• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Dragon Age: Inquisition |OT2| Leave the damn Hinterlands!

LightInfa

Member
Thanks for the answers! I've gone ahead and grabbed trespasser and I'll just wait for a sale to get the rest of the DLC. Also this game sinks the claws in so badly - as soon as you're 1/3 through one play through you're already thinking about the necessity of another play through!
 

Freeman76

Member
Thanks for the answers! I've gone ahead and grabbed trespasser and I'll just wait for a sale to get the rest of the DLC. Also this game sinks the claws in so badly - as soon as you're 1/3 through one play through you're already thinking about the necessity of another play through!

I picked up GOTY edition and at level 19 the dlc is kicking my arse lol
 

Carm

Member
Thinking of starting this finally, having not played the previous games can I play, without missing much, not using the Dragon Age Keep world state stuff?
 

Carm

Member
You're going to miss out on a lot imo.

Hrm, let me be more specific. I can easily watch some quick videos or read some quick primers on overall plot stuff from DAO and DA2, that's not what I was wondering about missing much. I specifically mean how you can change the DAI world state by inputting decisions from the previous games. How much of an impact on DAI is there from changing from the default world state to a crafted one?
 

diaspora

Member
Hrm, let me be more specific. I can easily watch some quick videos or read some quick primers on overall plot stuff from DAO and DA2, that's not what I was wondering about missing much. I specifically mean how you can change the DAI world state by inputting decisions from the previous games. How much of an impact on DAI is there from changing from the default world state to a crafted one?

In terms of story, reasonably significantly. The end result is mostly the same but how you get there can vary. The context of the game changes and you the player views the events in the game changes even if the base story doesn't.
 
I've been playing the trial version on Origin for about 2 hours, still got about three to go before I get kicked out. Got a bunch of questions / comments.

I expected this game to be utter rubbish, because the trend after TW3 came out was to shit on it, but it's really not that bad. Each game does different things. My biggest problem is performance.

What is going on with the PC version? I run an i5 2320 3.30Ghz, GTX960 and 8GB DDR3 1666Mhz RAM at 1440x900, and it's impossible to keep this thing at a smooth 60. It jutters like crazy. Is this one of those titles that needs an SSD or really fast RAM? Load times also take forever. In comparison, TW3 runs (and looks :p) better and loads like lighting with no stutter.

I've turned off MSAA and FXAA, and it still doesn't help. In fact, even turning everything to low doesn't really make a difference. Do guys with more powerful systems have this issue too? I'm doing a complete system rebuild in July (Skylake unlocked i5 at 4.0Ghz, 16GB 2400Mhz DDR4, GTX 1070 - or whatever they call it, and a nice SSD). I'm thinking I might just wait until I do that new build to play this one, as the hitching and stuttering is driving me nuts. I'd rather play a low framerate that's stable, than at a higher one that's all over the place.

Anyway, anyone have any essential tips? The biggest I've seen is to GTFO of the Hinterlands. Do a bit in each area, and then come back to keep things fresh. Also to avoid shards or something, I haven't seen those yet.

I rolled a Dwarf Sword and Board called Harold. My main issue with the combat is how the basic attacks are done. I played the previous two games on PC, so I don't know if it's always been like this on console. The PC controls were weird, so I'm sticking with the controller. In most action games, when you press the attack button, the character does one attack move. You get that, like "reward" in your brain. Oh, I pressed the button and shit happened, you know? DA:I seems to encourage you to hold down the RT to attack, and to me, that makes the combat more boring that it really is. You don't get that feedback. Obviously, you can just spam the RT instead, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to break my trigger doing that. Am I the only one who feels like this?

Are the only two female romance options Cassandra and Josephine? They seem like nice characters, but it terms of role-playing, can I romance the dwarf scout, Harding? Is there a proper option for that? If that's not possible then I think I'll go with Cassandra, although knowing me I'll probably mess it up. When I replay with a female character (male VA isn't that great IMO), I'll probably go Josephine. I actually thought about romancing Iron Bull as Harold. :D I'm straight but I don't really care about those things. It would be hilarious! Bioware romances always have that cheese factor that makes me laugh. Considering the janky animation and often weirdly written romance plots, I mean, these things have to be in their games for the humour, right? I think people often take these things way too seriously.

