Dragon Age ::: party makeup and social

Hey everyone !! I was just wondering what you guys preferred as your party makeup while traveling around defeating the Blight ??? Also who do you prefer to play while in a battle . . . does it depend on the situation at hand or do you tend to control the character you created solely ??

Personally I've been swapping back and forth between two different combinations of party members . . . it's either (1) rogue, mage, mage, warrior or (2) rogue, mage, warrior, warrior . . . I really liked having two mages in my part at the same time but the battles seem to be quite a bit easier to handle with only 1 squishy party member and 2 warriors to just soak up damage.

I generally control my created character ( a cunning shadow clingy Rogue ) unless I'm in a very tough fight, in which case I will switch over to control the Mage so I can conserve mana . . .

What about everyone else out there playing??

I "play" all of my party members in a battle. I've disabled the tactics, I put on the "hold" function, and I issue orders to each party member as the batlle progresses.

It's just so much more tactical than having them each do their own thing, which isn't always the optimal thing, no matter how well you've tried to program your tactics.

I have found the best combination to be Shale (a mixture of tank and DPS dealer)- my own dualwielding warrior -a sturdy DPS dealer, Wynne and Morrigan. I just couldn't do without their buffing, stun, and area effect spells.

If I had to trade Shale, I'd trade for Alistair or Dog, both nice sturdy tanks with nice stun capabilities. I am a little sorry that I did not do my main playthrough as a mage, as there are so many cool spells available. Perhaps next time...

The idea with mages is to hold them back out of the fray of battle, since almost all of their spells can be effected from a distance.

Moondancer : Yea . . . I have tried controlling all of the party members as that does make the battles flow much better, however I am playing DA on a PS3, so it's a little harder giving all of the individual commands on the console version then it is on the PC version . . . I tend to just make sure my Tank ( Shale at the moment ) grabs all the aggro and then control my Rogue as I don't have alot of tactic slots available with him and left to his own devices the AI just doesn't do him justice I am really looking forward to the opportunity to play the game through on a PC though as everything I have read said the PC version was by far the superior version of this game, as they had to "dumb down" the fights for both the XBox 360 and PS3 versions of the game.

Yea it sounds like you have stumbled across the same party makeup that I find myself preferring at the moment. Until I had gotten Shale I was questing with Morrigan, Wynne, Alistair and my Rogue . . . I'm now trying out Shale in Morrigan's place although I really miss her barrage of spells . . . she is one tough cookie !!! I especially like her shape changing for when Mana begins to run low . . . but for now I've been poking around having Shale tank, Alistair DPS ( He just finally got enough STR to wear the Dragon armour that comes with the game . . . looks pretty neat! ) , my Rogue DPS , and then Wynne just stands back and keeps us all alive

I definitely agree with you on the massive amounts of cool Mage spells . . . I am certainly playing a Mage on my next play thru, that way I can have THREE mages in my party at once . . . =)

I'm currently trying to figure out if there is any kind of " Market " for any of the craftable items you can make ( such as the traps or potions etc ) or if it is better to just craft what you plan on using in battle, and keeping the rest safely tucked away in the bottomless storage chest . . . I dunno'.

Anyways . . . enough babbling for now . . . more coffee !!!

Hm, I suppose I'm quite close to the end of the game by now, and so far, the only crafting jobs I had found were in Lothering - which as you know one cannot return to.

I got a bit tired of Denerim - found it rather boring, so it's possible I might have missed some opportunities there, though.

Nevertheless, I do think it's worth making what you have recipes for - I'm not so much into rogueing, but I have Morrigan do us lots of poultices, first-aid kits and lyrium potions.

Yes, Shale is a star.

Regarding the spells, I feel quite cross that I probably won't have managed to try them all out by the end of the game, let's not mention explore all the specialities like shapeshifting.
I guess the game has some replay value in that regard.



My, but they've made the site look pretty with all this green!

This is only my first play through but so far Denerim has been kind to me, but maybe that's because I'm playing with a Rogue? There are alot of "shady" jobs to be found in Denerim . . . just have to make sure Wynne isn't tagging along as she doesn't exactly approve of some of them

As far as trying everything out spell and ability wise I have already resigned myself to the fact that it won't be possible on my first play through LOL , hopefully on my next I will use a totally different party makeup as well as class combinations, just to see/experience more !!!

I am not very far at all . . . just finished off the Arl of Redcliffe series of quests and am currently heading to the Dwarven homelands to try and secure their alliegance . . . should be fun

Okay house just got really quiet and with a 2 year old that is never a good thing . . . more to come later!


