Dragon Age Inquisition Multiplayer Tips for Beginners

Introduction

Multiplayer is far from dead, though there are fewer people nowadays, and because of this, it's also harder to get into it. I hope that these tips will help some of those who want to experience what multiplayer has to offer without struggling as much as I did.

Most of these tips are based on my few hundred hours of multiplayer experience and some other guides. There are no strict rules as to how to play, though there are several recommendations that could make things easier. There may be certain things that more experienced players know or do better than me or things that some people disagree with, so take these tips with a grain of salt.

Finding Lobbies

I have recently added this section to the guide because I realized that lots of newcomers face the same problem: they don't find lobbies or the ones they find are on high difficulty. The purpose of this part is to clarify why you may not find others and to give tips about what you can possibly do about it. Again, the multiplayer population is very low, so even if some of these tips improve your results, there may be times when you won't find others or when it will take several minutes of waiting and retrying to find someone.

Make sure that the free multiplayer DLC, Dragonslayer is installed. If you're not sure, check how many characters you can choose from. There should be 17 with the DLC installed.

For best results, set the Destination to Random.

Completing maps usually takes about 15-20 minutes. If you don't find an active lobby after several tries, wait at least half of this amount, then try again. There may be one or more full lobbies that are currently in-game. After finishing a map, there is almost always someone that leaves, freeing up space for others.

If you're currently searching for Routine lobbies, try Threatening. Most people play there, which is probably due to it being a relatively easy difficulty while still giving reasonable XP and decent loot. If you find others, play a few matches and see if you enjoy it. It is generally accepted on this difficulty to let others carry you, so don't worry about that if you're not strong enough yet. I recommend this difficulty to newcomers anyway, because it's a good way to get started.

Lots of people quit if they don't find an active lobby. If you can't find one, make your own and start playing. This way, people will more likely come and stay. A general strategy is to start playing on a difficulty that you're capable of handling or where you're at least being able to clear a few zones alone, then increase it as more people come.

If none of the above works, it is possible that you have to open some ports on your router or do some other configurations. This[portforward.com] is a decent guide to follow, but I can't confirm that it 100% works and is always up-to-date.

It is also possible that there are simply times when no people are playing with the game. If you did everything I've mentioned and tried finding lobbies through several days/weeks using these methods, then this is probably the case and I'm afraid there's not much you can do.

1. Make Sure That You Enjoy The Base Game

This may sound obvious, but many people jump into multiplayer not knowing what it is actually about and what to expect. Multiplayer can be grindy, but that's okay. There are lots of interesting characters and builds that will keep you excited for a long time. Just make sure that you generally like the game and its combat system, otherwise, you'll have a hard time enjoying multiplayer.

2. Be Prepared That You'll Be Weak At First

The first few levels are always hard. At first, even on the lowest difficulty, you will have a hard time being alive and killing your enemies. After getting a few promotions and better items, it still won't be easy when your level is low. Don't worry though, XP is somewhat shared, and even just damaging an enemy or reviving a teammate will grant you some bonus XP, so make sure to be as active as you can. Finding a good party or going on lower difficulties will usually get you started. You can also play on the tutorial-like mode (Proving Grounds) if Routine is hard, though it gives little to no rewards.

3. Start With A Beginner-friendly Character

I recommend either Legionnaire, Keeper, Reaver, Arcane Warrior, Silent Sister or Saarebas. They do well without decent items, they're relatively easy to play with and they're good at staying alive. If you see another character that is much stronger and tougher than yours, that's probably because they have better equipment and more promotions, so don't assume that you'll be better off with that character.

4. Loot As Much As You Can

Gold is earned from urns, chests, golden nugs, completing objectives and finishing a level. Look for these opportunities, as you'll want to buy as many chests from the store as possible. There is a secret loot score that determines the items you get. This means that the quality of items you loot will gradually increase by increasing this score. The actual mechanics and numbers are unknown, though it is generally accepted that it is tied to the total amount of gold collected throughout your multiplayer career.

5. Save Gold For The Big Chest

The big chest (Superb Requisitions), which costs 2000 is generally the best option considering its item/gold ratio and the fact that it is guaranteed to give at least 1 rare item. The smaller ones and the potion chests may be better if you want potions, though I don't recommend buying any of them because eventually you'll have more potions than you need even just by buying Superb Requisitions.

6. Use Heal On Kill Items

Items with HoK effect are generally considered good, if not essential. Get enough to stay alive without constantly having to drink potions. A good low-level HoK item is the blue Ring of Life-Drain.

7. Compare Weapons By DPS Primarily

If a weapon's DPS is higher than yours, then that weapon is probably better. Rarity and the extra benefits will also be important later, though these are not as important on early levels. Bitter Axe (item level 24), for example, has much more DPS than Hakkon's Honor (item level 26), which is much harder to get. This is mostly due to axes having faster attack speed than swords. It's debatable which one is better, but looking at the DPS when comparing weapons is a good way to get the idea of which one might be better. Until you have some higher-level weapons, just pick one with the highest DPS. It's mentionable that item level is also a good way to measure a weapon's usefulness, especially if you want to salvage them right after they are revealed, in which case you may not remember your weapon's exact DPS.

