instead of MB + Dispel), I can get Dorian something else instead of Revival, and I can do something different for Solas (who always makes a great support, primary or secondary).
Now, onto the build itself:
General
Points spent: 19
Complete by: Mid-game (around level 16-18, depending on Amulets of Power, Inquisition Perks, Race, and your willingness to craft)
What it doesn’t do: good damage, good cc
What it does: support. Very well.
Keep in mind that you'll need a balanced party, because, well - little damage, little cc. You can't solo the game with this either.
The build at its core relies on Barrier as the main spell, a ton of cooldown reduction, and the interaction between Flashpoint + Mana Surge.
The goal is to have another barrier ready when it’s depleted or destroyed, revive/dispel when necessary, mobility, and lean into ‘elemental mage’ concept just enough to grab the good passives and deal a bit of damage to everything.
Ability Trees
The skills necessary to make this work are relatively equally spread out across all basic trees and the specialization, Rift Mage, with the heaviest investment being in the Spirit Tree.
Progression
When you get to Haven, respec. I went for Barrier, Winter's Grasp, and Fadestep, but it wasn't until later that I discovered how amazing Mana Surge is, so I recommend you go Barrier - Winter's Grasp - Mana Surge and then Fadestep.
From there, it depends. I like to make a beeline for Dispel next (easier time dealing with rifts + enemy mages), but after that I go for another damaging skill (Immolate or Chain Lightning), Revival, and the other one.
I usually prefer having Immolate first (damage over time + some cc), but if you’re running Walking Softly right off the bat and keep dying a lot, you might want to go for Revival above either damaging spell. (And balance your party out by letting Solas do the magic damage.)
By then, I spent a point on upgrading Barrier, Elegant Defense, to shorten its cooldown and add a ton of survivability to - well - everyone.
After you've (almost) filled your skill slots, it's time for passives. I recommend either the Flashpoint + Clean Burn combo before going for Stormbringer + Gathering Storm, but depending on how your mana is doing, you can slot in Winter's Stillness at any point.
Depending on your trials set-up and the difficulty you're on, the specialization will come into play sooner or later. I recommend going for it when your cooldowns are shortened enough through FP + CB or SB + GS that you run into the issue of lacking mana to cast your spells. Here, you go for Veilstrike, the Punching Down upgrade, and Restorative Veil.
I’ve also been neglecting other upgrades except ED and PD until now (level 16) and, I gotta say, once I got a few cooldown passives, I didn’t feel like I needed them. But, as I said, until recently, I’ve played a raw tank who had no damage output and now I’m playing a raw support with no damage output, so I don’t mind a slow playstyle and slow boss fights.
Spirit Tree
- Barrier: There’s nothing much to be said about this. Barrier is essential for any mage, more so if you’re playing support. Unfortunately, it's 24s cooldown can be impossibly long early on.
- Elegant Defense Upgrade: I prefer this upgrade for a number of reasons. First, cooldown reduction on your most essential spell? Every time it expires? When you’re throwing them out the entire time? It doesn’t get much better. You’ll have them ready before your barrier even runs out. Second, a shorter duration of Barrier synergizes nicely with the passive Mana Surge.
- Peaceful Aura: It’s partly a progression ability, but it’s nice to have early if your tank’s AI messes up the taunt. (Which happened a lot for me.)
- Dispel: It’s essential to deal with the mages early on who are so annoying on Nightmare. It also stops demons from spawning if you use it on a rift. And it can ‘disrupt hostile effects’, such as poison. It also acts as a detonater!
- Rejuvenating Barrier: I’d consider this an essential passive, because it greatly increases your (and your allies) stamina/mana regeneration while they have an active barrier. And who doesn’t like that? It’s nice for archer rogues and other mages especially, because the chances are good you’ll stand cluttered together anyway.
- Revival: Easy choice. It comes at the massive cost of 85 mana, but here’s to hoping you won’t need it often because the AI isn’t stupid enough to position your ranged, squishy characters right in front of the melee enemy. (... It happened. A lot. Also, refer to 'the AI messed up my tank's taunt'.)
