Dragonage 2 Thread, DA2: Nut-punch edition Options

[Tiralee]

Hi kids, thought it'd be best to seperate the DA threads.

Got DA2 on the 10th (In Oz) and finished it late 13/3/11. Will replay after my thumb heals and I'm not totally gutted. I'd estimate ~85% completion, couldn't get 100% due to plot paths. Also missed 2-4 really generous rewards due to not completing some tasks earlier on in the game, silly me.

First: Excellent game. 9.5/10 easy. Most annoying: stupid high res-low res "rubberbanding" of the rendered cutscenes on the 360, ruined a lot of the quite good cinematics. 2 quest bugs found, likely due to too much happening on screen at once, nothing game-stopping.

Second: Play DA:O and Awakenings and all the DLC you can, there's a ton of little things you stumble over if you upload the choices you make during these previous happenings. These can range from humorous to downright icky. Like ME2, if you've created a crapsack world, be prepared to live it. If you went out of your way to make things good, in general, you'll be rewarded.

3: Get ready for some non-stop cock-punches of the highest order - Bioware made DA2 about betrayal, loyalty, family (!) and ideology. Relationships are...tricky, pleasing everyone is _Hard_, sex is easy but relationships have to be worked at... Rather indepth, actually:) And by god, there are some really gutwrenching moments in this bag (It was a bad night for the local thieves after the while lillies were delivered, let me tell you)

4: Gameplay. Amazingly, they've dumbed it down to make it faster, without losing too much of the RPG staples: Loot and getting your murder on.

5: Dumbed down the management so that your party inventory is limited to weapons and trinkets, armour upgrades with your npc's and some armour "inserts" you collect along the way (nice touch). Runes are like DA:A, but you find a "type" collect resources (you must have 4 raw lyrium, 2 x something else and 1 x orichalium before you can buy/order in more of the same type. Make you look around for the resources but you're not totally left helpless. Same for potions (now on time-delay, which you WILL curse) and "booster" potions (Potion of heroism, etc) which I didn't really have a need to get into.

6: Skill trees! Ok, now these rock, especially with a more choices given to pre-program your npcs (Annoyingly, only got a good "build" at the very end of the game, made things sooooooooo easy).

7: Set up your party and boost your strengths! Tie together effects, Like frozen, with a little instruction for your rogue to backstab the crap out of frozen targets and suddenly it's a cutscene where you're all standing amongst you're fallen foes. Tying together the magic effects makes for some good times.

8: Setting: although the town (and, annoyingly, a lot of the "unique areas") is a set-piece, it's always changing. You spend 6 years there and it FEELS like 6 years, you develop a sense of ownership and kinship to some groups very quickly.

9: Have fun, be a bastard, be a saint, be a saint bernard ("Who's a good doggie? Want to chase some recruits?") just go all-out and remember, shit will come back to haunt you.

10: Endgame: Fuck. Ok, wasn't expecting SO much of what I'd worked at to come back and help/hinder, at once. Was awesome. Fast, hurtful but due to good party balance (Something you really have to look out for) it was...smooth.

11: Enchantment!

12: Flemeth! Dear god, she's a scary one.

13: Some familiar faces - but more importantly, listen to gossip and what your companions say. Was rightly chuffed to find my Dalish outcast mage was the Hero of Ferealdin and because of that, the dalish had it a bit easier.

14: Merril!

15: Family. You don't get on, but you do care. Never seen it done so well before.


I've tried to keep spoilers down, let the gate open:)


-Tir.

[Voran]

I've only got some minor (but to me, kinda persistent) nitpicks.

Recycling of maps. Think that underground map looks familiar? It is, cause you've wandered it 4+ times on side quests, all in different locations. Sometimes they'll 'change it up' so a particular door in the map doesn't open, but its like taking the same chair and turning it different ways and claiming its a different chair entirely.

In some cases, especially with time-skips forward in the chronology, it becomes even more apparent. You get a particular ally, with a particular home. Said home is littered with dead bodies. Time skip ahead 3 years, same house, same dead bodies in the same locations. I get that he likes to kinda live like a rock star, which can explain why he hasn't decorated, but really, the same dead guys strewn all over the place? That's just lazy mapping.

