Aim

Aim
Type	Archery (Melee Archer tree)
Effect type	Sustained
Range	Personal
Upkeep	35
Fatigue	5%
Cooldown	0.5s
Requires	16 dexterity Improved Combat Training
Description	The archer carefully places each shot for maximum effect while in this mode. This decreases rate of fire, but grants bonuses to attack, damage, armor penetration, and critical chance. Master Archer further increases these bonuses.

Aim is a rogue and warrior talent from the Melee Archer tree in Dragon Age: Origins.

Information

• The archer carefully places each shot for maximum effect while in this mode. This decreases rate of fire, by increasing aim time by +1.5 seconds, but doubles critical chance, and grants +10 attack, +2 damage and +3 armor penetration. Master Archer further increases these bonuses by +5 attack, +1 damage and +2 armor penetration, for a total of +15 attack, +3 damage and +5 armor penetration.
• Conjuration time: 2s.
• Being hit by this ability generates 1 additional threat on the target(s).

Notes

• Upkeep is in Stamina.
• Doubled Ranged Critical Hit Chance does not include the base critical chance determined by weapon tier. Gear-based +X% ranged critical chance bonuses are doubled by Aim as is the party member base ranged critical chance of 3%, however.
• Rapid Shot, Aim and Defensive Fire modal abilities are mutually exclusive.
• The ranged crit% bonuses are determined when the warrior/rogue begins the stance; changing equipment while the stance is active does not change the ranged crit% bonuses. For example, if you sustain aim with the long sight equipped, your ranged crit% is raised to 10%. When you remove the long sight, your ranged crit% is only reduced to 5%, not 0%. You retain the 5% ranged crit% you gained initially.
• All Companion characters have a base 3% ranged critical chance, while the Warden has 0%, rendering the ranged critical chance bonus from this ability ineffective for the Warden unless increased by equipment such as The Long Sight helmet or The Sorrows of Arlathan Bow prior to activation. No passive abilities in the archery tree increase base ranged critical chance, thus equipment bonuses initially appear to be the only method for utilizing this ability to its fullest extent. However, this is not entirely true. Aim will double the ranged critical chance increase gained from a bard's Song of Courage and a warrior's Blood Thirst. Best method for ranged critical chance bonus for a warrior archer is NPC Song of Courage, then Blood Thirst, followed by Aim. Rogue archers cannot achieve as high a ranged critical chance rate due to lack of Blood Thirst ability. Confirmed on Xbox 360 version.
• Aim does not stack with the warrior ability Precise Striking. Though Precise Striking can be activated with a bow equipped, the critical chance increase affects melee weapons only.

See also

• Ability mechanics
• Archery: An Efficient Approach