Get the specialization as early as you can that will probably be at levels 7-9. If you have Arcane Warrior already, you can do Brecilian Forest whenever you like.

Brecilian Forest – you will be able to unlock the Arcane Warrior mage specialization early on.

Circle of Tower quest – you will get a passive boost to your attributes (this way you will not need to invest any cunning to get Coercion level 4), and you will get a new companion.

However, for the maximum value I recommend these priorities: You are free to choose whatever way you want to progress through the story. Get a few points into Tactics if you will want your character to be smart when you are not managing him. Moreover, you will be less likely to have your spells canceled by enemy attacks. It adds passive bonuses to attack and defense. Then concentrate on Combat Training and get maximum investment. It will unlock many opportunities for new quest paths, more gold rewards, and XP.

If an enemy reaches you in the back, and you have no one to support youįor skills, I definitely recommend maximizing Coercion to level 4.

When you will be surrounded by enemies if you are fighting in the frontline.

Miasma will have the AOE effect of slowing and weakening down the enemies. This way you will have an easy way to crowd control the battles early in the game, which is usually the most difficult part of the game for many. It will AOE paralyze all the enemies (but it also works on allies if they are nearby due to friendly fire) Glyph of Paralysis and Glyph of Repulsion combo. My main recommendation is that all Arcane Warrior builds should use Glyphs:

The bonuses from constitution and willpower can be easily replaced with equipment, for magic that is much harder.

You will deal more damage both with spells and later on with your physical weapon.

You will increase your spellpower, meaning that enemies will not be able to resist your spells, even if they are bosses.

It may be difficult at the start of the game if you are playing on Nightmare, but later on, the payoff is huge:

I suggest investing ability points all into Magic. Get Glyph of Paralysis and Glyph of Warding as starting spells (you will want Glyph of Repulsion as early as possible, explained below).It will unlock some additional quests for a lot of gold during the game. Moreover, Arcane Warriors from a lore perspective were elves

This gives you a large boost to Magic that will be your main attribute. When creating your character here is what I suggest: You have a few important decisions to make in the early game that help you maximize how well your build will go through the Dragon Age world.

Dragon age origins mage armor