1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Kitrax's 2nd runthrough.... (spoilers hidden)

Discussion in 'Dragon Age: Origins' started by Kitrax, Feb 8, 2010.

  1. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2002
    Messages:
    7,899
    Media:
    74
    Likes Received:
    96
    Gender:
    Male
    Yep, I'm just about ready to give DAO a second go. (Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it. :doh: )

    Wait....let's try that again. :skeptic:

    I'm currently in the final battle scene of my current game, and I'm already thinking of what to do next. I'm not big on revolving NPC's, so what I have in mind for this next run is this:

    PC - Male elven mage --> going to an Arcane Warrior ASAP.
    Alistair - Templar --> Champion ASAP
    Leliana - Rogue --> Dualist or Assassin (haven't decided yet)
    Morrigan or Wynne. I'd prefer to take Morrigan over Wynne, but I'd have to convert her to a healer to keep her in the party indefinitely. Hell, I just might make her an AW too since they're just so f***ing awesome!


    So here come the questions:

    #1 - where do I learn to be Champion? My current PC has had it for quite some time, I just forgot where I learned it.

    #2 - I know where/how to learn how to be a dualist, but do you...
    Have to play nice with Zevran to learn it, or is there a much less annoying way to learn to be an assassin?

    #3 - IIRC there's a tome you can buy to learn how to be a healer, but I forgot where and how much it was. Is there an alternative way of learning it....say, for free?

    #4 - What mods should I try out? I already have Shale, Warden's Keep, and the Blood Dragon gear...I still need to get RtO. Any non-BioWare mods worth trying?

    #5 - How do I....
    Make Alistair stop whining like a little B**** and WANT to be king? Is there a way to make him want to be king *and* want to hook up with Queen Whatsherface?

    Now, I'm going to be bouncing all over the place in the beginning to get my party to the classes I want them at...so Redcliffe and the UoSA quests will be of the highest priority. But after that, which order of "treaty" quests would you suggest I take?
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2010
  2. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2000
    Messages:
    10,407
    Media:
    40
    Likes Received:
    231
    Gender:
    Male
    I'm afraid being nice to Zevran will not help with being a duelist; did you mean an assassin?

    To get Alistair to stop whining, you apparently have to choose the right dialog option when he gets disappointed after tracking down his sister.

    Oh, and my understanding of the specializations is one you've activated them in a game they're active for all your games and you don't have to figure out how to get them again.
     
  3. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2002
    Messages:
    7,899
    Media:
    74
    Likes Received:
    96
    Gender:
    Male
    Oops! Yes, I did mean assassin. Fixed.

    Oh really? :love:

    Probelm is, I never learned how to be an assassin in my current game, so I would have to learn it. :bad:
     
  4. Caradhras

    Caradhras I may be bad... but I feel gooood! Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2004
    Messages:
    4,111
    Media:
    99
    Likes Received:
    104
    Gender:
    Male
    It's silly, but that's the way it works. In a second playthrough you don't have to bother about the specializations you've already unlocked.

    In any case Champion is unlocked after completing Redcliffe, Duelist can be unlocked with Isabella in the Pearl and Zevran unlocks the Assassin specialization.

    You don't need to waste money on tomes. Here's what you should do: first save your game, buy the tome and unlock the specialization, load your save. Since specializations stay unlocked in any subsequent game then this trick will save you some gold.

    Return to Ostagar is not that spectacular. If you intend to replay the game a few more times then it's ok but if you don't plan on more than a second playthrough it may not be worth it as it is a rather straightforward dungeon crawl (with some cool items and a few cutscenes). Note that Alistair, Wynne and Loghain will have things to say about Ostagar.

    Check the mod list I've posted. I try to update it as often as possible. I'd recommend most of these mods anyway but it depens on what you're looking for. White Teeth, Circles be gone are mods I can't play without. Depending on how extensive you want the changes to be you may consider using a few of the gameplay mods. Party Command Unlock will save you some time if you take Leliana to open locks. The Dragon Age Mutator has many components that you may find very useful and if you're looking for some wider changes you should definitely give Improved Atmosphere a try. Last but not least Alley of Murders is the best fan made quest mod that is currently available.

    You also have to complete the Circle at some point before finishing Redcliffe. There is no necessity to complete quests in any particular order. Doing the Circle early can be a good thing if you want to get the Fade bonuses asap.

