Arcane Warrior

There were once magicians who used their magic to improve their fighting abilities. An Arcane Warrior would channel magical energies through their bodies to become an unstoppable force on the battlefield. This magical art is thought to have been lost; however, it may still exist, hidden in some corner of the world today. Arcane Warrior is a specialization of the mage class.

Arcane Warriors in Thedas
Overseer in Haven Drake cavern

Arcane Warrior: The Class
Specialization benefits for Arcane Warrior:
 * +1 dexterity
 * +5 attack

Arcane Warrior Spells
 Combat Magic While this mode is active, the arcane warrior channels magic inward, trading increased fatigue for an attack bonus and the ability to use spellpower to determine combat damage. Aura of Might and Fade Shroud improve the effects. Additionally, regardless of whether the mode is active, an arcane warrior who has learned this spell may use the magic attribute to satisfy the strength requirement to equip higher-level weapons or armor.
 * Required Level: 7
 * Cost: 0.0
 * Upkeep: 0.0
 * Fatigue: 50.0%
 * Range: Personal
 * Cooldown: 10.0s
 * Attack Bonus: 5.0 + (Spellpower / 5.0)
 * Damage Bonus: Spellpower

(Although the in game spell description does not show this, combat magic does in fact have a upkeep cost of 50 mana.)

 Aura of Might The arcane warrior’s prowess with Combat Magic grows, granting additional bonuses to attack, defense, and damage while in that mode.
 * Required Level: 12
 * Cost: Passive
 * Upkeep: 0.0
 * Fatigue: 0.0%
 * Range: Personal
 * Cooldown: 0.0s
 * Attack Bonus: 5.0
 * Defense Bonus: 10.0
 * Damage Bonus: 5.0

 Shimmering Shield The arcane warrior is surrounded by a shimmering shield of energy that blocks most damage and grants large bonuses to armor and all resistances. When active, however, the Shimmering Shield consumes mana rapidly.
 * Required Level: 14
 * Cost: 0.0
 * Upkeep: 40.0
 * Fatigue: 5.0%
 * Range: Personal
 * Cooldown: 30.0s
 * Armor Bonus: 10.0
 * Resistances Bonus: 75.0
 * Mana Regeneration Penalty (exploration and combat): 10.0/s

Fade Shroud  The arcane warrior now only partly exists in the physical realm while Combat Magic is active. Spanning the gap between the real world and the Fade grants a bonus to mana regeneration and a chance to avoid attacks.
 * Required Level: 16
 * Cost: Passive
 * Upkeep: 0.0
 * Fatigue: 0.0%
 * Range: Personal
 * Cooldown: 0.0s
 * Mana Regeneration Bonus (exploration and combat): 1.0/s
 * Attack Dodge Chance Bonus: 25.0%

Unlocking


This specialization can be unlocked while doing the Nature of the Beast quest line.

Location: Brecilian Ruins

Floor: Lower Ruins

Map: Middle Right; left section of two outstretching quarters.

Landmark: Broken Stone Altar; the section looks like a ruined library with a broken altar. If you see this land mark and it specifically says "Broken Stone Altar", then you are in the correct room.

Position: It is hidden in the shadows of that room; it's not sparkling, so just use your controller on the area across from the broken altar, next to the headless statue if you are playing on a console. If you are playing on a PC press tab to highlight all interactable objects in the room.

Item: Phylactery

Spellcasting
Arcane Warriors can use their sustained abilities to get very high levels of defense/armor/spell resistance (at the cost of extremely heavy fatigue). This can be powerful, but limits what the Arcane Warrior can do to basically being an auto-attacking machine (decent damage, great defense).

Some people prefer more of a 'gish' build. Meaning to engage in melee while throwing out cones of colds and the like. However, many spells cannot be cast with a sword in your hand. If you try to do so, your character will sheathe the sword, then cast. This delays the casting and can cause a lot of trouble. There is a work around though. Use only one set of weapons, and when you want to cast a spell that requires your weapon to be sheathed then pause the game and "switch weapons". The result is that your character essentially sheathes his weapons instantly, removing the delay. The PC version provides two "weapon sets" that can be swapped out easily with one button press, and is effective for this strategy.

For those who don't want to use this mechanic (e.g., breaks immersion, requires micro-management), you can build your Arcane Warrior around those spells that can be cast with a sword in hand. See the Arcane Warrior Spellcasting article for a list of spells that can be cast with a sword in hand.

Another tactic is you leave off your sustained abilities until you are low on mana. Since casting a sustained ability does not cost you mana only requiring your max mana to be enough. This allows you to open the fight with spells switch to melee once low. There is a small delay while you turn on your abilities but its worth being able to throw a fireball at a group to get in wittled down.

Blood Magic is a popular second specialization choice for an Arcane Warrior - Blood Magic can help to offset the disadvantages of a low mana pool at the cost of health, allowing the Arcane Warrior to cast certain spells even without mana if required (a reasonable constitution or equivalent is recommendable). The highly effective Blood Wound spell is also granted, resulting in an ideal choice for a more offensive Arcane Warrior. Alternatively, spirit healing can, on the other hand, prove useful for a more defensive Arcane Warrior, depending on player preference.

Reference
Dragon Age: Origins - PRIMA Official Strategy Guide