SeanM

If someone is a huge Mass Effect fan, maybe they would like the idea of looking like the Shepard character in another FPS game. Likewise some Dead space fans might like playing as someone that looks similar to its main character. Also the announcement itself is a cheap form of advertising. I knew nothing about dead space and still have no intention of getting it. But I now know it is being released soon, the main character's name and what he presumably looks like.

I think it is just a low cost cross promotional opportunity. Maybe there are dead space fans who like the idea of running around DA2 in that armour. And it prompts them to take a second look at DA2.

On my current playthrough I used Wynne instead of Morrigan. It is the first time I used the Glyphs and the Heroic line of buffs. Glyph of repulsion helps with crowd control. It can knock back normal enemies. Glyph of warding gives +30 defence and Heroic defence gives +20-30 defence. It is also the first time I focused on usng Momentum with my Rogue. It looks fantastic when he is backstabbing. Dirty fighting, riposte, deathroot poison, and paralyse runes gives frequent stuns. Coup de grace means instant backstabs against stunned opponents. My first playthrough I was using cone of cold. I was mainly using my rogue to do critical hits to instantly shatter normal enemies. So I actually neglected the momentum line of talents.

I think it depends on your playstyle. On my first playthrough I was heavily reliant on Morrigan to stun groups of enemies and do quick damage. I never really used Wynne. But on the DA forums I would see lots of people talking about how essential Wynne was to their party. And how they wished they had her earlier in the game. I think those people were relying on their fighters to kill everything and had longer battles. Rather than using Morrigan to stun and destroy in quicker battles.

I agree that the Brecillian camp section was a bit static. The Elves have an existing problem and ask you to solve it. There is a theme of them being bitterly fixated on historic injustices and revenge. And whether that identity and attitude is healthy. But the Elves end up being supporting characters to the Werewolves. There is not as much tension, plot and interaction with them. I would prefer it if it was hard to track down their camp. And you meet people in a nearby village who would tell you negative stories about them. There would be more buildup to meeting the Elves. And tension within their community. Or maybe you would track down several tribes.

Kal Sharok would work. It is a separate self contained location. It is not dependent on the timeline of events in Ferelden and has a different feel. It is not the same familiar locations, issues and cultures as in the core game. There would be some challenges in building a standalone DLC in Ferelden. THe player is used to travelling the full length of the country and has seen its major locations/groups/issues. They may need to focus in on a location we have not seen yet. Alistair end game spoilers Morrigan end game spoilers. Maybe those two incidents were meant to be the intended storyline revelations or twists. But were a bit rushed in the end.

a new crisis? You mean, like another blight? what do you suppose would be the odds of that happening? I meant that television/movies often leave it open for a sequel. There would be some crisis that would require the original characters to return. Dragon Age seems conclusive for most of your characters. I doubt there will be another Blight.

I agree. I liked that Dragon Age had a reasonably conclusive ending. It is not like some new crisis happens. And then you have to track down your buddies and save the world again. They said two years of DLC. I am curious what the larger DLC will be like. Whether it will be mainly add-in mid game locations with quests and loot. Like larger versions of "Warden's Keep". Or there will be a standalone medium sized adventure with a new character and companions. Either set in a another Thedas location. Or set in post epilogue reconstruction Ferelden with some reference to how your choices affected the country. I don't think the sequel will have as much continuation of the story as Mass Effect. They always said Mass Effect is a trilogy. Keep your saves. DA2 might have to use the "ask the player questions" method. Morrigan ending spoilers If it is set in Orlais. There could be occasional conversations where you answer who is King of Ferelden? Does Ferelden have a Mage tower? What is the condition of the Elves/Dwarves? Hopefully that would lead to slight variations in the game. Rather than just being flavour text.

That seems to be the trend in the industry. (Mass Effect, Modern Warfare, Bioshock, Assassins Creed.) They reuse the engine and make the sequel in two years. It is a blockbuster release with a lot of anticipation and hype. I think they make more money with a quick sequel. Than releasing a few expansion packs and then releasing a sequel 5+ years later. I think DA 2 could be closer to three years. DA 1 was a huge game with a long development cycle and the PC version needed a few months delay. It is the first Bioware game simultaneously released on three platforms. I think they might take a break, do a post-mortem and monitor the feedback. It could take a while to plan out the storyline, gameplay and make it more optimised for the console versions. Though I was surprised that Bioware finished Mass Effect 2 in two years. Maybe it helped already knowing the storyline and that they were making a trilogy.

I think the Morrigan thing is best handled in a large DLC. Because they know that everyone has the base game and end game saves. A sequel could take 3+ years to make. And they have to market it to as wide an audience as possible. I don't think it will rely too much on knowing Morrigan's backstory and what happened at the end of DA 1. They will have some new compelling story hook. If it is set in a new nation, I don't think they have to make many specific references to what happened in Ferelden. Apart from there being a Blight, civil war, chaos and political upheaval. Though maybe Morrigan is interesting to the writers and popular with the fans, that they want to use her again in a full game. Rather than ending her story in a brief DLC.

In which case, if you want a proper challenge, play as a Rogue (archer) with a party of Wynne (no respeccing, just follow the heal / buff route - imagine she's a D&D cleric), Alistair and one of the other rogues (I'd suggest Zevran configured for the all out Tier 4 Stealth, DW god). It will play as a very different, more tactical game. Mage PCs own this game, so take them out of the equation. EDIT: Configure your archer as stealing / lock guy to maximise your income and concentrate of the AK47 critical hit archery route, pump DEX to the 40's. Configure Zevran as a high CUNNING melee rogue, by mid teen levels he'll easily have 100% defence with the right kit, let him also be trap / poison guy. My first playthrough I was really reliant on Morrigan to quickly kill and disable groups of enemies. I used a lot of Cone of Cold + shatter. My current playthrough I resolved to just use Wynne as a pure healing mage. And rely on my fighters to kill everything. (Level 10 dual wield Rogue, Alistair and Leliana) I am finding it much tougher without crowd control spells. Especially a cutscene battle where I was swarmed by a lot of werewolves. And a random encounter with twelve archers and two shrieks. I think I need to build and equip my fighters better. And take some crowd control spells for those situations.

My early expectations were that the mid game would have a more medieval feel. You would be dealing with Human/Elf/Dwarf enemies, issues and problems. Then I saw the trailers with werewolves, zombies and abominations. I realised the game would be more exotic than my preconceptions. I am fine with it. But I notice that aspect of it more than the overpowered mage class or abundance of mercenary mages.

I think magic is meant to be fairly exotic to the average Ferelden. They may not ever meet a mage or witness someone doing magic. Mages are meant to be locked up in a tower and viewed as dangerous. But in the main storyline you deal with several problems caused by magic. So it seems more common. I think magic is meant to be powerful but rare and difficult to control. I agree it is a very powerful class. On my third playthrough I might try to finish it without using a mage in my party.

I think the loot in locked chests is deliberately mundane so people don't feel compelled to bring along a rogue. They don't miss out on any unique or exciting loot. It is just average loot which they can sell. And ultimately accumulate enough money to buy something nice.

I think it could work. It is a game where you fight big groups of enemies. So it would not unbalance things too much. Even 5 members would give much more flexibility in building a party. I don't think it will happen officially because it is multiplatform series. I don't know how awkward it is to switch between five characters on the console versions.