Dragon Age Series

[Joe]

Completed it.

* HOW IT ENDS SPOILERS BELOW *

Spoiler

Hugely disappointed by the ending.

“To be continued” is a bad enough ending, but to raise more questions as well? <_<
Why was Leliana there?
What do you mean the Warden went missing too?
Why was the Lyrium Idol built up but never explained?
Why was there no epilogue at the end to show the consequences of your actions (like in Origins) and give the game a sense of closure?
Why do I feel that expensive DLC is needed to complete this game?
Why do I feel that I’ve been sold Snake oil by a con man?
Why did this feel like an Assassin’s Creed ending?

I am very disappointed.

Spoiler

But whatever, the game was good, even if it did use the same fricken cave system over and over.
(they didn’t ever try to hide it!)

I know that you can’t tie up all the loose ends but the game just kinda stops then the credits roll, and I’m scratching my head thinking, is that it?

[/RANT]

Great game, piss-poor ‘to be continued’ ending.

Same.

Spoiler: ENDING SPOILERS

The ending was perfect, I don't understand what you don't like about it. The game plays as an epic story, and any movie worth its salt has that kind of ending. It was brilliant. Sets up perfectly for the next game, not everything needs to be explained. All of the loose ends will obviously be tied into the next game which by the looks of this will be just as amazing.

You don't need to find out what happens as a result of your actions because you will see it in the next game, and by the sounds of it, it will focus on Hawke again. I have no problem with that, I hated the warden in the first game and how little the character had to do with everything. Dragon Age 1 was a game I didn't like and felt like I wasted good money on. This game renewed my faith in the series and they did it absolutely amazingly. Good fucking job Bioware.

The game was made during the credits though when the first song that started playing was Florence And The Machine. Once again, good job Bioware.

Mass Effect 2 had a similar be continued ending and that was just as awesome. You're obviously looking at this game from a different perspective to how it should be looked at.

Awesome game, Awesome finale.

Starting my Archer Rogue now.

 

[Hisako]

Bows and arrows are fucking boss.

Early on in the game I picked up a bow with a dps of 70, in comparison to my 21/24 dual-wields.

Peons fold like paper

Also, Default Femhawke. Do it. Do it now.

On hard.

 

[Joe]

I am doing exactly that. XD

Bows are extreme for dps, but they don't go much further than that.

 

[Hisako]

Well I can say for certain that bows and arrows are one of the things that are 9001x better than their Origin counterparts

The ranged skill tree is pretty handy for supports and other passives in other skill trees I believe affect both dual-wield and ranged stats like criticals and skills, etc.

I wouldn't know terribly much about that, seeing as I've been pouring most of my points into the dual-wield, and haven't been using Varric for nearly as much as I should be.

 

[Russell]

Spoiler: Ending Spoilers

Mass Effect 2 had a similar be continued ending and that was just as awesome.

True, but it had a conclusion & consequences, DA2 didn’t.

In ME2 the Collector thread was neutralised & you either destroyed the base or handed it to Cerberus, a consequence that will catch up with you in the next game for good or bad. The goal of the game “stop the collectors” was fulfilled, whilst leaving it open for a sequel.

DA2 didn’t have a grand quest to be completed, which is fine. Focusing on one characters rise rather than a world saving quest was a refreshing change that I liked. But the lack of an epilogue or explanation at the end (telling you of the lives you changed for good or ill, showing you the outcome of the choices you made) destroyed the value of any decision I made. In Origins what you did mattered, the epilogue would reveal what happened to each place you visited, each faction, each character. So ok most times you either made one of 2 choices but at less that choice mattered and effected the world.

It wasn’t the “to be continued ending” that bothered me, it was that the game just ends with a “well see you next time” then the credits roll. Nothing I did in DA2 mattered in the slightest, all choices are without consequence and therefore meaningless.

In Origins you had the weight of the world on your shoulders and you would have to make choices that solve all the worlds problems, then see the consequence of those choices. (I loved this, but I completely understand why other people wouldn‘t.) Removing most of that weight & heavy choices & focusing on a single person’s rise to power was a great idea, truly it was. But Bioware removed so much weight & consequence it made any choice meaningless.

My feelings on DA2, and why I like it, not love it boil down to this:
I could name a dozen choices I made in Origins I wanted to import to DA2.
I couldn’t name a single choice in DA2 I would care about importing into DA3.

ME2 felt like part 2 of an epic trilogy, by comparison DA2 felt like a dumbed-down spin-off. I enjoyed playing it alot, and I’ve already started again with a Male Warrior, but I’m not sure if I’ll bother with the GOTY edition, or DA3.

 

[ForceStealer]

http://www.destructoid.com/bioware-man-caught-reviewing-dragon-age-2-196513.phtml lulz.

