RPS is exceedingly happy with it: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/11/17/wot-i-think-dragon-age-inquisition/
:unsure:
Quote
Dragon Age: Inquisition might just be my favourite game released this year. Considering my expectations and relationship with recent BioWare games, that's about as likely as Saturday night's soggy kebab being my favourite meal of the year. I've spent almost sixty hours uncovering as much of Inquisition's enormous open world and intricate story as possible, and as soon as I have a few days free, I'll be spending another sixty or eighty hours seeing it all through new eyes.
Before digging into the details, here's an overview of what Inquisition does. What is the base of the game that I'm so enthusiastic about. It's a sprawling, well-crafted story, with an intelligent approach to its world-building and the inclusion of player choice in the deconstruction and reconstruction of that world. A comparison to Shadow of Mordor is relevant – a game with which Inquisition shares mostly surface detail, and one striking approach to its treatment of questing and discovery. Both games have maps that sometimes look to be cluttered with the UBIquitous icons that overcrowd some of their contemporaries, but both ensure that the player doesn't feel like a janitor, cleaning up collectibles.
Mordor engages by means of a world in motion, with the nemesis system at its heart. Monolith's mechanical overhaul of open world conventions is precisely the sort of innovative leap that I hope to see fine-tuned and translated into new settings. It'll be odd playing Far Cry 4 next week and realising that a specific elephant in the world will never become my sworn enemy, cropping up three hours after our first encounter with an attitude problem and a proposterous name. Babar the Bruiser, with a voice like a week-old Irish whiskey. I want the families of GTA NPCs who I mow down during a chaotic chase to seek vengeance and hunt me down where I live, or make entire city blocks a no-go area for my careless carjacker.
DA:I's approach will be much harder to replicate. It's a game thick with merits and while there is no single innovative idea that stands out like Mordor's implementation of the nemesis system, instead almost every feature and piece of content is delivered at the highest level of quality. It's as much an embarassment of riches as the invaluable collection of Count Duckula erotica that you stand to inherit from that one elusive uncle.
That's not to say Inquisition is anything more than an excellent piece of genre fiction. It's a fantasy RPG, with clever embellishments, and the good work that its developers have done is very much contained within recognisable parameters. BioWare have pushed the boat out but it remains within chartered waters, navigating them with an enviable apparent ease that can only be achieved by a crew working with intensity and precision behind the scenes. It's that intensity and precision that will be difficult to replicate rather than the particular course taken.
Inquisition's regions are open for exploration and are (mostly) enormous and thick with quests, monuments, collectibles, characters, campsites, eye-catching details, roaming enemies, snippets of history, shards, crafting materials and wildlife. There's a preposterous amount of things to do, many of them seeming to be little more than distractions from the storyline, but the majority are interesting. It's almost as simple as that – make the content interesting and the proliferation of icons isn't distracting or overwhelming – it's promising.
Not quite that simple though. The game's strongest moments are tied to the main quest line, which is the usual story of a world in crisis, but with the added intrigue of an agency undergoing a difficult reincarnation. The Inquisition of the title is a new entity based on an organisation with a dubious historical legacy and as well as spending your time gallivanting around the wild arts of the world, you'll be convening with your war council at the snowy outpost of Haven to plan your actions on the grander stage.
The war council is made up of characters with their own personalities and stories. They're not quite like the allies who hurl spells and wave axes in your adventuring party, but you'll grow to like/love/loathe them as much as any close companion. Initially, their purpose seemed slightly obscure – they can undertake missions by directing them toward points of interest on a world map, but these take place unseen, with a textual result delivered the next time you check in at the council.
A certain amount of time (real time) must pass before a mission concludes, which led me to believe they might be optional means to accrue bonus gold and equipment rather than a core part of the game. That's sort of true, although as the story progresses, decisions to deal with characters and events through diplomacy, espionage or military means have consequences beyond binary success or failure.
The War Council isn't a particularly complex addition but it ties in to Inquisition's broader themes so neatly that it takes on a significance beyond its nuts and bolts implementation. While you do get to play the hero in DA:I, you're responsible for the reputation and operations of the Inquisition rather than a simple party of adventurers – there are political, social and religious rifts to ponder, as well as the slightly more pressing matter of physical rifts that open up onto the demon-infested Fade.
Let's talk about the heroics first. Your character is chosen from four races and three classes, and after a brief slog through the preliminary necessaries (tutorial, prologue, swift exposition dump) you find that you may be The Last Hope for the peoples of the world. A breach has opened in the sky and threatens to devour the entire world. With a mysterious mark on your hand and a groan-inducing spot of amnesia, you find that only you have the power to slow the growth of the breach, and to close the many rifts that have opened around the world, like scars in the fabric of reality.
Simple, right? You're a sort of olde world ghostbuster, zapping demons and closing portals to the nether regions. Well, quite, but things are complicated by the rebellion of the mages and the dogmatic brutality of the Templars. There's a war brewing and the fallout is terrible – refugees, slaughter, starvation. It's a miserable world that you wake up in after your encounter at the Breach and, worst of all, the Breach itself was a major catalyst for all of the animosity.
It opened, you see, during a meeting between mages and Templars, a peace summit led by the Chantry, the world's most powerful religious organisation. The Breach blew it up – the peace summit that is. And most of the Chantry, including its leader. As the sole survivor and someone with a peculiar ability to influence the rifts and Breach alike, you're considered a villain by some and a sort of Messiah by others. You are the Herald, a legendary figure that most people seem reluctant to believe in, particularly if you happen to be (as I was) in the form of a dwarf, a creature born and raised outside the society and belief systems that the Herald is integral to.
By making the player character a figure tied to religion, history and politics – through his/her nomination as the Herald and the Inquisition – BioWare rephrase the usual hero's story. In the politest possible terms, fuck your character arc. Or, at least, relegate it to the background. Nobody gives a crap if you want to be gritty and renegade-y, or if you're the most virtuous, dimple-chinned bloke in existence. You are trying to save the world from going to hell and the decisions you make, the big ones at least, will be difficult because everyone seems to be in conflict with everyone else.
Most people seem to lack respect for what you're trying to do and then there are those who do respect you but have inflated expectations. You're the Herald after all, right, so why aren't you getting things done? The brilliance of your personal story is that it happens as a backdrop to the events you're caught up in. There are friendships to forge and romantic relationships to kindle, but they flow more naturally from the higher level decisions and observations you make.
Yes, there's the occasional awkward dialogue choice popping up seemingly from nowhere – "Let's get to know one another better. Are you seeing anyone?" – but even the occasionally daft sexy chatter usually serves as more than fanservice. For all of its conflict, the world of Dragon Age has a far broader range of social norms than many places on Earth and there's a gracefulness in the handling of that which I haven't noticed in previous BioWare games. Inquisition explicitly states characters' preferences and prejudices in a way that can feel empowering or crushing, and there are far bolder and subtler approaches to sexuality, discrimination and religious faith than I expected.
