The Rogue class in Dragon Age Inquisition is probably the most stable as far as the series progression has been concerned. These guys and gals are fast, flashy, and highly unpredictable.
For more help on Dragon Age Inquisition, read our Companions Locations, Romance Guide, Inner Circle Quests Guide and Specializations Quests Guide.
Dragon Age Inquisition Rogue Class
With the option to either dual-wield daggers or take use of the bow and arrow, Rogues are versatile in their effectiveness on the battlefield, offering a mixture of melee and ranged abilities.
Unlike Warriors and Mages, Rogues aren’t about pure damage and domination. Instead, they pick their targets carefully, plan their moves thoroughly, and execute with utmost precision.
For that, you’ll need light weapons and light armor, but more importantly you’ll need a tactical mind and subtlety.
Rogue Class Starting Abilities
At the start, you are given the option of taking one of two kinds of Rogues. You can either be an Archer or a Dual-Wielding assassin.
However, the influence of what kind of Rogue you pick is only limited to your starting weapon(s) and starting abilities. If you picked an Archer but later decide your character needs to be more up close and personal, you can build him/her in such a way.
At the start, you’ll have two abilities unlocked, depending on which kind of Rogue you chose.
Initial Dual-Wielding Abilities
Stealth
Step into the shadows, all but invisible to your enemies. Attacking from stealth gives you a damage bonus and brings you back to the enemy’s attention. Dealing damage to enemies reduces the ability’s cooldown.
Twin Fangs
You lash out with both daggers, striking deep, with bonus damage if you flank your foe.
Initial Archer Abilities
Stealth
Step into the shadows, all but invisible to your enemies. Attacking from stealth gives you a damage bonus and brings you back to the enemy’s attention. Dealing damage to enemies reduces the ability’s cooldown.
Long Shot
Fire a powerful single shot that delivers more damage the farther you are from the target.
Rogue Class Attributes and Stats
At the start, every class has its attributes (stats) tailored in a specific way. Warriors have abundance of Strength and Constitution but may not have Dexterity and will certainly lack Magic.
Rogues will have plenty of Dexterity but will lacking in the others. Mages will have lots of Magic but will be weak when it comes to agility and pure strength.
The following are the starting stats of the Rogue class:
Attributes
- Strength – 10
- Dexterity – 11
- Magic – 10
- Cunning – 10
- Willpower – 10
- Constitution — 10
Offensive
- Attack — 0%
- Guard Damage Bonus — 0%
- Armor Penetration — 0%
- Barrier Damage Bonus — 0%
- Critical Damage Bonus — DW 53%, Archer 41%
- Critical Chance — 5%
- Main-Hand Damage — DW 32, Archer 36
- Off-Hand Damage — DW 32, Archer 36
- Bleed on Hit — 0%
- Stagger on Hit — 0%
- Heal on Kill — 0%
- Flanking Damage Bonus — DW 25%, Archer 36%
Defensive
- Magic Defense — 0%
- Melee Defense — 0%
- Ranged Defense — 6%
- Cold Resistance — 0%
- Electrical Resistance — 0%
- Fire Resistance — 0%
- Guard – 0
- Armor Rating – 43
- Armor Rating: Front – 43
- Maximum Health – 509
- Bleed on Being Hit — 0%
- Stagger on Being Hit — 0%
Other
- Maximum Focus – 100
- Focus Gain Bonus — 0%
- Maximum Mana/Stamina – 100
- Cooldown Modifier — 0%
Rogue Unique Class Ability
Every class in Dragon Age: Inquisition has a unique class ability that lets them perform a specific task within the world. The unique ability associated with Rogues is Lockpicking.
If you find a locked door, chest, or cage while exploring, you can simply switch to your Rogue character and try to access it.
Most locks (especially ones at the beginning of the game) will be easily picked, but from time to time you’ll encounter locks that even your Rogue can’t get past.
In order to gain access to the goods behind the sturdy locks, you’ll need the Deft Hands, Fine Tools perk. This perk will allow you to lock virtually any door in the entirety of Thedas.
Rogue Class Skill Trees
Double Daggers
This tree is there to solely provide for the duel-wielding Rogues. The abilities of this tree are all weapon-oriented, but more importantly they are best used in a positional sense and while in constant movement.
