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Dragon Age: Origins |OT| Letting The Fade fade out of memory
- Thread starter EviLore
- Start date
Kuro Madoushi
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, thank god I had all my Awakening equip on my main char.
Took me about 10 hours to finish the game. I hit all the 'big' quest and completed, but didn't get the reward (what else could they give me?) for the smaller quests.
Like I said, you get shit tons of good equip and money. Unless the merchant quest is going to unlock more stuff, I don't need another 1 gold piece or heal items.
I do wish they'd expanded on the castle admin stuff like Neverwinter 2 somewhat did. It'd be nice going around recruiting people and seeing it reflected in your castle.
Took me about 10 hours to finish the game. I hit all the 'big' quest and completed, but didn't get the reward (what else could they give me?) for the smaller quests.
Like I said, you get shit tons of good equip and money. Unless the merchant quest is going to unlock more stuff, I don't need another 1 gold piece or heal items.
I do wish they'd expanded on the castle admin stuff like Neverwinter 2 somewhat did. It'd be nice going around recruiting people and seeing it reflected in your castle.
wayward archer
Member
Pankaks said:
I liked it but I probably would have waited for a price drop had I known how long it was.
If you love dragon age, and money isn't a problem, get it. It's worth playing.
If you are hesitant because of the price, I would recommend waiting, because you might be very disappointed.
Wiggum2007
Junior Member
So I can import my character that died at the end of Origins, without the slightest explanation as to how I'm alive? Odd... I wanted to be able to import my character's decisions from Origins, but still play as a new character. Seeing as I died and all. Is that not an option?
sublime085
Member
Hmm, it seems that not many people are playing Awakenings at all.
I just installed it myself and I'm about to jump into it right now. I wonder if there is anything I should do to my Origins save to prep for the import.
I just installed it myself and I'm about to jump into it right now. I wonder if there is anything I should do to my Origins save to prep for the import.
Pankaks said:
I'm actually having MUCH more fun playing Dragon Age: Awakening than playing Final Fantasy XIII. One character in particular is really interesting... though I do feel like it's a sasuage-fest, who was in charge of the character designs in DAO:A? Where are the ladies? I've played for about 10 hours and loving it so far... I'd say I'm looking at 20 hours total for my relaxed playstyle and I'd say it's worth the $40 over some other games that aren't as interesting and I've payed full price.
Metalic Sand
who is Emo-Beas?
Not sure if this was posted.
"Bulwark of the True King" Useable in Origins and Awakenings
http://www.alienwarearena.com/event/dragon-age-giveaway/
Edit: I just noticed this doesnt seem to appear on 360/PS3
"Bulwark of the True King" Useable in Origins and Awakenings
http://www.alienwarearena.com/event/dragon-age-giveaway/
Edit: I just noticed this doesnt seem to appear on 360/PS3
Basileus777
Member
Rufus said:
The Stone Prisoner items transfer too. I don't think the promo items do though.
sublime085 said:
Anything you want to take into Awakening, make sure to take out any items from your chest as only those in your possession carry over. You can also use any unused gifts for your new party dudes. You only need equipment on yourself and Oghren so any good weapons or armor on anyone else that either of you could use switch them out before importing.
Wiggum2007 said:
Nope.
Hopefully I can get some time in tonight after work.
All those new trophies have kept me even farther from 100% and I was so damn close too. >=\sweetvar26
Member
Rufus said:
WTF Bioware? Whats the point of calling it an expansion when you can't use saves from the actual game that came 6 months ago?
Metalic Sand said:Not sure if this was posted.
"Bulwark of the True King" Useable in Origins and Awakenings
http://www.alienwarearena.com/event/dragon-age-giveaway/
Edit: I just noticed this doesnt seem to appear on 360/PS3
Thanks for the link! Someone willing to help a non-US GAF'er here with a code?
Wiggum2007
Junior Member
Edgeward said:
Aaaargh Bioware, way to fuck over all the people who picked the sacrifice ending. So does this mean the player dying at the end of Origins is considered non-canon for future DA games, a la Shepard dying in ME2?
edgefusion
Member
Hey thanks for the spoiler Wiggum! I guess I don't need to complete Dragon Age anymore.
