Dragon age review and questions

Ambrose11 · #1 (**permalink**) 6th November 2009, 04:50 PM

I have played the game.
It feels like a Mass effect in some way, there is a codex with history/religion/creatures/items and so and so, it updates when you click certain books, or monuments, when you encounter a new creature or when you visit a new region.
It has a lot more complex fighting sistem, where you can create a very precise pattern for your allies, like "if ally has lower than 40% health use this skill", or "if enemy frozen/paralized use this skill", or "if ally * is attacked do this".Very complex, and it's next to impossible to win whitout it.You may have at most 3 allies.
They have secrets for you to discover, and you need to increase your relationship with them in order to do this by choosing some answers during a dialogue with them/solving a quest in a certain way/giving them gifts.
The voice acting is top notch.And the dialogue is well written.
The game railroads you at the beginning, but after that you have a whole big map to move on.
The graphic looks fine on medium to all settings, and I especially like the cinematics and the blood.After a fight your characters are covered in blood, even during the close ins that appear during the dialogue, which is very cool in my opinion.
You may create traps, poisons, grenades, potions.
The inventory is separated into weapons/armour/craft/miscellanous/quest items and all, and it has a certain amount of slots.This means that you may get, for 70 slots as an example (you may upgrade with a backpack) 70 different items, and you seem to be able to stack the same item without limit.
There is a way to influience an NPC through dialogue, barter for a bigger reward, by increasing a stat called "cunning" and taking the "coerce" skill.
Just like in ME you need to become a special agent which is called "Grey Warden", but after that the game lets you take the quests in whichever order you want.I haven't finished it yet.
In conclusion it is worthy for at least a playthrough.

Ambrose11 · #2 (**permalink**) 6th November 2009, 04:54 PM

Now for the questions.
The raise dead skill doesn't seem to work, but this is because I have the maximum squad members?
The "white flower" for the sick dog cannot by picked even when you climb on top of those logs.I think it's a bug.
Now for some spoiler

How do you become a blood mage?I am in the "wyrm's lair", have 2 pieces of the blood ritual scroll, but what next?Have I missed something, do I need to go back to the previous level?I am afraid to finish the level and have this area closed to me forever.

gtmofflin · #3 (**permalink**) 7th November 2009, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambrose11

How do you become a blood mage?I am in the "wyrm's lair", have 2 pieces of the blood ritual scroll, but what next?Have I missed something, do I need to go back to the previous level?I am afraid to finish the level and have this area closed to me forever.

I don't play the game, I just used google and got this:

Once you reach the part of the game where you have to complete 3 nightmares and 4 other things in the Fade, if you choose to sacrifice the child that you are saving, you will become a blood mage. You have to sacrifice the child, that is the only catch.

Ambrose11 · #4 (**permalink**) 8th November 2009, 11:53 AM

It's the quest in Redcliffe.Just follow it and talk with the demon.

hahahaxp · #5 (**permalink**) 14th November 2009, 03:41 PM

I am about 26 hours into the game and it tells me I am 13% complete with the game. I just thought, wow this is going to be a very long and productive game hopefully. It feels alot like KOTOR besides it being based in more of a medieval theme. The mechanics feel similar. I am enjoying this as much as I enjoyed KOTOR and KOTOR 2. It's a shame COD:MW2 seems to be taking up more of my time now though..

xrnzaaas · #6 (**permalink**) 15th November 2009, 03:25 PM

Don't be fooled by the percentage, because it also counts collecting books and other activities. Not only quests.

I've recently started playing this game and so far (Circle Tower) it's cool.

bobnoxious · #7 (**permalink**) 18th November 2009, 11:25 PM

i have put in about 30 hours now on my main character and it says i am aobut 25-30% (can't remember exacly...) but i must say that the game is not healthy for me... i have found myself staying up until 2-3 AM when i have an essay due the next day that i should be working on

Swift234 · #8 (**permalink**) 19th November 2009, 04:03 PM

I'm at about 26 hours of this game and have been able to get to "camp" only once. Is there something I'm missing? How do you get back to your camp, or can you set up a new one maybe?

xrnzaaas · #9 (**permalink**) 19th November 2009, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swift234

I'm at about 26 hours of this game and have been able to get to "camp" only once. Is there something I'm missing? How do you get back to your camp, or can you set up a new one maybe?

You have to be outside a building/dungeon. The camp icon is in the upper right corner of the world map.

Swift234 · #10 (**permalink**) 19th November 2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xrnzaaas

You have to be outside a building/dungeon. The camp icon is in the upper right corner of the world map.

I'll look for that. Do you have to highlight and select it...? Or is it an option that's only available sometimes? I've heard that you can't always go to it...