Valmy's ADHD Dragon Age playthrough

[viper37]

Cassandra is a Seeker of Truth, the order above the Templars, hinted at in DA:O.  So, Seeker is her title, not really a nick.  I think he called Aveline "Captain".  But yeah, I think it's part of the banter in DA2, when she asks why no nickame

[Valmy]

Alright so Inquisition automatically updates Dragon Age Keep for you.

Stuff Lothar did:



So he denied being the Chosen of Andraste? He did? I don't recall doing that. I mean everybody saw the lady in the fade with him was Divine Justinia V so there was only so far he could claim it was Andraste. I wonder what exactly he said that triggered that decision.

And he is a rogue human.

So there's that.

[Valmy]

Cassandra is a Seeker of Truth, the order above the Templars, hinted at in DA:O.  So, Seeker is her title, not really a nick.  I think he called Aveline "Captain".  But yeah, I think it's part of the banter in DA2, when she asks why no nickame

Well not anymore! But yes good point.

I don't recall him ever calling Aveline 'captain'.

[viper37]

So he denied being the Chosen of Andraste? He did? I don't recall doing that. I mean everybody saw the lady in the fade with him was Divine Justinia V so there was only so far he could claim it was Andraste. I wonder what exactly he said that triggered that decision.

some of the early questions they ask you, when you get a choice.  You don't deny, but you don't confirm, so that's a denial

[Valmy]

Ok so the guy who is allegedly the Herald of Andraste launches his great plan. First we put copyright infringers out of business using the Antivan Crows. Then we use the resources of the Inquisition to drive innocent refugees out of a whiny noble's lands in Ferelden. The Inquisition uses its friends in high places to muzzle Lothar's troublesome relatives.



'Wait our noble agent is Lady Buttleforth? Was Mrs. Butterworth now available?'

But there is more intrigue amongst the troublesome nobles of Thedas yet. The Marquis DuRellion claims to own Haven and its surrounding lands and questions if his grant of rights to the Chantry covers this heretical sect declared by Cassandra. He challenges her authority under Justinia V to declare the Inquisition. Ah so it is to be an affaire d'honneur.



'Repeating crossbows at ten paces!'

But then he wimps out. What a poor excuse for a nobleman. So he walks off. Lothar gets to know Josephine a little bit, she is an Antivan noble who was once the ambassador from Antiva to Orlais. She is the head of an ancient noble family with impressive pedigree but humble resources. And she likes to wear as many ruffles as possible on her clothing at all times.

Also she has to share her office with a Dalish mage who was booted out of her clan because they were full up on mages. Her name is Minaeve and she has a few Tranquil under her supervision who perform research. Basically Lothar brings her things in his travels and they research things and this knowledge gives the party combat bonuses. Kind of cool I guess. Collecting quests!

Lothar explores the rest of the Chantry including a delightful looting of all the locked jail cells in the basement. If it is not nailed down the Herald of Andraste will be commandeering it. Then he explores Haven and the area around it learning about the requisitions (getting stuff for your army basically) and how to craft things using the crafters of the inquisition and all that. Also there were a few quests to do and a little local area to explore. He talks to all the other team members.

Leliana has a crisis of faith after her mentor's senseless death.



'Except that time you got a vision and stopped the blight with a particularly handsome not-inbred-looking mage'

I mean Lothar showed up and inexplicably saved the day. That has to mean something. Years working for the secret Chantry service has not been kind to Leliana she is no longer as soft and fluffy as Lorcan left her. She is now a ruthless killer who inspires fear throughout the land. Well glad you are on Lothar's side.

She mentions meeting Urien but didn't have anything to say about him. She did know Bethany and remembered telling her stories in the Chantry at Lothering. I remember Bethany mentioning that as well. She only had kind words about Lorcan Amell.



'Lorcan writes 'you should let your enemies join the Grey Wardens' and Leliana is all 'nah *stab*''

It seems Lorcan has not answered her letters for awhile. But we already knew that from the end of Dragon Age II.

Varric wrote a book about Urien and the events of Dragon Age II that Lothar read. That was kind of a bummer since Lothar already knew what happened so I didn't get to hear him give his perspective of the story. Lothar found the part where Orsino turned into a Harvester unrealistic and I totally agree. I mean the Dwarves had to...wait I already talked about this didn't I?



