Dragon Age: Origins

[Darklife]

Sometimes the AI can be furiously dumb. The knights in Redcliff village do not have enough common sense to realize it's not a good idea to walk into your own fire trap to fight the undeads. Made me reload a few times.

God that was annoying. Although they weren't particularly useful, seems I just have a pet peeve to keep everyone alive.( Not that I was able to do that with the militia)

 

[ZzZGuy]

God that was annoying. Although they weren't particularly useful, seems I just have a pet peeve to keep everyone alive.( Not that I was able to do that with the militia)

Has ANYONE saved all the militia by the church? Or even one or two?

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

It's quite possible to save them - at least, all the named ones - but very, very hard. I managed it, though I was a mage and brought morrigan along, microing both of us to keep tossing out disablers and used up every single lyrium potion I had. Even with that, I had to shove Lloyd in a forcefield for his own protection.

The paralyze/repulsion run combo is quite helpful here. It will paralyze your allies as well, but at least then they're aren't running into harms way. Worth tossing up the protection rune too, since you'll have it around if you have that combo. Blizzards and grease on the approach routes to buy yourself time, sleep and waking nightmare as often as possible, forcefield on anybody looking suicidally heroic.

I didn't have her along, but my experience suggests Wynne's cleansing aura from spirit healer should also heal non-party allies, though it will chew up mana at light speed.

Requires a fairly specific set of spells, but since those spells tend to be the most useful ones anyway, you should probably have them.

 

[you2]

What level were you all when you faught the broodmare. I was level 11 but I think I went there too early as it took a few tries; lots of potions and well was franky a pia. Trying to decide if I want to go on to the next part or leave for a while; get a few more levels and go back.

 

[you2]

I think I had one or two archvers live; the mayor was dead as almost dead before i got down there.

Has ANYONE saved all the militia by the church? Or even one or two?

 

[NoSoup4You]

I've managed to save Murdock (the mayor) and Tomas (some other dude) and one of the militia. That's it. Tough battle. I wonder if I'd had Wynne along with Morrigan if I could have saved more. Just having one mage makes it tough.

For the record, I was casting healing spells on the militia almost non-stop to keep them alive.

 

[Bateluer]

Anyone have advice on tactics to defeat Flemeth in Dragon form? Tried twice, got flattened both times. Trying to drum up some extra levels to even it up a bit.

 

[TheUnk]

Anyone have advice on tactics to defeat Flemeth in Dragon form? Tried twice, got flattened both times. Trying to drum up some extra levels to even it up a bit.

Put it on easy and sit back and shoot arrows =p

 

[MTDEW]

Anyone have advice on tactics to defeat Flemeth in Dragon form? Tried twice, got flattened both times. Trying to drum up some extra levels to even it up a bit.

Cone of cold - Attack - Cone of cold - Attack - Repeat as necessary.

 

[Alex C]

For Flemeth I had my rogue character and Liliana stand way back and spaced apart while attacking with bows, Alistair was tanking in shield wall mode with a lot of warmth salve, and Wynne was far away healing and attacking. Cone of cold was able to freeze the dragon long enough for me to revive Alistair when he died. It was tough, but I managed to beat her at around level 11. I was hoping for some good loot but it was very disappointing, even the grimoire didn't do much.

After how tough Flemeth was, I was dreading the high dragon later in the game. I made all sorts of preparations and stocked up on ice arrows and potions and all sorts of stuff, but it turns out I didn't need any of that. I just totally steamrolled the poor thing in my first attempt without needing most of the stuff I bought, I hardly even needed to heal anybody. The animation at the end of the fight is awesome though, so keep an eye out for it (and the ogre one too).

 

[Bateluer]

For Flemeth I had my rogue character and Liliana stand way back and spaced apart while attacking with bows, Alistair was tanking in shield wall mode with a lot of warmth salve, and Wynne was far away healing and attacking. Cone of cold was able to freeze the dragon long enough for me to revive Alistair when he died. It was tough, but I managed to beat her at around level 11. I was hoping for some good loot but it was very disappointing, even the grimoire didn't do much.

After how tough Flemeth was, I was dreading the high dragon later in the game. I made all sorts of preparations and stocked up on ice arrows and potions and all sorts of stuff, but it turns out I didn't need any of that. I just totally steamrolled the poor thing in my first attempt without needing most of the stuff I bought, I hardly even needed to heal anybody. The animation at the end of the fight is awesome though, so keep an eye out for it (and the ogre one too).

I think my average party level is around 10 right now, I'll probably make another attempt after I resolve this BS for Arl Eamon. Getting sick of the nonstop dungeon raids involved with it. First defend the village, than purge the castle, then cleanse the mage tower, then purge the fade, more mage tower, track down Geniviti, more fighting, find the hidden city, more fighting, purge the hallow mountain, more fighting. Arg!

 

[NoSoup4You]

The Mage's Tower was seperate from the 'Rescue Arl Eamon' questline, and yeah if you're having trouble with one of the dragon's just leave and come back later, you'll whip them no problem.

