EPTDragon Age - Page 17
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Matoo-
Canada1397 Posts
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On_Slaught
United States12190 Posts
Either way, fun game. Glad I bought it. | ||
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Haemonculus
United States6980 Posts
Trap making and poison making and grenades and such are like necessities now lol. Makes the game very fun if not a lot slower, o.o; And I'm a human this time, so hopefully I can actually freaking marry Alistair this time around, ^.^ | ||
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orgolove
Vatican City State1650 Posts
My favorite was the dwarf commoner beginning. You truly started from the lowest of the low, "casteless" in a casteless society. Only in the dwarf commoner beginning do you face off against the best fighters of the realm, in a literal stadium in front of the entire Dwarven kingdom. It is of my opinion that only in the dwarf commoner origin that you truly prove your worth as a Grey Warden. Plus, the scene where you take off your helmet, and the screen closes up no the helmet, followed by a gradual panning out was so, so dramatic. It enraptured me immediately, and that was just within the first 20 minutes of the game. Man, that you could say "I am casteless and yet I have defeated the best of you!" in front of all those arrogant pricks was sooo satisfying. And only in this origin does Duncan really heartfelt support, with his pivotal comments: "I beg of you, stop the guards! Didn't this man/woman defeat the best you could offer?" "this casteless man/woman has no place here" "except, as your champion." And then he walks away. Ohhhhhh that was so orgasmic. Truly, the dwarf commoner origin was such a masterpiece. It really set the tone for how great the game would unfold. Man, if only the other origin stories were even half as good. | ||
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jpopidol
108 Posts
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TheYango
United States47024 Posts
On November 19 2009 05:34 Haemonculus wrote: Game is fucking HARD AS FROZEN BALLS as a rogue on nightmare mode. Fixed. Nightmare is fine as a mage. Once you have the basics of what's good and not, it's pretty straightforward, so long as you take care to micro everything. It's being a rogue that makes it stupid hard, because rogues have no combat power compared to mages and warriors. Unless you truly hate yourself, I'd strongly recommend getting the dexterity fix for dagger damage. Otherwise, have fun doing 1-2 damage per hit against the Archdemon. On November 19 2009 05:34 orgolove wrote: What were you guys' favorite origin story? Dwarf Commoner and Dwarf Noble were the two best origins, IIRC. They were well written and actually have some solid C&C. On November 19 2009 06:10 jpopidol wrote: Does anyone else have a load time problem for the PC version? If so, was the problem fixed with the latest patch? I'm currently away from my gaming system and can't check it out for myself :/ The game has memory leak issues, so if you play in long sessions, load times will get lengthier as you go. IIRC there's no fix yet. | ||
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Haemonculus
United States6980 Posts
I'm *trying* to be an archer, but I'm not sure if it's possible! I miss wayyyy too much. But then stunning them and stabbing them in the face from behind once they get close to me is lotsa fun, ^.^; | ||
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TheYango
United States47024 Posts
On November 19 2009 07:27 Haemonculus wrote: Oh? What is the dexterity fix? I'm *trying* to be an archer, but I'm not sure if it's possible! I miss wayyyy too much. But then stunning them and stabbing them in the face from behind once they get close to me is lotsa fun, ^.^; http://dragonage.gulbsoft.org/doku.php/hotfix/dexterity_hotfix_101 Daggers are supposed to get 0.5 damage per point of Strength and Dexterity, instead of 1 per point of Strength like other weapons. They didn't do that. Shortbows are supposed to get 1 damage per point of Dexterity instead of 0.5 per point of Strength and Dexterity. Again, they didn't do that. There are also some general buffs to bows/crossbows that balance them in relation to staves (which pre-fix were arguably the better ranged weapons--never miss, elemental damage, max armor penetration, and better stats for the user). Bows and crossbows after the fix have improved range, accuracy, armor penetration, base damage, and crit chance. So yeah, being an archer will most definitely be more manageable with the fix. | ||
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GGTeMpLaR
United States7226 Posts
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Shattered
United States267 Posts
 i cannot wait but until then it sounds sick | ||
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Haemonculus
United States6980 Posts
On November 19 2009 07:33 TheYango wrote: http://dragonage.gulbsoft.org/doku.php/hotfix/dexterity_hotfix_101 Daggers are supposed to get 0.5 damage per point of Strength and Dexterity, instead of 1 per point of Strength like other weapons. They didn't do that. Shortbows are supposed to get 1 damage per point of Dexterity instead of 0.5 per point of Strength and Dexterity. Again, they didn't do that. There are also some general buffs to bows/crossbows that balance them in relation to staves (which pre-fix were arguably the better ranged weapons--never miss, elemental damage, max armor penetration, and better stats for the user). Bows and crossbows after the fix have improved range, accuracy, armor penetration, base damage, and crit chance. So yeah, being an archer will most definitely be more manageable with the fix. Ack, my core folder does not have an "override" folder. Should I make one...? o.O; I'm kinda scared of breaking my game, lol | ||