P.S. LoL I didn't even notice the Christmas touches until you mentioned them . . . only 2 more weeks !!

It is technically possible to make a profit off of craftable items. Since some of them use ingredients that are infinitely available, it's even possible to generate unlimited funds if you really want: buy as many ingredients as you can afford, make them all into potions, and sell the potions for profit. Potent lyrium potions, for example, make a profit if you buy most of the ingredients from the bartender in Denerim (supplemented with lyrium dust from the Circle Tower.) Doing so ruins the game's carefully balanced economy, though, so I don't particularly recommend it.

Demosthenes : Yea I certainly am not trying to do anything that would ultimately make the game less fun .. .. .. I was considering having my Rogue begin to learn Trapmaking though, and wasn't sure if selling them would be a way to pad my coinbag!! So far everytime I save up 50 or 60 gold pieces I end up spending them almost immediately on a book to acquire new skills for <someone> LOL.

I probably played 90% of my game with the same party: two warriors and two mages. My main was a duel wield Templar/Champion. For several of the quests, I swapped out a mage and specced the remaining mage for health and AoE damage/crowd control.

I only controlled my main character. The rest I set up tactics which worked quite well for me. The only times I'd control someone else was to disarm traps and that was only if I had a rogue in my party (most times, I didn't).

I completed the end game with two warriors, mage and rogue archer.

I'm afraid I get rather attached to my companions and use the same ones as much as possible unless the game calls for a particular one.

I like to have Wynne as a healer Morrigan with cone of cold and flame spells, and then a rogue archer with lock pick and trap skills plus summon spells.

Wynne can also bring a fallen character back if you choose the right spell.

How did you get Wynne to join your party? I didn't get that option this is the old woman right? If I remember correct she was by Duncan's fire right?

Did anyone find Sten was worthy of keeping in a party? I can't see him ever confiding anything to me. I don't like the guy and he killed a whole family with children so how can you trust someone like that in your party? Besides I don't think he likes my character who is a female human noble rogue. I have just kept him in camp thus far but should I just tell him to leave? What happens if you do tell him to leave will he come back and try to kill you? What evil looking eyes he has! The party I have thus far is

my rogue character who can open any door and chest. Allison who is a Warrior, Morgona the mage, Dog my best friend. I am like you John I also think of my party as a family, and you get funny comments between Allison and Morgona.

The best part playing the human noble is I get my dog right at the start and he is such a dear pet and saved me in many a battle.

How did you get Wynne to join your party? I didn't get that option this is the old woman right? If I remember correct she was by Duncan's fire right?

Did anyone find Sten was worthy of keeping in a party? I can't see him ever confiding anything to me. I don't like the guy and he killed a whole family with children so how can you trust someone like that in your party? Besides I don't think he likes my character who is a female human noble rogue. I have just kept him in camp thus far but should I just tell him to leave? What happens if you do tell him to leave will he come back and try to kill you? What evil looking eyes he has! The party I have thus far is

my rogue character who can open any door and chest. Allison who is a Warrior, Morgona the mage, Dog my best friend. I am like you John I also think of my party as a family, and you get funny comments between Allison and Morgona.

The best part playing the human noble is I get my dog right at the start and he is such a dear pet and saved me in many a battle.

You get Wynne when you do the Mage Circle Tower quest.

Just keep Sten standing around there in your camp, he doesn't do any harm. I never use him either, but I did get him to confide in me , and I did do his personal quest. He is useful as an extra fighter when your camp gets attacked and everybody pitches in to attack the invaders.

Sherryah (and others)

If you tell someone to leave, they'll leave for good. And no, they won't come back to kill you.
(Although at some point another npcs might try this...)

Just leave Sten in camp, if you don't want to use him. Just give him what he likes most to raise his confidence in you.

And yes, you can get Wynne, when you do the Mage's Tower quest. A word of warning, though. Having Morrigan (Morgana) in your party at this time could maybe change things a bit. Morrigan isn't exactly to fond og the Circle of Magi.

But there is a way to make it work, I think.

Morrigan didn't change anything at all in my setup. I took her with to the circle of magi, and it worked excellently.
In fact, Morrigan is the one person I have NEVER left out except on her personal quest, which is a given for her quest.

In fact I also sent her into the fade for a certain quest to do with the eamons. and she performed like a star.

Just give Morrigan lots of necklaces and other jewelery, and she will love you. She loves me 100% on the approval scale.

