The GWJ CRPG Club - Game 5: Dragon Age: Origins (Over)

merphle wrote:

Sounds like I’m right around where you are. Elves and Mages have pledged to help, and I’m working my way through Orzammar. Level 15ish, about to do the Proving.

I realized a few days ago why combat was sucking so much for me, even despite playing in Easy difficulty mode. I was keeping all of my party members selected at all times, so I could right-click to focus down a single enemy at a time... but keeping them selected means that they’ll never use their AI rules; they’ll just keep doing only the basic attack command.

Also I swapped Morrigan out for Wynne.

Oh, yeah, keeping all four selected at once would make things challenging, for sure! Combat has been just about right for me at medium difficulty, but I stop battles a lot to tweak actions. If I screw things up I wipe out, but I think I've wiped out twice on the same battle only once or twice in the game. Most of the time I can get things right the second time if the first goes badly.

I still find that my characters tend to have a mind of their own at times. In particular, Leliana I'll often focus on an archer or mage behind the lines because she can kill things so fast, but she'll half-kill the person, then turn around and run back into the main battle. D'oh! Stay focused, little rogue!

I've also converted Morrigan into a healer. Otherwise I'd have switched Morrigan for Wynne too.

EDIT: More progress this evening, hit 62 hours in the game and my main character is Level 17. I'm really liking Deep Roads. I have no idea how much of this area is left, but we're grinding through enemies after enemies.

I've swapped out Leliana for Ohgren for this part. At first I was having trouble figuring out how to make the party work, but now things are going okay.

A couple of battles have been entertaining. Two groups of enemies were fighting each other as we approached, so I snuck up with my main character and set an inferno over their battle. Then we all just backed up and waited for everyone to kill each other and burn up. Fun times!

Wow, the Deep Roads is huge. I completely missed a section yesterday, so I finished up the section I was in last night, then backtracked and got halfway through the section I missed. Lots of combat too. Everyone is at Level 17 except for my main character, who just cracked Level 18.

Chipping away!

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

Wow, the Deep Roads is huge.

Yeah, I had forgotten how big it is. I went through a few zones last night. I know there’s at least one exit I didn’t take, and I didn’t fully clear two zones. Good exp though.

When exploring the deep roads it’s worth bringing up the local map regularly so that nothing gets missed.

Yeah, some of those side passages off the main routes are easy to miss. I completely missed the entire first area because I didn't see one side passage and the second section was immediately accessible.

I just thought the first area was a very small section.

I was pretty surprised how long Orzammar was, overall- definitely longer than I remembered. Same with the Deep Roads- there was an entire zone that I missed and I didn't even notice I had missed it until I was near the last zone. Fun times slaying some dino-chicken Deepstalkers, though.

Dwarven support has been granted. I've been really enjoying the party banter between Alistair, Leliana, and Wynne... but I swapped Oghren in place of Alistair for the end of the Deep Roads, and his banter just makes me wince; I get that he's portrayed as a drunken dirty old man, but sheesh it's kinda over the top.

Then I resolved(?) Morrigan's questline. I'm heading next to Denerim. I think there's nothing left on the world map at this point that I haven't at least been to, if not completed.

Nice work, merphle! I took the evening to get started on Arcanum, but will slide back to this tomorrow. I hope to clear the Deep Roads in another evening or two.

I have started playing and have finished the Mage tower and Redcliffe. I am really enjoying playing this time. This is farther than I have ever gotten before. In the past I have always gotten distracted and never make it back to this game. I think I have restarted 4 or 5 times....going to finish this time. LOL

Lakerboy32 wrote:

I have started playing and have finished the Mage tower and Redcliffe. I am really enjoying playing this time. This is farther than I have ever gotten before. In the past I have always gotten distracted and never make it back to this game. I think I have restarted 4 or 5 times....going to finish this time. LOL

If it's any help, this was my third attempt as well. Glad to hear that things are going well!

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

If it's any help, this was my third attempt as well. Glad to hear that things are going well!

Thanks! It's good to know I'm not alone....

More progress in the Deep Roads tonight. I finished up the section I bypassed by mistake at the beginning and started on the next section. I was doing super well, so much so that I started getting lazy with saves. "This is cake! I scoff at your feckless demonspawn! I'm invincible!!!"

Of course I got my butt handed to me shortly after that, which means I'll need to redo a chunk of the place again when I come back to things tomorrow. :/

EDIT: I went back in and cleared the rest of the area I was in. I believe I'm heading next to the last zone/section of the Deep Roads. First I've gone back to Orzammar to unload inventory.

