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Post by Daos on Jan 8, 2021 18:14:08 GMT -8
Regardless, enjoy the endgame! Morrigan plays a rather pivotal role in the ending, so I'm curious how that will play out with your warden.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 9, 2021 6:55:50 GMT -8
We headed to Redcliffe, prepared to fight off the entire Darkspawn horde in the battle of the Age. An epic fight, for which the fate of the world hangs in the balance...
Then it turned out it was a distraction! Whee!
So, the first thing I noticed was that the Hurlocks and Genlocks were dying in one hit to Coriander. "Awesome!" I thought. "All those Silverite Runes are paying off! The weakening aura from King Maric's Sword certainly helps!" Then I realized that they were dying in one hit to everyone. Then I realized they were basically level 1 enemies. Whoops! At the same time, I don't really mind. It does give the feeling of fighting off huge hordes of monsters without...y'know....actually fighting off huge hordes of monsters.
After the battle of Redcliffe, Alistair and I learned from Riordan that the Grey Wardens are more necessary to end a Blight than ever believed before: a Warden must be sacrificed to kill the Archdemon. Then, Morrigan offered in alternative: she has Alistair's baby. Which...would help. Because the baby is Cthulu. ...very helpful. Ultimately, I decided to talk him into it. I really hate Morrigan, but I hate her as one would hate a rude neighbor, I suppose. I dislike her, I find her unpleasant and want nothing to do with her, but I don't think she's dangerous. And I think she'll keep her word. So, Alistair made the ultimate sacrifice and had...*shudders* with Morrigan. This is going to bite me in Dragon Age II, but I happen to like living, and I like my friends living.
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Post by Daos on Jan 9, 2021 11:57:32 GMT -8
Yeah, it was kind of fun mowing down darkspawn left and right. Not very challenging, sure, but it highlights how powerful you've grown and that entire sequence would have been a difficult and boring slog if they had all been high level.
Anyway, yes, the Warden's big secret--only a Grey Warden can permanently kill an archdemon, but at the cost of their own life. This was discovered back during the First Blight. A group of Andersfolk managed to ambush and actually slay the archdemon. But then it just reformed a short time later. Whenever an archdemon dies, its soul just surfs over to the nearest available darkspawn and possesses it, reforming it into a new shape. Because Grey Wardens carry the taint, though, if one of them kills an archdemon, the soul goes into them. And since two souls cannot exist in the same body, they are both annihilated. The general public aren't aware of this. Every Warden who has slain an archdemon has died, but it was always assumed they died in the battle.
Morrigan's ritual has never been done before, but her unborn child will act as a beacon for the Old God's soul, drawing it into them instead of the Warden who slays the archdemon. Thus, the Blight will end but no sacrifice has to be made. I guess blood magic has its uses after all! (Fun fact, if you refuse Morrigan's ritual, then either you or Alistair/Loghain must die. If it's you, you have to roll up a new character if you do Awakening. This also means it is theoretically possible to kill every single person in the party except Morrigan; she always survives, no matter what, for story purposes).
Because I was a male warden in my playthrough, I performed Morrigan's ritual with her instead of Alistair. Luckily, Leliana wasn't jealous, just glad I would live.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 9, 2021 12:13:53 GMT -8
Fun fact, if you refuse Morrigan's ritual, then either you or Alistair/Loghain must die. If it's you, you have to roll up a new character if you do Awakening. This also means it is theoretically possible to kill every single person in the party except Morrigan; she always survives, no matter what, for story purposes. ...hmm, that's something to try out in the next playthrough! *coy face* Anyway, I've been charging through the final battle with the main three companions of the playthrough: Alistair, for story reasons and because he's the best tank in the party, Leiliana, the only real archer and the love interest, and Wynne, because she's been in the party since the Circle Tower. That's how good healing magic is. Nothing particularly descript, just lots of fighting. But I do think playing as the Companions not taken along was really cool. Coriander, homebody that she is, went straight to the Alienage, which gave me quite a bit of trouble. I eventually beat the General, with the help of the Dwarves and some careful strategy. Then, it was off to the Palace District (sorry, Market District, I don't care about you), which was breezed through with the assistance of Redcliffe. Riordan sacrificed himself, though not in the Blight-ending way, to keep the Archdemon from running away. Now comes Fort Drakon: the last obstacle standing between Coriander and the Archdemon. I have Mages and Elves left to assist. The first time around, I picked Mages and got creamed, but that was probably more due to tactics and luck and whatnot, rather than the choice. Unless that fireball that killed Wynne was from my allies, in which case...