'I knew she turned into a Red Lyrium statue but it was nice to have it confirmed'

Red Lyrium is obviously going to be a big thing in this game. It had only ever been known to exist in that one place in the Deep Roads, nobody in Orzammar had ever heard of it, and suddenly it appeared at the Temple of Sacred Ashes when it blew.

Varric tells Lothar what happened to all of Urien's companions. It was weird to hear Varric call them by their real names.

Merrill is taking care of all the elves who were driven from their homes in Kirkwall during the war. I guess her love affair with demons came to an end. I wonder what happened to her Eluvian?

Fenris is hunting down Tevinter slavers leaving a path of death and terror in his wake...as he does.

Isabela is back to being a pirate and now calls herself an Admiral and has a fancy hat.

Sebastian FINALLY went back to Starkhaven. I guess he is in charge there now.

Aveline is still guard-captain in Kirkwall and I suppose she rules that city now for all intents and purposes.



'Hey it was always Urien's plan to put her in charge of the Kirkwall Circle'

Next it was Cullen. He joined with Cassandra when she was in Kirkwall interrogating Varric. He continues to be a fair minded guy and couldn't go along with the hardline of the Templars, wanting a more collaborative relationship with the mages. Though he does understand the Templar's rage at being taken for granted and abandoned by the Chantry during the crisis. Cullen is a good guy which is impressive considering what happened to him in Ferelden and being subjected to the crazy train that was the Kirkwall Templar order.



'Yeah you got a nice big lesson in that in the last game'

Cassandra is a bit unsure if she did the right thing but she is a woman of action to the point of impetuousness. The plan to her is simply: get the mages or Templars to help, seal the breach, and then...



'Now that is what I am talking about'

I love it when she talks ruthlessly. For no reason whatsoever Lothar inquires about her lineage.



'Royal blood eh? Consider my aristocratic brow arched'

Anyway I feel like they bonded here. Finally Solas. Wow he is weird I am not sure what to make of him. He was born in a village and seems to be a self-taught mage. He spends all his time in the fade learning from all the spirits and demons. He is an apostate and neither a City Elf nor a Dalish Elf but a unique sort of an elf. A Solas Elf if you will. He is neither a psycho nor an ignorant moron so he clearly is unique amongst Dragon Age elves.



'He is still weird as hell though'

So all Lothar's business is wrapped up and it is time to depart for the First Hinterlands Campaign. Yes I fear there will have to be a second. More on that later.

The goals are to find Mother Giselle, secure the area for the Inquisition, and secure horses for the Inquistion. Wait horses? Do they have those things in this world? Because cavalry sure would have been useful against the Darkspawn. Just saying. It does make the Orlesian Chevaliers less ridiculous of a name.

They arrive at the crossroads and get debriefed by the Inquisitions chief scout, a surface dwarf woman named Harding who is from the Hinterlands.



'Were you ever jealous since you were too short to ride them?'

Maybe they have a few ponies for she and Varric. Man all these dwarves and not a beard amongst them.

This is going to a different sort of military operation. The territory will be conquered by the generals and then the soldiers move in to occupy it. Sort of like an Ancient Greek army led by Achilles. They assault the Crossroads and drive off the mages and Templars in a brilliant assault.



'Ok our plan is not step on the glowy blue thing'

Lothar meets Mother Giselle and she tells him that he needs to meet with the Clerics in Val Royeaux and appear to be lucid and responsible and maybe sew a little doubt in their ranks. All the Inquisition has to do is protect the refugees.



'Ok you go talk to Leliana and I will defeat two entire armies. Sounds fair.'

Well I guess we will see her later. Now to pacify the Hinterlands. First they find a humble little note alerting them to the stronghold of the apostate mages.



'Anders was right. The mages are not megalomaniacal nuts driven mad by power but only for freedom and light and kittens.'

So they find the cave in the Witchwood sealed by magic. Solas blasts through the barrier and they charge in to face a horde of mages. I was not aware of the disengage command yet so retreating once the group had had enough was a little problematic but they wore them down eventually. With that the Apostate Mages were broken as a force. But the Templars were still out there raising havoc.



