Dragon Age Difficulty

[Grabo]

It is because many people have never really played a roleplaying game. They run into a huge cavern and aggro every enemy within a mile. Ask that same character about stealth, traps, and resistences and you probably get a blank stare...

It's fantastic how people can perceive something written differently. (Or not, considering mass-religions)

All I heard was 'Now I mean avoid again, like I seemed to do the first time' | 'cakewalk' |'the problem is' 'just can't figure out'.

"Resistences"..well, I was born in -81 and have played roleplaying games for as long as I can remember. You (ExarKun) are being ignorant and grossly generalizing, while the answer to Ninjas "just can't figure it out" query is

It's because you're ninja, obviously.

 

[JoshGuru7]

Even if that's true, it seems false to say there is no imbalance just because you (1 person) manage it.

There are a lot of people out there, myself included, who think it's silly to call an RPG "unbalanced" because it encourages you to include a healer in your party. It's a very standard RPG convention to require a healer, tank and DPS in a group in order for it to function at all. Dragon Age is more lenient than most games in this regard because of the relatively low cost of health potions.

Am I missing something with Dog? I almost never used him in my groups because he didn't seem to offer anything other than the AOE stun. Is his damage THAT good to leave out my rogue or mage?

Dog is very respectable mDPS comparable to an offensively specced warrior. I would not recommend bringing Dog as basically your third warrior at the cost of either your rogue or your mage, as Dog would be a substitute for the DPS warrior it sounds like you're including in your party. If your character is the DPS warrior, then Dog would replace your rogue in cases where you wanted to use him.

Thanks for the clarification on avoiding fights or not however. As for 'pulling smaller groups', many times that's strictly impossible.

Specifically, an archer with good range on their bow can tag enemies from farther away than their social aggro picks up. Most of the time just the mob you tagged will come running which lets you pick through static groups one at a time. This doesn't help with mobs that spawn around you, making those the most difficult fights.

The debate about difficulty really revolves around the rogue just as much as it does around the mage. Rogues are an exceptionally powerful class if you are using their full arsenal of devious tricks (traps, poisons, planned build, pulling single mobs at a time, insta-crit shatters on frozen targets). However, unlike the mage or the warrior class I think it's very easy to skip a lot of what the rogue has to offer even if you're an experienced RPG player.

Lastly @Raistlinz, Shale is a terrific main tank. She soaks up a lot of damage instead of avoiding it (bad) but because health automatically regenerates between fights it isn't that big of a problem in Dragon Age. In fact, for some of the more difficult parts where your tank is getting nuked by enemy mages it's actually better to be a damage sponge. As for threat generation, Shale really excels there. She has two different taunts and three skills that increase threat generation and health regeneration.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I'm sorry, I just can't figure out why this game is so hard for people. I've beaten this game 4 different times now with different classes and setups.

Because it's my first "hard core" RPG? Stop being a dick. Also, thanks for the spoiler regarding Loghain above, idiot.

 

[exar333]

It's fantastic how people can perceive something written differently. (Or not, considering mass-religions)

All I heard was 'Now I mean avoid again, like I seemed to do the first time' | 'cakewalk' |'the problem is' 'just can't figure out'.

"Resistences"..well, I was born in -81 and have played roleplaying games for as long as I can remember. You (ExarKun) are being ignorant and grossly generalizing, while the answer to Ninjas "just can't figure it out" query is

It's because you're ninja, obviously.

Statements like this really make me laugh. The game does seem to favor mages, but it doesn't mean the game is entirely unbalanced. Many of the comments here are from people who think the game should be the same difficulty without a mage using the same tactics. Foolishness.

I soloed a good share of this game with my rogue, and it required patience. For those who try to use the same crowd-fighting techniques they used with 1 tank and three mages, good luck.

 

[Grabo]

There are a lot of people out there, myself included, who think it's silly to call an RPG "unbalanced" because it encourages you to include a healer in your party. It's a very standard RPG convention to require a healer, tank and DPS in a group in order for it to function at all. Dragon Age is more lenient than most games in this regard because of the relatively low cost of health potions.

I agree, to a degree. If the official strategy guide gives a few party examples, and not one doesn't include a mage, then I'll be a silly beetle for saying 'groups without mages are unbalanced'..well, from the game designers' view, maybe they are. Most of the time I don't think I've argued that though, but rather that it is quite hard without a mage(which lately has been a bit disputed), and that mages seem more powerful than warriors.

