Assassin Archer Build - Dragon Age: Inquisition (DAI)

Assassin Archer Build

This part of the post will cover the Dragon Age Inquisition Assassin Archer build. So the build's main mechanics revolve around Mark of Death which can be used to create large bursts of damage, that insta-kill numerous enemies in the game.

Moreover, thanks to the Subterfuge tree, you will get access to Stealth and Evade + Shadow Step. These will be core skills giving the very high mobility, allowing you to move around the battlefield or disappear if things get bad.

If this sounds like your playstyle let's move forward

Abilities - before Specialization, Levels 1-10

Before reaching level 10 you will not have Assassin specialization. Due to this, there may be minimal constraints that you have. Here are two ways to spec before getting the specialization.

Order	Skill	Description
1	Stealth	Great survival and damage boost ability at the start of the game
2	Long Shot + Archer’s Lance	I prefer to fight at a closer distance so the Eagle Eye upgrade does not benefit much
3	Death from Above	We mainly take this to unlock the next ability
4	Leaping Shot + Shot from the Shadows	You can enter stealth after the attack, utilize this to gain additional damage boost, and to stay safe
5	Evasion	We take it mainly for progression
6	Evade + Shadow Step	Major upgrade allowing you to reposition yourself at will
7	First Blood	Attacks, when the enemy has a high Hp deal, increase damage. Will work well with Long Shot + Stealth.

Once you reach level 10~ you should be able to obtain Assassin specialization. You are then ready to move to the next builds

Abilities - Full Overview

This section will show the ability points allocation for this build in the game. For detailed progression check the next section.

Assassin tree

Archery Tree

Sabotage Tree

Subterfuge Tree

Abilities - progression till Endgame

Here I will cover detailed progression and explanations for the Dual Wield Assassin build.

Order	Skill	Description
1	Hidden Blades + upgrade	This is an extremely powerful ability, however, with a long cooldown. I recommend using this after you activate the Mark of Death. Any upgrade will work, but pick Overkill for a boost in single-target damage.
2	I Was Never Here	One of many ways for this build to enter stealth - by killing an enemy
3	Knife in the Shadows	Attacking from stealth will guarantee a critical hit
4	Mark of Death	A very powerful ability that should be used on strong enemies like bosses as it requires time to store damage.
5	Caltrops	We mainly take it for progression
6	Looked Like It Hurt	One of the passive abilities that will allow you to restore stamina from critical hits. You will do them many due to many opportunities to attack from stealth
7	Death from Above	We mainly take this for progression
8	Leaping Shot + Shot from the Shadows	Use this ability to deal large damage to large, grouped, or close proximity enemies. Moreover, you will enter stealth after this. The main use for this ability is to escape harm
9	Long Shot	Another ability you can use to deal damage from far away. I prefer to use it as an opener
10	Stealth + upgrade	Enter stealth whenever you need: start of the combat, escape from enemies, etc. Any upgrade will work: - Lost in the Shadows: I prefer this one as it activates instantly - Clinging Shadows: this upgrade can give larger damage boosts due to Knife in the Shadows passive ability
11	Evasion	We mainly take it for progression, but it gives 1/10 chance to evade attack
12	Evade + Shadow Step	Use this ability to reposition yourself. I prefer using it with Leaping Shot: move in and escape with Leaping Shot for large damage
13	Shadow Strike + upgrade	This ability will allow you to restore stamina and deal substantial damage. Pick an upgrade based on your preference: - Long Shadows: a safer approach, with ranged attack - Quick Blade: riskier approach, but deals more damage.
14	First Blood	Deal more damage to enemies with 80%+ HP. Works great with Hidden Blades or Long Shot
15	Explosive Shot	We mainly take it for progression but it can deal substantial damage to a group of enemies.
16	Pincushion	Hitting the same enemy multiple times will increase your damage
17	Gaps in the Armor	Increases armor penetration

Some additional abilities to take when if you will have additional points:

• Mark of Death upgrade Mark of Doom for additional damage
• Ambush
• Throatcutter
• Full Draw - I do not like this ability as it is fairly slow. However, it can deal large damage as an opener + First Blood passive ability. If you get it, switch it with Explosive Shot in the quick bar.

Stats

• Critical Chance – I suggest getting at least 40%+. Although most of the time you will be attacking from stealth for guaranteed criticals, I would still recommend having sufficient stat

• Critical Damage – your priority stats once you have the critical chance stat covered. It will especially be effective in the late game

• Dexterity – increases Attack and Critical Damage. However, the latter is increased by less amount (on equipment and crafting materials) than pure Critical Damage.

• Cunning - increases critical chance

• Attack – increases overall damage, but usually, you get smaller bonuses of it than critical damage so it has a lesser priority

Equipment

This section will cover what gear you should pick for the build.

Weapons - obtainable

Unfortunately, the obtainable bows are not as powerful as craftable versions. If you want to maximize Assasin Archer DPS, you should invest in getting a crafted version.

