Dragon Age story/plot discussion

[alanschu]

I am definitely looking forward to discussing some aspects of the game and hope to have some good discussion about it. Sounds like Magical Volo got his hands on a copy already, so perhaps some others have as well, so I figured I'd start this. Of course, perhaps he's too busy playing the game to post right now hehe.

 

A reminder to please use spoiler tags when getting into the details of a scene. Let the reader decide if they want to be spoiled. Use judgment for cues for what the spoiler will be about. Like "So I am doing the Dwarf Noble story as a male rogue, and

some thing interesting/funny/absurd you saw would go here

" so people will know what area and whatnot. At least I'll try to adhere to something similar. (Note: The spoiler here is just an example, it doesn't spoil anything )

 

 

I'll get things started with just my open class since most won't have the game when I post this, but I just want to get the thread started. I'm excited and I've already played the silly thing

 

My first playthrough was a male Human Noble - Rogue.

 

 

 

Hopefully people enjoy the game!

Edited November 3, 2009 by alanschu

[Oner]

I'll go with human noble - warrior (dual wield)

Poor dog will have to be the tank.

[MacMichael]

I'll be starting DA the same way I've started every fantasy RPG for at least the past five years, female human rogue. Though I've been tempted by a male dwarf noble warrior or rogue as a starter. Just waiting for my D2D preload to unlock now.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I got my copy of Dragon Age tonight and will install it shortly - however some deadlines are approaching and I really need to work on those things first.

[alanschu]

The thing I sooo love about not being in school is that a lot of those deadlines don't approach anymore.

 

 

Oh, if anyone has any questions about the game if they are stuck, or want some advice/suggestions/perspective, I don't mind sharing. I'll quote the post with a spoiler tagged response.

[Syraxis]

I got my copy of Dragon Age tonight and will install it shortly - however some deadlines are approaching and I really need to work on those things first.

 

Same here , judging my schedule I probably won't have a chance to have a proper play session (i.e. one that lasts a few hours) until friday.

[Azure79]

Grrr...waiting for my digital copy to unlock. Its for the best, I have some stuff to catch up on. Hopefully it will unlock at midnight. Can't wait.

[deganawida]

The thing I sooo love about not being in school is that a lot of those deadlines don't approach anymore.

 

 

Oh, if anyone has any questions about the game if they are stuck, or want some advice/suggestions/perspective, I don't mind sharing. I'll quote the post with a spoiler tagged response.

 

 

I'll take you up on that offer.

 

1) Is DW as powerful in the actual game as it is in Journeys? In Journeys, the absolute best path to pick for the warrior is DW; SnB is good for defense only, and TH has one good attack that you can get. I'd hate to play another game where DW is the be-all and end-all of combat.

 

2) What type of advanced classes are there for warriors? Which do you think is most interesting or powerful?

 

3) Is it better to have a well-balanced character, or a specialized character?

[Azure79]

Me too. I plan on playing SnS style, because I find the prospect of smashing enemies with a shield very enticing. How effective is the shield as a weapon and do different shields do different damage, or is it the same all around?

[Cl_Flushentityhero]

Alan, how did the rogue class hold up in combat for you?

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

He dies at the end.

[Azure79]

Oh Poo, Steam version unlocks in 16 hours.

 

Well, more sleep time for me I guess. I'm going to be totally unoriginal and name Dog, Dragon.

[Maria Caliban]

My first play through will be as follows:

Human female warrior PC. I plan on going sword and shield. I prefer two-handed, but this game looks like it needs a dedicated meat shield and I'll be the only warrior. Champion as my major specialization.

 

Morrigan as my magical damage. I plan to max the shape-shifting tree and then focus on the primal 'blow the crap out of them' spells.

 

Wynne as my healer. I'll max the spirit healer and creation (or is it spirit) line with the healing in it. After that, I'll focus on developing her into a buffer/debuffer. (Entropy?)

 

Leliana as my rogue. Because I want to open chests and redheads are better than saucy, blonde elves. I'll probably go duel wielding with her, as I already have two ranged types.

[Pop]

I'll play as a mage, earth / ice based although I'm guessing using Cone of Cold and Stonefist together won't be the most efficient combination compared to others.

[alanschu]

Just a reminder that these are my impressions. It's possible that other people found more powerful/different builds.

 

 

deganawida:

 

1) Is DW as powerful in the actual game as it is in Journeys? In Journeys, the absolute best path to pick for the warrior is DW; SnB is good for defense only, and TH has one good attack that you can get. I'd hate to play another game where DW is the be-all and end-all of combat.

 

 

For a warrior, I find the best damage dealing is the Two-handed weapon tree. Your attacks are a bit slower, but you'll not suffer as much for mitigation, and you get some handy CC and armor penetration type abilities too. To be honest though, I didn't dual wield much with the warrior. But I think that dual-wielding is better suited for rogues, as the abilities tend to require dexterity. The consensus around the office was that two-handed warriors were solid damage dealers though.