I have finally been able to pick this up again now when I'm almost done with everything school-related. Yesterday I finished the quest with the Dalish elves...I also saw the cutscene with Lelianna singing. That's a prime example of what I consider to be good game design - it's like they're trying to make the game into a more cinematic experience. More of that please, game developers.

Thanks everyone for the information. I don't have a clue what Sten would want though, I know that Allison likes booze of any kind. LOL What does Sten want so he confides in me?

I will leave him in camp . Lelianna was not a good fighter I nearly lost the game with her just doing the victory song. Morgonna is one of my favorites for the party and I really need a healer I am shocked she doesn't heal.

Congratulations Dritzz, who did you use in your party to do the Dalish quest and kill the werewolf? What did you find useful in your party to help with the haunted forest as well as who in the party helped you the most in killing the werewolf. I am where you are now and setting out to go into the forest.

Sherryah: Sten likes paintings. Alistair likes statues; save the booze for another character you've yet to meet.

Patience about the healer: Wynne is a healer.

..which is why it might have been a better idea for you to do the Mage's Circle first if you wanted a healer - or at least Redcliffe, which sort of then follows on to the Mages' Circle.

If you go to the elf merchant in the Dalish camp, I think he sells elfroot? and then go Bodahn at your camp, I think, he sells glass vials? Just buy as many of these as you like, then learn herbalism - and presto - you have health poultices (as potions are called in this game - for some odd reason?)

And here I thought that Sten likes cookies? And Alistair likes cheese?

Sherryah, I have come to use what I refer to as my "Standard" party - Me, a tank (very tough fighter), Alistair, Morrigan and Lelianna. There probably are better ways to compose your party but I am keeping to this simply for story reasons. I like their interactions with eachother. I'm sure I will do different next time through.

Morrigan already has basic herbalism, so yes, you can use her at once to make some basic poultices, if you have the recipes. In fact, while Sherryah is there in the elf camp, she should buy Elfroot off of Varathorn - he keeps them as standard stock, while Bhodan has the vials, but his elfroot is only occasional, he doesn't stock them as a standard.

Since Morrigan is my constant companion, I have built up her herbalism skill, and she makes lots of nice potions and poultices for me. You do need to buy the recipes before you can make anything, though. Some of the recipes (like health poultices and lyrium potions) are worth their weight in gold.

Talking of crafting: I'm REALLY into poisons and bombs now - they make your character who has the skill just so much more lethal...

Thanks for everyones advice I have learned so much from all of you. I am so grateful to everyone that recommended this game. I play my human noble rogue and she is really buffed up and is both archer and duel sword and seldom faces a door or chest she cannot open.

Morigan the mage, Alistar, Dog, I love my dog but when I get a chance to get Wynne I guess my pup will have to stay back home at the camp. Never has he even been stunned or knocked down, he is one tough war dog and I wish we could keep him no matter how many join our party.

Moondancer I have my rogue taught teir 2 skill in trapmaking but how do I make a trap? How do I get to use all the poisons I have collected to put on the swords? How do I make bombs?

This is an urgent question no one has answered yet, when I need to rest at camp how do I get there quickly? Is there a fast way to camp? When I kill monsters in certain areas and it is cleared out will they return if I go back the same path? Will I have to face the same hard battles?

Big hugs and gratitude to all of you for your help from Ireland. :holidays:

Sherryah, no, no instant fast travel - you have to go to an exit shown on your map as a crossed thru circle to exit an area, unfortunately, but happily foes you have already killed don't respawn.

For poisonmaking you need at least the basic skill for basic poisons, and higher up for more advanced poisons. Only characters who have the skill can apply it to their weapons, so if you want to use them, make sure you choose it the next time you get to choose a talent, since I find it more useful than traps ; which I personally don't really use at this stage; since one has only so much space in your inventory which quickly becomes full with all the ingredients, bombs and poisons.

Toger : Did you ever find a tactic to make the rogue disarm traps automatically? My limited poking through the available skills hasn't shown me anything that would do that yet ..

Oldman : I completely understand your dilemma, actually that was one of the reasons I was curious how everyone else played!!! So far all I've really used is Alistair, Morrigan, Wynne, and then Shale swaps in and out .. .. .. I would love to use Sten and some of the others in my camp, but I just can't bring myself to kick Alistair or Wynne out of my party! :grin12:

Sherryah : As Karsten said you will pick Wynne up when you venture back towards the Circle of the Magi, for whatever reason you choose to wander that way! Sten seems like he would be a beast of a fighter, however I haven't utilized him at all this play through as my party already has a great "tank" character . . . for sure on my next time through though! I love the WarPaints that you get to put on the dog, aren't those great !?!?! As far as poisons and bombs go, as Moondancer said it's just a matter of having a character that has learned the appropiate level in poison or trapmaking, then acquiring recipes from merchants or drops, and then finding the right materials. Then you just select the Poison/Trapmaking option and click away =)