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 9, 2021 14:17:57 GMT -8
After a few more tries, the outside of Fort Drakon was secure. Then, came a long, intense walk through the interior, facing hordes of Darkspawn, that dang Genlock Summoner, and...Sandal defeating a whole room full of Darkspawn. I'm starting to believe your theory that he's the most important character. Then, came the Archdemon. It was glorious. Victory was achieved on the first try, in one of the most fun battles in the whole game. Though I must attribute most of the victory to Wynne's healing. And so...the Blight ended. Just like that. Anora was crowned queen, and in exchange for Coriander's service, she was granted a boon. She wished to be made Bann of the Alienage, to protect the Elves from injustice and discrimination. Shianni even became the elder! As the epilogue said, tensions aren't completely gone, but it's a big step in the right direction. Shale decided to go to Orzamarr, to assist the Legion of the Dead in driving back the Darkspawn. Leiliana, Zevran, Wynne, Ohren, and Alistair all decided to stick around, for the time being. Morrigan naffed off somewhere with her Cthulu baby, Sten returned to his people, his honor restored along with his sword. And the dog is still a dog. The Circle Tower slowly recovered from the disaster, as did Redcliffe and the Dalish. Andraste's Ashes were lost, possibly because I let the Dragon live. Orzamarr kind of went to heck, but I really don't care that much. I'm not sure it even can get a good ending. Next on the Agenda? Awakening. I'm not actually sure whether to import or make a new Warden, so...advice welcome!
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Post by Daos on Jan 9, 2021 14:54:02 GMT -8
Anyway, I've been charging through the final battle with the main three companions of the playthrough: Alistair, for story reasons and because he's the best tank in the party, Leiliana, the only real archer and the love interest, and Wynne, because she's been in the party since the Circle Tower. That's how good healing magic is. Nothing particularly descript, just lots of fighting. But I do think playing as the Companions not taken along was really cool. This was my party, too. Alistair and I sharing tanking duties, Leliana as my archer/trap-finder/lock-picker/scout, and Wynne as my healer. Our DPS wasn't great, but our defense was through the roof. Unless that fireball that killed Wynne was from my allies, in which case... Probably was. That's the one downside to the mage army; they suck at avoiding friendly fire. Badly. ...Sandal defeating a whole room full of Darkspawn. I'm starting to believe your theory that he's the most important character. En-chant-ment! Andraste's Ashes were lost, possibly because I let the Dragon live. If you don't kill or send away Genitivi, don't make a deal with Kolgrim, and you slay the dragon, then the urn is found. Next on the Agenda? Awakening. I'm not actually sure whether to import or make a new Warden, so...advice welcome! Oh, absolutely keep your warden. Unless for some reason you are sick of her? But the reason I recommend that is because you pick up where you left off, level-wise. New talents and specializations are added, so you can level up to around 30, and you get to see a few familiar faces and view some of the fruits of your labor as the Hero of Fereldan. The only reason to make a new Warden (who has the Orlesian background by default) is because your character died, really.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 10, 2021 14:10:26 GMT -8
Well, I missed out on the opportunity to name a character from Orley Brystol, after the character in my real-life Ozymandias campaign who pretended to be the French Abassador, but I took your advice.
Coriander, Hero of Ferelden, stars in...
DRAGON AGE: AWAKENING Not the One with Chrom
Coriander and a new potential Warden, Maihri, set off to purge Howe's old land of the Darkspawn infesting it, and to convert it into a true Grey Warden outpost. Along the way, we met up with Anders, a apostate mage with more snark than Alistair, and OHGREN! How goes it, good buddy! Really, Ohren is the best companion to make a reappearance, since I recruited him so late in the base game. We also discovered a Darkspawn that could talk. ...ok.
It's worth noting that Coriander has Duncan's Sword (which deals bonus damage to Darkspawn) and the ridiculously expensive axe from Bodhan, both of which have Master Silverite Runes installed. So, she's excellent at what she does.
Queen Anora made a brief appearance, providing a bit of exposition, and also giving me an opportunity to Conscript Mr. Anders. I presumed Alistair would have appeared had he been King, and then I started wondering why he didn't come with me. So, I looked it up quickly, and it turns out he's busy killing all the Darkspawn everywhere else. Hey, I trust him completely with mop-up duty.
