Junior Adventurer's Guild - November: Dragon Age: Origins

[logincrash]

I. Am. So. *******. ********.
I killed the Archdemon and was in the middle of the deathblow animation. I wanted to take some kewl screenshots.
But instead of pressing PrintScreen, I ******* pressed F9.
This might be the stupidest thing I've done in a long while.
******* butterfingers.

[Oyster Sauce]

I. Am. So. *******. ********.
I killed the Archdemon and was in the middle of the deathblow animation. I wanted to take some kewl screenshots.
But instead of pressing PrintScreen, I ******* pressed F9.
This might be the stupidest thing I've done in a long while.
******* butterfingers.

Embrace screen recording

[logincrash]

Finished Origins. Only took me 69 hours.

crocodile dundid it.jpg

► Show Spoiler

toot.jpg

Got the Traveler achievement, so I visited every location in the game. Done some quests for the very first time too.
Off to play Awakening next.

[Tweed]

Doing the final stretch. Getting through hordes of darkspawn to get to the Archdemon.
The performance is so ******* bad, bros. The memory leak thing is a real pain in the ***. The stuttering is HORRIFIC.
I have the 4GB Patch AND the DVKX (or whatever the **** it's called) thing installed and I still have to quit and launch the game again once every couple of hours.
Such a shame.

Probably the biggest deterrent to me revisiting the game more often. And someone in the forum, @rusty_shackleford I think, said Bioware has no one left that knows how to work the DAO engine so a remaster's not to be expected :////////////

Bioware: OOGA BOOGA UNGA BUNGA!
Community of nerds: We could have something ready for you in about six months.

[logincrash]

I've played through the entire campaign with the Dragon Age Redesigned mod. It changes the NPCs' faces. It's good for random NPCs that have no dialogue, but nearly every named NPC that was replaced looks worse than the vanilla game.
Here's the list of those that felt so distracting that I had to remove them as soon as I saw them.

You can go to the override folder and Ctrl+F the NPC names. Then just delete the .mor file.
I'm yet to get far into Awakening, but I suspect I will have to remove even more replacers. Anders looked horrible and Varel had his chin clipping through his beard. I removed Sigrun preemptively.

[logincrash]

I've read all the codex entries I could find. The Mass Effect codex was better executed than this one, I think.
There are several codex entries that just outright contradict the game. Redcliffe is in the wrong place, darkspawn emissaries are able to talk, etc.
Also, the Andrastian faith is a knock-off of Christianity but it lacks the most important aspect of it - the sacrifice. Andraste didn't die to redeem humanity's sins. She was betrayed and was burned at the stake against her will.
So, instead of a female Jesus, Dragon Age has a magic Joan of Arc. And that's kinda disappointing.
Still, none of the elven wewuzery nonsense from the sequels disproves the Maker. The lore is that the Maker created spirits in the Fade first and then, when they didn't create anything new, he made the real world and filled it with humans. The "elves are acktschually spirits" fits into that just fine.

[rusty_shackleford]

I've read all the codex entries I could find. The Mass Effect codex was better executed than this one, I think.
There are several codex entries that just outright contradict the game. Redcliffe is in the wrong place, darkspawn emissaries are able to talk, etc.
Also, the Andrastian faith is a knock-off of Christianity but it lacks the most important aspect of it - the sacrifice. Andraste didn't die to redeem humanity's sins. She was betrayed and was burned at the stake against her will.
So, instead of a female Jesus, Dragon Age has a magic Joan of Arc. And that's kinda disappointing.
Still, none of the elven wewuzery nonsense from the sequels disproves the Maker. The lore is that the Maker created spirits in the Fade first and then, when they didn't create anything new, he made the real world and filled it with humans. The "elves are acktschually spirits" fits into that just fine.

The contents of some of the codex entries can differ depending on your character & actions iirc (...?)