Mountain of a molehill if you ask me, but whatever.

 

[Hisako]

I like how the reps deflected that. Smooth move.

Also, cue the Bioware internet community pissing itself in rage.

 

[Joe]

Spoiler: Ending Spoilers

True, but it had a conclusion & consequences, DA2 didn’t.

In ME2 the Collector thread was neutralised & you either destroyed the base or handed it to Cerberus, a consequence that will catch up with you in the next game for good or bad. The goal of the game “stop the collectors” was fulfilled, whilst leaving it open for a sequel.

DA2 didn’t have a grand quest to be completed, which is fine. Focusing on one characters rise rather than a world saving quest was a refreshing change that I liked. But the lack of an epilogue or explanation at the end (telling you of the lives you changed for good or ill, showing you the outcome of the choices you made) destroyed the value of any decision I made. In Origins what you did mattered, the epilogue would reveal what happened to each place you visited, each faction, each character. So ok most times you either made one of 2 choices but at less that choice mattered and effected the world.

It wasn’t the “to be continued ending” that bothered me, it was that the game just ends with a “well see you next time” then the credits roll. Nothing I did in DA2 mattered in the slightest, all choices are without consequence and therefore meaningless.

In Origins you had the weight of the world on your shoulders and you would have to make choices that solve all the worlds problems, then see the consequence of those choices. (I loved this, but I completely understand why other people wouldn‘t.) Removing most of that weight & heavy choices & focusing on a single person’s rise to power was a great idea, truly it was. But Bioware removed so much weight & consequence it made any choice meaningless.

My feelings on DA2, and why I like it, not love it boil down to this:
I could name a dozen choices I made in Origins I wanted to import to DA2.
I couldn’t name a single choice in DA2 I would care about importing into DA3.

ME2 felt like part 2 of an epic trilogy, by comparison DA2 felt like a dumbed-down spin-off. I enjoyed playing it alot, and I’ve already started again with a Male Warrior, but I’m not sure if I’ll bother with the GOTY edition, or DA3.

Pshh your opinion I guess. For me it took everything I kinda liked about DA (mainly the lore) and made a great game out of it.

I felt like I truely wasted money on the original I just really really didn't like it. This changed that and I absolutely loved this game. I think it says a lot for it.

 

[Russell]

Alot of things were changed for the better and I completely understand why people would prefer it to Origins. I don't hate DA2, I'm just disappointed with it. It lacks something but I can't quite think what it is.

Anyway I've on my second play-thru. So what's the best way to build a Warrior?

 

[Joe]

I built my warrior up as a two-handed specialist. Put your points into the sustained modes that increase your damage output and make sure you max out the two-handed tree. After that I specialised in Reaver to get that much more damage out. Reaver, like blood mage, is a specialisation that likes to eat away at your health in return for awesome damage boosts. Aslong as you set your healer up properly it won't be a problem, everything will be dead before you run out of health anyway in most circumstances.
It doesn't have the highest output for single target damage, but this game likes to send them at you in groups, so aslong as there are about 3 grouped together you have the highest damage output of all the other classes and specialisiations.

Or you build up as a tank instead but meh.

 

[Hisako]

Or you build up as a tank instead but meh.

lololololololololololololololololololololololol

So you can, what? Throw Hawke at the enemy and control your more interesting party characters 90% of the time?

 

[Russell]

Aslong as you set your healer up properly it won't be a problem

Is

Spoiler

Anders

my only option?

And is there anyway to keep

Spoiler

Bethany?

 

[Joe]

Is

Spoiler

Anders

my only option?

And is there anyway to keep

Spoiler

Bethany?

Spoiler

Of the companions, Anders is the best suited for it; though it can be handled by Merrill too if you're not bothered about Anders' group heal and resurrection capabilities.

Unfortunately no. Whether it was Bethany or Carver that joined you, you will lose them at the end of Act 1. If you leave Bethany behind she will be taken to the circle by the templars. Carver will opt to joing the grey wardens.
If you take them with you to the deep roads, they will gain the corruption of the blight just like Wesley did.
IF you have Anders with you, he will say there are Wardens nearby and those wardens take Beth/Carv and go through the joining, saving them from death. They will then leave and joing the grey wardens and show up later.
If Anders is NOT with you, you will have to kill them.

Either way, your sibling does not stay with you past act one.

 

[Russell]

Spoiler

Either way, your sibling does not stay with you past act one.

Damn, so anyway

Spoiler

to save my mother?

 

[Hisako]

Spoiler

iirc if your sibling becomes a grey warden there's the option of having them fight with you later towards the end of the game.

 

[Joe]

Spoiler

In my playthrough, Bethany joined the circle because I left her behind and the Templars got her. She still fought with during the end fight though. Probably because I sided with the mages, and as soon as you see Orsino she is literally following him around the rest of the story.

