Dragon Age: Inquisition

[21Kid]

Anyone else getting this?

I haven't been following it much, knowing that I'd buy it anyway. But, it is sounding REALLY good.

Multiplayer (http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/04/dragon-age-inquisition-multiplayer-builds-on-mass-effect-3-lega/?ncid=rss_truncated)- similar, but better than Mass Effect 3 (http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/27/dragon-age-inquisition-4-player-co-op-revealed-separate-to-cam/)

Epic story (http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/what-youll-be-doing-in-your-150-hours-of-dragon-age-inquisitio/)!

combat trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYZw98f58Xo

16 minute gameplay trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJjQVgXbbic#t=705

[TheBenior]

Eventually.

But between the current games backlog (Damn you PS Plus! ;) ) and the extra shifts I'm pulling, I can wait for the inevitable GotY edition.

[21Kid]

I should wait... with Destiny coming out next week. And I have quite a few 360 games to finish off too. :/ But, I really want to play it.

[Tom Servo]

I'm a little gunshy after DA2. I thought that'd be amazing, I think I gave up on it after a few hours.

[21Kid]

I'm one of the rare ones that liked 2 better than 1. So, I may be in the minority in liking this one too.:|

[TheBenior]

I liked DA1 more than DA2 (recycled dungeons... really?), but I still liked DA2 and thought that the complaining was overblown. Of course, I played the PS3 versions, and FWIU, combat in DA1 was already 'dumbed down' compared to the PC version. In fact, I thought that primarily staying in 1 city and trying to prevent war was a bold choice vs the usual 'save the whole world' plot of DA1.

[Leon]

If this is console based, I might give it a go.

Though, it will depend on my purchasing one of the current gen consoles, as I'm still back on PS2 and X 360.

[novicius]

Was this pushed back? Trailers said this was due Oct. 7th but Amazon shows a Nov. 28th date.

With no Skyrim sequel in sight with the release of The Elder Scrolls Online, I'm hankerin' for a quality open world-ish hack-and-slash. Considering this is Bioware, this will be linear as hell but I might give it a shot.

[21Kid]

I'd rather it be delayed than rushed like Destiny. :(
But, to answer your question... yes (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-delayed-a-month-will-releas/1100-6421247/).
Dragon Age: Inquisition Delayed a Month, Will Release in November
Executive producer Mark Darrah explains in a press release that the team needs more time to eliminate bugs and polish the game. "This last bit of time is about polishing the experience we want you to see," he says. "Ensuring that our open spaces are as engaging as possible. Strengthening the emotional impact of the Hero's choices. And ensuring the experience you get is the best it can be in the platform you choose to play on."

It's not supposed to be that linear though.


"You've got a main plot, with branching decisions and exclusive content," explained Lee, "And then you've got exploration. The way we merge those two things together is through the Inquisition, [which is] your organization, and the War Table, which you saw a little bit at the press conference. Players now have the freedom in Inquisition to get involved in the story whenever they want, or not. They can use the War Table to go and explore a new area. They could spend 15 hours in that area if they wanted to. They could come back and go, 'Okay, now I want to get involved in the story again' and go do and part of the story.

Ray Muzyka, BioWare's former CEO, said in an interview with Wired.com that Dragon Age: Inquisition would be influenced by more open world games, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which BioWare is "checking out aggressively." Also, the developers promised their fans that they will no longer reuse environments, which was considered a main issue in Dragon Age II. Regarding the more open-world nature of the game, BioWare has stated that while they looked to Skyrim for inspiration, it will not be quite that open.

[novicius]

Sounds good. :up:

Some repeatable mini-games (hunting evil minions/game, busting brigands, random dungeons) in addition to a central story is pretty much all I ask. Never again in this lifetime will I be expecting Morrowind... #sob

[21Kid]

Yeah... But, Morrowind was broken. ;)

[novicius]

Mmm yeah, broken in all the best ways... :twisted: #daddysgoodlittlegirl

[novicius]

Dragon Age: Inquisition multiplayer is a 4-player co-op mode that’s essentially a dungeon crawl, pitting players against various monsters and challenges and rewarding them with sweet, sweet loot. Unlike Mass Effect 3, multiplayer in DA:I will not impact your single-player game. Playing MP won’t unlock anything in SP and vice versa. The MP mode runs alongside SP in a narrative sense, with the MP characters functioning as hirelings of sorts for the Inquisitor, running operations on their behalf.

The idea is quick engagement. Players join up and crawl dungeons, finding gold and items and then using that gold to unlock new items and mods, potions, and crafting, etc. Crafting the right armor unlocks new characters. At launch a total of 12 characters—four from each class—will be available. BioWare plans on releasing more characters and MP adventures in the future as well, with promises of lots of DLC in the pipeline—all of which, surprisingly enough, will be free.
Ready to saddle up, Kid? :D



Indeed, the only MP monetization BioWare has built into the game is premium currency they’re calling Platinum. It’s basically a time-saving currency you can buy with real money, though the developer assures us that all content will be accessible to everyone.

“There will be no pay walls in Dragon Age multiplayer,” according to BioWare. “Everything is accessible with gold coins. You can use premium currency, but you don’t have to.”

This is mildly worrisome. Nothing is worse in mobile gaming than the dreaded real-money Gem. Hopefully DA:I multiplayer isn’t built along the same lines as something like EA’s mobile disaster Dungeon Keeper.
As long as I'm not forced to PvP with people that have paid more than me, I'm fine with it. I don't worry about this in GTA5 and I'm not going to worry about this here.

[21Kid]

:? what do they mean by this part?

Unlike Mass Effect 3, multiplayer in DA:I will not impact your single-player game. Playing MP won’t unlock anything in SP and vice versa. The MP mode runs alongside SP in a narrative sense, with the MP characters functioning as hirelings of sorts for the Inquisitor, running operations on their behalf.

