Dragon Age: Origins Catch-All

So I spent about 6 hours with the game over the weekend, and came away thinking that the game had the potential to be hugely enjoyable, but was very confusing. Confusing enough to be off-putting.

First, combat. The game really doesn't explain how combat works, either in the very thin tutorial or in the game manual. In particular, it doesn't really explain how to manually control the individual members of the party. In fact, it would be very easy to come way with the impression that the only way to play is to set combat tactics ahead of each encounter, and then let those tactics play out automatically.

Second, levelling. The game doesn't really offer the player any advice on this. Specifically, how to optimise one's character and what are the trade-offs between one's choices.

In short, there's an awful lot of trial and error here. And a lot of potential to fall into habits and to make choices that really compromise my game later on.

So I ended up buying a Prima Games guide, which has helped somewhat on the second issues - levelling - but leaves me still mystified about the first - combat.

I think I'll restart again next week, and try to work my way through it.

In the meantime, I have questions:

For background: I'm playing on PS3. And I've just completed the missions to collect the Darkspawn blood in the Wilds.

How should I move my party members into combat?

At the moment, I'm using each party member's reticle to direct them to attack specific enemies, then I'm following them in with my Player Character, a Mage. This feels unsatisfactory. It feels like my team are simply charging off into battle as individuals for one-on-one fights. I don't feel very tactical.

Also, I don't really know what attack they're going to do when they arrive. Are they going to use the attack pre-selected in the Tactics menu, or are they just going to do a basic attack? My Mage, for example, seems to do only a basic attack with her staff when I order her into combat using the reticle.

Related to this, how do I flank with my Rogue to get a backstab? Or - put another way - how do I move my party members when combat starts?

Do I simply let the rest of the party fight using tactics, and control-walk the Rogue into position and then press an attack?

At the moment, the only party member that I'm moving around during fights is my Mage, my player character.

How do I open chests?

Even in this early part of the game in the camp in Ostragar, I'm encountering chests that none of my party can open. Who needs to have what Level, what Attribute and what Skill/Specialisation to do this?

What else should I know?

I should say that, in addition to reading the manual and the game guide, I've also looked at some videos online. However, and I'm ashamed to say this, none of them are basic enough for me.

I restarted DA: O this weekend, so that I could take the opportunity to learn combat properly and I think I understand it better now. In particular, I need to think carefully about my positioning and to monitor the cooldown timers on my attacks.

I've dialled the game down to easy for this playthrough. I don't want my lack of expertise with combat to stall my progress.

I'm playing as an Elven Mage.

I'm going to pick up the Cold and Healing spells initially, and then Mana Alteration.

I have to say, though, that the game is poorly tutorialized and that the manual is very 'thin'. But my Prima Games guide has been helpful for building my character and party.

PC, obviously. It was made for PC controls.

Yes, there is modding. As I recall, it's as simple as dropping modfiles into an existing directory.

Thank you both!

I think every RPG I've played had, at some point, at least one battle the game designers probably thought would be epic but to me was pure tedium. In the end my opinion of the game depends on the fun parts outweighing the obnoxious parts.

I swear I must be one of the few people in existence who like that bit.

I've always liked it too. The puzzle aspect isn't too difficult, and the stat rewards are well worth it. I know the popular mod gives the stat boosts, but I dunno. I never saw what people disliked about it, other than aesthetically. I agree it's visually ugly.

My first playthrough I went to Redcliffe first, and the final battle was extremely difficult. I don't recall if I turned the difficulty down or not. Every subsequent playthrough I've gone to the Mage tower first for those stat boosts.