28 réponses à ce sujet

[SolNebula]

Hello fellow BW fans

 

I'm thinking about buying this DLC and would like to know if you think it was worth the purchase.

 

First question: As a structure how close is to Hakkon DLC? Is there an entire area to explore? If yes how big (and tedious) it is? If no how is it linear?

 

Second question: How story heavy this DLC is? Major revelations or minor plot details? Are companions present in a meaningful way in this DLC? Any returning character making an appearance? (you know what I mean)

 

Third question: Is the loot any good? Schematics or new weapons? What kind of new loot we have?

 

Last question: Would you recommend this DLC? Is it worth the price?

 

Thank you! Want to be sure.

 

EDIT: Sorry I realized I put this thread on the spoiler scuttlebut while it should have been on the non-spoiler section. If a moderator is gentle enough to move the thread there. Thank you.

[Vienna]

1) Hakkon is a big wide open map to explore. Descent is more tightly knit areas, but towards the end of the DLC you do get big areas (though the pathways are still relatively small). The passages you go through aren't that big, the main design philosophy seems to be "keep moving forward". There are little side passages unlocked with gears that have small treasures (codex entries, loot).

 

2) It's pretty lore-heavy which is really nice to see. Whereas Hakkon shed lots of light on the Avvar, this one sheds lots of light on ancient dwarven history. At least two major revelations I can think of, but there are smaller discoveries as well. Companions seem slightly more present in Descent, but I don't recall hearing more party banter than in Hakkon. So it's still pretty companion-light. Sadly no returning characters appear (even though I really wanted one in particular from Awakening), but the Warden is name-dropped once.

 

3) The loot drops aren't that bad, but it's more the schematics I look for. There is one armour set that looks really nice on a dwarf. Kind of an obsidian look to it with bits of blue lyrium on it. The weapon drops look cool, but they aren't really that useful. There's some schematics for armour and weapons that do look pretty cool. And there's a spot in the beginning that gives you about 20 dragon bone, which is great for crafting high tier stuff (I was at 26 when I did this, so it might scale down to something else at lower levels). 

 

4) I would definitely recommend it, especially if you have any interest in dwarven history or lore. I was a bit weary paying $15, but I'd say it was worth the cost.

[SolNebula]

Thank you kind Sir. I do love dwarven history so I will purchase the DLC. Was looking forward to more dwarves!  Thanks for the infos. Nowadays the best suggestions are those of a fellow gamer.

 

I have to say I'm happy is more story oriented and less exploration based. We got that aspect already covered in the main game.

 

Cheers

[adorkable-panda]

 Sadly no returning characters appear (even though I really wanted one in particular from Awakening), but the Warden is name-dropped once.

 

 

Heheheh Same man, I was hoping that Sigrun would make a return but sigh. Even Oghren would've been nice. In any case, without any spoilers at all. I was able to finish the main story of the dlc in a day, 'bought it this morning, played it all day and finished it straight'. But it was very satisfying still. The story and the lore behing the DLC was well worth and I enjoyed it a lot more than Hakkon to be honest. 

[Vigilance97]

I was waiting for this thread to appear, to lazy to make it myself

 

Vienna's post was very helpful, but I have one more question: Are the Grey Wardens involved at all?

[rpgfan321]

I was waiting for this thread to appear, to lazy to make it myself

 

Vienna's post was very helpful, but I have one more question: Are the Grey Wardens involved at all?

 

Nope, but there are few trivial references of them. They are not the center of the story.

[Call Me Jord]

It was worth it for me.

 

The only person that'll know if its worth it for you is yourself.

[Fearsome1]

More than worth the $14.99 price, it was so much fun to revisit the Deep Roads in a substantive way again. But the underground lair has never looked this compelling, and forget the lateral pathways you've trodden before, this is a vast vertical experience from start to finish. There are some amazing new environments to discover down there too!

[Apollexander]

It is very different from the JoH. The area of JoH is vast and open, and here it is more linear, like the areas in DAO and DA2. In JoH you can explore here and there and interact with the avvar clan, but here you wont have so many interactions. JoH is like an enhanced area of the areas in DAI, and here you have more cinematics.