I don't remember the multiplayer having anything to do with the story or single player game in ME3. :? It was almost like a stand-alone game.

Sounds fun either way. :D

[Kchrpm]

Multiplayer in ME:3 affected the size of your army in single player.

[21Kid]

It did? I think mine was maxed out about 1/2 way thru the game. That's probably why I don't remember it. I probably would have been fine without it.

[21Kid]

Pre-Download (http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/29/dragon-age-inquisition-pre-loading-now-available-on-xbox-one/?ncid=rss_truncated) is available. :erm: Isn't this just a tease anyway? You still can't play it until it releases.

I'm going to buy the disc anyway so I can possibly re-sell it later if I want to. Unless it's $10 cheaper, I don't see the appeal of digital downloads personally.

[Kchrpm]

Pre-Download is so you will be able to play just as soon as the people who pick it up at midnight release, is my guess.

[21Kid]

I get that.... But, two weeks early? I'd be twitching to play something that's sitting on my Xbone and has all the content waiting for me. :twitch:

[21Kid]

Apparently it's because with EA's access (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-to-play-dragon-age-inquisition-one-week-early-/1100-6423353/) you can play for 6 hours, a week early. :smh: EA. :(

n a post on the official EA website, the company writes that your EA Access membership will "get you into Dragon Age: Inquisition on November 13." You'll have access to a six-hour trial, during which you'll be able to "create your hero, form your Inquisition, and take your first steps into Thedas, exploring the world and battling evil in both real-time and tactical combat." Your progress will carry over to the full game when it comes out, provided you decide to buy it, and the membership will also net you a 10% discount if you buy the game digitally from the Xbox One online store.

EA Access is currently an Xbox One-exclusive service that costs $5/month.

I don't remember reading this earlier... But, YAY!!!

BioWare producer Scylla Costa said Dragon Age: Inquisition's multiplayer mode will include "lots of DLC" featuring new heroes and more levels. But don't expect to have to pay extra for any of this or sign up for a subscription. "It's all free DLC for everyone," Costa said.

[21Kid]

joystiq reveiw (http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/11/dragon-age-inquisition-review-tipping-the-scales/?ncid=rss_truncated)

Dragon Age: Inquisition is an immense fantasy epic, a sprawling adventure across the many landscapes of Thedas, unapologetically mature in its exploration of politics and brazen in its combat. Inquisition is also developer BioWare's redemption song. It's everything that a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins should have been, and time will slip by as players enjoy the hundred hours of escapades it delivers.

The end of Inquisition's spectacular first act gave me chills. The last time I can recall that feeling is when the Normandy was reintroduced in Mass Effect 2. It's the chill of being at the beginning of a grand story and anticipation for what's to come.

Inquisition is the thoughtfully conceived world of Dragon Age living up to its potential. Origins looked dated when it first launched. Dragon Age 2 lacked scope. By comparison, Inquisition's arresting Hinterlands, the first massive open area players can explore, is full of things to do and collect. There are several of these lands in the game, along with mission-based set pieces and the player's hub fortress. This is the sequel fans were hoping for all along, and new adventurers will be eased into this next generation of Dragon Age.
:D

[novicius]

Preordered through the Microsoft Store, should receive a $10 MS Gift Card/code.

[21Kid]

That's just for the digital download, right?

[novicius]

Is it? I clicked through my XBL Rewards email and was able to select the box with the gift card/code -- an email hasn't shown up yet tho'... :erm:

[GreatScawt]

You typically buy physically copies from the MS Store. I always use the $10 MS money deal with MS Store physical pre-orders.

[novicius]

Well I've received the game, installed it, updated it with patches/DLC/whatever... and have yet to play it! :lol:

I'll be on tonight, noodling around making 'toons and checking out the Online portion. :up:

[21Kid]

I played the 2 hour intro. :eek: Seems like it will be very fun. I'm debating whether I should stay with my Rogue Archer, as I've used in the past two games though... or If I should switch it up.

Did you update your history in https://dragonagekeep.com ?
I can't seem to get my Xbox account to link. :( Although I have my PC and PSN linked. :erm:

[novicius]

Nope, didn't know that site was a thing. Doesn't like my phone browser tho'.

Heh, came home at lunch to give the Multiplayer a spin -- the Origin account step is garbage...

[21Kid]

Origin doesn't agree with Chrome either. :| I had to use IE. :rolleyes:

[novicius]

Ok, after some online Multiplayer gameplay only, here are my initial thoughts:

1. It sure looks pretty! :up: Colorful and luscious when running on the XBONE, hard to imagine it looking better on PS4/PC. I'm sure it is, just tough to imagine missing anything glaringly obvious.


2. Still not the place to come get your swordfighting fix. ;) #snark

I remember seeing videos of earlier Dragon Age games, seeing the action fall short of Skyrim's simplistic interpretation of "The Phrase of Swordfighting", and coming away unimpressed.

Blocking is a state of mind -- also, a 360-degree effect that is either on or off. You hold the Block button until your enemies attack once and become temporarily Stunned, then you hold the Attack button to get off a few attack animations before getting back on that sizzlin' hot 'hold-the-Block-button' action. :lol:

Nevermind where your shield (or guard position if you're wielding a two-handed weapon) is pointing, you're safer from monsters' attacks when holding that button. Hold it down long enough and you'll start building up bonus Health (little pieces of armor begin appearing over your Health meter).

Playing as a level 1 Dwarven Legionnaire, I would Sprint into combat with some baddie, hold up my Block, get hit and stun the enemy monster/fighter, and then my team would wail on the sucker while I timed his recovery and next attack. With millions upon millions of Dragon Age titles sold, obviously this is gameplay that sells. Just sayin', Bushido Blade, this is not. :lol:


So yeah, if you buy-in, be prepared that the action is arcadey. It's one step more complex than the original arcade coin-op Gauntlet -- which is perfectly fine and fun in a beautiful dungeon crawler! I'm looking forward to really diving deep tonight.