Anyway, since Anders is a Spirit Healer, like Wynne, I infer that's she's not going to be coming back. Leiliana sent Coriander a sweet note explaining why she's not in the game, while Shale, Sten, and Morrigan all naffed off to elsewhere. So, only Zevran and the Dog still have the opportunity to be in the game. They probably won't be, because if so, Rabbit would have come with me and there's already a Rogue Companion, but they could be.
Speaking of Rogue companions, I also got Nathaniel Howe! I suspect your interaction with him probably had a lot more meaning than Corianders. It was basically, "Ur dads a jerk" "i know hes a jerk" "ok chug some darkspawn blood"
The Joinings in this game are a bit underwhelming compared to the last one. Maihri's death was especially...meh. But Ohgren, complaining about the small serving size and then shrugging it off?No collapsing or anything? VERY impressive.
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Post by Daos on Jan 10, 2021 15:30:41 GMT -8
Coriander and a new potential Warden, Maihri, set off to purge Howe's old land of the Darkspawn infesting it, and to convert it into a true Grey Warden outpost. Along the way, we met up with Anders, a apostate mage with more snark than Alistair, and OHGREN! How goes it, good buddy! Really, Ohren is the best companion to make a reappearance, since I recruited him so late in the base game. We also discovered a Darkspawn that could talk. ...ok. Fun fact: The premise here, of recruiting all of your party members into the Wardens, was originally going to be in Origins. But they later decided to cut it. Probably because of how much it would have affected the ending. Which is why it's odd in Origins that Leliana, Oghren, Sten, etc., are all constantly splattered with darkspawn blood but never once contract the taint. I guess it's sort of like how in the Resident Evil games, no matter how many times you get bitten, you never turn. You'll notice that in this game, everyone calls you 'Warden-Commander' instead of 'Warden.' It's a big promotion. Warden-Commander is the title for the person in charge of all Grey Wardens in an entire nation. So you are basically the boss of every Grey Warden in Fereldan. Which, granted, at this point consists of just your party members. But still, not bad for a city elf, right? Anyway, Oghren, yes. I forgot, but he always survives Origins, too, like Morrigan, probably so he is alive for this expansion. He was an ideal candidate as you do recruit him quite late, like you said. He's one of your two warriors in this game. (You get two of each class; Mhari doesn't count.) Queen Anora made a brief appearance, providing a bit of exposition, and also giving me an opportunity to Conscript Mr. Anders. I presumed Alistair would have appeared had he been King, and then I started wondering why he didn't come with me. So, I looked it up quickly, and it turns out he's busy killing all the Darkspawn everywhere else. Hey, I trust him completely with mop-up duty. Your presumption is correct. If Alistair is king, or if both are ruling together, then he shows up instead. If you romanced him, the scene plays out quite differently, too. Anyway, since Anders is a Spirit Healer, like Wynne, I infer that's she's not going to be coming back. Leiliana sent Coriander a sweet note explaining why she's not in the game, while Shale, Sten, and Morrigan all naffed off to elsewhere. So, only Zevran and the Dog still have the opportunity to be in the game. They probably won't be, because if so, Rabbit would have come with me and there's already a Rogue Companion, but they could be. Yep, Anders is a spirit healer, like Wynne, but personality wise, he's quite different from her. Wynne was pro-Circle, but Anders is the first Circle Mage companion we get who is decidedly anti-Circle. (Morrigan is also anti-Circle, true, but she's an apostate. Anders is different in that he's been raised in the Circle but hates it.) He almost reminds me of Jowan in that regard. Anyway, Anders is one of the two mage companions you get. Speaking of Rogue companions, I also got Nathaniel Howe! I suspect your interaction with him probably had a lot more meaning than Corianders. It was basically, "Ur dads a jerk" "i know hes a jerk" "ok chug some darkspawn blood" Yes, my interactions with Nate were...interesting. What, with him trying to kill me and all. Ironically, we became the best of friends over time. He's an assassin like Zevran, but an archer like Leliana. He's the first of the two rogues you get. The Joinings in this game are a bit underwhelming compared to the last one. Maihri's death was especially...meh. But Ohgren, complaining about the small serving size and then shrugging it off?No collapsing or anything? VERY impressive. Mhairi's death actually honked me off at the time. See, it was a complete fake-out. You were supposed to believe she was one of your permanent companions. They even gave her her own companion trailer in the marketing for the game. So her sudden death at the joining was meant to be a big 'pull the rug out from under you' moment. Which is fine. It makes sense. Not everyone survives the Joining, and it would have been weird if every single person you recruit did. What annoyed me, though, is that Mhairi was the first and at that point, only female warrior companion we've seen. All of the warriors (Alistair, Sten, Oghren) in the first game were male. All of the mages were female. (Only the rogues were evenly split.) So making all the warriors male and the mages female felt a bit...I don't know, reductive? So when they introduced Mhairi as a female warrior, I was excited by the prospect. Plus, she was a tank, like me, and a Champion, like me. And I rather liked her personality and backstory. Plus, she was the only female companion in your party at the time (you do recruit two more later, but none of them are warriors). They do remedy this in the sequels, but boy, did I find it annoying at the time back in 2010.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 11, 2021 7:38:57 GMT -8
