So I don't have Sebastian, else I would probably never dream of making a ranged character in this game (and Varric sort of doesn't count because he only has his one weapon, Bianca, which levels up with him).

Now I'm thinking of starting a second playthrough (actually, more like in the process of), and I kind of want to play as the only class build I don't really have access to any other way. I picked up some mighty fine bows that were completely useless to me in my first run, and it's piqued my interest.

The only thing is, bow damage seems super low given how long it takes to wind up each arrow. It doesn't seem like I'll be doing the raw damage that a dual wielding, backstabbing rogue would be doing, but I was also having trouble playing the game that way in an earlier, abandoned run-through of the game.

Is playing a ranged character that isn't a mage really worth it? I was dishing out some incredible damage with a staff, plus I obviously had the backup of a plethora of crowd-dispersing spells to back that up.

As long as you're not going to be playing on insane or anything, you shouldn't really have much of a problem as long as you match up your other party members well. It's a fun class to play too.

Absolutely!

Bows are a pretty good weapon to choose for a pretty safe playstyle. Critical hits and damage are your bread and butter, and a Primeval Lyrium Rune and Precision is good enough for speed (Speed and Harmony works alright as well.) I played it on Nightmare though, so it's even easier below that.

So just pump everything into dexterity and cunning then, right? What about Constitution and willpower? Should I really be caring about the extra HP and stamina, keeping in mind I'm not going to be playing on nightmare or anything?

I personally put went to 25 constitution and willpower, and then put the rest into dexerity and cunning. Health wasn't an issue, mostly because I wouldn't get hit, and my regular critical strikes were doing great DPS, so I just used my mark of death and archer's lance for cross class combo.

The correct question, being, is playing this game a viable option...no, it is not. Seriously, fuck DA2. Dude out.

@RuneseekerMireille: Thanks for the advice! Probably the weirdest thing with that class is the subdued animations making me *think* they feel less powerful.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

The correct question, being, is playing this game a viable option...no, it is not. Seriously, fuck DA2. Dude out.

Yeah, I was probably right with you for the longest time, but there are some interactions I want to see and something about trying out a different class and playstyle makes me optimistic that I might enjoy the combat for a little while longer.

No problem! Mage is definitely the best at long range combat due to being able to exploit elemental weaknesses, but bows are not bad at all!

I played my second play-through with a bow, I didn't finish that play-through but from what I played the bow was working pretty well as long as you have the correct people in your party.

The correct question, being, is playing this game a viable option...no, it is not. Seriously, fuck DA2. Dude out.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

The correct question, being, is playing this game a viable option...no, it is not. Seriously, fuck DA2. Dude out.

Wow! Someone in a DA2 thread shitting on the game? Alert the media! Seriously, it's been months, can't we get past this already? Yes, the game is nowhere near as good as Dragon Age Origins, but it is still a well made game that is perfectly playable and nowhere near as bad as a lot of people claim it is. Sure, it's got an absurdely small number of environments and the story can feel a little disjointed, but it is still a decent game. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't come into thread like this with the sole purpose of shitting on the game.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

@ll_Exile_ll said:

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

The correct question, being, is playing this game a viable option...no, it is not. Seriously, fuck DA2. Dude out.

Wow! Someone in a DA2 thread shitting on the game? Alert the media! Seriously, it's been months, can't we get past this already? Yes, the game is nowhere near as good as Dragon Age Origins, but it is still a well made game that is perfectly playable and nowhere near as bad as a lot of people claim it is. Sure, it's got an absurdely small number of environments and the story can feel a little disjointed, but it is still a decent game. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't come into thread like this with the sole purpose of shitting on the game.

most of the characters were annoying, bitchy and completely uninteresting.

Just like you!

But seriously. There's a time and a place. And somebody asking a question only for you to come in and act like an ass, isn't the place regardless of how much you throw around "I have no right to express my opinion!!!??". Grow up and keep your opinions to yourself unless the topic is about what you're talking about. Otherwise you just come off as a ass who wants to derail any discussion about the game simply because you don't like it.

@ll_Exile_ll said:

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

The correct question, being, is playing this game a viable option...no, it is not. Seriously, fuck DA2. Dude out.

Wow! Someone in a DA2 thread shitting on the game? Alert the media! Seriously, it's been months, can't we get past this already? Yes, the game is nowhere near as good as Dragon Age Origins, but it is still a well made game that is perfectly playable and nowhere near as bad as a lot of people claim it is. Sure, it's got an absurdely small number of environments and the story can feel a little disjointed, but it is still a decent game. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't come into thread like this with the sole purpose of shitting on the game.

I agree. While it wasn't as good as the original it was a solid game that I did enjoy playing. The key is to try not compare it to the original.

Have they added a string to the bow yet? No? Then no. How anyone can justify not having a string on the bow in this day and age is beyond me. What a disgrace.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

@ll_Exile_ll said:

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

The correct question, being, is playing this game a viable option...no, it is not. Seriously, fuck DA2. Dude out.

Wow! Someone in a DA2 thread shitting on the game? Alert the media! Seriously, it's been months, can't we get past this already? Yes, the game is nowhere near as good as Dragon Age Origins, but it is still a well made game that is perfectly playable and nowhere near as bad as a lot of people claim it is. Sure, it's got an absurdely small number of environments and the story can feel a little disjointed, but it is still a decent game. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't come into thread like this with the sole purpose of shitting on the game.

I can and will come into threads like these with the sole purpose to shit on the game. The story was boring, most of the characters (except Varric) were annoying, bitchy and completely uninteresting. The RPG elements of the previous game were stripped, instead of huge cities like Orzammar and Denerim we get Kirkwall. Instead of many unique items and item sets we get 1 item set and a shitload of generic items. And on top of that recycling of environments.If you don't like people shitting on the games you like, maybe you shouldn't visit these forums, last time i checked the point of a forum is expressing your subjective opinion. Also, have you even played Origins or any previous BioWare games? From what i read from this and your previous post, seems like no. Because if you had you'd realize that BioWare has declined in quality by quite a bit. But again, that's just my opinion. You have the right to like all BioWare games, and you can say that you love them. But you can't fucking say that i have no right to express my opinion, no matter how much you may disagree with me. Oh and by the way. Ultimately opinions don't count for shit. Because BioWare will continue to simplify their games, and people will continue buying them.

You're making a point that is not relevant, thus annoying the people who are looking for a discussion about something you are clearly not. Which makes you a plague on society. Now if civilization was more honorable, and a person wasn't dragged through tthe courts for looking at a dude the wrong way, your mouth would probably be black and blue from all the backhands and fists thrown your way. Either that or this is your online persona because you're too much of a pussy to let your balls hang honestly. Dragon Age Origins is the superior game, but that doesn't make Dragon Age II a crappy one; just a disappointing one for fans of the previous entry. Your comment is little more than a rant on sushi because you don't like rice rice or sea food. It's irelevant to the topic at hand, yet you try and justify it like you're somebody special. And no I reply to this because I despise your ilk and their effect on humanity. I couldn't give a fuck about your non-subjective comment you insist on shoving in the faces of people who don't want it, in place a that isn't discussing it. It's like shitting in a urinal, it's just pissing everyone else off.

As for the OP, my 3rd playthrough was a bow wielding rogue and I had a lot of fun with it.