Dragon Age: Origins & Awakening Discussion

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F***!? No one ever saw this? Sorry bro. Anyways, this is my favorite game I have. I even like this more then Halo: Reach. How ironic. Since this thread was created a while ago, there have been many large changes (Downloadable Content). This may be an old thread, but I want to revive this.

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Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age is basically a role-playing, strategy game. It favors strategic gameplay because they allow the use of a Radial Menu (Hold LT) that gives you access to Abilities, Sustainable Spells, Potions, Poison and Herbalism Crafting, and your Inventory (More). Also, you have your own unique group of allies that help you during combat and you are allowed control of them by using the Left and Right Bumpers (LB and RB). Also, this game has many unique origins to play as. From a Human, Elf or Dwarve. Humans have the Noble and Magi backgrounds. Elves have I think a Commoner and Dalish background. Dwarves have a Commoner and Noble background. There are many different endings and options. Did I mention from the creators of Mass Effect? Bioware.

Story

I will make this as spoiler free as possible. This game is named for the specific age that the setting occurs in. Every hundered years or so there is a new age. This age happens to be Dragon Age. You come from a certain background that you choose from the beginning (See Above) you join an elite group of fighters who are created to end the Blight (Destructive Force) that consist of Darkspawn (Humans = Hurlocks | Elves = Shrieks | Dwarves = Genlocks) which are previous beings that have been affected by a taint that transforms them. The Darkspawn are led by a Dragon also known as the Archdemon. Along the way, you must recruit allies that will aid you in your quest.

Gameplay

Basically press (A) to attack an enemy (No Button-Smashing), (LT) to open your Radial Menu, (X), (Y) and (B) are mapped abilities/sustainables that you can choose yourself via Radial Menu. Also, you can hold (RT) to further advance the mapped abilities and open your tier two or other abilities/sustainables. You can receive buffs or other abilities from your allies as well. As I mentioned above, this is a highly strategic game. You can craft traps and place them at choke points, set up ambushes, coat your weapons in poison, hold (LT) to pause the game and access your radial menu (More). You can even set up Tactics for your character and allies. For example, when an ally reaches below 50% Health, you can set up a Tactic that allows them to use a potion while not wasting your own time. Also, Youtube is your friend look it up.

Classes

There are three classes to choose from in the game. These are the most common classes used in most RPG Games. They are Warriors, Mages and Rogues. Class determines which abilities your character can learn during the course of the game. It has a profound impact on the way a character performs in battle. For mages, class also determines your background story.

Although there is some overlap between the classes, you can never make a character from one class play like a character from another--for example, warriors and rogues can never learn to cast spells, and a mage can never learn advanced weapon talents. Rogues can learn more skills than other classes, but cannot be proficient with two-handed weapons or shields. (Except for a Certain Class) I will explain this and contradict this above statment.

Specializations are "mini classes" for the main class. You can become two specializations. Gaining 1 specialization point at level 7 and another at level 14. In Awakening (DLC) you can have one more specialization point at level 22 (Not 21). For example, a Warrior can become a Champion and a Templar, the Champion allows him to give bonuses to teamates and themselves. A Templar is a Mage Hunter, so he interupts their spells and drain their mana.

Warriors: Warriors are front-line fighters, the backbone of any party under assault. They rely on melee and ranged weapons, supplemented by powerful special abilities that draw from deep reserves of stamina. Specializations: Champion, Templar, Beserker, and Reaver. Awakening Specializations: Spirit Warrior and Guardian.

Mages: Mages are the only characters who can cast spells, which they use for both offense and to support themselves and their party. Although mages may wield weapon, they do so without any particular skill; instead, they prefer to carry staffs that fire magic projectiles. Mages cannot stand toe-to-toe with enemies as well as other classes can, but they can deal immense amounts of damage and heal their allies when protected by the party. Specializations: Arcane Warrior (Best Ever!), Shapeshifter, Spirit Healer (Amazing), and Blood Mage (Amazing). Awakening Specializations: Keeper and Battle Mage.

Rogues: Rogues are crafty combatants who succeed in battle by combining speed, subterfuge, and a wide range of abilities to bring their opponents down in unexpected ways, sometimes before the enemy even perceives danger. Rogues can pick locks with great skill, incapitate enemies with ease, or sneak up on targets to deliver a devious and crippling backstab. Specializations: Assassin, Bard, Duelist and Ranger. Awakening Specializations: Legionnaire Scout and Shadow.

Background

Human Noble: Human warriors and rogues always belong to the noble house Cousland, one of the most powerful families in Ferelden. But even a life of privilege can crumble in the face of betrayal...

Magi: Human or elven mages, from the Amell or Surana families, respectively, find that a long childhood of tutelage in the magic arts is finally at a close.: it is time to undertake the Harrowing, long-secret ritual by which an apprentice spellcaster either becomes a full mage... or disappears forever.

City Elf: Elven warriors or rogues can opt to become a member of the Tabris family, hardscrabble city elves confined to the poorest quarter of Denerim, where an arranged marriage offers hope of distraction--if only for a day--from a life of discrimination and abuse. But when a local lord claims his "right" with the bride, racial tensions provide fuel for a massacre.

Dalish Elf: Elven warriors and rogues may alternately choose a proud but trying life among the Mahariel clan of the Dalish elves, preferring to wander the ancient forests in perpetual isolation over letting humankind corrupt the last of true elven culture. But a chance encounter with a relice of your people's past threatens to change those plans.

