I am playing Dragon Age Origins

[Theldaran]

Ugh, you have some balls... I don't consider playing DA:O again. Let sleeping dogs lie.

 

[Semiurge]

Can you even get this game without the DLCs anymore? The ultimate edition is like 5 bucks on GOG when on discount, so I don't think the discussion whether the DLCs are worth it are relevant.

It's not playable on modern hardware without "the official un-official patch". You might think it is at first but when you're about halfway through it starts to CTD regularly and saves made in Denerim go corrupt.

I had this exact problem and lowering graphic settings was enough to keep playing. According to the internet, there is a problem with the amount of stuff the game loads when in Denerim.

Playing with lower settings isn't even noticeable: everything (apart from Morrigan's boobs) looks like shit anyway.

The game probably wasn't designed for resolutions above 1080p if even for that. That's what I used when playing it for the first time with a Win XP/Core2Duo machine. All other settings were pretty much maxed, AA x 4 and anisotropic filtering forced on and no problems loading Denerim saves.

Even Witcher 3 may freeze during loading screens when using resolutions above that.

 

[Absinthe]

I love the main game, but the actual expansion really started to show signs of lazyness, and what was to come in DA:2.

I played through the main game 5 times, and thrived on each playthrough, with it never getting boring. But I only played through the expansion twice, first time I was bored after about 2/3rd, 2nd time I quit halfway through.

The seperate DLC's were a mixed bag. If you're thinking of buying them here's what I reckon........

EA stopped bothering trying to sell the shit and just made them all available for free now: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/download-dlc-for-classic-origin-games/#dragonage Just download and install. My take on DAO DLC is much simpler: Stone Prisoner is good, the rest you can skip. Warden's Keep is alright content-wise but it's also a pile of broken power-ups and loot I would recommend skipping. I think Golems of Amgarrak is okay. That one was basically designed to challenge players more. The rest tend to be a mess of level reuse for the most part.

I'd recommend playing sea's Thirst custom campaign over the official DLC.

No wonder, since most of this content was actually removed from the base game when it was pretty close to finished and then re-added via DLC.

Correct. Originally Shale was to be found in Redcliffe's village.


They cut it out and turned it into free DLC as part of EA's plans to screw over second hand copies. It was part of Riccitiello's brilliant plan to improve revenue:

• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-02-10/electronic-arts-lost-in-an-alien-landscape
• https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/project-ten-dollar-will-alienate-consumers-warns-retail (Article incorrectly assumes practice started with ME2 when it was part of DAO too)

Mass Effect 3 had a similar thing with Javik, and it was much more controversial then, since people realized you could get Javik by modding ME3 instead of buying the DLC since it was already part of the game. Then again DAO had a different DLC controversy with fucking Warden's Keep inserting DLC salesmen into the party camp. Nowadays the latest plan for screwing resale potential is to go full GaaS. Another popular plan has been to make physical copies Steamware garbage (Age of Wonders 3 does this too, along with full-on DRM-walling their multiplayer modes after GOG made them remove singleplayer DRM) so that copies have to be registered with Steam to a single person's steam account.

>The vote is irrelevant
>the vote was between Loghain and Alistair, Anora was a third option.

Choose one.

What Cael is saying is that the way it goes down it's just a vote between Warden's pick and Loghain, and that your pick can be either Alistair, Anora, or both. You could also marry Alistair or Anora if you are playing the Human Noble origin. It's not like events play out differently, really.

DAO had the potential to be a very good RPG, with an excellent first act (the origins) and characters with apparent depth and substance as well as some fun C&C.

It gets rightly shit on here because despite setting up everything very well, the execution is a complete flop that heralded Bioware's decline. And a game that showed promise and failed to deliver is worse than one that is constantly shite because of the 'what if' bitter taste it leaves.

Pretty much. A lot of wasted potential in the narrative, quest design, and gameplay. There are also signs that they proceeded to deliberately dumb down the game in the last year before launch (coincidentally during EA acquisition, although a lot of it is Bioware's own doing).

Alistair's meltdown when you recruit Loghain is the last bit of good writing Bioware did

If you side with Anora you can even have Alistair executed.

 

[Cael]

What Cael is saying is that the way it goes down it's just a vote between Warden's pick and Loghain, and that your pick can be either Alistair, Anora, or both. It's not like events play out differently, really.

It is more than that. The gibbering idiot conflated two different things and tried a gotcha.

The vote was between Alistair and Loghain, yes, and it happened. It became irrelevant because it didn't matter who won the vote, it still ended up with a duel with Loghain.

This is very much like the trial in NWN2. There was a trial, you can win or lose it, but in the end it doesn't matter because you duel Lorne.

