234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789 =============================================================================== Dragon Age Origins v 1.00 (PC): Advanced Blood Magic v1.0, 8/26/10 by [email protected] =============================================================================== 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Why use Blood Magic? 1.2 Healing and how it multiplies your effective mana pool 1.3 A note on party composition 1.4 A note on potions and other consumables 2.0 Unlocking Blood Mage 3.0 Attributes and Skills 4.0 Noteworthy Items - Improved Blood Magic 5.0 Spells and Specializations 5.1 Blood Mage Spells 5.2 Arcane 5.3 Primal 5.4 Creation 5.5 Spirit 5.6 Entropy 5.7 Specializations 5.7.1 Spirit Healer 5.8 Power of Blood (Requires Warden's Keep DLC) 6.0 Builds, Tactics and Tactic Slots 6.1 Morrigan 6.2 Wynne 6.3 Tactic Slots 7.0 Additional Resources ---------------- 1.0 INTRODUCTION ---------------- Hello and thanks for choosing my guide! I'll be discussing mages and the Blood Mage specialization as it relates to Nightmare difficulty. Keep in mind that if you play on a lower difficulty setting, some things I say may not apply. I'm also not too concerned with role-playing. Actually, from that perspective, there really just isn't any justification to take Blood Mage anywhere in the game, and so for the most part, this is a power-gamer's guide. 1.1 Why use Blood Magic? ------------------------ I've seen a lot of people on forums dissing Blood Magic or saying that Blood Magic is only good for Blood Wound. While it's true that Blood Wound is insanely good, even without it, Blood Mage is by far the best specialization for a caster mage. It has to do with the ability to amplify the amount of spells you can cast for a given amount of mana. For example, if you had only 40 mana left, as a normal mage you'd only be able to cast one fireball. With Blood Magic you could cast ten (or more!) fireballs on the same amount of mana! Another huge upside is (IMO), built properly, blood mages actually require less pausing and can be run almost completely on tactic slots alone. Perhaps the biggest reason NOT to use Blood Magic is that lyrium potions are dirt cheap and are always in stock. That, combined with ways of getting infinite gold, does make the game pretty trivial. But why use potions when you can do the same thing without them? Why not use Blood Magic and never worry about running out, restocking or taking time to craft potions either? Personally, I get a kick out of doing things efficiently. In short, that's the theme of this guide. Doing the most with the least amount of resources, setting companion tactics so you never have to pause, etc., etc. There are of course downsides to relying on Blood Magic. There are basically two that I can think of (although they really aren't so bad). The biggest downside is that blood mages spend quite a bit of time micromanaging their health and mana. Since you cannot be healed when using Blood Magic, you need to know when it is appropriate or not. This can be confusing and tedious if you plan to make a blood mage your main character. Fortunately, Blood Magic has a very short recharge, which makes Blood Mages managable with tactic slots. The second downside is that using Blood Magic makes your character even more fragile than a normal mage, since you will likely be operating at around 50-90% of your total HP most of the time. This can be a problem at lower levels, but later, it is more than made up for by using a maintainable defensive spell (or two). 1.2 Healing and how it multiplies your effective mana pool ---------------------------------------------------------- A blood mage is capable of using his health to cast spells. With healing spells, mana can be converted and amplified directly to health. Heal costs 20 mana and gives you about 60 hit points, which immediately amplifies "effective" mana by a factor of 3. However, spell costs are discounted by 40% (With Improved Blood Magic {see section 4.0}). Thus, your effective mana is actually 60/(100%-40%) = 100 mana, a total amplification factor of 5! Instead of having a small mana pool of 200, like a normal mage, a blood mage literally has thousands of effective mana! Heal is just a simple example. Every other healing spell, Regeneration, Group Heal, Lifeward and even Cleansing Aura have much, much bigger conversion factors. Also, while it is technically true that you can't be healed under Blood Magic, this fact is circumvented by two things: 1) Blood sacrifice steals HP from an ally and also amplifies by a factor of about 2. Instead of directly healing yourself, use your tank as a blood battery. Steal from your tank, and then heal it back up. 2) Just disable it. Disabling Blood Magic is instant. Heal yourself back up and then re-enable it 10 seconds later. 