'Dragon Age 2': Choosing Between Warrior, Rogue or Mage

The Warrior
The warrior is a versatile job that allows players to play either offensively or defensively, depending on how the player sets up their character's attributes and skill trees. Warriors can wield two-handed weapons such as hammers and long swords, or they can use a one-handed weapon and a shield.

They can do a great deal of damage with their weapons, making them an ideal choice for damage dealers. For offensive warriors, players should tack on plenty of strength, find high two-handed weapons, and find gear that adds physical damage and additional attack. Warriors are great at taking out crowds of enemies when they have the right skills and weaponry.

Personally, the only warrior I use in my party is our tank (the character that takes the highest amount of damage intentionally). Warriors are great for defense, especially with skills such as Stonewall. Tack on a shield and add plenty of HP and defense to these characters, as it'll make playing against strong enemies much easier. Also, make sure to set the tactics to these characters accordingly, such as:
-Making sure they utilize available potions to increase HP when they're low
-Getting the attention of enemies, especially when they're attacking other characters with low defense
-Having them use skills that increase defense, especially in boss fights where enemies will hit much harder.

The Rogue
The Rogue is my personally favorite, as they can dish out a ton of damage in spikes, but also do moderate damage over time. Rogues have two different weaponry types at their disposal: Archery and Dual Wield.

Varric, one of the characters you'll acquire in the story, uses long range weapons such as the former, although it's not deemed "Archery,"but it gives you an idea of how the dynamics work. While I don't personally enjoy playing with Archery, it definitely has some potential to do massive damage.

I favor dual wield in the realm of the Rogue. Dual Wield allows the Rogue to use two daggers simultaneously, equating to top-notch damage. While it may not seem like massive damage initially, you'll see that Rogues do a ton of damage over time. Add in the fact that there are an array of skills that allow Rogues to do "spike" damage, and enemies will go 6 feet under in a hurry. For this build you'll want to add plenty of attack, dexterity (for critical hits), attack speed +, and physical damage +. Also, take notice to the damage stats on weaponry.

The Mage
Mages are spellcasters, and there's plenty of spells to cast. While I've read that many people like to use two mages in their party simultaneously, I don't, especially since their defense is as tough as wet tissue paper. Mages can basically be used in two ways, just like the Warrior: offensively and defensively. Either way, you're going to want to ensure that the character has a large mana pool and mana buffing equipment.

Offensive mages deal damage through certain spells. Early on in the game, mages generally will cast elemental based magic, which does do some nice damage. As the mage progresses through the levels, they'll be able to get spells that will do massive damage. To get maximum damage from these elemental spells, it is best to have staffs that add to the correlating elemental damage.

Offensive mages can also do other damage, as players can see in their skill trees. Offensive also means enfeeble. Enfeeble spells can lower an enemy's defense, speed, paralyze them, or add any adverse effect.

Defensive mages are generally known as a "support role," meaning they buff and heal the other party members. This mage-type is essential, as there is a large cool down on using potions, so having a healer is practically necessary, especially when going against large bosses or hard enemies.

Buffing means that mages add positive effects to other party members, such as increasing their attack speed and other attributes.

Also, make sure to keep your inventory stocked with potions that add mana back to the mage's mana pool, as it could mean the difference between beating that hard section of the game.

Any way you look at it, "Dragon Age 2" is quite an experience. It's somewhat of a hack-and-slash game, so gamers that are used to traditional RPGs such as the older "Final Fantasy" games may not like it. All of the jobs are fun, but they're merely different. While I like playing as a Rogue and doing fast-paced and spike damage, another gamer may like sitting back and casting a myriad of spells against that horde of enemies - it's all down to what you prefer.