Van Owen said:
Completely agree. There was a lot of content and then it just drops on you. The epilogue was kind of lame as well. Overall though I really enjoyed it, and will play it again in a little when I am not fatigued from playing DA:O twice in 1 week, and then Awakening right after.
lastplayed
Member
Awakening finally came out here today. My Dragon Age obsession continues.
Chairman Yang
if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
Played a few hours of this at a friend's house, and I'm glad I didn't spend $40 (or even $30) on it. $10-20 would be appropriate.
The inability to import some items is irrelevant. Not only because you get money/better items quickly, but because the expansion is very, very easy compared with Origins, even on hard difficulty. None of the fights have given me any real trouble.
The characters are okay. They're fine in concept, but they're not nearly as well-developed as their Origins counterparts (even Oghren) and the dialogue lacks the sharp writing that Origins did so well. I'm glad the banter triggers a lot more often this time around, at least. I think Awakening would have benefited from dropping a few of the weaker cast members entirely and just focusing on three or four.
The quests are very perfunctory, for the most part. They mostly consist of going to an area, encountering some weak enemies (occasionally some of them are named specifically) and wiping them out without breaking a sweat. There are few surprises to be had, and quests with a lot of potential for interesting Dwarf Noble-style intrigue (like the noble's plot) are woefully underdeveloped.
The faux-Britain setting of Ferelden seems like the most generic, boring region of Dragon Age's world, and Awakening hasn't changed my opinion. The new environments and enemies I've encountered so far look pretty samey. Hopefully Bioware will take future expansions/sequels outside of Ferelden.
No new music, AFAIK. Too bad. Origins had good music but repeated themes too often. The composing technique of repeatedly making variations on a few core themes is fine for films, but not so appropriate for long RPGs. It's a pity Awakening doesn't address this.
As I mentioned, the fights are too easy (which makes sense in some cases, because you're fighting ordinary bandits a lot of the time; but why?). The new abilities/specializations exacerbate this problem by being overpowered and poorly-tuned in general. The core DAO game deserves some of the blame for this, because the game mechanics are very opaque in general, with little ability or need to really understand the numbers, and the game's real-time nature makes this worse. Dragon Age badly needs more transparency if it wants to pretend at having deep tactical combat.
Like I said, I haven't finished Awakening yet, but even if the quality really turns around, it's still only going to be a mediocre expansion. I agree that the management stuff is a highlight, just like it was in BG2/NWN2. Superpowered characters SHOULD be focusing on that stuff (along with epic encounters), not busting up small local smuggling rings.
So yeah, I'm very underwhelmed by DAO's DLC. It's either short on content or short on quality. What happened to Throne of Bhaal-level expansions? Is Awakening made by the Dragon Age B-team while the rest are working on the sequel? That'd explain a lot.
The inability to import some items is irrelevant. Not only because you get money/better items quickly, but because the expansion is very, very easy compared with Origins, even on hard difficulty. None of the fights have given me any real trouble.
The characters are okay. They're fine in concept, but they're not nearly as well-developed as their Origins counterparts (even Oghren) and the dialogue lacks the sharp writing that Origins did so well. I'm glad the banter triggers a lot more often this time around, at least. I think Awakening would have benefited from dropping a few of the weaker cast members entirely and just focusing on three or four.
The quests are very perfunctory, for the most part. They mostly consist of going to an area, encountering some weak enemies (occasionally some of them are named specifically) and wiping them out without breaking a sweat. There are few surprises to be had, and quests with a lot of potential for interesting Dwarf Noble-style intrigue (like the noble's plot) are woefully underdeveloped.
The faux-Britain setting of Ferelden seems like the most generic, boring region of Dragon Age's world, and Awakening hasn't changed my opinion. The new environments and enemies I've encountered so far look pretty samey. Hopefully Bioware will take future expansions/sequels outside of Ferelden.
No new music, AFAIK. Too bad. Origins had good music but repeated themes too often. The composing technique of repeatedly making variations on a few core themes is fine for films, but not so appropriate for long RPGs. It's a pity Awakening doesn't address this.
As I mentioned, the fights are too easy (which makes sense in some cases, because you're fighting ordinary bandits a lot of the time; but why?). The new abilities/specializations exacerbate this problem by being overpowered and poorly-tuned in general. The core DAO game deserves some of the blame for this, because the game mechanics are very opaque in general, with little ability or need to really understand the numbers, and the game's real-time nature makes this worse. Dragon Age badly needs more transparency if it wants to pretend at having deep tactical combat.
