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Manatee Cannon posted:I liked Blackwall, too. His personal quest is a bit heavy-handed, though. I was fairly ambivalent towards Blackwall but his attitude during his personal quest got me going, '...Wow, dude. Grateful much?' I mean, points for standing up for your beliefs, but you could not have picked a worse time.
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Mar 19, 2015 17:04
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Wasabi the J posted:He's probably one of the characters that I like most. Realistic, strong moral compass, no hidden agendas, able to consider that his personal feelings aren't the rightest bestest way. I like when characters are altruistic without being the dumb paladin stereotype. Are we... talking about Blackwall here? That dude has more life changing secrets than everyone but Solas.
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Mar 19, 2015 17:26
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Our hero crisscrosses the entire world picking up dozens of creepy shards to open an ancient elven temple, sealed for god knows how long... ...to find the facepaint of the Qunari Arishok stranded in Kirkwall (in DA2), what like 5 years ago?
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Mar 19, 2015 17:34
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ApplesandOranges posted:I was fairly ambivalent towards Blackwall but his attitude during his personal quest got me going, '...Wow, dude. Grateful much?' I mean, points for standing up for your beliefs, but you could not have picked a worse time. Yeah. I think a lot of the companion quests were lackluster.
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Mar 19, 2015 17:39
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Manatee Cannon posted:I liked Blackwall, too. His personal quest is a bit heavy-handed, though. I loved how that quest began. It was small but just removing him from the party without any explanation or journal entry was really cool.
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Mar 19, 2015 20:52
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Thor-Stryker posted:Are we... talking about Blackwall here? That dude has more life changing secrets than everyone but Solas. I haven't seen him be a douche yet. gently caress. I feel like I wanna like Solas, but I'm gonna wanna punch him by the end of the game, like Anders.
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Mar 19, 2015 23:03
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Wasabi the J posted:I feel like I wanna like Solas, but I'm gonna wanna punch him by the end of the game, like Anders. Good news: you can in fact punch him in the face! But yeah, Solas is a polarizing character. Both elves are, for that matter.
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Mar 19, 2015 23:10
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I rather liked Solas. Huge secret aside, I generally agreed with him on every major issue, and the idea of leaving treats out for nearby giant spiders so you can nap in ancient ruins is really great. I thought it was neat that his views on the Dalish, that they need to stop trying to reclaim a half-forgotten ancestry and forge a real future, coincided with the personal quest of that angry Dalish woman in Awakenings (that everyone else hated but I quite liked) where you give her blank journals and tell her to write new songs and stories for her people instead of just dwelling on what was lost.
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Mar 20, 2015 01:17
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Wolfsheim posted:I rather liked Solas. Huge secret aside, I generally agreed with him on every major issue, and the idea of leaving treats out for nearby giant spiders so you can nap in ancient ruins is really great. Thing is that Solas still clings to the very idea of having pride in being elven. Sera in a way should exemplify the very traits that Solas strives for for the elves (not caring about race and just doing what Sera does) but her attitude towards how she does so still rubs him the wrong way. For being so very pro-choice, Solas takes contentment to be a flaw (rather than the choice to be satisfied). It's fairly apparent in his banter with Bull and Varric.
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Mar 20, 2015 01:26
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ApplesandOranges posted:Thing is that Solas still clings to the very idea of having pride in being elven. Sera in a way should exemplify the very traits that Solas strives for for the elves (not caring about race and just doing what Sera does) but her attitude towards how she does so still rubs him the wrong way. Varric sets him straight though.
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Mar 20, 2015 01:27
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ApplesandOranges posted:Thing is that Solas still clings to the very idea of having pride in being elven. Sera in a way should exemplify the very traits that Solas strives for for the elves (not caring about race and just doing what Sera does) but her attitude towards how she does so still rubs him the wrong way. Solas, in my reading of the character, believes that if you have the ability to act and improve things, you then therefore have a responsibility to do just that. That mentality also explains his feelings on the elves in my opinion. Solas might be arrogant. He might have bad ideas about what constitutes helping. He might be a poor judge of human nature. But he will never, ever bow his head in defeat or say something cannot be done. Whether this is a good thing or not, of course, is another question.