Alot of useless backtracking in some cases. Unless I've missed a 'quick to overland map' function, after you've cleared an 'outside' map, you still need to hike back to the exit zone, instead of quick travelling from the area.

[Backgammon]

I think metacritic has it rated at 4.2 out of 10. So.. fail. That was about the rating I'd give the demo. I think you really have to want to play this to turn a blind eye to the fact it's crap. I mean, this is bioware? Very sad.

[Adarael]

Metacritic USER ratings have it at 4.5 out of 10, or thereabouts, because there are only two user reviews: 0 and 10. No, seriously, look. The vast majority are 0 or 10, with SOME sensible people in there. Critic reviews have it at 80 out of 100.

Personally? I love DA 2. I think it's awesome. I find it so far (15 hours in) neither better nor worse than Origins, in terms of gameplay, merely different. Some of the stuff I don't like is not being able to gearwhore my party and fiddle with them, and the re-used dungeons, and all that. But one of the great triumphs of the game is that the writing is good - great, in cases like Varric, Merrill, and Isabela - and that it *feels* visceral. DA:O didn't feel visceral to me; the combat hits lacked weight, despite the blood going everywhere. But in DA 2, I feel *powerful*. Like I AM as amazing as everyone says. My warrior in Origins never felt that way, because Warriors sucked until Awakening came out. The game is definitely not crap, not even close. It's not the polished wonder of Mass Effect 2 or Red Dead Redemption, but it's a good, solid game with some flaws.

[Critias]

When you say "balanced" party as a requirement for doing well in the end game...does that mean an active party that's well-rounded (one each of a Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, for different flavors of ass-kicking), or is it a more metagame "balanced" party that implies you need to have rotated through the various NPCs and added them to your group, giving everyone the chance to adventure and level up and crap?

I hope the former. I've never been a big fan of revolving-door parties, I tend to glom onto one or two party members and just run with them through the whole game, if I can.

[X-Kalibur]

When you say "balanced" party as a requirement for doing well in the end game...does that mean an active party that's well-rounded (one each of a Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, for different flavors of ass-kicking), or is it a more metagame "balanced" party that implies you need to have rotated through the various NPCs and added them to your group, giving everyone the chance to adventure and level up and crap?

I hope the former. I've never been a big fan of revolving-door parties, I tend to glom onto one or two party members and just run with them through the whole game, if I can.

It's the former. There are 3 major status effects that each class causes. Warriors Stagger, Rogues Disorient, and Mages Brittle. Each of the other 2 classes can upgrade their abilities to "use up" that effect and cause additional damage, etc. So the combat ends up being a teamplay experience, rather than your arcane mage walking into the middle of the field and swinging until the enemies are dead. In fact, just going all out on offensive abilities, while fine for normal mode, will get you school in the higher difficulties. I've heard people calling it a single player MMO, and in terms of how combat is handled, it's not to far off. You need control enemies properly to succeed without deaths.

[Critias]

Okay, cool. That I'm fine with. As long as it's a "the party needs to be balanced" in the generic sense, and not a "each individual party member needs to be played enough to hit Level X" in the particular. In any game of this sort, I tend to find certain NPCs totally awesome and fun to play with, and others just grate on my nerves and I do my best to pretend they're not a part of my team. Even in Mass Effect Two, for instance, which I overall loved including the inclusive-team-action sequences towards the end, there were a few of them I just never cared about. I'd run with them long enough to complete their side quests, then throw them back into the Normandy's basement and leave them to rot. It's not even that they're bad characters or uninteresting or weak, there are always just some that I'm not a fan of.

Knowing I can (in theory) try my normal tactic of "pick a couple you like, screw the rest" is good news. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Adarael]

Let me speak to that:

Isabela. Isabela. Isabela isabela isabela isabela, isabela ISABELA.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I am unreasonably fond of her, because her dialogue matches my sarcastic punkass Hawke *perfectly*, and she's totally kitted up to be the shank in the back to my warrior's kick to the nuts. I even have the Smartass Brigade: Hawke, Varric, Isabela, and Anders. It's like Ocean's 11 all up in Kirkwall.