As I write that, I can't help thinking that, yes, at one level it is a game about dwarves and elves bumping uglies. Sure. But it's a bloody good one and finds wit, charm, excitement and smarts in the conflicts of its setting.
I haven't explored every romance in the game because I'm in a committed and stable relationship, and would probably need an extra 100 hours to play with, but there's barely a dialogue option, quest or scene that doesn't add to the understanding of an individual or culture. Everything happens for a reason, even the 'collect 15 pieces of meat' quests.
There are fetch quests of that sort but the beauty of the game's structure is that they are what happens while you're doing more important things. You can't walk for a minute in any direction without finding something to do, which means if you don't like whatever's currently on your plate, you can head to the next buffet table just over the crest of a hill. And that thing you didn't feel like doing? Maybe you'll end up completing the task in passing, while concentrating on other things.
The basic flow of the game is to build up the Inquisition's power by completing important quests – gathering allies, solving regional problems and the like – so that new areas can be explored on the world map. Once you step into a fresh region with your party, the process of gathering power begins again and completing a couple of big story missions should be enough to unlock the next area.
In reality, the flow is disrupted by the many distractions on each map. If I head north to recruit the horsemaster I'm likely to end up exploring the area around his farms to flush out some rebel outposts and then, oh, let's track down the source of the wolf problem, which happens to be next to a rift that I could seal while I'm hereabouts and, hey, is that a mysterious ruin, I wonder what's inside...
You could probably spend thirty hours on the first major region alone and it wouldn't be time wasted. Even when details are incidental, they're well-crafted. The Codex is a delight, containing oodles of lore in all manner of forms. There are poems, songs, pornographic pamphlets, letters, speeches, manifestoes and chapters from books of Demonology. Not all of it is particularly exciting but like almost every part of the game, down to the finest detail, the texts feel like a legitimate figment of the world, contributing to a cohesive and fascinating whole.
The writing is supremely confident with only the smallest spattering of fantasy bullshit. Mostly, it's relatable social and political topics, religion and rebellion, faith and failure. With a chosen one who doesn't necessarily know if or why he/she IS the chosen one, and becomes as much a point of division as of togetherness, there's a tantalising sense of the unknown. While all the elements of the story might be familiar, the whole thing, from start to finish, has its surprises and stings in the tale.
It's often complicated, deliciously so, and there's enough freedom in how to handle it that the world feels more open than even its vast geography might suggest. There are flaws, of course, and I reckon some people will have a much more critical view of the combat. On easy mode, most of Inquisition can be approached as a hybrid RPG-action game, with only minimal prods needed to direct party members while you hammer away at special skills and basic strikes in the thick of the action.
On normal difficulty or higher, the tactical mode is necessary for fights against dragons and demons alike, and even bands of rebels can be a pain in the backside (they love to flank and strike at unprotected rears). With a camera that refuses to zoom out much higher than a dwarf on a stepladder, it's not the most useful tactical mode in existence. Sure, it pauses combat, allows you to set orders (though not to queue a string of commands) and inch time forward with the push of a button, but it's functional at best.
The lack of a full overhead view, showing every combatant at the same time, is baffling and flicking between targets is frustrating and occasionally confusing. It's a shame because in terms of class abilities and resource management, there's a neat squad-based skirmish game here, but it's somewhat obscured. Despite that, I smiled from ear to ear every now and again when I paused the fray and felt as if I were looking at models in the world's most lavish tabletop RPG.
Even though it doesn't fully explore the full extent of its own somewhat limited tactical options, Inquisition never quite allows its combat to become an afterthought, although if your main interest is in the narrative adventure rather than the hacking, slashing and spell-flinging, the easy mode is your friend.
It's impossible to cover everything. Crafting will absorb hours of some players' lives, with different types of several materials available to mix together, creating new weapons, armour and potions. I never deliberately went on harvesting trips but still ended up with enough loot to make a few swords and sets of armour, although they were often slightly creaky and crap because I wasn't paying enough attention to all of the numbers. I was too busy trying to snog an elf.
I haven't enjoyed a BioWare game this much since Baldur's Gate II and I haven't enjoyed an RPG this much since...well, Divinity: Original Sin. Ask me to choose between them though and I'd throw sand in your eyes and run a for the hills clutching them both to my chest.
Is this really a Dragon Age game? I didn't manage to finish the first, despite liking it well enough for a good few hours, and I've only spent a couple of hours with the second. Nothing had prepared me to expect a game so richly realised and solidly built, but here it is. One of the worst things about it is that hair sometimes looks like a hat and almost every moustache and beard resembles a comedy prop. I can live with that and have even learned to find it amusing.
Knowledge of the previous games will let you in on some inside whisperings and jokes, but there is nothing in the lore or the narrative that Inquisition doesn't take the time to explain. And most of the exposition is kept to optional dialogue branches and written entries in the Codex, so you won't be pummelled by it.
It's self-contained, despite drawing on so much history that has already been written – much of which is affected by player choices in the previous games. Those who aren't up to date with the series or have lost data can make all those choices before they begin. And everyone with the slightest interest in dungeons, dragons or dialogue should begin. With Inquisition, BioWare have handled the narrative and consequence of conversation and action with more assurance and depth than Telltale, while also constructing one of the finest and most forward-looking CRPGs ever made.
And I'm as delighted and surprised as anyone.
Dragon Age: Inquisition releases tomorrow in North American, the 20th in Europe, and the 21st in the UK. And later for Japan, for some reason. They have to wait.
I've never finished DA:O. I liked the setting and the characters, but the combat was such a grind. Occasionally I poke it, but then I get bogged down in 4 hours of combat because the devs insisted on filling each nook and cranny of the maps with enemies (fighting up the mage's tower :bleeding: ) and quit again. Therefore, I've never played DA2.
But this is putting the series back on my radar. :hmm:
I still want to do DA: Awakening. I love the first one but was not a fan of 2 (though I also finished that).
I adored the first one, didn't play the second and I'm wondering about this one. It seems almost to big to be as intricate relationship wise as the first one.
Hmm... I'll wait some.
G.
Quote from: Syt on November 18, 2014, 08:55:22 AM
I've never finished DA:O. I liked the setting and the characters, but the combat was such a grind. Occasionally I poke it, but then I get bogged down in 4 hours of combat because the devs insisted on filling each nook and cranny of the maps with enemies (fighting up the mage's tower :bleeding: ) and quit again. Therefore, I've never played DA2.
