"Dragon Age" franchise discussion/appreciation thread

[gotthammer]

I learned my lesson from DAO. The fade may have all the demons, but the Dwarven realms are what actually constitute hell. A hell so ****ty even the demons refuse to live there.

[gotthammer]

Reuse of areas: I get reusing resources to build areas like walls/floor textures etc but this takes it too far. I was literally in the same cave twice for two different quests, only it wasn't really the same cave because it had different entrances in each quest. So someone who lives on the wounded coast must have spent a lifetime duplicating every last detail of this cave for some mysterious, no doubt nefarious, reason.

I just suffered through this, too. I encountered the same dungeon earlier, then I had to go through it twice more for 2 separate quests. That was quite bad. I understand re-using a small map/area for something like a random encounter or a transition-type event, but for a full quest? (even if it's just a side quest...)
Methinks this is further fuel for the argument that DA2 was rushed out.

Restriction: Gustav Hawk: My man Gustav is one greedy SOB since he won't let anyone else in the party wear any of the misc crap he picks up, even stuff his magical ass will absolutely never ever in a million years be able to use. I swear pretty much all of the equip-able items I've picked up that weren't jewelery or weapons were like this.

This.

I'm enjoying the game, but stuff like that re-use of maps is rather painful to see.

[DigiFluid]

I probably could be given the hours sunk in, but I've been grinding side quests for exp because I figured if there was any place the difficulty was going to shoot right up through the roof it would be in those good ol' Dwarven hellholes again.

I learned my lesson from DAO. The fade may have all the demons, but the Dwarven realms are what actually constitute hell. A hell so ****ty even the demons refuse to live there.

Not to say I haven't been grinding side quests myself. The only one I haven't/hadn't done was the herbalism one, because I hadn't a clue where to get either the ironbark or how to get past the 'force field' atop the mountain.

So, my grief is not for a lack of XP

[Ouroboros]

Deep Roads

Spoiler:

The Ancient Rock Wraith. Holy, frakking, schnat. I hadn't died in the game yet (at least, not my entire party) until running into this bloody thing. I can get it down about 1/3 of its health (not TO 1/3, just taking it down 1/3), but by then I'm out of poultices and my squad just gets stomped. Frustrated the crap out of me because I hadn't fought anything even remotely this hard yet in DA2.

Beat this tonight, here's how I did it.

Spoiler:

Basically they key is that you can hide behind the rock pillars when the boss does that massive AOE move that takes like half the life off of all your characters.

If you take notice when he starts glowing and spinning in the air and just position your characters so there's one of those giant rock pillars between them and the boss the AOE attack will not hit them. I just tried this on a hunch and got lucky, there's pretty much nothing to tip you off that you need to do this and I was about to lose 2 characters to the next AOE attack when I pulled everyone back and tried it, figuring I was about to need a reload anyway.

You can pretty much just shift select everyone and stick them behind a pillar in a clump ordered to hold position, wait for the attack to pop off, and then go back to beating his ass, and the asses of all the wimpy little minions he summons. Aside from that one attack he's pretty much a punk, and goes down pretty easy once he's not able to take half the party's hp every minute and a half.

I had Isabella, Aveline and Varric with me, along with the dog and about 12 health potions. He went down in the first try. I actually found the dragon and monstrous spider earlier on to be harder. The spider almost party wiped me thanks to bad positioning when it spawned and I had to kite the hell out of the dragon.

[DigiFluid]

Yeah, that was the way to do it. A bit annoyed I had to crank it down to easy to beat the frelling thing, but oh well.

I'm on to the second 'chapter' in the game now (well, third if you count Lothering).

Post-Deep Roads

Spoiler:

I love these writers. I'd noticed that I was being very protective of Bethany when we were in Lothering and Kirkwall, and into the Deep Roads. And then I was so sad that she died. I thought it a bit bs that she got 'tainted' just for the end of Deep Roads cutscene after managing so well with her, but oh well

Nice to see Hawke and his mother rising in Kirkwall.

I got my ass kicked again tonight though

Spoiler:

Not even doing a main plot story. I was doing the herbalist sidequest, went into the newly opened passage in the mountains. And then, after struggling through a bunch of golems (who seem to have an inexplicable hard-on for Anders) I find myself in a room with like a dozen+ abominations, revenants, arcane horrors, and a rage demon. I fought the good fight, but eventually, down I went

[DigiFluid]

Oh, something else entirely: I really don't like the new 'group heal' setup. It makes your mage all but useless in combat because more than half his stinking mana is devoted to panacea, meanwhile all the horrors chase him around so if you want to be able to heal your squad, you've got to play as your mage and run in circles so he doesn't die and just pray that your squad whittles the enemies down

[magictrick]

I'm slowly progressing towards the Deep Roads quest. So far I've been playing on Normal and pretty much breezing through the game, so I was considering upgrading to the next difficulty, but it sounds like this quest will be a lot tougher.