Like I said, I haven't finished Awakening yet, but even if the quality really turns around, it's still only going to be a mediocre expansion. I agree that the management stuff is a highlight, just like it was in BG2/NWN2. Superpowered characters SHOULD be focusing on that stuff (along with epic encounters), not busting up small local smuggling rings.
So yeah, I'm very underwhelmed by DAO's DLC. It's either short on content or short on quality. What happened to Throne of Bhaal-level expansions? Is Awakening made by the Dragon Age B-team while the rest are working on the sequel? That'd explain a lot.
So I got it finally (PS3 DL version) and enjoy it so far, only about an 1 hour in. Seems easy and I have it on hard as a Rogue. Framerate is no worse, and actually seems better in cutscenes, like the intro movie doesn't stutter like in Origins. Battles are still kinda jumpy. I'm already pissed with what has happened though early in the game, storywise.
So I was excited to have Mhairi, a female tank, awesome I thought. Then she just goes and dies at the joining. Wouldn't have had a problem if it wasn't advertised as a companion and therefore I had a reasonable expectation I would have her around longer than the intro. I had to stop and look on the boards to see if I did anything wrong or if it's random who dies at the joining, but sadly not. Fuck you Bioware, this isn't Wrex or Morrigan where it's cool, it's just a cockslap in the face.
Chairman Yang
if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
I actually like what happened at the Joining there. Made the whole thing have more impact and press home how dangerous it is.
Oh no, I did feel like any Joining someone had to die. I just wished it varied, or at the very least get to know her a bit and have her around long enough to have a storyline/emotional impact instead of me mad at losing a female tank. Also I want my gifts back I gave to her! :lol
While I am not sure if I can 'objectively' say that DA:A is better than DA:O, I will say that I like it a LOT better.
Items: Vastly Improved. Opening stuff is actually fun again.
Dungeons: MUCH better designed. They feel less like filler and more like actual experiences
Character Writing/Dialogue: No where near as good as Origins (which was really strong in this area)
Side-quests: Not exactly good, but there are more in-dungeon mini-quests and these are awesome
Plot: Main plot, Better than origins, though that is not saying much
Subplots: Obviously not as good as Origins, but there are some very cool ideas here that beg for development
I personally do not feel that the game is worth the price, but after being burned by Origins, this game offered a lot of closure. I just wished it was longer (the complete opposite of how I felt about Origins).
Items: Vastly Improved. Opening stuff is actually fun again.
Dungeons: MUCH better designed. They feel less like filler and more like actual experiences
Character Writing/Dialogue: No where near as good as Origins (which was really strong in this area)
Side-quests: Not exactly good, but there are more in-dungeon mini-quests and these are awesome
Plot: Main plot, Better than origins, though that is not saying much
Subplots: Obviously not as good as Origins, but there are some very cool ideas here that beg for development
I personally do not feel that the game is worth the price, but after being burned by Origins, this game offered a lot of closure. I just wished it was longer (the complete opposite of how I felt about Origins).
Pankaks said:
Don't know what the consensus is (besides being generally positive), but my opinion is that it's good but too short. With the skill changes that make combat both faster and easier, the linear dungeons and sometimes gimmicky boss fights, that side of the expansion feels more MMO-like than the original game. The writing is a step down from DA:O: because of the length of the expansion, characters aren't fleshed out very much, and some supposedly significant plot points (like
the nobles plotting against you
the fallout from your allocation of soldiers
I thought it would've been worth about $20.
Reluctant-Hero
Member
I'm six hours into Awakening and I'm really enjoying. It seems like some people are disappointed that the expansion is a "more of the same" kind of affair. But I enjoyed every minutes of my first 75 hour play-through in Origins; so I'm all good with the expansion.
My only annoyance is the new item, sorry can't remember the name at the moment, you can buy to rebuild a character's levels, stats, and abilities. When I use it on my PC that I imported from DA:O, I end up LOSING 25 attribute points. What the hell BioWare? I'm guessing those points are the extra points you earned in the Fade and from reading various tomes/books. It's annoying because why would I want to rebuild my character if I'm penalized for it? My PC was a duel-wielding warrior in Origins and I wanted to switch him sword-n-board for Awakenings. So I'm guess I'm stuck with him as he is because I don't want to lose those 25 points. I'm just glad I saved the game before I used the item.
