104 réponses à ce sujet

[Neuro]

Hey all,

 

I just got into the DA universe this year with Inquisition, which I love and have logged many hours into.  I like it so much that, in the lull between new DLC and games, I intend to now play DA: O and DA II (the latter of which I only played briefly, and I confess I didn't immediately get the appeal-- I do now).  

 

Do you have any advice for a first-time PT?  I'm thinking of doing Female City Elf, or Male Human Noble-- I'm somewhat undecided.  I'm really looking forward to either romancing or bromancing it up with Alistair, and also to potentially wooing Leliana.  

 

Feel free as well to throw some DA II Hawke advice in here, too-- I'll be playing it thereafter.  I'm really looking forward to creating the world states, and subsequently starting a new playthrough in Inquisition, too.

 

Cheers! 

[Xetykins]

Have a lot of fun! Coming from Inquisition, the graphic would be harder to swallow, but stick with it, soon you wont even notice it. You'll be too busy being so immersed.

As for romancing Alistair, make sure you have the mod first :-)

Don't forget to talk to the 2 chanters in Denerim for bacon!

DA2, I had fun with it. Just don't expect much of the choices, customization and exploration.

[mybudgee]

I advise skipping Dragon Age II altogether

[Illegitimus]

I do have one.   The quarter master at Ostagar sells a very cheap back pack.  Twice because it recharges.  You want those backpacks.  

[sylvanaerie]

Female city elf and (any gender) Human Noble are both fun.  Those two origins have the most connection to Denerim and the stuff Howe does in the game and

Spoiler

human noble gets to rule at the end with Alistair or Anora.

 I do recommend doing all the origins at least up to where you go to Ostagar to get a feel for all the wardens you can play, even if you never complete them.  They are short, fun, full of lore and there is also an achievement for doing them all.

 

I'd say do the first run without any mods, but you don't say if you plan on subsequent games.  You also don't say if you're on PC or Console, but if on PC, and romancing Alistair or Leliana I highly recommend the IRS:Alistair and Leliana Romance Scenes mods.  Both add to the romances with some nice additional scenes and IRS fixes some wonky bugs in Alistair's dialogues/plot flags that Bioware never got around to.  Zevran Dialogue Fix and Morrigan Restoration Patch also do the same, focusing on those particular companions (though ZDF covers some general bugs in the game dialogues, not just Zev).  I was running all of them before I removed Origins from my PC (as I had no room on my HD for Inquision, SWTOR, WoW and previous DA games), and had to make a few adjustments to make them play nicely together, but not too complicated a task--and I'm pretty computer-illerate.

 

As for Hawke, just enjoy DA2 for the game it is.  It's not as finished as Origins or Inquisition, and a portion of the final DLC planned (but never implemented) for Hawke's story went into Inquisition.  A lot of people hate on the game, and it has it's downsides, but I enjoyed it as much as the other two.

 

Spoiler

Inquisition will be a lot more meaningful once you play through DAO and DA2 on your own Warden and Hawke.  Defaults and made up Keep state is all well and good, but not the same impact when it was a Hawke you played or an Alistair/Leliana you romanced.  Even Morrigan takes on new interest in Inquisition if you romanced her and you meet your warden's son--or even just had the child with her.  

[MouseHopper]

I have played both DAO and DA2 many times.  I would recommend that if  you have the time, try all the character starts until you settle on one you like.  Of the two you mentioned, I prefer the female city elf, just because I happen to like the city elf beginning better.  I thought that the human noble beginning got to be a bit boring over time.  But I suppose it might have some advantages.  However, I have played them all so many times that I have become a bit jaded. 

 

For a playthrough to the end it will depend on how important it is to you for a couple of different things to happen: Not necessarily in this order: a) who kills the big baddie? who marries whom?  c) who, if anyone lives to go on to the DAI game. d) who romances whom? e) whether or not Morrigan becomes a major player later on?  All of these might depend on your choice of warden, but they will really depend more on choices made throughout the game.

 

As far as DA2 is concerned.  You must not think of it as a "continuation" of DAO, but rather as a game in and of itself which does bring into play some of the characters of DAO; at least they are mentioned, and in some very minor ways they appear.  I found the game to be very playable and quite fun once I got over the idea that it had to be "the same as" DAO.  It is not like DAO.  I think it got a bad rap because people were expecting something different.  So if you go into it without expecting it to be exactly the same as DAO, you might enjoy it.  The characters have their own personalities, and the npc's have more personality in this game than in DAO, and I thought the quests were more interesting.  Overall DAO is probably my favorite, but I definitely enjoyed DA2 as well.

 

I have yet to complete DAI, as I did not find it user friendly at all, but am planning to take it up again very soon.

 

I hope that this was helpful to you.  Have a great time with these games.  The Dragon Age series is probably my favorite overall.    