    I'd also suggest a different order depending on the NPCs you want in your party. For instance, completing Orzammar first is a really good idea if you want Oghren to be in your party for most of the game. If picking Wynne is a priority then you should rush to the Circle. In any case unless you plan on having a dedicated healer in the party a little trip to the Brecillian forest to get some elfroot herbs is not such a bad idea.

    EDIT:
    Get really friendly with Zevran then. Since Zevran becomes available once you've completed one of the main quests it shouldn't be a problem as Leliana starts out as a Bard so she'd have to be level 14 to get the Assassin specialization anyway. Whether Assassin is better than Duelist is a matter of opinions and it depends on what you want to use that character for.
     
  5. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2000
    Messages:
    10,407
    Media:
    40
    Likes Received:
    231
    Gender:
    Male
    It's pretty easy. I've never taken Zevran in my party, yet I got the specialization. You just have to talk to him a few times at camp and give him a couple of gifts. IIRC he likes simple things like gold and silver bars best.
     
  6. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2002
    Messages:
    7,899
    Media:
    74
    Likes Received:
    96
    Gender:
    Male
    Yeah, I've noticed that in my "who would like this gift the most" load/reload escapades. :p

    So...not that I would ever take him along...
    is there any way to keep the little c**k sucker from betraying you?
     
  7. Munchkin Blender Gems: 22/31
    Latest gem: Sphene


    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2007
    Messages:
    1,413
    Likes Received:
    14
    Gender:
    Male
    I recommend Leliana second specialization to be a Ranger. The abilitty to summon a companion and than stand back and use a bow just really improve her usefulness.

    I would go with Wynne and make her a AW.
     
  8. Decados

    Decados The Chosen One

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2006
    Messages:
    2,428
    Media:
    4
    Likes Received:
    18
    Yes.

    He will only betray you to the Crows if his approval is low. If he approves, then he will side with you. He's only betrayed me once and that was after I intentionally tried to get his approval really low.

    Or you could just kill him. That'll teach him not to turn on his betters.

    I remember seeing an Assassin Tome during my current playthrough. I think it may have been in the Alienage though, so not really that useful.
     
  9. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    Wouldn't recommend getting a second specialization for Leliana, unless you plan on giving her physical skill tomes. If you want a healer, get Wynne. She is the best Spirit Healer anyone (even the PC) can possibly become.

    If you want Alistair to stop "whining", stop encouraging him. When telling him how he should react to people like his sister, tell him

    "Everyone is out for themselves. You need to learn that"
     
  10. Decados

    Decados The Chosen One

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2006
    Messages:
    2,428
    Media:
    4
    Likes Received:
    18
    You wouldn't recommend Leliana specialising a second time? Why not? There's no disadvantage to doing so!
     
  11. Caradhras

    Caradhras I may be bad... but I feel gooood! Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2004
    Messages:
    4,111
    Media:
    99
    Likes Received:
    104
    Gender:
    Male
    Decados is right, you can take two specializations for any character (except Sten who starts without a specialization). The second specialization is available at level 14.

    Why?
     
  12. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    You can probably take another specialization just for the bonuses, but I wouldn't invest in additional skills simply because Leliana's skills are already spread out too thin. You get her at around level 6, and you'll want to take (at the very least) Deadly Strike (prerequisite) and Lethality (cunning adds to damage, greatly improves her damage potential). In my games I sometimes manage to level her enough to get Evasion, sometimes not.
    Anyway if you want to turn her into a very good archer you'll still need another 7 skill points to invest in the archery tree, to get Arrow of Slaying and Master Archer. By this time she should be level 15. If you elect to take all the Bard skills that's 15+3 = 18. Most of the time you finish the game with NPC's at level 20, so that leaves you with only two more skill points to invest. All of this assuming you don't spend your points in anything else though (I sometimes get Feign Death, which is very useful, and some people max Deft Hands).
    So bottom line is unless you plan on giving her lots of skill tomes, you're better off improving her archery and the skills she already has.
    Turning her into a proper dual-wielder is an even greater challenge.