[X-Kalibur]

Let me speak to that:

Isabela. Isabela. Isabela isabela isabela isabela, isabela ISABELA.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I am unreasonably fond of her, because her dialogue matches my sarcastic punkass Hawke *perfectly*, and she's totally kitted up to be the shank in the back to my warrior's kick to the nuts. I even have the Smartass Brigade: Hawke, Varric, Isabela, and Anders. It's like Ocean's 11 all up in Kirkwall.

You're missing out on the goodness that is Merril. She's amazing for dialogue. Throw Isabella and Varric with her for good laughs.

My personal favorite though... Isabella and Aveline. Especially by act 3. Dear god, the lines, they are amazing. Comedy GOLD.

[Adarael]

Hey, I didn't say I ONLY used my Ocean's 11 team. Merrill is my other main standby, especially when I'm doing anything sneaky. Because she blows my cover, and it's awesome.

HAWKE: "Oh my god, there's a fire over there! Can't you smell it?!"
GUARDS: "What, really? That could burn down the whole warehouse!"
MERRILL: "I can't hear anything. There isn't really a fire, is there?"
HAWKE: <sighs> "No, Merrill. That was a trick."
MERRILL: <brightly> "Oh! That's very clever, Hawke!"
GUARDS: "Hey!"
Guards attack.

[KarmaInferno]

Ah, Tali Merrill. Can your awkward blushing get any cuter?




-k

[Adarael]

The use of Eve Myles as the voice actress only helps, I think.

[Voran]

I confess I do wish the party size was 1 person bigger. As a mage PC, I've been running with the guard captain tank, isabella and varric. I do wish I could squeeze anders or merill in there for additional support-mage role.

I think next game I'll be able to do a little better by taking on the Tank PC role myself, and freeing up space for maybe merill.

[Tiralee]

Note: Isabella is GREAT is you've got her on your side. If you're like me, was playing the rogue and went, "No, my dagger, bugger off" she ditches you and you're down that much more fun.

Bethany was my Go-To for any healing and hurt.
Anders is...well, really more painful than I like an NPC to be.
Verrick is gold. Also, the first good AOE for a while, unless you neglect healing in Bethany or your own magecasting. (Also, he single-handedly killed the great dragon after the rest of my party went to play in the fire. Respect)
Merril is _Awesome_ - even if she's kitted out to support, she killed more than anyone with her weird-ass blood talents.
Averline was Mrs princess bitch, but I finally got along with her (damn fine character development there) and figured out how her "class" worked. Unstoppable and unkillable then.
What's his face the brooding - eh, by that stage, I was sick of his emo crap and took him down in ~ 5 seconds, tops. (Not saying when, spoilers) He could have been better, I think I'll invest some time in him this time around.

The downloadable guy, haven't touched him yet. (Stupid EA website and login crap, has been broken for me since ME2)

The Black Emporium - fun, creepy and home to "Maker's breath" potions, restat and reskill your entire part for ~1 g 65s each. (did this on the final battle, worked a charm for mass hurt/mega dps)

The reuse of some maps, god yes, that was lazy, others it was ok, and frankly after running my ass through yet another mansion, it was good to know when bad crap was going to try and eat your face. (Hint, it's once in front, 4 in the back or 3 in the front, 3 in the back)

Need more options (renegade/paragon interrupts, please!?) in conversations. Very occassionally, you'll get a "violence" option, of which 2 were awesome and one was a disappointment.
ALWAYS ask your party members their opinions = +10 respect, yo (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Don't forget to betray and sell out the little guys - garner power with the bigger fish and steal anything that could be stolen:P

-Tir

Averline gets hitched, aftermath:

Hawke: "So, you didn't say how your 3 weeks in Orlay were?"
Averline: (Smug) "No, I didn't."
Merril: "So how was it then? (Pause) (Blush) Oh! (laughs)"

[Tiralee]

A 6-man party is a wrecking crew, given my experiences with Leghumper (my hound) and Merril on Sundermount.