 

[jinsaotomex4]

How to easily beat any encounter in DA: Get your tank taunt, your healer/mage force field. Run in, taunt everything and cast force field on your tank. Enjoy tanking without taking any damage. Using the shockwave combo is nice as well. Go up to an elite, taunt everything, cast force field on the elite, then crushing prison. BOOM shockwave! Or cast force field on your tank, then use blizzard and earthquake to kill everything (AoE shatter combo if anything freezes, wooo). Yeah some of these are very cheap and can easily be abused, but they do make it easier to beat stuff lol.

 

[Bateluer]

The Mage's Tower was seperate from the 'Rescue Arl Eamon' questline, and yeah if you're having trouble with one of the dragon's just leave and come back later, you'll whip them no problem.

Kinda, depends how you want to accomplish the Arl Eamon quest.

I went back to Flemeth and tore her a new one. Exhausted a lot of health poultices, but I brought her down.

Not sure how to impress Sten, he's an ass.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Just downloaded the Shale DLC and am trying him out now. Are there any other options for his "weapons" other than Small, Medium, and Large crystals? They seem to have a pretty low damage rating compared to equivalent level traditional weapons. I'm still undecided if he's worth having in the group compared to my sword/shield tank.

BTW...what toons are you all putting in your main group of 4? My bread and butter group tends to be:

Mage - (Me)
Warrior
Rogue
Healer

I've tried fiddling with the war dog but he seems pretty worthless, IMO. No where near losing out on the utility of a Rogue or 2nd Mage. The dwarf Berserker is o.k., but he seem to take more damage than my Warrior. I tried taking out the Rogue and putting in Morrigan for the Deep Roads portion and had great success with that. But it left me with no one to pick locks - and I miss out on good items that way.

What group set-ups have you guys/gals had the most success with?

 

[RaistlinZ]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Bateluer]

What group set-ups have you guys/gals had the most success with?

I've been going with myself(warrior, Zevran, Alistair, and Morrigan. I'm debating whether or not I should take Leilana for her bardic abilities, but her Chantry preaching gets on my nerves and dialogue that Morrigan likes angers Leilana. Don't want to mess up my thing with Morrigan.

I started the Deep Roads portion by swapping out Alistair for Oghren, but had to stop and switch them back. He kept getting clobbered. Might be better with better gear, but in his 'starting' gear, he was getting pounded. Not much of a talker either, though he did provide a convenient place to get rid of the gift booze I've been lugging around.

 

[Jeangrey]

im still gonna play it though

 

[exar333]

Just finished my first playthrough here, 59 hours. Completed the game on hard with Allistair, Morrigan, Ughren, and me (rogue). I fought the quests in the following order and it worked out well for me: Redcliffe Castle, Dwarven Underground, Elven Kingdon, and then the Mage Tower.

BTW - lots of spoilers in this thread for those who haven't played the game or are still in the early stages.

 

[Bateluer]

Just finished my first playthrough here, 59 hours. Completed the game on hard with Allistair, Morrigan, Ughren, and me (rogue). I fought the quests in the following order and it worked out well for me: Redcliffe Castle, Dwarven Underground, Elven Kingdon, and then the Mage Tower.

BTW - lots of spoilers in this thread for those who haven't played the game or are still in the early stages.

I did most of Redcliffe, then had to hit the Mage Tower to get the good resolution for it, then went to the Dalish, working on the Dwarves now.

I'm curious how many people bought any of the DLCs that have been released so far. None of them seemed particularly appealing to me and didn't really seem to add much.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

I just beat Dragon Age this weekend. I think I clocked in around 40 hours, maybe a little less. The game was all right, though I uninstalled it this weekend and can't forsee myself ever playing it again. The story and the characters just weren't very interesting (outside of a handful, such as Alistair and Morrigan), the game is extremely linear, the DLC is a rip-off and the game is severely unbalanced in favor of mages. I would give it about a 6/10...I mostly enjoyed myself, but it was nothing special, and I really found myself growing impatient towards the end. Basically, every fight fell into one of two variations: the enemy has a mage or two, or the enemy has no mages. Fight #1 was a roll-of-the dice: if their spells hit first and you failed your rolls, it was probably a reload. Fight #2 was always a walk in the park.

Minor spoilers:

Also, towards the end, when two characters left my party, they took all of their gear with them! Gee, thanks for taking my Superior Dragonbone Armor and Tier 7 weapon filled with Master Runes with you! :\

 

[exar333]

I just beat Dragon Age this weekend. I think I clocked in around 40 hours, maybe a little less. The game was all right, though I uninstalled it this weekend and can't forsee myself ever playing it again. The story and the characters just weren't very interesting (outside of a handful, such as Alistair and Morrigan), the game is extremely linear, the DLC is a rip-off and the game is severely unbalanced in favor of mages. I would give it about a 6/10...I mostly enjoyed myself, but it was nothing special, and I really found myself growing impatient towards the end. Basically, every fight fell into one of two variations: the enemy has a mage or two, or the enemy has no mages. Fight #1 was a roll-of-the dice: if their spells hit first and you failed your rolls, it was probably a reload. Fight #2 was always a walk in the park.

