|
Vengarr posted:Gonna take a break and then jump into Inquisition. Why exactly do people say "skip the hinterlands", is it just boring or tedious or what? Contrary to DA2, this game has a ton of content to explore. You can outlevel everything just by sticking to the main quest and doing the seemingly important sidequests that you find along the way, no need to clear every boring fetch quest you encounter.
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2015 21:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 20:42 |
|
|
It also depends on what type of player you are. After having played some MMOs and a lot of JRPGs I'm basically immune to grind so the Hinterlands still took a while to complete but never bothered me much. Though the problem without Trespasser trials is that you will quickly outlevel content and fights get boring quickly but if you have trials on it isn't that much of a problem anymore.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2015 21:55
|
|
|
criscodisco posted:The horse farmers daughter has a horse race she wants you to run, and the game keeps reminding me of that fact. Unfortunately, the first time I tried it I got lost halfway through and bailed, and now no matter how many times I reload the Hinterlands, the horse is gone. I've gone looking around the surrounding woods for it but can't find it anywhere. I fear it's been eaten by a bear so I've been avoiding her like the plague.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2015 22:22
|
|
|
BrianWilly posted:The horse is part of your "inventory" now and you can summon it whenever. Open up your radial menu (or whatever the equivalent is for PC controls) and there's an option to call it. I'm playing on the PS4, so is that the pause (or "options") button? Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 00:43
|
|
|
criscodisco posted:I'm playing on the PS4, so is that the pause (or "options") button? Thanks! L1
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 00:46
|
|
|
Gotcha. Honestly, I don't think I've ever intentionally pressed that button in this game. Thanks! Right now I'm going around killing all the dragons I am leveled up enough to kill. Most of my guys are level 19, or maybe all, I'm not sure.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 00:49
|
|
|
Vengarr posted:Gonna take a break and then jump into Inquisition. Why exactly do people say "skip the hinterlands", is it just boring or tedious or what? The problem is not that the Hinterlands is boring (though it is), the problem is that the Hinterlands is huge. It's the second biggest zone in the game and there's more than 100 quests you can do there, ranging from levels 1 to like, 15. There's just so much poo poo to do that you can easily get caught up going "Oh okay I have a quest over there, I'll just do that real fast" and then that quest takes you somewhere where like 5 more quests or shards or landmarks pop up and the game never tells you "Hey uh, you can leave now, you don't have to do this stuff." It's very easy for the Hinterlands to just sour your whole DAI experience because you get caught up in its quagmire. Every other zone in the game, including the actual, literal quagmire, is more fun than the Hinterlands. Every time a quest from outside takes you to the Hinterlands, get in, do what you need to do, then just leave. It's for the best.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 02:52
|
|
|
I got Dorian finally!  I keep worrying when I advance the main story I might forget to do some of the quests beforehand.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 03:21
|
|
|
megathrust posted:I got Dorian finally! That's why I'm spending time killing dragons, because there doesn't seem to be any new areas open for now. I did find in Emerald Whatever that I had missed a dungeon that I had apparently not completed, but I tried it and you need 9 pieces of a necklace to progress and I can only find 7. I'm sure I'll find them, but I figured it was as good a time as any to kill some dragons. Dorian is really funny to talk to. I haven't played with him in my party yet, but just talking to him in Solas' tower in Skyhold is very humorous.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 03:27
|
|
|
