Warrior

Warriors are frontline combatants, able to withstand incredible punishment in heavy armor. They are proficient in the use of two-handed weapons like mauls and greatswords but may combine a smaller weapon with a shield for added defense.

Unique Class Skill: Wall Bash

Two-Handed Starting Abilities

Ability	Name	Description
	Mighty Blow	You deliver a powerful attack that crumples foes, leaving them knocked down for a short time. You do more damage to targets that are already knocked down.
	War Cry	You taunt all nearby enemies with a shouted challenge, gaining extra guard for each enemy affected.

Weapon and Shield Starting Abilities

Ability	Name	Description
	Payback Strike	You recover from any disabled condition and lash out with a great blow against nearby enemies. If you’ve recently taken damage, you hit that much harder and stagger your foes.
	War Cry	You taunt all nearby enemies with a shouted challenge, gaining extra guard for each enemy affected.

Warrior Starting Stats

* Base stats listed. Elves get a 25 percent bonus to ranged defense, dwarves get a 25 percent bonus to magic defense, and Qunari get a 25 percent bonus to melee defense.

Warrior Specializations

Specialization	Name	Details
	Champion	Complete Way of the Champion offered by Lord Chancellor de Lion in Skyhold.
	Reaver	Complete Way of the Reaver offered by Breaker Thram in Skyhold.
	Templar	Complete Way of the Templar offered by Ser in Skyhold.

Tactical Considerations

Combining taunts, special moves, blocks, counters, and guard-generating abilities, warriors are far more than just tanks. Their presence is essential to your party’s survival. Warriors are responsible for doing the heavy lifting, absorbing large amounts of damage while drawing the attention of hostile forces with taunts. Many abilities allow a warrior to build guard. Think of this as a secondary health bar, represented by small armor icons covering the warrior’s health bar—a warrior’s guard must be completely eliminated before they take damage to their health. By equipping heavy armor and deploying guard-building abilities, warriors can withstand extreme punishment while lashing out at the enemy with their own devastating arsenal of weapons.

When it comes to offense, few classes can match the raw damage output of the two-handed warrior. Capable of equipping massive two-handed weapons, this warrior swings the weapon in wide arcs, striking all enemies nearby. As a result, the two-handed warrior thrives in the heat of battle, surrounded by hostile forces. But close proximity to multiple threats can wear down this warrior fast. As a result, deploy guard-building abilities like War Cry and Charging Bull to reinforce the two-handed warrior’s health. Seek out more defensive-oriented abilities and the heaviest armor you can find to further extend your two-handed warrior’s lifespan.

Weapon-and-shield warriors take a more balanced approach to combat, utilizing a shield to absorb (and even turn away) most attacks. Their one-handed weapons are significantly weaker than those carried by their two-handed counterparts, but their ability to withstand greater punishment makes them better suited for tanking enemies. Taunt abilities like War Cry and Challenge come in handy for luring enemies while increasing the warrior’s guard. Consider selecting the Shield Wall ability early on to enhance your warrior’s guard. Likewise, constantly seek out better weapons and armor to maintain an edge in each engagement.

Wall Bash

Sometimes warriors don’t need a door—they can make their own by thrusting their boot through a weak wall. Like the rogue’s lock-picking skill, this skill allows warriors to gain access to areas that are otherwise off-limits. These secret chambers are often filled with loot and other items beneficial to your party. Look for the bash icon to determine the location of these weak walls—conducting searches also highlights these walls. Using a warrior, interact with these weak walls to knock them down.

Warrior Abilities

Weapon and Shield

Description: Experts in this style are still on their feet after punishment that would kill their allies. They use their shield to protect themselves and stagger their enemies.

Any warrior carrying a shield into battle should invest heavily in this discipline to acquire a good mix of offensive and defensive abilities. Rookie warriors can significantly expand their lifespan with Shield Wall, allowing them to block attacks and build guard. While the offensive abilities are beneficial, focus on abilities that improve your warrior’s defense, like Bear Mauls the Wolves, Turn the Bolt, and Turn the Blade—these abilities are ideal for tanking, making your warrior a damage sponge.