[novicius]

Aha! My bad, directional blocking IS important! :D

Excellent, much better...

[21Kid]

Argh!!! EA & origin frickin suck! I had to download the origin program in order to link my Xbox live account. Only to find out, nope that is linked to a different account. WTF? How is that possible? A different email address maybe. blah. I give up. :smh:

[novicius]

Yep, EA/Origins servers/email/2nd username system is just terrible. I struggled through it because I wanted to play online tho'.

[novicius]

I spent the night playing Dragon Age: Inquisition Multiplayer (http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Age:_Inquisition_multiplayer) (henceforth "DA:IMP"). Referring to the reddit boards, watching other gamers play, trying to figure out the ways around the restrictions of a new game, you know how it goes.

Multiplayer is completely different from the Single Player game. You only control 1 character on a team of 4 (no jumping around to control other 'toons) and you level up by fighting through three multiplayer campaigns (Elven Ruins, Orlesian Chateau and the Tevinter ruins). The level cap sits at 20 and as always, the levelling is quick! Once you hit level 20, you can "promote" them, returning them to Level 1 but now granting all characters a +1 to either Constitution, Cunning or Willpower.

When you log onto DA:IMP, you're presented with a dozen pre-generated characters, of which three are unlocked:

1. Korbin, the Dwarven Legionnaire (Parent class: Warriors)
2. Hall, the Human Archer (Parent class: Rogues)
3. Neria, the Elven Keeper (Parent class: Mages)

Additional characters (http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Age:_Inquisition_multiplayer#Characters) can be unlocked by crafting their armor.

::

Most Pubbies are clueless; they run past hidden treasure rooms, they run around drawing aggro from other monsters, they trigger Healing Fountains even if nobody needs them, classy things like that. But I've been having some good luck in that I've been seeded with more than a few quality players. It really helps that most gamers play either the Archer or Keeper to start; Legionnaires seem to be in somewhat short supply, making my presence on a given team a welcome one.

Play is much like Fable or Enclave from the original Xbox: a third person POV hack-and-slash RPG. My initial thoughts above are quite different than what's happening in the Single Player game so definitely take that into consideration -- Kid, you should post up your impressions since you're far further in the single player game than I am.

[21Kid]

Why didn't you invite me? :(

I'm not that far into the single player, honestly. I made it through the two hour intro and have done some exploring around the first open area that you go to. I take a lot of time to play these games :( because I like to pick up every herb, open every chest, help everybody out, etc... So, I've done quite a few side missions and haven't really advanced the story much.
I went back to the "War Room" and sent some of my peeps out to do some missions. It's a bit different from AC: Brotherhood, where the people that you sent are actually part of your team. In DA, there are people that control certain aspects of your "army", such as intelligence, troops, political, etc... and you basically just pick the faction that you think would best interact with the situation.
i.e. There are bandits bothering a village. Do you send the army to destroy them or a spy to infiltrate and cause them to change their mind.
It doesn't add much to the game, honestly. From the missions I've done, I've received 129 gold, a useless sword, and some crafting materials. I don't know if the rewards will get much better. If so, it may be more worthwhile later on.

Some of the side missions also open up other areas. In one, you have to look through a telescope for glowing markers that indicate an object, and then go and pick them up.

The weapon crafting is also a bit different. You get a sword, bow, staff, etc... and then can craft additional handles, bowstrings, etc... to further enhance them. You need materials found in the world to do this also. But, you can choose what kind of handle to craft. Iron improves overall damage, while other items will increase critical chance, or other stats. it adds another level of upgrades besides the standard character leveling, which is nice.

[novicius]

Much like Destiny, reward drops in DA:IMP are subject to the fierce and ruthless whims of an angry RNG. Also like in Destiny, there are Rare Items in Blue and Legendary Items in Purple (the equivalent "Exotic" items are apparently white). Lastly, your reward drops are just yours and when you get free swag in your Inventory, you can break them down into smaller components... just like in Destiny. :lol:

I'd been fooling around with the Crafting elements in DA:IMP (no clue if they are the same in the DA:I Single Player game) but after reading up on Reddit as well as talking to random gamers anecdotally, apparently you should not modify any of your gear until you've built the Armors to unlock every character. Now I'm kicking myself since I've spent some of my precious materals (aka "Mats") upgrading gear. :|

Also in the realm of kicking oneself, I burned my Stat Points purchasing all Special Attacks for the Legionnaire... only to realize that you can only map 4 Specials at a time. :| #wastedpoints I mean I'll get the points back after I Promote the character @ Level 20, it's just a PITA. Plan your upgrades!

::

I've got my Korbin, the Dwarven Legionnaire up to level 16 now. For his ability tree, I went full sword-and-board (subclass: Guardian). The game did reward me with a Purple Shield last night, so I didn't have to wait as long as Destiny made me wait for my 1st Legendary... :D

[novicius]

Why didn't you invite me? :(
Sorry bud, I saw you were in the Single Player game, thought you wanted to work on that! ;) #nexttime

[21Kid]

I just play the SP if no one else is playing, or I don't notice they're playing something that I want to play. (sorry) I'm down for MP any time. :) I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to play the SP other times.

[21Kid]

So, DA:IMP is a Destiny/ME3 hybrid?

[novicius]

Got it -- next time I see you on I'll shoot you an invite, bud. :up:

::

In all honesty, I never played ME3 Multiplayer so I can't comment.

My complaints about the swordfighting have lessened since learning that Blocking is directional. Now I charge the biggest baddies, taunt them and their cronies while hacking away at them with my Lightning-charged Dwarven Waraxe, block with my shield in time to their attacks, taunt again at intervals while hoping the other teammates are clear for long-range fire or at least dealing with lower-level scum. Blocking two or three baddies is challenging and if any one of them staggers me, it opens me up for some serious damage from the rest, so the action can certainly get tense at times -- which is what I want. :D

The 3rd Person POV is rather remote and if you're backed up against a wall, the camera can get stuck or flicker around (but that's pretty rare). Variations on armor/gear exists but the materials you need to customize your 'toon are also hard to find. :| I do wish that there were at least a few cosmetic freebies you could change.

