Dragon Age II, Part 2: The Qun is pretty deep, you wouldn't understand it.

[Phosphate]

My honest opinion?

The Qun is awesome, honestly :)). Dunno what to say about the Qunari, though.

[Zevox]

Bit o' News.

On DLC: Future DLC will be of the same type as Legacy (meaning large side-quest add-ons), and we can expect them to include characters like Varric, Leliana, Flemeth, and Morrigan.

On Dragon Age 3: It will deal with the Mage-Templar war (duh) and have the player moving between nations, including Orlais and Tevinter, to quell the fighting. They bragged that one of the maps is apparently four to five times larger than Ferelden (though what that'll mean in gameplay terms, who knows).

The main character will be someone new, no surprise there. Companions will keep the Dragon Age 2 approach to armor - unique look that can change over the game, but improves via upgrades rather than full new armor sets. Combat will revolve around "preparation, teamwork, and positioning," which news articles seem to interpret as meaning it'll be more like DA:O's for some reason I can't understand.

Personally, I'm quite happy to hear of the possibility of Flemeth and Morrigan being part of future DLC, as well as Dragon Age 3 including Tevinter among its settings (I'm very curious to see what things are really like there), and that it'll keep the DA2 approach to companion armor.

Zevox

[Giggling Ghast]

Bit o' News.

On DLC: Future DLC will be of the same type as Legacy (meaning large side-quest add-ons), and we can expect them to include characters like Varric, Leliana, Flemeth, and Morrigan.

On Dragon Age 3: It will deal with the Mage-Templar war (duh) and have the player moving between nations, including Orlais and Tevinter, to quell the fighting. They bragged that one of the maps is apparently four to five times larger than Ferelden (though what that'll mean in gameplay terms, who knows).

The main character will be someone new, no surprise there. Companions will keep the Dragon Age 2 approach to armor - unique look that can change over the game, but improves via upgrades rather than full new armor sets. Combat will revolve around "preparation, teamwork, and positioning," which news articles seem to interpret as meaning it'll be more like DA:O's for some reason I can't understand.

Personally, I'm quite happy to hear of the possibility of Flemeth and Morrigan being part of future DLC, as well as Dragon Age 3 including Tevinter among its settings (I'm very curious to see what things are really like there), and that it'll keep the DA2 approach to companion armor.

Hmm. Well, I'd heard of the new protagonist, but the rest of this stuff is new.

Well, except the part about Flemeth and Morrigan. If anybody actually expected never to see Flemeth or Morrigan again, then I have a bridge over the River Dane to sell them.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Any good archer rogue builds out there? About the only thing I know to do with archers is get everything in the Archery tree.

[Cristo Meyers]

Combat will revolve around "preparation, teamwork, and positioning," which news articles seem to interpret as meaning it'll be more like DA:O's for some reason I can't understand.

Kinda like how apparently Legacy was a "step back towards what made Origins great" when about the only thing they changed was having the enemy waves come from the ground...

Personally, I'm quite happy to hear of the possibility of Flemeth and Morrigan being part of future DLC, as well as Dragon Age 3 including Tevinter among its settings (I'm very curious to see what things are really like there), and that it'll keep the DA2 approach to companion armor.

Oooooh no, they already conned me out of money with Witch Hunt. I'll eat my own foot before I let them use dealing with Morrigan to draw me into another DLC.

[Arbitrarity]

Any good archer rogue builds out there? About the only thing I know to do with archers is get everything in the Archery tree.

Be Varric.
Otherwise...
On nightmare, Archery is a handicap, but otherwise it's pretty good. Get an Elemental mage, or at least some Primal, for Brittle synergy. I'd recommend Stealth and Speed as good one-point wonders, Assassin for Assassinate and Mark of Death (instantly pick off toughest target in a fight? YES), and Sabotage with Shadow, for lots of obscure and defenses.
Also, this makes Disorient infinitely exploitable, so consider Walking Bomb if not on nightmare. Otherwise, an S&S warrior does a decent job exploiting Disorient.

[Zevox]

Any good archer rogue builds out there? About the only thing I know to do with archers is get everything in the Archery tree.

Sure, archers are good in general. Very high-damage, just on a per-attack basis rather than a "flurry of criticals" basis the way two-weapon fighters go - plus that high damage transfers over to their AoE talents. The one thing I'd say is a must-have is the assassin ability Bloodlust, which restores some of your stamina for each kill you make, and is conveniently the first skill in the assassin tree. Archers need that since Rogues regain stamina for each attack they make, but archers don't attack particularly fast (at least without Varric's crazy attack speed boosts from his unique tree), unlike their TWF counterparts.

My own archer was stealth-based, taking most of the Shadow tree and half of the subterfuge tree to maximize her options for stealth and getting auto-crits for being stealthed. And of course she used the Speed skill from specialist, Blindside from Scoundrel, and most of the archery talents.

Oooooh no, they already conned me out of money with Witch Hunt. I'll eat my own foot before I let them use dealing with Morrigan to draw me into another DLC.

I liked Witch Hunt. Of course I had my first character romance Morrigan and wanted some closure for that, which seems to be the main thing Witch Hunt was made for.

