Hi
I am wondering whether I should play Awakening or not - and if yes, then how. I hear that if you begin a new Awakening game, your previous choises don't really count; If you did Ultimate Sacrifice, your character will be alive in Awakening. And if Alistair died, then you'll still meet him and he will be king.
So my questions are:
1) Will playing Awakening make me feel like my previous choises were completely in vain?
2) Should I play Awakening (perhaps with a character that made choises in Original, that lead to results, seen in Awakening) anyway and is there a specific way I should play it, in order to get the most out of it?
3) Is Awakening generally worth it?
Thanks in advance.
Not sure how to play Awakening
Débuté par
Aleque
, sept. 18 2011 08:23
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#2
Posté 19 septembre 2011 - 12:47
richmix
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Awakening plays like your imported character had a very specific ending. You won't see many (if any) holdovers from the decisions you made in Origins. You won't mind it so much, though, because those decisions don't really matter in Awakening, beyond the whole bit about dead people apparently being back alive.
As to your second question, no, there isn't anything specific you need to do to get the most out of Awakening. An imported character will be seen as a highly respected Ferelden Gray Warden, while a new character will be seen as an untrusted Orlesian Gray Warden. That and the fact that imported characters get to keep their equipment, levels, skills, and read tomes (but not equipment earned from DLCs) gives most imported characters and edge, but you'll quickly find Awakening equipment is better than most items you could have gotten in the original campaign anyway.
Your third question depends on how much you enjoy playing the game. Compared to the original campaign, I felt Awakening's story to be lacking. It definitely plays like an expansion, not so much a standalone game, and it's a great hold-over for developing your character beyond the limits of the original Origins campaign. You should play it at least once, then decide after your first playthrough if its worth playing again with a different character.
As to your second question, no, there isn't anything specific you need to do to get the most out of Awakening. An imported character will be seen as a highly respected Ferelden Gray Warden, while a new character will be seen as an untrusted Orlesian Gray Warden. That and the fact that imported characters get to keep their equipment, levels, skills, and read tomes (but not equipment earned from DLCs) gives most imported characters and edge, but you'll quickly find Awakening equipment is better than most items you could have gotten in the original campaign anyway.
Your third question depends on how much you enjoy playing the game. Compared to the original campaign, I felt Awakening's story to be lacking. It definitely plays like an expansion, not so much a standalone game, and it's a great hold-over for developing your character beyond the limits of the original Origins campaign. You should play it at least once, then decide after your first playthrough if its worth playing again with a different character.
#3
Posté 19 septembre 2011 - 03:23
Shadow of Light Dragon
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1) The only saved game where your choices won't count will be an Ultimate Sacrifice game. If you import it, it will retroactively change your Warden to doing the Dark Ritual. You cannot create an Awakening game where your Warden died -- closest you can get is doing an Orlesian Warden, and that will not carry your dead Warden's choices forward. You are better off importing a living Warden to preserve your game choices which, TBH, aren't many. It basically amounts to who is king/queen and what romance messages you get in the epilogue, if any. Oghren will be alive whether or not you killed him in Origins, and the same goes for Wynne. They should react differently depending on how you treated them in Origins.
2) Import a living Warden. Except for what I noted above, your choices in Origins don't really matter in Awakening. However, importing an Awakening save into DA2 will preserve both your Origins and Awakening choices.
3) I mostly enjoyed Awakening's storyline, although I never got used to the lack of a party camp, the limited dialogue and the dialogue 'triggers' in random map places. :/ Unfortunately some of that set the stage for DA2 dialogue. It's a proper expansion, so you'll get your money's worth for gameplay, IMO, and your Warden gets another set of epilogue slides depending on how you handled things in Amaranthine.
2) Import a living Warden. Except for what I noted above, your choices in Origins don't really matter in Awakening. However, importing an Awakening save into DA2 will preserve both your Origins and Awakening choices.