::

As a side note, while the Multiplayer Campaigns take place in the same 3 dungeons, the enemies you face change those dungeons. Also, they're big enough that you don't necessarily feel like you're re-running the same rooms over and over again; Bioware's Multiplayer Dev teams did a good job. :up:

[21Kid]

Don't they also randomize the dungeons? And I thought I remember reading that they were going to release DLC for the multiplayer portion for free...

[novicius]

Ah yeah they must randomize it! :lol:

[novicius]

After doing some research, the first character I'm going to unlock is going to be the Arcane Warrior (Mage subclass). I don't want to lose my tanking ability, I'm still all about the melee at this point and I'm interested in self-buffing for defense. I figure if I want to really sling spells, I'll work with the base unlocked Keeper class and hold off on Elementalist for now. #nerding

[21Kid]

I was going to start out with a mage class. So, that works out good. :)

[novicius]

I'll tank for you, Kid. ;)

As it stands now, the Littlest Legionnaire is pretty damn effective, even non-optimized. Of course I'm playing on the easiest difficulty, so... :assclown:

[21Kid]

Well, I'll be level 1, so I would be too. :assclown:

[Kchrpm]

RANDOMIZE IT!

[21Kid]

RANDOMIZE IT!That's what I thought of exactly. :lol:

[novicius]

What's that from? SNL?

::

Keep in mind for anybody following this thread at home, DA:IMP really is *barely* worth playing in all honesty. There is eye-candy and depth and complexity but much like Destiny, it's a four-player only co-op multiplayer against AI bots replaying three Campaign missions over and over again (but with the benefit of random dungeon maps). Each Campaign has 5 checkpoints, multiple hidden rooms, 1 side-quest per Campaign, and culminates at the end in a sizable skirmish with a Boss & minions. Same checkpoints with different details, flavored with user-selected difficulties and Player Character options, that's it.

I do not want to over-hype the multiplayer of this game at all. Either you like the action treadmill as-is (as I have warmed up to it and am going to spend some serious time here :D) or do not buy/stick to the Single Player game. #youhavebeenwarned #atleastthestoryisbetterthanDestiny

[21Kid]

It's from Halo 2(?). Keith made a spreadsheet to randomize teams, maps, etc...

I'd rather play a boring MP game with friends than a good one with randoms. ;) Plus, they've said they will come out with more maps and characters. ME3 MP ended up being pretty sizeable once all the DLC characters and maps were introduced. (They were free too.:))

[novicius]

Yep, *I* think DA:IMP is fun -- I just don't want people to think that I'm gushing about a multiplayer game that isn't there. ;)

[novicius]

Dragon Age: Inquisition DLC Brings New Single-Player Adventures, Inquisition Options (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-DLC-Brings-New-Single-Player-Adventures-Inquisition-Options-465579.shtml)


Multiplayer add-ons are also expected

Considering the success Mass Effect 3's cooperative multiplayer had with its free add-ons that brought fresh characters, maps, or weapons, you can also expect BioWare to debut multiplayer-specific DLC packs for Inquisition that add more elements for fans to enjoy during the cooperative online mode.

As of yet, BioWare hasn't mentioned any concrete details about the first add-on for Inquisition besides the fact that it will arrive first on the Xbox One and Xbox 360 and then on other platforms like PC, PS3, or PS4. :popcorn:

[21Kid]

FYI, if anyone hasn't played the earlier games, this will help (http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/11/14/dragon-age-in-5-minutes). Or like me, where I didn't finish the first one. Or if you just want to catch up... or forgot. ;)

[21Kid]

Just spent 45 minutes with EA (Origin) chat rep trying to link my Origin account to my current Xbox live email address. Why is this so difficult. It should take 2 minutes, tops.

My EA account was associated with my old email address that is no defunct. That'll happen when you have Xbox live for 11 years. There's no way to migrate it together though, obviously. :rolleyes: All because EA has to have all of their own proprietary BS. :mad:

[novicius]

I finally finished Level 20 with my Dwarven Legionnaire, promoted him (granting +1 Constitution to all my characters) and started over and Level 1. Hmm.

The +1 aspect really has me thinking that that's the last time I do that. Yes, I can go through and re-select my perks with greater knowledge now but man that is a lot of work to get over the hump to level 20. Better to have all of the 'toons sitting at Level 20 IMO. The grind from 16-20 is s l o w . :twitch:

::

I was gifted a free set of Assassin armor by the RNG so I've been working that Rogue variant up. Pretty sick (read: highly entertaining) so far. :up: :up:

::

Build discussions and comments on Reddit are interesting to pick through. Kid, if you're going to eventually rock a Mage class, look at building an Elementalist w/. Immolate, Stonefist, Firestorm, and Wall of Fire. ;)

[21Kid]

WALL OF FIRE!!!! :hard:

I got a rare bow, so I've been working on my archer class. I figured I'd work on whatever class I'm getting the best drops for, until I'm comfortable enough with them. I got a rare big double-edge axe :rawk: that I don't have a character to use it with yet. :( I'd like to unlock the Qunari armor... But, apparently you need 5 of one type of item, instead of just the base type. That's misleading and disappointing, as I have enough items otherwise. 4 & 5 for 9 total leather , but I need 8 of just one type. :(

[novicius]

Working with rare weapons is a good idea, Kid -- I've been slumming it with low-level weapons and making do with combat perks.

The Assassin is damn fun and flexible: you can either Stealth-up first and sneak around baddies for the flanking double-dagger backstab on enemy Mages & Archers -- or step up to the biggest bad guy on the battlefield, slash him up and fade away. Either play style works fairly well (tho' the latter will send you into Darkness if you're not careful).