I also really liked using the Keep to setup my previous world state. That's a cool idea, and an easy to use site. I hope they do the same for ME4, and I think other companies should copy that model. I see that it even saves Inquisition progress there, so if DA4 happens, then everything is sorted. Really clever idea.
 
Sera's a female romance option if you're RPing as a woman. You can also flirt with Harding, but not nothing beyond that.

Disappointing. Guess it's between Cassandra or Iron Bull for Harold.

Thanks for the info. :) I haven't met Sera yet.

I also fixed the performance issue I was having. Turning down the textures from Ultra to High fixed the stuttering. Smooth 60.
 
Thanks for the tip.^^

This is probably highly subjective, but what are some the "fun" classes to play as? I've tried a Sword and Board warrior, and I've also given the dual wield rogue a try. I'm not a huge fan of the reliance on stealth and backstabs though. I wish there was a dual wield warrior, I just want to go all out on these enemies. :p I also can't be a a mage because of the DA lore.

I've planing to keep Varric in my party for most of the game, dwarves got to stick together. Then one mage, switching between Dorian and Vivienne. And a soldier class, Cassandra or Iron Bull. Not sure what class to go for my main character though.

EDIT: So I watched this video. The Tempest Rogue seems like something I might like. Much more in your face than I expected. Anyone use that build, what was it like?

Only got 1 more hour on my trial. How often does the GotY edition go on sale? It's currently around $40, I was hoping to get it at $25.

I also installed WHQL 362.00, and that drastically improved performance. I can now turn on HBAO, Tessellation to High and MSAA 2x, and the game still runs at 60. Looks way better too. I guess the combo of using 358.50 and ultra textures was causing the stuttering. It is sightly annoying that you have to restart the game after any major settings changes.
 

diaspora

Member
It depends on your play style really. I've never used the controller for this but instead used the mouse and keyboard in tactical cam with a mage main character to control event movement and push for more AOE damage and combos. But if you're going to a more action oriented run you might be better served with a rouge.
 

GreekWolf

Member
Shame to see the community has died. I was hoping for a few tips and tricks with the DLC.

I'm amazed by how much I'm enjoying the Descent, considering the lukewarm reception it received. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good old D&D dungeon crawl, but this has really been a fantastic imitation of an underdark scenario. I'm constantly amazed with all the secrets tucked away in the pitch-black corners of the abyss.

If the other two pieces of DLC are even better, then my summer will be a great one indeed.
 
Shame to see the community has died. I was hoping for a few tips and tricks with the DLC.

I'm amazed by how much I'm enjoying the Descent, considering the lukewarm reception it received. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good old D&D dungeon crawl, but this has really been a fantastic imitation of an underdark scenario. I'm constantly amazed with all the secrets tucked away in the pitch-black corners of the abyss.

If the other two pieces of DLC are even better, then my summer will be a great one indeed.
I enjoyed The Descent but the Jaws of Hakkon and Trespasser are even better IMO. Hakkon adds a whole new region that's arguably the best in the entire game, and Trespasser is a fantastic way to wrap up the game and lay the foundation for the next game.
 

GreekWolf

Member
The pieces of the Forgotten War sound ridiculously interesting in The Descent. Did you find them all?

Do you mean the journals? Yep, I've just found the last one today in the uncharted abyss. They really are interesting accounts of the very first Dwarven encounters with the Darkspawn. These kind of relics pre-dating the first blight seem incredibly rare in the gameworld.

shinobi602 said:
I enjoyed The Descent but the Jaws of Hakkon and Trespasser are even better IMO. Hakkon adds a whole new region that's arguably the best in the entire game, and Trespasser is a fantastic way to wrap up the game and lay the foundation for the next game.

Awesome, thanks for the info.

This has been a great time to jump back into the game after taking an 8 month break. All the DLCs are available and I'm having a blast. :)
 

diaspora

Member
Do you mean the journals? Yep, I've just found the last one today in the uncharted abyss. They really are interesting accounts of the very first Dwarven encounters with the Darkspawn. These kind of relics pre-dating the first blight seem incredibly rare in the gameworld.