3) I mostly enjoyed Awakening's storyline, although I never got used to the lack of a party camp, the limited dialogue and the dialogue 'triggers' in random map places. :/ Unfortunately some of that set the stage for DA2 dialogue. It's a proper expansion, so you'll get your money's worth for gameplay, IMO, and your Warden gets another set of epilogue slides depending on how you handled things in Amaranthine.
#4
Posté 19 septembre 2011 - 11:34
Corker
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FWIW, I had a Warden-Commander ending Warden go into Awakening, and Alistair stayed quite dead.
1) I won't import my US Warden, but I didn't experience any undoing of the choices of my WC and DR Wardens.
2) If you have a Warden for whom taking command of the Keep isn't OOC, using him/her is a good idea. I had two rather different but equally fun games with a WC Cousland (nothing left but duty, raised to be a noble, into the politics and etc.) and a DR Mahariel (who actually had some sympathy for Velanna).
Oh. If you have a savegame where you gave Oghren no or few gifts, use that. His "gift meter" isn't reset from Origins, so if you gave him all his booze there, gifts in DAA only net +6 approval. There's precious few opportunities to gain approval from Oggie and unlock his personal quest, so it helps if you can bring in extra gifts from Origins or use an Oghren who hasn't received any gifts yet.
3) If you have the time, I'd say it's worth it, especially now that the price is down. It's almost silly-overpowered, but there's a certain giddy fun to seeing those huge damage numbers. I'm not a huge fan of the premise itself, but it's got some memorable moments and nifty new areas. The companions are sort of a mixed bag, but I think most people end up liking at least a few of them.
1) I won't import my US Warden, but I didn't experience any undoing of the choices of my WC and DR Wardens.
2) If you have a Warden for whom taking command of the Keep isn't OOC, using him/her is a good idea. I had two rather different but equally fun games with a WC Cousland (nothing left but duty, raised to be a noble, into the politics and etc.) and a DR Mahariel (who actually had some sympathy for Velanna).
Oh. If you have a savegame where you gave Oghren no or few gifts, use that. His "gift meter" isn't reset from Origins, so if you gave him all his booze there, gifts in DAA only net +6 approval. There's precious few opportunities to gain approval from Oggie and unlock his personal quest, so it helps if you can bring in extra gifts from Origins or use an Oghren who hasn't received any gifts yet.
3) If you have the time, I'd say it's worth it, especially now that the price is down. It's almost silly-overpowered, but there's a certain giddy fun to seeing those huge damage numbers. I'm not a huge fan of the premise itself, but it's got some memorable moments and nifty new areas. The companions are sort of a mixed bag, but I think most people end up liking at least a few of them.
#5
Posté 19 septembre 2011 - 01:36
Satyricon331
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Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...
1) The only saved game where your choices won't count will be an Ultimate Sacrifice game. If you import it, it will retroactively change your Warden to doing the Dark Ritual. You cannot create an Awakening game where your Warden died -- closest you can get is doing an Orlesian Warden, and that will not carry your dead Warden's choices forward. You are better off importing a living Warden to preserve your game choices which, TBH, aren't many. It basically amounts to who is king/queen and what romance messages you get in the epilogue, if any. Oghren will be alive whether or not you killed him in Origins, and the same goes for Wynne. They should react differently depending on how you treated them in Origins.
Since the DA2 icon's beneath the OP's avatar, it might be worth clarifying: If you're importing from DAA (or the later DAO dlc) into DA2, DA2 will still recognize the Ultimate Sacrifice choice. To the extent DAA retcons the Ultimate Sacrifice ending, DA2 retcons it back and doesn't say who the Warden Commander in DAA was.
#7
Posté 22 septembre 2011 - 02:01
Last Darkness
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Its worth your time to play Origins>Awakening>Golems of Amgarrak>Witch Hunt in that order then import into Dragon Age II.
Most of the bugs have been fixed in recent patches and if your on PC theres mod fix packs to work out others.
