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Inquisitor achievement in Dragon Age: Inquisition

Inquisitor

Finish the single-player campaign on Nightmare without lowering the difficulty.

Inquisitor0
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How to unlock the Inquisitor achievement

  • SnipedByAGir1SnipedByAGir1
    26 Nov 2014 28 Nov 2014 22 Apr 2015
    I don't think there really is a guide that can be given on how to complete this game on Nightmare mode. I mean there is no do this ... and you will get the achievement. So I am going to give my top tips on how to go about completing this crazy long game on Nightmare:

    I've played both of the other Dragon Age games as a dual wield rogue, but this time I could not get past the prologue boss on nightmare with that setup so I rerolled and went with an archer. By that time I had finally figured out the game mechanics and beating the first prologue boss was a piece of cake. Have Cassandra tank the pride demon and make sure Varric and Solas are positioned at a good distance from the demon and make them hold their position. Otherwise they will just stand right on top of the demon and get themselves killed. If they are spread out and one of them goes down this will give you a better chance to run over and revive them. Also make sure you are disrupting the rift whenever you can. You actually have to do this anyway to be able to dmg the demon.

    So some quick tips for a nightmare run:
    1. I really wanted to play with some of the other characters but I found it just easier to play with Cassandra as a sword/shield tank, Dorian and Vivienne or Solas as the other party members. I went with an Archer/Assassin. Stealthing as an assassin and then using Overdraw is just a beast.

    2. In some tough areas, I'm mainly talking about main story missions cause you are locked into them once you start them, make sure you are fully stocked before you start the mission at the war table. I'm talking about grenades and rejuvenation potions. If you do not stock up on these before story missions you are SOL and will not be able to have any on you!

    3. In story missions make sure to heal up (if you have any potions left) before you click on the resupply crates. Also, you should pick increasing the amount of health potions you can carry as soon as you can as an inquisition perk.

    4. In some areas that were difficult (and seeing as I was playing as a ranged rogue character) if your characters are starting to go down, you can have your character stealth and run away into an area you have already cleared. If you run far enough your 3 other party members will revive back by you and even if their health is low you can send them back in to damage the enemies. The enemies do not regenerate health. I think this is my biggest tip. This saved me on numerous occasions. Especially at the beginning of the game in the haven mission. You have to keep trying to load this trebuchet, but everytime you do more enemies swarm you. You can run up a hill next to you and take out the enemies much slower than just getting spanked by them. Do this and it will make the nightmare run much easier!!

    5. Make sure you are the right level for the mission you are about to start. At the war table it will give you the suggested level for starting that mission. If you're playing on Nightmare make sure you are at the higher end of that range. If the mission is recommended for a lvl 8-10 then go do side mission and stuff until you are closer to 10. Heck you can even over level and make the story mission even easier if you want. If you are going for the full completion then there is a ton of side stuff you need to complete anyway, so might as well get to it.

    6. This achievement is for finishing the "main" campaign on Nightmare mode. This does not mean that you have to get the achievement for killing all 10 high dragons etc. while still playing on nightmare mode. When the final story mission is over you will end up back in Skyhold and can continue on with any side mission that you please. As soon as you kill the big baddie at the end the achievements for complete Nightmare and Hard will both pop assuming you never ever changed the difficulty level. The only side missions that you get blocked from are romance related ones and companion related ones. So by all means complete the main mission and get back to Skyhold. After the credits, make a save. Then switch to Casual if you like and go to town on those dragons or whatever else you have left to do.

    7. I'm putting this one in here just in case it has a huge impact, cause for my story I think it did and it ended up being a side quest but it had an effect on a battle, so I'm putting it behind a spoiler for you just in case you don't want a story spoiler:

    *** Spoiler - click to reveal ***


    8. My last tip: If you make the right decisions in some story missions you can skip the boss fight completely, or get some nice help at least wink!

    *** Spoiler - click to reveal ***


    Have fun on your Nightmare run, I know I did smile!

    Guide not helping? View 6 more guides for this achievement.

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    SpoolinChaosI have no idea? I've never commented on here and then got a notification, I come here, and holy hell my name is all over the place with the same comment? I deleted them all. Thanks for the heads up though.
    Posted by SpoolinChaos on 01 Dec 17 at 01:09
    Golden SequenceIF it helps out by any means this Achievement has been made a ton easier with update 10. The Golden Nug after your first playthrough will spawn in the skyhold. If you click on this it will sync all of your crafting items for all other saves. Once you get to the first area (can't remember the name.) you can click on the golden nug in the stable and you will now have tier 4 level items available.

