Dragon Age: Origins gameplay and discussion thread.

[Meneldil]

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Quite likely.

[Meneldil]

Okay well. Playing as a bad guy is quite annoying.

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Most of the team members leave or keep disagreeing with your behaviour (even Morrigan and Sten complain). You miss out a lot of quests, plot and loot (though you occasionally discover new stuff), which makes the whole thing quite annoying.

The game definitely needs more evil characters, and more evil-oriented quests. BG2 and KoToR IMO offered more choices for evil characters than DA does, which is quite disappointing (though I admit it was also because characters weren't as fleshed out: most neutral characters didn't really care whether you were good or evil).

[Mailman653]

Funny bug

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I was in the Fade killing the demons that protect the Sloth Demon. Well, I was saving Morrigan and saw her talk to the demon etc....well I killed it and took off its head. I then spoke to Morrigan and the dialogue with the demon started again, execept this time, the demon portraying Felemith had no head.

[Monk]

Funny bug

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I was in the Fade killing the demons that protect the Sloth Demon. Well, I was saving Morrigan and saw her talk to the demon etc....well I killed it and took off its head. I then spoke to Morrigan and the dialogue with the demon started again, execept this time, the demon portraying Felemith had no head.

Yes.. that's a very strange bug I've noticed. If you engage in dialogue with your party member at that moment, the scene will repeat. To avoid it you have to wait.

[Kekvit Irae]

Funny bug

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I was in the Fade killing the demons that protect the Sloth Demon. Well, I was saving Morrigan and saw her talk to the demon etc....well I killed it and took off its head. I then spoke to Morrigan and the dialogue with the demon started again, execept this time, the demon portraying Felemith had no head.

That's because the game has some sort of memory leak in it. If you start it up fresh, you'll notice the corpses will drop loot immediately, and load times are almost instant. However, if you play for an hour or so, these will start to slow to a crawl. That bug is due to the enemy not registering as a corpse yet. Simply wait it out, or save before the battle and exit/reload Dragon Age.



And more tips on fighting the dragon(s):

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In the Mage's Tower ally quest, you'll come across the common room with three statues. As the codex suggests, click on the statue with the bowl first, then the statue with the upheld sword, then the middle statue. Now head to the middle area (with the boss abomination) and click on the statue there after the battle. Now head down to the first floor to where the apprentices Wynne was guarding are and click on the locked door. Fight the demon that appears, and you'll get the Dragonslayer sword.

It's a nice two-handed sword that has a +10 damage against dragons. This REALLY helps when you have Oghren or Sten in your party when you fight the three dragons in the game. To further pump on the damage, add in a few runes and have your mages use Flaming/Frost Weapon spells.

[Greyblades]

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Just got the golem DLC, I love Shale he's the most hilarious guy in my party.
Poor chicken.

[Kekvit Irae]

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Just got the golem DLC, I love Shale he's the most hilarious guy in my party.
Poor chicken.

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I love it how she just shrugs. It's like... "What happened?" "I dunno."

And to correct my previous post...

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FOUR dragons, not three. I forgot about the one in the Orzimmar throne room.

[FactionHeir]

Dragon:

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Well if you count the Throne Room "dragon" you have to count the one in the werewolf ruins too..

[Gregoshi]

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I don't have this game but was interested the game comments for a potential future purchase. Alas, this thread has become completely unreadable since I'm avoiding the spoilers.

[Monk]

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I don't have this game but was interested the game comments for a potential future purchase. Alas, this thread has become completely unreadable since I'm avoiding the spoilers.

You can enjoy the first 5 or so pages, we were pretty heavily into the technical and combat mechanics discussion there.

It's kinda shocking we've taken this to page 10, i fear we've nothing left to talk about except plot spoilers!

[Kekvit Irae]

Dragon:

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Well if you count the Throne Room "dragon" you have to count the one in the werewolf ruins too..

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Ok, five then. Archdemon, Urn of Sacred Ashes dragon (the only "true" dragon), Flemeth, throne room dragon, werewolf dragon.