After recruiting Nathaniel, it was time to meet with the nobles, who swore fealty to Coriander as the Arl of Amaranthine. The two nobles who possessed farmland and the city of Amaranthine were squabbling over who should receive protection, and I decided (perhaps unwisely) to annoy both of them and protect trade. Only time will tell what horrible consequences this will have. We also ventured deep into the basement, to find it crawling with ghouls. Nasty business indeed. I agreed to get some 80 sovereigns for Mr. Dwarf Excavator, which shouldn't be too hard, since I have basically nothing I need to buy. Soldiers were sent to protect the metal veins for Werren and Wade, which should increase their strength in the long run, though I'm worried about stretching things too thin. Finally, we discovered that Nate's sister was still alive, and living in Amaranthine with her husband, a merchant. He should be easily identifiable, by virtue of actually having dialogue. In the city, we gathered the location of the rift to the Deep Roads from some annoying dudes who I refused to pay. I agreed to help track down some smugglers, fought several of his cronies, and then lost him. It says where he is on the map, but it's quite a ways away, and I think I'll just do the quests in the city as they're geographically positioned. Forgive me if that makes no sense. We made the trip to Kristoff's room and found his location and his personal belongings. It's a bit weird to me that you can give him his own stuff as a "gift," but whatever. ALSO, WE MET WYNNE!! I didn't expect her to even be here! And I love how you can just tell her "Holy cow, you're still alive!" Anyway, she gave us a little bit of world-building/foreshadowing for Exodus (I will be calling it that), specifically about the Libertarians. I found it weird that they would use such a politically-charged word for the group. I understand it has a meaning outside of politics, but it's so heavily associated with it, and used so little elsewhere (unlike the UK's Green Party), that it seems strange to see it in a game like this. But anyway, the Libertarians want to break away from the Chantry entirely. Which didn't seem that bad to me, but since Anders of all people thinks that's going to far, I guess I'll defer to their judgement. I also got a quest from her, to track down a mage that had run off into the woods. Oh, and Anders also knows where a big cache of phylacteries is! I eagerly await the option to just...destroy all of them. Which would perhaps cause more problems than it solves and put innocent people in danger...BUT. Destroying all of them!
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Post by Daos on Jan 11, 2021 13:11:12 GMT -8
The two nobles who possessed farmland and the city of Amaranthine were squabbling over who should receive protection, and I decided (perhaps unwisely) to annoy both of them and protect trade. Only time will tell what horrible consequences this will have. Oh, there are always consequences. But I think if you choose to protect trade, as you did, the merchants in your keep will have more wares. Your farmlands might not do so well, though. I think in my playthrough, I chose to try and protect them all evenly. We made the trip to Kristoff's room and found his location and his personal belongings. It's a bit weird to me that you can give him his own stuff as a "gift," but whatever. It's not without precedent, though. Sten's sword, for instance. I didn't expect her to even be here! And I love how you can just tell her "Holy cow, you're still alive!" Yep, Wynne has a couple of years left in her. Awakening takes place only six months after Origins ended, so I remember at the time, I was sure she would have passed on by now. I was quite pleased she was still kicking, at least for a little while. But anyway, the Libertarians want to break away from the Chantry entirely. Which didn't seem that bad to me, but since Anders of all people thinks that's going to far, I guess I'll defer to their judgement. I also got a quest from her, to track down a mage that had run off into the woods. It really depends on one's perspective. And Anders' view on the matter...evolves over time. But regardless, the Circle becoming independent would be a big deal. And probably something the Chantry would not take lying down. So even if you believe the Circle can be free, I can see being hesitant on risking it. Oh, and Anders also knows where a big cache of phylacteries is! I eagerly await the option to just...destroy all of them. Which would perhaps cause more problems than it solves and put innocent people in danger...BUT. Destroying all of them! Ah, yes, I do believe that is Anders companion quest, in fact.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 11, 2021 13:31:52 GMT -8
It turns out there were no Phylacteries there. Just...three Templars. Who tried to kill the woman who killed the Archdemon. It, uh...didn't end well for them.