Awesome, thanks for the info.

This has been a great time to jump back into the game after taking an 8 month break. All the DLCs are available and I'm having a blast. :)
If you see a heap of gold in Hakkon, save your game before trying to pick it up.
 
I enjoyed The Descent but the Jaws of Hakkon and Trespasser are even better IMO. Hakkon adds a whole new region that's arguably the best in the entire game, and Trespasser is a fantastic way to wrap up the game and lay the foundation for the next game.

Hakkon is basically a polished vision of DA:I. It doesn't really change anything if you didn't like what the game was to begin with, but it's basically what all the other areas should have been like if they were executed properly.
 

wildbite

Member
Has anyone gone back to playing a character after completing Trespasser?

I knew going into Trespasser that it was a point of no return but I loved my character so I want to finish more quests with him.

My only option with this character is to load a save before Trespasser and continue playing as if Trespasser had never happened. :-(
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
This is probably highly subjective, but what are some the "fun" classes to play as? I've tried a Sword and Board warrior, and I've also given the dual wield rogue a try. I'm not a huge fan of the reliance on stealth and backstabs though. I wish there was a dual wield warrior, I just want to go all out on these enemies. :p I also can't be a a mage because of the DA lore.
I played 2H and it's pretty awesome. And when you unlock Reaver things get absolutely bonkers. You can solo anything with Reaver school but it's kind of like surfing since you bring your HP down to almost nothing. Gotta keep it in the sweet spot, ride the fine line. Really exciting.
 

diaspora

Member
Has anyone gone back to playing a character after completing Trespasser?

I knew going into Trespasser that it was a point of no return but I loved my character so I want to finish more quests with him.

My only option with this character is to load a save before Trespasser and continue playing as if Trespasser had never happened. :-(

I've done two entire playthroughs start to finish after Trespasser. I regret nothing.

I played 2H and it's pretty awesome. And when you unlock Reaver things get absolutely bonkers. You can solo anything with Reaver school but it's kind of like surfing since you bring your HP down to almost nothing. Gotta keep it in the sweet spot, ride the fine line. Really exciting.

This is a good one. I've also enjoyed different Mage builds too- like Ice/Rift mages or the new defensive mage knight.

Thanks for this great piece of advice.

Yep, I picked up the gold and immediately regretted that decision. It was a damn greek tragedy.
LOL, if you hit the level cap those despair demons are still a higher level than your characters ;_;
 
Well, I finally got stuck in this game. I need tips.
I'm playing Jaws of Hakkon, doing the Ameridan's End quest, the one you can't leave until you beat it. I'm stuck at the last fight before the boss, the two champions and 4 mages I think.
I'm a tempest double dagger rogue accompanied with Sera, Dorian and Iron Bull.
I also have pretty high level gear.
 

JeffG

Member
Well, I finally got stuck in this game. I need tips.
I'm playing Jaws of Hakkon, doing the Ameridan's End quest, the one you can't leave until you beat it. I'm stuck at the last fight before the boss, the two champions and 4 mages I think.
I'm a tempest double dagger rogue accompanied with Sera, Dorian and Iron Bull.
I also have pretty high level gear.

lower the difficulty?

You basically have no Tank in your crew.

I find Iron Bull the weakest character of all the companions.


On another note. I picked up the PC version, so I can have something to play on my work laptop when I travel.

I love the mods. Especially the Quick loot and cutscene camera zoom mod. (I wish they would make that a part of the console version)
 

Bladenic

Member
Started playing this a few days. Still in the Hinterlands haha, but I'm not bored. In fact, I've only done the very first mission where you talk to Giselle. Everything else has been me running around. I think I'll proceed once I finish up in Valammar because most rifts I have left are level 12 enemies. Plus that area with the dragon. Only two areas left to find as well.

Question, when does Dorian join? He's the only gay option right? Tried hitting on Cullen but he wasn't having none of it.
 

diaspora

Member
Started playing this a few days. Still in the Hinterlands haha, but I'm not bored. In fact, I've only done the very first mission where you talk to Giselle. Everything else has been me running around. I think I'll proceed once I finish up in Valammar because most rifts I have left are level 12 enemies. Plus that area with the dragon. Only two areas left to find as well.