    From here you can go to the emporium and buy some crafting items and have some powerful weapons at your disposal.
    Posted by Golden Sequence on 19 Feb 21 at 00:12
    Mr DopeGamingBit late to the party because I am partial to Origins, but running as a Rouge Archer has always been ridiculously OP. Did they switch up perks in this game? I remember with the Awakening DLC and the Accuracy perk, I could do about 5000 damage per hit haha
    Posted by Mr DopeGaming on 01 Nov 22 at 15:56
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  • MarkyshizzleMarkyshizzle
    02 Dec 2014 04 Dec 2014 09 Mar 2015
    I found this really difficult until I went the 3 ranged and 1 tank route. I ended up going with a super tank, 2 mages with regen abilities, and 1 archer with max damage abilities and stealth if needed. I found it ten times easier than any other setup I had.

    Overall this game was both fun and challenging, when in doubt most of the time you can retreat, stealth, regroup and respawn then go back. Have two mages with revive and barrier also help. For your tank, try to get max guard belt and rings, it makes him pretty much unstoppable.

    SpooilinChaos : "So did some testing, if you delete the game from your system, and don't let it update, and start a new game, you can use the glitch/exploit as long as you stay offline, then after you cap it out, then you can update the game and go on your way. This will also be the only way to do the exploit of getting the Amulet of Power for the hero, as they removed the amulet from the chest in Crestwood and just put it on the floor on it's own, so you'd have to do the same method to take advantage of that exploit as well."

    PATCHED (Left for Reference)
    One thing to add is that there is a glitch on a vendor that can give you max reputation and power, which can give you requisition perks that make this easier... like carrying more potions and have more abilities. I included a video on how to do that. You can access this vendor in the main story mission where u actually enter the void.
    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    SpoolinChaosThe game won't let you play a save if the version of the save doesn't match the version of the game. IE, a save with the patch but an older version of the game.
    Posted by SpoolinChaos on 21 Oct 15 at 03:38
    Fuck. I just got to Skyhold last night. I'm not having too much trouble with nightmare at all so far but I still don't really want to start over just for this glitch :/
    Posted on 22 Oct 15 at 23:34
    SpoolinChaosYeah, that's about where I was when I found all this out, thought I could cheat the system, but nope, you get an error saying the version of the game on your save doesn't match the version of the game you're trying to play, and to update the game to match the version of the save. Things were much simpler on the 360, haha
    Posted by SpoolinChaos on 22 Oct 15 at 23:43
  • Cellar AtticCellar Attic
    24 Feb 2015 03 Mar 2015 28 Jul 2016
    Here's the rub, folks: this is not an easy achievement, as the ratio proves, but it becomes easier if you can make it to Skyhold. The above solutions are fine and dandy, but I decided to go with two mages (myself as a human [this will help later with armor available in the Hissing Wastes, but that's up to you] and Solas), one ranged (initially Varric and then Sera once her bows become stronger than Varric's Bianca), and one tank (initially Cassandra and then Iron Bull once he gets a superior two-handed weapon). Two mages will allow you to maintain a barrier for the major part of most battles, and this was something I found critical to succeeding on nightmare difficulty. You can essentially alternate between yourself and Solas with casting Barrier when necessary (which is all the time) and this will greatly increase your chances of success. You should also focus on increasing the guard of your tank via belts and/or masterwork items once you acquire them. This won't make him unstoppable, but he'll at least keep the pressure off you for longer, which is crucial.

    For the most part, you're going to be focusing on completing main story missions, with some asides that will help you level up (and overlevel, in some cases) in order to make the game slightly less challenging. Now the first thing you need to do is focus on upgrading your Barrier spell for your primary character and Solas. The initial spells that you start with (Chain Lightning and Flashfire) will suffice until you get to Skyhold. If you can spare it, I recommend getting Dispel, which is super useful in closing those glowing green holes that accompany rifts, and for reducing enemy barriers. It's also worth noting that Demons are susceptible to ice more than anything else, and this might be extremely useful during the most challenging part of the game, which is the siege on Haven, in my opinion.

    Now you might be wondering about Inquisition Perks. First off, the exploit to max out your Influence and therefore the perks no longer works. Ruh-roh. In any case, I highly recommend that you take any two or three codex experience perks, preferably prior to exploring Val Royeaux (there are a bunch of codices laying around here for some reason, enough that you can get a sizeable chunk of XP at this early juncture). Then, I recommend the perk that gives you access to some pretty decent mage equipment, including the staff and armor you'll use for the majority of the game. This one makes the most sense since you'll be saving the world with two mages, and you might as well have them decked out in superior gear. You will also greatly benefit from increasing your potion capacity and, if possible, the extra potion slot, as soon as possible. 4 extra healing potions make all the difference in a lot of battles, as do rejuvenation potions. Other perks are up to you, but I recommend taking 10% increase to all defense as soon as you can after capturing the keep in Crestwood (you have to capture the keep to unlock the perk option; unfortunately you can't do it until after you've reached Skyhold). I also recommend the retroactive research item XP one at some point. Speaking of, collect and turn in research items as much as possible, as you'll gain experience and damage increases to the respective enemies this way, which is always good.

