Y did they take away the ability to have multiple specializations and do you think they should bring them back
Y did they take away the ability to have multiple specializations and do you think they should bring them back
I do, but I think they need to bring more options back as well. The uniqueness of the six options for each class in Awakening is one of my favorite parts of the expansion. Also, if you only have three options and you don't like two of them, why bother having more than one specialization? It allows you to better create your own unique character, in my opinion.
Yes, I completely agree with with TFGW
I think they had too many specializations. It sounds like a good idea to have six options. Then you find that three of them are quite buggy. For example the keeper and shapeshifter specializations needed more work to make them less buggy
^It's better to have three good options and three crappy options than one good option and two crappy options.
If D&D has taught me anything, it's that having LOTS of classes and "specializations" is only as bad as the lack of effort in making them feel unique and meaningful. DA's system is notably lacking in how it *considerably* restricts magic potential for players. Which is understandable from their lore, but thereby extremely limiting to players. Consider, even Elder Scrolls has like four different 'classes' devoted to a combination of weapons and magic (battlemage, nightblade, spellsword, and something else whose name escapes me). This allows a player a wider range of combining two unique character elements in a way that suits their character. Dragon Age limits just about all 'true magic' to one class only, and then differentiates by specific disciplines, pretty much. An Arcane Warrior is like a spellsword, but in the sense of them being a mage first and foremost as a requirement, since magic cannot be 'learned' as a skill in DA like it is in ES or D&D based titles.
^ I agree with more options to work with for the specializations. If the Arcane Warrior had one type of fighting style to go with the magic (like two-handed, for example), Knight Enchanter had another (like sword and shield), and Battlemage had a third option (like dual-wield), it could make the different possibilities for your mages a lot more fun to create, compared to just a staff for every weapon option from Force Mage to Spirit Healer to Rift Mage to Keeper. However, the only problem with having six specializations would be making sure all three classes had choices they enjoy, making eighteen unique specializations. There are plenty of options already from three games to build off of, saying they don't try to make up a couple of new ones to tie in with the new lands.
What's even the use of battlemage?
In Awakening, it was supposed to be like a tanky mage who could burst at close range. But its mana costs were insane for what you got, especially if you combined with AW. I prefer the version in Elder Scrolls, who were capable of wearing heavy armor and wielding one-handed weapons reliably since attributes were handled so much differently in those series.
^Hand of Winter is nice, and the Stoic passive doesn't hurt. But the specialization's two sustainables aren't worth using. Still, it's infinitely better than Shapeshifter and it works better with Arcane Warrior than Keeper, so it makes for an okay third specialization for Arcane Warrior/Blood Mages or Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healers.