What did you do today in DA? [Spoilers]

Exploring the Deep Roads, taking my time about it to. Its my favorite part of Inquisition.



The engineer who designed this accident waiting to happen is going to be hung from their balls. Inky doesn't like to take the deep plunge when she isn't paying attention.

I agree, and that is why I say that Anders is anochronistic to the setting in both his thinking and his means. We have a far too idealized setting for an actual class emergence as is more realistic; da world is not really anchored in realism.

Anders is a part of a small sublayer somewhat similar to intelligentsia, and he acts on its behalf, or perhaps perceives the oppression as a wider phenomenon. He also does embody the disillusionment with changing the public opinion and bloodless revolutions that was tipical of the second half of the nineteenth century. No matter how benign Anders is himself, the chantry is not going to be moved to another approach to the mages.

Anyway, it's interesting stuff.

And, I am sort of playing around with my Mage protagonist, Blaze, basically doing every quest I can with Aveline, Carver and Merrill, before initiating a dialogue with Varrick that will lead to recruiting Anders and Fenris/Leto. I use mostly the red options trying to create an air of a selfish, capricious girl. So far, I have a rivalry almost finished with Carver, and Aveline has disapproved of her a couple of times. Hoping to get to the point of meeting the angst cocktail tonight. Heh, the game is a touch painful on the crappy laptop, but so far so good.

It's the first time that it happened. It may have been Origins. I think I know why, I'll have to reinstall it or repair it.


Not certain if it's hints, it could be tactical. I'll find out. 

There are also codex entries about some songs around a dowager in Orlais

Speaking of missing things after having just finished Trespasser, I only today found out (thanks, my trusty Internet) about a hidden area in the Qunari Deep Roads mines that introduces a very interesting codex entry. Honestly, that thing is nigh impossible to find without knowing about it beforehand.

On my second playthrough, I find that I correct myself based on my first game's experiences, and do more metagaming.

So, first of all I have finished all of the recruitment missions, and some of the smaller sidequests as I have run across, like the Shadow Thieves assignments (not sure what they are called, actually, but one of the two factions that smuggled you into the city).

I try to play with Carver almost non-stop, because I know I won't have a chance later.

I also purposely pick different quest solutions than the first time around, and the Magistrates son one really felt uncomfortable to me to let him go.

I did recruit Isabela this time. Functionally, she is a very good character, but I do find her, and the other companions' reactions to her irritating. But the team composition of Carver, Fenris and her was pretty neat. I also keep being frustrated because as a Mage my outfits are not great, while she wears that crazy stuff... overall, I did like the rogue pc better, but I don't mind building a powerful Mage.

I have seen a nice variety of new banters, my favorite ones being between Carver and Merrill. So, I am going to rotate through the rest of the companions to see their content with Isabela and Carver before heading into the Deep Roads.

Not sure yet if I stay with the game for the entire playthrough. My first run was more exciting.

I finally finished my DAO playthrough. I was hoping to have it completed earlier, but I completed 2 ME trilogy playthroughs and a ME3 new game plus playthrough in that time.

Anyways. I started Awakening a few minutes ago.

After much deliberation I have chosen to work with the Templars over the Mages. As I write my party has just arrived at Therinfal Redoubt. We are gathered on the stone bridge before the gate.

We have been to a number of places since I last contributed on this forum.

We found the vault of Valammar and ran through all against us there. Were the Dark Spawn among them? I think they were?? Valammar was an extraordinary place. We did not want to leave. My only regret was not having Varric along for the experience. Nevertheless we found a piece of his writing in the Vault and it was so interesting to learn a tiny bit about the caste system and the invisible trade network.

Next we buzzed off to the Forbidden Oasis. I changed the party and stacked it with Mages (if only to give some of the others a turn out in field) Solas and Vivienne wielded their staves alongside me and Cassandra was the two handed protection up front. As a three pronged team of Mages we wiped out the land. We seemed to spend a long time in such a small place and we were glad to leave after we went as far as we could with the shards we had. The shards!! No more for a while please!!

As it is, my Mage (Duds Barnham, yeah I feel bad for calling him this but it was at a time when I was a little doubtful that I would ever really get into this game this much!!) is level 11 primarily trained in Storm and Spirit.

I have grown to travel with Sera, Blackwell and Cassandra. I really like Solas but find it hard busting up my main gang to fit the others in. Varric hasn't had a look in since early game. This team has become robust and wrecks stuff quickly without taking much damage in return.

As I go I realise that my character (Duds Barnham) is the kind of Elf who really doesn't know much about the politics and the names in his world. He has been caught up in an event that has thrust him from obscurity and the personal parameters of the minutiae of his own life onto a large, large stage...And the small time-ness of his life pre explosion still goes with him as the Inquisition grows. He is a creature fast having to adapt to the call upon his post explosion life. He is discovering the vast clock work mechanics that have been in play whilst he has been living doing other things. Now he has to participate in a way that makes him very aware of the vastness of the machine and it also at times makes him feel like he really doesn't know much at all yet one quest after another and a little reading here and a conversation there and he is starting to feel not so much a complete stranger to the events nor a complete intruder to the task.

Back to the present, I don't know what to expect at Therinfal Redoubt. I feel slightly annoyed that I couldn't trust the Mages because of big head Alexius stuffing everything up. Also, I think Duds Barnham has a bit of a thing for Lelianna and it sounds like she's put in a lot of work with the noble families behind the scenes to set things up favorably with the Templars. Duds Barnham didn't want to put Lelianna out too much by going in the other direction with the Mages. I don't think he has any chance with her as I don't think blokes are her thing...but... How would I know and if old Duds wants at crack a Lelianna then I won't get in the way.

Ok, time to pick up the controller and head across this stone bridge and through these gates...

replaying

I sense Inquisition is your first DA game?  (It was the first DA game for me.)  There were two games before it:  Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2.  Be sure to read the codex entries because many of them will refer to things that occurred in the earlier games.  If you have any DA world questions to ask (as opposed to plot spoilers), feel free to ask.  Just to give you a little background, Leliana was a companion character in the first game.  She made a cameo appearance in DA2 and is an important NPC adviser in Inquisition.  Cullen has been a noteworthy NPC in all three games.  Of your playable companions, Varric was a playable companion in DA2.  Cassandra was an NPC, sort of, in DA2.  All the other characters are new.  Be sure to chat with all your companions when you're back in Haven, you learn interesting stuff.  Varric will tell you about key events in DA2, things which are still pertinent in Inquisition.  Note that the PC background chose is for a Dalish elf while Sera is a "City Elf."  Have fun!  I hope I haven't confused you...

Yeah, maybe you are right. I don't think, that I will make her grey, Trespasser is only two years after the main game and Riya is still pretty young, but since her hair isn't working in Trespasser and I don't like the original, she will definitively get new hair in Tresspasser .

I'm considering buying Jaws of Hakkon and Descent, but they are still expensive for pc - are they worth it? I know, that there is a funny scene, where you judge a bear and another one, where you meet the nug king, but apart from that, is there anything special to those dlcs? Some more companion insight or some cool storylines?