I also accidentally accepted the quest to hunt down some Malificarum, which Anders only disliked a tiny bit. But that quest was incredibly significant, for the simple reason that I was able to defeat the boss without pressing a single button. My party was so powerful I didn't even need to actively engaged. So, I decided to fix that. I...am now on Hard.
Remember how you said there are always consequences? This is going to have consequences.
Anyway, we headed off to the woods, killing Sylvans and bandits as we went. We also encountered a Dalish(?) mage seeking revenge on merchants for her sister's death. Which...should be interesting.
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Post by Daos on Jan 11, 2021 16:52:22 GMT -8
It turns out there were no Phylacteries there. Just...three Templars. Remember how you said there are always consequences? This is going to have consequences. Boy, will it! I remember some of the boss fights in Awakening being pretty intense. Anyway, we headed off to the woods, killing Sylvans and bandits as we went. We also encountered a Dalish(?) mage seeking revenge on merchants for her sister's death. Which...should be interesting. Ah, the one with Morrigan's hairstyle?
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 12, 2021 7:33:35 GMT -8
Anyway, we headed off to the woods, killing Sylvans and bandits as we went. We also encountered a Dalish(?) mage seeking revenge on merchants for her sister's death. Which...should be interesting. Ah, the one with Morrigan's hairstyle? Yes. And like Morrigan, she's a mage of the wilds, although a Dalish Keeper rather than a witch. And like Morrigan, I find her extremely annoying. I can't even tell why, but she ticked me off enough that I was seriously considering killing her instead of recruiting her. I refused to kick Morrigan out of the party, and yet I somehow want to kill this Elf lady. It's weird. Perhaps it has to do with...I don't know. Massacreing human merchants because of a misunderstanding? In addition to that business, we also fought a bunch of Sylvans, and met Ines! Who I do like and find funny, despite her hatred of Best Companion Wynne. Also, I keep meaning to say this and forgetting, but Ohgren and Anders have the best party banter.
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Post by Daos on Jan 12, 2021 13:14:16 GMT -8
I liked Velanna. She's interesting. Much like Morrigan, not terribly pleasant until you get to know her, but I found her motivations for her behavior a lot more understandable. She's your second mage, and has a new specialization--Keeper. This gives her all sorts of nifty nature-based spells; she's probably as close to a Druid as you can get in this game. She's also voiced by the talented and very prominent voice actor, Grey DeLisle. She's been in like everything, but I'll always know her as Princess Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender. Did the fact that you were an elf change her initial opinion of you? I was a dirty shem, so it took some time for her to warm up to me. Although the Dalish sometimes look down on city elves, so maybe not.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 12, 2021 13:55:53 GMT -8
Did the fact that you were an elf change her initial opinion of you? I was a dirty shem, so it took some time for her to warm up to me. Although the Dalish sometimes look down on city elves, so maybe not. She hasn't mentioned yet, so I presume my instant dislike of her isn't mutual. She replaced Ohgren as we ventured into the Silverite mines, which proved to be a good choice, as we were instantly captured by a...guy. And his little Darkspawn minions. I...don't know how I would describe him. Of course, you know who I'm talking about. He seems to have some degree of control over Darkspawn and Ghouls, much like an Archdemon, but he's also sentient, unlike Archdemons. So...yeah. Something to think about. We were thrown in jail and rescued by Velanna's sister, who had been infected with the Taint. After punching our way through a dungeon's worth of Darkspawn, Mysterious Man-Thing called upon two dragons to fight us. The battle was intense, but we achieved victory in the end. (On the first try, too! On Hard!) Then, he absconded with several ghouls, including Velanna's sister, who had presumably succumbed to the Taint at that point.
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