(I’m not picking Strength of Spirits because I don’t want the barriers to hold for long due to Mana Surge. It also requires getting MB and I don’t feel like spending a point for that.)
Winter
- Winter’s Grasp: It’s cost-heavy at 65 mana, but freezing is such a good status effect. It lets you detonate an easy combo – ‘shattered’ – and it gets you to Mana Surge.
- Mana Surge: This passive is amazing for defense and adds some cc as well as damage potential. When one of your barriers is destroyed, the enemy who destroyed it gets frozen. And your next ability won’t consume mana/stamina. So, cast a barrier on a melee character and profit! Plus, the secondary effect carries over (to every character the barrier is cast on), which is a nice bonus. I also heard it has a knockback effect, but I haven't paid attention to that yet. For support mages, paired with a well-timed Flashpoint, it means two spells at the cost of one, whether for damage or support! Or, sometimes, expensive spells such as Winter's Grasp or Revival don't cost mana.
- Fade Step: It’s great. Whether you need to position yourself, get away from an enemy or get closer to a rift, or run away … Fade Step does it all.
- Winter Stillness: By standing still – what a mage does, except you’re playing a close-combat Knight-Enchanter – you get a 50 percent mana regen bonus and reduced cooldowns.
Storm
- Chain Lightning: It’s a good ability with a short cooldown that shocks one target. Meaning, it lowers one target’s elemental resistances. And isn’t that fun? It also gets you to Gathering Storm, an amazing passive.
- Stormbringer: It’s alright, I guess. Lightning randomly striking an enemy is a nice gimmick, even if it has a 15 seconds cooldown. It also gives you magic.
- Gathering Storm: Now, this one is good. Each time you do a basic attack – which you’ll do a lot as a support – you shorten your active cooldowns, bringing you closer to spamming barrier for Mana Surge or a spell for Clean Burn.
Inferno
- Immolate: It’s relatively cheap, does damage over time, and it’s a detonator! With the right set-up, you can hit stunned enemies so you can weaken them or shatter frozen enemies.
- Flashpoint: If you crit, your next spell doesn’t have a cooldown. The ability itself has a rather long cooldown at 10 seconds but you only need to stack a crit chance of around 30-40% to make it worth the investment. Until you get to that crit chance, it’s a nice gimmick and gets you to the next passive.
- Clean Burn: Every spell you cast shortens your cooldowns. You see where this is going: With a cheap spell like Chain Lightning or Dispel, Winter Stillness, Gathering Storm, and Elegant Defense (along the occasional Mana Surge and Flashpoint), you’ll be able to spam barriers non-stop. Often, in longer fights, it’ll be ready before it has even been destroyed! That is all I want for this build.
Now, my problem was mana. I didn’t restore enough of it. I could go and pick up the Energizing Step Upgrade, find a Tier 3 Masterwork that reduces ability cost, or I could pick up Restorative Veil and make sure I weaken enemies reliably (by giving Solas the necessary skills and taking him along, getting the Veilstrike Upgrade, or by using my detonators on stunned enemies).
Rift Mage
- Veilstrike: Mainly for progression, because it leads to Restorative Veil, but it is a relatively cheap ability.
- Punching Down Upgrade: It adds ‘weaken’ to Veilstrike and reduces the cost to a cute 20 mana, which makes it worthwhile in my mind.
- Restorative Veil: It's another insanely good passive. You get a mana regen bonus when you fight weakened enemies. Now, from what I heard, it’s 10% of the damage you do, and while this build won’t have the insane output to always have max mana, I think it’ll help enough to take care of my problems. Because, some simple math: You deal ~100 damage to a weakened enemy, you get 10 mana. Unless your staff element is resisted, you’re able to reliably do that damage by the time you get to this passive.
Past that:
I recommend picking up more Rift Mage passives, because if you have a reliable way to inflict weaken, why not use them?
You can also pick up other upgrades (I reccomend the Life Ward upgrade for Revival for JoH - you shouldn't have many problems staying alive otherwise) or the passive Guardian Spirit, if you want. Since this is a support build, I don’t think you need to upgrade your damaging spells because damage output doesn't matter. You do enough for the build to work. Plus, you already have enough skills (if you're playing yourself; you shouldn't give an AI too many skills either, but it can probably handle Stonefist in addition to the rest). For everything else, you have your designated DPS and CC.