But there's little more badassed than stepping up to the plate against a mighty demon after silently gutting their infernal support. :twisted:

[21Kid]

The problem is playing with :random:s online... and them charging past everything right up to the front and hardly having time to get a hit in.
Unless that's you in this case. :finger:





I also added a lightning gem to my rare bow to give it another +10 damage. :rawk:

[novicius]

Sorry! My Little Tikes Dwarven Legionnaire just loves gettin' his tanking on, what can I say? :lol:

::

I played with an Archer recently that would draw aggro and drag baddies from other regions into fights early just to mess with the people on his team. He'd fire at the farthest target he could with his superbow. After a bit, I cloaked and just followed him around, observing him.

When he eventually died I uncloaked and stood there, watching him bleed out. A strange and curiously hateful man. Without a word or assistance of any sort, my Assassin re-cloaked and disappeared... :finger:

[21Kid]

Multiplayer is fun. I've been doing some pretty good work with the Archer. I'm not sure about the other classes yet.

I think I may re-start the campaign again, since I have my history linked now. My JP-look-alike isn't quite how I wanted him to look. The mustashio doesn't look very good. :( I'm thinking about making a dual-wielding Quanari. The 10% melee defense bonus would be very helpful. The only thing I'm worried about is the AI characters starting a scuffle before I can sneak up on the enemy. And I don't really want to continually pause the action, tell them to hold back until I attack, and then pause again when it's okay for them to attack. I suppose the only way to find out is to try it out.

I like how you can start this game with the previous world's choices in tact, without having to use the same class and character. The worlds are connected, but not the main characters, which is cool. I wonder if they'll meet some day. ;)

[novicius]

Yeah, DA:IMP is a good time; it's fun trying to figure out good team combos. Obviously Legionnaire + Archer is a winning mix. ;)

The Elementalist is pretty potent -- too bad about the campy Las Vegas flourishing Criss Angel-isms. :lol: His voice is pretty annoying too, but at least he says some occasionally entertaining shizz.

I'm either going to go Mage or Warrior in the Single Player game -- stealth + managing a team sounds annoying.

[21Kid]

It looks like as soon as you go invisible, the party stops in their tracks. :cool: :up:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xn6_hcBo9Y#t=244

:? I tried to copy the current time in the video and it doesn't seem to work embedded. The action I was watching is at 4.05. He goes out to scout the enemy just as you were doing last night as the party waits. :)

[novicius]

Ah that's good to know. :up:

Heh, there was a game where I did go out and scout ahead, getting into position behind a Big Bad and I heard one of the other pubbies in my room say "Where's that stupid Assassin going? Dumbass."

Then, just as the others in my Party showed up within visual range of me, I slew the floating arachnoid Demon of Fear and two other enemy archers in its service before that punk could catch a whiff of the action... :finger:

[novicius]

I was been working through the medium difficulty level ("Threatening") in DA:IMP last night -- it's a noticeable jump in difficulty! Besides dying easier, you bleed out far quicker, you're doing less damage and there seems to be more baddies in general. But the money payouts are doubled, as are the XP rewards. It's really the best difficulty level to play on.

I've got my Assassin up to Level 19; I should top her off tonight and move back onto either my Elementalist or Legionnaire. Best to get one character of each parent class (Warrior, Rogue and Mage) up to Level 20 before meandering off on the various offshoot classes, I figure.

[21Kid]

Yeah, I was thinking about getting my base archer class to 20 and seeing if the hunter class was any good. If so, then I'll probably promote the base archer class to give my Hunter a bonus. :)

I need to get better so I can play on medium difficulty. :hard:

[novicius]

Playing on Threatening difficulty is doable if you get a good team -- bug even if you don't, it seems to pay out decently.

I've been playing a lot. I *so* wish there was more to the online play. :|

[TheBenior]

Dragon Age: Inquisition is $45 on Amazon today ($15 off), in case anyone's been waiting for a price drop.

I have enough games in my backlog to wait until the regular price drops, so I'll probably wait for a GotY edition.

[21Kid]

They added quite a bit to the online portion of ME3. Albeit, just new maps and characters. But, it was pretty decent for something that was added on to a mainly single player game. They'd probably do the same here, I'd think.

One thing that is disappointing is that saving up for bigger boxes in ME3 awarded you a better chance to get rare weapons and such. I wish the same happened here. It's rather annoying waiting for the random loot generator to give you something good. :(

I never noticed where the base stats were in the game before, but it looks like they start at 10. So, I guess a +1 for promoting someone isn't that bad. +10% is a decent bump.

[novicius]

Eh, it's too little payout for all that work. :down:

I've got four classes up to Level 20 and the grind is taking its toll. Do NOT buy this game for the Multiplayer alone, peeps!

[21Kid]

I thought that was a given... :finger:

[novicius]

I'm either going to go Mage or Warrior in the Single Player game -- stealth + managing a team sounds annoying.
I started my Single Player game last night -- straight Human Male Warrior with a sword-and-board approach. I will go full Guardian-style (Defensive Tank) skill tree with this guy (although I'm not real happy that I'm forced to accept "Taunt" right off the bat instead of "Block" :rolleyes: ). Being able to block ranged attacks is pretty important in DA:IMP and my initial foray in the Single Player game also shows it to have worth so it's something that I don't want to give up for my first run through the story.