Question, when does Dorian join? He's the only gay option right? Tried hitting on Cullen but he wasn't having none of it.

You can have a relationship with Iron Bull too.
 

Bladenic

Member
Geez, Sera's angry face is really hideous. I also kinda wanna shag Felix more than Dorian.

Question, is loot at all determined by your build? I'm a rogue, and I have some dope daggers right now. Even if I wanted to try archer set, the bows seem so extraordinarily weaker than dual welding daggers. I don't have issues with getting attacked with constant barriers or the tanks doing their job, so surviving isn't an issue.

I do have an itch to platinum so I think I may do nightmare run after, probably as a Mage.

If I'm only now doing the Mage/Templar quest (picked the mages), but have almost 100% all the available areas so far, is it safe to say I would like the DLC? No GOTY edition unfortunately so would have to buy them all separately. I'm sure I'm gonna get the Trespasser one, what about the other 2?
 
I don't think it is entirely (if at all) based on your class. I played a 2-handed warrior and was consistently getting rare daggers and other things not useful for my class throughout the game.
 

diaspora

Member
Loot is unrelated to the class you're playing as. Quality of loot dependent on whether or not you've chose to enable trials. This doesn't necessarily mean that default loot is bad per-se only that the stuff you get when you turn the Trials on are quite good IMO.
 
I was kind of disappointed that you couldn't go back to Skyhold after Trespasser. Would have been nice to tackle all my left over tasks with the cool gear I got in Trespasser.

I just need the nightmare trophy to get my platinum. How difficult is it? Any ways to cheese it?
 
If I'm only now doing the Mage/Templar quest (picked the mages), but have almost 100% all the available areas so far, is it safe to say I would like the DLC? No GOTY edition unfortunately so would have to buy them all separately. I'm sure I'm gonna get the Trespasser one, what about the other 2?

The Descent is cool, depends on how invested you are in Dragon Age lore though and is a linear story. Age of Hakkon is a well made extra area to go to on the map, but doesn't really relate to the rest of the story. Trespasser absolutely must be played after the main campaign.
 

Bladenic

Member
The Descent is cool, depends on how invested you are in Dragon Age lore though and is a linear story. Age of Hakkon is a well made extra area to go to on the map, but doesn't really relate to the rest of the story. Trespasser absolutely must be played after the main campaign.

Cool, thanks! And thanks to other responses as well.

So am I missing something or are bows just way weaker than daggers? I suppose it's a fair trade for distance and whatnot.
 

Bladenic

Member
Double post, sorry, but can someone suggest how I should proceed now that I can specialize? I still can't decide between Assassin and Tempest. Is one better than the other if I use two handed daggers? Should I try bows out more? Varric and Sera are my bow users (Cole has daggers but I don't know that I plan on using him). Should I go Assassin if I use either Varric or Sera in my party?

Also, is recommended/worth it to respec everyone to max their specialties along with some other skills that benefits them? Seems like Cassandra and Vivienne could benefit most from their specialties alongside a few other skills like Barrier and Shield Wall. Most people only have one skill in their specialties at the moment.
 
Specialization choice depends on a few things. I can't speak much for balancing at this point because they've made some balance passes since I last checked it out, but all the rogue specs are fine. I'd recommend respeccing Cole and Sera to use their specialization and then trying them out in a zone to see which spec you prefer. I personally really enjoyed Tempest and ended up choosing it every time I picked rogue.

It's not necessary to respec your characters but there are certainly benefits to doing it. Vivienee's absolutely changes the way she's played (and it's very powerful). Blackwall can basically be unkilable with the right Champion talents. Sort of depends on how you play, but in general the specializations have at least a few very powerful abilities.
 
Playing Neverwinter has got me back in the fantasy mood, so I bought this today for XB1, $20 at Wal-Mart. It was the regular-looking cover but when I opened the case it's the GotY disc inside, so that was awesome. No worries about any other dlc.

Gonna jump in tonight.
 
Oh shit I'm really liking the game so far. Got lost in the hinterlands for the better part of an hour before I noticed the Map option in the center of the pause menu lol.