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Mar 20, 2015 01:36
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I might start on this game again, never did get very far. I want to make the graphically-flashiest character I can, explosions and stuff everywhere, or at least a lot of impact (D3 Barbarians for example weren't flashy, but they had impact out the rear end so that was OK). What class do I want?
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Mar 20, 2015 01:44
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Ciaphas posted:I might start on this game again, never did get very far. I want to make the graphically-flashiest character I can, explosions and stuff everywhere, or at least a lot of impact (D3 Barbarians for example weren't flashy, but they had impact out the rear end so that was OK). What class do I want? Mage for generically flashy, Artificer (Rogue) for pretty explosions.
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Mar 20, 2015 01:57
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Cythereal posted:Solas, in my reading of the character, believes that if you have the ability to act and improve things, you then therefore have a responsibility to do just that. That mentality also explains his feelings on the elves in my opinion. Solas might be arrogant. He might have bad ideas about what constitutes helping. He might be a poor judge of human nature. But he will never, ever bow his head in defeat or say something cannot be done. I see him pretty much the same way too, which is why I think this is why I enjoy his character so much- he ain't a quitter.
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Mar 20, 2015 02:43
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ApplesandOranges posted:Thing is that Solas still clings to the very idea of having pride in being elven. Sera in a way should exemplify the very traits that Solas strives for for the elves (not caring about race and just doing what Sera does) but her attitude towards how she does so still rubs him the wrong way. Except Sera hates being elven because she was raised by humans to believe in everything humans do, and pretends all the revelations you uncover over the course of DAI aren't really happening because it would make her uncomfortable to consider anything beyond her black/white worldview. Sera exemplifies lazy selfishness above all else, and what few positive traits she encourages like "stay grounded and care about the little people" are also brought up by others anyway (like when the Inquiz and Bull talk with those soldiers). I still kept her around because I'm a completionist, Tempests loving rule and I don't mind her brattiness but let's not pretend she's any kind of positive example of...anything, really. Wolfsheim fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 03:42
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Wolfsheim posted:Except Sera hates being elven because she was raised by humans to believe in everything humans do, and pretends all the revelations you uncover over the course of DAI aren't really happening because it would make her uncomfortable to consider anything beyond her black/white worldview. Sera exemplifies lazy selfishness above all else, and what few positive traits she encourages "stay grounded and care about the little people" are also brought up by others anyway (like when the Inquiz and Bull talk with those soldiers). Eh, Sera does have a point about how clannish and haughty the Dalish are, and it's one of the few points where she actually agrees with Solas: the Dalish cling so tightly to their pride as elves and what scraps of ancient elven history and culture they have that most of them refuse to look towards the future or look past their own myths and rigid world views. They're stagnant and xenophobic, trying to live in their own little world and pretending everything else doesn't exist. One of the problems with Sera is that that last sentence is also an accurate description of her.
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Mar 20, 2015 03:48
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ApplesandOranges posted:Thing is that Solas still clings to the very idea of having pride in being elven. Sera in a way should exemplify the very traits that Solas strives for for the elves (not caring about race and just doing what Sera does) but her attitude towards how she does so still rubs him the wrong way. Solas wants change from the current way of things. Sera isn't content, she wants the world to be static. If anything even slightly challenges her worldview, she can't handle it. They clash on a much more fundamental way than you suggest.
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Mar 20, 2015 03:50
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Midnight Voyager posted:Solas wants change from the current way of things. Sera isn't content, she wants the world to be static. If anything even slightly challenges her worldview, she can't handle it. The two characters are really thematic opposites: each one embodying a complete rejection of the other. Solas is all about change, intellectual growth, and responsibility while having a haughty prideful nature. Meanwhile Sera can't handle refuses to go out of her comfort zone in any way, can't be bothered to think beyond the moment, disregards any impact of her own actions and despises anything at all above the ordinary to the point where she simply refuses to entertain the possibility that she has magic herself. Just about the only thing either of them agree on is that they don't like the current status of elves, but even that's for entirely different reasons.
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Mar 20, 2015 05:02
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ApplesandOranges posted:Mage for generically flashy, Artificer (Rogue) for pretty explosions.