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TheYango
United States47024 Posts
On November 19 2009 11:48 Haemonculus wrote: Ack, my core folder does not have an "override" folder. Should I make one...? o.O; I'm kinda scared of breaking my game, lol Yeah, you make a new one. You can't really break your game, seeing as deleting the override folder reverts the game back to its original state. | ||
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Amnesia
United States3818 Posts
Is there any solid tutorial on how I can build a strong Mage? How about for Warrior and Rogue? I would like to try out the other two classes as well. | ||
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TheYango
United States47024 Posts
On November 19 2009 11:57 Amnesia wrote: Is there any solid tutorial on how I can build a strong Mage? How about for Warrior and Rogue? I would like to try out the other two classes as well. Not that I know of. I could put together something if you'd like. I'm probably heavily biased by my playstyle, but I think I can be general enough about it. At least I could give some ratings on spells and stuff. | ||
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Amnesia
United States3818 Posts
Not just for mage, but can anyone tell me how I can put my skill points for better use in general? I seem to not really understand it that well. | ||
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TheYango
United States47024 Posts
On November 19 2009 12:02 Amnesia wrote: Yeah please do. I am not really that good at RPG's. I picked Human Mage (Male if that matters) and I need to light up the beacon. But I'm getting raped. It's still at an early stage of the game, so that can't be good right? I just think I'm not an RPG type of player as I seem to always struggle with the type of spells/abilities as well as skill points I should invest on my character. I think I already screwed up my Mage too! >_< KK well here goes. My shoddy attempt at a mage guide: Race: + Show Spoiler + Obviously only 2 choices. The stats for elf are unquestionably better, but the real issue is if racial enmity towards elves is strong enough to make playing a human an easier time. IMO not a big difference. Attributes: + Show Spoiler + Strength - dump stat. You don't need armor/weapons unless you're an Arcane Warrior, in which case Magic supersedes this. Dexterity - dump stat. Enough mage equipment gives +Defense that you don't need Dexterity for more. Willpower - One of the tougher stats to deal with. A dump stat if you plan on being a Blood Mage (since having HP is more versatile), worth some points for anyone else. Magic - Your most important stat without question. Any mage should hit 30-34 as soon as is reasonable (to maximize your spell access). If you have the Blood Dragon Plate and are planning to play an Arcane Warrior, you should strive to hit 38 Strength so you can wear it right away. Any Arcane Warrior should hope to hit 42 before they finish Orzammar/the Urn of Sacred Ashes (since those open access to the only Massive Armors worth the Fatigue, Blood Dragon Plate aside). Because of the Spellpower boost (which translates into better mana regeneration from the Rejuvenation spell) and potion effectiveness payoffs for points in Magic, it's arguable that points in Magic are a better investment in the longevity of your mana pool than Willpower. While it may not be viable on higher difficulties given the length of some of the hard fights in the game, a Magic/Constitution only build is certainly viable on Easy and Normal (and on any difficulty for Blood Mages). Cunning - The only relevant skill for a mage is Coercion. You might consider pumping it to 16, but you can get 5 points of permanent Cunning increase in the Mage Circle. Put 1 point if you want to get the 2nd rank of Coercion before then and absolutely don't want to miss some of the early Persuade/Intimidate checks. Otherwise, don't increase this (human's start with 12, so you should never increase it as a Human--you'll have finished the Mage Circle before you need 3rd rank Coercion). Constitution - For non Blood Mages: just enough to not die to criticals or heavy nuking from enemies. For Blood Mages: every point you don't put in Magic. Skills: + Show Spoiler + These apply generally to Warrior and Rogue as well. The only real difference is that Rogues and Warriors should get 1 rank in Poison-making, and obviously need to max combat training. Coercion - One of the few skills you can't get someone else to do. I usually max this one, because it's basically the only skill that restricts quests/roleplaying options, and it's best to have those open. Stealing/Herbalism - Get someone else to do it. Neither is immediately urgent (steal out of combat, and make potions in advance), so you never need to have your main character learn these. Poison-Making - One rank if you're an Arcane Warrior, so you can apply poisons to your weapons. Otherwise, get someone else to do it. Survival/Trapmaking - One rank. One