You can enjoy the first 5 or so pages, we were pretty heavily into the technical and combat mechanics discussion there.

It's kinda shocking we've taken this to page 10, i fear we've nothing left to talk about except plot spoilers!

Yes, it sucks. I can understand hiding major plot spoilers, but the origin stories? Those are prologues! That's like using spoiler tags for talking about a game's trailer or opening cutscene.

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Coach uses a chainsaw against a smoker's tongue to free Ellis.

There is a large difference between "using spoiler tags to hide major plot devices" and "making a thread unreadable and unfun." This thread is now delving dangerously into the latter. But I am no longer a part of this board's moderation, so I have real no say in this matter.

[Mailman653]

I knew Zathrian's voice sounded familiar, it's Tim Russ from ST:Voyager.
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Zathrian

[Zenicetus]

The problem (IMO) isn't that it's degenerating into spoiler tags, per se. It's that people are posting spoiler tags without taking a few extra seconds to write clear text that identifies the general area the spoiler is covering.

Completely "blind" spoilers with no context are useless, unless you've finished the game. And maybe not even then, if they're about side paths that you might not see the first time through.

[Xiahou]

The problem (IMO) isn't that it's degenerating into spoiler tags, per se. It's that people are posting spoiler tags without taking a few extra seconds to write clear text that identifies the general area the spoiler is covering.

Completely "blind" spoilers with no context are useless, unless you've finished the game. And maybe not even then, if they're about side paths that you might not see the first time through.

What he said.

[LeftEyeNine]

Better safe than sorry. I don't see the necessity to strike the perfect balance between the thread being fun and proper at the same time.

Be it proper, otherwise it will spoil any fun into it.

[Gregoshi]

Sorry, I didn't mean to derail the thread. I was just making an observation I found rather funny for me in my situation. Back to the spoiler tags!

[Monk]

I knew Zathrian's voice sounded familiar, it's Tim Russ from ST:Voyager.
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Zathrian

I knew it!

I looked that up on the first day I had the game, but IMDB hadn't been updated to reflect it and neither had the wikia.. but I knew.

Bioware really pulled out the stops with the Sci-fi actors lending voices. Tim Russ and Kate Mulgrew from Voyager and Claudia Black. Wonder how many others are hidden in the credits?

[Krusader]

I knew it!

I looked that up on the first day I had the game, but IMDB hadn't been updated to reflect it and neither had the wikia.. but I knew.

Bioware really pulled out the stops with the Sci-fi actors lending voices. Tim Russ and Kate Mulgrew from Voyager and Claudia Black. Wonder how many others are hidden in the credits?

Tim Curry is Arl Howe. Otherwise I think there are many from former Bioware games.

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One thing that annoyed me a lot. On my second playthrough now and this time I got Zevran at level 13. When I asked him why he would be good to have in a party, he replied "Because I'm good at killing, stealing and picking locks". When I checked his abilities though he no skill points at all in Stealing and no ability points in Deft Hands (used for picking locks and disarming traps), which kinda forced me to still use Leliana in my party (wanted to use Zevran this time around, as I had Leliana in my party last time as warrior). There should have been an option to undo skills & abilities when you gain certain party members or that they had preset skills/abilities chosen up until level 8.
Luckily on my third playthrough I'll be the Rogue myself, so no need to have Leliana or Zevran in party.

[Monk]

Tim Curry is Arl Howe. Otherwise I think there are many from former Bioware games.

Arl Howe's fate.

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Somehow knowing it's Tim Curry makes killing him all the more satisfying.

One thing that annoyed me a lot. On my second playthrough now and this time I got Zevran at level 13. When I asked him why he would be good to have in a party, he replied "Because I'm good at killing, stealing and picking locks". When I checked his abilities though he no skill points at all in Stealing and no ability points in Deft Hands (used for picking locks and disarming traps), which kinda forced me to still use Leliana in my party (wanted to use Zevran this time around, as I had Leliana in my party last time as warrior). There should have been an option to undo skills & abilities when you gain certain party members or that they had preset skills/abilities chosen up until level 8.
Luckily on my third playthrough I'll be the Rogue myself, so no need to have Leliana or Zevran in party.

