Dragon Age II Guide Essentials Strategy & Analysis
Cross-Class Combos
Though you can technically survive without them, employing cross-class combos unlocks your party’s full damage-dealing potential. If you are troubled by high-rank enemies, these two-part attacks are unrivalled in their capacity to neutralize resilient foes rapidly.
- Each class can set up a cross-class combo opportunity by hindering an enemy with a specific status effect (see tables). The combo occurs when a character of another class follows up with an ability that exploits this to deliver a very powerful attack. A cross-class combo can only be completed once per status effect.
- You must acquire all stated upgrades in order to use cross-class combos. For ease of use, we highlight in our tables the actual spell or talent employed to cause or exploit an effect in bold.
- Unless we specify otherwise, the likelihood of an effect being inflicted with an applicable status effect or exploited by a cross-class combo finish is 100% – enemy resistances and immunities notwithstanding.
- With Winter’s Blast and Cone of Cold, you really need to invest points in the Elemental tree to obtain Elemental Mastery. This increases the probability of a frozen enemy becoming Brittle to 100%.
- Softening up a tough individual opponent with a debuff or two before you implement a cross-class combo is a great way to maximize damage. For example, dropping a Hex of Torment or Mark of Death on a target can make a real difference.
- If Hawke has access to the Reaver specialization, Devour and its two upgrades can be employed to take a big bite of an enemy’s health, healing the warrior, but then automatically set up a Stagger for a rogue or mage to capitalize on.
- There’s a similarly interesting effect with the Disorienting Criticals passive ability in the Shadow specialization tree: with a little management, it’s possible to hit a Staggered or Brittle target for huge injury, then inflict the Disoriented condition in the aftermath.
- You can automate the process of exploiting the Brittle, Stagger and Disorient status effects with the Tactics system.
Staggered Combos (initiated by a warrior)
|
Caused By |
Exploited By |
Talents/Spells & Effects |
|
Shield Bash + Pummel (Weapon and Shield) Cleave + Claymore (Vanguard; 40% chance) Pommel Strike + Pommel Blow (Warmonger) Tremor + Aftershock (Warmonger; 40% chance) Sunder (Two-Handed; 50% chance after any critical hit) Devour + Voracious (Reaver) |
Mages |
Chain Lightning + Chain Reaction (Primal): 600% damage and 200% elemental force against all Staggered targets that are struck by each arc. Crushing Prison + Paralyzing Prison (Arcane): 200% damage to single target, plus 100% chance to paralyze. Fist of the Maker + Maker’s Hammer (Force Mage): 900% damage to Staggered targets in AoE range. Hemorrhage + Paralyzing Hemorrhage (Blood Mage): 900% damage to all Staggered foes in the AoE radius. |
|
Rogues |
Explosive Strike + Merciless Strike (Dual Weapon): 400% damage to a single target. Lacerate + Maim (Dual Weapon): 100% chance of Lacerate success on Staggered targets. Kickback + Backlash (Marksman): 800% physical force to single target. Vendetta + Blood Feud (Duelist): 300% damage versus single target. |
Disoriented Combos (initiated by a rogue)
|
Caused By |
Exploited By |
Talents/Spells & Effects |
|
Pinning Shot + Disorienting Shot (Archery/Bianca) Fatiguing Fog + Overpowering Fog (Sabotage) Confusion + Chaos (Sabotage) Disorienting Criticals (Shadow; caused by critical hits while obscured) |
Mages |
Stonefist + Golem’s Fist (Primal): 200% damage to a single target. Spirit Bolt + Spirit Strike (Spirit): 200% damage and elemental force to a single target. Walking Bomb + Corrosive Walking Bomb + Virulent Walking Bomb (Spirit): 200% damage to target, 200% damage to enemies affected by blast, and 200% physical force. |
|
Warriors |
Assault + Battery (Weapon and Shield): 400% damage to Disoriented targets in range on final hit. Scatter + Disperse (Weapon and Shield): 300% damage to Disoriented targets in range. Devour + Insatiable (Reaver): 300% damage to single target, 300% health gain to user. |
Brittle Combos (initiated by a mage)
|
Caused By |
Exploited By |
Talents/Spells & Effects |
|
Winter’s Grasp + Winter’s Blast (Elemental; 40% chance)
Cone of Cold + Deep Freeze (Elemental;
Petrify + Desiccate (Primal) |
Rogues |
Bursting Arrow + Shattering Arrow (Archery/Bianca): 600% damage to all Brittle targets in AoE radius, and 400% elemental force. Archer’s Lance + Punishing Lance (Archery/Bianca): 600% damage to all affected Brittle targets, plus 400% physical force. Assassinate + Annihilate (Assassin): 400% damage to single opponent. |
|
Warriors |
Mighty Blow + Shattering Blow (Two-Handed): 300% damage to all affected Brittle targets and 200% physical force. Scythe + Reaper (Two-Handed): 200% damage to all affected Brittle targets and 200% physical force. |