Quote Originally Posted by SwordsMaster View Post
What character class is the game optimised for? I'm not too keen on ridiculously dragged out boss fights where everyone in the party dies, and i have to run around the monster in question whittling it down with arrows and a boatload of health potions - ruins the immersion, and fun.
Don't play DA2 then. There are some REALLY BS fights, such at the dragon, in comparison to the rest of the game which are laughably easy. DA:O has plenty of boss battles that will tear you up, but the game is fair enough that if you die, it's your own fault. The single most overpowered class in Origins is the blood mage/arcane warrior. But that's best for a second playthrough as you'll want to enjoy the challenge of combat. I suggest you go rogue.

How is exporting the saves? Does it add anything that the 'default' storylines in DA2 don't?
More or less, no. Characters from Origins make an appearance in DA2 in more of a "Hey, remember me? Great! Bye!" and you'll get very few lines of dialogue about the Grey Warden, Mass Effect 2 import style.

How is the 'romance' part of things? Does romancing some characters preclude you from romancing others? In both games?
You can have two romances going on at the same time in Origins, but eventually one of them will demand you break it off with the other. DA2 romances are nothing to write home about.

What about DLCs? Any recommendations?
Origins: Naturally, you'll want to have The Stone Prisoner DLC. Grab both Awakening expansion and Witch Hunt for the continuation of the story, and Golems of Somethingorother for a challenge. The rest are meaningless (Feastday) or not good (Leliana's Song and Ostagar).
DA2: The only DLC I can recommend for this crap is Uninstall. It's free!


Play Origins exclusively and forget DA2 ever exists. Steam has me clocked in at 333 hours played on Origins, but only 30 hours for DA2. That speaks volumes.
Oh, and if you like Anders from the Awakening expansion, you will REALLY hate DA2. Just sayin'.