rank in Survival goes surprisingly far, because most enemies are lower than your level. The ones that aren't are generally boss encounters anyway (which, if triggered with a cutscene, you can't really prepare for anyway). Trapmaking lets you use traps, which you can get someone else to make. Combat Training - One rank if you're an Arcane Warrior, any extra points if you aren't. Since spell interruption is generally damage-based, wearing Massive Armor generally mitigates the chances of spell interruption, so one rank is enough. Combat Tactics - Any spare. More tactics slots is always good. Specializations: + Show Spoiler + In the order I rate them: Blood Mage - the best Specialization. I always make Morrigan and Wynne take these as their second specialization at level 14. It offers unparalleled versatility due to the ability to cast off of health (meaning that you can dump Willpower). Arcane Warrior/Spirit Healer - This one's close. Arcane Warrior is ostensibly better, but there aren't enough good armors to go around if you have more than 1, and having an Arcane Warrior wear subpar armor isn't worth it. Spirit Healer is definitely worth having one of--in-combat revival and making Injury Kits useless are good powers to have, but Wynne starts as one. If you don't like Blood Mage for roleplaying purposes, Spirit Healer is a suitable replacement. Shapeshifter - Would be on par with the above two if shapeshifting didn't have such a long cast time/weren't interruptible. As is, doing nothing for the cast time, and still having the risk of getting interrupted is not worth the gain from the shifted forms. Spells: (will take some time) + Show Spoiler + I rank these from 0 to 10. As a rough idea: 0 - no build ever should get this line 5 - this line is good in the right build, but mediocre outside of it 10 - this line should be taken by every mage, regardless of build Also, relevant spell-combos I reference: Paralysis Explosion - Glyph of Paralysis + Glyph of Repulsion = poor man's Mass Paralysis Storm of the Century - Tempest + Spellmighted Blizzard or Blizzard + Spellmighted Tempest = huge ice storm that can do 70-80 damage per tick. Mage line - 2/10. You start with the best spell in the line. Arcane Shield is not worth the upkeep. Staff damage generally isn't relevant enough for you to care. Passive spellpower is nice, but not worth wasting 3 levels of spells to get. Primal Spells: + Show Spoiler + Fire line - 4/10. Flame Blast does good damage against enemies weak to fire, but is mediocre against anything else. The only real spell of note of this line is Fireball. Once you get into the habit, you'll open a lot of combats with Fireball. It's fast-casting, has decent range, does solid damage, and has a reliable interruption effect. Inferno is less impressive than Tempest or Blizzard, so I'd get this line up to Fireball if you want it at all. Earth line - 6/10. Rock Armor won't get used much, but Stonefist is great for interrupting/shattering frozen targets, Earthquake's knockdown-over-time makes it a good setup spell for Blizzard/Tempest, and Petrify is a reliable single-target disable. Wynne starts with Rock Armor and Stonefist, so it's not usually worth it getting this line on someone else, but it gets a lot of use out of her. Ice line - 9/10. Definitely the best primal line. Winter's Grasp is spammable damage, Cone of Cold is a strong candidate for best spell in the game, and and Blizzard contributes to the godly spell combo Storm of the Century. Morrigan starts with Frost Weapons, so I gave her Cone of Cold, and I had my main character get this line all the way up to Blizzard. Lightning line - 6/10. Damage, but not much else. Morrigan starts with Lightning, so I had her max this line. Chain Lightning is a bit underwhelming, but you definitely want Tempest because Storm of the Century owns so hard. Creation Spells: + Show Spoiler + Heal line - 8/10. Rejuvenation rocks. Morrigan + Hero + Wynne cross-rejuvenating one another gives you ridiculously deep mana. I got heal + rejuvenate on all 3 mages, but that's because heal gets a lot more mileage from Blood Mages than from anyone else (and all 3 of my mages were Blood Mages). Only Wynne needs Mass Rejuvenation because you shouldn't need it that often, and Regenerate is less amazing than the other spells in the line. Heroic line - 5/10. Better in warrior-centric parties, but warrior-centric parties are poorer overall than mage-centric ones. I let Wynne max this because Haste greatly reduces the tedium of going back and forth around the world and she starts with Heroic Offense-Heroic Defense. Tip: because of the short duration of this line of spells, let the tactics handle autocasting it (Heroic Offense on warriors, Heroic Defense on allies being attacked in melee, and Heroic Aura on allies being attacked at range). It will save you a lot of trouble. Glyph line - 8/10. Not a lot of power, but makes up for it in versatility. The four spells in this line cover crowd control, interruption, defensive buffing, and antimagic together. Not the best at what they do (aiming paralysis explosions without triggering one glyph or another accidentally is annoying), but you get a lot of mileage out of them. Summon line - 3/10. This line is probably better than what I've rated it, but from my experience, it just feels like a hodgepodge of spells that don't do enough that's useful. Spell Wisp is like a Spell Might that doesn't link into spell