Moondancer : :eek12: Someone is going to attack my camp??? Hmmmmm .. ... .. in the words of a very famous bunny rabbit, " You do realize of course, that this means war ... " I chose to send Morrigan into the Fade as well for that nameless quest . . . I'm glad I'm not the only one that took the long way around!!! The gift giving absolutely cracks me up in this game, I have actually started to save right before I hand out gifts ( L4L would never let me hear the end of that ) so that if I give the 'wrong' gift to someone I can try again LOL . . . I don't have Morrigan's full approval yet .. ... .. but I'm getting closer =) Also ... ... ... did you actually complete Morrigans Quest?? I don't want to give away anything so I'll just leave it at that .. .. .. I tried, but I was level 7 at the time and just got ... well ... obliterated.

Karsten : Yup Yup you can make it work with Morrigan, I think it just gives you some different dialouge choices!

Drizzt : <3 your name !!! Yes the storyline and cinematics in this game have swept me away for sure, I intended to try it out for a day or two before returning to my fallback games, but it has held my attention incredibly well!! But, I would expect nothing less from Bioware after all this time!

Back to the topic of party makeup, having a character choose the Ranger benefit is quite useful. Rangers can summon beasts to help in a fight and they become a fifth member of the party. Rangers can summon a wolf, bear, spider, and at top level they can upgrade each beast to a tougher version. They can take a lot of damage and I've only rarely lost them in a fight. Of course, then you just resummon one. I also like sending my summoned beast in advance to trigger traps or scout out the area. Best of all, a bear is so fat it can block a doorway so you can hold a large group of enemies back while the bear swipes them with his claws and the rest of your group fires away with ranged weapons or spells.

Asha'man, I did finish Morrigan's quest but I was at a much higher level when I did it. I also came back several times before I survived the toasting.

Rowan : Yes my main character just learned how to be a Ranger and I am enjoying the summoning of the beasties very much !!! Yea . . . at the level I attempted Morrigan's quest I mine as well have been wrapped in Marshmellows and wielding Hersheys Chocolate Bars instead of swords . . . at least it was a level thing instead of a tactics thing (At least that's what I'm going to continue to tell myself) :winter:

Nope, but then I didn't travel with a rogue very often. The times I did, I'd just control her for that limited amount of time then switch back to my main. We enjoyed getting stuck in those traps.

I only had the camp attacked once- and with everybody pitching in, it wasn't a big deal.

Remember the gift rules: Morrigan = jewelery, Shale = precious stones ; Alistair = runestones and statues, Zevran = gold bars and anything Dalish or Antivan ; Wynne = books and scolls, Leliana = religious items and cutesy items - flowers, shoes, pets ; Sten = pictures and paintings, Ogren = booze ; and you're set!

Keep in mind that your companions gain stat bonuses every time you gain a new approval category with them, so it's worthwhile working on those approval ratings!

Re Morrigan's quest - not sure if the level scaling is set the first time you entered that area, so it might be better (or not? I'd think it would actually scale, but not sure) to wait for a higher level. I did it faily early. Around level 8, 9, 10-ish?
I've found Shale to be very useful against ogres, spiders, mabari's and dragons, since she seems pretty immune to being "overpowered" and picked up in their jaws to be crunched.

I think 7 is a bit early for Morrigan's quest. I'd wait till I had Shale. I had her using melee and Wynne healing and the two of them did it pretty much by themselves.

For those worried about doing some things too early, there's information about enemy scaling here: Dragon Age: Origins - The Missing Manual

I took Shale, Alistair and Wynne. My girl delivered the killing blow. It was quite satisfying.

Thanks, toger, your link to that map will be very useful when I fire up this game :bravo12: :bravo12:

I have a question, I am shaking in my boots at the mage temple because although the map says it is for level 6 and I am a level 7 how in the world can battles that are described in the walkthrough be for such a low level? I have nothing to combat with besides Morgana the mage, and she just has puny cold spells. Everyone else swords or arrows. How did you survive these battles against demons and worse demons?

I have not entered in the door yet and thinking of getting stronger before I do go into the door of no return. Is Allistar any special benefit in the mage temple? I am using Sten.

Hi Sherryah

Sten is described by various members of the bioware boards to simply be the best tank in the game - in case of how much damage he can take.

The game won't punish you for trying to go through the mage temple at level 7; just try it. If you feel it's too much for you to handle, just come back later.

