Neoseeker Forums » PC Games » RPG » Dragon Age: Inquisition » Mages or Templars. So I'm at the cross roads right near the start of the story where I need to choose either the Templars. Nov 24, 2014 - Choose Mages and you will have the Mages by your side. Dorian will become a companion. You'll get Cole as a companion later on. Dec 30, 2014 - Why would anyone side with the templars? I played a mage in every dragon age game. Fereldan temperlars are a decent sort. Kirkwall's are.

1. Dragon Age Inquisition Builds Reddit

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, the Templars are bad and the mages need to be liberated from their oppression, right? Well, maybe. It’s all a bit complicated.

Dragon Age: Inquisition perfectly highlights many of the things I love about the franchise: complex moral issues, many shades of grey, characters with independent motivations. I’m one of those players who explores every investigative branch of a dialogue tree before committing to an answer; who reads the codex; and who thinks carefully about the consequences and their character’s personality to date before making decisions.

I appreciate that not everybody is as invested as me, and that even those who are won’t have the same interpretation of events and characters as I do – even assuming they made all the same choices, which they won’t, because Dragon Age is wonderful. But there’s one particular aspect of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s plot to date that I’ve found really splits opinions, and mostly that split seems to be me in one camp and everyone else in the other. That issue is whether the Circles ought to exist; I think they should.

I’m not very far into Inquisition yet, so my opinions may change dramatically, but at this point my sympathies are very much with the mages – as they have been throughout the Dragon Age series to date. The abuses mages have suffered at the hands of Templars are unforgivable, and as in the real world, have too often just been swept under the carpet.

And yet: I don’t believe the Circles themselves are necessarily a bad thing, or that the mage rebels are in the right with their war on the Templars. And this is an unpopular opinion, apparently. Here’s my friend Mythor bagging me out on twitter for having Vivienne, a Circle mage, in my party:

(disgusted noise) @draqul runs with Vivienne in her party http://t.co/b06XNLvG3P (My party: http://t.co/URIUtScGz2 :D) #dragonageinquisition

— Matthew Sharpe (@mythor) November 25, 2014

I’m on a little Twitter break at present due to incapacity to cope with the sadness of the world, so you can’t see my replies, but basically I came out swinging for voluntary Circle membership.

Then, this morning, I was chatting to a friend of mine about role playing and connecting with your Inquisitor. In our discussion, she brought up the Circles:

In my chats with my friends, and then a bit of poking around elsewhere, I’ve realised a lot of Dragon Age fans see the issue of the Circles in black and white. This seems like a real shame to me, because as I said above, one of the beauties of Dragon Age (to a much greater degree than Mass Effect) is that there are so many shades of grey. Even when an issue seems straightforward, a later conversation or event can cast it into doubt; your character never knows precisely what’s going on, and other characters have their own agendas to push.

I think talking about the Circles is a really good illustration of how much more subtle and nuanced the story of Inquisition is, so let’s do that.

First, let’s pause for a bit of lore; skip down past the next image if, like me, you’re a Dragon Age tragic and know it all backwards and forwards. The world of Dragon Age is split into two realms – the mundane and the Fade. The Fade is the source of magic, but also dreaming, emotion and imaginations; everyone has a connection to the Fade, and if that connection is severed, as when a mage is made Tranquil, they lose certain aspects of their personality. Mages are people who can, at will and with their own power, penetrate the Veil, the barrier that keeps the two realms apart. They do this in order to channel power for various spells or even cross over to explore.

But the Fade has its own inhabitants, and making holes in the Veil, however small, risks drawing their attention. Although the denizens of the Veil are not inherently evil (talk to Solas in Haven for more details on this, or see: the entire Anders arc), the ones who wander through the Veil almost always turn out to be hostile; these are the demons and spirits you fight throughout the game.

Powerful, well-trained mages can defend themselves against demons, but even with staunch protections there’s always a risk that a spirit of the Fade will overcome and possess them, turning them into what’s called an Abomination. Abominations can wreak untold havoc, and it is for this reason, as well as the very human distrust of the different and powerful, that mages are feared throughout the world.

