If you just bought Dragon Age:Origins today...

[damage424]

which race/class/style would you use? And for the rest of your party? Good mods to download? Evil/good?

Sorry, I'm a bit of a noob, and I'm going to purchase this game today (about time). And I heard there is just way too much content in it, and I know I would never have the time to replay the game, let alone actually beat the game. So I figured playing it the best way through one time would be good enough. Thanks for the help.

 

[Magusigne]

LoL part of the game is figuring this stuff out for yourself!

Otherwise your going to take most of the fun away from it!

One common theme I've heard is don't create a Dwarf first..they are awesome and save them for the last character you make.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Human Mage is supposed to be easiest if you learn the frost spells.

 

[Liet]

Be aware that party composition is a big problem with DA:O. You REALLY need at least one mage to heal and work a little CC, and there are only two NPC mages you can take with you, either of whom might not fit your character's roleplay. So, if you play a warrior rogue, you'll at least be bringing one of them with you for healing alone.

I played an Elf dual-wield warrior and had a BLAST, but didn't like that I was forced to take characters I might not necessarily like, just to get through the fights.

Anyway, after the patch gold is more frequent, so maybe it's easier to play and just pop health pots all the time... who knows.

PS - someone in your party should definitely level up Herbalism.

 

[Firsttime]

LoL part of the game is figuring this stuff out for yourself!

Otherwise your going to take most of the fun away from it!

One common theme I've heard is don't create a Dwarf first..they are awesome and save them for the last character you make.

This. I got so frigging stuck with my stupid Dwarf.

 

[Red Storm]

There is one really cool mod (don't remember the name) that greatly expands the shapeshifter subclass in the mage line. You go from the 3 forms they give you in game to a new total of 20, and they're all really well done (wolves, darkspawn, demons, dragons, ogres, werewolves, etc) and come with unique abilities.

If you try the mod with NPC characters many of the forms may be screwed up because they don't use the same skeleton as the player character. So it works fine for your own PC.

Edit: Found the link: http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=91

 

[JoshGuru7]

I recommend a mage for your first character as well simply because as combo healers/crowd control they are very diverse classes with a lot of potential for fun. Alternatively just accept that you are always going to want a mage in your party and treat your NPC mages accordingly well.

My advice is to get the deluxe addition (digital?) with Stone Prisoner and Warden's Keep included. It's arguable whether they are worth $15 more, but the game as a whole is easily worth $65 and you'll have a more enjoyable experience with those DLC pieces included.

Finally, despite all the talk about mages, the game really benefits from having a solid warrior (or golem) tank. Figure out who that is going to be and give them threaten and taunt skills. Your primary gear goal should be maximizing their defense and a large portion of your party success will depend on their skills and gear.

 

[Slew Foot]

1 tank and 3 mages= win game

 

[damage424]

Well I just bought the game and it is in my hands! Unfortunately, I bought it from GameStop because I have credits from the store, and therefore, don't have the extra content. Looks like Mages for the win. Do mages have these 'finishing moves' as warriors do? Going to install now and give it a whirl! Thanks for the feedback fellas.

 

[Gheris]

Well I just bought the game and it is in my hands! Unfortunately, I bought it from GameStop because I have credits from the store, and therefore, don't have the extra content. Looks like Mages for the win. Do mages have these 'finishing moves' as warriors do? Going to install now and give it a whirl! Thanks for the feedback fellas.

No finishing moves from Mages. However you will pretty much run combat as a Mage and a party member will do the "finishers."

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I really enjoy playing my mage, but if I started again today I'd play a rogue. Rogues are just plain fun and super useful.

 

[damage424]

Well I just installed the game and I'm trying to download the shapeshifter mod. I don't see anywhere in the readme for installation instructions of the mod, again im a noob. Can someone please fill me in? thanks.

 

[Praxis1452]

I really enjoy playing my mage, but if I started again today I'd play a rogue. Rogues are just plain fun and super useful.

