Get to Know your Companions: Dragon Age Inquisition Edition
- Sneaky Mage
- Oct 4, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 7
Let's meet your team! Here you'll learn about each companion's strengths and weaknesses, so it will be easier for you to put together a team that will complement the class of your Inquisitor and ensure your path to victory. Please note that the same team composition won't work as well if you ever decide to play a different class. Please also note that this is also only important if you ever decide to play on a higher difficulty. Other than that...pick whomever you fancy most.
You have 3 companions from each class to choose from:
warriors: Cassandra, Iron Bull and Blackwall,
rogues: Varric, Sera and Cole (can you find him in this picture?)
mages Solas, Vivienne and Dorian.
Having said that, please note that your companions can change their weapon training within each class – for example, Varric can also use daggers instead of his trusty crossbow Bianca (however, in that case avoid the auto level-up function). And they also have their own specialisation, which affects their behaviour in combat, which cannot be changed. And that specialisation is the one thing you must consider when choosing a companion for a particular battle.
Warriors
General tip: When crafting equipment for warriors, ensure they have a lot of extra health and a high guard generation (a spare armour of sorts).
She is the most versatile and adaptable. In terms of damage/defend rank, she sits right in between Blackwall and Iron Bull, so she's best suited for entry-level or fragile-class inquisitor ala mage/rogue. She is also the most durable of all the warriors so far - if properly equipped, she can last the longest in combat IMHO.
He specializes in defending your team and diverting all threats at himself. Meaning his damage output is relatively low. It's not very effective in fighting a dragon, but it's welcome in any other combat situation, especially if you're a mage or rogue. Basically, he tries to keep you alive for as long as possible.
Of all three, he usually deals the highest damage possible, but this combined with his talents (based on him drawing his strength from his blood/health) and improper equipment can make him extremely fragile. So keep an eye on him, or he'll gnaw though your health potion supply extremely fast. If you go into a battle against a dragon with him on your team, make sure that his equipment gives him plenty of protection and high health. And equip the poor guy with a weapon focused on health/guard generation.
Pro tip: If you're new to the game I advise you to always have at least 2 warriors in your party (counting yourself). Especially if you're planning on going up against a dragon. If you're a mage or a rogue and haven't gotten your specialization yet, the safest combination to keep your party alive and in the game is Cassandra and Blackwall. While Cassandra or Blackwall AND Iron Bull is the most optimal aka ready-for-anything combination, when you're a bit more experienced.
Mages
General tip: Have each mage specialise in 2 different elemental attacks. And have them equipped with different elemental staffs, if you have at least 2 mages in the party (i.e. fire/ice/lightning/spirit). Because there are enemies that are completely immune to a certain type of magic. So please don't go against a dragon who's main element is fire, with a mage specialised only, well, in fire attacks. Also keep in mind their primary elemental specialisation when crafting equipment for them.
Solas' specialisation makes him extremely effective against larger groups of enemies. And he also automatically specializes in support spells for the team - say the barrier (for rogues and mages as an alternative to the guard in warriors), which he puts on all members of the group who use it (similar to the former healer, with the only difference that this specialisation no longer exists in DAI).
With this in mind, he, like Cassandra, is the most universal/adaptable and applicable in any situation. He's most ideal in a group, either as the sole mage or complementing any other mage who is primarily focused solely on damage (Dorian/Vivienne or the Inquisitor). A reliably deadly and effective combination.
The only female option among mages, but the most aggressive and dangerous in battle. Knight Enchanter is somehow the strongest mage specialization in the Inquisition and is primarily aimed at any mage who wants to be directly in the thick of things (maximum damage output). Therefore it's the most effective at a close range. She's kind of a must-have on higher difficulty levels if your inquisitor isn't a Knight Enchanter himself/herself.
However, she rarely uses her deadliest talents by default, so if you're in trouble just switch control on to her and slice and dice your way though the battlefield.
