Quote Originally Posted by Del Murder View Post
I kept Alistair as sword & shield and just focused on the more offensive abilities and stats. I used him occasionally and didn't slow me down too much. These games are pretty easy and pretty much any combination with at least one mage will work. Mages really dominate in DA.
They become more and more mandatory, to be honest. In DA: O, you could conceivably choose not to use a Mage during some segments of the game. By the time you get to DA: I, you practically require a Mage, at the very least for Barrier.