But this is putting the series back on my radar. :hmm:
That was my reaction to the series. I was grooving to DA:O, but the combat just seemed way too grindy for me. I guess maybe I'm no longer in the target demographic for such games. :(
Quote from: Barrister on November 18, 2014, 10:43:33 AM
Quote from: Syt on November 18, 2014, 08:55:22 AM
I've never finished DA:O. I liked the setting and the characters, but the combat was such a grind. Occasionally I poke it, but then I get bogged down in 4 hours of combat because the devs insisted on filling each nook and cranny of the maps with enemies (fighting up the mage's tower :bleeding: ) and quit again. Therefore, I've never played DA2.
But this is putting the series back on my radar. :hmm:
That was my reaction to the series. I was grooving to DA:O, but the combat just seemed way too grindy for me. I guess maybe I'm no longer in the target demographic for such games. :(
It happens.
I was playing Titanfall this summer when it dawned on me that I don't enjoy, can't be any good in an FPS anymore.
Quote from: Grallon on November 18, 2014, 09:58:13 AM
I adored the first one, didn't play the second and I'm wondering about this one. It seems almost to big to be as intricate relationship wise as the first one.
Hmm... I'll wait some.
G.
One of the key companions is an openly gay Tevinter mage. One of the lead story writers is also openly gay.
Quote from: Martinus on November 18, 2014, 10:53:01 AM
One of the key companions is an openly gay Tevinter mage. One of the lead story writers is also openly gay.
That isn't a guarantee for an interesting story... The trailers I saw seem very much geared towards combat. And I'm not sure about the central location interactions premise rather than a mobile party. *shrug* It took me 3 years to get to Skyrim and I've been hooked since last January so.
G.
Ok that review certainly made me more interested than I would normally be. I loved DA:O but disliked Awakenings. It took all the mediocre things about DA:O and focused on that while tossing out all the great stuff. DA2 sounds like it was a disaster so...
Not that I can play anything right now anyway. Heck I still have not really even touched Skyrim and Wasteland 2 which I really want to play.
Quote from: Martinus on November 18, 2014, 10:53:01 AM
One of the key companions is an openly gay Tevinter mage. One of the lead story writers is also openly gay.
Glad they went away from the 'everybody is bisexual' thing they supposedly did in DA2. Unless you build the cultures in the story around that idea it stretches belief just a tad.
I don't think everyone in DA2 was bisexual - I tried fucking Alastair but could not. It's just the gay characters were bi. ;)
Quote from: Martinus on November 18, 2014, 12:10:04 PM
I don't think everyone in DA2 was bisexual - I tried fucking Alastair but could not. It's just the gay characters were bi. ;)
Holy shit. And you call yourself a DA fan. It is Alistair and he was not romanceable by anybody in Dragon Age 2. I didn't even play Dragon Age 2 FFS :lol:
Quote from: Valmy on November 18, 2014, 12:14:58 PM
Quote from: Martinus on November 18, 2014, 12:10:04 PM
I don't think everyone in DA2 was bisexual - I tried fucking Alastair but could not. It's just the gay characters were bi. ;)
Holy shit. And you call yourself a DA fan. It is Alistair and he was not romanceable by anybody in Dragon Age 2. I didn't even play Dragon Age 2 FFS :lol:
He couldn't virtual-gay him up. Why he should remember his name? :huh:
Im on my third prosecco stuck at the Frankfurt airport typing this on my iphone 6+. Fuck me for misspelling one letter. :P
Quote from: Martinus on November 18, 2014, 12:40:40 PM
Im on my third prosecco stuck at the Frankfurt airport typing this on my iphone 6+. Fuck me for misspelling one letter. :P
iphone 6+? Fancy. I mean not that I expected anything less counselor.
Quote from: Valmy on November 18, 2014, 12:48:12 PM
Quote from: Martinus on November 18, 2014, 12:40:40 PM
Im on my third prosecco stuck at the Frankfurt airport typing this on my iphone 6+. Fuck me for misspelling one letter. :P
iphone 6+? Fancy. I mean not that I expected anything less counselor.
It nicely saves me from having to carry both an iphone and an ipad - it makes for a decent reader device.
So far, I'm not impressed by the controls.
For those of us with an AMD card, we apparently need the latest beta driver wich include MANTLE support for DA:I.
Other than that, DX11 graphics are really nice. It feels like, finally, 5 years after that API was released on PC, we get games that fully use it. Thank you console world for 5 years of miserable gaming.
Anyway, so far, I've spent 30 minutes configuring the game and my character, 30 minutes playing, up to the first real mission after the intro.
My impressions: the controls are bad. Really bad. They are done for a console with a gamepad, not a PC. And apparently, Xbox wireless controllers don't work out of the box with the game.
The characters seem nice enough for the little I've played. The character approval is so far logical. The story is a little bit weird. It begins with my character being chased by some weird insect like creatures, a female like figure extending her hand, a giant green void/explosion and me dropping on the ground surrounded by soldiers, than shifts to me in a cell, in bindings, being by Cassandra and Leliana, arguing if I should die or not (obviously, none of the answers really matter, they aren't going to kill me, duh! :P ).
You need to use Dragon Age: Keep (www.dragonagekeep) to configure your world, since it does not import savegames.
This seems to work fine.
In 30 minutes, I managed to experience one crash/freeze when I tried quitting the game. It does not bode well for the future.
Will try some more, will wait if there's a patch later today, then decide if I return it before midnight.
Yeah the gameplay's looked clunky for a while now. But I can overlook that if the story & characters are good. DA 2's were fairly bad for a Bioware title.
Also I'm not exactly thrilled with the seeming tumblrsexualization/SJW-ing of the franchise so I'm skipping this one by the looks of it. The new Witcher game will probably be more of a my thing. Well unless you guys rave about it constantly here. :hmm:
Quote from: Legbiter on November 18, 2014, 03:24:36 PM
the seeming tumblrsexualization/SJW-ing of the franchise
and what would that be in plain english, the language you'd expect a 40 year old to understand on a mostly english speaking board?
Quote from: viper37 on November 18, 2014, 04:13:09 PMand what would that be in plain english, the language you'd expect a 40 year old to understand on a mostly english speaking board?
In short, romance overload. The last DLC for ME 3 for instance basically turned it into a dating sim. Jars one out of the setting.
Quote from: Legbiter on November 18, 2014, 04:24:05 PM
Quote from: viper37 on November 18, 2014, 04:13:09 PMand what would that be in plain english, the language you'd expect a 40 year old to understand on a mostly english speaking board?
In short, romance overload. The last DLC for ME 3 for instance basically turned it into a dating sim. Jars one out of the setting.
Well that's DLC...so avoidable, no?
In my day we were happy if we could romance a stone.
Quote from: Legbiter on November 18, 2014, 04:24:05 PM
Quote from: viper37 on November 18, 2014, 04:13:09 PMand what would that be in plain english, the language you'd expect a 40 year old to understand on a mostly english speaking board?