The dwarfs have pledged their allegiance! Woot! On to Denerim and some of the other odd quests left.

EDIT: I turned in and cleaned up the remaining quests in Orzammar, hitting Level 19 with my main character in the process. Returning to Denerim, I'm not sure there's much left to do there. I have a few odd quests, but I think they must be in areas I can't get to until I advance to the next part of the story.

So...

I think I'm going to do Return to Ostagar, Flemeth's Hut, and Supulcher's Pass (sp?), then advance the story by returning to Redcliffe.

Onward.

Making slow progress but I think I’m close to finding the urn now. Haven’t been near the dwarves or elves yet. It’s taking a long time to get Redcliffe on board, even though I went there first.

Finally got me some of those sacred ashes. Brother Genitivi thinks everyone should be allowed some. Not sure how that will work, but I’ve got what I need so I’ll leave him to it. Can’t decide if I want to go see elves or dwarves next.

Redherring wrote:

Finally got me some of those sacred ashes. Brother Genitivi thinks everyone should be allowed some. Not sure how that will work, but I’ve got what I need so I’ll leave him to it. Can’t decide if I want to go see elves or dwarves next.

Excellent! Just in time for Easter.

I think the elves might be easier. The dwarfs take quite a while too.

I’ve got some out of town travel this week, I hope to make a push this weekend to get closer to the end.

Alright, I'm "in" on this one now too!

Like Divinity, this is a game that I actually spent a good amount of time on in a previous incomplete playthrough attempt (28 hours, according to my Steam stats)

Unlike Divinity, I don't remember any dissatisfaction with the game, I think I just got distracted by something else and then forgot the story and never went back.

And the story is well and truly forgotten. I remember being in some ruins or something and a goth chick was like hi hello nice to meet you, these are my boobs. And I remember being an archer. I think there was a bridge somewhere. That's about it.

*Legion* wrote:

I remember being in some ruins or something and a goth chick was like hi hello nice to meet you, these are my boobs. And I remember being an archer. I think there was a bridge somewhere. That's about it.

Nailed the plot.

Urn obtained. Dude cured. Landsmeet initiated. Need to do all the Denerim side quests next.

merphle wrote:

Urn obtained. Dude cured. Landsmeet initiated. Need to do all the Denerim side quests next.

Nice progress! I've arrived back in town tonight and hope to play tomorrow.

I picked a fight with a tree. Does that count as progress?

Oh also cured some guy with some ashes that took a long time to get. I didn’t fight the giant dragon, I couldn’t even beat three drakes together.

I had some difficulties with the drakes there as well. I think I wiped 2-3 times in there. I had to shift some tactics to change how I took them on.

It was fun to get back to this tonight. I did the Return to Ostagar quest. Fun and straightforward. It got my main character halfway to Level 20 too.

I've still got a few minor quests here and there to do before I nudge the main story forward again. I think the next step in the story takes me to Denerim, and I'm hoping to get that going tomorrow.

I'm at 71 hours now.

Nice, Blitz. I think I'm level 18ish, and already working on the post-Urn Denerim storyline. I rescued(?) some chick who was being held prisoner(?), and then sh*t hit the fan.

Elves and werewolves successfully saved from each other, that was fairly short and straightforward compared to some of the other big quests. On to Orzammar, once I figure out where it is...

Redherring wrote:

Elves and werewolves successfully saved from each other, that was fairly short and straightforward compared to some of the other big quests. On to Orzammar, once I figure out where it is...

Nice work!

Hint on Orzammar...

Spoiler:

Northwest, go through Frostback Mountains

I did a handful of shorter quests tonight, them moved the action to Denerim. My main character is just a touch shy of Level 20.

At first I was unsure what to do in Denerim but now I've stumbled onto what I think is a main task in the story. I hope to start that up tomorrow.

Found my way to Orzammar. Having trouble deciding whether to support Bhelen or Harrowmont. Leaning towards the nicer one even if he isn’t the best choice, because that’s how I generally play these things. But still not sure.

Redherring wrote:

Found my way to Orzammar. Having trouble deciding whether to support Bhelen or Harrowmont. Leaning towards the nicer one even if he isn’t the best choice, because that’s how I generally play these things. But still not sure.

They are both, in their own ways, complete dicks. It’s just Harrowmont is slightly nicer about it, but that’s mostly breeding.

Picked Harrowmont. I’ll take slightly nicer if that’s all I can get. Onwards...