...and yeah, it continues to look pretty. :D :up:

[21Kid]

I am getting beat up quite a bit in the stealth attacks. As soon as I see a bad guy I drop the smoke bomb. But, if I'm too far away, and I don't kill all the bad guys in my first attack, I start to draw aggro before my team mates start attacking. And if I get too close, the bad guys start to charge before I can stealth and I have to dodge a bunch of attacks before I can get behind them.

hmmm... Not sure if this is how I want to play the whole game. Which seems weird as I'm like 7 hrs in... But for a 100 hr game, I guess I would rather give up that time to make sure I'm playing the way I like to. Maybe I'll go back to my archer and try her again. :|

Not really interested in IMP unless it's with friends. I saw Dennis picked it up too though. :) We should all vanquish some demons! :D

[novicius]

There's a feat you can grab that will reduce aggro in the DA:IMP side; I'd assume you have access to it in Single Player, too. Also-also, you definitely need the Flank Attack perk: after you successfully hit twice with it, it will automatically stealth you. So you can roll in cloaked, Twin Fangs + Flank Attack, roll out cloaked.

Dennis has it? We will definitely roll together -- the three of us can get some work done! :rawk:

[21Kid]

I'd probably be able to get it eventually. I'm only lv 6 in single-player. It is muuuuch slower leveling.

[novicius]

Some Dragon Age: Inquisition Single Player thoughts now that I'm (hopefully) halfway done (Level 11 Sword & Shield Warrior):

:: I'm amused by the urgency the narrative takes on when I'm nowhere near the Character Level I need to be to complete these quests, it's high-larious. "Inquisitor, you're Level 10, you need to save those people right NAOWWWW!" *checks mission* *sees it's for Level 12-18* *goes hunting in the Hinterlands instead*

:: Speaking of the narrative, Bioware has done a good job through background sounds and storytelling crutches to try to set up epic battles... then you face wave after wave of 3- or 6-man attackers. Dynasty Warriors, this is not. :lol:

:: Love the look, the effects in the game -- mists, sunlight streaming through the trees, snow. It's really good. There are some things that don't look good: people's mouths glow a bit when they talk, some animation is pretty wooden. Still a damn fine looking game tho'. :up: :up:

:: Enemy Archers can die in a toasty fire -- but only after whatever flying/spinning/jumping hooded Shade/demon/whatever it is that pops up every time I try to close a glowing green Rift! :mad: Seriously Bioware, these little guys are annoying (and lethal) as hell. They would only be an annoyance if they didn't jump up into crevices, rocks and map imperfections from whence they safely hose down my party with their overpowered and constant Wintry Beam of Frosty Death. #stabstabstab

:: Equally, all reviewers that say "Get out of the Hinterlands! OMG! You're playing it wrooong!!" and other assorted whiny gamer blogvomit can get stuffed. You need every last XP you can squeeze out of the Hinterlands, don't think that you don't. Switching the game to "Easy" difficulty will only get you so far -- and then it will still hand you your ass in your hat. So fuck you, Kotaku blogger, gamers should sit their asses in the Hinterlands and grind herb-gathering until they're supremely high-level gatherers if need be.

:: Iron Bull? More like Flaccid Bull -- you'd think this guy would be a damage-dealer in your party with horns like that. Heart of gold, chin of glass. :lol:

:: Pros? Lots of different armor and colors to choose from. Cons? Can't mix-and-match.

:: Weapon obsolescence happens just as fast as in Destiny. I've worked hard to grind up the materials needed to bling out this sword. Too bad these Red Templars are falling all over themselves to drop these high-nickel steel blades that puts your cool Rare pointy stick to shame. Oh you spent time and mats to trick one of those out, too? Here's a new enemy that's dropping swords forged from meteorites. :lol:

:: I'm enjoying the four character party-ness of it all. Skyrim was lonely work and so is DA:I single player, too. The banter that pops up from time to time between characters in your party is a welcome addition. It does make me wish the entire game supported four-player co-op, of course.


::


So yeah, I'm having a decent time, I hope to be done with the Single Player game over this coming weekend. I'll get back to the Multiplayer aspect then. :up:

[21Kid]

I read that too and was like "Blah, I'm going to play this game like I do any other and take my time. I don't want to miss anything." I try not to read guides or anything unless I'm stuck or getting pummeled.

Yeah, those assassins and the rift demon's "Glacius's Killer Instinct uppercut" (is what I'm calling it) are annoying as all get-out. But, I guess otherwise you could just sit back and shoot them from far away without worry.

[novicius]

At least those subterranean demons can be avoided (provided you run around and jump like a raving madman) -- the barefoot 'n' hooded babushka demons jumping up to some 1 pixel shelf that I can't reach makes them literally among the toughest challenges I've come across. On high-level quests, when I see them phase-shift from the Fade into reality, I know I've got a Total Party Kill in my future.

I'm very glad that the mapping is better in the Multiplayer areas when you encounter them, they're not nearly as tough there. :thppt:

[21Kid]

While you can only fully close a Rift once all enemies have been defeated, you can still command your Inquisitor to disrupt the Rift while enemies are still coming out. If your Inquisitor is not interrupted, you can deal major damage to the Rift, and damage other enemies on screen, providing a powerful boost your attack. In addition, when you see new enemies forming, you can cast spells like Dispel to wipe them out early on.
http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/11/20/dragon-age-inquisition-hidden-functions-of-the-tactical-camera

I always forget this.
Some valuables can be turned into the Creature Research table to grant you added bonuses against certain enemy types. Stop by often to make sure you don't accidentally sell any of them.

[novicius]

Yep, my Warrior has a pretty good % bonus vs. Demons now.

Forgot about getting Solas up on the Dispel train. #whoops #good2know

[21Kid]

Yup, I completely forgot that I read that on the loading screen, until you mentioned it. :(

[21Kid]

Unlocked the Assassin last night. DO NOT try to solo with him on Lv. 1 :lol: #murdered

[21Kid]

Destruction Comes to Dragon Age Multiplayer

Dragon Age™: Inquisition - Destruction adds new paths to existing destinations. The conflicts raging throughout the world have upset the balance of nature. Wild creatures now roam the battlefield, introducing chaos as they attack both friend and foe. Best of all, you can download this pack right now, totally free!