Playstyle / Tactics
My eight active skills are: Barrier, Dispel, Revival, Fade Step, Winter’s Grasp, Immolate, Chain Lightning, Mark of the Rift / Veilstrike.
If you’re running this on the AI, fave Barrier, Dispel, Revival, and Veilstrike.
If you’re playing it yourself, you want to start each battle with a barrier (for Mana Surge and to get Elegant Defense started). You want to keep an eye out for your allies and when their (or your) barrier runs out, so you can immediately replace it with a new one. Be sure to let it fully run out or be destroyed though, to profit from the passives.
You’ll also want to use Dispel if any of your party members is suffering from any effects (poisoned, burned, chilled, …). Use Revival immediately when needed. Use Fadestep whenever enemies ignore your tank’s taunt, are immune to taunt, or keep focusing you down. It’s also useful for maneuvering, because mages have a long reach and chances are you’ll end up standing too far away to cast an AOE spell sometimes.
Winter’s Grasp, Immolate, and Chain Lightning are your main damage spells. Use them frequently, according to enemy resistances – I recommend using Immolate and Chain Lightning often, whether enemies take much damage from them or not, because they’re relatively cheap and work with Clean Burn to bring down your active cooldowns for each ability you use. Immolate is also great AOE with DOT, and Chain Lightning shocks enemies, which lowers their elemental resistances.
Now, before I got Veilstrike, I had Mark of the rift on my last skill slot. You want to use your focus ability on large, annoying enemy groups or high health enemies such as (mid-)bosses, promoted archers/mages/assassins, dragons, or bears. Veilstrike, especially with the Upgrade, you want to throw out early to weaken enemies so you can regain mana better. It’s also cheap (with the upgrade), so you’ll be able to use it a lot!
I've been thinking a lot about keeping MotR, but it's only occasionally that it's useful, while Veilstrike is always useful, so I'll probably end up replacing it.
As for combos, keep watching for your other party members to stun enemies, so you can chuck a detonater on them to weaken them. For some cc, you can do the Chain Lighting -> Veilstrike that'll make your enemies fall asleep. Add an Eldritch Detonator to the combo and you trigger the 'nightmare' status effect.
Don’t forget to auto-attack, since that also shortens your cooldowns (thanks to Gathering Storm)!
Equipment
Crafting
You can do pretty much anything you want.
If you want to free up a skill slot, you can get a Veilstrike or Chain Lightning Masterwork (remember, Upgrades carry over), which I'm considering for the late game because MotR is that good with an extended focus bar.
Aside from that, you can also go for an 'Abilities Cost Less' Masterwork early to reduce mana cost.
Generally, you'll want to invest into Critical Chance for Flashpoint, but whether through crafting, keeping good loot (I'm currently still using the Fade-Knocker with a +25% crit chance and a Veilstrike Masterwork), or accessories is your call.
A Fade Cloak or Walking Fortress Masterwork might also work well in terms of survivability, since mages are also pretty fast in their attack speed and thus have many chances to trigger them. If you want to be run this build on your sole mage, these two are good options to make sure you die less. If you have another mage who can revive you, you don't necessarily need them.
Guard On Hit is always a good choice if you're looking for safety; a DPS Masterwork (Hidden Blades, Walking Bomb) might also do well, though I personally prefer them on Cole and Dorian respectively (upgrades carry over!) or HB specifically on Vivienne and Varric, since they profit from them with their passives (Fade Shield and Opportunity Knocks).
Another option is the Sigil of the Great Bear (+100% Mana) because you can off-set its penalty (-50% Mana Regen) with Restorative Veil and Winter's Stillness.
As for additional effects: magic resistance. You can get elemental resistances well enough (if you do all of the Shard quests like I do), but mages are still a pain. Technically, you don’t need melee resistance or ranged resistance, but I’ll see how dealing with enemy assassins turns out before I put out my opinion on that.