criscodisco posted:Dorian is really funny to talk to. I haven't played with him in my party yet, but just talking to him in Solas' tower in Skyhold is very humorous. My party for most of the game was Dorian, Cassandra, and Sera and I really got attached to that combo. I know a lot of people complained that this game didn't have a good cohesive story because of the open world aspects or whatever, but 150 hours in these guys were still having new conversations with each other and it was really interesting to listen to. They started off as complete opposites with completely different backgrounds and goals and basically just insulted each other when they talked, but by the end they were having conversations about what they had in common and how they actually kind of liked each other. I wonder if any random combo you throw together feels the same way or if I just got lucky there. sakeyake fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Oct 1, 2015 |
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 04:42
|
|
|
sakeyake posted:My party for most of the game was Dorian, Cassandra, and Sera and I really got attached to that combo. I know a lot of people complained that this game didn't have a good cohesive story because of the open world aspects or whatever, but 150 hours in these guys were still having new conversations with each other and it was really interesting to listen to. They started off as complete opposites with completely different backgrounds and goals and basically just insulted each other when they talked, but by the end they were having conversations about what they had in common and how they actually kind of liked each other. I wonder if any random combo you throw together feels the same way or if I just got lucky there. I've had the same results with my long-running team of Varric, Cassandra and Iron Bull. In their beginning, their conversations were almost stilted, because they really just didn't like each other and it was nothing but accusations. Eventually it was genuine compliments and light-hearted jabs, and the other day after killing a dragon Varric told Iron Bull that he was moving up in the world taking the Inquisitor as a partner.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 04:51
|
|
|
I'm doing the Descent, and I've got my camp setup, buy my quest log wants to me to do some stuff at the table, but it just says busy. Does that mean I need to wait for the War table stuff to be done before i can take care of the stuff in the deep roads? Because I can't leave the deep roads. Bull being uneasy about being underground is pretty amusing. EDIT: Looks like I just needed to complete a little more before i could leave. twistedmentat fucked around with this message at 09:04 on Oct 1, 2015 |
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 08:40
|
|
|
Dorian and Blackwall clash super hard, but I was seriously pleased when they eventually mutually decided they were being unfair, apologized, and ended up drinking buddies. It's almost like they are adults who can work through differences of perception and opinion!
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 08:46
|
|
|
Lotish posted:Dunno. Alchemy in Dragon Age has obviously magical effects but no one seems to consider it ~magic~; at least that's what I glean from comments like Bull's when he describes the fog used by the Fog Warriors in Seheron. Look up Dorian's banter with Sera. I was unfortunately not paying full attention when it happened, but I'm pretty sure he hinted pretty heavily that the flasks she (a Tempest) uses are magic in nature.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 09:22
|
|
|
CuwiKhons posted:The problem is not that the Hinterlands is boring (though it is), the problem is that the Hinterlands is huge. It's the second biggest zone in the game and there's more than 100 quests you can do there, ranging from levels 1 to like, 15. There's just so much poo poo to do that you can easily get caught up going "Oh okay I have a quest over there, I'll just do that real fast" and then that quest takes you somewhere where like 5 more quests or shards or landmarks pop up and the game never tells you "Hey uh, you can leave now, you don't have to do this stuff." Is this to some extent applicable to the entire game? One of the chief complaints I've heard about the game is tedium and bloat, a feeling that you aren't getting anywhere. Can you comment? On this, or perhaps on ways to combat it. Do you not need to do much side stuff? How do you prioritize?