1.3 A note on party composition ------------------------------- IMO, the most balanced party consists of 2 mages, a warrior tank and a rogue. With this, you should pretty much steamroll almost everything on nightmare with no effort. You could of course (for example) take one less mage and another warrior, but this will make things much harder. A mage is a squishy target and easily shutdown if you don't pay attention. If your mage dies, so does your healing, and likely the rest of your team. That's why it's a good idea to take more than one, so they can support each other and still keep your red bar up, even if the other dies. The game also strongly rewards you for pumping non-combat skills, and so a rogue is a must. In fact, so much so that it is probably a good idea to make your main character a rogue and pass every coercion check without even trying. You can still have two blood mages in your party (Wynne and Morrigan), and that is what I do. You do have to wait a bit until getting Blood Mage, since Wynne and Morrigan are already specialized. But you can get to level 14 just by doing the Circle Tower and Denerim side quests, so it's no big deal. If you are dead set on playing a blood mage as your main, you can do that too, of course. It doesn't really matter either way. 1.4 A note on potions and other consumables ------------------------------------------- I personally do not use any consumables at all (potions, poisons, swift salves, etc.) They are not necessary, they make inventory clutter, and feel a bit like cheating (IMO). They also just take up time and additional micro management which slows my pace down. I strongly recommend not using consumables either. ------------------------ 2.0 Unlocking Blood Mage ------------------------ If you don't have Blood Mage unlocked, there are several ways to do it. The legit way: In Redcliffe Castle when it is time to confront the demon. If your main character is a mage, you can send yourself into the fade and convince the demon to teach you forbidden magic. This will unlock Blood Mage for all your future play-throughs. The cheat way: If your main is NOT a mage, first save your game. Then enter "runscript wizard 25" into the console, which turns you into a mage and allows you to enter the fade. Bargain with the demon, but do NOT save your game, as it will become corrupted. Reload your latest save, and you should have it unlocked for Wynne and Morrigan. For more info on the console, check out the wiki page: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Console ------------------------- 3.0 Attributes and Skills ------------------------- This is very simple. Dump every attribute point into Magic. Eventually spare a few points for Cunning, so you can max out Coercion. For skill points, max out Coercion and Combat Training. If you have leftover points, you can put it into Survival for a marginal combat bonus or Stealing to unlock a quest chain. For your companion mages (Wynne and/or Morrigan), get Cunning to 16 and dump the rest into magic. Max out Tactics and Combat Training. 5.0 Noteworthy Items - Improved Blood Magic ------------------------------------------- There are two items that give you Improved Blood Magic. These items are huge, reducing the cost of your spells by 25%, letting you stay in Blood Magic longer. They should definitely be priority on your list of items to get. Blood Ring - Obtained in Orzammar by finishing the "illegal" proving ground fights. Robes of Avernus - Obtained from killing Avernus in the Warden's Keep DLC. If you don't have the DLC, then you need to choose which mage in your party gets to use the Blood Ring. If your main is a mage, then give it to Wynne, since you are capable of managing your mana and health better than she is (hopefully). There are a few also a few items that boost the amount of healing you recieve, directly increasing your amplification factor. However, you should already have more effective mana than you know what to do with, and you will be over- healed most of the time anyway. These items are probably best reserved for your tank. *Edit*: Seems like +heal items are broken, so scratch that. ------------------------------ 5.0 Spells and Specializations ------------------------------ Spells are what make or break a mage. This is the trickiest part, and subjective. Therefore, everything here is mostly just opinion, and so I'll try to keep it brief. However, there are a very few amount of "core" spells which comprise the concept. So without further ado.... P.S.: Spells will be presented in brackets [] to hopefully clear up any confusion. 5.1 Blood Mage Spells --------------------- This is, obviously, the most important spell line. [Blood Magic] is obviously a core spell, since it's what allows you to cast from health. [Blood Sacrifice] is also core, since it allows you to basically stay in [Blood Magic] indefinitely, as long as you aren't taking damage. [Blood Wound] isn't strictly required, but it is the single most overpowered spell in the entire game. Huge AoE, Stuns for the entire duration, does decent damage and has a ridiculously low recharge. Don't take it if you want your game to be a little bit challenging. Okay, maybe a little bit of exaggeration, but it really is good. [Blood Control] is also a strong control spell. However, I've heard that it's glitched in that it doesn't do damage if it fails, and I also heard that it can steal experience points. 