[logincrash]

I've read all the codex entries I could find. The Mass Effect codex was better executed than this one, I think.
There are several codex entries that just outright contradict the game. Redcliffe is in the wrong place, darkspawn emissaries are able to talk, etc.
Also, the Andrastian faith is a knock-off of Christianity but it lacks the most important aspect of it - the sacrifice. Andraste didn't die to redeem humanity's sins. She was betrayed and was burned at the stake against her will.
So, instead of a female Jesus, Dragon Age has a magic Joan of Arc. And that's kinda disappointing.
Still, none of the elven wewuzery nonsense from the sequels disproves the Maker. The lore is that the Maker created spirits in the Fade first and then, when they didn't create anything new, he made the real world and filled it with humans. The "elves are acktschually spirits" fits into that just fine.

The contents of some of the codex entries can differ depending on your character & actions iirc (...?)

Yes, a lot of codex entries change, though not by much. It usually adds a couple of short sentences like "Lord Such and such joined the Warden and together they reached their goal."

[ThulsaDoomer]

Still, none of the elven wewuzery nonsense from the sequels disproves the Maker. The lore is that the Maker created spirits in the Fade first and then, when they didn't create anything new, he made the real world and filled it with humans. The "elves are acktschually spirits" fits into that just fine.

No need to disprove anything when they just hit delete on the Maker and forgot he ever existed. Still, since all of the Chantry material was written by a woman, that's likely why it had such cracks. Amusing that out of the entire writing team of Bioware, the foid was the most traditionalist in the most loosest sense. Grim state of affairs for any studio.

[rusty_shackleford]

iirc hamburger helper wrote the dwarf stuff

[logincrash]

I'm a little bit into Awakening already. The writing is noticeably different and I'm not sure it's for the best. The pacing is way too fast, but I guess that's to be expected from it being an expansion rather than a full campaign.
The gear in Awakening is crazy over the top. And the designs on all the different weapons are starting to drift into batshit crazy JRPG anime territory.

[Valter]

I'm a little bit into Awakening already. The writing is noticeably different and I'm not sure it's for the best. The pacing is way too fast, but I guess that's to be expected from it being an expansion rather than a full campaign.
The gear in Awakening is crazy over the top. And the designs on all the different weapons are starting to drift into batshit crazy JRPG anime territory.

Dude I dunno what class you're playing, but when I played dual-wielding rogue there were some straight up anime *teleports behind you* moves

[logincrash]

I'm a little bit into Awakening already. The writing is noticeably different and I'm not sure it's for the best. The pacing is way too fast, but I guess that's to be expected from it being an expansion rather than a full campaign.
The gear in Awakening is crazy over the top. And the designs on all the different weapons are starting to drift into batshit crazy JRPG anime territory.

Dude I dunno what class you're playing, but when I played dual-wielding rogue there were some straight up anime *teleports behind you* moves

Yeah, I'm playing the same dual-wielding Rogue Bard Assassin. That's the Flicker ability. "The rogue moves as a blur, backstabbing all the enemies in an area in a blink of an eye." There's a whole bunch of this kinda nonsense.
I also bought the best dagger that has +100% backstab damage bonus (which is ******* MASSIVE - the best Origins dagger only had a +30% backstab damage bonus) and it looks like a Final Fantasy knife.

[DrSneed]

I love being a reaver

[rusty_shackleford]

I'm a little bit into Awakening already. The writing is noticeably different and I'm not sure it's for the best. The pacing is way too fast, but I guess that's to be expected from it being an expansion rather than a full campaign.
The gear in Awakening is crazy over the top. And the designs on all the different weapons are starting to drift into batshit crazy JRPG anime territory.

Dude I dunno what class you're playing, but when I played dual-wielding rogue there were some straight up anime *teleports behind you* moves

I'm a little bit into Awakening already. The writing is noticeably different and I'm not sure it's for the best. The pacing is way too fast, but I guess that's to be expected from it being an expansion rather than a full campaign.
The gear in Awakening is crazy over the top. And the designs on all the different weapons are starting to drift into batshit crazy JRPG anime territory.

Dude I dunno what class you're playing, but when I played dual-wielding rogue there were some straight up anime *teleports behind you* moves

Yeah, I'm playing the same dual-wielding Rogue Bard Assassin. That's the Flicker ability. "The rogue moves as a blur, backstabbing all the enemies in an area in a blink of an eye." There's a whole bunch of this kinda nonsense.
I also bought the best dagger that has +100% backstab damage bonus (which is ******* MASSIVE - the best Origins dagger only had a +30% backstab damage bonus) and it looks like a Final Fantasy knife.

