Dragon Age

Dragon Age 4's Creative Director, Mike Laidlaw, leaves Bioware after 14 years.

I wish him luck on his new adventures.

This bodes ill.

I guess it was bound to happen eventually, but.... crap. How much of the original Dragon Age creative team is left at Bio Ware, I wonder?

I have played DA 2 three times, four times if we count near to completion runs. I have never failed to keep my entire crew with me at the end.

What happens if your Friendship/Rivalry isn't high enough? I know the infamous scene with Fenris but the others I am clueless about.

I think Isabella never comes back after she leaves you if your Friendship/Rivalry is low

Also, if I'm not mistaken, I think most party members will oppose depending on your choice between Templars and Mages.

Merrill and Fenris can turn on you in the Templar and Mage endings respectively if your Friendship/ Rivalry isn't high enough. And Sebastian and Anders become Mutually Exclusive Party Members at the end.

edited 11th Nov '17 9:53:00 PM by TommyFresh

On my first file I didn't have enough friendship with Fenris because I was pro-mage then and wanted his friendship maxed instead of rivalry, but failed to do it. He ditched me for the templars at the end but since I didn't like him I didn't care. There was a dialogue option when fighting templars where I thought I was taunting him before I'd get to kill him but apparently I made him realize he was being a dick or something and he just left instead.

I assume it's the same for Merrill except in reverse.

I don't know about Merrill, but if he didn't stay with you due to Friendship/Rivalry, you can point out to Fenris if you're Pro-Mage that he's tacitly condoning slavery by siding with the Templars. Then he's just like, "Oh, shit, you're right," and asks Meredith for a timeout so he can change sides. It's hilarious.

edited 12th Nov '17 9:12:26 AM by TobiasDrake

It's the most hilarious moment in an otherwise serious scene. The way he's almost sheepish when he tells Meredith that he's changed his mind is just great.

Yeah, I thought that scene was hilarious. It came right the fuck out of nowhere. I can't tell if it was supposed to be intentionally funny or Unintentional

Definitely one of DA 2's better moments.

Right up there with that quest. You know the one. Sex in the City: Kirkwall Edition.

Fenris is a dick; everything pisses him off.

And Meredith does not even give a tiny piece of shit. Like she barely acknowledges he was present the entire time.

I would say it's her loss because Fenris is way better than her mooks but I remember DA 2 being weird about this kinda thing. Like, when my Hawke was off on their own in some random trash mob battle and they were out of Mana/Stamina, I could hack all day on a mook with the tiniest healthbar and it would still take forever to beat them.

I dunno if it's really feasible to solo any part of the game outside of the Arishok duel. You really need combo attacks. (not the actual combos themselves, just the team working in a group. I remember very specifically during the Orsino boss fight I watched his health just plummet in no time after I applie buffs and debuffs but as soon as they wore off and before I could reapply them the damage output just drops dramatically. So I guess you really need teamwork to make a dent in anything)

I've heard of archer solo runs for ][, but that's it.

I've done a Shadow/Assassin Hard run solo before. It's really not all that difficult, especially with a Rogue, which is a master at kiting and crowd control. 2HW is also another popular class to do solo Nightmare runs with. Mages aren't as overpowered as Origins, so they're more difficult to pull off.

God knows I'm not anything resembling good at this game but how the hell does a 2HW Warrior Solo this game? I brought up Fenris for a reason. He's supposed to be a powrhouse but his big swings do no damage at all to even worthless mooks unless he's constantly using skills.

There's also the total lack of real defense. Is it really that different from Origins? Last Dragon Age run I've done was a 2-handed Warrior in Origin and you are made of paper. I learned right away charging in thinking you're hot, powerful shit was a dumb idea because you will get swarmed and destroyed.

Solo 2 handed warrior against some bosses.

Like the video shows, it involves a lot of hit-and-run. Of course a 2-hander isn't going to have a lot in terms of defense; armor's nice, but they're no substitute for shields. Of course you're not going to be able to survive charging in like some kind of bulldozer into the middle of a group of enemies. That's what shield warriors are for. That's like complaining how dual-wielding rogues can't shoot their foes from a distance. It's an entirely different skillset.

I wasn't complaining, I was inquiring how it could work. I did eventually figure out how to work my 2h warrior in Origins, I just couldn't imagine doing that without some people to keep me safe.

Which is my issue with how swords and armour are handled by RP Gs - I get how weird and complex number rolls can be, but swinging a four foot long bit of steel into someone should do more than just stagger them.

It'd love a dragon age done a la Dynasty warriors, with your epic warrior finally able to take on scores of mooks with good skill rather than just a +2 sword of hittingness. One of the reasons I actually like Inquisition's melee system - it came close, with combos and chained moves.

The whole trailer for DA 2 of fighting the Arishok as a polearm mage was amazing. I want more of THAT.

Don't recall thid being posted last year but in a bid to revive discussion I was playing around on the phone while waiting for everyone to wake for Christmas and thought it would be a opportune time to share this.

The cosplayer's name is Natali Naboyschikova and she has done a lot of works and I can just see even Inquisition Leliana doing this.

New Dragon Age novel coming in 2018. Hard in Hightown by Varric Tethras. Or to be more precise, Varric's writer Mary Kirby.

That's some good cosplay.

edited 24th Dec '17 3:17:18 PM by lrrose

So...Varric then. I'd read it for sure, as his writer would get into the skin of the character she wrote better than anyone.

Can we petition for, All This Shit Is Weird?