    Okay, so here was my path to success:
    1) Save frequently. This goes without saying. The last thing you want to do is replay 15 minutes of difficult gameplay because the 5-second save process was too inconvenient for you. As an added note, you can absolutely do this achievement on your first playthrough, so that's up to you.
    2) Complete all the quests you possibly can in the Hinterlands. I don't recommend pursuing the shards here or anywhere in the game unless this is your sole playthrough, as the accompanying perks were ultimately unnecessary for me after I achieved my class specialization. More on that momentarily. Your goal is to reach level 11, or 12 if possible, prior to the siege of Haven. You should also have the best possible armor and weapons for all of your characters prior to the siege.
    3) Speaking of, improve your weapons, your armor, and the respective weapon/armor add-ons as frequently as possible.
    4) The Siege of Haven is a pain in the ass, and probably causes a lot of people to give up and/or break their controllers. Rest assured, the game gets dramatically easier after this point, so hang in there and keep trying. Most of the siege isn't especially difficult; just hang back and cast spells while the rest of crew distracts the enemies. Obviously, heal fully before replenishing your supplies. During the first two ballista sections, focus on cranking them while your buddies take care of the enemies. Only break to make sure your barrier is intact. I made it through all of this without dying or reloading, so it's not that rough. The real challenge will come during the penultimate battle of Haven, when you have to crank to final ballista. This is a really tough section, and you will likely die multiple times. Make absolutely sure to leave the crate of supplies right by the ballista until you absolutely need them, and to help yourself out even more leave a crate of supplies by the main doors to the Haven chantry, just in case. Speaking of, don't be afraid to retreat away from the ballista if you're overwhelmed and your buddies are dying off like idiots. They will transport next to you after a certain distance, and you can revive them easier this way. Also, there are two things to note about this battle: you can save between waves of enemies, which is nice, and a new wave of enemies will arrive each time you start cranking the ballista handle. For this reason, make sure to crank that damn handle (insert lewd joke here) for as long as possible before attacking enemies. I highly advise that you focus on this act instead of attacking enemies, because once it's complete the battle is over. With a little bit of luck you'll persevere and get to Skyhold. And just to give you a sense of where you should be at level-wise, I was at 11 when I attempted this, and it was challenging. Unfortunately, I think it's probably fairly difficult to get higher than this without some really serious grinding.

    *** EDIT: Rhyolitic adds this about the Siege of Haven: [For that final trebuchet (not ballista - ballista are basically giant crossbows, trebuchets are counterweighted catapults), crank just enough that it spawns 2 enemies. Take them down, then continue cranking till the next group spawns. If you try doing as much as possible, you'll probably get overwhelmed. I was able to do this at level 9 w/Iron Bull, Solas, and Varric.] ***

    5) Once you've made it to Skyhold your number one objective should be completing the class specialization quest for the Knight Enchanter. You will likely have acquired the Wisp Essences you need if you played through the Fallow Mire map (which you should have), so you're good there. If not, head back and fight until you have them. As for Lazurite, unlock the Hissing Wastes map and then head back to Skyhold. Go to the War Table and you should now have the "Hissing Wastes Resources" mission available. Keep doing this until you have 10. Alternatively, you can try to traipse around Hissing Wastes to collect the lazurite on your own, but be forewarned that the enemies here are all at level 16, and will likely kill you quickly. The final item, the book related to the Knight Enchanter quest, is located in the Skyhold room with Vivienne. Once you have all three, craft the Knight Enchanter hilt and turn that bad boy into Commander Helaine. Welcome to the best class in the game.

    *******EDIT:Sakori says: "As of today [Sept. 9, 2015] Knight enchanter has received a very major nerf in spirit blade. Damage is now halfed and it lost most of the bonus damage vs guard/barrier.