The thing to remember in battles for this game is crowd control and crowd control. Do you have the dog? He has quite the stun ability...

This game relies heavily on the tactical side of combat. This means focus your attack on one enemy at a time, try to lure one or two enemies towards you - before you stun them, hack them, or fling arrows in them - in the game - that is.

At least give it a try.

I always make a regular save just before going into a new area; the game should make an autosave, too.

Good luck

Thanks Karstan, I wish we could flee out the door again at the mage temple when we see the battle is too hard. However it says your locked in. Is there no way I can get the healer in any other place besides in the mage temple?

I hope you have the game and are enjoying it, because you have helped so many people enjoy it. I know you must be great teacher and really hope you get more employment, a lot of people are out of work now even in Europe.

Anyway thanks for being my teacher in regards to this game.

You will pick up Wynne soon after you enter the door and she will be a great help. The early battles are not hard. If there are too many enemies, station your companions outside the room and lure a few out. Morgana's cone of cold is a huge help.

I want to Denerim first thinking the city might be easy. Those back alley fights were tough and needed a lot of strategy to win.

Thanks Pokey, yeah the back alley fights were vicious but not one of my party was knocked down. Thus far I have never had to do a re load because of death of party. I have to go and get more arrows before I take on the mage tower. What is with the guy in the spoiled princess? I know the bartender is lying to me when he says he doesn't know the man I am looking for. How do I get information from him? I tried persuade and it did not work. I tried intimidate and it did not work.

When I left the bar I got attacked by cult leaders and that was not an easy battle either but we all were left standing.

One question which town should I go to so I can stock up on arrows or bolts that is the closet to the mage tower? The spoiled princess does not have any weapons.

I have to agree that Sten is a tank that has never been knocked down. I have laughed at some of the dialog as Morgona made passes at him and his replies are so funny.

There is a quartermaster at the entrance to the Mage Tower. I assume he has arrows.

Did you talk to the bartender after you defeated the enemy outside?

Hi Pokey the quartermaster had no arrows and I need bolts. What town do I find bolts instead of arrows for my crossbows? A town that a level 7 can handle. I did talk to the bartender but he did not say anything different once I defeated the cults outside. Was he suppose to say something? He has no bolts or arrows either.

I ended up going to the redcliff and defeated the undead so people lived through the night. I have the ring to go in the secret passage to the castle but decided to leave first to try and find some bolts for the cross bow. I defeated the caravan after I left redcliff because there was not a bolt anywhere. i went back to denarin and got paid for some jobs I did, good money for lugging the body bags around. LOL

So I am looking all over Denarin for bolts for the cross bow. The dwarf does not have them in Denarian either. I went back to the elves camp and they have flying arrows, ice arrows, fire arrows but you guessed it no bolts for my crossbows. Yikes! What merchant has the bolts?

The good part is morgana now has the cone of cold so all that fighting will help in the mage tower. I just do not want to fight without bolts for the crossbow. My party has never died and I do not want this to be the first time.

How hard is fighting inside the castle at redcliff? I had bad feelings about the guy going in there alone with the woman, but of course he did not listen to me. All that fighting in Redcliff and I received no reward at all from the towns people. I found the missing kid in redcliff and the sister has a chest I could not open and she did not offer any reward. Really ungrateful people in Redcliff. That was not an easy battle but we made it through the night.

At Redcliff I did get Loyd the bartender to fight and the waitress let me empty the store free but nothing good no armor or weapons. The dwarf and his sons who are thugs, I bribed him with money, and I did force the spy elf in the bar to fight. So at least there was more help for the battle on top of the hill, but I was forced to fight alone with my party in the village. Really insulted all this fighting and not even a reward, yeah I know if I live long enough in the castle I will get a reward.

Hi Sherryah

Thank you for your kind words

As for bows, try looking here

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Bolts

It seems that bolts merchants have are magical bolts.

On the Bioware forums for this game, it was mentioned that archers have unlimited supplies or normal arrows. It could well be the same for crossbows, I think?

Oh, and you do know that as long as one of party members still is standing at the end of a battle, you've won the battle?

Ah, finally finished the game this weekend. It doesn't knock either of the Baldur's Gate games from the throne, but it was a truly remarkable gaming experience. I felt like I was participating in an epic fantasy movie.

I have already re-started it as an city elf rogue...

The only special bolts I found for sale were from the dwarf in Denerim. I assume you have an unending supply of regular bolts available similar to bows.

