In Dragon Age: Inquisition, damage-dealers come in a variety of forms, as any class can fill this role effectively. Mages typically strike from a distance, Rogues operate both up close and from afar, while Warriors are entirely melee fighters.
Yet, no one stands out quite like Iron Bull. As a melee damage dealer, Iron Bull often finds himself in more peril compared to his teammates, but he thrives in dangerous situations. When placed in high-risk scenarios, his true potential shines, making him a high-risk, high-reward character.
Key Skills for a Low-Health, High-Damage Iron Bull Build
Iron Bull’s unique ability tree, Reaver, offers him bonuses that bring an element of chance. In the right circumstances, he can remain on his feet and unleash astounding damage, but if left unsupported, he can fall quickly.
Some skills are necessary to progress through the Reaver tree, even if they won’t significantly contribute to this build. We won’t cover those skills in detail here, but they will be included in the total skill point investment.
Top Skills in the Reaver Tree
The Reaver tree focuses on Iron Bull dealing more damage as his health decreases. While he can inflict extra damage when wounded, he has abilities that allow him to heal slightly, which helps him stay in the fight.
| Skill | Upgrade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ring of Pain (Active) | Torrent of Pain | Creates an area that damages enemies within it, boosting Iron Bull’s damage. The more hurt Iron Bull is, the heavier the damage he deals. The Torrent of Pain upgrade reduces Devour’s cost and cooldown, as well as mitigates self-damage from Dragon-Rage. |
| Blood Frenzy | N/A | Gives Iron Bull a 5% damage boost for every 10% his health is missing. Additionally, he gains +3 Strength, which increases his attack power and guard damage. |
| Fervor | N/A | Grants a 30% damage increase for 5 seconds when an enemy falls within 10 meters of Iron Bull. Also provides +3 Cunning, enhancing his critical hit chance and ranged defense. |
| Rampage (Active) | N/A | Increases Iron Bull’s attack speed and damage and heals him with each hit for 10 seconds. |
| Terrifying Fury | N/A | Critical hits have a 25% chance to panic enemies. In addition, Iron Bull gains +3 Cunning. |
| Scenting Blood | N/A | Gives Iron Bull a 50% boost in movement speed and 10% critical hit chance against enemies below 35% health who are within 10 meters, and provides +3 Constitution which raises his health and melee defense. |
| Devour (Active) | Consume | Iron Bull deals increased damage based on his health loss while healing for a portion of his lost health. With Ring of Pain active, the healing effect is doubled. The Consume upgrade raises Dragon-Rage’s critical hit chance by 25%. |
| Dragon-Rage (Active) | Ravage | Costing health for each strike, Iron Bull does more damage when he’s low on health. Ring of Pain significantly boosts this damage. The Ravage upgrade increases damage further, decreasing the cooldown of Devour on each hit. |
- Total Skill Point Investment: 11
- Total Strength Gain: 3
- Total Cunning Gain: 6
- Total Constitution Gain: 3
Iron Bull’s Reaver abilities become crucial, mainly utilizing Devour and Dragon Rage when Ring of Pain is active. He can switch between Devour and Dragon-Rage, delivering monumental damage and constantly healing himself.
Top Skills in the Two-Handed Tree
Generally, Iron Bull’s remaining skills will be most impactful as passives that enhance his performance while he uses Reaver skills, though some active skills have their place as well.
| Skill | Upgrade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mighty Blow (Active) | Easy Target | Damages and knocks enemies down. Extra damage is inflicted on enemies already down. |
| Block and Slash (Active) | Flawless Defense | Counters the next incoming hit, dealing damage to the attacker. With the Flawless Defense upgrade, this counters with additional damage and grants Iron Bull 15% guard. |
| Flow of Battle | N/A | Each critical hit Iron Bull lands reduces skill cooldowns by 1 second, providing an additional +3 Strength. |
| Shield-Breaker | N/A | Critical hits lower an enemy’s armor by 20% for 6 seconds, also giving Iron Bull +3 Strength. |
| Pommel Strike (Active) | Lightning Jab | Damages and stuns the target. |
| Guard Smasher | N/A | Doubles damage to an enemy’s guard and gives +3 Strength. |
| Clear a Path | N/A | Hits on multiple targets with a single swing restore 10% of Iron Bull’s stamina for each additional target struck. Also grants +3 Strength. |
- Total Skill Point Investment: 11
- Total Strength Gain: 12
Through the Two-Handed tree, Iron Bull gains substantial strength, increasing his damage output. Most skills here focus on stunning or incapacitating enemies. Since Iron Bull can get low on health, the ability to prevent enemies’ attacks is vital for his survival.
This setup will not significantly boost Iron Bull’s guard, ensuring he takes damage to health, allowing him to deal greater damage while maintaining some defensive capability.
Best Skills in the Battlemaster Tree
With few skill points available for investment in the Battlemaster tree, the remaining points serve practical purposes.
| Skill | Upgrade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Crippling Blows | N/A | Landing a critical hit reduces an enemy’s damage by 15% for 10 seconds; this effect stacks. Iron Bull also gains +3 Strength. |
| Combat Roll (Active) | Roll With It | Iron Bull can roll to quickly reposition himself rather than walking, and with Roll With It, he can evade most incapacitating effects, enhancing his survivability during stuns. |
| Coup de Grace | N/A | Deals 30% more damage to stunned or knocked-down enemies, granting Iron Bull +3 Strength. |
- Total Skill Point Investment: 5
- Total Strength Gain: 6
The Combat Roll is particularly beneficial, allowing Iron Bull to escape from stuns, a frequent hazard due to his low health.
Complete Low-Health High-Damage Iron Bull Build
In total, this build requires 27 skill points and can unleash extraordinary damage, possibly the highest in the game. Iron Bull will have an impressive strength boost with this configuration, delivering massive damage even at low health while managing to keep himself alive without much trouble.
The final Tactics slots will include:
- Ring of Pain
- Rampage
- Devour
- Dragon-Rage
- Mighty Blow
- Block and Slash
- Pommel Strike
- Combat Roll
Alternative Builds for Iron Bull
Iron Bull can also be effectively molded into a hybrid tank/damage dealer. Instead of pursuing the Battlemaster path, focus on the Vanguard tree and pick up War Cry among other skills. This configuration may sacrifice some damage output and requires adjustments in the Two-Handed tree, but with proper support, Iron Bull can take on this versatile role with ease.
