Dragon Age: Origins

DeVore

I got this yesterday... finally cracked and bought it.

I decided to play against my usual role and be a rogue, seems like rogue is Hard Mode hahah... I am just at the start but I have two fighters and two rogues in the party (out in the wilds before the Joining).

I wandered out into the first area, thinking it would be the usual walk in the park at the start and got butchered. Absolutely butchered.

I'm now addicted to health potions and micromanage every fight

so far so good but it really is NeverWinterNights on steroids... I liked NWN myself so I like this... the story seems strong too. But they arent messing about with the fights or maybe just the combination of Rogue and Fighter x 2 isnt very effective... one of the fighters (the goons you get at the start) just drops like a stone. The big girlieman.

DeV.

Vegeta

DeVore wrote: »

I got this yesterday... finally cracked and bought it.

I decided to play against my usual role and be a rogue, seems like rogue is Hard Mode hahah... I am just at the start but I have two fighters and two rogues in the party (out in the wilds before the Joining).

I wandered out into the first area, thinking it would be the usual walk in the park at the start and got butchered. Absolutely butchered.

I'm now addicted to health potions and micromanage every fight

so far so good but it really is NeverWinterNights on steroids... I liked NWN myself so I like this... the story seems strong too. But they arent messing about with the fights or maybe just the combination of Rogue and Fighter x 2 isnt very effective... one of the fighters (the goons you get at the start) just drops like a stone. The big girlieman.

DeV.

I am about 8 hours in and it is the same, quite tough. I too started as a rogue and really wish I had started as a priest or white mage or something.

It is a good game and I will finish it but the combat is annoying me a bit over the last day.

The micromanaging of fights is getting a little tedious, inability to stack commands is annoying me. It's meant to be pause and play but for me it's more like pause, command, character does command, change character, pause, command, character does command and repeat.

I fought a reasonably tough enemy last night and even though it says that enemies will focus on characters wearing heavy armour. The enemy just focused on my main character who as a rogue was wearing light armour. I tried to run away, attack him with my tank to distract him but he just kept on coming after me. grrrrr

Also even though in the tactics section you tell the mages and rogues to keep a distance mine constantly get approached by enemies and don't keep the gap. They just stand and get butchered

I am enjoying it and will finish it but I wish the combat was a tiny bit easier to manage or organise. Difficulty is spot on, I like it a bit tough but it's all a bit hectic at the minute. I suspect it is more tactical on the PC

ShiverinEskimo

The whole way through playing this game as a mage I kept thinking how useless a rogue would be - in fairness they do get strong eventually with the backstab getting effective etc. but I imagine some of the harder battles will be a nightmare for you.

Wynne (Healer Mage) will be of special help to you DeV as a Rogue.

Vegeta

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

The whole way through playing this game as a mage I kept thinking how useless a rogue would be

inFamouxe

I just got this game today for ps3 i already downloaded the free content which is the (blood armor and shale) but can't see them in the game???

ShiverinEskimo

Sorry dude - but their speciality of poison making and trap setting won't really tip fights your way. One thing I would say is get the stealth up and running asap - when you have stealth maxed out you can attack while invisible so you won't attract any attention except from what you're attacking.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

poison making can be handy though, otherwise you can't equip acid coating or magebane or any of that crap to your weapons

Mr Freeze

Never tried that, sounds good though.

DeVore

I have tried , its ok but not that great. Its hard to tell because there is no detailed history of the fight (is there?). Backstab is useless at the early levels so far, its a one hit wonder and it doesnt do that much damage even when you do get it in.... the time it takes to take up position for it, you could have more damage done...

I quite like my character but he is effectively a fighter who is weaker then a real fighter but has some nice extras.

One thing is that stealth is very handy to know if i'm about to go into a big fight and what the lay of the land is. I've given him potion making because... and this is the killer, I have no healer yet. Not a freaking heal spell amongst them.

I just got Morrigan to join and just realised SHE doesnt have a freaking heal spell either!

I gathered every weed and herb I could find and only JUST had enough healing to make it through... no matter how well you play you get worn down, especially in that damned tower

Anyway, its fairly irrelevant after a while which class your main is, you get to control and upgrade all your characters so its almost like playing all of them. It just means I'll always have a rogue with me, which I always would anyway.