If you like dungeon crawl, then you will love this DLC.

[Boost32]

The DLC as a whole is bad, way overpriced for what its worth.

The main story is boring, there are no plot twist, everything we "discovered" about the Titans and the Lyrium we already knew.
Your companions are almost mute, the banters is up to the 2 new dwarves that follow you in the DLC and they aren't very much interesting.
Its way easier then JoH, the only strong enemies are the dwarves with a Bianca-like crossbow. But the Darkspawns were fun to battle, would make a good faction for the multiplayer.
The final Boss is a joke, it doesn't stand a chance against Gurd, very unclinatic.
The ending was perfectly explained by my Inquisitor: "I came here looking for answers, now I leave with more questions".

[c0bra951]

Hmm.  Opinions cancel out.  (Typical internet.)  I'm intrigued by the DLC, but not convinced to get it.  The unaltered level cap doesn't help either.  Al my parties except the last are at the cap already (27).

[frankf43]

I haven't finished the dlc yet the rock creature that we saw in the trailer handed me my ass so I have to go back and craft some more gear before trying again. 

 

So far though I thought the dlc was worth the money, I've put 7 hours in and still some way to go. 

 

I really liked the story and the way they used the new characters to tell the story. Game play was reasonably hard, as I said I'm going to need new gear to complete it and I did JoH in this gear. 

[frankf43]

 

Ash has done a let's play of the dlc for anybody who needs extra information.

 

Beware this is a let's play so it will contain heavy spoilers.  

[QwibQwib]

The Descent is way overpriced, you will be left with more questions, and I would wait until theres an online sale to buy it. JoH, on the other hand it's worth the price.

[Apollexander]

The DLC as a whole is bad, way overpriced for what its worth.

The main story is boring, there are no plot twist, everything we "discovered" about the Titans and the Lyrium we already knew.
Your companions are almost mute, the banters is up to the 2 new dwarves that follow you in the DLC and they aren't very much interesting.
Its way easier then JoH, the only strong enemies are the dwarves with a Bianca-like crossbow. But the Darkspawns were fun to battle, would make a good faction for the multiplayer.
The final Boss is a joke, it doesn't stand a chance against Gurd, very unclinatic.
The ending was perfectly explained by my Inquisitor: "I came here looking for answers, now I leave with more questions".

Spoiler

"Tell the truth: you don't know."

[Boost32]

I haven't finished the dlc yet the rock creature that we saw in the trailer handed me my ass so I have to go back and craft some more gear before trying again.

So far though I thought the dlc was worth the money, I've put 7 hours in and still some way to go.

I really liked the story and the way they used the new characters to tell the story. Game play was reasonably hard, as I said I'm going to need new gear to complete it and I did JoH in this gear.

The Guardian was so easy for me, did you destroy his tentacles before engaging in melee?

[frankf43]

The Guardian was so easy for me, did you destroy his tentacles before engaging in melee?

Nope. Thanks for that. I should have thought Broodmother when I fought it. 

[frankf43]

The Guardian was so easy for me, did you destroy his tentacles before engaging in melee?

Did it thanks and I didn't need new gear. 

[Boost32]

Did it thanks and I didn't need new gear.

No problem, glad I could help.

[NoRmAnDy-SR2]

The DLC as a whole is bad, way overpriced for what its worth.

The main story is boring, there are no plot twist, everything we "discovered" about the Titans and the Lyrium we already knew.
Your companions are almost mute, the banters is up to the 2 new dwarves that follow you in the DLC and they aren't very much interesting.
Its way easier then JoH, the only strong enemies are the dwarves with a Bianca-like crossbow. But the Darkspawns were fun to battle, would make a good faction for the multiplayer.
The final Boss is a joke, it doesn't stand a chance against Gurd, very unclinatic.
The ending was perfectly explained by my Inquisitor: "I came here looking for answers, now I leave with more questions".

 

Agreed. I haven't learned anything new in the DLC. Same old lore, no banter and having to run aroung spamming search to find all the gears just... boring. I think it's better to wait for sale.