And anyway, health poultices...I've seen the loading-tip that says 'Vendors occasionally restock' but at lvl12 I haven't seen that yet. No health poultices left anywhere I've been, and no elfroot either, so I'll scrounge the latter up wherever I find it to make the former.

Edit. Exar; see reply above.

 

[ayabe]

For Elfroot, there's a vendor in the Brecilian forest that will sell you stacks of 99, and it's unlimited as far as I can tell.

Spoiler

If you side with the Werewolves, this guy is obviously not there anymore

 

[sourceninja]

Because it's my first "hard core" RPG? Stop being a dick. Also, thanks for the spoiler regarding Loghain above, idiot.

I did you a favor, now you can plan for him. Planning makes rpg's. I wouldn't call dragon age hard core either. It's very forgiving when it comes to mistakes. For example you can cast spells without resting and your health regens after ever fight. Contrary to say BG where a small mistake in a dungeon could lead to your death via being out of heal spells, having nowhere to rest, and low on health.

Of course even BG is a weakling compared to nethack. That's where you can cut your teeth.

 

[Grabo]

I did you a favor, Planning makes rpg's.

Yes, thanks alot for revealing a major part of the plot, it's not as if the plot is important to RPGs.

Of course even BG is a weakling compared to nethack. That's where you can cut your teeth.

Lol, you are ninja, but you aren't on par with loon yet Can't you try to emulate him? Solo Hell difficulty with a warrior or something?

Most frustrating rpg experience I ever had was trying to play on Rallos Zek right at the beginning of EQ. Though I wouldn't call MMORPGs RPGs though, really, and I don't have the temperament for them.

By the way, Joshguru, thanks for the skills and stats-hints; it did improve matters somewhat.

 

[Liet]

It got harder with the switch to Loghain because the game didn't give him enough strength to wear the armor I had planned for him (although it was funny to see allister declare himself king in his underwear).

You're a fucking asshole.

Use spoiler tags, jackass.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

You know, generally speaking when yelling at someone for a spoiler, it's not a good idea to quote the spoiler in question.

 

[sourceninja]

You're a fucking asshole.

Use spoiler tags, jackass.

Isn't a spoiler to look for advice on how to play the game anyway? The best part of the game is learning to develop effective tactics. By planning out your character choices, your skill trees, your specializations, your equipment you are doing far more then just knowing a single character can be a member of your party.

Besides, I just assumed it was common knowledge. It seemed vary obvious from the beginning of the game to me.

 

[ProfJohn]

You know, generally speaking when yelling at someone for a spoiler, it's not a good idea to quote the spoiler in question.

Doh!

 

[ProfJohn]

Isn't a spoiler to look for advice on how to play the game anyway? The best part of the game is learning to develop effective tactics. By planning out your character choices, your skill trees, your specializations, your equipment you are doing far more then just knowing a single character can be a member of your party.

Besides,[bold] I just assumed it was common knowledge. It seemed vary obvious from the beginning of the game to me[/bold].

You are full of shit. There is NOTHING in the game that suggests to what happens with that character later on.

Sure we learn that he might be a bad guy, but there is NOTHING that suggests what you allude to in your spoiler.

 

[homercles337]

You're a fucking asshole.

Use spoiler tags, jackass.

I would not call that a spoiler. Unless, of course, if you live in a cave and dont have access to the intarwebs. Or you can just avoid ALL DA:O talk everywhere. Maps? Who like the gift maps?

 

[sourceninja]

I would not call that a spoiler. Unless, of course, if you live in a cave and dont have access to the intarwebs. Or you can just avoid ALL DA:O talk everywhere. Maps? Who like the gift maps?

Exactly, you get maps, you realize no one in your party likes them, you have allister constantly hating on him, the whole needing a new king thing, and a general knowledge of how bioware works...

I knew before I had played 2 hours in. The surprise to me wasn't the what, it was the how. I'm sorry however if knowing that bioware gave you an ethical choice to make that could potentially give you a new party member ruined your gaming experience.