So far, loving it but occasionally my group will just stand around and watch fellow group members getting slaughtered right in front of them. I have them all set to aggressive fighters which is quite confusing...

So far, so good... even with those complaints... the story is good enough to keep me engaged!

DeV.

inFamouxe

Bought this on PS3 and this game is definitely on my top 5 list! This game is very addictive it's like i want to swap my characters all the time just to try their different skills, the story is fecking class and seriously the graphics is not bad as what other people say i think it's ari for an RPG game. Face on AC2 is worst!

and can't believe having sex with a guy is trophy? :O

seclachi

Tactics are key to this game, especially if your not playing on easy, when you get morrigan you should pick up a heal spell and set it to work at 25% party member health then bumping into 50-75% towards the end. I switch to wynne as shes more of a healer, but theres nothing to stop you tweaking morrigan to be a healer.

Croud control is the other big factor, every class has some form of aoe stun, 2h sweep / scatter shot. You should gun for those talents and add them to tactics, when everybody in the party is stunning people for 4-5s at a time it makes a big difference.

Finished it the other day, the ending is brilliant, theres great varity in how it can turn out which is brilliant. You also get a kind of storybook that tells you how the major plot points turned out, I love the fact its all tied up and your not left wondering.

It took me about 35 hours, skipping alot of stuff I think. I could imagine seeing everything taking 50-60 hours, not including playing a different race to see the new start and playing through all the possibilitys of your actions. In that case its going to be hundreds of hours.

I played a 2h warrior beserker style, thinking it would be much like that certain mmo, but I didnt really enjoy it, you only really get momentum after level 12 or so, as the starting talents seem really weak. I think dual wield would have been better.

I thought the game was quite good, but I didnt really like the "feel" of abilities, in games like wow they have an instant response, where in dragon age they feel delayed.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i loved my rogue char, but this time aroudn playing as a mage.. having another character as a rogue is much better because their starting stats are well higher than mine would have been, it's a rare chest that leilena can't unlock. Her stats are heavily leaning towards archery though, and with two mages in my party already I can't afford to use her as an archer so that does kinda suck

fitz0

Not getting this until I'm finished college for Christmas because, judging from past experience of NWN and BG2) I won't be seen for at least a week after buying it. Plus I've got shedloads of work to do and I don't need the temptation to skip any more classes.

On the other hand I can't wait to get it, it looks epic.

anonymous_joe

fitz0 wrote: »

Not getting this until I'm finished college for Christmas because, judging from past experience of NWN and BG2) I won't be seen for at least a week after buying it. Plus I've got shedloads of work to do and I don't need the temptation to skip any more classes.

On the other hand I can't wait to get it, it looks epic.

I had a reading week when I got it and yeah, didn't leave the house aside from three or four nights out.

It's addictive as fcuk.

c - 13

I'm just starting into the final mission now - after 60ish hours.

I explored every dungeon, did all the side quests

Standard quests in villages, Chanters board, Crows, Mages, Blackstone, Yerman in the Gnawed Noble's quests, char personal quests, glass phlaqterys (SP?),romance subplots (3 out of 4)

checked against a guide and seem to have gotten everything (with the exception of about 4 small quests I couldnt do because

I failed speech challenges or couldnt get back to an area

)

Yet i'm only coming up as 58% done on the stats screen - what did I miss ?

Mr Freeze

c - 13 wrote: »

Yet i'm only coming up as 58% done on the stats screen - what did I miss ?

The different origins are counted in that percentage too...

c - 13

CKWPORT wrote: »

The different origins are counted in that percentage too...

Ahh, never thought of that. Seems likely alright, plus theres

4 different endings too ?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i'm going to have to play this game a load of times to get all the different romance subplots done.. there's just no way I can break up with leilena,

the only way I could with morrigan is because she buggered off after the game ended, i still feel kinda sad about that actually

. Alistair the bastard wouldn't sleep with me at all, im gona be a dwarf next time just to add to the kinkyness factor.. that must be what's missing.

