Archer: Review
content auto translated from {from}

Greetings! I noticed that there is no semblance of a guide for archers in the blog, despite the fact that this class is traditionally considered one of the main ones in role-playing games. It is also present in Dragon Age. So here I will try, as much as I can, to talk about the intricacies of this character in DA, their skills, and leveling up, as well as the basics of the mechanics of this class.

It is worth noting right away that this guide is based on playing through Dragon Age: Origins (as well as its expansion and all DLCs without exception) with patch 1.04, exclusively on the "nightmare" difficulty, in a party, and without using healing poultices, lyrium potions, and stamina. I mention this because your gameplay as an archer can differ dramatically from mine if you are playing, for example, on a different difficulty level or with an earlier patch. I should also say that if you want to really understand the mechanics of DA and get a full picture of the game's combat system, don't be afraid to play on "nightmare," it's not scary ^^

So, let's get started!

Archer in Dragon Age: Origins

The first step on the way to your true archer will be the character creation screen, where you will choose your archetype — Rogue.

An Archer can also be a Warrior, but that is a completely separate topic. Here we only consider the more standard approach to creating an archer.

The choice of race hardly matters, apart from a couple of extra attribute points. Yes, the ideal choice would be a human given their high dexterity and cunning, but if you are passionately in love with elves or dwarves, don’t deny yourself the desire to play as them.

ATTRIBUTES

  • Strength — a completely unnecessary parameter for an archer in the original game and very important in the expansion. But the expansion is mentioned below, and for now, we will ignore it.

  • Dexterity — this is what any rogue should first focus on leveling up. But it's not that simple. Nevertheless, make sure to invest your first 5 points into this attribute that you will be able to allocate yourself.

  • Willpower — forget about it. Just forget and never recall it. A good archer uses very few active skills, and you will always have enough for a couple.

  • Magic — an even more useless parameter for a bow. Forget it.

  • Cunning — meet Cunning - the most important attribute for an archer in the original game. But for now, don’t worry about it. You will need it later.

  • Constitution — you are a nimble and skinny damage dealer, gaining fat is not your thing. Ignore it throughout the entire game.

Cunning or Dexterity?

From the above, it follows that the two important parameters for us are dexterity and cunning. And here it is important not to make mistakes in prioritizing and the order in which to level them up. If you miss here, for the rest of the game, your archer will deal 50 damage with auto-attacks, and will represent a rather dull sight compared to any other DPS.

So, all points you get after starting the game should be invested in dexterity until it reaches 28. The main reason to level dexterity at the very beginning is that it will help you mitigate the problem of misses, which is very, very relevant at low levels. When dexterity reaches 28, you can forget about it. Why level it up to this number? Because 28 points are necessary for learning the skill