My only suggestion is except for seeing the ending and getting the achivement you should never have your Warden do the Ultimate Sacrifice. You miss out alot on future story and plot flags.
I also suggest not killing Alistair.
The Dark Ritual and the other option are better for integrity of the Dragon Age story and imports. Though keeping spoilers to a minimum....Dark Ritual with Alistair is speculated to have some very juicy benefits for the future.
Most of the bugs have been fixed in recent patches and if your on PC theres mod fix packs to work out others.
My only suggestion is except for seeing the ending and getting the achivement you should never have your Warden do the Ultimate Sacrifice. You miss out alot on future story and plot flags.
I also suggest not killing Alistair.
The Dark Ritual and the other option are better for integrity of the Dragon Age story and imports. Though keeping spoilers to a minimum....Dark Ritual with Alistair is speculated to have some very juicy benefits for the future.
#8
Posté 23 septembre 2011 - 12:41
Shadow of Light Dragon
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Satyricon331 wrote...
Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...
1) The only saved game where your choices won't count will be an Ultimate Sacrifice game. If you import it, it will retroactively change your Warden to doing the Dark Ritual. You cannot create an Awakening game where your Warden died -- closest you can get is doing an Orlesian Warden, and that will not carry your dead Warden's choices forward. You are better off importing a living Warden to preserve your game choices which, TBH, aren't many. It basically amounts to who is king/queen and what romance messages you get in the epilogue, if any. Oghren will be alive whether or not you killed him in Origins, and the same goes for Wynne. They should react differently depending on how you treated them in Origins.
Since the DA2 icon's beneath the OP's avatar, it might be worth clarifying: If you're importing from DAA (or the later DAO dlc) into DA2, DA2 will still recognize the Ultimate Sacrifice choice. To the extent DAA retcons the Ultimate Sacrifice ending, DA2 retcons it back and doesn't say who the Warden Commander in DAA was.
Wait wait, you mean if your dead Warden does Awakening and you import that save into DA2, DA2 makes no mention of the WC?
My head hurts.
#9
Posté 23 septembre 2011 - 12:01
Icehawk7
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Dark Ritual with Alistair is speculated to have some very juicy benefits for the future.
That's a given given who Alistair is and what he hold claim to.
#10
Posté 23 septembre 2011 - 09:10
Last Darkness
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Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...
Satyricon331 wrote...
Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...
1) The only saved game where your choices won't count will be an Ultimate Sacrifice game. If you import it, it will retroactively change your Warden to doing the Dark Ritual. You cannot create an Awakening game where your Warden died -- closest you can get is doing an Orlesian Warden, and that will not carry your dead Warden's choices forward. You are better off importing a living Warden to preserve your game choices which, TBH, aren't many. It basically amounts to who is king/queen and what romance messages you get in the epilogue, if any. Oghren will be alive whether or not you killed him in Origins, and the same goes for Wynne. They should react differently depending on how you treated them in Origins.
Since the DA2 icon's beneath the OP's avatar, it might be worth clarifying: If you're importing from DAA (or the later DAO dlc) into DA2, DA2 will still recognize the Ultimate Sacrifice choice. To the extent DAA retcons the Ultimate Sacrifice ending, DA2 retcons it back and doesn't say who the Warden Commander in DAA was.
Wait wait, you mean if your dead Warden does Awakening and you import that save into DA2, DA2 makes no mention of the WC?
My head hurts.
You still lose out on many plot oppurtunities and story advancement for your pointless act of martyrdom. I fail to see how this is Heroic and not a purposful attempt to feed players vanity.
#11
Posté 24 septembre 2011 - 03:14
Shadow of Light Dragon
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Last Darkness wrote...
You still lose out on many plot oppurtunities and story advancement for your pointless act of martyrdom. I fail to see how this is Heroic and not a purposful attempt to feed players vanity.
Erm...you're using engine limitations and bad flag settings to justify the US as being, in your mind, selfish?
