I've inadvertently found that my main mage, Sten, Alistair and Wynne are the most effective combination, and i can get through most battles without having more than the occasional death on Hard.

 

Tactics are pretty obvious after using characters for a while, and I have it so that I open with a Cone of Cold (manually aimed), Sten and Alistair mighty blow and shield bash, Wynne and PC chip in with Stonefist (counting? four shattered enemies), then some judicious threatening, potion-gulping, healing and fighting.

 

Of course, I like the idea of the Rogue too much and Morrigan is infinitely preferable to the boring old turd, so I end up taking Zevran along (even if he can't pick any locks and dies all the time). Morrigan is finally useful after getting Sleep and Waking Nightmare though, and I'm trying to make a lot more use out of poisons and traps.

 

At Orzammar now, having visited every major hub and getting the help of elves, humans and mages. Denerim was really really great because you go there and suddenly about twenty quests just open up to you, and it really does feel like Baldur's Gate (the city). I don't think I'm that far away from the end of the game now, though, so it's not quite as long as I'd like... but what's there is really solid.

Imoen chick? Great at locks and traps, complete liability at everything else. If you take her along, stock up on injury kits.

 

Given that she's a bard and archer, she should almost never take damage.

 

And it's LELIANA. She's far more interesting than Imoen.

I found her terribly artificial, in the same way most characters her type have been in games. supposed to be serene, mysterious, kind, aloof - but comes across as not making a whole lot of sense. Detached when she should be passionate, and vice versa.

Really? I don't think she was ever meant to be mysterious or aloof. As a sort of pleasant optimist I think she's consistent enough to be considered a pretty good character.

I found her terribly artificial, in the same way most characters her type have been in games. supposed to be serene, mysterious, kind, aloof - but comes across as not making a whole lot of sense. Detached when she should be passionate, and vice versa.

 

Hmmm...? She's not meant to be serene or mysterious. She is kind, but she's not aloof at all. Are you thinking Wynne maybe? Though that doesn't fit much easier.

 

We're talking about a woman who takes a naked bunny-pig as a pet because it's 'cute' and names him Schmoopes. A woman who happily tries to give Morrigan a make-over and ends the conversation with "We could go shopping for shoes, Morrigan. Shoes!"”

 

Serene, mysterious, and aloof, she's not. Part of me is finding it doubtful that you've interacted much with the character in game.

 

Really? I don't think she was ever meant to be mysterious or aloof. As a sort of pleasant optimist I think she's consistent enough to be considered a pretty good character.

 

Yes, she's definately a light-hearted character. Fairly sweet and without gile. The conversation about city elves is something of an eye-opener, but you realize that's just how people in Orlias and Ferelden think of them. I also like her conversations with the others about the nature of faith, the reason evil exists, etc.

Edited November 11, 200916 yr by Maria Caliban

Fair enough, perhaps I should give her a longer try. I read the initial conversation with her when she joins, the conversations you can have with her at camp (e.g. on the Chantry, etc), and a few of her impromptu ones, then was sufficiently bored (not to mention she's pants in combat). I thought her 'past' was interesting and so were her views on the Chantry / Maker, though. I'll give her some more time later and hopefully I'll be able to revise my impression.

 

Got to say all the characters on the whole are well made, though, very happy with the range and detail.

Morrigan is really annoying though, do they have to have snotty, stuck-up jerks in every biogame?

Regarding combat, this may or may not be enlightening: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/designin...ragon-age/58862

Morrigan is really annoying though, do they have to have snotty, stuck-up jerks in every biogame?

Yeah, because it's so fun to manipulate their feelings.

 

I have no use for another rogue in my party so i can't really give Leliana a chance to shine yet. But maybe when i'm a mage or a fighter i'll get to have fun with her.

The only time Leliana died in my game, is when she got stuck in a fence and it was impossible for her to move away from some Genlocks.

 

Since I'm tired of returning to camp and swapping a character for her because I left behind some locked chests, I just take her with me all the time now.