Dwarf Commoner: Dwarven warriors and rogues may begin among the Brosca family of the "casteless," the lowest rung of dwarven society, where subservience to a local crime lord has always seemed like the surest way to remain alive, at least for one more day.

Dwarf Noble: Dwarven warriors and rogues may choose a life born to the royal family of Orzammar. House Aeducan, where the natural accompaniment to political power is cutthroat infighting between relatives.

Background | Class | Racial Benefits

Background Benefit: |Human Noble = Combat Training | Magi = Combat Tactics | City Elf = Coercion | Dalish Elf = Survival | Dwarf Commoner = Stealing | Dwarf Noble = Combat Training |

Class Benefit: |Warriors = 100 Starting Health, 100 Starting Stamina, +4 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +3 Constitution, Combat Training Skill, Shield Bash, Pinning Shot, and Dual Weapon Sweep Abilities, 3 Levels to Gain 1 Skill, 6 Health per Level, 5 Stamina per Level, 60 Bae Attack Score, 45 Base Defense Score. | Mages = 85 Starting Health, 115 Starting Mana, +5 Magic, +4 Willpower, +1 Cunning, Herbalism Skill, Arcane Bolt Ability, 3 Levels to Gain 1 Skill, 4 Health per Level, 6 Mana per Level, 50 Base Attack Score, 40 Base Defense Score. | Rogues = 90 Starting Health, 90 Starting Stamina, +4 Dexterity, +2 Willpower, + 4 Cunning, Poison-Making Skill, Dirty Fighting Ability, 2 Levels to Gain 1 Skill, 5 Health per Level, 4 Stamina per Level, 55 Base Attack Score, 50 Base Defense Score.

Race

Human: Humans are a well-rounded people, which has made them the most numerous inhabitants of Thedas, and thus the most dominant.

Elf: Thousands of years ago, elves ruled the surface of Thedas, but today they live in mankind's shadow, whether as an oppressed underclass confined to urban slums or, in the case of the Dalish tribes, forced to wander the ancient forests forever.

Dwarf: The dwarves are a race in decline, as each new day of centuries-old war against Darkspawn consumes both dwarven lives and the scant remaining territory of their underground kingdom. Dwarves have an innate resistance to magic, preventing them from becoming mages.

Racial Benefits: Humans = +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Magic, and +1 Cunning. Elves = +2 Willpower and +2 Magic. Dwarves = +1 Strength, + 1 Dexterity, +2 Constitution and +10% chance to resist hostile magic.

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Best motherfucking bump ever, because I just got the game(s) a week ago and need help with my nightmare playthrough. Imma copypasta what I sent to a friend; its more-or-less how I play.

"Speaking of gods, playing DA:O as an Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healer Mage on HARD is stupidly easier than playing a Duelist/Assassin Rogue on Nightmare. The way I play, I want to spend my time controlling the Rogue, and I have my two mages set up as a non-aggression healer and a tank-healer, with both auto-spamming heal talents on me and my pure-tank. My rogue, meanwhile, is supposed to be dealing absurd amounts of damage (her DPS is about 10x that of the mages best nuke-skills on hard).

But, despite having a PERFECT setup to rape everything, I spend all of my time controlling healer-mage because, even with an evasion of 99% and the highest defence since the invention of NUKE-BOMB SHELTERS, a Revenant can turn around and 1hk me."​

So, basically, is this just normal? Is the difficulty jump that absurd? Or am I doing something wrong? My rogue has all of the DW talents, assassins talents, etc. 18 str, 40ish dex, and like 50 cunning. Beastman Dagger and Rose's Thorn, both have Grandmaster Electricity Runes, Beastman has a Master Slow Rune in its second, and Rose's Thorn has a Grandmaster Cold + Novice Paralyze in its 2nd and 3rd (I know I need to get the two GM Paralyze, one in each, for ultimate pro-ness). I only use the dual-sweep and flurry talents, along with Marked for Death. I spend all of my time behind the enemy, raping them with backstabs. I still get buttfucked repeatedly, and end up reviving 3-4 times whenever I fight a battle involving at least 1 enemy elite or higher.

In other words, how the **** do I nightmare without having to die every five minutes OR play as a retardedly broken and OP mage?

Also, **** the nightmare fade.

 

My armor is tier 4 studded leather, so shitty but gives a +5 armor set bonus. About two battles away from leveling up and being able to equip Wade's Drakeskin, then a dragon and a skill-tome from Wade's Superior. Is there better armor in the non-awakening? More importantly, is there any that boosts crit/backstab damage? I'd like to deal more than 70-per so I can kill **** before it turns around. I understand thats usually better than trying to finish while getting hit, since I'm useless from the front.

Con is useless, but chillin' at 26 because of lifegiver, and I have about 20 health-regen during combat, which basically heals me faster than any single enemy can attack. The problem is fighting two enemies, or any of the douches that 1hk me. If I could avoid the 80% of attacks that everything says I should, I'd be golden; or if I could take two more hits.

I assume that skills have depreciating yields, yes? Cunning doesn't seem to be influencing my damage after getting that passive assassin skill, unless its 1 point of cun = 1 point of damage. Lethality, as well, seems to have had little effect on my output. Is this **** broken or something?