Dragon Age II: Warrior [Guide]

This guide explains all there is to know about the Warrior class in Dragon Age II.

Dragon Age II – Warrior Guide
Written by Dalton “HorrorSpooky” Cooper and Trade
Copyright 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS
01. Attributes
02. Abilities

The other classes available in the game are as follows:

Mage
Rogue

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01. ATTRIBUTES
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Attributes are the upgradeable stats that can be seen on all the classes in Dragon Age II, not just the Warrior class. The default stats of for each attribute with the Warrior class will be listed below. Every time you level up, you will earn points that can be spent to improve the stats.

Please note that the descriptions of each attribute was taken directly from in-game materials.

Default (beginning) stats for the Warrior attributes:

Strength – 13
Dexterity – 10
Magic – 10
Cunning – 10
Willpower – 11
Constitution – 12

Strength – “Strength increases damage and attack values for warriors. For all classes, it increases fortitude, which measures resistance to effects like being knocked back or set aflame.”
Dexterity – “Dexterity increases damage and attack values for rogues. For all classes, it increases the likelihood of landing a critical hit.”
Magic – “Magic increases damage and attack values for mages. For all classes, it increases magic resistance, which absorbs a proportion of damage from magical attacks and affects the duration of hostile magical effects.”
Cunning – “Cunning increases defense for all classes as well as the amount of damage inflicted by a critical hit. Cunning also determines rogues’ aptitude for picking locks and disarming traps, with difficulty thresholds every 10 points.”
Willpower – “Willpower increases the size of the mana pool for mages or the stamina pool for warriors and rogues.
Constitution – Constitution increases maximum health for all classes.

Improving your attributes and equipping better weapons and armor will result in your combat statistics improving as well. Here are brief explanations about your various combat stats.

Damage – “Damage determines the effect of an attack from the equipped weapon against an unarmored opponent.”
Attack – “Attack determines the likelihood that a normal strike from a weapon or staff will succeed in hitting an enemy.”
Defense – “Defense determines the likelihood of evading an enemy attack.”
Armor – “Armor determines how much damage the character can disregard from a physical attack.”

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02. ABILITIES
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What follows are the different skill trees available for the default Warrior class in Dragon Age II. You can use this guide to map out your planned personal skill tree for the game ahead of actually playing it.

Skill trees differ base on what class you choose at the beginning of the game, though some of the skill trees will overlap.

—>WEAPON AND SHIELD<—
“Warriors who specialize in the shield trade damage for protection. Attacks made with one-handed weapons hit a smaller arc than two-handed weapons, although shield users have the perfect tool at hand for knocking foes around the battlefield.”

TIER 1
Shield Defense
Requires: Level 3
Requires: Shield
Damage: -25%
Damage resistance: +25% vs. frontal attacks
Threat generation: +100%
Reserved: 15% of stamina
Cooldown: 5s
Type: Sustained mode

Shield Wall
Requires: Level 8
Requires: Shield Defense
Points required in Weapon and Shield: 4
Damage resistance: +50% vs. rear attacks
Effect: 20% chance that normal hits against the warrior become glancing blows
Type: Upgrade

Shield Bash
Requires: Shield
Physical damage: 12
Physical force: 12x
Cost: 10 Stamina
Cooldown: 15s
Type: Activated ability

Pummel
Requires: Level 6
Requires: Shield Bash
STAGGER chance: 100% vs. target
STAGGER chance: 40% vs. normal enemies near target
Cooldown: -5s
Type: Upgrade

TIER 2
Perception
Requires: Level 4
Requires: Shield Defense
Requires: Shield
Effect: Immune to flanking
Type: Passive ability

Scatter
Requires: Level 6
Requires: Shield Bash
Requires: Shield Defense
Points required in Weapon and Shield: 2
Requires: Shield
Physical damage: 28
Physical force: 4x
Cost: 30 stamina
Cooldown: 25s
Type: Activated ability

Disperse
Requires: Level 10
Requires: Scatter
Physical damage: +14
Physical damage: 300% vs. DISORIENTED targets
Physical force: +2x
Type: Upgrade

Assault
Requires: Level 5
Requires: Shield Bash
Requires: Shield
Physical damage: 12 (x3 hits)
Physical force: 2x (x3 hits)
Cost: 20 stamina
Cooldown: 20s
Type: Activated ability

Battery
Requires: Level 9
Requires: Assault
Points required in Weapon and Shield: 3
Physical damage: +6 (x3 hits)
Physical damage: 400% vs. DISORIENTED targets on final hit
Cooldown: -5s
Type: Upgrade

TIER 3
Safeguard
Requires: Level 7
Requires: Scatter
Requires: Perception
Points required in Weapon and Shield: 4
Requires: Shield
Effect: Immune to critical hits
Type: Passive ability

—>TWO-HANDED<—
“Warriors who wield two-handed weapons can reap tremendous damage through wide arcs of enemy flesh, although they forgo the protective benefits of a shield.”