The two statements were not mutually exclusive, which he would know if he had played the game.

 

[Lacrymas]

You mean that even if you lose the vote, you still fight Loghain and get to choose who sits on the throne?

 

[Cael]

You mean that even if you lose the vote, you still fight Loghain and get to choose who sits on the throne?

You expected a game over if you lose? In a Biowaste game?

 

[Absinthe]

You mean that even if you lose the vote, you still fight Loghain and get to choose who sits on the throne?

Correct. If you win the vote, it's a 1v1 duel. If you lose the vote, it's your party fighting vs a large group of enemies including Loghain. Depending on your build (and basically how shit you are), it is typically easier to fight the large group of enemies with your party than to fight Loghain (a boss character) with a single character.

 

[Lacrymas]

I didn't know that because I never lost the vote. I expected maybe that you wouldn't have influence over who sits on the throne at least.

 

[Absinthe]

Hah. No. That would be too much C&C. If Bioware had balls losing would mean that Loghain stays regent and you get no support from the crown because fuck you.

 

[Piotrovitz]

I'm giving this a second try (haven't went far on my first attempted run years ago), since I have cravings for some non-investing RPG lite.

Writing and NPCs voiceovers/dialogues are campy as fuck and on very juvenile level. Main and side quests are cringeworthy and are something that I could came up with for PnP campaign when I was 14 yo.
Relatively good part is combat - even though it's very MMOish and arcade'y, it gives enough satisfaction to not quit.

Need advise on two things:

1. Any recommended rebalance mods or should I go vanilla?
2. I'm playing DW rogue and am wondering on party build. I got Alistair for tanking and Morrigan for CC/nuking - for the last slot I'm thinking about either Leliana (more DPS) or Wynne (heal/buffbot). Any tips?

Note I'm playing on hard - how feasible is to roll without dedicated healer/buffer?

 

[Cael]

I'm giving this a second try (haven't went far on my first attempted run years ago), since I have cravings for some non-investing RPG lite.

Writing and NPCs voiceovers/dialogues are campy as fuck and on very juvenile level. Main and side quests are cringeworthy and are something that I could came up with for PnP campaign when I was 14 yo.
Relatively good part is combat - even though it's very MMOish and arcade'y, it gives enough satisfaction to not quit.

Need advise on two things:

1. Any recommended rebalance mods or should I go vanilla?
2. I'm playing DW rogue and am wondering on party build. I got Alistair for tanking and Morrigan for CC/nuking - for the last slot I'm thinking about either Leliana (more DPS) or Wynne (heal/buffbot). Any tips?

Note I'm playing on hard - how feasible is to roll without dedicated healer/buffer?

The base game is pretty OK in terms of equipment. Don't go for DLC stuff or the starter pack stuff. They are broken beyond belief when compared to the vanilla stuff. You will end up with your entire crew decked out with nothing but DLC and "special edition" stuff right.

If you are going DW rogue, two mages are practically a must. Make sure both know Haste and cast them (up to 2 instances of Haste will stack, but no more), and at least one knows Mana Clash for pesky mage enemies.

Alternatively, there is a mod that makes one of the Bard Songs give you Haste as well, which lowers your reliance on mages and allows you to bring Leiliana along (your toon can be the second Bard for double helping of Haste).

 

[Funposter]

the answer to the question "should i run morrigan AND wynne?" is pretty much always yes, iirc

 

[Falksi]

Hard's not that hard, so don't panic too much. but whatever level you play on 2 mages, 1 healer 1 damage dealer, seems to be the most fun.

I loved playing as a DW Rogue, stealthing the way then spunking the monkey from behind. One of the few times I thought it worth the upgrade to a 3-D environment from the usually preferred isometric view.

I'd also go Vanilla first time too. DLC's are worth adding after you've completed it, but initially the purer experience is best IMO. DLC's from the off are kinda like bumming someone you've fancied for a while without doing the pussy first. Too much too soon, and really there just to add extra spice when it gets a bit dull.

 

[Piotrovitz]

Great tips, thanks bros.

I have GOG's definitive edition and noticed some OP DLC stuff in my inventory right from the start (blood armor, some high-end shield etc) - I dumped this into the garbage right away.

Will go for Morrigan/Wynne then. Every NPC seems to be equally irritating as fuck, so at least I don't have hesitate on the party build based on their personalities.

As for specialization for my rogue - should I go assassin/duelist or assassin/bard?
I would go for bard, but with two mages I'm afraid there won't be much to buff.