'You said it Varric'

After awhile they find that the Templars have set up their headquarters in the western area but eh...they get distracted. Lots to do.

[viper37]

A couple of notes.

This game is not meant to be played linearly, like DA:O and DA2.  You're not meant to fully explore an area and then move on (except for main story missions, indicated with a green cloud over the mission table).  You have to fight a few ennemis, gather some pieces to give to your mage at Haven, go back there, get the damage bonus, go back to the Hinterlands, do a few more quests, try another area (say, Val Royaux...), come back to the Hinterlands, do some more quests, move to another area, do some quests, etc,etc.  Also, take your time in taking down Templars&Mage stronghold.  So long as these exists, the ennemies will respawn indefinately, wich means lots of people to fight and gain experience.

I'm going to give you a hint about an area called Storm Coast that will open later on.  I will put it in spoiler, but I strongly recommend you read it, it will help you a lot in your future exploration of the area, although not essential:
[spoiler]
After one of your first fight on the coast, once you've filled the first requistion, IIRC, you get a requisition to build an amulet.  The amulet is worhtless in itself because it gives no bonus.  However, it will let you accomplish a certain quest without killing everyone and challenging their leader for control of the mercs, wich will then serve as agents and provide you other missions as well as let your cross the area without attacking you at all times and keeping the area cleaner in the future.
[/spoiler]

Regarding Leliana.  If you want Darth Leliana to take over, you will have plenty of chances.  If you want her to be the soft Lelianna you've always known (well, almost), you get one chance.  One chance only, early on in the game when you interact with her, to give her a choice of path that will lead her to redemption (well, sort of).  Failure to do so = Darth Leliana, no matter your future choices.  If you pick the correct options, you still get more chances to unleash her dark side later.

[Valmy]

How early are we talking about here?

[viper37]

How early are we talking about here?

After a few missions you will hear Leliana talking with someone about some agent.  There is your clue.  It is very easy to miss, and imho badly done that one non story related small piece of dialogue turns here in Darth Treya, but well, that's Bioware.

[Valmy]

I think I got this during my first conversation with her. Is it the traitor guy? I didn't think I should be telling her what to do five seconds after meeting her so LOL I already doomed Leliana. Oh Bioware.

Ah well evil Leliana should be fun.

[viper37]

I think I got this during my first conversation with her. Is it the traitor guy? I didn't think I should be telling her what to do five seconds after meeting her so LOL I already doomed Leliana. Oh Bioware.

Ah well evil Leliana should be fun.

yes, that was it
no matter what you chose after, she remains, err, dedicated to her work, shall we say

It will mostly show in the latter scenes and the epilogue though, it doesn't affect gameplay.

[Valmy]

Good. Death to Lothar's enemies.

[Valmy]

The primary thing that distracts Lothar from cutting out the Templars like the tumor they are is the Fade Rifts. There are loads of them and they need to be closed without mercy. Every time he sets up a new Inquisition outpost he gets taxed with eliminating more of them and he cannot really delegate that task. Actually considering he is the only person in the world who can do it it is amazing the Inquisition allows him to do anything besides that.



'How is the Herald able to do that without removing his gloves? ANOTHER MIRACLE!!!11'

There are also issues. Local issues that need addressing. Issues of vengeance and supplies and ram meat obtaining. Those are all handled with Lothar's customary ruthless efficiency.



'And if by some chance an honest woman like yourself made enemies they would become my enemies. And then, they would fear you. Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift.'

One of the rifts is worshiped by a cult. Well ok, not really worshiped but they have all grouped together to pray to the Maker to forgive their sins so he will close the rift. It is all sort of 'Flagellants in the Black Death'ish. Their deliverance is at hand.



'I shall close this rift and then turn water into wine to celebrate my victory'

So he goes and closes their rift. A Fereldan noble of some prominence has joined this cult and after they discover his lover has died he brings his troops to join the Inquisition. They get a little military bonus for that, that was cool. I am digging this element of the game whether or not it actually matters in the end. You get the feeling you are building a powerful political and military juggernaut.

Anyway after closing the rift the cultists are dully impressed.



'Damn I am not used to people so quickly recognizing the obvious in this world.'