TIER 1
Mighty Blow
Physical damage: 28
Physical force: 2x
Cost: 20 stamina
Cooldown: 20s
Type: Activated ability

Shattering Blow
Requires: Level 8
Physical damage: 300% vs. BRITTLE targets
Physical force: 200% vs. BRITTLE targets
Cooldown: -5s
Type: Upgrade

Killer Blow
Requires: Level 6
Physical damage: +14
Type: Upgrade

Giant’s Reach
Requires: +1m for two-handed attacks
Type: Passive ability

Sunder
Requires: Level 4
Critical chance: +10%
STAGGER chance: 20% vs. normal enemies on a critical hit
Type: Passive ability

TIER 2
Scythe
Requires: Level 5
Physical damage: 21
Physical force: 2x
Cost: 30 stamina
Cooldown: 20s
Type: Activated ability

Reaper
Requires: Level 9
Requires: Scythe
Physical damage: +11
Physical damage: 200% vs. BRITTLE targets
Physical force: +1x
Physical force: 200% vs. BRITTLE targets
Type: Upgrade

Whirlwind
Requires: Level 7
Points required in Two-Handed: 3
Physical damage: 21
Physical force: 2x
Diameter: 6m
Cost: 30 stamina
Cooldown: 30s
Type: Activated ability

Tornado
Requires: Level 13
Requires: Whirlwind
Points required in Two-Handed: 6
Critical chance: 100%
Type: Upgrade

Cyclone
Requires: Level 11
Requires: Whirlwind
Physical damage: +7
Cooldown: -5s
Type: Upgrade

—>VANGUARD<—
“A vanguard believes that a good offense is the best defense. Their powerful strikes are matched with ruthless technique.”

TIER 1
Control
Attack: +10%
Reserved: 15% of stamina
Cooldown: 5s
Type: Sustained mode

Command
Requires: Level 7
Requires: Control
Points required in Vanguard: 2
Critical Chance: +10%
type: Upgrade

Might
Damage: +10%
Reserved: 20% of stamina
Cooldown: 5s
Type: Sustained mode

Muscle
Requires: Level 7
Requires: Might
Points required in Vanguard: 2
Critical damage: +25%
Type: Upgrade

TIER 3
Destroyer
Requires: Level 7
Requires: Control
Points required in Vanguard: 3
Enemy damage resistance: 90% vs. warrior’s basic attacks
Enemy damage resistance: 50% vs. warrior’s critical hits
Type: Passive ability

Cleave
Requires: Level 6
Requires: Control
Requires: Might
Points required in Vanguard: 2
Damage: +75%
Duration: 10s
Cost: 30 stamina
Cooldown: 25s
Type: Activated ability

Claymore
Requires: Level 10
Requires: Cleave
Points required in Vanguard: 4
STAGGER chance: 10% vs. normal enemies
Stun chance: 100% vs. BRITTLE targets
Duration: +5s
Type: Upgrade

Assail
Requires: Level 5
Requires: Might
Points required in Vanguard: 3
Damage: +10%
Physical force: 3x
Elemental force: 3x
Duration: 15s
Cost: 20 stamina
Cooldown: 30s
Type: Activated ability

Besiege
Requires: Level 9
Requires: Assail
Points required in Vanguard: 4
Physical damage: 7 per hit vs. all nearby enemies
Type: Upgrade

Massacre
Requires: Level 12
Requires: Cleave
Points required in Vanguard: 4
Effect: Deathblow vs. normal enemies below 20% health
Effect: Deathblow vs. lieutenants below 10% health
Type: Passive ability

—>DEFENDER<—
“Defenders specialize in survivability, taking everything the enemy throws at them and walking away unscathed.”

TIER 1
Stonewall
Physical force: 2x vs. attacking enemies
Damage resistance: +50%
Duration: 5s
Cost: 20 stamina
Cooldown: 15s
Type: Activated ability

Bulwark
Requires: Stonewall
Damage resistance: +50%
Knockback resistance: 100%
Knockdown resistance: 100%
Cooldown: -5s
Type: Upgrade

Turn the Blade
Defense: +10%
Reserved: 20% of stamina
Cooldown: 5s
Type: Sustained mode

Raise the Guard
Requires: Level 9
Requires: Turn the Blade
Points required in Defender: 2
Defense: +5%
Type: Upgrade

Steady the Foot
Requires: Level 7
Requires: Turn the Blade
Fortitude: +20
Type: Upgrade