Anyway so I checked around online and apparently the GotY disc I got doesn't have the dlc on it, and it's supposed to be on a voucher included in the case. I received no such voucher. Should I bother contacting EA about it or just take the L?
 

Bladenic

Member
I went with Tempest and I'm probably not really making full use of it, but I kind of regret it. Focus seems very unwieldy, so I never have Thousand Cuts when I actually need it. I generally forget/don't bother with the flasks, and their duration is so low anyway. Wish I had gone assassin as the crit bonuses plus the abilities seem better. Granted a big reason I went Tempest was thousand cuts but the MC has Mark of The Rift if I wanted a damage dealing focus ability. And I used Cole for one mission and Mark of Death seems like it has huge damage dealing potential.

Oh well, I'm still loving playing as a Rogue and I deal huge damage. Plus, I crafted a dagger that gives me Guard with every hit, and I've barely taken damage since I've started using it haha.

About to do the Hawke story mission. I've killed my first dragon now as well. Still have a few missions at Emerald Graves, most of the snow area, all of Hissing Wastes, and seemingly half of Western Approach so I'm nowhere near done. Plus I bought Jaws and Trespasser DLC.

I wonder if the Pathfinder trophy is glitched. Do you need to find another camp beside the first automatic one for each area before the trophy pops? Cuz I haven't found an additional one in Hissing Wastes (if it has one) but I have in every other area. I've read it's glitched and usually pops on a second play for people.
 

diaspora

Member
Oh shit I'm really liking the game so far. Got lost in the hinterlands for the better part of an hour before I noticed the Map option in the center of the pause menu lol.

Anyway so I checked around online and apparently the GotY disc I got doesn't have the dlc on it, and it's supposed to be on a voucher included in the case. I received no such voucher. Should I bother contacting EA about it or just take the L?
Depends, if you paid for a regular copy but got a GOTY disk I'd just take the L and wait for the GOTY edition to go on sale.
 
I went with Tempest and I'm probably not really making full use of it, but I kind of regret it. Focus seems very unwieldy, so I never have Thousand Cuts when I actually need it. I generally forget/don't bother with the flasks, and their duration is so low anyway. Wish I had gone assassin as the crit bonuses plus the abilities seem better. Granted a big reason I went Tempest was thousand cuts but the MC has Mark of The Rift if I wanted a damage dealing focus ability. And I used Cole for one mission and Mark of Death seems like it has huge damage dealing potential.

Oh well, I'm still loving playing as a Rogue and I deal huge damage. Plus, I crafted a dagger that gives me Guard with every hit, and I've barely taken damage since I've started using it haha.

About to do the Hawke story mission. I've killed my first dragon now as well. Still have a few missions at Emerald Graves, most of the snow area, all of Hissing Wastes, and seemingly half of Western Approach so I'm nowhere near done. Plus I bought Jaws and Trespasser DLC.

I wonder if the Pathfinder trophy is glitched. Do you need to find another camp beside the first automatic one for each area before the trophy pops? Cuz I haven't found an additional one in Hissing Wastes (if it has one) but I have in every other area. I've read it's glitched and usually pops on a second play for people.

The flasks are the main point of playing Tempest so just playing without them is going to feel like you didn't choose anything.

Regarding crafting: you just ran into the most unbalanced thing in the game lol. It's somewhat mitigated by resource availability but it's fairly easily farmed. This is one of the areas of the game that really bothers me actually.

As far as the camps, I don't know about glitches or bugs but there are four or five camps in Hissing Wastes.
 

Bladenic

Member
Yeah I've been using the flasks far more and I'm a killing machine. I don't have Ice one because I'm only on normal and now with the guard on hit I'm rarely touched anyway. Is Ice considered more useful than Lightning?

Okay so I have to admit this is my first full DA (started DA:O but didn't continue, I think I may get the ultimate edition before continuing further), but I find it so weird that Morrigan and Leliana have no interaction. I was able to ask Leliana about Morrigan but not vice versa. I generally feel that Bioware doesn't always handle recurring characters in the best way, especially previous companions (Mass Effect 2 companions in ME3 comes to mind, except a few like Miranda and Thane).
 

diaspora

Member
Yeah I've been using the flasks far more and I'm a killing machine. I don't have Ice one because I'm only on normal and now with the guard on hit I'm rarely touched anyway. Is Ice considered more useful than Lightning?