The Circles are also home to Templars, warriors imbued with magical powers that equip them to fight demons and Abominations – as well as rogue mages, such as those who use the forbidden blood magic or refuse to join a Circle, thus rendering themselves Apostates.

In the culture common to Ferelden, Orlais and the Free Marches, mages are required to register and train with a Circle. The Circles are also home to Templars, warriors imbued with magical powers that equip them to fight demons and Abominations – as well as rogue mages, such as those who use the forbidden blood magic or refuse to join a Circle, thus rendering themselves Apostates. Mages who register with circles give up a Phylactery which allows the Templars of their Circle to track them down if they go missing. These Circles are ultimately administered by the Chantry, a multi-national religious organisation, but each is led by a First Enchanter and a Templar leader.

Now for a bit of backstory. During the events of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, the player has several encounters with Templars and mages, each time being made aware of the tensions between the two groups. In Origins, there’s a quest which suggests the mages are unhappy with their confinement and suffer abuse at the hands of the Templars. In Dragon Age 2 the mage-Templar relationship is a central theme of the game; Hawke’s father was an Apostate, as is either Hawke or a sibling, and the local Templar leader is an unmitigated villain, causing great harm to the mages in the local circle. At the end of Dragon Age 2, a small group of mages takes extreme action against the Chantry in the form of an act of terrorism, hoping to trigger a rebellion against Templar and Chantry control. They are successful.

So now here we are in Dragon Age: Inquisition. The Templars and mages are at war and Thedas is being torn apart by their conflict. The Chantry makes a bid to restore peace by organising a parley, but something goes terribly wrong – an enormous breach appears in the sky allowing Fade spirits to pour though, and you are thrown into the middle of it all, and must work to restore order to the chaos by uniting various factions to your cause.

At the end of Dragon Age 2, I was appalled at what the mages had done in an attempt to free themselves from Chantry and Templar control – but painfully aware that other means of freeing the oppressed Kirkwall Circle from abusive Templars had been unsuccessful to date. Talking to my friends, I was surprised to learn that many of them had no sympathy for Anders and his group at all. That’s a whole other discussion, but the ending of Dragon Age 2 is important because of what happened afterwards.

What you’re told in main quest text and cutscenes is that the mages rebelled against the Chantry and have gone to war with the Templar order all over Thedas. Despite your potential disgust at Anders’s act, you see the Templar jackboot and you react against it: mages should be free.

And indeed they should; I agree. I believe mages should self-govern, and be free to come and go. The thing is: many of them were, even before the rebellion, and loads of them are desperately unhappy at being drawn into a war with consequences for the whole of Thedas.

It takes only a few minutes to find this out, if you’re motivated. Talk to Vivienne when you first meet her and later in Haven, exploring all her dialogue options. She tells you a great deal that isn’t made clear if you don’t spend time talking, notably that the mage vote to rebel against the Chantry was an almost even split, and that Grand Enchanter Fiona ruled in favour of rebellion without the full support of the Circles.

Vivienne was a First Enchanter in her circle, so of course she has power and privilege, and a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, which may colour her perception and depiction of Circle life. But hers isn’t the only voice in favour of Circles.

Vivienne also describes life in a Circle, beginning by saying that every Circle is different – and that every Templar is different, too. We already know some Circles were disgusting, oppressive, abusive places, and I’m sure we all agree the other First Enchanters, the Templar order and the Chantry should never have allowed that to happen. But after talking to Vivienne, I now know that many others were great places to live. Mages had the company of their own kind, as well as Templars, who didn’t fear them but respected them for their gifts and learning. They has access to all the study materials they needed. They could come and go at will, maintaining homes and lives outside the Circle, with permission from their First Enchanter (presumably withheld from those whose training is not yet advanced enough to safeguard them from possession). In this way, the mages were self-governing; they decided who had to remain in their towers, and who could safely wander free. As with any authority this would have been open to corruption and abuse, but it’s a very different picture from the mandatory Templar-run prisons the Circles are depicted as elsewhere.