In short, romance overload. The last DLC for ME 3 for instance basically turned it into a dating sim. Jars one out of the setting.
Hmm, wasn't the last DLC the Citadel one? I don't remember it like that, I really enjoyed it, in fact, with the silly humor :)
I'm enjoying it immensely. The combat is superior to the first two games, and the controls are quite workable (especially the tactical camera with auto-pause). Still getting the hang of queueing up orders effectively.
Reading the reviews, this sounds pretty fun.
Yeah it does. I'm not doing it though. I'll wait for a discount. They can't get away with taking me at full price after selling me DA2.
I felt the same. But I was weak :(
Now all I need to do is to convince my boyfriend to lend me the PS4. :ph34r:
why did you take a photo of that? :unsure:
Quote from: garbon on November 20, 2014, 11:29:41 AM
why did you take a photo of that? :unsure:
Because we live in an instagram age? :unsure:
Keep it to instagram then! :angry:
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dorian
Apparently it has Gay Byzantine Clark Gable.
Why don't I own this?
Quote from: Queequeg on November 22, 2014, 02:32:36 PM
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dorian
Apparently it has Gay Byzantine Clark Gable.
Why don't I own this?
I'm looking forward to recruiting this character, too. :P
Only gays seem to be looking forward to the romance options in this game. :P
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on November 22, 2014, 05:59:38 PM
Only gays seem to be looking forward to the romance options in this game. :P
Apparently 50% of the romance options in the game are gay-only or bisexual. And 5/8 of the romance options are guys. Didn't someone say the leader writer of the game was gay? :hmm:
I thought only one of the romances was gay only :hmm:
Quote from: Valmy on November 22, 2014, 10:16:36 PM
I thought only one of the romances was gay only :hmm:
Looking at the wiki, there is one lesbian only and one gay only.
Quote from: garbon on November 22, 2014, 10:20:17 PM
Quote from: Valmy on November 22, 2014, 10:16:36 PM
I thought only one of the romances was gay only :hmm:
Looking at the wiki, there is one lesbian only and one gay only.
Yep.
Man the romances for straight dudes kind of blow, neither looks anywhere near as interesting as Leliana or Morrigan. The straight ladies do a bit better. The gays definitely come out on top. Well and there is that Qunari who only prefers to company of cookware.
Granted this is without actually meeting the characters and seeing how they are in game.
Quote from: Martinus on November 20, 2014, 11:27:24 AM
Now all I need to do is to convince my boyfriend to lend me the PS4. :ph34r:
Why not play it on your PC? Though I heard the PC version has issues.
Quote from: Valmy on November 22, 2014, 10:28:48 PM
Quote from: garbon on November 22, 2014, 10:20:17 PM
Quote from: Valmy on November 22, 2014, 10:16:36 PM
I thought only one of the romances was gay only :hmm:
Looking at the wiki, there is one lesbian only and one gay only.
Yep.
Man the romances for straight dudes kind of blow, neither looks anywhere near as interesting as Leliana or Morrigan.
They should have allowed a romance with the black chick with Maleficent horns.
Some people have described that game as a single person MMO, which sounds like an Elder Scrolls title.
They did say that Skyrim was a big influence. I ain't got a problem with that.
Quote from: garbon on November 22, 2014, 11:41:38 PM
They did say that Skyrim was a big influence. I ain't got a problem with that.
I might have a problem with it. Bioware games are not Elder Scrolls games. On the other hand Elder Scrolls games typically have weak...erm...dialog and relationships I guess. I mean I generally like their plots and so forth so maybe merging the two might work and be pretty awesome.
But it definitely means the spirit of DA:O is long gone. Pity that.
I mean, DA:O was a bit weak on the vein of how everything was just stepping stones with nothing in between. DA2 then went overboard with every stepping stone taking place in the same scene...so they idea of some open worldness, I can't hate on that.
I was not hating on it, rather I am ambiguous about it.
That's my life box! :hug:
This thread inspire me to buy Dragon Age: Origins. So far I like it.
In other news still unemployed :lol:
Quote from: The Brain on November 18, 2014, 05:04:48 PM
In my day we were happy if we could romance a stone.
:D
Quote from: Valmy on November 22, 2014, 11:36:08 PM
Some people have described that game as a single person MMO, which sounds like an Elder Scrolls title.
these people are confused.
There are light bugs or features working as design that bugs me, like the repeting inquisition requests to some minerals or herbs. Just like Skyrim with its radiant quests, I never liked the system.
The graphics are way nicer than Skyrim, obviously, Skyrim was made for last generation consoles, this one is made for PS4 and Xbox One, and btw, PC.
But the graphics are stunning.
When you walk around, you have a party to accompany you, not just follower who are just there as cannon fodder. I wouldn't advise trying it alone.
The controls are too confusing for me, I had to disable friendly fire on hard, I keep getting people stuck in the way of some spell. Oh, and that lighting bolt attacking me as well... No, just no.
The areas are huge, but you don't walk from one place to another, just like in Skyrim. You either reach a point on the map for travel to another place, or you go directly with the map. Some missions are war room specific, so you need to go there with your war council, choose the mission, listen to their advice, then decide.
So, in short, no, it's nothing like Skyrim, things are a little more closed and there's a plot to tie things in. Something Skyrim does not have.
If you want to compare it to a game, it has much more in common with Mass Effect 3 than Skyrim.
Skyrim is a true RPG. DA:I is closer to an action game with RPG elements. It doesn't go as far as ME3 in simplifying the game, but it does remove some basics of the RPG game that we (well, I) used to love, like choosing your attributes, healing your party, etc.
You rely entirely on health potions, wich are replenished every time you go back to your fortress or a base camp. During important missions, you will seldom find resupply crates when you can refill your health potions, but only those, not the others you might use (you have 3 slots to put potions, the first one is always healt potions, the second ones can be potions (health, regen, lyrium,etc), tonic (haven't unlock this yeat) or grenades like fire or pitch grenades.
Confirmed. Mages are ninjas again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baIZqP3nI50
:glare:
what's the ninja part? the action movement?
Anyhow, in that game segment, he could have made his game easier by disrupting the rifts as soon as he get cleared of any demons attacking his character. The demons are stunned for a few seconds, enough time to kill 2-3 of them.
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 23, 2014, 01:49:38 PM
This thread inspire me to buy Dragon Age: Origins. So far I like it.
:thumbsup:
Which background you going with? Human, Elf or Dwarf?
Quote from: Legbiter on November 24, 2014, 06:26:01 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 23, 2014, 01:49:38 PM
This thread inspire me to buy Dragon Age: Origins. So far I like it.
:thumbsup:
Which background you going with? Human, Elf or Dwarf?
At the moment I'm a City Elf who likes like Tilda Swinton/Bowie. I'll probably try the others though.
I enjoyed the City Elf background.
