1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Shapeshifting 101

Discussion in 'Dragon Age: Origins' started by Scythesong Immortal, Feb 19, 2010.

  1. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    May 3, 2003
    Messages:
    2,770
    Media:
    226
    Likes Received:
    236
    Gender:
    Male
    Scythe, wow, this write has certainly come a long way since the original. There is some really insightful stuff here. I might just have to explore Morrigan more fully as a shapeshifter on a future runthrough. Well done!
     
  2. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    Whoa thanks guys. Didn't expect that sticky.
    No problem. My fall session just ended so I just had a lot of time in my hands. ;)
     
  3. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    Been working on making the guide more objective. For now I think I've weeded out most of the inconsistencies/repetitive stuff.
    I've also been cross-checking everything to make sure it sounds more guide-worthy.
    Also deleted a lot of stuff not important to Shapeshifting. I'll be adding specific tactics/examples last, double-checking everything as I go along.
     
  4. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    Added the Overwhelm bug. I swear, I didn't mean to "discover" it on purpose. :good: I think I just broke the "overpowered" (late game) barrier, heh.

    Seriously though. It's only as cheesy as using the mana=stamina regen bug, and it allows a Shapeshifter to do plenty of physical damage as soon as he gets Master Shapeshifter. Who knows, it might even be intended. Certainly not game-breaking (by itself at least), but it does put form DPS on level with a fighter's.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2010
  5. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    Added the true Overwhelm bug. Renamed the previous one the Overwhelm exploit.
     
  6. DarkCamel Gems: 1/31
    Latest gem: Turquoise


    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2010
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Thanks for the guide.

    I actually had a fun shapeshift run as an arcane warrior/shapeshifter. The synergy is that you can equip weapons and armor for the bonuses without increasing strength once you take Combat Magic.

    I never activated Combat Magic the entire game, but enjoyed all the specials (such as Wade's low fatigue armor sets, and runed weapons). Everything else went into Magic.

    BTW - I now swear by Swarm. Almost archer proof and so fast that melee animations sometimes don't even fire, so you don't get hit (poor bandits). The key is flybys - never attack (you will stop), and keep passing through and then away from opponents. It made the Deep Roads easy (including Branka who literally chased the Swarm all the way to the Anvil and back, twice :)). Only problems I had were areas where there is no room for manueverability. (hello, Gaxkang). And for real fun, try a hasted Swarm - it is ridiculously fast.
     
  7. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    Your welcome. Thanks for the input.

    I'm still working to make it as objective as possible. It's not really a guide, just a collection of info that people can read if they want. Good to see you're enjoying the Swarm.

    I tried using the Arcane Warrior simply as a supporting class to the Shapeshifter, but the problem is it ends up being vastly inferior to a Shapeshifter/Spirit Healer or Shapeshifter/Blood Mage (this is not a good thing, since the Arcane Warrior, by itself, is a pretty powerful spec).
    I guess since it's more item dependent it can be pretty powerful with the right equipment instead of the right spells, or maybe I just need to change how I play it. I'll try making one again after I find an optimum damage build for a magic Shapeshifter.

    ---------- Added 4 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds later... ----------

    Possible workaround added for weapon switch bug.
     
  8. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    Sorry for the delay, will finish and submit the guide by this weekend. I've been trying out various builds in Awakenings and reading up on other people's experiences. Reason I haven't been updating is because what I currently have is already too much to fit into a single post, so I've been working on the guide offline. :)
     
  9. CelticDream

    CelticDream I play well with others... others, not you Veteran

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2010
    Messages:
    369
    Media:
    9
    Likes Received:
    21
    Gender:
    Female
    No worries! You've been doing an awesome job on this, btw!
     
  10. claudius Gems: 5/31
    Latest gem: Andar


    Veteran

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2007
    Messages:
    110
    Likes Received:
    1
    Does anyone have a suggestion for exactly what talents to spec Morrigan with and use some shapeshifting? I played this game a long time ago but never really read/discovered what the best talents were.
     
  11. pplr Gems: 18/31
    Latest gem: Horn Coral


    Veteran

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2008
    Messages:
    1,032
    Media:
    2
    Likes Received:
    35
    I recalling using Arcane Warrior and Shape Shifter with Morrigan but sorry I don't remember the details.
     
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.