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Mar 20, 2015 05:12
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PopRocks posted:I think you mean Tempest? Nope. Artificers can non-stop chain exploding shots and leaping barrages as if they didn't have a cooldown. All you need is to bring Varric along for the ride. And honestly, who doesn't want to bring Varric?
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Mar 20, 2015 05:23
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Varric doing Leaping Shot looks so weird, to me. I can't see any Dwarf can being nimble; doing backflips and stuff.
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Mar 20, 2015 05:35
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KPC_Mammon posted:Nope. Artificers can non-stop chain exploding shots and leaping barrages as if they didn't have a cooldown. All you need is to bring Varric along for the ride. And honestly, who doesn't want to bring Varric? I wish I could but seriously, I can't justify his low damage when compared to anyone else.
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Mar 20, 2015 06:07
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Wasabi the J posted:I wish I could but seriously, I can't justify his low damage when compared to anyone else. Sadly, Bianca really slows Varric down in this game since you need to find and make all upgrades for it whereas anyone else can find some good weapons wandering around like they were dropped by the War Fairy.
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Mar 20, 2015 12:42
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Bianca isn't a required weapon for Varric, you can give him a normal bow or whatever until you find real upgrade schematics.
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Mar 20, 2015 13:12
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Shugojin posted:Bianca isn't a required weapon for Varric, you can give him a normal bow or whatever until you find real upgrade schematics. Varric can't use any bow but Bianca. He can use daggers though.
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Mar 20, 2015 13:15
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It's a shame for both Varric and Dorian that they're not really very useful gameplay wise. Necromancer is kind of blah and Bianca is dumb and a relic of the rubbish DA2 system. I'm impressed that they stuck to Bianca though instead of changing her.
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Mar 20, 2015 13:56
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Taear posted:It's a shame for both Varric and Dorian that they're not really very useful gameplay wise. Necromancer is kind of blah and Bianca is dumb and a relic of the rubbish DA2 system. I'm impressed that they stuck to Bianca though instead of changing her. I was disappointed when I went Necromancer. Dorian can be good, just don't go down his necro skill tree, make him an elemental mage first.
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Mar 20, 2015 14:09
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Geostomp posted:Sadly, Bianca really slows Varric down in this game since you need to find and make all upgrades for it whereas anyone else can find some good weapons wandering around like they were dropped by the War Fairy. If by "find and make" you mean "buy from Seggrit in Haven or Bonny Sims in Skyhold" then you are correct. You can probably craft better ones than those, (incidently the base schematics are sold by the same people), but the buyable upgrades are easily enough to keep his damage on par with other bows. Bianca is far easier to upgrade than most weapons since the add-ons are cheap compared to a full weapon and you don't depend on drops. I also always slot the most powerful rune I have in Bianca, because I know I won't be replacing the weapon down the line, so it is less likely to be wasted. GhostBoy fucked around with this message at 14:27 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 14:10
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Gothmog1065 posted:I was disappointed when I went Necromancer. Dorian can be good, just don't go down his necro skill tree, make him an elemental mage first. I ignored the necro tree completely and invested everything in lightning, ice, and the spirit tree with some left over for other stuff. Without the necro tree dragging him down, Dorian is a loving beast.
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Mar 20, 2015 16:09
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Conversely, I liked having Dorian as a Necromancer because I really liked how his fear effects made everything (that can be feared) completely harmless while also taking more damage. It's been a while since I played so I don't recall what's immune (Behemoths and the like, I'm sure), but some maps are just nothing but fearable stuff so he completely owns, and most stuff that can't be feared is still vulnerable to spirit damage.
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Mar 20, 2015 16:21
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You can just panic people with the fire wall spell instead though. That doesn't eat your specialization and lets you go Knight Enchanter for immortality or Rift Mage to spam Stone Fist forever. And that means Dorian is still only ever less useful than the other mages since they get all the elemental trees as well, plus a better specialization.
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Mar 20, 2015 16:44
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Taear posted:It's a shame for both Varric and Dorian that they're not really very useful gameplay wise. Necromancer is kind of blah and Bianca is dumb and a relic of the rubbish DA2 system. I'm impressed that they stuck to Bianca though instead of changing her. Varric gives 5% crit to the entire party, that's more than enough justification for bringing him. The rest of his abilities are alright, although it's like they couldn't decide whether to make him traps or archery. Dorian is also nice for giving your rogues free crits if they take that talent in the Subterfuge tree that gives automatic crits on panicked opponents. Plus Haste is a cool little focus ability.