Dual-wielding melee weapons will require you to constantly move in and out of close-ranged battles, so timing is essential in executing the abilities of Double Daggers.
The abilities in the Double Daggers tree work brilliantly well with Subterfuge, Assassin, or Tempest.
Archery
Archery is pretty self-explanatory, and you’ll almost always want at least one specialized Archer in your group (though it’s not necessary to always take him/her along with you during exploration).
Archers are weak when foes get near them, but their abilities allow them quick movement and extreme long range. You’ll likely play Varric as an Archer, and in such a case you’ll notice how good he is compared to DA2.
Leaping Shots and Strafing shots will keep you a good distance away from melee enemies, and most enemy mages/demons or archers won’t care to take on you if you have a tank like the Iron Bull or Cassandra up front. Archery works very well with Sabotage and Artificer.
Sabotage
Do you like traps? Do you like the look of poisoned foes clinching their stomachs as they die away slowly? If the answer is yes to one or both of the questions, then Sabotage is a tree you should be digging pretty hard in.
The abilities in this discipline all have to do with those annoying traps and the deadly, unavoidable poisoning that makes killers killers.
Of course, like most abilities for the Rogue, the ones in Sabotage are highly situational and tactical, so you’ll need patience, awareness, and perfect timing to execute the deadliest of traps and to poison the most lethal foes at the right time. Sabotage works well with Archery and Artificer.
Subterfuge
If you want another work to describe Subterfuge, it would be Stealth. The abilities in this tree are all about being quiet, hiding, and then dealing deadly blows to enemies when they least expect it.
This pairs particularly well with the Assassin Specialization and Dual-Wielding daggers. Those who invest heavily in Subterfuge will be highly mobile and highly unpredictable. Just what the doctor ordered.
Rogue Class Specializations
Artificer
The Artificer specialization is more of an advancement of Sabotage, though more focused on traps. Varric in general is an expert Artificer. Generally, if you’re into Archery, this is a specialization that works perfectly.
However, for Dual-Wielders this may not be the right tree to specialize in, as setting up traps and planning sabotages requires time and preparation, something you can’t exactly do when you get out of the shadows to backstab a foe.
Assassin
Assassins are feared, and with good reason. This specialization when combined with a mix of Subterfuge and Dual Daggers makes for the ultimate killer.
Assassins will utilize the shadows and darkest corners of even the brightest locations, and will strike enemies in their weak spots. Fewer strikes, but more powerful, deadlier, and with unforgiving relentlessness.
Tempest
Want to go insane? Let’s specialize in Tempest. Tempests are weird – they get drunk on all kinds of elixirs, igniting their bodies on fire or chilling them to sub-zero temperatures. The good that this maniacal practice brings is elemental prowess for a highly mobile class like the Rogue.
You can’t get high on multiple kinds of elixirs at once, so you have to choose according to situation. Thankfully, there are plenty of choices, and after a short time you begin to understand why those elixirs are both insane and highly addictive.
Rogue Class General Combat Tips
The Rogue class is an extremely fun class to play in Dragon Age: Inquisition, as next to the Mage it involves very flashy animations and some fantastic skills.
However, Rogues are not strong and sturdy like Warriors, and for that reason positioning, timing, and battlefield awareness become an essential factor.
Not many play with the tactical cam in Dragon Age: Inquisition, but those who do will know how much it helps positioning the likes of Archers and stealthy Duel-Wielders.
The tactical cam is practically made for these guys. The best formation that I find is to have two warriors (one tank, one melee attacker), with an archer or duel-wielding rogue, and a single mage.
The tank can initiate the fight, while the second Warrior supports him/her. If the Rogue is an archer, you can position him/her to have a wide viewing angle to take shots at the most dangerous foe, using special attacks to cripple it.
If the Rogue is a melee duel-wielder, using the tactical cam to positioning him/her behind your enemies and use back-stab/stealth combos will surely get the best out of them.
The key to being a Rogue is understand when to actually stop attacking. Unlike the Warrior, the Rogue isn’t about persistent battlefield presence.
Instead, your Rogue should constantly move in and out of battle, and should be dependent on tactics and positioning instead of pure damage. If you can master these two, using traps effectively makes even the toughest battles a piece of cake.
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