Two-Handed Weapon

Description: Experts in this style crush their enemies with massive blows that can break any guard, shatter any armor, and destroy any opponent.

Two-handed warriors seeking greater offensive prowess should consider investing in this style. Take advantage of devastating area-of-effect attacks like Whirlwind and Earthshaking Strike to make your mark on the battlefield. Or knock your foes off their feet with Mighty Blow. But don’t overlook Block and Slash and Flawless Defense. These abilities allow you to minimize incoming damage and build guard—something any two-handed warrior will need to stay alive.

Battlemaster

Description: These cunning warriors control the battlefield and everyone on it. They bolster their allies, hamper their enemies, and take advantage of any sign of weaknesses.

Any warrior can benefit from the abilities in this style, starting off with Grappling Chain—this is great for yanking pesky archers and mages into melee range. If you’re looking to gain a serious advantage for your party, invest in the horn-based abilities at the bottom of the tree. Use Horn of Valor to bolster your party members or War Horn to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies. Also, many abilities in this discipline provide a permanent boost to your warrior’s Strength.

Vanguard

Description: These stalwart warriors protect their allies by making themselves the biggest target on the battlefield. When enemies take the bait, vanguards pick them apart with brutal precision.

Warriors eager to draw attention away from their more vulnerable party members can find plenty of beneficial abilities within this discipline. Use War Cry and Challenge to lure enemies toward you, making them ignore your other party members—these abilities also build guard. Once you’ve acquired an enemy’s attention, look for opportunities to increase your guard even more with abilities like Charging Bull, Trust the Steel, and Unbowed.

Champion (Specialization)

Description: These powerful defenders protect their allies from harm, standing strong against devastating blows with expert training and fierce determination. Enemies can’t kill them—and usually can’t survive them.

If you’re playing as a weapon-and-shield warrior, the Champion specialization is definitely worth considering. The abilities in this emphasize defense and guard, ideal for tanking. Line in the Sand is a good example—use this ability to dominate narrow passages such as doorways and staircases, preventing enemies from passing. Abilities like Counterstrike and Walking Fortress come in handy during those desperate moments when your warrior needs a temporary defensive boost to withstand incoming attacks. Or if you’ve built plenty of guard, and feel confident, consider activating To the Death, boosting the damage output of both you and your foe. The passive abilities in this tree are all beneficial too, increasing your warrior’s durability.

Reaver (Specialization)

Description: As the battle gets bloodier, these vicious and deadly warriors get even more brutal. Hurting them just makes them mad, a mistake most enemies don’t live to repeat.

With the Reaver specialization, your warrior turns the chaos (and pain) of battle to their advantage with a series of powerful (and potentially dangerous) offensive-oriented abilities. This is a high-risk/high-reward discipline, since most of the abilities benefit the warrior when their health is low. When possible, activate Ring of Pain before triggering Devour or Dragon-Rage for some truly devastating bonuses. Rampage, a focus ability, sends your warrior into a brief frenzy, boosting attack speed and damage while stealing health from enemies. The passive abilities only add to your warrior’s prowess on the battlefield, making Reaver the definitive offensive specialization for warriors.

Templar (Specialization)

Description: These unrelenting warriors specialize in fighting mages and demons. No enemy’s magic can withstand them, and they inspire and protect their allies with their righteous power.

Warriors who specializes in the Templar discipline empower not only themselves, but those around them, making every battle a little easier. Whether dispelling hostile magic with Spell Purge or inspiring your comrades with Blessed Blades or Rally, this discipline puts an emphasis on supporting the party—even most of the passive abilities improve the entire party’s performance. The pinnacle of this tree is the Wrath of Heaven AoE ability, stunning enemies and damaging demons—this is very effective when attempting to seal Fade rifts.