Yeah I noticed that as well, it would seem he is not only an assassin but a liar as well.

[LeftEyeNine]

Sorry, I didn't mean to derail the thread. I was just making an observation I found rather funny for me in my situation. Back to the spoiler tags!

Greg-sama always speaks of wisdom. Not yer share, sensei.

[Monk]

Playing through again as a Mage after dabbling with Dwarven Commoner. I was unsure on what to settle with for my third play-through but I think mage will do fine. I wasn't really sure until I found some armor mods that made mage armor a bit more aesthetically pleasing. Bioware should have included more interesting cloth types ala the Archon Robes, imho.

But I've found Mage to be pretty fun, though Warrior is still my favorite way to play. I've noticed that since I had heal + the heal over time, I hardly ever used potions in the first 4 hours of the game. Consequently i'm sitting on 30+ lesser healing potions , 20+ normals and around 7 greaters.

[seireikhaan]

2nd go through, still with the city elf. I think, this time through, I think I found the hardest boss the entire game.

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Gaxhang the Unbound.

Time for my tenth try at it...

[FactionHeir]

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How can you find Kangaxx difficult?
He was in BG2, but isn't quite that bad in DA:O

[al Roumi]

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How can you find Kangaxx difficult?
He was in BG2, but isn't quite that bad in DA:O

I don't remember him seeing him yet (lagging behind you guys, still on 1st playthrough). Where is he to be found?

[FactionHeir]

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Quaint hovel in one of the back alleys of denerim

[Krusader]

I don't remember him seeing him yet (lagging behind you guys, still on 1st playthrough). Where is he to be found?

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As FactionHeir said, although I think you need to have killed 5 Revenants from various phylacteries around Ferelden, before you get the quest and thus the door becomes openable.

@Monk:
Third playthrough? You really love this game

I'm going Primal on my mage...Cone of Cold coupled with Stonefist can be awesome way to take out an enemy quickly. Plus the AoE spells can be nasty (Earthquake to keep mobs in one place and then Blizzard & Tempest to take em down...havent gotten Inferno yet). Oh, I got 60 Healing potions. Me healing and Shale tanking.

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As Mage though be wary in Circle Tower. When I went first through a door I came up against a desire demon and four-five posessed templars...who all got the Holy Smite ability...my mage dropped to 5% health immediately before they even began running towards my party and I was taken out fast.

[al Roumi]

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As FactionHeir said, although I think you need to have killed 5 Revenants from various phylacteries around Ferelden, before you get the quest and thus the door becomes openable.

Thanks!

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Does killing him net you the ring of Gaxx?

His presence in DA:O is a fair old easter egg, wasn't he meant to be some inter-planar being or something? Hence why he can pop up in the Forgotten Realms and Ferelden...

[FactionHeir]

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No, its not linked to the revenants across the map. Its linked to finding 3 dead adventurers (and their journals) and talking to a living adventurer in Orzammar.
And no ring of Gaxx, but other OK (not really useful) items.

[Monk]

@Monk:
Third playthrough? You really love this game

I'm going Primal on my mage...Cone of Cold coupled with Stonefist can be awesome way to take out an enemy quickly. Plus the AoE spells can be nasty (Earthquake to keep mobs in one place and then Blizzard & Tempest to take em down...havent gotten Inferno yet). Oh, I got 60 Healing potions. Me healing and Shale tanking.

Love would be Mass Effect, I've completed it over ten times.

I'm going a mix of Primal and healing spells until I can get the spirit healer specialization. I unlocked Blood Mage but the spells it gave me don't seem that impressive (except the top tier blood spell, that one looks handy).

[seireikhaan]

I'm going a mix of Primal and healing spells until I can get the spirit healer specialization. I unlocked Blood Mage but the spells it gave me don't seem that impressive (except the top tier blood spell, that one looks handy).

The top two are both very useful. The second to top is crowd control + damage + no friendly fire.