Accessories
For amulets, I like any that reduce cooldown or speed up mana regeneration early on, or the Enhanced Amulet of Accord (generate less threat) / Enhanced Amulet of Evasion (dodge). You can also get the Superb Cooldown Amulet relatively early (Emerald Graves). In the late game, I’m probably going for the Amulet of Renewal (if I don’t put it on Dorian), Amulet of the Mage, or Master Cooldown Amulet (if I don’t put it on Cole/Sera).
With belts, I like to go for Spirit Resistance early (Wisps are a pain). You can also go for extra health or magic resistance. For the late game … pretty much the same, I guess.
Which rings you can use depends on your luck. You can get the Enhanced Barrier Ring (boost to barrier power) or others of the sort for Winter’s Grasp, Chain Lightning, or Immolate (boosts damage). Otherwise, Barrier/Armor/Guard penetration is always good. So is crit chance (due to Flashpoint). Staggering and Sundering are also good options if you get neither of the others or have already fleshed out your build in all aspects.
Late game, the Ring of Slicing (Emporium) is good if you’re looking for crit chance, or the Ring of Smashing (Guard/Armor Penetration). The Superb Ring of Critical Chance (the Descend) is better used on damagers, imo.
Conclusion
Like many builds, this one has a rather slow start and the early game can be frustrating, but it comes together well and it's a lot of fun to play.
It's also effective on an AI (tested by switching to my tank or damager or second mage); the AI will always give you a new barrier when yours is destroyed/depleted without delay and use the other spells however it sees fit.
All in all, I think this build makes for a solid support mage!
I said in February I was going to do it, and it only took me seven months to follow through!
Anyway. Analyzing game-play elements for narratives purposes has become somewhat of a hobby of mine ever since I really got into GameLit. Then, I started "fangs" and felt that my fight scenes were boring, so I build ability trees reminiscent of DA:I's for my OCs. You know, as you do. During that process, though, the lack of banter acknowledging several choices struck me as odd. Especially regarding specializations. Especially when it comes to Solas'.
We’ll be taking a look at (in order)
1. Description
2. Codex Entry
3. Skills
a. in comparison to DA: II’s Primal & Force Mage
4. Specialization Dialogue with Solas
5. Conclusion
Disclaimer: I talk a lot (this post might have about 2.5k). And, I promise you, you'll be tired of seeing 'the Fade this' and 'the Veil that' at the end of it.
Description
“These mages draw upon the force of the Fade, either pulling matter from the Fade to attack or twisting the Veil itself into a weapon to stagger or crush their enemies.”
[source – DA wiki; bolding mine]
So, lore-wise, mages do ‘draw upon the Fade’. Sure. But do they ‘pull matter from the Fade’? Absolutely not.
Physical things and the Fade rarely mix well. Plus – this is mainly my theory – the way magic is utilized (the 'drawing upon the Fade part') requires it to pass through the Veil. Magic being a form of energy, and thus not physical, does not constitute to ‘pulling matter from the Fade’.
That's the first thing other mages (read: Dorian, Vivienne, possible the Inquisitor) should (or could) have referenced in banter/dialogue.
The rest of the sentence ('twisting the Veil into a weapon') is also highly interesting, since there is little known about the Veil. Nobody knows how it works. And, thus, nobody should be capable enough to manipulate it consistently enough to use it as a weapon. But considering it's Solas who gets this specialization - well. He knows the Veil well enough, don't you think? (Which is why I think Rift Mage should have been Solas' personal, individual specialization like Fenris' Lyrium Ghost, but I just really like personalized skill trees in general.)
However, having answered that question, connecting magic so closely to the very thing can be described as a “magical vibration that repels the Fade”, I'm curious about how it would work. Since, you know, mages are inevitably tied to the Fade. Wouldn't the Veil repel a try to manipulate it by a mage? Is using mana the same thing as drawing energy from the Fade? If so, it would be straight-up impossible to actually use such a method for any ordinary mage (read: not Solas). If mana can be used without the Fade, it would be possible, but is such a thing feasible? Can you switch between spells and Veil quickly enough without horrific consequences such as possibly tearing yourself apart?