World of Warcraft was very popular

WoW.webp

[logincrash]

Anyone siding with the Architect seriously (and not as a lark to see what happens) is insane.
No matter what harebrained plan he comes up with to cure the Blight or whatever the ****, everything he touches will always turn to **** because he's literally radioactive and taints the air itself just by existing.
Doing anything in Awakening other than exterminating every darkspawn on sight is foolish.
I'm glad the option is there for the roleplay purposes, but it's still pretty dumb.
Also, this guy sounds like Xavier Renegade Angel when he talks.

***** tonk.jpg

[logincrash]

I've specced Anders into a tanky Spirit Healer/Arcane Warrior/Battlemage. He's just a healbot for me, but looking at how the stats and spells interact is crazy. Mages in Awakening are nuclear weapons.
The Hero of Ferelden properly specced and geared for the Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage/Battlemage would be able to take out any party configuration from any of the sequels solo. A 4 person party with the Warden + 3 Origins companions would be able to take on every main character + every companion of the sequels combined.
It just like with Mass Effect. The sequels all have flashy effects and sleek animations, but none of that is as powerful as the original games allowed you to become. Biotics in ME1 break the game and make Insanity trivial. Arcane Warrior in Origins is able to solo everything on Nightmare. Biotics in ME sequels are disabled with ******* basic ***** shields and armor. DA sequels don't even let you be an Arcane Warrior.
It's interesting how such a decline was something Tolkien wrote about with Numenor. Every one of them was a 7' tall Chad who lived for hundreds of years, but their descendants are just slightly above regular humans.

[MrTwinkls]

Anyone siding with the Architect seriously (and not as a lark to see what happens) is insane.
No matter what harebrained plan he comes up with to cure the Blight or whatever the ****, everything he touches will always turn to **** because he's literally radioactive and taints the air itself just by existing.
Doing anything in Awakening other than exterminating every darkspawn on sight is foolish.
I'm glad the option is there for the roleplay purposes, but it's still pretty dumb.
Also, this guy sounds like Xavier Renegade Angel when he talks.

I am more ****** off devs forgot he existed in the sequels.

[logincrash]

I ******* HATE the ******** thing Bioware did where they made all elves barefoot.
You stupid ******* *******, have you ever tried hiking barefoot?

[rusty_shackleford]

I ******* HATE the ******** thing Bioware did where they made all elves barefoot.
You stupid ******* *******, have you ever tried hiking barefoot?

Writer's barely disguised fetish

[TheEmptyRoad]

Anyone siding with the Architect seriously (and not as a lark to see what happens) is insane.
No matter what harebrained plan he comes up with to cure the Blight or whatever the ****, everything he touches will always turn to **** because he's literally radioactive and taints the air itself just by existing.
Doing anything in Awakening other than exterminating every darkspawn on sight is foolish.
I'm glad the option is there for the roleplay purposes, but it's still pretty dumb.
Also, this guy sounds like Xavier Renegade Angel when he talks.

I am more ****** off devs forgot he existed in the sequels.

The Architect would have been a far more interesting antagonist than Coryphishit.

[Oyster Sauce]

I ******* HATE the ******** thing Bioware did where they made all elves barefoot.
You stupid ******* *******, have you ever tried hiking barefoot?

[logincrash]

I ******* HATE the ******** thing Bioware did where they made all elves barefoot.
You stupid ******* *******, have you ever tried hiking barefoot?

1. Legolas wears boots.
2. Dragon Age elves are not the Übermensch elves of Middle-Earth, but barely different from humans.

[Oyster Sauce]

I ******* HATE the ******** thing Bioware did where they made all elves barefoot.
You stupid ******* *******, have you ever tried hiking barefoot?

1. Legolas wears boots.
2. Dragon Age elves are not the Übermensch elves of Middle-Earth, but barely different from humans.

City slicker

[logincrash]

1. Legolas wears boots.
2. Dragon Age elves are not the Übermensch elves of Middle-Earth, but barely different from humans.