[Illegitimus]

Oh, one other word of advice.  Quicksave right before going into the Lothering Chantry.  

[Bondari the Reloader]

Of these two origins, I've only played female city elf, and it was a very powerful origin story. Human nobles do get some interesting options at the end, however; see sylvanaerie's spoiler for more info. Also, mages have a specific origin story (same for human and elf), so you can only play city elf or human noble if you're a warrior or rogue.

 

If romance is a key factor in your decision, keep in mind that Alistair can only be romanced by female PCs, so if you're still undecided about who you want to romance, go the female city elf route so both he and Leliana remain open to you.

 

There are four major quests in the middle part of the game. I don't want to spoil anything about them, but don't go to Orzammar first or you'll be in for a world of hurt. I usually do it third, but you definitely want to build your party up a bit before you tackle those enemies.

 

Finally, buy all the backpacks! You'll want that extra inventory space, trust me.

 

As far as DAII goes, I would advise starting the game with a clear idea regarding who your Hawke supports in the mage/Templar conflict. If you play, as I did, as someone who's not really invested in the conflict but tries to seek compromise and keep the peace, you are going to be very frustrated throughout the game and especially by the ending. Also, unlike Origin's sprawling world map, Kirkwall is basically the Hotel California of Thedas: "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave..." Hopefully you like staying the same city for seven years!

 

Seriously, though, DAII isn't a bad game, just not one that I particularly enjoyed from either a story or gameplay perspective (lack of customization and exploration, as others mentioned). Origins, however, is fantastic and worth playing multiple times. Have fun!

[themikefest]

For DAO, recruit everyone and talk with them as much as possible to get all the dialogue you can. Depending on which companion you take on whatever quest, there can be some funny dialogue between the companions. With the romances, go with who interests you the most. Remember, what you do in one playthrough can be completely different in another playthrough.

 

As for DA2, playing a sarcastic femHawke is really good. Lots of good dialogue. The dlc's are worth getting especially Legacy. 

[sylvanaerie]

For DAO, recruit everyone and talk with them as much as possible to get all the dialogue you can. Depending on which companion you take on whatever quest, there can be some funny dialogue between the companions. With the romances, go with who interests you the most. Remember, what you do in one playthrough can be completely different in another playthrough.

 

As for DA2, playing a sarcastic femHawke is really good. Lots of good dialogue. The dlc's are worth getting especially Legacy. 

Sarcastic LadyHawke was my favorite (and my canon).

[Neuro]

I do have one.   The quarter master at Ostagar sells a very cheap back pack.  Twice because it recharges.  You want those backpacks.  

 

I GOT THAT BACKPACK. 

[cJohnOne]

Well you use to be able to buy a book to open a speciality than reload to before you bought the book and the speciality could stay open.

[Yaroub]

Human noble for origin is the best, the dalish is nice too it starts and end with a mirror, if you are having the dlcs play the stone prisoner just right after ostagar it gives a golem companion, then the wardens keep very helpful early on, return to ostagar you can play it early too if you feel like it, you can even start with the darkspawn chronicles, Leliana song, the main game, awakening, the golems of amgarrak, which hunt, it is the best order, gives you some items too.

For DA2 sarcastic Hawke otherwise the game's bad, the best thing about DA2 is the dlcs, Legacy to prepare you for iquisition and mark of the assassin very fun.

In origins have a foursome in the pearl, you deserve it.

[springacres]

Well you use to be able to buy a book to open a speciality than reload to before you bought the book and the speciality could stay open.

I thought that was only for event-triggered specialties like Reaver and Blood Mage - you could do what was needed, unlock the specialty, then reload and choose different options but the specialty would still stay open.  I could be wrong, though.

 

I DO know that no matter how you unlock a specialty, it stays open through all subsequent playthroughs.

[caradoc2000]

I thought that was only for event-triggered specialties like Reaver and Blood Mage - you could do what was needed, unlock the specialty, then reload and choose different options but the specialty would still stay open.  I could be wrong, though.

Reloading applies to bought books as well.

[Cz-99]

For Origins:

 

- Coercion is a very useful trait to have. Even if you don't always make use of it, it's nice to have just in case. Though, be warned, it doesn't always work on the Archdemon.

 

For DA2:

 

- As mentioned above, go sarcastic Hawke. I personally prefer the male VA, but both do a good job as sarcastico Hawko. And if you come across any characters that look like they're ripped from an Anime - cut them down. Imprison them. Sell them for a sack of potions. Avoid 'em. Or kick 'em out and away. You'll be saving yourself some trouble and potential insults later down the line.

[Metalfros]

I advise skipping Dragon Age II altogether

 

Don't skip DA2, and stop hating on it.

[Xetykins]

Don't skip DA2, and stop hating on it.