Elemental Aegis
Fire resistance: +40%
Cold resistance: +40%
Electricity resistance: +40%
Nature resistance: +40%
Spirit resistance: +40%
Reserved: 15% of stamina
Cooldown: 5s
Type: Sustained mode

Elemental Shroud
Requires: Level 7
Requires: Elemental Aegis
Points required in Defender: 2
Fire resistance: +20%
Cold resistance: +20%
Electricity resistance: +20%
Nature resistance: +20%
Spirit resistance: +20%
Type: Upgrade

TIER 3

Adamant
Requires: Level 8
Requires: Stonewall
Requires: Turn the Blade
Points required in Defender: 3
Damage resistance: +5%
Type: Passive ability

Resilience
Requires: Level 5
Requires: Turn the Blade
Requires: Elemental Aegis
Points required in Defender: 2
Knockback resistance: 100%
Type: Passive ability

Resolute
Requires: Level 8
Requires: Elemental Aegis
Points required in Defender: 4
Magic resistance: +10%
Type: Passive ability

—>WARMONGER<—
“The warmonger is a confident adversary, well-versed in taunting foes, cutting through them, and sending them to the dirt in a bloody heap. Warmongers are also experts in controlling enemy aggression, possessing abilities that draw foes toward them and that, through stun effects, cause enemies to forget who they were fighting.”

TIER 1
Pommel Strike
Stun chance: 100% vs. normal enemies
Duration: 5s
Cost: 10 stamina
Cooldown: 15s
Type: Activated ability

Pommel Blow
STAGGER chance: 100% vs. stunned targets
Duration: +3s
Cooldown: -5s
Type: Upgrade

Taunt
Threat transfer: 100% from companions to warrior
Diameter: 10m
Cost: 30 stamina
Cooldown: 20s
Type: Activated ability

Bellow
Requires: Level 7
Requires: Taunt
Points required in Warmonger: 2
Type: Upgrade

TIER 2
Tremor
Physical force: 8x
Diameter: 6m
Cost: 30 stamina
Cooldown: 20s
Type: Activated ability

Quake
Requires: Level 11
Requires: Tremor
Points required in Warmonger: 3
Stun chance: 100% vs. knocked-down targets
Diameter: 10m
Type: Upgrade

Aftershock
Requires: Level 9
Requires: Tremor
STAGGER chance: 30% vs. normal enemies
Cooldown: -5s
Type: Upgrade

Bravery
Requires: Level 6
Requires: Taunt
Attack: +10% per nearby enemy, after the first
Critical chance: +3% per nearby enemy, after the first
Diameter: 10m
Reserved: 30% of stamina
Cooldown: 10s
Type: Sustained mode

Bravado
Requires: Level 9
Requires: Bravery
Threat generation: +50% per nearby enemy, after the first
Type: Upgrade

Bravura
Requires: Level 10
Requires: Bravery
Points required in Warmonger: 3
Damage: +5% per nearby enemy, after the first
Type: Upgrade

—>BATTLEMASTER<—
“When fighting solo, a battlemaster is an efficient killing machine. When fighting alongside allies, the warrior becomes a seasoned leader who can rally others to turn the tide of combat.”

TIER 1
Rally
Effect: Might, Control, Turn the Blade, or Elemental Aegis apply to companions if active
Mana/stamina regeneration rate: +200 for companions
Duration: 10s
Cost: 15 stamina
Cooldown: 30s
Type: Activated ability

Unite
Requires: Level 8
Requires: Rally
Points required in Battlemaster: 2
Effect: Upgrades for Might, Control, Turn the Blade, or Elemental Aegis apply to companions if active
Mana/stamina regeneration rate: +400 for companions
Type: Upgrade

Bolster
Stamina regeneration: 5%
Type: Activated ability

TIER 2
Battle Synergy
Requires: Level 5
Requires: Rally
Defense: +5% per companion, for all party members
Damage reduction: +3% per companion, for all party members
Diameter: 10m
Reserved: 30% of stamina
Cooldown: 10s
Type: Sustained mode

Fearless Synergy
Requires: Level 9
Requires: Battle Synergy
Points required in Battlemaster: 2
Threat transfer: +50% from companions to warrior
Type: Upgrade

Hero’s Synergy
Requires: Level 11
Requires: Battle Synergy
Points required in Battlemaster: 2
Damage transfer: +25% from companions to warrior
Type: Upgrade

Last Push
Requires: Level 14
Requires: Second Wind
Effect: Talents currently in cooldown become available more quickly
Type: Upgrade

Second Wind
Stamina regeneration: 100%
Cooldown: 60s
Type: Activated ability

Deep Breath
Cooldown: -15s
Type: Upgrade

Deep Reserves
Mana/stamina regeneration rate: +10
Type: Passive ability

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