So I told her to help the refugees. Probably should have used her for more ruthless things. Lesson learned.

Speaking of lessons and needing to learn them they find a cave with a dwarf who thought he had hit the jackpot with an exciting new lyrium supply. Unfortunately it was THAT kind of lyrium.



'Probably dwarf short joke in there somewhere.'

But where it is all coming from? Did the explosion at the Conclave just cause this stuff to appear everwhere? Are the rifts causing it? Huh. There might be some answers here as there seems to be a bunch of it. But first some business to wrap up. It is nice to be appreciated for once.



'Remember us if you ever feel like killing somebody's enemies'

But others not so much.



'Because it is the Maker's will?'

Stupid peacenik mages. The Inquisition kills for great justice!

A little break in the Red Lyrium case breaks when Lothar is told a small army of mercenaries have taken over the east road out of the Crossroads. On the way to vanquish this force they find a Dalish Elf standing outside an old Elvish ruin. Shockingly, and rather hilariously, Solas knows everything about it while she doesn't know shit. Inside the ruin we find some weird Veil Fire stuff and an ancient artifact that strengthens the Veil which seems like it would be a good time to activate.



'Solas is all 'elfy talk' and she is all 'does anybody know what this flat ear is saying?''

At the end Solas got one of those Amulets of Power from doing this. Varric got one earlier from taking out his copyright violator. Does this mean the mod is working or did Bioware only replace the ones you get as loot?

So they go on to kill that mercenary force and capture the East Road. They find a note from the Mercs employer.



'Well this is going to end well.'

So massive amounts of Red Lyrium is 'growing' near the surface. Dwarves have hired this mercenary army to protect their mining operations and are based out of a fortress far to the west, beyond the Templar base. Lothar sets up an Inquisition camp here and but instead of finding new rifts to close, as is normal, instead they discover a valley in the north east of the map that is dominated by a freaking dragon. It saw us and instantly knocked out Solas and Lothar so they ran like hell. Probably have to take care of that problem later, hence one reason for needing a second Hinterlands campaign.

There is some weird shit here in the Hinterlands. There are weird star gazing things that require Lothar to solve connect-the-dots puzzles. Doing three of these eventually revealed a secret cave in the Apostate Mage base that had treasure. There are also these weird skull things that allow them to see weird shards. Nobody knows how they got there or what they are for, only Solas seems to have a clue.



'These sorts of things are pretty normal for Varric at this point'

So they get a few shards for research purposes.

So enough of all these distractions. Time to push westwards towards the Templar base and the Mercenary fortress. On the way they encounter a dead body where evidence suggests the Red Lyrium is not treating the mercs well.



'Just a matter of time until ghost golems are terrorizing the world'

They need to get to that fortress and shut this operation down.

First though they put the Templars out of business.



'Lothar always pounds them from behind! Wait...'

So that takes care of the Templar vs. Mage war in the Hinterlands. Only the mercenaries to deal with. Eliminating the Templars also opens the way to the Hinterlands farms where the horse breeders live. So they drop by.



'Sorry I just cannot get over the fact that Arl Eamon had a horsemaster and yet he never gave any horses for Lorcan to even ride around on. Bastard.'

He gives Lothar a horse which he uses to ride in some timed horse races. Well this is no problem for a nobleman like Lothar, horse racing is mainly what they do. However the course ran right next to a fade rift so it was pretty exciting. Also the farmers need Lothar to take out some demon controlled wolf packs and build some defense watch towers before they will let us take the horses for the Inquisition. Lothar takes out the demon running the packs around and marks out the places for the watch towers. He will need to send people around later to build them. I was glad the towers did not just magically spring from the ground like what often happens in these games

Getting to the mercenary fortress in the west was incredibly challenging. The mercenaries have warriors who swing around giant mauls that look just like the one I had Fenris using in all of DAII. It does AoE damage so tends to wack Lothar around when he is standing directly behind them. There are also huge bears that have a similar attack so this area is not very rogue friendly. Finally they pick their way inside the fortress and make it to the mercenary leader. But he is just too powerful for a group of level 6 heroes to defeat. He slaughtered them all without really getting dented that much so...probably have to come back and do this later.



'What you are seeing here never occured. Please avert your eyes.'