In fairness, no one is going to suddenly like that game just because you did :-)

[sylvanaerie]

In fairness, no one is going to suddenly like that game just because you did :-)

 

I liked it.  It had it's flaws, but it was fun (at least for me).  All three games have had flaws, but then, they're made by human beings who are essentially flawed creatures.  Doesn't mean I didn't have a blast playing all three games in the franchise and look forward to more to come.    Constructive criticism is great, it lets them know where the story was weak or the gameplay didn't work and they can at least give that a closer look try to do something different.  But comments like mybudgee's aren't constructive, because he doesn't say what about the game warrants skipping altogether, he's just hating on the product.  Like it or not Hawke is part of Bioware's canon.  If a player wants the total DA experience (like OP), Hawke is part of that, so a comment like mybudgee's isn't very helpful in this thread.

[mousestalker]

Fenris is totes adorbz. Just sayin'

What the next DA game really needs is for the voice actors for Fenris and Bann Teagan to play companions.

[Xetykins]

I liked it. It had it's flaws, but it was fun (at least for me). All three games have had flaws, but then, they're made by human beings who are essentially flawed creatures. Doesn't mean I didn't have a blast playing all three games in the franchise and look forward to more to come. Constructive criticism is great, it lets them know where the story was weak or the gameplay didn't work and they can at least give that a closer look try to do something different. But comments like mybudgee's aren't constructive, because he doesn't say what about the game warrants skipping altogether, he's just hating on the product. Like it or not Hawke is part of Bioware's canon. If a player wants the total DA experience (like OP), Hawke is part of that, so a comment like mybudgee's isn't very helpful in this thread.

I did not have problems with it, because i played it first before dao, so no expectations there. But to tell people to stop hating it is just weird. Because I know I would hate it a lot too if I've played DAO first. In fact, I have no loyalty for da2 at all even being the first ever rpg I've ever played and played a lot. Hawke being bioware cannon or not does not matter one bit to people who genuinely hates the game and felt let down.

[Neuro]

Thanks for all the advice & replies!

 

1. I love the game thus far (as expected).  Playing on console, which I've heard is not as good.  I would switch to PC, but that would require purchasing game again, and starting anew, and I'm like 10 hours in (although I've logged like so many hours into DA:I and had no problem starting again when needed).  

 

2. I am playing as a DW Human Noble Rogue.  It's really enjoyable.  The combat animations are of course not on par with DA:I, but I don't care.  Sometimes the slowness of combat, the lack of dynamism, can be a letdown, but I'm not really playing for awesome combat, nor graphics.  The characters are so wonderful.  

 

3. In response to the discussion above re: DAII, can you guys elaborate what were the disappointing factors of DA II?  I'm going to play it regardless, just curious.  I can see how the lack of Origin stories, only one race, and the fact that you're relatively confined to Kirkwall-- all of those could be downsides.  Were those the main things?  I'm definitely gonna play it because Sarcastic Hawke makes me lol, and also, Isabela is a knockout

 

4. It's interesting: because I know the ending of DA: O and the sacrifice/dark ritual choices, I think I was-- only slightly-- opposed to playing as a woman?  I myself am male, and sacrificing a female warden-- I don't know, it wasn't some big conscious response, but on some level I was sort of less comfortable with it.  Similar to Hawke's potential sacrifice in DA:I-- a female Hawke, being told/allowed by the Inquisitor, to sacrifice herself, it's just not something I'm totally comfortable with (as Inquisitor in RP, and perhaps me IRL).  I realize that it's sort of a form of "reverse" sexism (that term has issues, of course), or silly chivalry, but it's there nonetheless, not as a major factor, but just something I sort of noticed in my thinking.  I think I want to play as a Female Hawke, however, and I'm looking forward to that.  

 

5. I thought, in playing the game, I would definitely go for Leliana as a LI/romance, largely because I love her character in DA:I (so cruel to not soften her!  ), and also because I didn't find Morrigan all that fascinating in DA:I.  Boy was I mistaken.  My character (read: me!) is totally drawn to Morrigan, and less so Leli.  I love both them as companions, but romantically: Morrigan.  Very interesting indeed, and I love that the game has such depth (like all great works of art) to allow us to truly invest in totally fictional characters.  

 

6. One of the things I love overall about Bioware is the complex and multi-faceted view the developers have of sexuality and love-- accounting for all forms of desire.  In DA:O, a male Warden cannot romance Alistair, correct?  But in DA II, a Hawke of any gender can romance any companion, save Sebastian?  

 

Thanks again-- loving the game

 

Cheers! 

[caradoc2000]

In response to the discussion above re: DAII, can you guys elaborate what were the disappointing factors of DA II?

Among the most quoted grievances are recycled environments and "parachuting" enemies.

 

But in DA II, a Hawke of any gender can romance any companion, save Sebastian?

Correct.