Also - is stealth worth it?
I'm not much into scouting, but from what I see on higher levels you can hide during the combat, which sounds cool and could help you if you fuck up and gather too much aggro, no?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Will go for Morrigan/Wynne then. Every NPC seems to be equally irritating as fuck, so at least I don't have hesitate on the party build based on their personalities.

When you get a choice of where to go, go to the dwarf kingdom place.
You seem like the type of person who would like Oghren.

wait,, if you have wynne then you're already past the point of choosing. Go get Oghren.

 

[Cael]

Great tips, thanks bros.

I have GOG's definitive edition and noticed some OP DLC stuff in my inventory right from the start (blood armor, some high-end shield etc) - I dumped this into the garbage right away.

Will go for Morrigan/Wynne then. Every NPC seems to be equally irritating as fuck, so at least I don't have hesitate on the party build based on their personalities.

As for specialization for my rogue - should I go assassin/duelist or assassin/bard?
I would go for bard, but with two mages I'm afraid there won't be much to buff.

If you have Awakening as well, duelist/legion scout is a potent straight attacker. Throw in assassin for fun and games.

If you are playing without Awakening, then duelist with either bard or assassin is about the same. Different play styles, but both are good. Don't forget Bard mana/stamina regen buff is not something that mages get easily.

Ranger is, in theory, good, but the stupid bug that dismisses your animal companion with every screen transition is annoying as hell.

 

[Popiel]

Writing and NPCs voiceovers/dialogues are campy as fuck and on very juvenile level.

Pure curiosity: which games you would consider as written above that level...?

 

[Prime Junta]

As for specialization for my rogue - should I go assassin/duelist or assassin/bard?

Doesn't really matter, the assassin specials (+ the perk that makes damage scale with Cunning) are the real killers, and by the time you get a second specialisation you'll be fairly OP anyway if you build it right. That said, I'd go with duelist.

 

[Falksi]

Great tips, thanks bros.

I have GOG's definitive edition and noticed some OP DLC stuff in my inventory right from the start (blood armor, some high-end shield etc) - I dumped this into the garbage right away.

Will go for Morrigan/Wynne then. Every NPC seems to be equally irritating as fuck, so at least I don't have hesitate on the party build based on their personalities.

As for specialization for my rogue - should I go assassin/duelist or assassin/bard?
I would go for bard, but with two mages I'm afraid there won't be much to buff.

Also - is stealth worth it?
I'm not much into scouting, but from what I see on higher levels you can hide during the combat, which sounds cool and could help you if you fuck up and gather too much aggro, no?

I loved stealth, just added to the fun of the gameplay, but if I remember right it needed maxing to be truly useful. I'd say it depends on how you like to play.

Also, Alister & Morrigan have some of my fave party banter ever. They annoy each other just as much as they'll annoy you lol.

 

[Piotrovitz]

Pure curiosity: which games you would consider as written above that level...?

Easiest example is much hated here PoE1 - NPCs are much more nuanced and generally better written.

Let's take Eder and Alistair, which both fit in the bro stereotype and provide good example/contrast.

Eder sometimes provides some comedic relief here and there, but he is generally more down to earth and believable type. Alistair OTOH sounds so goddamn edgy and modern, that just makes you wanna punch him in the face. This is unfortunately fault of most of modern RPGS - even Deadfire is guilty of that (Maia)

 

[Cael]

Pure curiosity: which games you would consider as written above that level...?

Easiest example is much hated here PoE1 - NPCs are much more nuanced and generally better written.

Let's take Eder and Alistair, which both fit in the bro stereotype and provide good example/contrast.

Eder sometimes provides some comedic relief here and there, but he is generally more down to earth and believable type. Alistair OTOH sounds so goddamn edgy and modern, that just makes you wanna punch him in the face. This is unfortunately fault of most of modern RPGS - even Deadfire is guilty of that (Maia)

Alistair isn't so much modern and edgy as spoilt and childish.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I played a mage, took Wynne, Morrigan, and Shale. Too bad there weren't enough mage companions for a full mage party. Also, the old lady pitched a fit and didn't make it out of the mage's tower, so I ended up replacing her with Allistair. Overall, I enjoyed the party. Morrigan wore a bit thin, and I remember Shale being genuinely funny. I thought Allistair could be a bit whiny at times, but was otherwise cool.

 

[jackofshadows]

I found Alistair so annoying that he didn't even survived my first playthrough.

Spoiler

was replaced by Loghain and then executed just in case as Anora had suggested

 

[Silly Germans]

Leliana was goddamn annoying, even the sodomy seeking elf wasn't that bad.

 

[Falksi]

Leliana's voice was hot. Got a smooth throat you just have to piss down.