Okay so I have to admit this is my first full DA (started DA:O but didn't continue, I think I may get the ultimate edition before continuing further), but I find it so weird that Morrigan and Leliana have no interaction. I was able to ask Leliana about Morrigan but not vice versa. I generally feel that Bioware doesn't always handle recurring characters in the best way, especially previous companions (Mass Effect 2 companions in ME3 comes to mind, except a few like Miranda and Thane).
Leliana and Morrigan fucking hated each other iirc. The lack of essentially any interaction is weird but IMO that's a casualty of bringing back characters that was never designed for it; which is for the best I think. DA has always been stronger when not rehashing characters.

Edit: they worked with the Warden for a year and then parted ways. Not that weird. They exchange professional correspondence in Inquisition iirc.
 

Bladenic

Member
Leliana and Morrigan fucking hated each other iirc. The lack of essentially any interaction is weird but IMO that's a casualty of bringing back characters that was never designed for it; which is for the best I think. DA has always been stronger when not rehashing characters.

Edit: they worked with the Warden for a year and then parted ways. Not that weird. They exchange professional correspondence in Inquisition iirc.

Oh do they? Must've missed that. I mean, I get they hated each other, but at least something like "Oh that bitch again" from Leliana during a cutscene would've been nice. When Morrigan strolls on through during the war meeting after Abyss mission, Leliana doesn't say a single thing.

It's not a big deal, by any stretch. Just small things. And again I haven't played DAO so I'm not the best judge (but I will after I finish Inquisition).
 

diaspora

Member
Oh do they? Must've missed that. I mean, I get they hated each other, but at least something like "Oh that bitch again" from Leliana during a cutscene would've been nice. When Morrigan strolls on through during the war meeting after Abyss mission, Leliana doesn't say a single thing.

It's not a big deal, by any stretch. Just small things. And again I haven't played DAO so I'm not the best judge (but I will after I finish Inquisition).
Leliana tells the Inquisitor she thinks Morrigan is an untrustworthy piece of shit. There are conversations Leliana has with the Inquisitor about her including Leliana's hot take on Morrigan being a mother.
Edit:
IIRC, most of the characters from DAO in DAI to talk about each other to the Inquisitor but don't interact directly.
 

Ralemont

not me
Yeah I've been using the flasks far more and I'm a killing machine. I don't have Ice one because I'm only on normal and now with the guard on hit I'm rarely touched anyway. Is Ice considered more useful than Lightning?

I think so, at least I used it more. Ice will freeze enemies which you can then Shatter Combo with Twin Fangs or Deathblow. I could be wrong, but although the description says enemies who attack you get frozen, I was pretty sure it's just enemies that touch you, so I'd use Ice Flask and wade into a group of enemies, then shatter them with Deathblow. Fire Flask is your #1 stunna though. For big enemies, whittle them down until you get them under 1/2 health, then Fire Flask > Deathblow spam and they're gone.

Some Tempest gifs I made of my second playthrough last year below. Absolutely loved the class/spec.

DWpwn1.gif

DWpwn2.gif
 

JeffG

Member
Oh do they? Must've missed that. I mean, I get they hated each other, but at least something like "Oh that bitch again" from Leliana during a cutscene would've been nice. When Morrigan strolls on through during the war meeting after Abyss mission, Leliana doesn't say a single thing.

It's not a big deal, by any stretch. Just small things. And again I haven't played DAO so I'm not the best judge (but I will after I finish Inquisition).
If Morrigan has the god child and after she joins the inquisition you go visit Leliana . She (Leliana) will make a comment on how Morrigan has changed for the better. (IIRC..she says she is "Softer")
 

diaspora

Member
If Morrigan has the god child and after she joins the inquisition you go visit Leliana . She (Leliana) will make a comment on how Morrigan has changed for the better. (IIRC..she says she is "Softer")
At one point Leliana tells the Inquisitor that Morrigan is ruthless too (glass houses much?).
 
Top Bottom