Valmy's ADHD Dragon Age playthrough

[viper37]

At some point I want to go back and play this as a cowardly, whiny mage.

I tried to play back, with some mods, but I got a bug where some DLC areas are missing and I couldn't solve it, so I just let it go.

[viper37]

I enjoy the read btw

[Valmy]

I enjoy the read btw

Thanks I hope a few of you are entertained!

BTW do they do the same story screenshots for Awakenings? I probably need to find someway to solve this screenshot bug.

[Valmy]

We are the chosen ones, we sacrifice our blood
We kill for honor
We are the holy ones our armour's stained with blood
We killed the dragon
In glory we return, our destination's end
We slayed the dragon!
No more living in fear it's time to raise our king.
We made it happen we're the chosen ones!

So it turns out Ruck had just enough Garnets I needed so I quickly wrapped up the Thieves and Blackstone Irregulars quests. Equipped Loghain, made lots of potions, and sold everything we didn't need. Then back to Redcliffe.

I forgot Redcliffe gets attacked AGAIN by the Darkspawn. It is amazing anything in that village is still standing. Here is the first appearance of the one shot kill Darkspawn and I really don't like it, it makes me lazy for some reason. Here is the first of many really challenging Ogre-Emissary battles. I never get really good at these. You go to the castle and the gates are open and the Darkspawn are inside. Oh for...



'I suggest a bold new strategy: we close the gates next time the Darkspawn attack a fortress.'

A quick counsel of war and we leave in the morning. Riordan tells us one of us is going to die to kill the Archdemon. Loghain volunteers should it come to that. Not this time my friend.



'It is not you, it is the archdemon child I want you to put inside me.'

'Ah man this happens every time I really get to like a girl'

Then comes the moment we have all been waiting for. Awkward dark ritual sex! Wait no...I mean the emotional moment where Morrigan tells you she was just using you all along for the Archdemon soul. She admits she has feelings for Lorcan but she is going to leave him and he needs to be good with that but they can celebrate their love in one passionate dark ritual sex night. Well you don't have to ask him twice. But man when it is not a romance that scene is really creepy. Especially when it is with Alistair or Loghain.

The final battle!



'FOR FERELDEN! FOR THE WARDEN!'

Man if I am so damn important can't anybody ever say my name? Even my last name the game gave me?

No screenshots after this but it is pretty straightforward from here. On insanity those fights can be pretty dicey though, especially the Alienage gate and climbing the stairs in the Palace district. I still don't know how Sandal got in there and what was up with the huge maze on the second floor of Fort Drakon? Took down that Archdemon! I love Bann Teagan in the end movie being all 'holy shit I somehow survived this game!'

Loghain, Leliana, and Morrigan were my group. Sten led the gate defense.

Some bugs cause problems at the ending to this game and I had forgotten about them. First you can bug the Morrigan romance if you ever ask her about the dark ritual during the Battle for Denerim. Secondly the coronation scene acts like Alistair died and Anora became queen but correctly takes the romance to Morrigan into consideration. After that Alistair and Anora are both present but the Morrigan romance ceases to be. I am told this is corrected so long as you use the auto-save after the coronation for your transfer but poor Alistair may be bugged for being King until Inquisition. Hopefully not. Also Lorcan killed the Archdemon so deserves the credit damn it.

So hail Lorcan Amell! Hero of Ferelden! And Warden-Commander as well. Loghain is going to handle recruiting efforts so he better send me some good people. Leliana is going to Orlais to hunt down Marjolaine, Shale is going to try to become a real boy...er...dwarf woman again, Wynne is going with Shale, Sten is returning to the Qunari, Oghren is going to go after Felsi, and Zevran is going...somewhere. He says he is going to hang out with me but we know he doesn't.

The epilogue bugged out the Morrigan Romance meh. But the epilogue was clearly designed with a standalone game in mind. They can basically be ignored now, for the most part, now that it is a franchise.