I didn't think the castle fights were difficult.

when I went to Denerium he had no more bolts, this is the one across from the open market right? I am going to try again but if I remember correct when I have no more bolts or arrows it says no ranged weapon available.

maybe I am wrong because I never tried to fire anything. Why do they have all these fancy crossbows and it is hard to find bolts for them? What is a rogue to do with such a plight?

In the Dansk Elves camp did anyone ever succeed in opening the blue chest by the leader? I keep getting warned not to touch it by the girl elf. I don't want to get banned from returning to the camp of the Dansk Elves those flying arrows hit for 6 attack and so afraid to try again. What is in the blue chest is it anything worthy?

I got the letter from the other chest in the Dansk Elves camp.

EDIT...............
Thanks Karsten these magical bolts are the one I am looking for and cannot find them anymore. Do you know what merchant has them for a level 7 to find?

Sherryah

The only thing about merchants I've been able to find is this:

1) There should be a magic merchant in Orzammer. Maybe he sells some?

2) Have you gotten the merchants in you camp yet.
Sorry, if you have answered this question already.

Yes I have the merchant in my camp but he has no bolts. I am not strong enough for ozzimer only level 7.

Hi Sherryah

From Traveller at the justadventureforum comes this:



It seems that you need to either a) lockpick some chests or wait for enemies to drop those magical bolts.

Sometimes, you'll need to scroll through a merchant's inventory, though, to see all the goodies he has for sale.

Sherryah, I'm sure you know that you don't really need those magical bolts, they just give you a bit of an edge, you can still shoot normal bolts with the crossbow if you don't equip anything in the bolts slot, just like with arrows and bow. If you have already used up the bolts from the dwarven merchant in Denerim, - yes, do try the named merchants in the dwarven commons in Orzammar (in the Frostback mountains, past the Frostback pass).

I looted so many of these magical bolts and arrows during the game, that by the end, even after having equipped every single party member with them, I still had so many that I sold them just to make space in my inventory.

Now, I wish I could pass some of them along to you...

Sherryah, as you level up, the crossbow becomes less effective than the bow. You might consider switching. I found no bolts at the Dalish Camp. You can get to Orzammer fairly easily. Just a few ememies on the way. It only gets tough in Deep Roads later on.

Thanks Pokey I will take your advice and dump the crossbows.

Well, I wouldn't advise her to actually go on with the Orzammar quest itself, at this early stage.

Nothing prevents you from simply entering Orzammar (besides a rather vicious fight to get in at first), and just browsing the stores there, then leaving again and continueing the rest of the game.

If you manage the fight you encounter at the Orzammar gate, you can pretty much explore their marketplace without committing yourself to anything, and I would advise that you don't commit yourself here until you have managed to gather all the other armies first, because as Pokey mentioned, the Orzammar MQ can get rather tough at the end.

Maybe best would be, however, to ignore Orzammar completely for now, and to switch back to bows, like you said.

You could always keep a crossbow as a backup, in case you find some bolts as loot.

Thanks Moondancer, I don' t want to ruin my record and wipe my party out. I am going to go for bows and forget the magical bolts. I thought I had to drag arrows to equip them because it shows nothing in the slot. Wow this is really a big help. Thanks Pokey for your help also.

I'm late to the party since this game only just appeared in the stores.

I'm having a terrible time with the controls, and the game manual is silent on many of the things I'm having trouble with.

I've only just started the game. I'm in the place where I'm suppposed to pass a test. I can zoom the camera in and out, I can sort of move around, but what I can't do is LOOK around; I seem to be unable to do anything but blindly click on destinations. Moving my mouse, which is what allows you to look around in most games, does nothing. I know that the WASD keys work for moving, but if I don't know where I'm moving TO, I'll be dead very quickly.

Any hints on moving around in the game?

Hagatha, hold down the right mouse button to steer and use the W to move forward. You are going to like this game. I am near the end now, just a final battle.

Thanks. It's a bit difficult to stay alive when something is shooting at you from the right, but you can't turn.

So far it looks okay, although the game world will take some getting used to.

Edit -- okay, next problem. The in-game tutorial wants me to drag my armour to the quickbar, but I'm not sure what the quickbar IS. The obvious thing is the row of spaces at the bottom of the screen, and that what it looks like in the game manual, but that is obviously not it. If I drag the armour onto that, the game asks if I really want to destroy the armour. And I can't go on with the game until I figure this out. The tutorial is a bully. I don't think I like that much. Can it be disabled?

So far, finding the technical issues outweighing any real gameplay enjoyment.

