Larian Studios Forums Divinity: Original Sin 2 Divinity - Original Sin 2 - Suggestions and Feedback Battle Mage defaults to axes (int/str based weap)

Hi,

I noticed no builds use physical weapons because every battle mage build is pure int based.

Would it break the game if there were some int scaling physical weapons like those axes or spears? Some different options besides staff basically? Even if it scaled int/str a bit.

Thanks to the armor system physical weapons would hardly be a lot helpful if all you other damage pretty much purely magical.

In general it is probably one of many things that feels unfinished.

In-game efficiency aside, I don't think it would "break the game", but conceptually fighter-class weapons are supposed to be for fighters, not spellcasters. It's as simply as that.

I have no objection to one or two physical weapons specifically designed for spellcasters, though.

The Battlemage should start with a staff, the Inquisitor should start with the twin axes. It's dumb the way it is now, because the weapons don't synergize with the skills.

Thanks for the answer. I have only had a chance to play the preview and check out builds on-line. I just noticed that when you pick battlemage you have those awesome axes.

They don't have to be physical damage I guess. If they were more elemental damage of some sort long as they were viable for INT or did mage damage and was not a staff.

That way you could still use some of those warrior type skills and they would still whack down magic armor. A spear or axes or any class of weapon that just did more magic based damage then physical would be usable.

From my point of view the concept of a "battlemage" is a spellcaster or hybrid fighter/mage who can perform equally well in melee combat. So it sounds reasonable enough to me if the "default" weapon of a battlemage is an axe, for example. Of course, his skill set should support that particular combat style, as well.

I remember in Dragon Age: Inquisition there is a unique staff that looks like a greatsword with a greatsword's moveset. It's the only melee staff that functions as both a spellcasting tool and a greatsword. I used it with my knight enchanter character and I think it worked perfectly with the concept of that class - a melee bruiser/mage. I love odd-one-out items which fit specific play styles like that.

That's correct, unfortunately, the attribute system in D:OS 2 is designed so that functioning equally well as a physical fighter and a caster means you are fighting half as well as someone specializing in either field. I guess the closest you come to a functional Battlemage is by going Lone Wolf.

Well, perhaps... but I was trying not to discuss this in terms of practicality, only concept-wise. Since it sounds like the OP is new to the game, I didn't want to discourage them from certain playstyles or trying things out right off the bat.

This game is already intended to be challenging. I feel that if they're new to the game, it is a good idea to warn them of potential pitfalls, such as trying to be good at both physical and magical damage on one character.

I played first one and loved it. I've only gotten to try out preview a few times with this one.

Based on reading I can tell I need to focus on one or the other. I just hate being forced to use a mages staff for a melee type battle mage. I wish there were some magical types that a battle mage could use so they could focus on INT as the builds all suggest. It's still fun using whirlwind and the warfar ones with a staff, but would be more fun if there were some other options. Like a few magic spears, or even two handed swords, hammers that scaled off int, and did magic damage.

Thus far the most fun I've had is a deathknight + battlemage + archer + elementalist/mage.

Bull Rush still works with Double Wands so you could do a wand based battle mage.

I thought I tried that, but perhaps I was thinking about all the warfare stuff.

I think magic based/int scailing weapon class would be nice addition. Example - Some spears or even a two handed sword or two that did pure elemental damage or magic damage and scaled to INT. Or just create a new "staff" that looks more like a weapon you would smack folks with