I now remember why I did not like Awakenings at the time. The buggy item transfer (and other bugs Bioware publicly refused to patch), the change in how the dialog works, and general burnout with the series since I had just majorly binged on it were basically it. Also the community was wearing on me after the brutal flame wars over the Return to Ostagar DLC. I am more tolerant of foibles now so I think I can enjoy it this time. I enjoyed Leliana's Song well enough. Also I wouldn't be caught dead on the Bioware Social Network these days.

I think I have gushed over Origins enough. I can certainly see myself going back and playing it a fifth time a few years down the road.

Stuff I did:



Pretty self explanatory there

Is it the end for our hero and his wacky band of fools? Why yes, yes it is. But there are three more adventures for the Hero of Ferelden Lorcan Amell. Come hear the rest of his legend! Glory in his battles! Giggle or groan at my lame jokes!

I am kind of looking forward to playing content I have never seen before.

[Solmyr]

I still don't know how Sandal got in there

Enchantment!

[Syt]

I still don't know how Sandal got in there

Enchantment!

Yeah, but him showing up there and obviously having slaughtered many people made Sandal a lot creepier.

[The Brain]

Nice read.

[Valmy]

Yeah, but him showing up there and obviously having slaughtered many people made Sandal a lot creepier.

I know right?  Maybe he is the one who will be the Archmage of evil.

[Valmy]

Nice read.

Thanks!

[viper37]

BTW do they do the same story screenshots for Awakenings? I probably need to find someway to solve this screenshot bug.

I honestly can't remember... I think there are less screenshots, if anything.

[viper37]

Here is the first of many really challenging Ogre-Emissary battles. I never get really good at these. You go to the castle and the gates are open and the Darkspawn are inside. Oh for...

Actually, it's pretty easy.
For the Emissary, you need that force-cage spell.  It freezes him in place, unable to cast spell.  A few strong arrows from Leliana will then kill him, or any other rogue, basically.

For the Ogre, have you mage cast paralysis spells on him, it will slow it down.  Have your warriors hold it in place.  Once the emissary is done, slaughter it. With arrows.  If you're in the final fight with allies, just sound the horn when he appears.

Man if I am so damn important can't anybody ever say my name? Even my last name the game gave me?

They only pretend you are important.  First chance they get to be rid of you, they take it.
After all, heroes are dangerous.  They can get silly ideas in their head like politics and such.  Being popular with the plebs is a threat to most nobles.  Better if they simply ignore the common man

I still don't know how Sandal got in there

Me neither.  But there are a couple of surprises in #2

[Valmy]

That is sort of what I did. Petrify, paralyze, cone of cold were my primary weapons. Oh and good old crushing prison. But they have a couple abilities if they can get them off first (boulder tossing and the same spells I want to use on them) they can change the nature of the fight quickly. Crushing Prison on Lorcan was almost a one shot kill on my group.

I figured out the screenshot bug. The game will only allow players to take them at one resolution setting. So I found the one for me and damn everything looks really small now hehe. But I can at least take screenshots.

Yeah they do kind of get rid of me don't they?

Me neither.  But there are a couple of surprises in #2

Oooooh nice . I am ready to play #2 but I am not entirely non-bitter about it. I got the game for practically nothing but EA really got me with the fullprice DLC. Damn. Could have bought a brand new game for that. Also it all looks like it takes place during the main game (no expansion or post-game DLC for DA2? Weird) so has that danger of feeling tacked on like the DA:O in campaign DLC.

[Syt]

Apropos this thread: I just watched the first episode of the animates series Star Wars Rebels. And I thought, "Hang on, I know that character's voice ... oh hi, Oghren."

Steve Blum's pretty much recycled the Oghren voice, with more of a generic Brit accent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQzdWHyCnAQ

[Queequeg]

Wow, whoever did the score for that totally lifted one of the best motifs from Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

[Syt]

Wow, whoever did the score for that totally lifted one of the best motifs from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I'm sure it's a coincidence. There's never any references between Lucasfilm properties.