combos. Grease has gotten resisted for me more often than I like. Spellbloom is superfluous with Rejuvenation/Mass Rejuvenation, and Stinging Swarm just doesn't do enough in the duration of a combat. Someone will probably tell me that this is like the Glyph line, trading power for versatility, but I feel like it gives up too much power for not enough versatility. Spirit Spells: + Show Spoiler + Dispelling line - 5/10. Limited use, but incredibly useful in the times its used. You'll need a Dispel Magic on hand once Genlock Emissaries and Hurlock Emissaries start casting Crushing Prisons, so either have 2 casters learn Dispel Magic, or have one caster learn Anti-Magic Ward, and always cast it on himself in relevant combats. Interesting fact: a certain ending to the Dalish Elves quest line can be beaten by casting a single Anti-Magic Burst, and then sitting back and laughing. Mana line - 8/10. This line would be a 5/10 were it not for the last spell in the line. Mana Clash is that good. Think of Feedback in Starcraft. Now imagine it as an Area of Effect spell. Now think that with higher spellpower, the ratio of damage dealt:mana burnt can be made greater than 1. A single cast generally kills regular spellcasters outright, leaves yellow-name spellcasters with 1 hp, and generally takes about half the health off a boss spellcaster. Death line - 4/10. Disclaimer: I have not had a lot of experience with this line. From my brief experimentation, my thoughts were that Walking Bomb and Virulent Walking Bomb were good, but just damage and nothing interesting, Death Syphon was not good enough in combat, and Animate Dead was more of a hassle to micro than it was worth. Telekinetic line - 9/10. This line is so close to being 10/10 that I can think of a number of small changes that would make this an easy 10/10. Mind Blast is a lifesaver, and a perfect setup spell for Cone of Cold. Force Field beats any other single spell in the game for versatility. Telekinetic Weapons, the worst spell in the line, makes Warrior-heavy parties rape armored foes. Crushing Prison is basically auto-win vs. mages and yellow-names. I got this on both my main character and Morrigan, and its arguable that getting Force Field on Wynne is a worthwhile investment. Entropy Spells: + Show Spoiler + Paralysis line - 7/10. Weakness is solid, but gets resisted a LOT at higher levels. Paralysis is amazing, but the cooldown is too long to make it spammable. Miasma has been hit-or-miss for me, but it's another sustained spell for Arcane Warriors to use. Mass Paralysis is an "I Win" button if you can get it off, but I think on Nightmare, the AI is smart enough to prevent you from doing that unless you've solidly invested in Combat Training. Hex line - 7/10. The first two hexes are great setup spells for your other damaging spells. Misdirection Hex is the real gem here. It effectively nullifies any non-caster enemy that you cast it on, since they can't hit anything unless they make a critical hit. Death Hex is neat, but not amazing enough to be necessary. Sleep line - 6/10. The spells here are potentially powerful, but take a lot of micro to make effective. Ideally, you want to to set up Sleep-Horror and Sleep-Waking Nightmare combos, but you have to manage your other characters so they don't attack your sleeping enemies. Can be a lot more trouble than it's worth sometimes, especially when you're playing with other AoE spells like Cone of Cold, that are less restrictive. Drain line - 3/10. Without Vulnerability Hex, Drain Life simply doesn't do enough. You never want Death Magic to be relevant (e.g. you should keep aggro off your mages enough that they don't need to keep up a sustained spell for healing), and you should have enough anti-caster power from Spirit spells that Curse of Mortality should never be relevant. Death Cloud is the only real saving grace here, but it's no Mana Clash or even Fireball--it's decent, but not good enough to save an already mediocre spell line. While your build may vary based on your playstyle, I did the following: 1-3: Telekinetic line 4: Winter's Grasp 5-6: Heal, Rejuvenation 7: Blood Magic 8-10: Mana line (you should reasonably be able to afford a book for an extra spell here) 11-12: Frost Weapons, Cone of Cold 13: Spell Shield, Dispel Magic (again, you can probably afford a book here if you haven't needed to splurge too much on potions) 14: Combat Magic 15: Blizzard 16-18: Rest of Blood Mage specialization From there on out, I just took whatever looked good. Any comments, particularly on spell ratings, are welcome. | ||
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Shauni
4077 Posts
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ShadowDrgn
United States2497 Posts
On November 19 2009 12:02 Amnesia wrote: It's still at an early stage of the game, so that can't be good right? The game actually starts out pretty hard and gets progressively easier. Lighting that beacon might be the most difficult storyline quest in the game in terms of the difficulty of each encounter involved. | ||
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TheYango
United States47024 Posts
On November 19 2009 12:24 Shauni wrote: is there somewhere you can buy massive amounts of lyrium dust? Mage's Circle. The quartermaster there stocks 99 units, IIRC. | ||
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andrewlt
United States7702 Posts
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