Very interesting topic. Would love to go into it more, but at that point, I'd become subjective, so let's end it here.
To summarize: Rift mages do things (physically pulling things from the Fade plus using the Veil) normal mages don't do. There is also a chance, logically speaking, that no one else but Solas (or mage!Inquisitor) can accomplish such a feat without dying a horrific death.
Codex Entry
From "Power Bleeds: Harness the Flow." Your Trainer's words make one passage stand out:
There are no tomes dedicated to this manipulation. There has been no time for academics, only the practical—and not in a manner that mitigates risk. Power in a raw form has found an outlet, both visible and in ways that only we of arcane proclivity can sense. The risk is great.
An account:
From this page forward, these are the notes of Thelric. They began as the work of my mentor Julion, and I will continue in the research she began, as she cannot, because she is dead. The rift we were examining did not react well to her last investigation. We believed ourselves prepared for demonic manifestation. We were not prepared for how the energies we expected would be encountered. Well-versed in the forces that magic can produce, my senior was surprised by an alteration, a deviance. That which previously had to be coaxed is now a flood that must be staunched. The same amount in different intensity, quick to expose fault in the way it is accessed. She drew too much, expecting resistance. There was none, and her form suffered the brunt. Tread carefully in studies of new matters, for I cannot unsee the end of her.
Scattered symbols and sketches follow.
[source – DA wiki; bolding mine]
Apparently DA:I has a thing for hiding the true horror in Codex Entries and off-hand comments.
Here, we learn one key fact: The school of Rift Magic is relatively new ('no tomes dedicated to this manipulation'). I think it's safe to assume the possibility - and thus research concerning it - emerged around the time the Breach appeared. So it's new, people have no idea what they're doing, but it somehow works. A little like the whole time magic thing, funnily. (That brings me back to a lot of questions I have about the Veil: Just how powerful is it? Just how deeply is it intervened with Thedas?)
Reading further, the entry seems to (only) stress how dangerous Rift Magic is. Who would have thought! No, really, it's a fair point to empaphize. I'm not certain the Trainer and his previous teacher (or anyone else but Solas) know what kind of role the Veil plays in this, and so of course experiments are going to get ugly. The Veil holds a much greater importance than the people of Thedas realize.
And, in a very similar vein: The people of Thedas don't know much about directly interacting with the Fade through, say, a rift, which poses another risk. The wiki entry establishes two things in particular that are relevant here: Using spells (in the Fade itself) has unpredictable results, and one can draw unprecedented power from it while sleeping.
The codex entry cited above proves that. A rift is a direct connection to the Fade, and thus unpredictable ('She drew too much, expecting resistance. There was none') and that power is too much to handle ('her form suffered the brunt').
My theory is that, while a certain flunction is natural to the Fade, the Veil also plays a role here. Which I'm not sure. But it has one.
Personally, I wouldn't be sure the risks of a horrific death outweigh the benefits of power, but let's look more in depth at that!
Skills
Which brings me to the abilities themselves.
The first two you can choose from are Veilstrike and Stonefist. (Which I think should have had their names changed but, oh, well.)
Veilstrike: “You recreate your own fist from the essence of the Fade and smash nearby foes to the ground.” (Upgrades being Punched Down and Wounded Veil, but they don’t have anything interesting for this analysis. Note the names, though.)
Curious here is the 'recreate [...] from the essence of the Fade' part here. On first glance, it sounds like a rather ordinary spell, right? But it's not. That's just the 'hiding in plain sight for the first playthrough' aspect of Solas' character.
Mages do shape their spells with energy from the Fade (as far as my assumptions go). Maybe they can also recreate something. I'll give them that much. But the essence of the Fade - the inherit, unchanging nature of it - can't be manipulated by them. I think that's specifically a trait only Dreamers can have. (More evidence for my 'Rift Mage should have been Solas' personalized, individual specialization' hc!)
There is an argument to be made if this already constitutes for 'pulling matter from the Fade', but this isn't even the funkiest part yet.
