Knight Enchanter Build - Elemental Blade - Dragon Age: Inquisition (DAI)

Knight Enchanter - Elemental Blade

I think this build is the one that made Knight Enchanters especially powerful and so iconic. The staple weapon is the Blade of Tidarion. It has a special mechanic allowing you to double the amount of Energy Barrage projectiles.

However, this is just part of its charm. You can spam Spirit Blade and constantly regenerate the barrier. Still, that is not all. You will have Fire Mine + Array to triple your AOE damage near you.

... and you will have Ring of Doubt to double your initial damage, due to critical hits

So let's get into this build as it is probably the most exciting one and can be compared to Arcane Warrior builds from Dragon Age Origins.

Abilities - before Specialization, Levels 1-10

Just as you reach Haven, you will need to respecialize skills. The reason is, that some of your spells are subpar and they can be put into better ones.

Order	Skill	Description
1	Flashpoint	The best mage passive ability throughout the game. After a critical hit, your next spell does not have a cooldown period
2	Energy Barrage + Energy Storm	Shoots projectiles that deal with your weapon’s elemental damage. As there will be many projectiles one of them should land a critical hit activating Flashpoint. You can also take any upgrade
3	Static Cage + Static Charge	Once you get the upgrade, combo this with Energy Barrage. Each projectile will deal an additional 50% of weapon damage
4	Barrier	A good spell to have at the beginning of the game. Increases survivability of the party
5	Fade Step	Excellent spell to have as means to avoid danger and position yourself further from enemies.

If you have any skill points left choose the ones that fit your playstyle the most.

At levels 10-12, you should reach New Haven. Once there, do a Specialization quest to obtain the Knight-Enchanter class. Respecialize skills again. Now you are ready to fully commit to Knight Enchanter.

Abilities - progression till Endgame

Order	Skill	Description
1	Spirit Blade	You will use this ability often as you will constantly be close to the enemies. I suggest using it whenever the Energy Barrage of Fire Mine is on cooldown.
2	Combat Clarity	Additional MP regeneration in case enemies are close
3	Fade Shield	An extremely strong skill that allows the Knight Enchanter to generate a barrier on hit
4	Knight-Protector	Reduces barrier decay
5	Immolate	Casts instantly and deals moderate damage
6	Flashpoint	After a critical hit, the next spell does not have a cooldown
7	Energy Barrage + Energy Bombardment	Your main spell, because it launches many projectiles, one of which should trigger Flashpoint. Moreover, the element is based on your staff
8	Pyromancer	Buffs Flashfire, but we take it as a progression passive
9	Fire Mine + Flaming Array	The strongest spell in the game now will spawn three times. This will result in instant activation and more damage
10	Clean Burn	Reduces cooldowns when using a spell by 1 second.
11	Conductive Current	Boosts damage 5% for every 10% mana that is missing
12	Static Charge	Even though we take it for progression to reach Static Cage, this skill still has good passive effects.
13	Static Cage + Lightning Cage	Combo this spell with Energy Barrage, to deal additional lightning damage to enemies.
14	Fade Step + Energizing Step	Use this spell to recharge MP fast during combat. Spam it often!
15	Fade Cloak + Decloaking Blast	This spell will deal 1000% Weapon damage as Spirit Damage if you reappear inside an enemy. Moreover, you can instantly get up from knockback when using this skill

Beyond this point, any other abilities are just icing on the cake. To be honest you are now an unstoppable melee mage with a Two-Handed sword. It does not get any cooler than this.

Stats and Attributes

• Critical Rate - you aim to have around 35% if you have a Ring of Doubt, otherwise put at least 45%. This will easily activate Flashpoint

• Critical Damage - once you have a Ring of Doubt I suggest investing in this attribute. It will contribute the most to your overall damage.

• Attack - increases overall damage a bit worse than critical damage boost

• Willpower - increases your Attack indirectly but the bonus is lower than pure direct Attack increase

• Magic - increases your Attack indirectly but the bonus is lower than pure direct Attack increase

Best Gear and Equipment

This section is extremely important. The pillar of this build is having crafted Blade of Tidarion. Not only that but you need to put an elemental rune (the best one that you can get). This rune's element should differ from the weapons element.

Why do all this?

Blade of Tidarion is a special weapon when you use it with Energy Barrage. This spell will activate two times when you have a different element rune. So in total, you will release 24 projectiles - 12 with the base element and 12 with the Rune element.

This all results in instant barrier regeneration. Due to this, you can easily tank many of the game's enemies.

Weapons - craftable

This is a list of craftable staves that you can make to maximize the builds' damage

Priority	Item	Description
1	Blade of Tidarion Schematic	At higher levels, Blade of Tidarion will not cut it and Knight Enchanter will need one with better slots. So you must get the schematic

Weapons - obtainable

Here are some great staves that you can obtain for the Knight Enchanter build

Priority	Item	Description
1	Blade of Tidarion	Obtained in Crestwood after you activate all Astrariums. Get it as soon as you can.

