The world of Dragon Age: Inquisition can be a dangerous place. With darkspawn, apostate mages, rogue templars and even dragons out for blood it isn’t safe to journey alone. It’s a good thing that you are allowed to bring some trustworthy companions on your travels through Thedas as you endeavor to close the breach in the sky. Of course choosing exactly who to bring with you can cause quite the dilemma.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is pretty flexible on party composition and provides you with a decent amount of options. Unfortunately having so many good options makes the act of choosing all the more difficult. What isn’t unfortunate is that you have stumbled across this guide which aims to help you pick the best companions for your heroic party.
Since coordination is the most important factor when choosing companions to join you this list will be broken down based on the class you picked for your inquisitor. You are the star of the adventure so it’s best to choose companions that boost your strengths and help to defend your weaknesses. Your party should always be able to cover each other and play the roles that are needed in every battle situation and exploration.
One thing you must keep in mind is that not all options are available from the very beginning. You will have to play quite a few hours before you can choose the best option. Until you are able to do so, substitute companions of a similar build to keep the coordination in tact and ensure your best chances at victory.
Mage Party
Mages are powerful combatants and also control the flow of any given battle. Though they aren’t the best option when things get a bit more physical they are still the most important asset your party has on the field at pretty much any given time. For this reason you need to construct a party of companions that can defend your inquisitor so you can deal with more pressing issues such as electrocuting a sniper hiding in the trees.
Before you get to selecting the right companions you must first ask yourself one question. Are you going to use your mage more offensively or defensively? If offensively you will need to bring on a second mage into your party in order to cover barrier duty and to just make sure enemies are kept in manageable numbers. If defensively then you can bolster your party with warriors and rogues.
For the most part mages are long distance fighters. They are able to pick off distant targets, distribute barriers, and revive fallen allies from afar. In order to make battles run more smoothly for your magically inclined inquisitor you will want to add balance by including 2 close range fighters. One must definitely be a warrior with the ability to taunt. This will keep the majority of enemies focused on a single ally making it much easier for you to defend your party.
Your second close-combat selection should be a rogue. Although rogues are in the same boat as mages when it comes to taking damage they have special abilities that will allow you to eliminate most targets with ease. Stop an enemy in its tracks with your mage and watch your rogue sneak up behind for some serious damage. A great option here would be Cole, he’s a bit weird but his ability to move around a battlefield with ease and take advantage of effects you place on enemies makes him a valuable addition to your party.
Your final option should be a long-range fighter. Whether you choose a rogue or a mage is entirely up to preference. Sera can do a surprising amount of damage once you invest in her archery skill tree. If you want some extra assistance in the magic department Dorian is an extremely powerful option.
As long as you keep your warrior and rogue protected with your barriers this party combination will make battle go by with ease. Just keep your mage and other long-range companion at a healthy distance and you’ll never fall.
Rogue Party
Rogues are masters of the shadows. They have the ability to dance into and out of a battle with ease and they do more damage than you would probably expect. They come in two distinct varieties; the long-range archer and the up-close-and-personal dual wielding rogue. Since both classes are vastly different your party composition will be based on whichever one you went with.
Rogue: Archer
The archer is similar to a mage in that they can lock down targets and deal tons of damage, but they are also unable to take much punishment. Playing as an archer allows for you to participate and observe a battle from a distance. It also makes you a target for enemy long-range fighters. Just like with the mage you will have to include a support system that keeps enemies occupied in order for you to take some well-placed shots.
Unlike the mage the Archer does not have the ability to put up barriers so you will need to bring someone along who is able to. Solas is a great option since he not only provides powerful barriers but he also focuses on debilitating enemies leaving the option for combos or movement of party members. He is very useful defensive mage that will serve your rogue perfectly.
Now that your long-range and defensive magic is set up all you need are some warriors. Since rogues and mages don’t have the highest health utilizing 2 warriors in this circumstance will help out a ton. Cassandra and Iron Bull are both excellent options in stopping enemy advances. Teach Cassandra the ability to pull in enemies with chains and you’ll almost never have to worry about anyone getting to close.
Rogue: Dual Wield
Dual wielding weapons allows you to get up close and deal massive amounts of damage. Utilizing the best the rogue has to offer also allows you to poison enemies, move stealthily for bonus damage, and set traps. This ultimately adds up to you being able to break down enemy ranks from the center of the battlefield without them being the wiser. Of course this means that at times you will be under serious threat of death so you will need to plan accordingly.
First order of business is to not be the only close-range fighter in the fray. You will want a warrior, preferably one of the weapon & shield variety like Cassandra. She has the ability to boost the defenses of allies and she can take one hell of a beating while keeping everyone in the area focused on her. She also happens to be one hell of a warrior so she will have no trouble dispatching some of the enemies in the area.
The fact that the rogue is proficient at weakening enemies makes it okay to limit your long range companions to just one. Make it a mage with barrier and also the revival ability to keep everyone that’s getting dirty alive and well. Any mage will do as long as they have the necessary defensive abilities. Vivienne is a powerful mage who isn’t afraid to put in her fair share of work.
Wrap up your party with another warrior to keep the health and defense in the trenches high and you have a recipe for success. Use your rogue to make every enemy that crosses you an easy target and watch the bodies pile up.
Warrior Party
Just like the rogue the warrior comes in two distinct styles. On the one hand you have weapon & shield which foregoes the extra damage of a larger weapon for the security of higher defense. On the other hand you have the two-handed warrior which wields a massive weapon for heavy damage output.
Either warrior option will have you front and center taking the brunt of enemy advances. You will have the majority of the warrior class’s aggro abilities at your disposal so you will be fine making the same team for your warrior no matter which path you may choose. Warrior already have the ability to take tons of damage, and have pretty solid defense without any assistance. Your main focus will be to cover the edges of the battlefield in order to allow for the warrior to do what a warrior does best (i.e. crush the skulls of enemies).
Depending on how comfortable you are in your abilities, a warrior inquisitor doesn’t really require much close-range backup. The sword & shield type is able to mitigate most damage and the two-handed type can attack in a wide range. For this reason you can make the rest of your party completely long range in order to pick off snipers trying to do your warrior harm.
A mage as always is a must in any party even if it’s strictly for defensive purpose. While a warrior with a shield can generate a layer of armor the two-handed one will need some barrier assistance so keep yourself covered by having a mage in the background. Round out your party with either a mage/archer combo or two archers. Your goal is to be able to pick off enemies that your inquisitor is keeping engaged as well as to watch out for snipers.
For an added level of edge defense you may want to swap out an archer for a dual wielding rogue, like Cole for instance, in order to set traps and get bonus stealth damage when ever possible. Playing as a warrior will keep you in the center and if you’re not the type to use tactical view you may not be able to survey the battle at all times. Use these tips to ensure that you always have someone watching your back and keeping you alive.
What is your current party composition? Have any other tips to make the best group possible? If so feel free to share. For any more info on Dragon Age: Inquisition be sure to check out their official site.
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