    The class is still pretty strong, but you can't just spam spirit blade anymore. Other spells (like barrage or fire mine) get the job done just fine." So it appears an update has made the Knight Enchanter far less powerful. I think it'll still prove to be the most useful class for the Nightmare playthrough if you use Sakori's spell tips. END EDIT*******

    6) You might be thinking, wait, this puts me right in the fray. You're damn right it does, but you'll be nearly invincible while you're there. As soon as you can, acquire the spirit blade skill and it's second level option. You'll be using other spells throughout the game as needed, but this (along with barrier) will be your bread and butter. I highly recommend you lock all the other skills in this class tree, with the exception of fade cloak and resurgence. If you have to, use the blacksmith's shop to purchase the item that allows you to reallocate your skill points, keeping all skills that relate to barrier, putting all your points into knight enchanter, and keeping something like chain lightning and an ice spell around for the fade rifts. Now, the beautiful thing about the Knight Enchanter is that using spirit blade renews your barrier at a pretty decent rate, so as long as you're swinging away it's really difficult for enemies to hurt you unless they have some kind of armor / barrier penetration capability or you get knocked down. Suffice to say, I almost never had to heal once I unlocked Knight Enchanter, and would often find myself fighting on as a lone ranger well after my buddies had fallen unconscious. This was true in dragon fights and with several of the more challenging fade rifts, just to give you some sense of how overpowered you will become. As another note, you do bonus damage to enemy shields and barriers with Spirit Blade, making it hard to lose.
    7) Play through the game normally now, making sure to be at the top end of the recommended level for each story mission. One thing I recommend is acquiring awesome crafting materials in the Hissing Wastes (lazurite and volcanic arum) and Emprise de Lion (silverite and dawnstone). You can also go for everite near the dragon in the Emerald Graves, and get august ram fur and great bear hides here. All of these things are great for crafting. Once you hit level 12 and/or have your Knight Enchanter in full-blown beast mode, you should be able to tackle more advanced areas and enemies, like the level 16 enemies/rifts in the Hissing Wastes and Emprise de Lion. I don't recommend trying to revive your buddies if they die, as they'll just suck up healing potions and usually die again. Anyway, our goal now is to acquire around 9000 gold to buy the best armor from the Canyon Shop in the Hissing Wastes. And by best I mean the heavy armor. You might be thinking, but wait, only my tank can equip that! Wrong. If you use silverite to craft armor it removes the race limitation (and fade-touched silverite removes the class limitation; thanks EbonHawk01 for that tidbit), so now your mages can enjoy an even greater defensive boost. Also, if you complete the various tomb puzzles in the Hissing Wastes you can get fairly nice schematics for yourself and other characters that will make life much easier.
    8) At the same time you're doing this you should be pursuing the sidequests associated with Iron Bull. I don't think you can complete all of them until after the Wicked Hearts / Orlesian court story mission, but you can always get the ball rolling. Now this part is very important: when you are given the sidequest to accompany Iron Bull in the Storm Coast, you must decide to sacrifice his men and save the dreadnought. The reason we're doing all of this is to get the best staff in the game, the Masterwork Archon Staff, and you won't be able to do this if you choose to save his men. Eventually you'll be able to choose a number of spy missions from the War Table. They will take a while to complete, but they are totally worth it. This is the final mission you must complete in order to get the schematic for the staff:

    http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Track_Spies_in_Vyrantium
    (Obviously this is property of the Dragon Age wiki)

    You can backtrack through all of the previous spy missions through the above link, so you know exactly what to do, who to send, and how long it will take. It helps to have acquired as many agents as possible, as they will reduce the mission time of your three main advisors. Up to you. If you like, you might want to search the same wiki for the best staff blades and grips. That's getting a little too nuanced for me, so I won't include that here.
    9) Have fun! You can totally kill dragons without fear once you've become a Knight Enchanter, especially after you're level 14 or so. That's when I took on the dragon in the Hinterlands, followed by the one in Crestwood, Emerald Graves, and Hissing Wastes. You can go for more if you want, but I was really focusing on just beating the game after I killed these four (I had already killed all 10 in my first playthrough). Obviously the dragon blood and bones they offer are very nice for crafting purposes, and they also provide large chunks of XP. This is optional, though I found it useful. I didn't struggle against any of them, even as my companions lay uselessly beside me, dreaming of being as good as me. As a final bit of useful info, I was at level 19 when I completed the game, and, having done everything in my first playthrough in about 85 hours, I streamlined this playthrough to complete the game in 44 hours.

    If you have any questions or comments for improving this guide, don't hesitate to let me know!

    *** EDIT: Solution has been modified to reflect information on the Amulet of Power exploit that has been patched since the solution was originally posted. ***

    *** EDIT 2: Information added and corrected to reflect comments by EbonHawk01. ***
    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    Cellar AtticNo worries. Thanks for adding your strategy! The game was a bit different when I went through it, so your updates will help someone, I'm sure.
    Posted by Cellar Attic on 30 Jul 16 at 13:16
    Trikke den 1eThumb up. Solution guide has all the info I was looking for. Thx for the time you've put into it
    Posted by Trikke den 1e on 25 Aug 16 at 07:34
    Cellar AtticCheers!
    Posted by Cellar Attic on 25 Aug 16 at 16:04
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