Man I miss origin stories. So weird to see a feature so universally beloved shelved.
Quote from: viper37 on November 24, 2014, 04:03:38 PM
what's the ninja part? the action movement?
Yeah his regular attack is like he's some kind of lacrosse player flinging magical poo at people with it. Flipping around like a dancing retard. Where's the mage of dignity and authority? I don't want a magic karate kid.
Quote from: Valmy on November 24, 2014, 06:58:21 PM
I enjoyed the City Elf background.
Man I miss origin stories. So weird to see a feature so universally beloved shelved.
I thought the City Elf background perpetrated sexist macho stereotypes about women and led to death threats against some feminist blogger. :hmm:
Seriously though I think the point developers frequently make these days about stuff like origin stories is that they are just not worth the buck, since they are seen by only a certain percentage of gamers. So it is much more efficient to devote your resources to a part that is going to be seen by everyone.
I think origin stories were great, they helped put you in your character's shoes and share his motivations much more than just choosing a background trait during character creation a la ME.
Quote from: Martinus on November 25, 2014, 04:21:20 AM
Seriously though I think the point developers frequently make these days about stuff like origin stories is that they are just not worth the buck, since they are seen by only a certain percentage of gamers. So it is much more efficient to devote your resources to a part that is going to be seen by everyone.
I dunno, don't origin stories add replay value and therefore will be seen by mostly everyone? I mean, I played through all of them even if I didn't continue the characters afterwards.
Replay value is no value.
About 15% of your entire player base won't finish the game. 50% get halfway thru. Playing more than once only affects single digits % of your player base.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 25, 2014, 09:10:59 AM
Replay value is no value.
About 15% of your entire player base won't finish the game. 50% get halfway thru. Playing more than once only affects single digits % of your player base.
That's right.
Quote from: Martinus on November 25, 2014, 04:21:20 AM
I thought the City Elf background perpetrated sexist macho stereotypes about women and led to death threats against some feminist blogger. :hmm:
I thought the whole rape thing was lazy and lame and didn't even inform much about the relationship between City Elves and Humans in game. It was just put there to show how dark and edgy and shit stuff was but unlike the Dwarf origins it never went anywhere. But there were lots of things about that origin I did like. It made returning later in the game to see the burning Alienage was especially powerful.
QuoteSeriously though I think the point developers frequently make these days about stuff like origin stories is that they are just not worth the buck, since they are seen by only a certain percentage of gamers. So it is much more efficient to devote your resources to a part that is going to be seen by everyone.
Nonsense. If that were true why do they bother making all these romances since you can only see a few of them each playthrough?
See your earlier point.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 25, 2014, 10:45:04 AM
See your earlier point.
The City Elf Origin made returing to the Alienage powerful? :unsure:
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 24, 2014, 06:55:38 PM
Quote from: Legbiter on November 24, 2014, 06:26:01 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 23, 2014, 01:49:38 PM
This thread inspire me to buy Dragon Age: Origins. So far I like it.
:thumbsup:
Which background you going with? Human, Elf or Dwarf?
At the moment I'm a City Elf who likes like Tilda Swinton/Bowie. I'll probably try the others though.
It's not gay if it's an elf.
I dumped the elf. Moving on.
Edit: I think I used my skill points badly :blush:
Quote from: Valmy on November 25, 2014, 10:46:51 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 25, 2014, 10:45:04 AM
See your earlier point.
The City Elf Origin made returing to the Alienage powerful? :unsure:
:hmm:
No, sex is edgy.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 25, 2014, 11:14:24 AM
:hmm:
No, sex is edgy.
They can put sex and violence in all the origins if they want. Only Anita Sarkeesian and me will be offended :P
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 25, 2014, 11:11:48 AM
I dumped the elf. Moving on.
Edit: I think I used my skill points badly :blush:
:(
The Dwarf ones are both very cool IMO.
Quote from: Valmy on November 25, 2014, 11:16:27 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 25, 2014, 11:11:48 AM
I dumped the elf. Moving on.
Edit: I think I used my skill points badly :blush:
:(
The Dwarf ones are both very cool IMO.
Aye and the human noble is as well. Turns the game into a searing 70's Bronson revenge spree.
To anyone playing this game:
When you're ready to meet a dragon, bring Iron Bull with you. ;)
The reviews on metacritic aren't that good, especially for the PC version. I was tempted to buy, if only to play with the character creation tool, but I'm not so sure anymore.
G.
Strikes me as a wait to buy.
I've logged over 50 hours on it. It's really quite good, although they made the tactical controls stupid. The story, the characters, and the base-building features are quite good. I am definitely out of my element, though. 8 health potions shared between the party is simply not enough on Hard difficulty.
Quote from: Scipio on November 30, 2014, 08:30:22 AM
I've logged over 50 hours on it. It's really quite good, although they made the tactical controls stupid. The story, the characters, and the base-building features are quite good. I am definitely out of my element, though. 8 health potions shared between the party is simply not enough on Hard difficulty.
Are you playing on peasant or PC Master Race rig?
Middle of the road PC. High-test GFX card and mobo, but dual channel memory (16 GB) and low-level CPU (i3 quad core).
[SPOILER]Once Haven gets nuked, the game progression gets easier. But it's still a bitch on Hard, even with self-inflicted damage turned off. I'm only level 14, my party is level 13. Working on completism, which is well-rewarded in this game (better than in DA2, anyway; not sure if as well as DA:O).[/spoiler]
Quote from: Grallon on November 29, 2014, 09:48:32 AM
The reviews on metacritic aren't that good, especially for the PC version. I was tempted to buy, if only to play with the character creation tool, but I'm not so sure anymore.
G.
if you haven't bought it already, wait until the first patch at least.
The game is great, but the PC controls are really bad. And there are a couple of annoying bugs.
Quote from: Scipio on November 30, 2014, 08:30:22 AM
8 health potions shared between the party is simply not enough on Hard difficulty.
you can get up to 12 with an upgrade in the war room. And you need regen potions in your second slot.
Quote from: viper37 on December 01, 2014, 11:32:04 AM
...
The game is great, but the PC controls are really bad. And there are a couple of annoying bugs.
Ah. Another game first designed for the fucking consoles. <_<
G.
Quote from: Grallon on December 01, 2014, 12:58:30 PM
Quote from: viper37 on December 01, 2014, 11:32:04 AM
...
The game is great, but the PC controls are really bad. And there are a couple of annoying bugs.
Ah. Another game first designed for the fucking consoles. <_<
G.
apparently, it was designed for PC in mind. The graphics seems to prove it. The controls, they were made for a gamepad, with limited buttons, that shows certainly. I've read that those on console, the earlier generation, seem to experience bad graphics issues.
Looks rather brilliant in 4k, but I agree about the controls so far.
