Dragon Age: Origins

[jsteinhauer]

The Fade

[Show spoiler] that the sloth demon traps you in at Calenhad

is extremely tedious and boring! I fault the game designers on this one. This little aside is a bit too long, takes you out of the rhythm of the game and has really lost my attention. Perhaps that's the curse of the

[Show spoiler]sloth demon...apathy.

I am spending more time simply figuring out how to get from one section of the map to the other.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

The Fade

[Show spoiler] that the sloth demon traps you in at Calenhad

is extremely tedious and boring! I fault the game designers on this one. This little aside is a bit too long, takes you out of the rhythm of the game and has really lost my attention. Perhaps that's the curse of the

[Show spoiler]sloth demon...apathy.

I am spending more time simply figuring out how to get from one section of the map to the other.

is this the one in the magi circle or red cliff?

[hellmonkey]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

The Fade

[Show spoiler] that the sloth demon traps you in at Calenhad

is extremely tedious and boring! I fault the game designers on this one. This little aside is a bit too long, takes you out of the rhythm of the game and has really lost my attention. Perhaps that's the curse of the

[Show spoiler]sloth demon...apathy.

I am spending more time simply figuring out how to get from one section of the map to the other.

Its no soo bad, although it was aggrivating my first time through. Just know that you can not get to all parts of any of those levels until you get all 4 shape changes. Start with Darkspawn until you get the first shape chanage. I forget where to go next, but basically just go to each of the other levels until you get teh shape change, then exit, and get the missing shapes until you have all 4. Then you can clear all of the levels.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by hellmonkey

Its no soo bad, although it was aggrivating my first time through. Just know that you can not get to all parts of any of those levels until you get all 4 shape changes. Start with Darkspawn until you get the first shape chanage. I forget where to go next, but basically just go to each of the other levels until you get teh shape change, then exit, and get the missing shapes until you have all 4. Then you can clear all of the levels.

next is the burning tower and then mage asunder. it's a pain, but you get a bunch of free attribute pts.

Anyone think Knight Commander's plate is better than Wade's Dragonbone plate armor? I really hate mages. lol.

[hellmonkey]

Originally Posted by Beefbowl

next is the burning tower and then mage asunder. it's a pain, but you get a bunch of free attribute pts.

Anyone think Knight Commander's plate is better than Wade's Dragonbone plate armor? I really hate mages. lol.

I dont think Ive seen that set, but I didnt buy any of the DLC. I think its retarded to have $20 worth of DLC on release day.

Mages arent soo bad. I really hate the darkspawn emmisarries. Those guys are doucherockets.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by hellmonkey

I dont think Ive seen that set, but I didnt buy any of the DLC. I think its retarded to have $20 worth of DLC on release day.

Mages arent soo bad. I really hate the darkspawn emmisarries. Those guys are doucherockets.

Actually, you pick this one up at Frost Mountain. The guy who sells "used" equipment. it's about 27 sovereign. It has 40% spell resistance. It's restricted to only templars though.

[BlackMamba]

wow,

[Show spoiler]I can't keep both Tomas and Murdoch alive in the battle for Redcliffe. I have no problem with the fight itself but at least one of them dies everytime. I even managed to draw the fight almost entirely away from them one time (so the NPCs switched to arrows) and still one of them ended up dying!

Any tips?

I noticed that Morrigan's Mind Blast ability stuns all enemies in a region and I have everyone using at least one stun technique, but I still can't keep them both alive.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by BlackMamba

wow,

[Show spoiler]I can't keep both Tomas and Murdoch alive in the battle for Redcliffe. I have no problem with the fight itself but at least one of them dies everytime. I even managed to draw the fight almost entirely away from them one time (so the NPCs switched to arrows) and still one of them ended up dying!

Any tips?

I noticed that Morrigan's Mind Blast ability stuns all enemies in a region and I have everyone using at least one stun technique, but I still can't keep them both alive.

are they the ones on top of the hill or the bottom?

[BlackMamba]

Originally Posted by Beefbowl

are they the ones on top of the hill or the bottom?

bottom

[Beefbowl]

I normally cast blizzard on the other side of the bridge so by the time they hit the center of town, they're pretty weak. Put your mage and archer at the end of the bridge so they can zap them while crossing the bridge and your tank and DPS should be able to pick up the scraps. Red cliff is normally my 2nd part of the main mission so by then my guys are pretty strong.

[BlackMamba]

Originally Posted by Beefbowl

I normally cast blizzard on the other side of the bridge so by the time they hit the center of town, they're pretty weak. Put your mage and archer at the end of the bridge so they can zap them while crossing the bridge and your tank and DPS should be able to pick up the scraps. Red cliff is normally my 2nd part of the main mission so by then my guys are pretty strong.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do I get my guys to move where I want them to?