[novicius]

Aw yiss! :rawk:

[21Kid]

DA: Inquisition is Today's countdown to 2015 (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/promotions/sales/countdown-2015-xbox-one-deals) game $38.99

[21Kid]

Been playing a bit of IMP lately. I didn't like my Archer's build, so I promoted him. Then I got a unique bow that makes enemies explode when I kill them, doing additional collateral damage to surrounding enemies. :rawk:
I tried one of the builds for maximum damage and I don't know if I like it... "Full Draw" just takes so long to fire that 1/2 of the time the enemy has moved behind a wall or is already dead. And while "Marked for Death" sounds like it would be useful, I just don't know if it is as helpful as it claims to be. It's probably that I'm just not use to it yet and am not using it effectively.

I played a few rounds with JP the other day and he is just as badass as you'd expect him to be. :cool: Would sure like to play with a whole room of friendlies. ;)

[novicius]

Send me a text if you don't see me on.

[21Kid]

:cool::up:

Although, I should really play the single player story... :lol: I'm only about 15 hrs in with my 3 characters. :eek: I kind of want to use the archer, but seeing that you start out with two of them in your party pretty early, it isn't making much sense. I feel more like using my assassin or mage.
Do you pick up Iron Bull or another mage soon? Solas is good as support, but doesn't help much with fighting. Cassandra is helpful at distracting and keeping them at a distance.

[novicius]

Not that I've seen.

I don't think I've picked up another Mage yet -- Iron Bull (Warrior) and Cole (Rogue) are the first two playable NPC's I encountered. I only recently encountered Dorian Pavus (Mage) and haven't added Vivienne (Mage) to my group yet.

JP has probably played through the Single Player game 10 times by now and knows all the best party combos. ;)

[21Kid]

So, I played the single player game some more and got THE Iron Bull, Blackwall, and Sera. Using Blackwall and The Iron Bull to draw agro while I stab them in the back is working pretty good. I use Solas to cast Barrier and freeze them and then just wail on them. Seems to be working decently so far. Closing the rifts is quite a bit more difficult however because they just spawn everywhere and I don't get a chance to sneak up on them.

Still having fun playing multiplayer. I'd like it better if the grind wasn't so long. Having to try and save up for items and hope the rng gods give me the items I need to unlock new characters. I really wish the Katari was better. :| Having Bull Rush with such low armor is just asking for trouble. Which I find a lot of. He's so fun to play though. :(

And you are right Carlo. That dwarf is just a juggernaut. I used him to try and work on the mace challenge this weekend and even at level 9 he's a beast to take down. Especially when his walking fortress regenerates your guard as they hit you. :cool: It just took me a while to get the kills, because he's so good at being a punching bag.

[novicius]

Yep -- the downside being if nobody else is playing him in your party, you HAVE to play him. :lol:

Also, he will get his lil' ass kicked on the higher difficulties, you'll just be the last to die in the party.

[21Kid]

FAN REVERSES DRAGON AGE AUDIO, CRACKS OPEN A HUGE SECRET
I didn't read it yet, as I haven't finished the game. Saving it here for when I do.




Before we go any further, this article contains massive end-game spoilers. Read at your own risk. (http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/08/fan-reverses-dragon-age-audio-cracks-open-a-huge-secret)

Also, did anyone else get the free red lyrium weapon pack (http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Lyrium_Reapers_Weapons_Pack)?
I have to get to Skyhold before I get these and my flaming weapons. I should probably do that soon. I'm just afraid I'm going to miss something if I go too soon.

[21Kid]

New patch details (http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/19/dragon-age-inquisition-patch-3-notes)

Fixed case that could cause keys to not drop in multiplayer mode.
Tweaked the balance of the Demon Commander in multiplayer mode.
Tweaked the balance of the Demon Commander in multiplayer mode.

and a few others that I have never experienced. Along with some single player tweaks. Should be coming soon for Xbox One and PS4.

[21Kid]

I don't think anyone's playing this but me... But, there are more free downloads available now.


It's a big day for Dragon Age: Inquisition, as BioWare on Tuesday will release two free expansion packs and a major patch for the open-world role-playing game. The two free add-ons, which were announced last week, are Dragonslayer (a new multiplayer scenario) and The Black Emporium (an in-game shopping destination).

Both expansions will be available to download today at no cost for all platforms.

[TheBenior]

I started it a while ago, but haven't been playing any games as of late. With the extra shifts I've been pulling on a regular basis, the wife actually wants to do stuff together on my 1 day off per week.

[TheBenior]

I ended up restarting DA:Inquisition since it'd been so long since I'd played it, and I finished the main quest, most of the side quests, and the Trespasser DLC while I was on vacation.

Random thoughts:
-Voice acting is on par with Bioware's usual efforts.
-My Cassandra was a bad bitch who single handedly brought down dragons (albeit rather slowly) after everyone else got wiped on more than one occasion.
-So much elven history turned on its side.
-Shame my choices from previous games didn't make their way into it (my Hawke was a chick, not a dude!). I'm not sure what happened there since I've had an Origin account for ages. Maybe I never uploaded things correctly before my old fatty PS3's laser assembly failed.
-Corypheus is a less interesting antagonist than The Architect was in DA:Awakening.
-Even if I thought DA:2 was as bad as some whine (which I don't, I just think it was flawed due to being rushed), I couldn't hate it since it introduced Cassandra and Varric.
-Sera just seemed like a weirdo to me.
-Trespasser and its epilogue do wrap up what happens with the characters, but overall it isn't a huge amount of content for the price. I get why the character wrap-ups had to happen in the final DLC, but if it weren't for that, Trespasser would feel even more insubstantial.
-I used Dorian as my mage, because I found mage Freddie Mercury (http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Pixie+The+Fairy/dragon-age-inquisition-039-s-dorian-is-fully-freddie-mercury--280933.phtml) to be more entertaining than Solas.