I dunno, I sort of dislike the plethora of cutscenes in these games. It's just poor storytelling, if you ask me.
Thoughts after 60 hours: too fucking big. 60 hours of play and only level 15? Motherfucker.
I hear that the beginning area (Hinterlands?) is too big, and that it's recommended to leave it early to progress the story, and come back sporadically later on?
The way I would approach it is to open up each area as soon as they become available, and to run around doing side quests as long as you can until you have to make the first big choice [spoiler](templars or mages, at about level 7- getting through the apostates to Redcliffe is fucking hard- templars is easier).[/spoiler]
Quote from: Syt on December 02, 2014, 12:53:48 AM
I hear that the beginning area (Hinterlands?) is too big, and that it's recommended to leave it early to progress the story, and come back sporadically later on?
it's the same with many areas. Some you can do part of it the first time, then come back later.
It's not made to be linear, i.e., go to one place, clear it, meet the final boss, go back "home", like in DA2 and Mass Effect 2.
I've finally mastered the tactical camera interface. It's sadly little more complex than pause, select target, have everyone attack your target, switch back to boss, rinse, repeat.
But that being said, I can't wait to run this sucker through a second time, with a totally different character. Qunari, for starters.
Sera breaks the Cullen quest thread. FYI.
Quote from: Scipio on December 09, 2014, 06:33:24 PM
Sera breaks the Cullen quest thread. FYI.
how so?
Never mind, I saw your other post.
It plays quicker than DA, less fast-paced than DA:2. Not as complex tactically. Better plot. Lots of loose ends tied up. at 120 hours, I'm about 3/4 of the way through.
I need to fight one dragon, the Highland ravager. To do that, I would have needed more experience, but I made the bad choices early on related to codex experience.
Ah, and I miss a couple of regions, a couple of mosaic pieces. It really is frustrating.
Knight enchanter mage for dragons, like Vivienne. Get her up close&personal with the dragon, ignite the blade, hit it. Use fade cloak near the dragon to do a couple thousand damage, used fade step (upgraded) to slide through dragonling, that will freeze them. Them freeze them, then hit at them with the warriors, send Vivienne back (or your own character, if he's mage) to the dragon.
Highland Ravager is no more. It still took nearly all my potions though.
Since the 2nd patch this game has become very enjoyable. There's no one that really strikes my fancy though. I'm thinking I'll either romance Iron Bull or Sera. Blackwell already wants to stick it in me but he's a total old man downer. If Dorian weren't gay I would romance the hell out of him.
Quote from: Korea on December 23, 2014, 12:30:42 AM
Since the 2nd patch this game has become very enjoyable. There's no one that really strikes my fancy though. I'm thinking I'll either romance Iron Bull or Sera. Blackwell already wants to stick it in me but he's a total old man downer. If Dorian weren't gay I would romance the hell out of him.
A Korea post?!?
Quote from: Korea on December 23, 2014, 12:30:42 AM
Since the 2nd patch this game has become very enjoyable. There's no one that really strikes my fancy though. I'm thinking I'll either romance Iron Bull or Sera. Blackwell already wants to stick it in me but he's a total old man downer. If Dorian weren't gay I would romance the hell out of him.
Can I romance you?
Quote from: Barrister on December 23, 2014, 01:05:03 AM
Quote from: Korea on December 23, 2014, 12:30:42 AM
Since the 2nd patch this game has become very enjoyable. There's no one that really strikes my fancy though. I'm thinking I'll either romance Iron Bull or Sera. Blackwell already wants to stick it in me but he's a total old man downer. If Dorian weren't gay I would romance the hell out of him.
A Korea post?!?
Shhhhhhhh. Don't tell anyone.
Quote from: The Brain link
Can I romance you?
Only if you're an alpaca.
The brain's pretty hairy, if that's what you mean.
Quote from: Barrister on December 23, 2014, 01:05:03 AM
Quote from: Korea on December 23, 2014, 12:30:42 AM
Since the 2nd patch this game has become very enjoyable. There's no one that really strikes my fancy though. I'm thinking I'll either romance Iron Bull or Sera. Blackwell already wants to stick it in me but he's a total old man downer. If Dorian weren't gay I would romance the hell out of him.
A Korea post?!?
So the internet's not down after all! :o
So, is the game worth paying full price for?
Quote from: Solmyr on December 23, 2014, 04:22:35 PM
So, is the game worth paying full price for?
Only if you're an alpaca.
Quote from: Solmyr on December 23, 2014, 04:22:35 PM
So, is the game worth paying full price for?
Yes but check slickdeals.net because I got it for $45 with free shipping. But a week later I saw it for $40 with in store pick up.
Quote from: Solmyr on December 23, 2014, 04:22:35 PM
So, is the game worth paying full price for?
it's 30% off on EA store. Don't buy the Deluxe edition, it's not worth it. The armor set is crap, you can find better craftable armor at any point in the game.
Also, crafted weapons & armors > 99% of the loot in the game.
Just pay attention when you do it, it's a little confusing at first, with all the materials and the slots.
Also, you'll get a mission to recruit the Arcanist at some point, on your warboard. Complete it ASAP. Same with the specialists one, it will unlock the possibilities for your companions right away and yours once you complete the related quests.
Just got this. :)
Quote from: garbon on December 25, 2014, 03:52:50 PM
Just got this. :)
Same, decided to pull trigger for Xmas.
So - has this been made playable for the PC? And it's a pity the only boy worthy of courting is a ghost that cannot be courted. :rolleyes:
G.
Quite playable.
Stop hitting on Boys then :rolleyes:
Quote from: Grallon on December 26, 2014, 11:26:53 AM
So - has this been made playable for the PC? And it's a pity the only boy worthy of courting is a ghost that cannot be courted. :rolleyes:
G.
Dorian is too old? Iron Bull too brutish?
Enjoying multiplayer. Very nice structure.
Doesn't even come close to working on my sorry-ass comp. 40 dollars wasted.
The replay with the immensely tall Qunari female mage is hilarious. Making many different choices at key points, while trying to maintain my group. The most important thing is doing the key inner circle quests before major events.
I keep forgetting that power is spent when doing missions. I'll get to 15 someday & save the mages.
So we got a XBOX One. This got a pretty killer review from RPS. Worth getting on the console?
It's worth playing yes.
Be prepared for the long-ass installation time, apparently.
Btw, if like me you don't feel like waiting a fuckton of time for war table missions, you can advance your system time forward to make them complete instantly. I just change the date to the next day, 24 hours is enough for any missions to complete.
Are you telling me, I've played this game for 12 hours so far & I could have had a mount for atleast 8 of those?!
Fuck me.
Pass.
Quote from: Grey Fox on January 13, 2015, 09:34:08 PM
Are you telling me, I've played this game for 12 hours so far & I could have had a mount for atleast 8 of those?!
yes there are mount. They are mostly useless though.