--edit

is it possible to do wynne? that'd be kinda hot

DARK-KNIGHT

OK UNSURE ABOUT THIS GAME! is it worth buying? hearing good things but in short can someone explain plot gameplay and value for money please?

Mr Freeze

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

is it possible to do wynne? that'd be kinda hot

it isn't possible to do Wynne...only managed to bed Morrigan (a few times) in my playthrough...will aim for Lelania next playthrough, If I do one

c - 13

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

Alistair the bastard wouldn't sleep with me at all, im gona be a dwarf next time just to add to the kinkyness factor.. that must be what's missing.

Alistar was the one I missed because my char was male. Male dwarf warrior, was pretty funny watching

him get with zevran

, all the lovely music and this squat hairy dwarf with this lithe elf lad getting it on.

Also laughed in the pearl - If you choose to see "some of both", theres a couple of lads in drag that come up as "female" with real deep voices if you talkto them.

Caoimhín

raycaulwell wrote: »

OK UNSURE ABOUT THIS GAME! is it worth buying? hearing good things but in short can someone explain plot gameplay and value for money please?

For subplot think "Lord of the Rings" for game play think "Oblivion"

RAIN

Jesus my whole weekend just vanished into Ferelden, the last time I became so obsessed was with Fallout 3!

Edge gave this a very harsh review (was reading at the weekend), I think the negatives aspects of this game for some people are the out right positives for other folks. EDGE slated it for being to familiar while zero puctuation said that was one of the things he enjoyed.

I agree with yahtzee some times people want to buy pants.....so they just buy pants! I wanted to play a massive RPG that I could sink weeks into with a classic feel to it and they delivered. Brilliant game.

Edge also gave out about the voice acting? wha? I think that's one of the best bits of it.

DeVore

Yeah, I have to agree... I wanted a big RPG that I can take aaaages getting into and play on and off and get to know the characters etc. This does exactly what it says on the tin and does it well.

If you want Halo, this isnt your game. Just like if you go out for breakfast you shouldnt come back with a spanner. Its just not going to satisfy you.

DeV.

c - 13

Well thats it all wrapped up - really enjoyed that. Best value for money game i prchasedin a long time. I went with the

Morrigan's Dark Ritual

ending. They hint at

a sequel

an awful lot in the text before the credits.

Mr Freeze

c - 13 wrote: »

I went with the

Morrigan's Dark Ritual

ending.

i'd say nearly everyone went with that in their 1st playthrough, It wasn't easy resist...

How did ye bed 3 of the main characters in your playthrough, I went for Morrigan 1st, and then Lelania, but as far as I got was breakup with Morrigan, then Kiss Lelania, then no option for sexy time every came up after that?

Couldn't bring myself to chat up the other man though Zevrhan...

He ended up betraying me anyways, so the only thing getting stuck there was him....with a sword

c - 13

CKWPORT wrote: »

i'd say nearly everyone went with that in their 1st playthrough, It wasn't easy resist...

How did ye bed 3 of the main characters in your playthrough, I went for Morrigan 1st, and then Lelania, but as far as I got was breakup with Morrigan, then Kiss Lelania, then no option for sexy time every came up after that?

Couldn't bring myself to chat up the other man though Zevrhan...

He ended up betraying me anyways, so the only thing getting stuck there was him....with a sword

Went with morrigan first, then dropped her and went for Lelianna, then went back to Morrigan again. Funnilly enough you can sleep with zevran without annoying the other two until his approval rating gets to a certain point then they object. If zevrans approval is high enough

he wont betray you

Mr Freeze

Ah...I wasn't a big fan of him anyways....

Have played all 6 origin stories now, and they are all great, the level of detail is amazing how each origin story is different and will fit in and change the main plot....Tempted to play through this again straight away now as my Mage character.

DeVore

I just got Sten and he's a bit good... should I favour him as my main tank or stick with Alaistair (who seems to go down a bit fast but is funny).

Do all your characters gain xp even if in Camp or is it a case of "you have to bring them out to level them up" ??

DeV.

RAIN

I Didn't find Sten much good. Shale or Alaistar all the way. I have Al in templar Armour and his strength at 34 and constitution up mid 20's . Hes a beast! with Morrigan and Wynne for back up with my warrior elf. Flame on!