[21Kid]

You have to manually make changes to the Dragon Age Keep (https://dragonagekeep.com/en_US/) for them to carry over. Then upload them before you start the game. I had to restart a few hours in after I found that out. You can select Hawke as a chick. It worked for my game.

[TheBenior]

Eh, too late now, I've got a half dozen other games in the backlog. And even more if I include PS Plus games.

[21Kid]

You may want to keep it handy (or do it now) if you plan on playing another DA game. I think they plan on using this site for future game releases as well.

[Cam]

I bought this game a couple of weeks ago for 50% off after my brother's recommendation. Only just started playing it today.

[Cam]

How does multiplayer work? Is it PvP or like firefight?

[novicius]

It's co-op vs AI, like Firefight mode.

[Cam]

"Your journey ends." :lol:

[21Kid]

It was fun... I just never had any friends to play with. Otherwise I would have played it longer. It was sort of like ME3 multiplayer.

[Cam]

Well, I'm 50 hours in now. I'm quite enjoying it. It's great to have so much to do and so much interaction and dialog with other characters. Very refreshing after playing Halo 5 (hours to beat the story :rolleyes: ): Guardians.

I went with a sword and shield dude. I'm mixing up the characters I take with me on a regular basis. However, an all-mage party seems to work the best for me right now. I have encountered numerous bugs, but I'm not surprised after the bugfest, Dragon Age II.

[Cam]

I don't get why they would put six pages worth of text on a loading screen that disappears after 5 seconds. :?

[Cam]

I just spent about 1.5 hours in Skyhold's forge, creating and modifying weapons and armour. Item micromanagement is an understatement. :erm:

[21Kid]

Agreed on both accounts. I never understood those loading screens either. Some of them you even had to scroll down to read. :erm:
There was so many different weapons to build, but many of them weren't even worth it. :( Or I didn't have enough material to make the good ones that I did want. Not to mention crafting better potions too. It was nice to be able to plant a garden in order to find some of get some of the rarer items. But, I don't understand why I had to pick them, when we had a horticulturist at the base. :erm:

[Cam]

I'm going after Josephine because her family is rich and she has huge tracts of land.

[21Kid]

I did as well... I was a female Qunari. :lol: I towered over her.

[Cam]

I chose to play a basic human male sword and shield guy. I remember playing an archer in one of the previous DA games and felt it was the wrong choice.

[21Kid]

I played through as an assassin. I like their sneak attack moves... They just made boss battles tough since there's no way to hide during cut-scenes. :(

But, as soon as you go into the shadows your teammates hold their position until you attack. So, you can take out single enemies pretty easily with a 2x critical back-stab. And then your team-mates will attack the rest. Once I leveled up and got the hang of it, I was pretty effective. You unlock a skill that lets you immediately go back into the shadows when you kill someone. Very handy when you can one-hit kill people and go right into hiding.

I originally started as a mustachioed mage, but you find quite a few of them early and it seemed out of balance. Plus, the facial hair graphics leave a lot to be desired. :(

Have you played any of the multiplayer? It can be fun with friends that choose a particular role and actually work together. (Especially when Carlo is constantly saving your life ;)) Playing with randoms that just run to the finish (and leave you to die) makes it frustrating though.

[Cam]

No, I have not tried multiplayer yet. Sounds like I should not... unless we tag-team. :)

[Cam]

In the first half of the game, I felt like every fight potentially could be lethal. I was getting lambasted when I got into areas I should not be in yet. Now, after much careful crafting of arms and armour, both my character and Cassandra are pretty much invulnerable from the front. I fought two dragons in the last couple of days and both of them could barely touch me. They were LONG fights though. Iron Bull and Blackwall are cutting dudes down in a couple of swings. Sera and Cole can one-stab-kill fools. If I have all three mages in my party, enemies die from the onslaught of magic before I can even reach them. Poor Verric. I feel he's the least useful character. I've upgraded Bianca as much as I can right now, but it's not even close to the damage the other two rogues are dealing.

[TheBenior]

I also used Cassandra to single handedly tank some dragons in extended fights reminiscent of multiple episode Dragon Ball Z fights.

[Cam]

Say what you like about Sera being weird and all, but built as an assasin, she's a stone-cold murderer. :lol:

[21Kid]

That was my main character. ;) Same skills. Don't forget to train in a specialty. Basically every team member is one of the nine specialties. You can look at their skills before deciding which one to follow.

[Cam]

Finished it. Overall, I found it to be very satisfying. I completed nearly every quest available and topped out at just about 100 hours. I ignored several "collect this stuff" quests. That's a lot of playing. :) I'm kind of disappointed that it's over... so I started again with a Quinari Mage. :lol: It's funny to talk to Verric and he's only as tall as your crotch. :lol:

Noticed several bugs along the way. The worst of which was a quest to go to an elven ruin and collect sword parts. The final bad guy that held the final part got glitched in my game and I could not complete the quest, despite several re-visits to the site. More than likely would have been obsolete anyway. I crafted some pretty stompy weapons and armour by the end--waaay better than anything I found.

:up:

[Cam]

Oof, the North American female lead voice is terrible. :cringe:

[Cam]

My first playthrough, with a human male, I focused on one romance with Josephine. My second playthrough, with a female Quinari, I played the field, attempting romance with everyone possible.

Sara: Good to go straight away. Strung her along for a while before dumping her. She got mad at me, of course.
Blackwall: Told me right away that he felt the same way toward me, but refused my advances because there were more important things to take care of right now.
Cullen: Same as Blackwall.
Cassandra: Seemed interested at first. Later told me that she could not proceed because I was female.
Dorian: Was totally interested until he came out. Insisted that we continue to flirt, however.
Vivian: Flat-out refused my advances. She's in love with herself anyway.
Josephine: I sort-of avoided her because of my first play-through.
Varric, Solas, Cole, Morrigan, Liliana: Couldn't get a romance thread with them, despite watching for it.
Iron Bull: Entertaining romance thread. Finished the game with a steady relationship.