What did you do today in DA? [Spoilers]

Oh, I can understand you. A spirit who wear heavy armor and rotting corpse much more reliable!

I did once or twice Legacy at the end of Act1, and it`s doable, but not easy. Banter is always good, though.

I always use the Valuable Junk mod with DA2, since I consider that the game treats you completely unfair when it comes to selling stuff. The prices for an item in any store are dozens of times higher than the price you`ve got when selling them.
Valuable Junk just increases the prices you get for junk items in stores:

www.nexusmods.com/dragonage2/mods/2453/?

 I enjoyed MotA and learning about Felicia Day.  And, of course, everything you say about the DLC is on the mark as well.  The big problem, of course, is fitting it into the Hawke story:

After you arrive at Skyhold, probably the best thing to do is ask "why you are doing what you are doing?"  If you have no reason to be in the Exalted Plains or the Emerald Graves, skip those areas until one of the companions or advisors gives you a reason to go there.  For Exalted Plains, Dorian has some old buddies he wants to look up.  Solas has that spirit friend to rescue.  Viv will also give you a reason to go back there later.

Why help the Dalish?  My Dalish PCs obviously want to help a sister Dalish clan.  For any other PC, it would be part of the Inquisition's general mission of helping the people of Thedas in a world being overrun by demons thanks to the Breach and the numerous small rifts  you run into on every map.  (Also, if you win the favor of the Dalish, you will get access to a shop that  sells gear and Tier 2 schematics you can't get at the shop in Val Royeaux.)   Yes, the Golden Halla quest is excruciatingly lame.  On one of my early PTs, I had both Solas and Sera on my team which I thought would help with the Dalish.  Instead, they "accidently" killed the Golden Halla!  (In DAI, they really doubled down on the "Dalish elves = American Indians" meme!)

As to what else is happening in the Exalted Plains, it was a main battleground in the Orlesian Civil War between the forces loyal to Empress Celene (who you learned will be assassinated in the dismal future you saw in the "In Hushed Whispers" mission) and the forces of the "Usurper" Grand Duke Gaspard, who wants the throne.  These forces stopped fighting each other as a result of cease fire to await what happens during negotiations between Celene and Gaspard during negotiations at the Winter Palace.  Then, suddenly, these two armies come under siege from demons and undead.  Your PC can choose to defeat the demons and unravel the mystery of who's behind it - or your PC can leave the Civil War combatants to fend for themselves.  (They're soldiers after all!  They should be able to handle it!)  There's a Cullen-related subplot that will provide a rationale for fighting not just here, but also in the Emerald Graves and the Empris de Leon.  If you talk to Cullen alot, it will all make sense.

OR

If you want to do a shorter PT, skip the Exalted Plains, Emerald Graves, and Empris de Leon go straight to Crestwood and that will allow you to stick strictly with the main story.

I'm enjoying this anti-mage Dwarf more than I thought I would I'm using Vivienne for pretty much the first time and I won't stop until I get to punch Solas. But we're not there yet. Went to see the mages in Redcliffe, found out they pledged themselves to a Tevinter magister who's using magic to control time. And he's set up a cult. Of mages. Yeah, no thanks. Off to get the Templars!

Sorry, I have no idea, on PC the controls are very similar to every other game :)

I am finally starting to finish things. See, it does not bother me that a story is barely there in the Exalted Plains. If a thread is interesting enough, I will follow it... to the end. It's that nothing seem to end in Exalted Plains. Not the Dalish favor that requires you to go to the Emerald Graves, not the whole body pits adventure... It also makes me blow my gasket when I cannot figure out my path through the map. I can't take being turned around and not being able to find a way to where I want to be.

I finished the small dungeon in Dirthmen, and it was an excellent contained dungeon crawl - that's the sort of thing I am used to in video-games, and I like that. Very pretty place, and just right for me for mob saturation and length for a quest. That came with body parts, not full dead bodies.

Then I finished the Village part of the Crestwall, draining the Lake, more dead bodies to burn (seriously, Bio?), and doing a subplot with the Mayor. So sad... I expected him to be brought to Skyhold, but not yet. Solas still not talking to Sin, I assume he did not like anything that has happened so far. From the other characters, I never bothered to talk to Vivienne and Sera, I should next time we visit. Josephine has quite a bit of short, fun chats. She is really the most developed/likable to me of all advisers. I still don't dig Cullen. Oh, yes, I tried to talk to Cole, and gods only knows what the heck he is talking about. Grats on creating the most alien character ever, Bio!