Another thing is that I was really randomly going about designing the appearance of my character and now certain things really annoy me about the appearance. I didn't really consider how much I'd have to stare at it throughout the game. Bright coloured sideburns = bad idea

[Selene1212]

I play on casual because I'm a wuss, but I'm liking the little bit I've played so far. I was really looking forward to playing a good bit last night, but my husband's PC blew up and I had to relinquish the PS3 so he wouldn't be bored all night.

I don't like how you can't climb up or jump down off of even a 1 foot high hill or anything. Its very annoying (and inexcusable in this day & age). And its also annoying when you walk up to an NPC that you can't talk to when you draw your weapons. I also found a "hole" in the floor of Hightown. You can walk over it but it looks like you'll fall through the middle of the world.

Anyway, after I send the twins off to school I plan on playing some more. I look forward to a lot of the stuff I've seen you all posting about.

[DigiFluid]

I'm slowly progressing towards the Deep Roads quest. So far I've been playing on Normal and pretty much breezing through the game, so I was considering upgrading to the next difficulty, but it sounds like this quest will be a lot tougher.

That was one of the things that frustrated me.... Nothing up to and including the Deep Roads was really all that challenging, and then I just got friggin' stomped by the boss in that area.

It's also been my experience that the game gets more challenging in general after that.... More harder enemies, fewer mooks. Not a bad thing, just enough that I actually noticed the change. Anyone else experience this?

I look forward to a lot of the stuff I've seen you all posting about.

Enjoy

Steam says....I've logged 21.5h already

(Hey M6P.... )

[Ouroboros]

IAnother thing is that I was really randomly going about designing the appearance of my character and now certain things really annoy me about the appearance. I didn't really consider how much I'd have to stare at it throughout the game. Bright coloured sideburns = bad idea

If you bought the game new, which of course you must have, go to the black emporium and use the Mirror of Transformation to change them. At least I think that's what it's for.

[Ouroboros]

Yeah, that was the way to do it. A bit annoyed I had to crank it down to easy to beat the frelling thing, but oh well.

I'm on to the second 'chapter' in the game now (well, third if you count Lothering).

Post-Deep Roads

Spoiler:

I love these writers. I'd noticed that I was being very protective of Bethany when we were in Lothering and Kirkwall, and into the Deep Roads. And then I was so sad that she died. I thought it a bit bs that she got 'tainted' just for the end of Deep Roads cutscene after managing so well with her, but oh well

Nice to see Hawke and his mother rising in Kirkwall.

Well, that's pretty different than what happened to me. I guess this game does have some branching afterall.

Spoiler:

First off Bethany died to the ogre, leaving me with my whiny little brother Carver to tow around instead. I benched him for the deep roads expedition because mom was freaking out about it and he got all pissy like usual, ran off and joined the templars.

I suspect I'll probably end up in some big drama bomb showdown with him at some point later.

I wonder how the game picks who lives through the intro. I was playing as a male mage when Carter survived.

[Ouroboros]

So lets see your Hawkes people

Gustav Hawke, the man who doesn't share.

Spoiler:

[magictrick]

If you bought the game new, which of course you must have, go to the black emporium and use the Mirror of Transformation to change them. At least I think that's what it's for.

Oh sweet thanks, I'll have to try that out.

[Selene1212]

So lets see your Hawkes people

Gustav Hawke, the man who doesn't share.

Spoiler:

http://i54.tinypic.com/zje909.gif[/IMG]

Are you sure he's not the Dad?

I'll see if I can copy my pic off the bioware site...

This is the best I've got for now...

[DigiFluid]

Well, that's pretty different than what happened to me. I guess this game does have some branching afterall.

Spoiler:

First off Bethany died to the ogre, leaving me with my whiny little brother Carver to tow around instead. I benched him for the deep roads expedition because mom was freaking out about it and he got all pissy like usual, ran off and joined the templars.

I suspect I'll probably end up in some big drama bomb showdown with him at some point later.

I wonder how the game picks who lives through the intro. I was playing as a male mage when Carter survived.

Interesting, I didn't know that it was an either/or that early in the game. When I played the demo it was Carver that got smushed, so when it happened in the full game I just assumed it was the same deal. So yeah for me,

Spoiler:

I still had my Bethany after then. Playing as male warrior.