Stonefist: “You summon a boulder from the Fade and smash it into your target, sending them flying.” (Upgrades being Shatterstone and Unblockable Force.)
'Summon a boulder from the Fade', you know, as in, bring physical matter from the Fade to the other side of the Veil. A thing that is pretty much unheard of. Remembers what happens to spirits when they pass violently through the Veil? There is an entire game dealing with that. (I mean, stones won't hopefully turn into demons, but my point is that bringing things through, usually, is not a wise idea.
Unfortunately, neither of these descriptions give me much, but they all have the ‘Veil’ component in their name, so that’s interesting.
Upon closer inspection, the Veil can function in a variety of ways: speeding up mana recovery, further weakening enemies, boosting your own damage. (Veilstrike being an example of a means of attack.)
Now, my question here would be: Do over mages notice changes in the Veil? Do they feel it shift and bend? If not, well, that's one thing. if they do, even subconsciously, I'd want banter. (I want a lot of banter, though. Just generally speaking.)
Pull of the Abyss: “You create a tiny rift that pulls enemies toward a central point.” (Upgrades being Shaken Veil and Devouring Veil.)
I can live with never hearing anything about everything else. Sure. But this one? This damned skill? You're telling me I read that the first time I played the game, nodded, and that was it?
'You can create a tiny rift-' I'm sorry, do you what now? After a good a couple of hours of learning just how bad rifts are?
And the upgrade names. Shaken Veil, Devouring Veil - is there anything this thing can't do, except for becoming more and more horrifying and giving me bad vibes ofr whatever DA4 will do with it?
Firestorm: “You summon flaming meteors, raining fire down upon enemies all over the area for the next several seconds. This ability consumes and is powered by focus.”
This one is ... honestly, I don't like it being here. It's an AOE skill, which does fit in with the rest, but it's fire and it seems rather randomly assigned compared to other focus abilities with a more personal note (Haste, Rampagne, Cloak of Shadows, Mark of the Rift).
Doesn't give a lot here to analyze, except that raining down flaming meteors is the level of (global) destruction I can see happening in the future if Solas isn't stopped. So. That's fun.
(It's the ultimate skill in the Fire/Ice tree in DA:II, or at least the ability there has the same name.)
DA: II Comparison
Nearing the end, I'll take a brief look at the Force Mage specialization from DA:II and the Primal base skill tree for mages. Both have some interesting similarities.
First, Primal.
Stonefist: “The mage hurls a stone projectile that strikes with massive force.”
It's only the name and the effect, honestly, but it is curious to see it in a skill tree that focuses exclusively on the elements earth and lightning. (Because Pride demons also use electricity ... yeah, yeah. I'm reading too much into this.)
Petrify: “The mage entombs an enemy in stone, leaving the foe temporarily unable to move. However, the target becomes more resistant to damage for the duration of the spell.”
This has nothing to do with Rift Mage, but in light of Trespasser, I'll just leave it here for your consideration. Petrifying people is neither new nor exclusive to Evanruis.
Now, onto Force Mage.
Fist of the Maker: “The mage slams enemies into the ground with incredible power, against which armor is no protection.”
The effect sounds like Stonefist (Primal) and Veilstrike.
Pull of the Abyss: “The mage conjures a maelstrom of energy that draws enemies to its center while slowing them to a crawl.”
This one is similar to the Rift Mage skill with the same name, so it might have served as an inspiration (or base).
Overall, though: nothing much to say here. Maybe I could talk more about Rift Mage being focused on crowd control, but that is probably for game-play balance. I could connect that to Solas' character and analyze every little thing to death. I'm not doing it, though.
Specialization Dialogue
Solas: You have begun practicing new magical forms. Interesting. You seem to be drawing upon the raw substance of the Fade, likely using your mark as a catalyst. I use similar techniques, although it took me years to learn that. Why did you choose such an esoteric area of study?
Inquisitor: (if chosen) I hoped that studying such magic would me help better understand the Fade.
Solas: While our fight affords little time for formal study, the wise can better themselves even in the midst of battle. Perhaps especially then. I hope your new studies serve you well.
[source]
Let’s go through this slowly.