Yes, they are.
I like this game & it does scratch the itch of my mmofever but I hate the combat. Enemies take too much time to die.
Maybe I need new gear but I don't come across enough of it regularly it seems. Fuck crafting.
Quote from: Grey Fox on January 31, 2015, 02:23:53 PM
Fuck crafting.
it's the only way to get decent gear in this game.
I know, that annoys me a lot.
It's not like crafting is challenging in any way. The game essentially shits materials at you, strategically placed across the major lines of travel in the zones.
Finally started playing it.
Bards. :wub:
Have fun!
Started playing as well!
Here's my Anton - he's absurdly pretty :wub:
G.
How much time did you spend on character creation? The three starting human male faces are attrocious even if you change their hair/complexion etc.
Quote from: Martinus on August 31, 2015, 04:09:52 AM
How much time did you spend on character creation? The three starting human male faces are atrocious even if you change their hair/complexion etc.
About 3 hours of fiddling with the default base you start with. The tools are easy to use, you just need patience.
As for the game itself, I like it, a lot. Especially the mix of tactical and strategic aspects, all woven in your personal story. Can't wait to meet Cole. ^_^
EDIT: with better lighting.
G.
:D
He looks like he's in a trashy gay porn.
Quote from: Queequeg on September 02, 2015, 02:40:25 AM
:D
He looks like he's in a trashy gay porn.
I am not sure what trashy gay porn you watch, but he is nowhere like actors in those. :hmm:
Maybe he meant generic. :hmm:
Anyway, g, why are you excited about Cole?
IMO there are 3 things that make a guy cute: his eyes, his lips and his ass. This one here has all 3, according to my tastes anyway.
As for your question garbon, I think it's the voice - youthful male Brit accent always does it for me.
G.
Quote from: Grallon on September 02, 2015, 06:18:55 AM
IMO there are 3 things that make a guy cute: his eyes, his lips and his ass. This one here has all 3, according to my tastes anyway.
As for your question garbon, I think it's the voice - youthful male Brit accent always does it for me.
G.
Oi mate, you should download chav porn then. :D
Well after 100 hours of playing I've just finished the original game. I bought all the DLCs, including yesterday's - the epilogue called 'Trespasser' but I haven't started those yet.
I am more than pleased with this game even though it's not perfect. If there ever was a game that felt epic it's this one! The scope, the scale, the size and variety of locales... And the whole political/strategic mechanics is fantastic! I particularly enjoyed the mission in the Winter Palace. Also, fighting dragons is a real a challenge - these things are enormous! This said I was playing on the lowest difficulty setting, which means I didn't have to use the tactical mode most of the time - which I personally find awkward. I understand that at higher levels it's a must. I shall have to see at the next playthrough.
And Skyhold is a wonder - even though they never finished numerous sections of it; in fact I'd pay for a cosmetic DLC just to complete it. Your stronghold is to in game castles what Novigrad in the Witcher 3 is to in-game cites - a work of art. Come to think of it the attention to details in all their zones is quite impressive. In Emerald Graves for instance I marveled at the texture of the ground floor moss.
As for the companions, most are interesting - except for Sera - couldn't stand her. I never took her anywhere save on her one personal mission. Cole is adorable, I romanced Dorian since there were no other options. Many like him but I find he's a bit of a cliché. I found a mod where you can romance Cullen as male - I'll have to try it. Finally I discovered only toward the end what a great character Varric is. Since I was a rogue myself I didn't feel I needed him but I was wrong.
Now for criticisms.
- like I said the tactical mechanics are clumsy - all this pausing, issuing orders, resuming - pausing etc...
- one thing I found immersion detracting was time - you never know what time of the day or date it is - there's no apparent day/night cycles either.
- there was a MMO feel to some of your quests which I disliked - the 'go fetch' - the farming. This was a bit alleviated by the need to supply the Inquisition but you'd think your underlings would take care of that.
- I wish you could chose who's part of your inner council - have the opportunity to invite someone in (like when Morrigan joins later on)
- I wish you could make a greater use of the agents you recruit, other than for the influence and special perks they bring.
Well that's it for now.
G.
Quote from: Grallon on September 09, 2015, 11:24:11 AM
Well after 100 hours of playing I've just finished the original game.
LOL I am well over 200 hours and not even close. It always takes me forever to play these things.
QuoteI romanced Dorian since there were no other options.
Not true. Unless you demand a certain purity to your gay romances.
Quote from: Valmy on September 09, 2015, 12:43:17 PM
Not true. Unless you demand a certain purity to your gay romances.
Tall grey skinned horned things don't arouse any interest in me.
G.
And here's my Inquisitor, six years after the events at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, two years after the defeat of Corypheus. The Inquisition's enemies have gathered to tear it down and the weight of his responsibilities is showing.
Quote from: Valmy on September 09, 2015, 12:43:17 PM
Not true. Unless you demand a certain purity to your gay romances.
Dude. It's Grallon.
I don't see why any gay guy would be expected to what his character to romance Iron Bull. I mean I did it but not because he was attractive. ;)
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 09:17:04 AM
I don't see why any gay guy would be expected to what his character to romance Iron Bull. I mean I did it but not because he was attractive. ;)
I merely said he was an option.
Quote from: Valmy on September 09, 2015, 12:43:17 PM
LOL I am well over 200 hours and not even close.
Well, that is a bit excessive. You count the time you take notes and write the AAR in there? :D
Quote from: viper37 on September 10, 2015, 09:49:34 AM
Quote from: Valmy on September 09, 2015, 12:43:17 PM
LOL I am well over 200 hours and not even close.
Well, that is a bit excessive. You count the time you take notes and write the AAR in there? :D
Nah. It always goes that way whether I am writing an AAR or not. It might just mean I really enjoy RPGs and I like taking my time to enjoy them.
Quote from: Valmy on September 10, 2015, 09:23:29 AM
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 09:17:04 AM
I don't see why any gay guy would be expected to what his character to romance Iron Bull. I mean I did it but not because he was attractive. ;)
I merely said he was an option.
So as Grallon noted basically not really a valid option.
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 09:56:33 AM
So as Grallon noted basically not really a valid option.
I guess that depends on what is 'valid'.
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 09:56:33 AM
Quote from: Valmy on September 10, 2015, 09:23:29 AM
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 09:17:04 AM
I don't see why any gay guy would be expected to what his character to romance Iron Bull. I mean I did it but not because he was attractive. ;)
I merely said he was an option.
So as Grallon noted basically not really a valid option.
Big, tall muscular guy, spends his days training. Fits a certain type, I think :P
Yeah certainly pushes a few buttons but then...oh fuck he is an ugly ogre.
Quote from: Valmy on September 10, 2015, 01:07:23 PM
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 09:56:33 AM
So as Grallon noted basically not really a valid option.