Finally, with everyone levelling to level 12, I had major gearing overhaul, and even crafted an armor set for Sin. Now, we are the most idiotically looking band of adventurers in Thedas, but at least they are color coordinated. Dorian acquired a blonde wig. Good thing he wears a ring that makes him go into stealth all the time.

For a while having a Necromancer in the party was very weird, I got confused with Dorian's manipulation of the dead enemies ghosts. I am now taking it in stride. Hopefully, so does Sin. He is looking very dapper whenever he extends that lightsaber. Just needs a color crystal. But yea, those two make for a lot of fireworks, glows, mists and weird sound effects. On the battlefield (I feel I need to make this clear).

I am afraid to say I am looking forward to meeting Stroud tomorrow, because, well, with Inquisition you never know when a mighty mountain ridge bars your way and send all your hopes and plans down the drain.

Figure 1. We may look idiotic, but we sport the same azure! Also: finally, Dorian is out of his man-fishnet, but alas, alas for Sin.



Figure 2. Rising the proud banner of Inquisition. Sera does not know what to do with her hands on such a monumental occasion, so she just... removed them? And, unlike the Deep Roads, the lightening is very unfavorable.

That game was made in a basement, I am told. Well, okay, by the time Aerie gave birth, it was not in the basement any longer, but still.

No, it does not lose favor with the Dalish. It opens up after you investigate Elven Runes in the Plains, then go to the Wartable and complete an operation, that opens up a separate dungeon in a separate map location. Which wins you favor with the Dalish. Also, you can loot the graves AFTER the runes quest and bring the assembled key to Harwan, and it wins 1 point of affection from him for not breaking into the temple itself.

EDIT: I can turn of the Helmet, but then I will lose my face-paint. I like the face-paint.

"I'm a Seeker blah blah"

Varric: "oh? And what are you seeking?"

Oh. Oh. I see what you did there.

How did I miss that snark the other million times??!

For this PT that I started two days ago with an elven rogue named Revas (the elven word for freedom and the name of a griffon in )Last Flight), I intend to stick with Tier 1 schematics at least until after In Hushed Whispers or whatever decent equipment I find on occasion. The only exception being the Dalish scout armor for my rogue - who should be wearing Dalish gear. This time she'll romance Blackwall so I can get that one behind me.

So far, have spent most of the time carrying out missions in Redcliffe. Secured the Crossroads and did the missions to feed and clothe the refugees. Focused on getting agents and recruited all companions except Cole and Dorian. Then Revas' team defeated the Templars with relative ease. Then went west to get Dennet's horses and did the required quests to do that and recruit Dennet. One nice thing about having a rogue PC was the stealth capability during rift fights. It makes it relatively easy to disrupt the rifts so your comrades could overpower the demons.

I was having a record run (team never got wiped out) until Revas and company tried to rescue Druffy. When they got to the river, the demons at the rift were all level 12 and made short work of the Inquisition. Will have to come back later for that one...

Revas is now preparing to fight the rebel mages....again. An early effort got creamed but was able to limp away before being totally wiped. Revas went to the Forbidden Oasis to mine some Paragon's Luster in order to get the most out of those Tier 1 schematics and otherwise optimize the team's equipment. Also had to respec Vivienne they found out during the first try that the lead apostate had both cold and fire resistance.

The lightest moment, so far, was when Vivienne said - while in the Hinterlands - "This country smells like wet dog! How charming!" (Apparently she was friends with Marjolane back in the day! )

*seriously cracking up*

Some sort of mod clash! My male Hawke is barely wearing pants and nothing else, not even shoes!

Will have to canon that Arkady Hawke was sleeping in when Carver came running in telling us to flee and all he grabbed was his sword!

Lil Bro died *sad face* All that's left is Future Warden Bethany.

Nothing like meeting the Witch of the Wilds in your skivvies. Umm... Just me, or does Male Hawke look like he's checking Flemeth out? She does look better in DA2 than she does in DAI.

MAn, that Blight sickness really hits Wesley hard... It's always so sudden. The first time I'd ever played DA2, it reminded me so much of Lee, Kenny, and Duck from TWD and I was like... I can't let a wife kill her own husband. So i did it. But then Aveline was angry about it. Now it's almost more bittersweet for Aveline to do it, so that's my preference. But this Hawke is more okay with death dealing, so he performed the rite.

Arrived in Kirkwall with nothing but a helmet and an amulet to go along with my long johns.   I look very refugee indeed.

*breaths deep of the imagined salty air and desperation*

I'm home!