5.2 Arcane ---------- Every mage gets [Arcane Bolt] for free, but do not EVER cast it. You have better things to do with your mana (and blood). [Arcane Shield] is alright and will make you less squishy. The rest of the line, although they are passive, are just too marginal to consider. Only bother if you have points leftoever later on. 5.3 Primal ---------- No terribly strong lines late game, but decent early on, but you can do without any of these spells. [Fireball] is decent combined with Shield Wall on your tank. [Cone of Cold] is very strong CC early on, but it's no [Blood Wound]. It does make a decent combo with [Stonefist] for shattering. [Rock Armor] is decent, and probably stronger than [Arcane Shield]. Choose one of them and maintain it all the time so you don't die if something looks at you. [Blizzard], [Inferno], [Tempest] and the [Storm of the Century] are all situationally useful for clearing out entire rooms without line of sight. But honestly, [Blood Wound] can basically do the same thing, doesn't take forever to cast and won't kill your companions when they walk into the area. 5.4 Creation ------------ Very strong lines here. The healing line should be maxed out by at least one mage in your party. Other mages should take just [Heal]. These are core spells. Healing amplifies your mana pool. See section 1.2. [Haste] is a very strong spell. It's costly at 4 points to get, but it will make running around so much easier. (And there is a lot of running around in this game.) It also amps up rogue and warrior damage like nobodies business. However, if you are relying on your mage to do damage, it may be prudent to skip this. The Glyph line is very strong, especially [Glyph of Repulsion]. Put it on yourself which makes you untouchable by normal melee. Or put it in a doorway and be entertained. Sadly it looses its oomph later on and becomes eclipsed when you finally get [Blood Wound]. It's a decent situational backup when [Blood Wound] is on recharge. [Glyph of Neutralization] is useful for completely disabling enemy mages for a very long time and it can't be resisted. It also dispels friendly and enemy buffs, so be careful. [Spell Wisp] is a maintainable that increases your spellpower. It basically pays for itself, and you should get it eventually. Skip all but [Spell Wisp] for your main character. For Wynne, I also like to get [Spellbloom], which I think is pretty underrated. Eventually, Wynne gets [Stinging Swarm] as well. While it is statistically weak, the damage jumps to a new foe when the target dies, meaning it's impossible for Wynne to use it incorrectly. 5.5 Spirit ---------- [Crushing Prison] is kinda weak after the 1.02 update nerf with a long recharge. [Force Field] isn't as useful for a blood mage, since you don't even have to deal with friendly fire, but it's still useful in a clutch. [Mana Clash] - is it really worth the 4 points? Although it can outright kill most mages, it can be resisted (unlike [Glyph of Neutralization]) and is in a pretty weak line. Regardless, the AoE is HUGE and considering just how much damage it can do, it's easy to see why people love this skill. For me, by the time I have enough points to spare, it doesn't really matter. [Virulent Walking Bomb] is another player favorite. It has the biggest potential AoE damage in the entire game, bar none. That makes it a double edged sword since it can literally blow up your tank or even your entire party if used incorrectly. For me, it's just not worth the headaches and the reloads. 5.5 Entropy ----------- Paralysis and Sleep lines are basically inferior versions of the Blood line. If I needed more CC I'd take [Blood Control]. That said, Sleep line is definitely the better of the two, and Morrigan already comes with these lines partially specced. Hex and Death lines depend on if you want to do damage with your mage. Personally, I prefer to depend on my warrior and rogue to do damage and save my mages for support and CC. However, [Affliction Hex] + [Blood Wound] looks like a seriously sweet combo for big AoE damage (as if it wasn't overpowered enough). Of course, there's always [Entropic Death] and [Misdirection Hex] and [Death Hex] are pretty sweet against bosses. 5.7 Specializations ------------------- There are basically only two options for a main character: Spirit Healer and Arcane Warrior. Shapeshifting is just completely inferior. Arcane Warrior is a different playstyle than what this guide describes. See Sajber's excellent FAQ on Arcane Warrior for that. If you are using Wynne and Morrigan, of course, you don't have any choice. 5.7.1 Spirit Healer ------------------- For a main character, I suggest only one point for [Group Heal]. Let Wynne do the majority of the healing. Take Wynne up all the way to [Cleansing Aura], which is useful at least for clearing injuries. It's very possible to maintain [Cleansing Aura] indefinitely on your main character with [Dark Sustenance] and [Blood Magic], but it may not be worth the effort. 