Priority	Item	Description
1	Tezpadam's Bane	Extraordinary bow, that provides 41 dexterity resulting in 41% critical damage increase. Moreover, gives an effect that makes enemy bodies explode on kill
2	Arrowwood	This bow is available during the Trespasser DLC. Gives 95% armor penetration. I think it is an interesting bow to try but you get it quite late in the game.
3	Heartstring Bow	Obtained in Frostback Basin and provides adequate stats.

Weapons - craftable

Priority	Item	Description
1	Elgar'nan Enaste Schematic	Obtained with Trespasser DLC. Has adequate slots and most importantly explosive arrow effect.
2	Grunsmann's Bow Schematic	Provides 3 offensive leather slots excellent to maximize either critical chance or critical damage
3	Bow of the Beresaad Schematic	Provides leather slots for maximizing critical chance and critical damage.

Armors - obtainable

Priority	Item	Description
1	Stone Stalker Coat	This armor is a perfect match for this build as it provides a large boost to of 45 Cunning resulting in a much higher critical chance
2	The Skin That Stalks	Obtainable only in the Trespasser DLC. Boosts Critical Damage, Critical Chance, and Attack.
3	Masterwork Prowler Armor	This armor reduces ability stamina cost by 20% if not attacked for 5 seconds. This should be easy for Assassin Archer as it will be avoiding enemies most of the time.

Armors - craftable

Priority	Item	Description
1	Superior Prowler Armor Schematic	This armor has 23 utility leather slots if you include upgrades. Feel free to increase either dexterity or cunning based on what Assassin Archer build needs more.
2	Sturdy Prowler Armor Schematic	This is a cheaper alternative to Superior Prowler Armor Schematic. It also gives less defense and 22 utility leather slots.
3	Stone Stalker Coat Schematic	Can be obtained from The Descent DLC. Has decent slots, but is worse compared to the options above.

Helmets - obtainable

Priority	Item	Description
1	Stone Stalker Mask	Has both good bonus stats and armor rating. Can be obtained in The Descent DLC
2	Helm of the Drasca	A decent mid-game option that gives a good boost to critical damage by increasing Dexterity.
3	Ambassador's Mask	Alternative to Mask of the Grand Duchess if you have a high critical chance (50%+)
4	Mask of the Grand Duchess	Alternative to Ambassador's Mask if you have a low critical chance

Helmets - craftable

Priority	Item	Description
1	Superior Skirmisher Hat Schematic	The best craftable helmet that gives 10 leather utility slots and is easy to obtain
2	Skirmisher Hat Schematic	A cheaper alternative of the Superior Skirmisher Hat Schematic. Has only 8 leather utility slots
3	Superior Adventurer Hat Schematic	Costs only 182 Sovereigns and gives 7 leather utility slots. Get it if you are short on money.

Amulets

Priority	Item	Description
1	Malika's Guard	As Assassin Archer will not concentrate on flanking damage this amulet will greatly increase the overall attack power.
2	Superb Amulet of Dexterity	This amulet will increase dexterity resulting in higher critical damage.
3	Amulet of the Rogue	This amulet will increase both critical chance and critical damage
4	Superb Amulet of Cunning	The amulet will increase the critical chance, allowing to reduce ability cooldowns.

Belts

Priority	Item	Description
1	The Bind That Guides	This belt boosts the critical chance. Only obtainable in the Trespasser DLC.
2	Superb Belt of Staggering	This belt will allow Assassin Archer to stagger enemies. This can be a lifesaver in multiple situations.
3	Superb Belt of Sunder	Gives a chance to decrease the enemy's armor.

Rings

Priority	Item	Description
1	Superb Ring of Critical Damage	Provides a large boost to critical damage, especially powerful once you have 50%+ critical chance
2	The Hand That Cuts	Only obtainable in Trespasser DLC. However, provides large offensive bonuses
3	Superb Ring of Critical Chance	Increases Critical chance allowing Opportunity knocks ability to activate more often
4	Ring of Slicing	Expensive ring bought in Black Emporium. Boosts your critical damage and critical rate.
5	Superb Ring of Attack	Increases overall Assassin archer ranged damage

Tactics and tips

This archer build has many tactical options on how to play. Here are a few combos that I suggest:

• If you plan to use Mark of Death on the boss enemy, check that your active skills that deal damage are not in a cooldown. You will have 8 seconds and should deal the maximum amount of damage in that time.
• Hidden Blades can be used as a strong opener with First Blood + stealth
• Shadow Step can allow you to create amazing combos like Shadow Step + Leaping Shot dealing large amounts of damage and escaping to stealth. You can then continue with Shadow Strike to restore stamina and move to the next combo
• Once you are level 16+ you should constantly have at least 50% of stamina so use active skills like Explosive Shot and Long Shot constantly to improve your DPS rather than using auto-attack.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Assassin Archer Build for Dragon Age: Inquisition. I hope you enjoyed the detailed information of abilities, tactics and gear recommendations on how to make this build work.