[Skymaple]

Best DA DLC ever! xD Not really, but among my top 3. Cutscenes, story (and I'm not even that interested in the Deep Roads), characters (I wanted them to be future companions), feelings (I had tears in my eyes twice), combat, revelations that could change the way many things are seen, and MUSIC. Seriously, MUSIC . I just loved it, from beginning to end (well, there was this really tedious fight, enemies kept on spawning). It hasn't been too long when compared to JoH, but I felt it was worth it from the moment I descended into the DR and the music started playing. Could it be improved? Sure. Would I have wanted more interactions with companions? Sure (but there're some, at least, I loved IB's comments). So, for me, totally worth it.

[Gilsa]

As a dwarf player, the DLC was a real delight. Cadash is acknowledged as a dwarf, conversations have dwarf-specific icons, and the subject of Cadash's exile comes up. They also make references to other dwarven NPCs from DAO/DA2. There aren't surprise cameos, but they're not entirely forgotten either. The king of Orzammar is also referenced.

 

If you enjoy lore, the DLC is for you. If you enjoy taking screenshots of your character, the DLC is full of cutscenes and gorgeous scenery. If you like dwarves and/or Varric, then this DLC is for you. If you are indifferent to dwarves and are hoping for anything elvish, humanish, or qunari-ish, then this DLC is not for you.

 

There is nothing for love interests. No "you ok, babe?" type of comment. Just saying because I know it matters for some people. (Leviathan has really spoiled us in that department!)

 

You don't need to finish the collection quests any more than you need to collect all the shards. You can still finish the main story.

 

Personally I thought this was the best DLC I've played in Dragon Age, but I'm a dwarf player and got my greedy hands on all the content. There was only one teeny tiny downside:

 

Spoiler

No dwarven throne to take back to Skyhold. *cries*

[Korva]

Your companions are almost mute, the banters is up to the 2 new dwarves that follow you in the DLC and they aren't very much interesting.

 

So basically the Fade v2.0, with two random tagalongs dominating the conversation until I wish I could throttle them because I want to hear from my friends and not two bickering yokels?

 

For me, the only real points of interest are: can I interact with my companions, and is there any sense of personal involvement in the story? Apparently the answer to #1 is a resounding no. What about #2? Is there a reason why the Inquisitor gets involved, or are we just the closest convenient errand girl/boy? I dislike impersonal "sightseeing tours" and writers waving more questions than answers in my face with the expectation that I care enough to wait for years for the resolution. I also couldn't care less about loot on general principle, and the combat in this game isn't what I call enjoyable so that's no priority either.

 

I'll give this one a pass until it gets a serious sale, if that. Haven't played JoH yet either, for the same reasons, but at least spirits and a spirit-friendly culture are more interesting to me that darkspawn and the (inevitably spider-infested) Deep Roads.

 

Edit:

 

As a dwarf player, the DLC was a real delight. Cadash is acknowledged as a dwarf, conversations have dwarf-specific icons, and the subject of Cadash's exile comes up. They also make references to other dwarven NPCs from DAO/DA2. There aren't surprise cameos, but they're not entirely forgotten either. The king of Orzammar is also referenced.

 

That sounds like a truly positive thing, at least. There's not nearly enough acknowledgment of the Inquisitor as an individual, and I suppose people who prefer non-humans feel that the most because we mainly interact with humans. I hope there will be more of that in the future, for all races (and also classes, not just mage-this-mage-that). Dwarven culture, horrible as much of it is, is of more interest to me than the elves and qunari ... and I'd have traded half the DA:O cast to have the character from your signature as a companion. We could really do with a dwarven companion who isn't a walking stereotype (Oghren) or a wannabe-human (Varric).

[Boost32]

The earthquakes are destroying several Lyrium mines, its affecting the Orzammar trade with the surface and since the Inquisition is one of their customer and no one else is answering the call, its make sense for the Inquisition to be involved.
But it doesn't v make sense for the Inquisitor to be involved instead of a army.

[Hellion Rex]

Yup, worth it. Lore stuff is pretty revelatory.