5.8 Power of Blood (Requires Warden's Keep DLC) ----------------------------------------------- These spells are only available to your main character and only if you have Warden's Keep. [Dark Sustenance] is insanely strong. It basically gives you a huge amount of mana for a small health sacrifice. By now, I hope I don't have to explain how abusable this is. There is a slight downside in having a moderately long casting animation. On the other hand, [Blood Grasp] should be taken out back and shot. Not only is it weak damage, it's bugged and gives you a status effect that doesn't go away. ------------------------------------ 6.0 Builds, Tactics and Tactic Slots ------------------------------------ 6.1 Morrigan ------------ Morrigan comes with the worst specialization in the game and a ton of subpar spells. However, they are still useful early on before you can start investing in the Blood Wound tree. You could also go for Cone of Cold, which is great early on, but eclipsed later. Regardless, she is the only other mage companion, and that makes her essential. You will definitely want to use tomes on her to give her a few more spell points. At about level 20 or so, Morrigan had the following spells (pre-requisites also listed). Anything not mentioned, isn't really a good use of her time. Of course, there is room for addition since the level cap is higher. This is just an example and by no means definitive. >Arcane Bolt, Arcane Shield >Blood Magic, Blood Sacrifice, Blood Wound >Winter's Grasp, Frost Weapon >Mind Blast >Heal, Rejuvenate, Regeneration, Mass Rejuvenation >Glyph of Paralysis, Glyph of Warding, Glyph of Repulsion, Glyph of Neutralization This gives her a ton of protection, good healing and as much crowd control as you could possibly ever need. 6.2 Wynne --------- Unlike Morrigan, Wynne hardly comes with any wasted spells. You may even find that you have spell points that you don't know what to do with. I had Wynne setup with the following spells. Both this build and the build above basically reflect my opinions in the previous section. >Blood Magic, Blood Sacrifice, Blood Wound >Rock Armor >Heal, Rejuvenate, Regeneration >Group Heal, Revival, Lifeward, Cleansing Aura >Heroic Offense, Heroic Aura, Heroic Defense, Haste >Spell Wisp, Grease, Spellbloom, Stinging Swarm 6.3 Tactic Slots ---------------- Tactics are a somewhat sore point for Blood Mages. No matter what you do, it will be literally impossible to get companions to use Blood Magic as efficiently as possible. Despite the shear amount tactics available, the system is quite limited. On the other hand, controlling your mage and making sure she uses Blood Magic properly is seriously tedious. That said, companions do use it just decently. You should consider gluing the following setup should be glued to your mage companions: a) Self: Health < 50% Deactivate: Blood Magic b) Self: Health < 50% Heal (or Regeneration) c) Oghren (or Alistair): >= 75% Blood Sacrifice d) Self: >= 75% Activate: Blood Magic What you should notice right away is that order matters a lot. It's all about priority. If your health is less than 50%, you want to deactivate Blood Magic. This should be near the top, if not at the very top of your Tactics since if you continue casting without deactivation, you will die. The slot immediately after should be a self-heal of some sort to pull your health back up. Regeneration probably works best since it's efficient and will always be available. Note that putting the self-heal BEFORE deactivation leads to completely different and bad behavoir. *Edit*: If you're confident, you could also rely on your other mage to heal you back up, which is more efficient. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Use your tank as a blood battery with Blood Sacrifice. Lifeward and Regeneration will top his health off anyhow. If you're above 75%, you want Blood Magic to be active. That condition occurs in and out of combat; Blood Magic (along with a few other sustainables) are automatically disabled a few seconds after combat and out of combat. This leads to your companions cycling Blood every 10 seconds when you're running around town. Oops. The sound will be annoying at first, but you'll get used to it. If its really bothersome, you can disable the tactic until combat starts. You then have 8 Other tactic slots to do whatever with. You want to set them such that you avoid healing your mages if they're in Blood Magic. Be creative! Example Tactics --------------- Wynne: 1) Self: Health < 50% Deactivate: Blood Magic 2) Self: Health < 50% Regenerate 3) Oghren: >= 75% Blood Sacrifice 4) Self: >= 75% Activate: Blood Magic 5) Enemy: Clustered Blood Wound 6) Ally: Health < 50% Heal 7) Ally: Health < 50% Group Heal 8) Morrigan: Being attacked Heroic Defense 9) Enemy: Target of Main Stinging Swarm 10) Morrigan: Mana < 75% Spellbloom 11) Morrigan: Mana < 75% Rejuvenation 12) Oghren: Health < 75% Lifeward Morrigan: 1) Self: Health < 50% Deactivate: Blood Magic 2) Self: Health < 50% Regenerate 3) Enemy: Clustered Blood Wound 4) Wynne: Being attacked Glyph of Warding 5) Oghren: >= 75% Blood Sacrifice 6) Self: >= 75% Activate: Blood Magic 7) Ally: Health < 50% Heal 8) Self: Being attacked by melee Mind Blast 9) Hero: Health < 90% Regeneration 10) Oghren: Health < 90% Regeneration 11) Wynne: Mana < 75% Mass Rejuvenation 12) Wynne: Mana < 50% Rejuvenation Well then there you are. I hope this FAQ has helped you in the game and in the realization the Blood Magic is useful. If you have any questions, want me to add something then contact me. [email protected] or [email protected]
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