Dragon Age 2 is quickly approaching so we thought we would get you ready with this Classes guide.

Warrior

The warrior is one of three playable classes in Dragon Age II. The warrior fights at the front and in the heat of battle, absorbing the brunt of enemy attacks in place of less durable ranged fighters, like many rogues and mages. For the sake of dealing maximum damage and keeping the attention of enemies, warriors themselves rely on melee combat, not ranged weapons. Warriors draw from stamina for abilities and powerful attacks that damage and hinder opponents.

Class description
The most physical of the classes in Dragon Age II, a warrior is at his or her best when surrounded by foes, keeping their attention with powerful swings while allies wreak havoc in relative safety.
At the heart of a warrior’s fighting style is the choice of weapons. Staunch defenders will gravitate to mixing one handed weapons (be it axe, mace or blade) with a shield, taking advantage of the extra protection offered by interposing a wall of wood or steel between themselves and their foes. More offensive warriors gravitate to the larger two-handed weapons such as the greatsword or maul. What they sacrifice in defense, they make up for in damage potential, as the mighty arcs of their blades can easily hit multiple foes at once.

Warriors are not as constrained around their weapon choice as they were previously, however. A wide variety of their abilities are weapon-agnostic, such as the stunning Pommel Strike. Various offensive and defensive stances -such as Might, Control and Turn the Blade- can be assumed regardless of weapon, and depending on the needs of the current encounter. Warriors are also the only class that can actively gain the hate of multiple foes at once, controlling the flow of battle and keeping their more fragile teammates alive.

Specialization

Reaver
Life is power. Blood Mages know this, but they are not the only ones. Warriors can also command the energy that flows through blood and bone, but it is not an easy path. The Reaver specialization trades pain for strength in a constant balance of selfish sacrifice. At first it seems that Reavers are doing the work of their enemies, damaging themselves in gruesome fashion. But Reavers can transform their own living essence into raw damage, and then replenish that health by stealing the life from their foes. It’s a dangerous gamble that counts on added strength to destroy enemies before incoming attacks or the Reavers’ own abilities kill them. At its best, the Reaver specialization results in a brutal harmony. The closer they are to their own deaths, the more efficient they are at inflicting the same on others.

Templar
It takes incredible focus to wield magic, but even greater will to withstand it. The Templar specialization originated in the Chantry with the establishment of the order, and their mandate remains the restriction and containment of mages. But the abilities Templars command are not divine; they are the product of intense training and rigorous devotions. These are achievable by any warrior, although the discipline required may seem just as much a calling. Templars don’t just endure magic, they deny it, and deny others the use of it. At the height of ability, a Templar simply shrugs off most harmful effects, and can completely suppress a mage’s ability to cast. They are warriors of singular focus, and none can match their dedication or effectiveness at taming those who would abuse the magical energies of the Fade.

Berserker
All warriors command respect, but the Berserker is an unrelenting physical force. The name of this specialization suggests rage, risk-taking, and that is certainly part of its effectiveness, but it would be a grave mistake to suggest that the Berserker is sloppy or undisciplined. It takes an incredible amount of control to know when to lose control. Battle momentum is the key: finding the balance between total commitment and over extending. The Berserker controls the pace of combat, setting a standard that the enemy can’t match. In turn, they can be sustained by the mayhem they produce, and find new energy in every fallen foe. While they stand, while stamina remains, they have no match, but they can’t stand back and let battle unfold. For the Berserker, battle always ends in glory, win or lose.

Mage

The mage is one of the three playable classes in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II. A mage is able to interact with the forces of magic, using different elemental powers. In order to qualify to be a mage, one must be either an elf or a human. Dwarves cannot be mages, since they are unable to connect with The Fade and therefore are unable to control the forces of magic.