Vivienne was the First Enchanter of her Circle, with a good chance at becoming Grand Enchanter in Fiona’s place, so of course she has power and privilege, and a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, which may colour her perception and depiction of Circle life. But hers isn’t the only voice in favour of Circles. If you wander around Redcliffe prior to the big decision to side with the Templars or Mages, you can talk to numerous mages who don’t want to be part of the rebellion but felt they had nowhere else to go once the Circles fell. There’s a great example in Haven, too. Visit Joesphine’s office and really talk to the researcher there; she just wants to go back to her quiet Circle and never leave.

The Chantry’s Circles certainly weren’t perfect, and there are a lot of reasons why the Templar-mage relationship was problematic and needed interrogation. The business of Phylacteries, and mandatory membership in a Circle, is an affront to liberty. Templars being left unsupervised to oppress mages shows the system had far too many flaws and needed an overhaul.

But the Circles weren’t inherently evil in and of themselves, and mages who want them restored, or who argued for more mild action in response to the Kirkwall incident, aren’t necessarily evil slavers or brainwashed victims.

I’m almost certain that if I had spent time talking to the Templars, I would have discovered similar nuance on their side of the battle; the fact that Cullen, a Templar to the bone, has joined the Inquisition shows they’re not a homogenous group either. Just like every issue in Dragon Age, if you investigate you’ll find there are two sides to the story – if not many, many more. That’s one of the franchise’s greatest strengths.

So, in your 300 hours of gameplay for Dragon Age and the Dragon Slayer DLC, you somehow haven’t started a mage yet? Sure, the magic makes them squishy, but are you using the right weapon for your goal?

Let’s take a second to talk about your .

The Dragon Age Inquisition best staff can make yourplaythrough a walk in the park. Whether you are going up against demons of the Veil in multiplayer or Coryphyus in the storyline, these are the top five staffs in Dragon Age Inquisition.

Encore Schematic Staff

The Encore Schematic Staff is widely regarded as the best staff in the game. The kickeris that you can only obtain this staff by purchasing and downloading the TrespasserDLC, an epilogue to the main storyline. You can carry it over to a second playthrough (or a different mage) by using the Golden Nug in your workshop.

This staff will run you through the game with a hefty 94-125 DPS. Along with alarge number of upgrade slots, this staff also has the ability to cast one of three unique buffs to your entire party: Battle of the Bands (instilling a 20% attack bonus), Mark of the Riff (guaranteed bonus 42 elemental damage), or Sing-Along (a health regeneration of 2%).

You can find this staff only in the Trespasser DLC. You will need to follow the treasure maps to a variety of places in the Winter Palace. If you get this schematic and can craft the staff, you will only have it for a couple of hours of gameplay, but the Golden Nug bypasses this and allows you to carry on your staff to another playthrough or another mage.

Unfortunately, this staff has to be crafted, which means that it is not available in the multiplayer server. However, this staff will make your PvE campaign a walk in the park. It is definitely recommended to transfer this to a new character and see the difference between your DPS and play styles.

Staffs are great aggression offensive weapons but you need defense too. Learn the best Dragon age inquisition armor that we recommend.Deathward Staff

Pyre of the Forgotten

The Pyre of the Forgotten is a unique staff that delves into some of the Dragon Age Lore. Pyre is named after the Old Elven gods who are also called The Forgotten. These gods, such as Mythal and the Dread Wolf, are seen worshipped in the game. This staff is said to have belonged to one of the priests of Daern’thal.

You need this staff for the DPS! This staff has a high DPS for the base game (110-113). Add in the three upgrade slots and that should be enough to entice any player. With the +16% Attack and the +14% Guard Damage Bonus, you can do some serious damage with this staff. Great for dungeons.

Ironically, it also has +14% armor penetration, however, the buff is now completely useless in the game because staffs have no physical attack. Although we used this with templar to avoid major hit points due to their good defense and switch weapons when needed.

With this being one of the strongest staffs, a lot of people are concerned that it might only be available in single player DLC. The good news is that it is not. Pyre of the Forgotten is available for purchase in the Western Approach, as long as you have The Short List Inquisition perk.

This is definitely worth the grind to overtake Griffon Wing keep, even if you are only buying this item.