Nothing left to do now but visit Redcliffe village. I was looking forward to seeing what it looked like now that several years had passed but it seems they are taking no visitors now.



'Do you know who I am? I am kind of a big deal.'

Well even though the Mages and Templars have been taken care of Redcliffe will still not let them in. Bastards. So I guess time to return to Haven. They go by way of the West Road and there are a few mercs that are holding the gate. They beat them down but Lothar does note they have a black banner of a hand holding a snake...interesting. I wonder if that is theirs or belongs to their dwarf masters.

Back in Haven mage and Templar members of the Inquisition are having a hard time not beating each other down. They each believe the other was responsible for the Chantry explosion. Once more everybody else pays for Anders' crimes.



'The mage is all 'haha you got in trouble''

In addition to that Chancellor Roderick is there to impress us with his crusty bureaucratness.



'Well we do have the guy with a mark on his hand that can magically close the rifts.'

I mean really what more do we need? Nobody else has any ideas. Lothar does the round of his companions and Solas reveals some weird theories of his. It seems demons only exist in your mind or something. And some of his best friends are demons.



'So those wolves who were being controlled by demons...they had unstable minds?'

First Merrill now this guy. Man what is up with elves and their hardon for demons? Solas usually approves of everything Lothar says but this time he is sad Lothar doesn't share his particular...erm...wacky theory. I mean demons are responsible for like 80% of every plot in this series. If they become our friends what adventures will be left to have?

He meets with Mother Giselle and they discuss the ruthless Inquisition of old. I think my knowledge of Dragon Age history is off a bit. The original Inquisition formed after or during the First Blight to hunt down the mages who had let this evil upon the world. So it was an Inquisition in that sense of the word, hunting down evil mages. And it seems they were brutal and ruthless but once the Chantry was established they laid down their weapons. So she asks that Lothar do the same, be ruthless and have no mercy but once the evil creating the breach is defeated lay down their swords and give up power. I think Leliana can help alot with the ruthless thing but we shall see about the giving up power thing later.

Also they discuss issues with the Chantry and why only human females can be priests. Humans are closer to the maker than elf, dwarf, and Qunari scum and I guess that is fair.



'What? That is OUTRAGEOUS. I WILL MURDER YOU WHERE YOU STAND.'

But then she says she thinks that is all silly and mostly political. Perhaps in the new chantry everybody can be a priest if they are so religiously inspired. Sounds like a bunch of hippy crap.

Josephine knows how to sweet talk Lothar.



'Wait somebody called one of my characters by their name? What madness is this?'

See now was that hard? Anyway she asks if she can ask for an alliance from his noble house. Well the Trevelyans are noted religious fanatics so they will surely be delighted to support one of their own being a prophet. Or at least they better. She asks him how he finds his quarters in Haven.



'The sitting room lacks the proper upholstery and I only have four valets. It is a nightmare.'

She agrees so hopefully we will have accommodations worthy of our station soon. Now on to the war room, where there is absolutely no fighting, and down to business. First the matter of those shards. Josephine is able to use her connections to secure a scroll that was in one of the destroyed Circle Towers (destroyed in the mage-Templar war that is) that ended up in an auction.



'Such fucked up things must be elven, of course.'

So they shall be bound for Western Orlais to investigate. In the meantime an expedition is launched to secure footholds on the Storm Coast, way to the north near Amaranthine, and to rescue some soldiers way to the South in the Kolcari wilds at a place called the Fallow Mire.

So very soon three more campaigns will be launched by the Inquisition. But first Mother Giselle has provided the names of the clerics Lothar should address in Val Royeaux. Josephine is eager to get that party started, if likely just to get the hell out of Haven and move to the big glamorous city. Leliana and Cullen are appalled that she would suggest they put their biggest asset, and only chance at closing the rifts, in such danger. Lothar, however, is eager to proceed. Cassandra says she will go with him and it is time to go kick Chantry ass (figuratively...at first anyway). Because she is awesome.



'Josephine is giving Cullen and Leliana that 'haha mom chose me' look.'

Her clip board with the candle is hilarious.

Time for decisive action!



'En avant!'

Ah yeah time for Orlesian action!