Mother always dies. Don't cry LozRuss.

 

[Hisako]

Spoiler

I think it says something about the character writing that I honestly don't feel a single bit of gaming remorse for Mother dying.

Well, at the very least it isn't half as targic as any significant dying in Origins. Hmm.

 

[Max Payne]

Anyone who scores this any lower than one point than the original DA is full of shit. This is pretty much exactly the same game but with a vocal main character, a few combat tweaks and less of an adventurous spirit. The story seems to lack a real direction at times, and a lot of the areas you're forced to traverse look eerily similar to others you've been to before.

This game is a bit more likeable than the original simply because it has more personality, but I still love the original. The art design is a lot better, especially in terms of character models.

Playing this on PC in DX11.

 

[Joe]

I think the personality made that much of a difference for me.

Seriously great game, have recommended others to buy already.

 

[Hisako]

and a lot of the areas you're forced to traverse look eerily similar to others you've been to before.

I absolutely love this game but there are dungeons in some sidequests that are direct fucking facsimiles of previous ones

They don't even try to hide that fact

Just, copy-pasted with different enemies


Also yeah there's a nicer color palette with some good contrasting visuals. Origins was all nice and flowery but it was usually all the same sort of soft dirt brown and cobblestone grey everywhere.

 

[Splintered]

So I just finished DA2.

Spoiler

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I know they made a good set of characters because I've had the urge to reach into the game and throttle each one of them (except for Varric). I was actually in such a nerd rage over Anders destroying the chantry that I almost decided to kill him. But I needed him as my healer.

I wish there was an option to beat the ever living snot out of him, then welcome him back in.

Anders went from one of, if not the, favorite characters to the one that drives me crazy. Weird because I loved Anders and I loved Justice, but combined they make a heaping pile of meh.

Also, I wish Fenris would stop RIVAL+10 everytime I made eye contact with a mage and didn't decide to chop his head off.

That said, I enjoyed this game more. It's not as epic but I like these kinds of plots better, the sort of slow descent to madness. The problem is that either way, you feel like shit afterwards. There's nothing happy about any of it, and it sort of is demoralizing. D:

 

[Zee]

Spoiler

Pretty much all of your teammates are batshit crazy or moronic. I am rivaling all of them with NO REGRETS. Anders can just gtfo really, killing him pisses me off even more because then he's all like ~I'M A MARTYR FOR THE CAUSE~ no dude. Have you ever taken him with you on Merill's quest? jfc I have never wanted a renegade interrupt so badly.

Then again there's a giant ball of EVIL living under Kirkwall, so maybe that's why everyone boarded the crazy train.

I like the game a lot but it's obvious there was a lot of time crunching going on (which I feel is more a blame to lay at EA's feet). More variety in maps would have been so welcome. But overall I enjoy this game just as much as the first one, maybe moreso because of the improved battle system.

 

[Splintered]

Spoiler

Have you ever taken him with you on Merill's quest? jfc I have never wanted a renegade interrupt so badly.

Yeah, which one?

tbh, I was frustrated with Merill too. Most of the time I'm fond of her, but I tried really hard to get her friendly up, but then I refused to help her with the mirror and she goes HERPDERP UR A SHEM.

Then she acts surprised when it all goes to shit despite everyone repeatedly telling her it's a bad idea.

I also liked Isabella until I realized she would not give back the relic and she was the reason for the almost slaughter. So when she gtfo and never came back, I was like, "good." Then Anders blows up the chantry.

WHY DO MY CHARACTERS KEEP INSTIGATING MASSACRES.

WHY AM I STILL IN KIRKWALL, by the time I was at the end of the game I would rather the mages and the templars kill each other. I was glad in the epilogue that Hawke left Kirkwall, that place was an emotional sinkhole. In that way, I guess it's better than Ferelden. I wanted to save the place but I really didn't care for it at all. Kirkwall had its personality, just one that you started to hate. Which you are probably suppose to.

That said, I do think I like DA:2 better, if nothing else for the gameplay. That and quests aren't as long as they where in DA, where some of the places really tested my patience.

 

[Sheva Alomar]

Just gonna go ahead and say that it's hilarious to just see (SPOILER) as a post several times over.

 

[Zee]

Spoiler

Yeah, which one?

It's when the keeper dies and Merill is all D: and Anders is like YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED INSTEAD

like what the fuck, can this not wait

Isabela will come back if you have her 50% friendship (or rivalry iirc) but yeah, it's still like "The fuck was that all about?" Needed more dialogue options for telling people off.

WHY DO MY CHARACTERS KEEP INSTIGATING MASSACRES.

THIS.

Hawke just eats shit this entire game. I wish there was a third option at the end to just let these assholes tear each other apart.