‘You seem to be drawing upon the raw substance of the Fade-’ Alright, we’ve talked about that. Makes sense he’d comment on it. ‘likely using your mark as a catalyst’ Sorry? The Inquisitor is doing what? I’m not saying it’s not possible, I’m just saying it might not be an overly smart idea to use the Anchor in that way. Because it’s attached to the Inquisitor’s arm. And because the Inquisitor knows what happens if it snaps out of control. So, purposefully doing something that might cause you agonizing pain? Mh. Yeah. No, thanks.
Also. The 'drawing upon the raw substance of the Fade' part makes me think that the Anchor does give the Inquisitor Dreamer-like abilities. Forcefully, and possibly difficult to control, and the Inquisitor might not be aware of it, but. That would be an interesting aspect to explore.
‘I use similar techniques, although it took me years to learn that’. Well. Yeah. Mostly a sound response, except I’m not really sure it's true. Why does he say years? Because he didn’t go right to sleep after creating the Veil, or because he studied such methods theoretically beforehand? I doubt he refers to the time Inquisition spans, because it’s not that long, cannocially, (isn't it like ... a year? I forget what the devs said), but … I don’t know. It doesn't sit right with me. Solas never truly outright lies, so there is probably some merit in it.
‘Why did you choose such an esoteric area of study?’ That’s … an interesting way to ask. Sure, there is a very small group who has this specialized knowledge, but it feels a little like deflection.
The rest of the conversation doesn’t give much for me to analyze.
Conclusion
TL;DR: There should have been banter. Or Rift Mage should have been a personalized, individual specialization.
Pull of the Abyss is the funkiest skill in the entire game, from a meta-perspective, because tearing a hole into the Veil is the opposite of what the Inquisitor is trying to do.
There are also many more questions than answer to take away from this regarding the Veil and the Fade and how Solas manages not to blow his cover, but I believe there are theories about at least the two former points out there.
I thank you very much for bearing with me for this long!
I'm ordering my new phone in blue specifically because when I bought my current one (same color), the guy in the shop went, "but we only have blue ones left ...", and I looked at him like ??? yes??? your point???
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Fiona and Briala engage in a time-looping political intrigue cat-and-mouse chase across Halamshiral! Ever wanted to read these women interact? See Fiona in action? Experience post-Trespasser Halamshiral with Marquise Briala? Crave more Fen'harel in the Fade? Come read for a helluva ride!
sorry, Zagreus, I've had your sister for five hours and I already like her more than you.
anyway! I did treat myself and bought the game early and. it's just very good!
in somewhat chronological order, my thoughts after yesterday's session
the music! the music is even more amazing than in the first game and if I'm done, I need to listen to the whole OST on loop
the art!! also even better than in the first game!!
Melinoë is a great protagonist
it's incredibly funny the first god we encounter is Apollo, because Apollo is the guy people modded into the first game years ago
... boy, I wonder what the speedrunning meta will look like for this game (I have very obscure knowledge about Hades I speedrunning meta)
I love the little backgrounds that pop out with the art
oh, right, I jumped into the Hades I EA late, so I never saw the place holder graphics in-game before
the environments!! beautiful.
I shouldn't have played the first game last week. It's fucking with me. where's my second dash??? Why do we start with 30 HP??? where are my death defiances??? weapon mechanics???
of course there's a fishing mechanic again.
I like Hecate's design.
saluting??? what's the lore behind that?
OH. this tone of the story isn't ... quite what I expected. A lot more serious. a lot more severe.
Melinoë doesn't remember her family??? Hello??? what the fuck???
and she keeps talking about her task with such a dutiful determination ... no, I'm not crying. But. That's such an interesting conflict.
NEMESIS!! She's holding her sword aspect!! her design!! her resentment!! her vengeance!! her rivalry with Mel. how Mel calls her Nem. please. tell me she's a romance option. PLEASE.
oh, hi odysseus.
hey, there's hypnos! ... why's he sleeping??? (funny thing is, I got the Charon dialogue that implies he's more useful this way lol)
I cannot. Take. Skelly serious. It's worse because Mel does.