My only annoyance is the new item, sorry can't remember the name at the moment, you can buy to rebuild a character's levels, stats, and abilities. When I use it on my PC that I imported from DA:O, I end up LOSING 25 attribute points. What the hell BioWare? I'm guessing those points are the extra points you earned in the Fade and from reading various tomes/books. It's annoying because why would I want to rebuild my character if I'm penalized for it? My PC was a duel-wielding warrior in Origins and I wanted to switch him sword-n-board for Awakenings. So I'm guess I'm stuck with him as he is because I don't want to lose those 25 points. I'm just glad I saved the game before I used the item.
Basileus777
Member
Chairman Yang said:
Poorly implemented level scaling is big issue here. The enemies simply don't scale high enough. When you are level 31 you shouldn't be fighting level 28 elites and normal enemies with levels in the teens. The original had the same problem, but the issue is exacerbated by the higher levels Awakening deals with. Or maybe Bioware just toned down the difficulty because every complained that Origins was too hard. Mods will have to fix it, like they did with the main game.
The new abilities don't help either, as many of them are overpowered. Unending Fury one shots nearly every enemy and massacre can kill mobs of weaker enemies. Even on nightmare I don't even have to control my other party members because my dual-wield PC can kill everything easily.
cuevas. PhD.
Member
I was planning on picking this up soon but I had a question, How is the pausing on the 360 version? It looks like it would make the game take a while and could get tedious. I wish I could buy it on the PC for the more traditional controls but I doubt my computer could handle it.
timetokill
Banned
I have a question --
I'm thinking of starting a new character (Origins) -- human noble female. Is it possible to:
- Romance Leliana, and be in a romance with her at the end
AND
- Get married to Alistair and become queen?
I'm thinking of starting a new character (Origins) -- human noble female. Is it possible to:
- Romance Leliana, and be in a romance with her at the end
AND
- Get married to Alistair and become queen?
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Technically, no - I believe the epilogue moment will show Leliana leaving if you marry Alistair.
But they'll still be in "romance mode" as long as you don't talk to them after you choose one of them, so in a game flag sense, you can still do both.
But they'll still be in "romance mode" as long as you don't talk to them after you choose one of them, so in a game flag sense, you can still do both.
DangerousMali
Member
Question, a weird one
if i was a female warden, would i get the option that the male warden got by Morrigan ?
HadesGigas
Member
DangerousMali said:
You get the option of talking Alistair into doing ...it.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
DangerousMali said:
Simple answer, yes.
--
Edit: did anyone explain what happens if you
choose to sacrifice yourself at the end of the original? Can you still import?
Played this expansion for 3 hours so far. It's exactly what i expected, and i'm enjoying it quite a far bit.
However, i'm playing it on "nightmare" mode, and it feels like i'm playing on easy mode, does it get any challenging later on? oh and the lack of party conversation is :/ at least the banter feels more constant then the original DA.
However, i'm playing it on "nightmare" mode, and it feels like i'm playing on easy mode, does it get any challenging later on? oh and the lack of party conversation is :/ at least the banter feels more constant then the original DA.
I beat Awakening Last night @ 12 hours... had a few side-quests left, but I continued on to the end. I am very disappointed in the similarity in the end-sequence... I mean I played this already in Origins. I throughly demolished everyone in my path, I even put it on hard and creamed everything. My Mage was unstoppable @ lv 35, I even controled a different character because the computer could cast way faster than me.
I thought it would take longer to complete, didn't realize how close to the end I really was. I was enjoyable, but upon futher playing I'd say it's not worth $40.
I thought it would take longer to complete, didn't realize how close to the end I really was. I was enjoyable, but upon futher playing I'd say it's not worth $40.
timetokill
Banned
firehawk12 said:
Thanks for the response. That kind of sucks :lol My male human noble married Anora but still went looking for Morrigan at the end. I was hoping to do a similar thing on the female side. Ah, well.
ElectricBlue187
Member
where's that mod that lets you disable status spell effects? that shit is so annoying
edit: found it http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=98
edit: found it http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=98
I just have a comment to make on DAO, I was just being nice to everyone to get their approval up, but I somehow ended up starting a romance w/Leilina? I didn't even realize I was doing that, not my intention at all. Then I have to end a relationship that I didn't even want or knew about in the first place ... xD
HadesGigas
Member
g23 said:
No, download version acts as DLC.