'It is everything I hoped it would be and more'

The frilly coated mask wearing Orlesian nobility is horrified at Lothar's appearance though. He was worried it was his selection of suit jacket but Varric assures him it is because they know he is the heretical Herald of Andraste. On the way in one of Leliana's spies (who really should not have a uniform to easily identify them but hey whatever...) approaches them and informs them the Templars have arrived in force and are waiting for them.



'With flowers and a big 'Welcome Herald of Andraste' sign? No? Pity. Wait does Cassandra have a pink gauntlet?'

Cassandra boldly declares we will go forward anyway but sends the spy back to Haven to tell them what happened. So here we go. For death or glory.

[Valmy]

I made (well...commissioned from the crafters anyway) a sword for Cassandra when we got back to Haven, you can see it there in the last screenshot. It was a little unnerving to see it was better than anything Lothar had looted up to that point for her level. Is this normal? Do I need to be scouring our crafting schematics for gear all the time?

Oh and man did I have a blast exploring the Hinterlands. The most fun I have had in Dragon Age I think. The exploration aspect was just what this series was missing I think. Even in Origins there were too many straight corridor type dungeons and situations. So very glad to see that.

[viper37]

It is so much fun reading this game through someone else's eyes

'And if by some chance an honest woman like yourself made enemies they would become my enemies. And then, they would fear you. Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift.'

I am digging this element of the game whether or not it actually matters in the end. You get the feeling you are building a powerful political and military juggernaut.

'Damn I am not used to people so quickly recognizing the obvious in this world.'

So I told her to help the refugees. Probably should have used her for more ruthless things. Lesson learned.

It does not matter for the end, unfortunately, unlike DA:O, that would have been very cool.
However, each agent you recruit will increase your perks in one field or another, depending on the speciality of the agent or your choice in dialogue.  Had you recruited that last one to spy on your ennemies (and, well, allies too ), you would have gained a perk in "Secrets" (Leliana's branch) wich would eventually let you chose more powerful options without having to sacrifice those hard earn points.

But where it is all coming from?

Later. All in due time young padawan.  Your quest has just started, the ancient mysteries can not be all revealed at once.

Stupid peacenik mages. The Inquisition kills for great justice!

Now, if only you had a mage with you to talk some sense into her...

Does this mean the mod is working or did Bioware only replace the ones you get as loot?

the mod is working, but I am unsure in this case if it is the mod or if Bioware only removed them from the lootable chests/critters.

Probably have to take care of that problem later, hence one reason for needing a second Hinterlands campaign.

yes, later. 
try to be at least the same level as the dragon you're fighting, even 1-2 level above won't hurt.
Gather your full party first, so you can chose the appropriate companion.  Don't worry, they fly, but they never get really far, always waiting for you to come back and visit them

He slaughtered them all without really getting dented that much so...probably have to come back and do this later.

I tought about warning you, but, experience, as they say, is what comes after you needed it

but we shall see about the giving up power thing later.

It would make for a nice DLC.  Either extend your control of Thedas with a firm grip on everyone, for their sake, or let the people freely decide... I mean, let the nobles freely decide what to do with the peasants

[viper37]

It was a little unnerving to see it was better than anything Lothar had looted up to that point for her level. Is this normal? Do I need to be scouring our crafting schematics for gear all the time?

Yes and yes.
Well, almost.

At some point, you may get lucky.  You may have one or two very special items that are way better than anything you could craft.  Especially for a mage staff.  Maybe one two handed sword (it is random).  But schematics beats 95% of everything.  Especially for add ons, like legs or arms for armors, staff blades, etc.  Don't bother buying that stuff, save money for the schematics.

You will later gain access (or maybe already?) the Black Emporium, a high level, high priced store, just like DA2.  They have the best schematics, but it's hard to find wich one is really good.  Don't go overboard and buy everything in sight

Oh and man did I have a blast exploring the Hinterlands. The most fun I have had in Dragon Age I think. The exploration aspect was just what this series was missing I think. Even in Origins there were too many straight corridor type dungeons and situations. So very glad to see that.

Yes it is great, unfortunately, as you advance, you'll realize that the Hinterlands was the biggest area and they had to cut short on everything else, it seems.  But diversity is nice, indeed.