City slicker

Toe licker

[DrSneed]

1. Legolas wears boots.
2. Dragon Age elves are not the Übermensch elves of Middle-Earth, but barely different from humans.

City slicker

Toe licker

elf feet

[logincrash]

Honestly, I think I prefer DA2 Anders to his Awakening version. He's like Alistair but dialed to 11. Way too quippy.
Velanna's a whiny ****.
Justice is boring.
Nathaniel is alright.
Oghren and Sigrun are my favourite of the Awakening companions.

[logincrash]

Finished Witch Hunt.
It's such a pointless DLC if you haven't romanced Morrigan. Even if you stab her, it's not as satisfying as going through the mirror with her.
Then finished Amgarrak.
Now that's a real ******** DLC. The golem fights are ******* annoying with 4-10 golems spamming Hurl (which hurls a giant ******* boulder at your party, which always (95% of the time) knocks your party down) over and over. Had to drop down from the Nightmare difficulty to Normal just to deal with that ******** nonsense.
The Harvester fight itself wasn't that hard, surprisingly, even when I switched it back to Nightmare for the achievement. TPK'd only twice. Reworked the tactics a bit and focused on the Harvester with my Rogue and the dwarf Rogue that I respecced into an archer and it was over real quick.

Gonna do an Arcane Warrior playthrough now, I think. Or might do a Cousland playthrough instead. Hmm...

[J1M]

I would appreciate a consolidated post with your conclusions of the DLC. Haven't played any of it.

[logincrash]

I would appreciate a consolidated post with your conclusions of the DLC. Haven't played any of it.

A Tale of Orzammar is a very short proof-of-concept module by PC Gamer. It's a very short combat-focused adventure where you go through the Aeducan Thaig shortly before the start of the main game. It's simple and self-contained.
You will lose nothing by skipping it.

---

Leliana's Song is a prequel story of how Leliana found herself in Ferelden. It's alright overall. It features Leliana as a voiced protagonist. You choose dialogue options and Leliana speaks them out loud, a la DA2. The story is of dubious canon, since it doesn't align with the main game's version of events. But that's probably due to reusing the base game and Awakening locations. The ending is a little annoying, but that's because it's a prequel story.
It also does a weird Guy Ritchie-esque character introductions.
If you do a short side quest, it gives you one of the best Rogue armors in the base game. I also used the same Rogue armor on Anders in Awakening because it gave him extra 50 stamina.
If you don't find Leliana annoying, you might want to do this DLC for the armor.

---

The Darkspawn Chronicles is a pure combat-focused DLC. A "What if?" story of Alistair being the only living Warden, with you playing as a Darkspawn general leading all the different kinds of Darkspawn in the battle for Denerim.
Pretty buggy at times, but okay if you like the premise.
You get a crappy sword for beating it.

---

Awakening is a proper expansion. It's a direct continuation of the base game story, with you playing the same character you played in Origins.
It took me 17 hours to beat, but 2 or 3 of those were me fiddling with equipment and crafting runes and going shopping. Otherwise it's full of content. It also throws ridiculous amounts of crazy OP gear and abilities at you. A little light on the roleplaying side, with fewer choices and simpler writing, but it has cool locations to explore and plenty of fun combat.
Honestly, you can safely skip it and go straight into Witch Hunt if you don't want to spend so much time on it.
But I would recommend playing through it at least once.

---

The Golems of Amgarrak is also a purely combat-focused DLC. And the combat is the Dark Souls 2 "hard for the sake of hard" kinda ****. The location is cool and the lore is spooky, but it's not well designed, sadly.
Finishing it also gives the most OP items in the base game that you can sell for hundreds of gold at the very start.
You can play through it once and safely skip it after.

---

Witch Hunt is the last DLC timeline-wise.
It's a nice epilogue to your Origins Warden story, but, as I mentioned before, it fits a Warden who romanced Morrigan the best. It sets up the elven wewuzery that's so prevalent in the sequels.
You revisit a bunch of familiar locations, fight some okay battles. The final boss isn't very interesting, but that might have been because I was at max level with ******** OP Awakening gear.