I suspect future DLC involving Morrigan (or Flemeth) will involve more dropping hints as to what their plans are. Or at least, that's what I'd hope for.

Zevox

[Clertar]

Bit o' News.

On DLC: Future DLC will be of the same type as Legacy (meaning large side-quest add-ons), and we can expect them to include [...] Morrigan.

[Giggling Ghast]

Well, I did it. I managed to beat the Ancient Rock Wraith on Hard difficulty. Just barely.

Oh, I mopped the floor with the Ancient Rock Wraith on Normal difficulty, but I wasn't satisfied. I knew that I couldn't live with myself unless I beat the boss at the same level of difficulty I had played through Act 1 with my (canon) Warrior Hawke.

I still had to cheat by equipping Aveline and Varric with Lightning Resistance runes ahead of time. The fight required an insane amount of micro-management, and only my Warrior Hawke and Aveline actually survived. (That punk Anders went first, then Varric.) But I did it.

Now if I could only beat it on Nightmare difficulty, I would finally prove my manhood.

But in case any of you has an issue with me bumping this thread just to brag about my mediocre achievements, here's a link to some totally sweet Morrigan cosplay:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/gall...6/112821/463.1

[Mukora]

Someone should cosplay as Sten. Then I'll be impressed.

[Arbitrarity]

My nightmare Rock Wraith (first playthrough, I didn't know it was coming >.>) took like 15 tries with Varric, DW rogue Hawke, Merill, and Anders.

It was bad. I ended up doing full-party kiting by stationing everyone in different corners, and had electricity staves equipped for some of the earlier attempts.

[Giggling Ghast]

Someone should cosplay as Sten. Then I'll be impressed.

It was bad. I ended up doing full-party kiting by stationing everyone in different corners, and had electricity staves equipped for some of the earlier attempts.

I ended up separating the party as much as I could. Most of its attacks are manageable except for when the Ancient Rock Wraith balls up and rolls around the room. Oy, that attack.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I just realized something that, while unaddressed in DA II, is relatively important involving Mabari hounds:

How the heck do the special "warpaints" you find make your hound more powerful? From the description you get from the Ash Warriors at Ostagar, kaddis isn't a visible identifier, but rather a scent-based tool. Hounds recognize their owner by scent, but in a fight where everyone's covered in blood, everyone smells the same, so hound and owner wear the same kaddis so the hound can smell something stronger than the blood and know where his owner is. But how do you get a "magic" kaddis that can improve the dog's strength or speed? Lyrium dust seems like the obvious choice, mixing it in with the other kaddis ingredients, but that presents two problems: 1, how do they decide what effects said kaddis will have, and 2, it seems likely that the lyrium would poison the poor dog.

And for that matter, why is it that only the DOG gets kaddis? You're the owner, you should be wearing it too, since the whole point is for you and the dog to smell the same so he can recognize you.

[Drakyn]

1, how do they decide what effects said kaddis will have, and 2, it seems likely that the lyrium would poison the poor dog.

And for that matter, why is it that only the DOG gets kaddis? You're the owner, you should be wearing it too, since the whole point is for you and the dog to smell the same so he can recognize you.

1: The same way they decide that this particular magic sword will make you slightly stronger when you hold it, while THIS one will deal 10% bonus damage vs darkspawn. Whatever that is. I presume it involves wearing a dress and waving a glowy stick around.
2: They probably make it out of whatever the hell they use for lyrium potions. Omega-3 fatty lyrium or something. Thus creating the real difficulty: trying to persuade the dog not to lick off his delicious, nutritious enchantments.

And for the last, between loading screens you rub some kaddis off him and dust your armpits with it. He's a dog - you don't need to be dunked in the stuff before he smells it. Plus, it acts as an efficient deodorant.

[Giggling Ghast]

I could attempt to explain away the effectiveness of kaddis as a special herbal solution that enhances certain traits already present in mabari, which are themselves magical creatures. (Yeah, they're dogs, but let's face it, they're magic dogs.) People can put kaddis on themselves but it only marks them as "not-targets" to mabari.

But all that is handwaving. The actual reason that kaddis works is because Dog needed a second armor set to make him slightly more effective as a party member. There's a limited number of accessories that you can put on a dog, unless you're one of those people that knits special sweaters for their pets. Since dog collars were already used, "magic paint" was invented.

In other news, I guess there's going to be an announcement this Friday about that Redemption webseries.

[Joran]

Finished Legacy.

I might replay it again with Varric; I'm sure he'd have more interesting things to say than Merrill did. Although, Merrill did have a very interesting and slightly scary look when I completed the Dumat sacrifice.

Stuff about sibling:

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If your sibling survived Dragon Age 2, can you bring him/her along? If so, are there interesting bits of dialogue?

Stuff about origin of Darkspawn:

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So, it seems like the origin story of the Darkspawn is true. Or at least the Magisters went to the Golden/Black City and were cursed to be Darkspawn. Does this mean the Chantry is right?

[sihnfahl]

Stuff about sibling:

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If your sibling survived Dragon Age 2, can you bring him/her along? If so, are there interesting bits of dialogue?