Annoying NPCs I'm meant to love (but don't) is all part of the Bioware experience. Enough of their fans love it, so I just spend a lot of time hitting ESC as they warble on.

 

My main beef is the obtuse NPC combo / skill / class decisions endemic in Bio games (why I love IWD and latterly SoZ). The mod that allows you to meet every NPC at level 1 and level them up as you would choose (Sten with sword and shield, Morrigan with a freaking healing spell, Imoen Chick not as a bloody bard) can't come quickly enough.

 

Cheers

MC

OK, help required.

 

I have a level 6/7 party - My warrior (shield), Sten, Alistair and Morrigan (just levelled her up and gave her a healing spell). I'm at Redcliffe and have defeated the first two waves of zombies, have retreated up the hill and have full health and mana. All the militia are dead. Down the hill is another horde of undead, have re-loaded three freaking times but they won't stop coming.

 

If I turn it down to easy I will never be able to live with myself. We are reasonably well equipped / armoured but have no AoE spells to speak of and are down to 4 health poultices.

 

Any ideas?

 

Cheers

MC

Any ideas?

Put Shale on the bridge, lure undead towards him and watch him wreck some havoc.

^ No Shale, but I did beat it in the end.

 

My tactic was to lure the hordes up to the knights at the windmill, who helped me whup them. Then I advanced down, lured up another bunch (rinse and repeat) then headed down to take on the last lot (lost Sten, who dies with alarming regularity, his rubbish CON score doesn't help).

 

You can't really use chokepoints in this game, enemies just squeeze past you like an oiled pig. It's a bit of a pain.

 

Cheers

MC

Okay, as long as I don't get stuck with... what was that half elve's name in BG 1/2? The druid? I despised her and her husband so thoroughly that by the end I was stipping her buck naked and marching her towards her death at the first opportunity every playthrough. She's the prime example of Kaftan's "snotty, stuck-up jerk."

 

Morrigan isn't nearly so bad, though. A little full of herself and bit of a diva, but I love how she interacts with the dog. I might actually take more members of my party in Dragon Age and actually listen to the dialogue between characters. Beats NWN where I only allowed the NPCs to enter my party long enough to finish their side quests and sent them packing.

I like Claudia Black's VO and there are only two mages to choose from ::shrug:: but she is the Jaheira of DA. Snarky, difficult to win over and pretty useful to have around.

You can never go wrong with Claudia Black!

I rather dislike Morrigan, but unless the PC is a mage she's quite indispensible for her Force Field, Sleep & Cone of Cold spells.

My party is player(mage), alistair, lleleleilalana and wynn. Its crap when it comes to combat but they have more interesting things to say.

 

...the Antonio Banderas meets Legolas elf has fun voiceovers, but I hate elves and he's useless.

 

 

 

And do you ever find out if/how/why Sten killed that family? (sten is a very common swedish name btw.. meaning stone/pebble/rock. its not very cool)

Edited November 11, 200916 yr by Kaftan Barlast

I find Zevran severely underwhelming. At least Alistair has some entertaining trash talk with the PC.

 

Random encounters everytime you travel across the map are really nerve-grating. Especially Denerim... each time I travel across the map there's 20 guys waiting for me. I feel as if I've depopulated the city already.

And do you ever find out if/how/why Sten killed that family? (sten is a very common swedish name btw.. meaning stone/pebble/rock. its not very cool)

He was wounded in a fight or something, the family found and treated him, and when the idiot woke up, he got paranoid in the "unfamiliar surroundings" or something and killed everyone. VERY PRO STEN, VERY PRO!

Really? that's the reason? Why did I rescue him again? Bah, he deserves to rot.

 

P.S. Morrigan is one of the best npcs ever. Yeah, she can be a BLANK, but she's absolutely hilarious!

Edited November 11, 200916 yr by Volourn

There's more to it than that, actually:

He freaked out because he had lost his sword... which to the Qunari is a death sentence or something.

So instead of looking for it, or asking if they saw it, he kills them.

VERY PRO STEN, VERY PRO!

(Yes, I hate him.)

Well, he does become a lot less awesome once he 'opens up' to the PC.