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 09:42
|
|
|
Bobfly posted:Is this to some extent applicable to the entire game? One of the chief complaints I've heard about the game is tedium and bloat, a feeling that you aren't getting anywhere. Can you comment? On this, or perhaps on ways to combat it. Do you not need to do much side stuff? How do you prioritize? Inquisition was apparently planned as an MMO first, but luckily, the Star Wars MMO bombed. You can still see traces of that in the game, with the Hinterlands being one of the most egregious examples. It's present in other zones as well, but more tolerable. And yes, you can easily beat the main game easily while leaving a ton of the sidequests unfinished. So if you get tired of them, just progress the story or check out another zone. Each DLC get's less MMO-like, with Trespasser having a very linear and faced paced story.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 10:05
|
|
|
Bobfly posted:Is this to some extent applicable to the entire game? One of the chief complaints I've heard about the game is tedium and bloat, a feeling that you aren't getting anywhere. Can you comment? On this, or perhaps on ways to combat it. Do you not need to do much side stuff? How do you prioritize? Honestly a lot of the stuff you can do in the maps and even some areas are completely pointless if you don't want to 100% everything. Everything to do with the shards inlcuding the area that opens up is completely optional for example and has a really lackluster reward. Collecting all the shards in ever area is a lot of busywork and it is easily skippable. Same with Hissing Wastes honestly, it's just a big desert with lots of space and very little do actually do in it. Other areas like Crestwood are optional too but they are or at least seem to be a lot smaller and you don't get the feeling so much that they included the map just for the sake of space. Also most of the loot you find on dragons or special bosses from sidequests is inferior to the crazy poo poo you can do with crafting, so the reward is again questionable.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 11:45
|
|
|
Midnight Voyager posted:Dorian and Blackwall clash super hard, but I was seriously pleased when they eventually mutually decided they were being unfair, apologized, and ended up drinking buddies. It's almost like they are adults who can work through differences of perception and opinion! That kind of thing was the biggest breath of fresh air after the Kirkwall crew's seven years of constant bile.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 11:58
|
|
|
Geostomp posted:That kind of thing was the biggest breath of fresh air after the Kirkwall crew's seven years of constant bile. Aveline and Isabela got on fine, it's just Anders and Fenris who were angsting and brooding over everyone and everything. I'm not sure which was in a fouler mood by Act 3. Running a Anders/Fenris/Merrill team was painful just for the banters alone.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 12:15
|
|
|
I actually enjoyed the dysfunctional family aspect of DA 2's cast. They don't even have a good excuse to be hanging out together, like saving the world or something, they're just a gaggle of bum-fucks too broke-rear end to be appealing company to anyone who isn't equally damaged.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 12:25
|
|
|
ApplesandOranges posted:Aveline and Isabela got on fine, it's just Anders and Fenris who were angsting and brooding over everyone and everything. I'm not sure which was in a fouler mood by Act 3. Varric got along well with everyone too, of course, the real sign Anders was a lost cause was when he stopped being able to have a light-hearted conversation with him. Fenris in contrast was non-mopey enough to at least talk about routinely playing cards with Varric in Act 3. And of course Varric/Isabela was downright hysterical, the bits about her being hypnotized by his chest hair, him responding that he was offended at being treated like an object then when Isabela started stammering saying "Nah, just loving with you!" is still one of my favorite banter conversations of all time thanks to the delivery.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 13:16
|
|
|
Anders was clearly mental. Only someone broke in the head explodes the Chantry because the Templars are oppressing mages
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 13:42
|
|
|
Maiden posted:Anders was clearly mental. Only someone broke in the head explodes the Chantry because the Templars are oppressing mages "Evil templars are oppressing the mages, let's kill the one woman who holds back Knight-Commander Meredith, it makes total sense!"
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 13:49
|
|
|
Maiden posted:Anders was clearly mental. Only someone broke in the head explodes the Chantry because the Templars are oppressing mages The idea I got was the Chantry lets the Templars get away with abusing the Mages and are complicit in the oppression.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 13:53
|
|
|