I like Moros' design. The long hair going over the horns? Yeah, that's good.
Mel gets an AXE??? a heavy, double-bladed axe??? (I love women wielding heavy weapons, and as long as the rail doesn't make a return, I'm good with anything after enough time)
I like the new art sprites for reoccurring characters!
ahhh, the good old "we don't trust Olympus so we're not telling them everything" line. understandable, but I figure that's going to blow up sooner or later.
I love Mel's bond with Artemis and Selene and the implication that both helped raise her.
... and I like the predominantly female cast so far
Nemesis can show up in Erebus???
BABY MELINOË omg
why does every chthonic goddess / titaness sound like they have a thing for Persephone. Nyx already had a few lines like that in the first game. Why does Hecate also have these kinds of lines.
the Hecate fight frustrates me to no end, because I'm very used to more dashes, more health, and more death defiances, and very different weapons :( (I have bet her twice in total so far)
unrelated, but I didn't know I needed a sheep in the Hades art style but it's so damn cute and I want a large art print of it
Archane!! I love how her silks change Mel's avatar
Oceanus is beautiful
... except for the traps. Really not digging the traps. or the maps.
CHAOS??? why are you holding your old form's head??? and why is there an embryo coming out of it??? why do you have wings??? why do you wear a suit??? the new design unfortunately checks all the boxes but upon reflection that is because it fits into that very niche character design trope I've seen in manwha recently and I couldn't put a name on it if I tried
on that note, I also adore Aphrodite's new design!!
not quite sure what I think of the gathering / farming mechanic yet
I do like the incantations, magic, hexes, and arcana though!
HERMES! I also adore his design.
wait, what? Mel's going to Olympus? You're telling me one part of the game is descending into the House of Hades and the other is climbing to Mount Olympus?? (that's my speculation, at least.)
god, I hope the cast of the first game is alright/alive. :(
I hope we also get to see Athena, Ares, and Dionysus at some point :(
on that note, I can't wait for Mel to meet her brother and realize he's the opposite of her lol. I love siblings and mirrors.
the thing with Solas is that he's proud, and wise, and clever, and cunning, and regretful, and guilty, and honest when it'd be so much easier to lie, but while canon tells (and shows) us all of that, it doesn't tell us that the other deep-seated emotion that drives him is shame.
shame about what he did, shame about what he's going to do; shame about what he was, shame about what he is; shame about killing his friend; shame about viewing the people of the current Age as shadows; shame about not knowing better; shame about not wanting to know better; shame about a befriended/romanced Inquisitor, shame about the friends he made; shame about hiding in plain sight, shame about not telling the truth; shame about making the same mistake twice, knowing how it'll turn out; shame about his outbursts, shame about not being good enough; shame about feeling attached to the current Thedas, shame about not feeling attached enough to stop; shame about not having anything to be proud of anymore.
I was recently struggling with a scene that didn't go the way I thought it would, until I realized that neither pride nor guilt nor regret nor wariness was the the real motivation; they were just the result, the display, the cover: the real motivation was the shame.
and then everything kind of clicked into place, precisely because pride is such a focal point of Solas' character - if shame is a deep-seated emotion, it contradicts his pride, his wisdom, his intellect; if shame is a deep-seated emotion, it fuels his regret, his guilt, his determination; if shame is a deep-seated emotion, it's the one thing he's actually managed to conceal. (then again, I wonder if he's even aware that what he's feeling is shame.)
and, as I kept thinking about it, it kept making sense: to be ashamed is a grave sentence for someone like Solas, who's entire character revolves around his pride and his wisdom and his regret. he regrets enough of his mistakes to be disappointed, unsatisfied with himself, to be uncomfortable with what he's done; he's wise enough to know that he has no logical reason to feel ashamed for half of these things and yet even more reasons to feel ashamed for the other half; he's proud enough to loathe admitting to this shame. he gets wary if you poke at him, defensive if you manage to get to close to this sore spot, upset if you keep at it. his pride won't allow him to admit to his shame, and his wisdom won't allow him to not admit to it, and his shame won't allow him to speak about it, and that keeps him stuck in this vicious cycle.