It's too late to take it back. If you don't want spoilers, stay off the internet until you beat the game once I guess. Plus you know, in a discussion about party tactics, it might be useful to talk about the party members you might be using. It would be important if you picked him to know he started with insufficient strength to wear massive armor like

Spoiler

superior dragon scale

(Just incase anyone didn't know you can get that armor)

 

[NoSoup4You]

I just finished my second playthrough and found myself without any mages to complete the final assault on the Darkspawn. I literally only had 6 characters to complete the final mission and that's including my main character and the dog.

Was kinda neat although I was blazing through health potions at record pace...

 

[snikt]

I'm 50+ hours into DA:O. In-game stats show approximately 44% of the "world explored", and approximately 18% of DA:O completed. Grant it, I'm taking my time and I'm doing a good portion of the side quests, but 50+ hours and 18% completed? Does that sound right to anybody? Are there that many side quests?

 

[mb]

I'm 50+ hours into DA:O. In-game stats show approximately 44% of the "world explored", and approximately 18% of DA:O completed. Grant it, I'm taking my time and I'm doing a good portion of the side quests, but 50+ hours and 18% completed? Does that sound right to anybody? Are there that many side quests?

Wow, I thought that *I* was going slow! I'm at ~50 hours and have over 35% complete and over 55% of the world explored. I'm at work right now so I can't give you the exact #s.

I prefer this pace anyway. I know some people who beat it in under 20 hours. What's the fun in that?

 

[NYHoustonman]

I'm 50+ hours into DA:O. In-game stats show approximately 44% of the "world explored", and approximately 18% of DA:O completed. Grant it, I'm taking my time and I'm doing a good portion of the side quests, but 50+ hours and 18% completed? Does that sound right to anybody? Are there that many side quests?

They count that % (completion) rather annoyingly, including achievements and completion of the Origins stories. I think I ended up at 55% after my first playthrough.

 

[ProfJohn]

I'm 50+ hours into DA:O. In-game stats show approximately 44% of the "world explored", and approximately 18% of DA:O completed. Grant it, I'm taking my time and I'm doing a good portion of the side quests, but 50+ hours and 18% completed? Does that sound right to anybody? Are there that many side quests?

How often are you dying and having to refight battles?

In my first go around with a warrior PC it took me 20 hours to get to point X.
When I restarted with a mage PC it only took my 10 hours to get to the same point.

 

[Liet]

Exactly, you get maps, you realize no one in your party likes them, you have allister constantly hating on him, the whole needing a new king thing, and a general knowledge of how bioware works...

I knew before I had played 2 hours in. The surprise to me wasn't the what, it was the how. I'm sorry however if knowing that bioware gave you an ethical choice to make that could potentially give you a new party member ruined your gaming experience.

It's too late to take it back. If you don't want spoilers, stay off the internet until you beat the game once I guess. Plus you know, in a discussion about party tactics, it might be useful to talk about the party members you might be using. It would be important if you picked him to know he started with insufficient strength to wear massive armor like

Spoiler

superior dragon scale

(Just incase anyone didn't know you can get that armor)

Who cares? The basic point is that on an online forum for internet gamers, it's in incredibly bad form to undermine the enjoyment of other gamers, when you could just as easily discuss gameplay mechanics and difficulty without revealing character names or plot.

It's simple courtesy.

Or would you like me coming up to you while you're on line to see Usual Suspects, and telling you that Keyser Soze is actually Kevin Spacey. But it should've been obvious to you because he's such a big-name actor hired for such a small part. You should be thanking me so you could plan on being surprised later!

Whatever-the-fuck-ever.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2033170

 

[Liet]

I'm with you on that, GA. This thread is about mechanics, not fucking plot. Take that plot stuff to a spoiler thread.

 

[sourceninja]

Well, knowing that a poor choice in the game could leave you without a proper main tank seems to me to be directly relevant to strategy and party mechanics. My end game was twice as hard because of making that choice.

It's also not a major plot spoiler, I'm sorry, I can't see how it is. But whatever, I've given my working strategies, the game is easy, I'm moving on.

 

[Liet]

Don't be evasive or try to spin it. Just admit that you could've made your point without mentioning the character's name, but that you wanted to be an asshole and show everyone that you're so awesome and beat the game.

Using a spoiler when you don't need to shows a lack of respect for the other gamers in this forum.