SgtSteel91 posted:The idea I got was the Chantry lets the Templars get away with abusing the Mages and are complicit in the oppression. Sorta yes and sorta no. The Chantry as a whole has a huge interest in keeping mages beaten down, it's the entire base of their power structure. On the other hand Elthina couldn't actually do much against a Knight Commander who could stop the political process of choosing a new viscount. I think it's pretty likely that if Elthina had tried to challenge Meredith without an army behind her, Meredith would have executed or imprisoned her. And good luck to Elthina if she tried to play a "he said she said" game where she tries to convince the Divine that the military arm of the Chantry is out of control in Kirkwall and that she needed armed back up to challenge Meredith's authority. All Meredith had to do was scream BLOOD MAGIC and then the Seekers would have arrested Elthina anyway. The only thing Elthina had going for her was Meredith's respect for tradition and even that frayed by the end of Act 3. Basically the entire Chantry structure is designed to empower idiots like Meredith and stomp on people like Elthina and Giselle. Which still makes the Chantry bomb a stupid plan because Anders didn't do anything to hurt the people oppressing him, he just took out the last obstacle to Meredith's power grab. Basically he took a bad situation and made it 10x worse for no real benefit except to Hawke who gets their name written in the stars.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:03
|
|
|
HIJK posted:Sorta yes and sorta no. The Chantry as a whole has a huge interest in keeping mages beaten down, it's the entire base of their power structure. On the other hand Elthina couldn't actually do much against a Knight Commander who could stop the political process of choosing a new viscount. Which is why every mage who speaks of Anders later makes it clear that they hate his guts even if they agree with some of his ideas. As for the Seekers, they were already aware that Meredith was going nuts, but the sheer number of blood mages in Kirkwall was enough to keep them from really acting until Anders pulled his little stunt.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:09
|
|
|
If that's really the case then the Circle really did fail and fighting back was the only option since Meredith had already sent a request for a Right of Annulment to Val Royeaux, behind Elthina's back, and rumors about a possible Exhaled March on Krikwall makes Annulling the Gallows more appealing. Which means the Mages are getting slaughtered one way or another. Taking out Elthina was meant to show how corrupt and zealot the Templars really were, that they never had Mage's welling being in their minds, and why Mages needed to fight back and not take the abuses or wait for someone in the Chantry to fix it; because the entire system was rotten to the core and made to oppress them.Geostomp posted:Which is why every mage who speaks of Anders later makes it clear that they hate his guts even if they agree with some of his ideas. The irony is many of the Blood Mages were victims of Templar abuse and lashing out at their oppressors. SgtSteel91 fucked around with this message at 14:17 on Oct 1, 2015 |
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:12
|
|
|
SgtSteel91 posted:If that's really the case then the Circle really did fail and fighting back was the only option since Meredith had already sent a request for a Right of Annulment to Val Royeaux, behind Elthina's back, and rumors about a possible Exhaled March on Krikwall makes Annulling the Gallows more appealing. Which means the Mages are getting slaughtered one way or another. True. As stupid and horrible as Anders action was, he did have a point about the system. Especially since the man who led the Seekers at the time was even worse than Meredith. To the point where he was seriously plotting to usurp the Divine for not coming down hard enough on mages after Kirkwall. Justinia knew about this kind of extremism, but not about the Lord Seeker's plan, and tried to keep her attempts at reforms hidden. If asked, Cassandra says that seeing this kind of failure and obsession is why she ended up siding against the Seekers and Templars during the war. SgtSteel91 posted:
Which was kind of the point in Kirkwall, and the whole mage/Templar issue to begin with. Both sides have some point and extremists from either faction can provoke reactions that lead to these kind of spirals. It's just that the Templars are easier to blame because the mages aren't really organized in any sense that can't be overridden at will by the Templars and keeping the peace is supposed to be their job despite the fact that they seem incapable of adjusting their tactics rather than just ratcheting up the oppressive policies. Geostomp fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Oct 1, 2015 |
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:18
|
|
|
Bobfly posted:Is this to some extent applicable to the entire game? One of the chief complaints I've heard about the game is tedium and bloat, a feeling that you aren't getting anywhere. Can you comment? On this, or perhaps on ways to combat it. Do you not need to do much side stuff? How do you prioritize? There is definitely way more stuff to do than strictly necessary - I find landmarks 100% pointless for example, and while Shards serve a purpose, they are incredibly tedious. Most zones are about a third the size of the Hinterlands though, and they're less densely packed with quests. In addition to that, many of them are actually fairly linear unlike the sprawling Hinterlands where you can wander off in any direction and find eight quests and six bears that Cassandra will inevitably attack. Areas like Crestwood