[hellmonkey]

You really cant. You can tell them to hold their postion, and they will. They wont budge and inch even in combat and even if the person they are attack runs away. If you take control and move a character, they will move as soon you switch to someone else.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by hellmonkey

You really cant. You can tell them to hold their postion, and they will. They wont budge and inch even in combat and even if the person they are attack runs away. If you take control and move a character, they will move as soon you switch to someone else.

I think if you put their settings to ranged they're less likely to move.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by BlackMamba

wow,

[Show spoiler]I can't keep both Tomas and Murdoch alive in the battle for Redcliffe. I have no problem with the fight itself but at least one of them dies everytime. I even managed to draw the fight almost entirely away from them one time (so the NPCs switched to arrows) and still one of them ended up dying!

Any tips?

I noticed that Morrigan's Mind Blast ability stuns all enemies in a region and I have everyone using at least one stun technique, but I still can't keep them both alive.

I forgot to ask, but who is your tank?

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by BlackMamba

wow,

[Show spoiler]I can't keep both Tomas and Murdoch alive in the battle for Redcliffe. I have no problem with the fight itself but at least one of them dies everytime. I even managed to draw the fight almost entirely away from them one time (so the NPCs switched to arrows) and still one of them ended up dying!

Any tips?

I noticed that Morrigan's Mind Blast ability stuns all enemies in a region and I have everyone using at least one stun technique, but I still can't keep them both alive.

Is it necessary to keep them both alive? I've played this quest through, but I don't recollect who lived and died.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by BlackMamba

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do I get my guys to move where I want them to?

The only way to do this is to put them all on "Hold Position" then manually position them one by one.

[Beefbowl]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

Is it necessary to keep them both alive? I've played this quest through, but I don't recollect who lived and died.

No...but you do get an extra treasure for keeping everyone alive. It was a helm or a shield. Don't remember.

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

The only way to do this is to put them all on "Hold Position" then manually position them one by one.

This is my biggest beef with the interface in this game. It is next to impossible to control all party members manually. Since the game is still essentially based on "rolls of the dice" in a turn-based fashion, they should have incorporated a feature like earlier Bioware RPG's had where you could pause the action at the end of each round. You could then direct each character to either move to a selected position in the field or perform a selected action or use a selected item. For instance, in a thick battle, your tank could be programmed to taunt, while your mage and archer could be moved outside of the melee area without having to bring up the menu three different times, meanwhile actions are happening. True, this takes some of the real-timeness out of the action, but this is not a shooter or a fighter, it's a RPG with success/failure depending on rolls of the dice, not the users dexterity with the controls.

Earlier RPGs would also allow you select party "formations", such that you could have the entire party follow the leader single file. This is convenient, say, when you want to have your rogue out front looking for traps rather than have ever character rush up in a bunch to be with the leader. I usually select hold position when opening doors or going around corners. Tank character peeks in and draws enemies out. Leave mage and archer positioned further back, and second fighter right behind warrior to melee each enemy as they exit the door. It works well except those certain scenes where you cut to a scene where the entire party enters a room.

[BlackMamba]

Originally Posted by Beefbowl

I forgot to ask, but who is your tank?

it would be sten probably. My original party was alister, morrigan, elf assassin and me (rogue). I switched to sten, mabari hound, morrigan and me and almost beat the fight without losing both, but murdock got killed. I'll try again tonight.

[BlackMamba]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

This is my biggest beef with the interface in this game. It is next to impossible to control all party members manually. Since the game is still essentially based on "rolls of the dice" in a turn-based fashion, they should have incorporated a feature like earlier Bioware RPG's had where you could pause the action at the end of each round. You could then direct each character to either move to a selected position in the field or perform a selected action or use a selected item. For instance, in a thick battle, your tank could be programmed to taunt, while your mage and archer could be moved outside of the melee area without having to bring up the menu three different times, meanwhile actions are happening. True, this takes some of the real-timeness out of the action, but this is not a shooter or a fighter, it's a RPG with success/failure depending on rolls of the dice, not the users dexterity with the controls.

Earlier RPGs would also allow you select party "formations", such that you could have the entire party follow the leader single file. This is convenient, say, when you want to have your rogue out front looking for traps rather than have ever character rush up in a bunch to be with the leader. I usually select hold position when opening doors or going around corners. Tank character peeks in and draws enemies out. Leave mage and archer positioned further back, and second fighter right behind warrior to melee each enemy as they exit the door. It works well except those certain scenes where you cut to a scene where the entire party enters a room.

agreed. I wonder if the PC version has some of these features - I could see them being more easily doable from the overhead view (not available on consoles) and with a mouse/keyboard.