Edit #2 -- Aha. Somehow I managed to get past that stuckness. And I'm past the test (which I would definitely play differently next time) and into the game itself. This interface takes some getting used to, doesn't it? But I've managed to figure some of it out. Very tricky, after playing two straight games of Divine Divinity, which is pretty straightforward.

hagatha, I too had problems with the interface and controls at first. I found the easiest way to move around is to use the WASD keys for simply moving as in old-fasioned shooters (that is, A and D does not strafe). Then as soon as you encounter enemies, simply use the mouse entirely. I still think that NWN2 had a much smoother way of controlling your party, but this isn't so bad either.

Regarding the armour...I have no idea why the tutorial would tell you to do that. Armours are only applicable on the character in the inventory screen. Dragging anything outside the "management" box will destroy the item. I think you can just ignore the tutorial, no?

Yes, tricky, but after a few hours you will get used to it, I think.

Thankyou Hagatha, it's gratifying you had trouble too as 10 minutes into the game I was ready to take a hammer and saw to it. and thinking if others enjoy DA why can't I? And thanks Pokey for the right click and W thing for directions. The dogs are nice.

Okay, now I have a more difficult issue. My game keeps reloading itself. Just -- reloads, in the middle of a fight, while I'm walking around -- seemingly whenever it feels like reloading, it just reloads. The Ctrl key is one such trigger, but there are obviously others, since this has happened over and over and over...usually just as I'm about to finish a hard battle.

I've looked at the keyboard bindings, but Ctrl is not associted with a Reload command, so I can't make it not be reload. As for the other keys -- whatever they are -- I have no idea what to do.

Anyone else have this problem and is there a way around it?


Edit - anyway, aside from that, this is lots of fun. I finally have a few party members and am racking up the levels. The dog is a nice touch.

I have never heard of such a problem...maybe the best thing would be to contact Bioware about it. Have you tried the game with a different keyboard?

Hagatha - check your controls screen to see what quickload is mapped as?

I struggled with intricacies of the inteface for a few days, in fact - especialy your spells and special moves.
Like with all games, it does become second nature after enough time spent with it.

In this post at the rpgwatch this post at the rpgwatch there is a link to a manual (in zip-format), you can download directly from the EA site.

You can, apparently, rotate the camera by clicking on the A and D keys. The Home and the End keys allow you to rotate up and down. Most games also allow you to your mouse. Have your tried scrolling (clicking) your mouse wheel, Hagatha?

As for the reload/quickload feature, I don't know what is happening. Have you tried searching or asking about this at Bioware's Social site for the game? Bioware's Social Site for the game I think you'll need to register to search or ask questions, though.

I've already checked out the key mapping for this game, and the quickload has nothing to do with the Ctrl key. Also, I've noticed that using the Space key can reload the game, which is horrible, because when that happens its always in the middle of a battle. It's not consistent, though. It just happens from time to time.

I've given up on the Dragon Age Social Site. I can't register on the site, can't login, can't register my game, can't download my free stuff, can't use the forums. I would ask the webmaster of that site for advice as to why I can't register and/or login, but of course you have to have an account to contact support. And I'm not the only one with this problem. Let's just say I'm not overly impressed that someone decided this game had to have its own site instead of just using the Bioware forums, and then followed up that poor decision with a registration and login system that doesn't work for everyone.

But the game is great. I like the party chit-chat. My doggy Maximilian is a good boy, and I loved the interaction between him and all the other characters when I was in camp. Very amusing.

So sorry to hear of all your problems, Hagatha.
I must say that I never had any problems, and I downloaded quite a bit of DLC. I used my Bioware account to log on to the Dragon Age forums, btw.

It seems that you can use either your Bioware account, or you can create a new EA account (if you didn't already have one) to enter into the forums.

This is really a silly question , I know - but have you tried playing with a different keyboard?

Sorry to hear about your troubles, Hagatha

Have you tried contacting EA support? EA is the publisher and they may be able to help you.

I don't know why you can't create an account, though. However, I do know that you'll need to have the exact same login name and password for your Bioware account, your EA account and your social site (bioware) account. It's a bit of hassle to do, but worth it, I find.

As for downloading the dlc, you'll need to login via the (very tiny) login at the very left hand bottom of the screen in your DA Laucnher. Make sure you have the da.updaterservice running - check the services the tab to see if this program is running. [To do this click start - run - then write msconfig - click ok - at least on XP that is].

Karsten, I am using the same username and password as I use on the Bioware forums. That is why this is so annoying. I have NOT heard back from Bioware support, though I emailed days ago. I cannot contact EA support without an account for Dragon Age. Nobody has offered a solution to the problem on the Bioware foums, though a few people have posted asking for help. I'm getting the feeling nobody cares.