I guess that depends on what is 'valid'.
I think it would be okay to give a gay option that wasn't either Freddie Mercury or a monster.
I wish there was some way to get a reasonable ok looking avatar without spending an hour or more on it.
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 07:23:34 PM
I think it would be okay to give a gay option that wasn't either Freddie Mercury or a monster.
Sure but is it maybe still an improvement over the terrorist and the magical psycho from DA2?
Quote from: Berkut on September 10, 2015, 07:55:01 PM
I wish there was some way to get a reasonable ok looking avatar without spending an hour or more on it.
Agreed, but in DA:O you spent an hour and it still looked like an inbred freak. So at least success is possible.
I was bummed when 'Trespasser' ended I had to start again! This time with a female mage - reminds me of my time in WoW - where my main was one such.
I think she turned out alright - even though I'm better used at molding guys than gals.
Meet Miriel, future Knight Enchanter.
Quote from: Berkut on September 10, 2015, 07:55:01 PM
I wish there was some way to get a reasonable ok looking avatar without spending an hour or more on it.
No pain, no gain! :P
I seriously don't have the patience for this, so my characters aren't that good looking
*deleted
Quote from: Valmy on September 10, 2015, 08:41:19 PM
Quote from: garbon on September 10, 2015, 07:23:34 PM
I think it would be okay to give a gay option that wasn't either Freddie Mercury or a monster.
Sure but is it maybe still an improvement over the terrorist and the magical psycho from DA2?
I kinda liked Fenris. -_-
I started the Descent. It's decent.
... Ha ha ha...
Seriously. I did it all until the final encounter, which you will see tend to... leave one frustrated.
I shall see. I'm in the Abyss now, just met those cracy lyrium armored infused dwarves that attacked me.
Quote from: Grallon on September 14, 2015, 01:27:50 AM
Seriously. I did it all until the final encounter, which you will see tend to... leave one frustrated.
ah, I see. You weren't kidding! :)
I had to do it twice, reworked my abilities for my characters so they stayed up a little longer. Thank the
gods developpers for guard on hit armor and walking fortress. That saved me. Only Blackwall was left standing, heck, he was the only one to survive for the last 30 minutes of the fight :P (Valmy, take some notes! :D ).
It was impossibly difficult compared to the rest of the game.
I played Jaws of Hakkon, and got sucked back in. Bought the other two expansions, even though I'm broke. Fuck.
Finished it and all DLC with my lady Qunari mage Inquisitor what was into Blackwall. An interesting view of everything. Made Leiliana the Divine this time. One thing that's nice about having reached the cap, I find that the grind disappears for me. The level of agency in the ending of the Trespasser DLC is very nice indeed. Getting to make that final decision in a denouement really capped the experience.
And what a setup for the fourth game.
I figure I have time to play it before Valmy's AAR reach that point :D
I hate paying 15$ for such a short DLC though. Hopefully, there will be some Black Friday specials before I need to buy it :)
So, are the DLCs worth it?
Are they as grindy as the main game?
Quote from: Solmyr on September 21, 2015, 05:27:13 AM
Are they as grindy as the main game?
No. The Descent can be done in 8-10 hours but it's essentially a hack & slash DLC. Trespasser, which concludes DAI, is tightly scripted and story driven.
G.
Quote from: viper37 on September 19, 2015, 07:53:49 PM
I figure I have time to play it before Valmy's AAR reach that point :D
Plenty of time :P
Though things might pick up now that I am done with all the non-DLC zones.
Quote from: Valmy on September 22, 2015, 02:28:29 PM
Though things might pick up now that I am done with all the non-DLC zones.
and you forgot to update your AAR, zone after zone, dragon after dragon? Shame on you Valmy! :P
Btw, how did you like the 3 dragons of Emprise du Lion? And Sandy Howler? :)
Quote from: viper37 on September 22, 2015, 06:32:06 PM
Quote from: Valmy on September 22, 2015, 02:28:29 PM
Though things might pick up now that I am done with all the non-DLC zones.
and you forgot to update your AAR, zone after zone, dragon after dragon? Shame on you Valmy! :P
Btw, how did you like the 3 dragons of Emprise du Lion? And Sandy Howler? :)
I had six freaking dragons in a row. When I got to the Howler and saw she had 330,000 HPs my poor exhausted left clicking finger cried a bit.
I will update the AAR right before Lothar leaves for the Arbor Wilds. Everything is done now I just need to craft some gear. Somehow I finished every single collection except one song and one throne. No I am not going to comb every zone looking for them :P
Quote from: Valmy on September 23, 2015, 08:02:16 AM
No I am not going to comb every zone looking for them :P
Where's your sense of adventure?? :P
Quote from: Valmy on September 23, 2015, 08:02:16 AM
...Somehow I finished every single collection except one song and one throne. No I am not going to comb every zone looking for them :P
Those shards, I never bothered collecting them, are they worth it? Same with the mosaic pieces. That's what I was referring to when I mentioned aggravating MMO flashbacks.
G.
Quote from: Grallon on September 23, 2015, 09:59:18 AM
Quote from: Valmy on September 23, 2015, 08:02:16 AM
...Somehow I finished every single collection except one song and one throne. No I am not going to comb every zone looking for them :P
Those shards, I never bothered collecting them, are they worth it? Same with the mosaic pieces. That's what I was referring to when I mentioned aggravating MMO flashbacks.
G.
Nope. The collections seem to have been put in the game solely to torture completionists like me.
Quote from: Grallon on September 23, 2015, 09:59:18 AM
Quote from: Valmy on September 23, 2015, 08:02:16 AM
...Somehow I finished every single collection except one song and one throne. No I am not going to comb every zone looking for them :P
Those shards, I never bothered collecting them, are they worth it? Same with the mosaic pieces. That's what I was referring to when I mentioned aggravating MMO flashbacks.
G.
The shards are worth it, because they give you access to a place with a lot of loots and elemental (fire, cold, spirit) bonuses.
The mosaic pieces are strictly cosmetic for Skyhold, like the bottles on the wall.
Collect ALL THE SHARDS.
Did anyone play all the DLC? I was just realizing that many came out and I never even thought about them and making a purchase.
Quote from: garbon on March 28, 2016, 12:54:53 PM
Did anyone play all the DLC? I was just realizing that many came out and I never even thought about them and making a purchase.
Yes I did. You can read all about it in my AAR thread :P
The last one was very good. The other two were just better versions of the regular DAI side content I think.
I know I just realized when I looked at your thread that you had posted about them. I'll have to take a look.
And sorry, didn't read the AAR as when you'd gotten to DA:I, I'd just come off it (I think) and assumed it would play out similarly. :blush:
Same as Valmy here, played all.
I'm thinking of playing a 3rd time as a mage, see if anything is really that different.