8. Keep Items With An Item Level Of 20 Or Higher If You're Not Sure

Some items, especially accessories can easily be overlooked and be salvaged without knowing that they may become useful later. Keeping items with an item level of 20 or higher will make sure that you won't get in a situation where you need an item you've previously salvaged. Superb accessories start appearing with an item level of 20, while most weapons are considered useful from about 23, but it's easier to just remember 20 until you get the hang of salvaging higher-level items. I also recommend keeping one of each ability ring, as you may want to use them later. While you only have weapons below item level 20, just keep the best of each type and salvage the rest.

9. Make Builds Based On Your Items And Promotions

There are many detailed guides out there about certain character builds, which also helped me to start out, but most of these are optimised for certain difficulties, items and promotions. Most often you will want something similar, but not exactly the same. As you get new items and more promotions, you will want to change where you put certain points. Go with what works, but check on unused abilities every now and then, as they may become useful as you progress, or you may find that you like some of them more than what you were using before.

10. Get Cooldown-reducing Passives

Passives that reduce cooldowns on a critical hit, on attack or by other means are generally considered one of the best passives. They can do wonders even if you have the basic items and no promotions. Most characters have at least one of these, so make sure to pick them sooner or later. Passives that increase stamina/mana regeneration are also pretty good when paired with cooldown-reducing passives.

11. Don't Respec Unless It's Necessary

I advise you not to respec unless you've messed up or really feel the need to do so. Builds make a huge difference, though promoting a character will reset abilities for free, while respeccing uses materials, which are very important early on to get decent armor and some extra characters. If you struggle, it does not necessarily mean that your build is bad, it may be that you need better gear or more promotions.

12. Promote As Soon As You Reach Level 20

By the time you have some of the best-in-slot items, you will still need lots of promotions to play on higher difficulties effectively. You can, of course, keep playing for a few more games at level 20 to get items more easily, but I recommend promoting as soon as possible.

13. Prioritize Playing With Your Strongest Characters

One of your main goals will be to play on higher difficulties since you get more XP and better loot there. This can be achieved more easily if you play the most with your strongest characters. After you've acquired several items, go with a character that has the strongest weapon, or get the best armor for one character and play with that particular character until you get some decent items, character unlocks and a few promotions.

14. Play In Parties That Have One Of Each Class

This will ensure that whatever treasure rooms the game generate you can open up and collect the loot inside. If you can, pick a class that the party is missing. Maybe this will make you play with one of your weaker characters, but the extra loot will most often be worth it. You're not required to do this even on higher difficulties, though having a party of at least one of each class is always preferred.

15. Pay Attention To Objectives

Some objectives may be harder than others, and sometimes it's easy to forget about them, but completing them earns extra gold. Each of them is unique, so pay attention to the current one and change your playstyle accordingly.

16. Don't Forget To Look For Treasure Rooms

It's fine if you forget about treasure rooms in the heat of battle, just make sure to check on the minimap occasionally and also to respond if your party signals that there is one that needs to be opened.

17. Get Familiar With The Environment

Urns, treasure rooms and golden nugs have pre-defined spawn locations. You'll more likely stumble upon them if you memorise some of the harder-to-find locations. There are also several shortcuts and safe spots throughout a level, so use them to your advantage.

18. Play Carefully

Before you rush towards a group of enemies, get your guard up, use your barrier or just make sure that you are strong enough. If you are not, find a safe spot or some cover and take them out from there. It makes a huge difference, especially on the final zone.

19. Adapt To The Type Of Enemy

Beware the Qunari. Seriously, these guys will block your attacks, dispel your barrier, and even jump through the walls to knock you down. Some other generally very dangerous enemies are the Sha-Brytol. Pay attention to what type of enemy you're fighting and adjust your playstyle accordingly. You will definitely be hit by surprise a few times by these pesky flying Qunari before you realize that they can easily be avoided, but that's part of the fun. Each enemy is unique, so it takes quite some time until you learn which does what.

20. Be A Team Player

Perhaps the most important in co-op games, especially in Inquisition due to the way it was designed. If you pay attention to your party, learn how to communicate effectively and generally play with regards to others, you will make progression faster and have a good time doing it. Plus, it will make others' playtime better too.

Final Thoughts

Multiplayer is a long ride, but it's fun if you don't force yourself on it. Many people, including myself, take shorter or longer breaks. If you enjoy it overall and decide to take a break, make sure to check back on it again after some time. It's always good to see new and old players alike.

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to add me or comment to this page. Good luck and have fun!

Links

These are links to the aforementioned guides that helped me start out. There are of course many more awesome guides, so feel free to look around on the internet.

Dragon Age: Inquisition Multiplayer – 11 Pro Tips Everyone Should Know[girlplaysgame.com]

Dragon Age: Inquisition -- Tips and Tricks to Survive in a Multiplayer[amp-ibtimes-co-in.cdn.ampproject.org] You can find a full list of multiplayer items on the following link.

Dragon Age: Inquisition Multiplayer Equipment[docs.google.com]

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2123718079

Multiplayer Tips for Beginners