Can someone tell me how to find and disable traps? I have Leilana in my party but she doesn't seem to do anything about traps.

Also, how do I get characters to go solo? I've tried all the little gold icons under the four character icons, but none of them seem to have the solo function.

Finally, why will my mage not Heal herself? Several times she's been in a position wher eshe could easily win a fight but she won.t cast Heal on herself. This only happens sometimes; other times she can heal herself. It's very odd, but I'm wondering if it's something I've setup that I'm missing somehow? Othereise it makes no sense.

It's my understanding that since Bioware is based in Canada that they're on vacation untill Jan 4th 2010. Sorry to hear that noone at Bioware seems to care, though? Have you PM'ed Chris Priestly, Fernando Melo or Rob Bartel about your problems?
They seem to be very helpfull.

From what I can gather, Bioware devs. reads the forums, including the DA ones, regularly. Your (and others problems) should have been noted; a solution howevever, might take some time, since Bioware needs to be able to replicate the problems.

As for the mage have you set your tactics slot correct? If less than 50 percent health - heal self - needs to be on the top, I think?

As for your problems logging in, maybe it it me that's abit slow here - but you do mean that you're using the same password and login name for all three accounts 1) the bioware forums and 2) the da social site and 3) the ea main account.

Sorry again, if this is what you've been doing, just wanted to clarify it

Anyway, regarding the traps: level one in traps does not always mean that your character will detect all traps - the traps seem to be at different levels, just as some locks are more difficult than others.

So you need to level up your skill to detect the more difficult ones.

However, if Leliana has spotted a trap, it will be sort of highlighted in a reddish colour. You then need to hover your mouse over the trap until it gives you the little 'disable' text message and then (with Leliana selected,) click on the message.

If you want one of your party members to venture forth and leave the rest behind, toggle the run/hand icon to have the hand on, which will make all your party members stand still.
Then select only the person you want to use, (via clicking on their portrait is easiest), and run along with only that character. The others will remain behind where you left them.

Toggling the hand icon to the little running figure, will make them run to catch up with you again.

For your mage to heal herself, you need only target her portrait with the healing spell, just like you would heal any other party member. Do you heal them by clicking on the actual person? Well, its much easier actually just clicking on the little character portrait.

It does sound as if you are playing mainly using tactics, though, and in that case, yes, you must set a minimum you want her health to go to before she heals herself, and you need to set it reasonably high on the list of tactics.

Keep in mind that each spell has a cool down period, so she might have been still in the cool-down period for that spell, or might have been just-just too low on mana to cast it, which I actually doubt – since the simple heal uses up very little mana, and has a quick cool-down cycle.

Karsten, yes, I'm using the same username and password for all accounts involved. I live in Canada and I assure you I worked this week! Hopefully someone will respond, but there is a long thread about this problem on the Bioware website forum dating back to November and as far as I can see nobody offical ever responded before the thread went stale.

Moondancer, thanks for the tips. I'll check my mage to see what tactics are set up. But as for the trap detection, Leilana just walks onto a trap same as everyone else. Is there a toggle for trap detection, or is it a passive skill? She's not detecting anything, even if I know she's standing right beside a trap.

I'm definitely not used to the combat in this game. I'm actually pinned down and can't go anywhere else at the moment because the random encounters on the roads are too hard, by a LOT, for any party combination I have. My current quest has me battling a dragon, which is way too hard. Shen seems particularly vulnerable. He's always the first to go down. Odd. He looks so tough. Maybe I should have left him in that cage after all. So far my doggie is the toughest of the lot. Cute little Alistair usually lasts for a while. The other two, Morgaina and Lailana, last for a few turns only, but always succumb once the battle gets close up. Usually my PC is the one left standing, and as she's a mage, she doesn't last long without support. I definitely need to win some of the encounters on the roads before I can move on. Not easy, though.

Edit -- on to the more social aspects of the game, I love the party interactions. I almost died laughing the first time I heard the cheeky, cheesy Yeeees? I get from Alistair when I select him for action, now that his approval rating is at 100. My PC is starting to wonder if perhaps there is something wrong with him, after all, and is considering throwing him over for the Elf. Some of the comments party members make upon reviving after dying in a battle are hilarious.


EDIT: By the way, I never did get any help from anyone at either Bioware or EA. I truly feel as though I am howling into the wind. So I guess I'll forfeit my free downloads and won't be able to get any of the new content. Too bad. I love the game, but this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I've been a loyal customer all these years.