Dragon Age Origins tactics: automatic healing and priority order
Create a small set of reliable condition-and-action rules, then diagnose why a companion is not following them.
Original Dragon Age: Origins base campaign. Awakening, DLC companions and gifts, sequels and gameplay mods are outside the guides. Screenshots and title artwork come from the original PC Steam listing.
How do tactics choose an action?
A tactics slot pairs a condition with an action, and higher entries have priority. The system looks for a usable response to a true condition. Put urgent healing above routine attacks so a broad offensive instruction does not consume the opportunity first. Start with a short list whose behavior you can recognize during a fight, then add complexity gradually.
Add an emergency poultice rule
A useful first rule is Self: Health below 50 percent paired with using a health poultice. This threshold is a starting suggestion, not an ideal value for every build. Check supplies before battle, since an empty inventory defeats a correctly written rule. Test the setup on a companion you are not manually controlling and adjust the threshold if recovery comes too late.
Give a healer a separate ally rule
A mage who knows Heal can use an ally-health condition to respond to wounded party members. Put emergency recovery high in the list and confirm that mana and cooldowns allow the spell. Sustained abilities reserve resources, so a character can appear well prepared yet lack the free mana needed for the healing instruction you wrote.
Check behavior, availability and manual orders
If a tactic fails, inspect whether it is enabled, whether the condition really applies and whether the action is learned and affordable. More slots become available through levels and Combat Tactics skill. Behavior settings also influence movement, so a ranged character should not be configured to rush into melee. Pause and give a direct order whenever the automatic plan no longer fits.
More Dragon Age: Origins quick answers
Dragon Age Origins specializations: level 7 and 14 unlock requirementsChange one rule at a time and watch the next encounter; a long list is difficult to debug when several instructions compete.
Picture details
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