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Mar 20, 2015 16:49
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Lotish posted:Conversely, I liked having Dorian as a Necromancer because I really liked how his fear effects made everything (that can be feared) completely harmless while also taking more damage. It's been a while since I played so I don't recall what's immune (Behemoths and the like, I'm sure), but some maps are just nothing but fearable stuff so he completely owns, and most stuff that can't be feared is still vulnerable to spirit damage. Fair enough but I can never keep the "effects" in RPGs straight so I always go for a pure beat-down party. It's useful when I notice little things, like in DA2 when I realized Qunari and trolls are weak to ice and I slammed them with Cone of Cold at any opportunity. But these effects like Fear, Panic, Gastrointestinal Distress (that's one for DAI right?) what the gently caress what the fuuuuuuck I don't loving know, CASSANDRA JUST KEEP GENERATING GUARD AND STAB THAT MOTHERFUCKER GODDAMN. I may be bad at RPGs.
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Mar 20, 2015 16:55
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ApplesandOranges posted:Plus Haste is a cool little focus ability. As much as I liked Fear, I must admit I never really used Haste in DA:I. Might have used it once on a dragon, but I ended up using Flasks more often.
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Mar 20, 2015 17:31
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HIJK posted:Fair enough but I can never keep the "effects" in RPGs straight so I always go for a pure beat-down party. It's useful when I notice little things, like in DA2 when I realized Qunari and trolls are weak to ice and I slammed them with Cone of Cold at any opportunity. But these effects like Fear, Panic, Gastrointestinal Distress (that's one for DAI right?) what the gently caress what the fuuuuuuck I don't loving know, CASSANDRA JUST KEEP GENERATING GUARD AND STAB THAT MOTHERFUCKER GODDAMN. It's a legitimate strategy and also why Blackwall/Vivienne/Sera or Cole still manages to be extremely effective. I mean, Sera/Cole won't make it very far on Nightmare without micromanagement, but 'wail til it dies' is surprisingly effective at times.
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Mar 20, 2015 17:41
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The effect in DAI I could never properly figure out was Bleeding, because it's explained nowhere and I couldn't find a guide online that actually knew what it really did. How much would it do? How long did it last? No idea, and no way to find out. And it's gone now, replaced by Sunder, which is easier to figure out because other effects/abilities explain it.
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Mar 20, 2015 17:58
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ApplesandOranges posted:Varric gives 5% crit to the entire party, that's more than enough justification for bringing him. The rest of his abilities are alright, although it's like they couldn't decide whether to make him traps or archery. But you can just upgrade the fire wall ability in the generic fire skill tree and have free panic on every mage.
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Mar 20, 2015 18:00
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Lotish posted:The effect in DAI I could never properly figure out was Bleeding, because it's explained nowhere and I couldn't find a guide online that actually knew what it really did. How much would it do? How long did it last? No idea, and no way to find out. And it's gone now, replaced by Sunder, which is easier to figure out because other effects/abilities explain it. If I recall correctly, bleed was broken and not working. Which means they couldn't figure out how to fix it and gave up.
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Mar 20, 2015 19:46
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DAI has the unfortunate problem with mages of making their likability inversely proportional to their combat utility. DA2 solved this by making both of them completely unlikable  Speaking of mages, I'm considering doing another full trilogy playthrough starting with a DAO mage nightmare run. Obviously my main spec will be Arcane Warrior because how could you not, but is it worthwhile to throw Blood Magic on as my second or should I just stick with Spirit Healer? The idea of wading into battle in full plate and exploding the blood of every enemy around me as I tear through them with a sword is appealing, and I have no qualms about rolling with Wynne for the actual healing, but I have no idea how well the two specializations actually synergize.
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Mar 20, 2015 20:01
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Honestly, it would help if, like MMOs, abilities and such had wordy tooltips that told me what they did on mouseover, rather than making me flip through menus to figure out what effects it applies and what those effects do. "If I stand still, I generate mana faster. How much faster?"
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Mar 20, 2015 20:01
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