    She gains additional bonuses to stats as plot skills and she can also gain a plot spell which greatly increases her mana regeneration, disorients nearby enemies and will even allow her to self-resurrect if she's not the last one to go down (although I'm not really sure if it's the one responsible for that last little quirk). It's called Vessel of the Spirit. She's easily one the most powerful NPCs in the game.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2010
  13. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2002
    Messages:
    7,899
    Media:
    74
    Likes Received:
    96
    Gender:
    Male
    And how does one gain such things? She has always had a mid to high aproval rating with my PC, and I don't remember such things.



    Anyhoo. I finished my previous game, and I've created my next PC:
    He's an Elven mage.

    STR: 10
    DEX: 10
    WILL: 19
    MAGIC: 20
    CUNN: 11
    CON: 10

    I just entered the Fade for my Harrowing... but before I play any further, I need to DL and install RtO, and a few mods from Caradhras' list...just in case I have to start a new game for them to take effect.
     
  14. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,111
    Media:
    10
    Likes Received:
    6
    I have no idea. I got the skill after one of her plot dialogues, but I'm not sure which. I did get her to 100 approval.

    Edit:
    It says you either get it after a two-part random encounter with a darkspawn leader, or if your party is doing very poorly in a battle and Wynne is present.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2010
  15. Caradhras

    Caradhras I may be bad... but I feel gooood! Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2004
    Messages:
    4,111
    Media:
    99
    Likes Received:
    104
    Gender:
    Male
    I had forgotten about Wynne's shall we say "perks", I think that travelling with her triggers some specific Darkspawn fights.

    @SI: taking the specialization and investing levels in it is not the same thing hence our surprise at your statement. ;)

    @Kitrax: it depends on what mods you plan on using. Improved Atmosphere should be loaded before you start, other mods can be installed later on. Be careful though because using a mod and then deleting it can corrupt your saves so you're better off keeping the same mods for the entire game.

    I answered on the mod thread. Make sure you back up your override if you install many mods and are not sure you want to keep them for the long run that makes the whole process much easier.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2010
  16. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2000
    Messages:
    10,407
    Media:
    40
    Likes Received:
    231
    Gender:
    Male
    I just did this last night. I've been doing all the NPC quests the past couple of days, so I dug up all the gift books/scrolls I had stashed in my camp chest and gave them to Wynne. After that:
    When I talked to her in camp it opened up some new dialogs where she talked about abominations and whether one could still retain their humanity and be an abomination.

    The next time I went travelling on the overland map I got an encounter with a bunch of darkspawn and just before we left the map Wynne collapsed, and said she'd explain once we were back at camp. Back at camp more dialog where she explained that she almost died in the Circle Tower protecting Petra from a very powerful demon, and was saved by a benevolent spirit that was still with her.

    Next time travelling on the world map I had another encounter with a "Hurlock Omega" where there was a cutscene at the start when the Omega cast some huge fireball that knocked just about everyone out. Wynne gets up and casts some spell that revives everyone and that's when you get the "Vessel of the Spirit" plot spell

    I just noticed this as well last night:
    It's sold at the magic shop in Denerim (the shop with the Tranquil as the shopkeeper)
     
  17. Caradhras

    Caradhras I may be bad... but I feel gooood! Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2004
    Messages:
    4,111
    Media:
    99
    Likes Received:
    104
    Gender:
    Male
    The Wonders of Thedas.
     
  18. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2002
    Messages:
    7,899
    Media:
    74
    Likes Received:
    96
    Gender:
    Male
    BTA - Ooooooooooohhhhhhhh yeah......

    So is the spell passive? I don't ever remember being able to use it. :bad:
     
  19. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2000
    Messages:
    10,407
    Media:
    40
    Likes Received:
    231
    Gender:
    Male
    No. I just got it, so I haven't used it, but I believe it was a sustained spell. IIRC from the description if it's sustained for too long she gets stunned, and once it's turned off she gets a lot of negatives applied to movement speed etc. for a temporary period.
     
  20. Decados

    Decados The Chosen One

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2006
    Messages:
    2,428
    Media:
    4
    Likes Received:
    18
    It isn't passive- you've got to activate it. Generally, it's best to do so when her mana is really low during a hard fight. You don't want to activate it immediately when in a hard fight, because when it expires she is stunned for a time. And, of course, losing your healer just makes the fight even harder.

    Edit: Ninja'd by BTA.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2010
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.