Still....it'd be nice.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

-Tir.

And yes, I always call my dogs names that describe their role. Like MageEater, HoleDigger, ArrghGitItOff, etc, etc.
Not one has been called "Menchi"

-T

[X-Kalibur]

Isabella makes some nice comments about Aveline getting hitched as well...

Isabela: Do you like being flipped ass over tits and hammered like a bent nail?

The other I'll have to paraphrase because I can't quite remember it. Something to the effect of asking Aveline if she was pleasing her man in all ways possible and sticking her thumb in a certain location. Later, Aveline will make a comment about it and giving in to Isabella's idea.

[Adarael]

And yes, I always call my dogs names that describe their role. Like MageEater, HoleDigger, ArrghGitItOff, etc, etc.
Not one has been called "Menchi"

-T

Mine is always "Scruffles" for some reason. Though I'm temped to name my next one Menchi, now. Just in case I need emergency rations. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Whipstitch]

Hate Merril so much. I like Varric, Aveline, and Bethany best so far.

[Tiralee]

Anyone else notice how strong the female NPC contingent was this time?
Fenris (remembered his name, finally) is a bit lackaluster, Verrick is strong, anders is my new annoying talking abomination.

The girls, however, are strongly voice-acted and well-written (Isabella is a dirty, dirty girl) with some decent character development throughout (the weakest is Bethany, sad that)

Oh, and you can reach ~ 75g first act if you loot like a mofo, don't buy anything but armour upgrades for your npcs and sell all that's useless - which is nice as you'll have 50g and ~ 2s change by the time you've done the npc upgrades and bought that tome of understanding/stat increase.

Not taken that dwarf up on his offer for patronage, it stinks to high heaven. And I gave that kid the loot that the elf contact boosted, yay, got a letter, cheapass little scruff. Also, save the girl in the dungeon, ignore the magistrate, he's a useless contact and the merchant rewards you $$$ and you get to see the little girl grow up and be a guard. Nice touch, that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

-Tir
"That's another one for me! Someone's keeping score, right?"

[Mäx]

You're missing out on the goodness that is Merril. She's amazing for dialogue. Throw Isabella and Varric with her for good laughs.

Yeap, can finally use that crew for my third play-through as a warrior.
Had to ditch Varrict for Aveline on my rogue and mage games(latter one i also ditched Merril for Vael to see how he is).

Those 3 are the comedy gold crew of this game, so many funny conversations.
So wish they would add inter party banter to mass effect games too, so good for showing what the characters are like.

The girls, however, are strongly voice-acted and well-written (Isabella is a dirty, dirty girl)

She sure is, loved the following exchange on my mage play-through where i finally managed to hook up with her(ended up living with the adorable Merril on my rogue game by accident becouse i just could click the option with the broken heart symbol after ending into bed with her)
somewhat paraphrased:
Vael:So Isebella why are you still hanging around here
Isabella:Mostly it's the sex, Hawke's a tiger between the sheets, all night long.

Had to take a few moment to think "did i just hear all of that" after that exchange.

[Whipstitch]

There is inter-party banter in the Mass Effect games, just generally not as much of it. There's even ME2 inter-party banter that makes fun of ME1's elevator banter.

[Critias]

There is inter-party banter in the Mass Effect games, just generally not as much of it. There's even ME2 inter-party banter that makes fun of ME1's elevator banter.

It's awesome that the top-listed video under "related" from there features a screenshot of Miranda and is called "Mass Effect 2: Hit It, Quit It, and Save Humanity."

[Doc Chase]

Mine is always "Scruffles" for some reason. Though I'm temped to name my next one Menchi, now. Just in case I need emergency rations. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Dogmeat now, Dogmeat forever.

[StealthSigma]

Isabella is a dirty, dirty girl

I'm guessing you didn't see her part in DA:O. I'm also guessing that you didn't get her in a foursome with the Warden, Zevran, and Leliana.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

I'm guessing you didn't see her part in DA:O. I'm also guessing that you didn't get her in a foursome with the Warden, Zevran, and Leliana.

And the dwarf (forget his name) passing out from imagining.