or the Fallow Mire or even the Hissing Wastes (the only zone bigger than the Hinterlands) have a "correct" path and while you can wander off that path if you like, following the path will lead you through 90% of the zone with only a few hidden pockets you have to explore on your own initiative. You don't really need to do a lot of side stuff in this game, especially if you've got Jaws of Hakkon or the Descent which, if you do them near the end of the game, will REALLY overlevel you and make Corypheus hilariously easy. Your questing priorities should be this: Every zone in the game has a main storyline. Follow it. Your companions all have quests. Do them. Try to do them with them in the party if you can swing it, you get more approval that way. Your advisers have quests if you chat them up thoroughly enough. Do those. Free all three keeps, you'll know em when you see em. Do the dungeons and the associated quests, many of them are pretty loving cool with good loot. I'm especially fond of the dungeon in the Western Approach and you get a bitchin' mage staff for it. Done with all that? Cool, now do whatever you loving want to do. Does this quest sound cool? Is it easy to accomplish? Is it on the way to other important goals? Do I think it'll end in a dragon fight? If none of the above is true - gently caress it. It's not important. There are entire zones in this game that you don't have to do. I hate the Forbidden Oasis, I think it's a real shithole of a zone. On my last playthrough, I didn't even enter it until I'd collected every other shard in the game so that I'd only have to go through it once and you know what? I didn't even have to do that. You never HAVE to go to the Forbidden Oasis, or the Hissing Wastes, or the Emerald Graves, or the Exalted Plains. All you NEED to do is the main story quest and to accumulate enough Power points to unlock your next step of whatever.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:26
|
|
|
SgtSteel91 posted:If that's really the case then the Circle really did fail and fighting back was the only option since Meredith had already sent a request for a Right of Annulment to Val Royeaux, behind Elthina's back, and rumors about a possible Exhaled March on Krikwall makes Annulling the Gallows more appealing. Which means the Mages are getting slaughtered one way or another. Taking out Elthina was meant to show how corrupt and zealot the Templars really were, that they never had Mage's welling being in their minds, and why Mages needed to fight back and not take the abuses or wait for someone in the Chantry to fix it; because the entire system was rotten to the core and made to oppress them. To the mages detriment. Armed revolution didn't actually do them any good as any student of world history could have predicted. As we saw in Inquisition, mages were either hiding in boltholes or rampaging across the countryside slaughtering everything, burning farmsteads, and attacking innocents, not just fighting back against templars. And the only chance mages have of actually getting a chance to establish themselves as an independent entity and not get ground into dogmeat is a hail Mary pass thrown by an Inquisitor that is sympathetic to them, and that isn't something you can plan for. I'm not down on the mages plight specifically, I side with them every time I put together a white hat protagonist. I'm just really sick of watching the mages shoot themselves in the foot and then blame everything on templars, as if the templars forced them to make every bad decision ever. There's that enclave of ice in the Hinterlands that you have to clean out to make the roads safe and that? That was all caused by marauding mages who wanted to kill people, not templars. My sympathy for a group of people who yell OPPRESSION after stabbing themselves in the stomach for three games in a row is so limited.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:30
|
|
|
I feel like the Mage/Templar thing really suffers from the writing. And by that I mean that the Templars are blatantly in the wrong with their treatment of mages, but Bioware is trying to paint it as a morally gray conflict when it isn't, so they have to make a bunch of mages stupidly psychotic. No reasonable person would think "I'm being oppressed, I'm going to use the kind of magic that gives them the legal right to kill me to solve this problem!"
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:41
|
|
|
It seems like they are putting it to rest, or at least on the back-burner, since the traditional Circle of Magi and the liberal College of Enchanters gets created one way or another in all variations of who you sided with or made Divine. So in theory, Pro-Templar, Pro-Mage, Pro-Cirlce, etc get a 'win.'
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:48
|
|
|
Torrannor posted:Inquisition was apparently planned as an MMO first, but luckily, the Star Wars MMO bombed. You can still see traces of that in the game, with the Hinterlands being one of the most egregious examples. It's present in other zones as well, but more tolerable. And yes, you can easily beat the main game easily while leaving a ton of the sidequests unfinished. So if you get tired of them, just progress the story or check out another zone. Each DLC get's less MMO-like, with Trespasser having a very linear and faced paced story. I've heard the MMO thing quoted before, but does anyone have a source of that information?