This. My dual wield rogue can stack as many different poisons as I have. That + Momentum + heroic offense and as many other attack modifiers I have means my dps is pretty much unmatchable. I love seeing all those huge numbers pop up as I (if I remember correctly) do like 50 white dmg, and then those colored numbers that add up to like another 100 each hit. And I hit like 2-3 times a second.

 

[damage424]

Wow I love this game already! I decided to just go down the path of a warrior for now. I just killed a bunch of rats with my dog! Haha sorry had to share the excitement. This is going to be lots of fun

Anyways, how do I install the mod with shapeshifting?

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I never got the dog :\

 

[RaistlinZ]

I've gotten the dog, but I honestly have never used him in my groups. The other tank NPC's just seemed to offer way more utility. And I just have more fun equipping them with weapons, armor and other gear.

I tried running Shale in my group for a while, but like 60% of his swings always whiffed, and his ass got dropped out of the group immediately. I've had the most success with: Tank + Rogue + Damage Mage + Healing Mage.

But tank + 3 mages also kicks ass too. I think on my next playthough I'll try 4-man tank group: Me, Allistar, Oghren, Sten. Healing is for the weak!

 

[coldmeat]

I played my first playthrough as a dual wielding warrior. I think next I'm going to play a rogue, haven't decided if I'm going to dual wield again or play as an archer. Is playing as an archer any fun?

I'm also going to download a respec mod so I can respec Morrigan as a healer. Wynne just gets to me after a while with her constant preaching and she talks too slow. And I like Morrigan's dialogue. I think I'm going to choose Me, Morrigan, a tank (not Alistair), and maybe the dog. I play on easy though, so it doesn't really matter who I pick. Playing in real time is so much better than constantly pausing.

 

[Drako]

Dwarf Mage is your best bet.

 

[Arglebargle]

Couldn't get the DLC to work during my first run through, so I went as a Dual Wield momentum rogue Noble, with Alistar, Meliania, and Wynne.

Next run through will be as either Mage; or as a Dwarf Commoner TH warrior, with Shale, Dog, and Morrigan. Haven't decided which way to jump there yet.

 

[ZzZGuy]

In camp chest storage http://social.bioware.com/language.php?return_url=%2Fproject/463/

Currently there is only a chest included in Warden's Keep DLC but that costs $7 (debatable if it's worth it) and the chest is in a fixed location you have to travel to. This mod places one in your party camp.

 

[damage424]

Epic game. I got to a point where Levi has a DLC quest; are all DLC paid for?

Thank the maker for BioWare.

 

[Red Storm]

Well I just installed the game and I'm trying to download the shapeshifter mod. I don't see anywhere in the readme for installation instructions of the mod, again im a noob. Can someone please fill me in? thanks.

Okay here's what I did (the author really should have put directions up):

• Extract the files after downloading (doesn't matter where).
• Run "daupdater" located in your game's main directory/bin_ship/
• Drag the "ES_Learned_Forms_AllAbilities" file into the DA Updater program.
• It should now appear in the updater, and you should be able to select install.

 

[coldmeat]

One mod that I downloaded that added a nice feature was one that actually told you what item you received as a quest reward, or from a successful theft. The way it is now it just says "item received" and you need to go into your inventory and find which one it is, or sort by newest. At first it seemed a little annoying because the item name is in the middle of the screen in pink font and it comes up after receiving any item even if taken from a chest, but I don't notice it anymore.

http://www.damods.com/forums/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=29

you need to register to download from there, but it may be available elsewhere.

Also, I installed a mod that shortens the pickpocket cooldown, because it really is pointless to have a 10 second cooldown, it just wastes time. And a mod that makes helmets invisible, just cause I don't like how they look.

 

[Modular]

= And a mod that makes helmets invisible, just cause I don't like how they look.

Heh, neat. That's one of the first things I noticed about the game; the helmets and mage hats look silly.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Make sure you get the respec mod, if nothing else.