Most mages in Thedas belong to the Circle of Magi. As such, they are taken from their families while still children, and highborn children who are able to use magic will lose all claims to their family’s estates and titles when they are taken to the Circle. This helps to create a bond stronger than social class or race, since everybody in the Circle is raised and taught the same way.
All mages undergo a process of having their blood taken while apprentices and placed in a phylactery. This ensures the mages’ compliance as well as the ability to track down any mage who decides to run away, since a templar can track anyone through their blood.

Some mages manage to escape the notice of the Chantry and the Circle, and grow up without the training that those who are taken from their families will have. Any mage not a part of the Circle is considered to be an apostate, and will be hunted by templars if discovered.

Some groups, such as the Dalish, are, for all intents and purposes, outside of the jurisdiction of the Chantry and the Circle, and will carry on their own magical traditions. A Dalish Keeper has considerably different training than a Circle Mage, as their tradition is supposedly based on the old elven magics. A Keeper typically has a First, the Dalish term for an apprentice.

Another example of an extra-traditional mage organization are the Witches of the Wilds, to which Flemeth and Morrigan belong.

In Thedas, magic is a natural phenomenon like air pressure, gravity, inertia, or anything else. Some people are born with the ability to interact, control, and shape it.

Magic originates from the Fade, the realm where Spirits dwell and humans and elves visit when they dream. As such, using it can draw the attention of the beings on the other side of the Veil, leading to an increased risk of demonic possession. A possessed mage becomes a distortion of their former self, a twisted monster known as an Abomination.

What a mage is able to do with magic in Thedas is somewhat limited when compared to other fantasy worlds, namely those used by Dungeons and Dragons. Interdimensional travel (discounting interaction with the Fade) and teleportation are non-existent although occasionally attempted, and the average person will rarely ever see any true example of magical power.

Mages are, however, capable of manipulating the basic elements, such as conjuring gouts of flame and small localized ice and electrical storms. There are also spells that allow for the temporary reanimation of corpses and the draining of an opponent’s life-force.

Forbidden Magic
Some uses of magic are strictly forbidden by the Chantry, and, by extension, the Circle. Blood Magic, an offshoot of magical abilities that allow for things like using life-energy to power one’s spells and the ability to penetrate the very mind of an enemy, is one example. The Circle has judged these abilities as evil (and certainly, they tend to be abused by practitioners) and has adopted a strict no-tolerance policy on the use of these abilities, to protect non-mages from their abuse, and mages from the fear generated by the common use of such powers. Most blood magic stems from demonic influence, according to blood mages such as Avernus. (Grey Wardens are known to use forbidden magic to fight the darkspawn. It is unclear whether they are legally allowed to use it, or if people simply view the Grey Warden mission as more important than these laws. Notably, The Warden, if a mage, can use forbidden spells at the Landsmeet, in front of the assembled nobles and a Chantry priest, without anyone mentioning it.)

Notable mages in Dragon Age: Origins

Morrigan
Flemeth
Wynne
Irving
Jowan
Uldred
Severan
Zathrian
Anders
Velanna
The Baroness
Sketch
Finn

Notable mages in Dragon Age II

Bethany
Merrill
Anders
Hawke (Depending on Player’s Choices)
Flemeth
Orsino

Rogue

Rogue is one of three playable classes in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II. Rogues are crafty combatants who succeed in battle by combining speed, subterfuge, and a wide range of abilities to bring their opponents down in unexpected ways, sometimes before the enemy even perceives danger.
Rogues can pick locks with great skill, incapacitate enemies with ease, or sneak up on targets to deliver a devious and crippling backstab. Dexterity and cunning are essential for a rogue, as many rogue and rogue specialization abilities rely on high cunning and dexterity.

Notable rogues in Dragon Age: Origins
Leliana
Zevran
Duncan
Riordan
Jarvia
Arl Rendon Howe

Notable rogues in Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening
Nathaniel Howe
Sigrun

Notable rogues in Dragon Age II
Isabela
Sebastian Vael
Varric