Like Solas, Dorian is a combination of support and damage class and can be just as flexible from this point of view. The only main difference being that he targets individual opponents instead of groups of enemies. As a necromancer, he can bring the dead back to life or deal terrible amounts of spirit damage to individual demons, however not so much against dragons. That's not to say he's not worth taking along with you against a dragon, as he makes up a lethal combination with Solas, but since his basic element is fire, I recommend that you only use him against dragons that are not immune to fire. Or that you at least equip him with a weapon based any other element (i.e. snow/lightning).
Pro tip: For an easy start (in terms of ready for anything) is to have a mage with talents in two elements (e.g.: lightning/ice) equipped with a staff in a 3rd element (fire/spirit). In battles where you already know what to expect (e.g. dragons), you can narrow this choice down to only 2 elements for more powerful attacks (i.e. equip a mage who specializes in fire and ice with a fire/ice stick, depending on the resistance of the chosen dragon/boss).
Rogues
And finally, the most fragile, but also the deadliest of the companions.
General Tip: When it comes to equipment, I recommend that in addition to high stats for damage/cunning, you also pay attention to upgrades that contain health regeneration or guard generation, just like with the warrior class. Why? Read the pro tip below.
Varric specializes in traps. This makes him a great addition against groups of enemies, a little less against individual dragons/bosses. He's basically still the same as in DA II – deals a lot of damage, but dies just as quickly, however just like Cassandra or Solas is also the most adaptable of the companions (which is why you start with the 3 of them). The only difference is that you must not forget to upgrade his crossbow Bianca, which has extra special upgrades and you can buy, or make (if you have the necessary schematics).
Sera is probably the best choice for the first pair of dragons you encounter in game – she specializes in poisons and various potions that can turn her into a cheerful bundle of flames/ice or lightning, so from this point of view, her specialisation is the closest to mages. What's nice about her is that she specialises in ranged combat and stays as far away from the opponents as she can (unlike Varric, who occasionally gets too close). Of all the rogue specialisations, hers is second in lethality, and it also works great in combination with two daggers (speaking from personal experience).
The deadliest Rogue in the group. Cole is the Isabella (from dragon age 2) of DAI, just a lot more durable, especially at higher levels. Simply put, my rogue Inquisitors usually have the same specialization as him. If you equip him correctly (daggers that regenerate his own health and guard), he becomes almost invincible.
Pro tip: Even though it's primarily a warrior ability, guard can easily be transferred to a rogue, or even mage companion (if you craft your own weapons). Which can be extremely handy in situations where you're fighting a dragon/boss, because it makes your fragile DPS focused companion almost untouchable. Doubly so, if you combine health AND guard regeneration. Easiest to do so is with Cole, because he already has 2 daggers (quite simply, each weapon has a limited amount of upgrades, so it's quite simple that 2-weapons, offer a 2x upgrade), otherwise you have to either re-specialize Sera or Varric and level them up yourself from start to finish.
And that's it regarding the team of Dragon Age Inquisition. One last piece of advice, especially when it comes to general dragon battles/boss fights:
Make sure that your group is well balanced and you include tough and fragile characters (including the Inquisitor) in it.
The most optimal group composition (if you're completely new to Inquisition or Dragon Age series in general) is to have at least 2 mages or 2 warriors in a party and 1 rogue (i.e. 2 warriors, 1 mage, 1 rogue or 2 mages 1 warrior 1 rogue). This is also practical from another point of view – as you will see – DAI has certain interactions with items tied to a special class: only rogues can unlock locks, only mages can light veil fire, and only warriors can destroy/break down walls. On later playthroughs, when you're already familiar with the areas and you know exactly what you're doing, you can also mess around with unconventional groups of 2 or more rogues in a group, or teams composed only of mages, warriors or rogues.
The enemies in DAI are very diverse, which also means that they can be completely immune to certain types of damage. From this point of view, DAI is a little more challenging than DA II or DAO, but it makes up for it with camps and the option to be able to escape the conflict at any time. In the camp, you can switch group members/restore health and prepare/upgrade potions. Another thing that can also be extremely useful in all Dragon Age games is the tactical camera, mainly because it shows you the resistances and weaknesses of each enemy:
This will allow you to adapt your tactics on the go and give you the best chance to formulate an effective attack with a quick and happy ending. So don't forget to use it if you're in a pickle!
And that is it! Good luck and hope you've found this post useful.
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