Blackwall Guide

Overview

Blackwall is the single most reliable companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and for good reason: the Champion specialization is the most overtuned tank design in the entire series. On Nightmare difficulty where survivability is everything, Blackwall offers something that no other character can replicate — permanent frontline stability. He isn’t here to deal damage, he isn’t here to provide utility, and he isn’t here to feel flashy. He is here to ensure your party never wipes, no matter how bad the odds may look. Once his specialization is unlocked, he becomes functionally immortal, creating a scenario where you and your damage-dealers have unlimited time to burn through enemies while he holds the line.

What makes him so unique is that his kit stacks layer upon layer of survivability in ways that most enemies simply can’t break through. The Champion passives alone immediately push him into a tier above Cassandra or Iron Bull for tanking. Abilities like Adamant, Line in the Sand, and Fortifying Blast provide consistent boosts to armor, guard, and enemy control. But the defining piece of his specialization is the passive Unyielding, which revives him instantly upon taking lethal damage and makes him immune for five seconds afterward. On paper, it’s already absurdly strong. In practice, it means that even if he is swarmed or mispositioned, enemies will need to kill him twice in under a minute, which is almost impossible in normal circumstances.

And then you add Walking Fortress. This ability is hands down the most broken tank button in the game. When activated, it makes Blackwall completely invincible for eight seconds — not resistant, not reduced, but immune to all incoming damage. It only has a thirty-two second cooldown, and the Siege Breaker upgrade lowers that timer every time Blackwall is attacked. Against large groups or bosses that hit him relentlessly, this cooldown reduction effectively gives Walking Fortress a fifty percent uptime. The result is simple: Blackwall is untouchable for half the fight and nearly impossible to finish off during the other half.

The overall playstyle is brutally straightforward but incredibly effective. Blackwall plants himself in the center of the fight, taunts everything, and lets his allies unleash damage without fear of reprisal. Unlike DPS-focused warriors such as Reaver or two-handed Iron Bull, he isn’t gambling with health to put up numbers. He is deliberately slow and methodical, built to withstand constant punishment. And unlike Cassandra, who can tank respectably, Blackwall’s unique kit allows him to completely nullify damage in ways that trivialize long encounters or rift fights. He turns Nightmare difficulty from a test of attrition into something far more manageable, making him arguably the most irreplaceable party member in the game.