For the multiplayer fans, you get lucky here. This is also available for purchase in multiplayer…with the same stats. You can unlock this staff to deal fire damage to all of the demons you come across.

Moving one with our Dragon Age Inquisition Best Staff list.

Staff of Corruption

Staff of Corruption is a tier 4 schematic staff that is also available to purchase. This is for a mage that likes to get up close and center…especially if you intend on building toward a Rift mage for your character.

The combat system for Corruption offers you a high DPS: 94-125, depending on the materials you use to build it. Thanks to the awesome three headed snake that it sports, you can also do elemental damage from three different elements! This means there aren’t a lot of enemies that will be able to withstand your magic power.

This schematic is purchasable from our slightly dubious merchant friend in the Black Emporium. You just need to obtain the Emporium’s Schematics of Legend for a hefty 17k gold. Even at that price, the DPS alone makes it worth the grind.

Slow down there!

The Staff of Corruption is crafted. Just like the Encore Staff, you won’t be able to take it into a multiplayer game with you and reek havoc.However, you can use your Golden Nug to take it to another playthrough without having to go through the gold grind that you did the first time!

Struggling with your mage build? Take inspiration with our best mage build fr Dragon Age Inquisition.

Wrath of Lovias

The Wrath of Lovias is the only staff in the game that has two different variations. The first variation is a great beginner’s staff that will decimate your competition. The second comes in the form of a tier 4 schematic. It’s great for Mage (Wizards or W.e. you call it) and Templars.

This staff is a great crafting choice because of its high DPS, but, also because of its elemental damage. It is built to work for a Knight Enchanter’s high DPS and is a great way to enhance your magic power. The three upgrade slots also allow you to customize the staff to different builds easily.

The base staff will help to give your stats a boost at the beginning of the game. It also will mean that you won’t be switching out staffs every couple of levels because your staff will already be superior.

The schematic tier 4 staff can be purchased from our friendly Black Emporium. If you haven’t downloaded this DLC, you should pick it up to ensure you are getting the best weapon stats possible.

Our base staff, however, can be easily looted from the elite Rebel Mage during the Apostates in Witchwood quest.

Dragon Age Inquisition Builds Reddit

But, Does It Carry Over?

Time for some good news/bad news. Your tier 4, crafted monster won’t carry to your multiplayer adventures with your friends. However, your base staff can! You can loot this from your chests in multiplayer and it will be a great starter staff for your multiplayer mages!

And our last Dragon Age Inquisition Best Staff list.

Deathward Staff

Deathward has an awesome lead-up questline and the best stats for your Necromancer build. The staff is taken from the Mortalitasisect from Nevarra, a Necromancing guild that is said to be the first.

Why Is It The Best Choice For My Necromancer?

To start off, you have three empty upgrade slots to play with. These can be enhanced with the correct grips and staff blades to deal undead damage and to increase your health return. The DPS is decent, but the real beauty lies in the stats!

With this staff, your Necromancer will run +10 Constitution, +9 Willpower, and gain an on hit heal of 1% of your maximum health. This means that your Necromancer mage can take a beating, even if they have to get up close to enemies.

What’s The Deal With This Questline? 64 bit g25 drivers driver.

The questline to obtain Deathward is a fun grind that you can play through in the Emerald Graves. You will need to obtain the Astrariums in the Graves quest by interacting with any of the astrariums. There are only three, so you can make this quick or just do them on the way to another mission.

Once you have activated all three of the astrariums, a cave will be revealed to you. The main chest in the cave will hold a free Deathward and a maul for your warrior classes.

The good news here is that Deathward can be purchased or looted in multiplayer. The better news is that it was built to be one of the strongest staffs on the multiplayer servers. You can wield this for maximum undead damage against some Lyrium Knights.

Whether you are taking down villians in multiplayer or you are doing battle against the armies of Coryphyus in the story mode, your mage deserves the best staff that you can get. Focus on your build to find the best staff for your playing style. And, hopefully, you can build toward one of these!

What do you think of our list of Dragon Age Inquisition best staff? Do you agree with us?

Do you think Dragon Age Inquisition is the best action rpg?