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 14:58
|
|
|
CuwiKhons posted:I feel like the Mage/Templar thing really suffers from the writing. And by that I mean that the Templars are blatantly in the wrong with their treatment of mages, but Bioware is trying to paint it as a morally gray conflict when it isn't, so they have to make a bunch of mages stupidly psychotic. No reasonable person would think "I'm being oppressed, I'm going to use the kind of magic that gives them the legal right to kill me to solve this problem!" Agreed. DAII was the biggest offender there since they not only hid almost all Circle mages, but had anyone else either turn abomination or go into the cliche evil sorcerer role in a vain attempt to make the Templars look better. Painting the sides of a complex issue as both negative is easier than presenting them as people dealing with a bad situation. What really bugs me is that the stories never bother to differentiate between mage factions. The actions of any mage always reflect back on all the others regardless of whether or not they had any support. All because the story wants to pretend that they really are equal to the Templars who have actual organization and political power. Its like comparing an organization's corruption to an entire ethnicity. HIJK posted:To the mages detriment. Armed revolution didn't actually do them any good as any student of world history could have predicted. Again, agreed. Vivienne points out the many flaws in the rebellion's reasoning in fighting a war in which they're massively outnumbered without real organization, support, or any form of tangible goal. The rebellion was always doomed to fail like any other attempt to use violence to secure civil rights. If not for the actions of a certain number of extremists, they really could have worked something out with Justinia.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 15:04
|
|
|
So I finished the game at 97 hours. But what a pisspoor conclusion. Went and bought the Tresspasser DLC. A waste of 23 dollars and an additional 10 hours. Ended up just running from every fight and non-compulsory puzzle in the last few hours of the game. I just wanted to know how it ended, but CHRIST, was the DLC ending super-cheap or what!? Stodgy intern drawings with no Voiceover and a blink and you'll miss it epilogue. Look, considering all the work that went into the game, they could have at least put more into the conclusion than the loving hinterlands. Oh and one last thing to bitch about, that dragon. You're meant to use a new context-sensitive action you have never been introduced to in an environmental way, all while dealing with fire, poison, endless waves of guards and a big-rear end lizard. Had my first wipe! 4 times! Overall, I loved the characterisation, the customisation of your romance (Dorian), war table and plot choices. But I will never play this game again. I need my life back.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 16:39
|
|
|
Quick question about some stuff from the beginning of Trespasser: If you never captured the Keep in Crestwood, what does Teagan complain about?
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 16:47
|
|
|
Don't you have to capture Caer Bronach as part of the plot? It's the only way to drain the lake and get to the rift. I was under the impression that you couldn't get to the Grey Warden without closing that rift.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 16:59
|
|
|
CuwiKhons posted:Don't you have to capture Caer Bronach as part of the plot? It's the only way to drain the lake and get to the rift. I was under the impression that you couldn't get to the Grey Warden without closing that rift. This is not actually plot required. Just skip past the town and the fort and go straight to meet Hawke and Loghain/Stroud/Alistair. Drainging the lake and dealing with the lake rift is a sidequest.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 17:01
|
|
|
Wasn't blowing up the Chantry and thus making everything worse kinda the point of Anders' whole plan? He clearly saw no way to change the circle system via reasonable ways so he wanted to start a war. Blowing up the Chantry made it impossible for anything but a rebellion/war to occur and it ensured that things wouldn't return to the status quo no matter the outcome. While he is clearly crazy at least his reasoning makes kind of sense, only in a horrible way.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 17:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 20:42 |
|
|
Head Hit Keyboard posted:This is not actually plot required. Just skip past the town and the fort and go straight to meet Hawke and Loghain/Stroud/Alistair. Drainging the lake and dealing with the lake rift is a sidequest. Then I don't know. Skyhold is technically in Ferelden isn't it? He'd probably bitch about that.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2015 17:28
|
|