 

 

2) What type of advanced classes are there for warriors? Which do you think is most interesting or powerful?

 

 

Admittedly I am only familiar with two of the specialty classes for warriors. Templar and Champion. I think Champion is very powerful, with some good buffs for the whole party to boot. Templar seemed okay, but it didn't really catch my eye. Reaver seemed quite interesting. By the time I learned how to get it (a spoiler for a different question) though, I was long past the point. Most of the specializations have a book form that you can find if you miss the "story" way of learning it, but I either didn't find it, or was too broke to buy it. I like heroic characters though, so champion fit my Alistair quite nicely!

 

 

3) Is it better to have a well-balanced character, or a specialized character?

 

 

Typically "specialized" is better. Though when I say specialized, I mean within a particular tree, and it's pretty obvious. I mean, if you're dual wielding, you'll pick the Dual Wield abilities and whatnot. As a mage though, I don't think specialization in a tree is necessary. The most powerful spells are typically at the end of the 4-part trees, so with some exceptions check out the ones you like. A variety of damage/CC/heal will make the caster very versatile. I found focusing exclusively on damage though, was typically a poor build for mages. CC is pretty useful I find.

 

 

 

 

Cl_Flushentityhero:

 

Alan, how did the rogue class hold up in combat for you?

 

 

It took a little getting used to, but I found dual wield to be the way to go for rogues (not too surprising). I didn't have much experience with archery, and except for a few battles where range is strategically useful, it really lagged behind until you could get the later level tiers. Learning how to manage your tank can make you do massive damage in a short period of time with your rogue though. You'll see little arcs on the ground reflecting the "backstab arc" of the targets. Try to be there for getting huge backstab bonuses. Large backstab criticals can shatter stoned/frozen enemies too, if you're lucky. Momentum is also fantastic, as it really ups your attack rate. Once I got that talent, I rarely had it off, and it was entertaining to see my rogue quickly backstab characters. Whirlwind and Dual-Weapon Sweep work well for some good damage and AOE effects. I would still use Dual-Weapon Sweep for single targets as it would hit with both of your weapons. If you toss some points into strength for some one-handed swords, you can also up your armor, but part of the threat mechanic of the game is based on armor, so I tended to stick with the higher quality leather armors.

 

Edited November 3, 2009 by alanschu

[alanschu]

I'll play as a mage, earth / ice based although I'm guessing using Cone of Cold and Stonefist together won't be the most efficient combination compared to others.

 

 

I really enjoyed that combo actually.

[HoonDing]

I'll play as female human noble warrior, sword & shield. Party I'll most likely use is Sten, Leliana & Wynne (planning to kill Morrigan on first sight, if possible).

 

I'll play on normal mode, but switch to easy if the 'friendly fire' gets into my face too much.

[Monte Carlo]

How is discussion of combat styles and character building a spolier?

 

Because it isn't. I'm liking the stuff in the thread, but highlighting fiddly and not-very-easy-to-read text is slightly annoying.

 

A spoiler is "NPC X is in fact a giant man-eating vegetable in disguise who tries to eat you after you capture the Orb of Destiny*"

 

Conversely, "The two-handed weapon tree is optimal for a tank and there's a couple of groovy two-handers you can get before the halfway point" isn't.

 

Cheers

MC

 

* I've said it before, but honestly, I should write this stuff for a living.

[Tigranes]

I haven't done much character research, but I'll probably play some form of dwarf mage, because magical synergy = best thing about DA I've heard, and dwarves sound much more interesting than elves. Probably female, since usually there're more romance options for guys (maybe not anymore?) and I'm tired of listening to trash romance dialogue.

 

Sten's the only NPC I'm sure to take, I think, though I think most NPCs will actually be quite good (except for perhaps a little overdose on the Disney).

[HoonDing]

Only humans & Elves can be mages, IIRC.

[Majek]

Hmm what to play first. I think i'll go with human rogue and if that won't work, i'll either start over with a warrior or just summon some magic equipment.

[jaguars4ever]

How is discussion of combat styles and character building a spolier?

 

"Monte Carlo, I'm real happy for you & Ima let you finish, but KotOR's protagonist being Revan is the best spoiler of ALL TIME!"

 

[Tigranes]

Only humans & Elves can be mages, IIRC.

 

Well blistering barnacles and a great big pox on them.

[Kaftan Barlast]

*puts on his robe and wizard hat*

 

 

 

Is it possible to play the game as a complete douchebag?

[Niten_Ryu]

Thanks to character creator, I've made several possible characters for my first run. Hideous female elven mage, genderbender male human noble templar, goodie-two-shoes female dwarven commoner rogue and male dwarven noble champion with Proteus syndrome. Dwarf commoner origin sound the most interesting for me and I haven't roleplayed ultra idealitist utilitarian for a while.