Minor spoilers:

Also, towards the end, when two characters left my party, they took all of their gear with them! Gee, thanks for taking my Superior Dragonbone Armor and Tier 7 weapon filled with Master Runes with you! :\

You are definitely entitled to your opinion, but I would wager the "bare bones" game itself is probably 35 hours or so, and you probably didn't deviate much from the main quests.

Most Bioware games shine when you scratch beneath the surface and explore. You get additional quests, and you really have to think about how to resolve a major quest and what the implications are to smaller quests in that area.

The game wasn't perfect, but I was impressed with the mythology and the world they created for the game, and look forward to expansions and/or additional games to come.

As for the spoiler comment, I think it makes sense they left with their gear. If you have played previous BG games, you have to be congnizant that any non-PC characters can leave/die at any time. Apply gear with caution. It's sort of like a bad relationship break-up, it's not always easy to get all your stuff back, it's akward, and you sometimes just say "screw it" and cut your losses.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

Most Bioware games shine when you scratch beneath the surface and explore.

I thoroughly enjoyed Baldur's Gate 2, KOTOR and Mass Effect. I am certainly no BioWare "newbie", and Dragon Age: Origins just lacked that certain "it". It was a decent game, no doubt, but...it was just lacking overall. To each their own, I suppose.

As for the spoiler comment, I think it makes sense they left with their gear. If you have played previous BG games, you have to be congnizant that any non-PC characters can leave/die at any time. Apply gear with caution. It's sort of like a bad relationship break-up, it's not always easy to get all your stuff back, it's akward, and you sometimes just say "screw it" and cut your losses.

No. This isn't 1992. There is no reason why you should lose your top of the line gear in any game for any reason, especially when unforeseen plot twists jump up and smack you in the face unexpectedly. What am I supposed to do? Reload my last save, take all of their gear, and then progress the story? How silly is that? Why is it when you get temporary characters (such as in the Origin stories or the Joining quest), you get their gear back in your inventory after they leave?

Better gameplay mechanics trump lollore, every day of the week.

 

[NYHoustonman]

I did most of Redcliffe, then had to hit the Mage Tower to get the good resolution for it, then went to the Dalish, working on the Dwarves now.

I'm curious how many people bought any of the DLCs that have been released so far. None of them seemed particularly appealing to me and didn't really seem to add much.

I was under the impression that most copies came with everything but Warden's Keep? Regardless, I've played through all of them... Shale is definitely worth pursuing, as 'he' is one of the better / more interesting sidekicks you'll encounter, and Warden's Keep, while overpriced, is worth having simply for the items you get and the party storage chest that you end up with.

As for the spoiler comment, I think it makes sense they left with their gear. If you have played previous BG games, you have to be congnizant that any non-PC characters can leave/die at any time. Apply gear with caution. It's sort of like a bad relationship break-up, it's not always easy to get all your stuff back, it's akward, and you sometimes just say "screw it" and cut your losses.

Commenting on this by itself,

Spoiler

If you choose the ending where Alistair dies, he's still available in your camp for future DLC, while Morrigan is permanently gone if you choose not to aid her.

That seemed a little weird to me .

 

[exar333]

I thoroughly enjoyed Baldur's Gate 2, KOTOR and Mass Effect. I am certainly no BioWare "newbie", and Dragon Age: Origins just lacked that certain "it". It was a decent game, no doubt, but...it was just lacking overall. To each their own, I suppose.



No. This isn't 1992. There is no reason why you should lose your top of the line gear in any game for any reason, especially when unforeseen plot twists jump up and smack you in the face unexpectedly. What am I supposed to do? Reload my last save, take all of their gear, and then progress the story? How silly is that? Why is it when you get temporary characters (such as in the Origin stories or the Joining quest), you get their gear back in your inventory after they leave?

Better gameplay mechanics trump lollore, every day of the week.

I definitely don't agree. The point of a RPG (role-playing game) is to immerse yourself in the game. If you have no skin in the game (items, XP) there isn't much immersion. If anything, DA:O gives you a lot of this for free by leveling up your other characters with the ones you play with. Have you played other RPGs and had a major character killed after you spent countless hours leveling them up and not someone else? It's the point of the RPG, to play the role.

There are plent of games where party characters leave and take their gear with them. Personally, when they leave and I get a "gear dump" in my inventory, it takes something away from the game's realism.

I don't think this has anything to do with time, 1992 or 2009, it's the way the game was designed. You may not like it, but I think it's warranted and helps the realism. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one, I don't think one is right and the other is wrong, just what I prefer.

There where instant kills in BG2 that destroyed the character AND the gear, preventing any resurrection. I really wish that was in DA:O too. Games are becoming more "kiddie fests" IMHO. No risk, no reward.