Before accessing the Blade of Tidarion, feel free to use any of the decent staves that you find.

Masterwork crafting

These are important abilities that you can use special materials to greatly improve equipment. Look for a Masterwork slot in the items when crafting.

General Items

• Sigil of the Great Bear - this is mandatory for a mage. It will double the total mana pool and not weaken mana regeneration due to it being percentage-based.

Armors - obtainable

Here is a recommended list of obtainable armor that you can wear.

Priority	Item	Description
1	The Skin That Stalks	Obtainable only in the Trespasser DLC. Boosts Critical Damage, Critical Chance, and Attack.
2	Vestments of the Pure	Similar to the craftable version. So choose the one that you prefer. Gives 45 points to willpower
3	Masterwork Battlemage Armor	Reduces the cost of the abilities and spells.
4	Robes of the High Keeper	If you are an elf this armor is also a good option

Armors - craftable

This section covers a list of schematics to craft armors

Priority	Item	Description
1	Superb Antaam-saar Schematic	For this armor, you will need Spoils of the Qunari DLC pack. Has low defense, but gives 12 leather slots for critical stat improvements. I
2	Superior Battlemage Armor Schematic	This version has one Cloth and a leather utility slot. Quite powerful and can be bought in Hissing Wastes. Moreover, you can add Arms and Legs upgrades to have an even larger boost to damage
3	Vestments of the Pure Schematic	Unfortunately, does not come with upgrade slots and gives only cloth utility slots

Helmets - obtainable

Priority	Item	Description
1	Stone Stalker Mask	Gives a large boost to offensive stats and also increases armor
2	Helm of the Drasca	Provides bonuses bonus dexterity resulting in +8% increased critical damage. Although the bonus is lower gives a higher armor rating than Winter Palace masks
3	Ambassador's Mask	This mask provides a large boost to critical damage. use it together with Ring of Doubt
4	Mask of the Grand Duchess	Gives a large bonus to critical chance. Great if you have a low critical chance or no Ring of Doubt

Helmets - craftable

Priority	Item	Description
1	Superior Skirmisher Hat Schematic	Great slots for increasing critical stats. Probably the best helmet option once you have access to tier 3 or 4 crafting materials
2	Battlemage Cowl Schematic	Gives a Cloth Utility slot to increase magic-related stats
3	Skirmisher Hat Schematic	Can be obtained earlier in the game with a leather utility slot.

Amulets

Try to find and obtain amulets that have higher priority. They are better for this build

Priority	Item	Description
1	Andraste’s Sacrifice	The best amulet for a mage. Gives higher mana regeneration and decreases ability cooldown. Although it constantly taunts enemies, this is not a problem for Knight Enchanter
2	Superb Amulet of Dexterity	Boosts dexterity, which increases your critical damage
3	Superb Amulet of Cunning	Equip this amulet if you do not have Ring of Doubt. This way you can increase the critical chance naturally
4	Superb Amulet of Willpower	Boosts willpower which increases your damage

Belts

Try to find and obtain belts that have higher priority. They are better for this build

Priority	Item	Description
1	The Bind That Guides	Great belt, unfortunately, available only in the late game. Boosts Attack by 10% further increasing Knight Enchanter damage
2	Master Belt of Focus or Superior Belt of Focus	More Focus results in more often Mark of the Rift if you are the Inquisitor
3	Superb Belt of Health	The belt can be obtained in Emerald Greaves. It gives +200 health.
4	Belt of Life	Similar to the above belt provides a large increase in HP.

Rings

Try to find and obtain rings that have higher priority. They are better for this build

Priority	Item	Description
1	Ring of Doubt	Probably the best ring for a Knight Enchanter. Guarantees a critical hit after attacking from stealth
2	The Hand That Cuts	Only obtainable in Trespasser DLC. However, provides bonuses with other set items equipped at the same time
3	Superb Ring of Critical Damage	Boosts critical damage. Use it together with Ring of Doubt to maximize Knight Enchanter build damage.
4	Ring of Slicing	Expensive ring bought in Black Emporium. Boosts your critical damage and critical rate.
5	Superb Ring of Critical Chance	Boosts critical chance, good if you have a low critical chance in the mid-game to active Clean Burn.

Tactics and tips

Please check the top video for a showcase of how the build can be used, the main idea is to use Energy Barrage + Spirit Blade + Fade Step. All the other abilities are complementary

• Fire Mine - allows dealing fast burst damage to enemies nearby
• Static Cage - buffs your normal + energy barrage attacks dealing additional DPS.
• Spirit Blade - use it during cooldowns to build up charges to increase spell damage and sustain the barrier
• Fade Cloak - use it when you get knocked down. Knight Enchanter will stand up instantly allowing to continue barrier generation

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this detailed build guide on Dragon Age: Inquisition - Greatsword Knight Enchanter build. This is the most iconic build of the game, offering unparalleled protection, allowing this mage to withstand boso fights single-handedly.