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There is an achievement for taking them in; you have to start over and do it in Act 1, of course, before you head to the Deep Roads.

Stuff about origin of Darkspawn:

Spoiler

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So, it seems like the origin story of the Darkspawn is true. Or at least the Magisters went to the Golden/Black City and were cursed to be Darkspawn. Does this mean the Chantry is right?

Spoiler

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Right ... and wrong, I believe. The entry of the Magisters did not corrupt the City; it was already corrupted. The Chantry maintains the idea that the Magisters caused the corruption, I believe, in order to keep the mages on a tight leash (and avoid another Imperium).

However, they were affected by the corruption there to become the first Darkspawn. They maintained their intelligence and self-will, though...

[Joran]

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There is an achievement for taking them in; you have to start over and do it in Act 1, of course, before you head to the Deep Roads.

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Oh, so if you do it after the game, your sibling isn't available?

Bethany... died in my playthrough. /sob.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

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Depends. You CAN do it after the Deep Roads if your sibling either was left behind and joined the Circle/Templars or brought them to the Deep Roads along with Anders so he/she could join the Grey Wardens.

[Joran]

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Depends. You CAN do it after the Deep Roads if your sibling either was left behind and joined the Circle/Templars or brought them to the Deep Roads along with Anders so he/she could join the Grey Wardens.

Oh okay, that was my question. Although, Dragon Age II has been out awhile, so I'm unsure if spoilers are still necessary.

Spoiler

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Right ... and wrong, I believe. The entry of the Magisters did not corrupt the City; it was already corrupted. The Chantry maintains the idea that the Magisters caused the corruption, I believe, in order to keep the mages on a tight leash (and avoid another Imperium).

However, they were affected by the corruption there to become the first Darkspawn. They maintained their intelligence and self-will, though...

Hmm... Reading through the Wiki, it seems like the Golden/Black City is visible in the entirety of the Fade. So, assuming it was visible before, it should have been Golden (hence the name), then turned black right about when the Magisters gated into it. Whether their mere presence corrupted it as the Chant of Light says is a matter of dispute. The magister claimed it was black when he got there, but maybe the gate INTO the Golden City corrupted it.

My Hawke mentioned how we'd never truly know the whole story because everybody from that era is dead. Just like Andraste. Who we know is Flemeth ;)

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Oh okay, that was my question. Although, Dragon Age II has been out awhile, so I'm unsure if spoilers are still necessary.

Everybody else was doin' it, so I assumed I had to as well, just to be safe.

[sihnfahl]

My Hawke mentioned how we'd never truly know the whole story because everybody from that era is dead.

Oh, you could find someone who would know a bit more of the story - if you could believe them.

One of the Spirits or Demons - if you can take what they say as truth...

[Joran]

Oh, you could find someone who would know a bit more of the story - if you could believe them.

One of the Spirits or Demons - if you can take what they say as truth...

True, but do they know about the Golden/Black City other than "Hey, it's there in the sky"? I guess you could ask an Old God, but that's just as bad an idea.

[sihnfahl]

True, but do they know about the Golden/Black City other than "Hey, it's there in the sky"? I guess you could ask an Old God, but that's just as bad an idea.

Probably would - if it's the major feature of the Fade, I think they'd learn something about it.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

In Awakening, you can talk to Justice about the Maker and he says that the spirits and demons honestly don't know. Some of them believe in a creator, but they're not sure what it was or where it is now. Sure, there are demons that claim there IS no Maker or Golden City, but I think that was more along the lines of demonic trash talking, attempting to demoralize the Templar castigating them.

[Giggling Ghast]

New DLC coming out Oct. 11 called "Mark of the Assassin". Features the elven assassin party member named Tallis that will be available only during the course of this story. Looks to be a heist story in the vein of Kasumi's "Stolen Memory" DLC.

From what I've gathered, it's playable during the DA2 campaign like Legacy and features new banter with all your party members. There will be a couple new monsters, including some weird giant lizard thing, and some emphasis on stealth similar to what was available in Origins.

But don't take my word for it:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ex...gon-age/720938

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaants!!!

[Zevox]

New DLC coming out Oct. 11 called "Mark of the Assassin". Features the elven assassin party member named Tallis that will be available only during the course of this story. Looks to be a heist story in the vein of Kasumi's "Stolen Memory" DLC.

From what I've gathered, it's playable during the DA2 campaign like Legacy and features new banter with all your party members. There will be a couple new monsters, including some weird giant lizard thing, and some emphasis on stealth similar to what was available in Origins.

But don't take my word for it:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ex...gon-age/720938

Ooo, that sounds interesting. I really liked Kasumi's mission, so something in that vein could be quite promising.

I actually still have yet to play Legacy even though I bought it, since I've been playing other games, but that could get me to come back to DA2 long enough to at least play through both as my first character.

Zevox

[VanBuren]

I'm probably really pushing it here, but it seemed unnecessary to start a whole new thread, and we've already had a kerfuffle about keeping Origins and II separate.

Anywho

Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin DLC Audio Interview

Major Nelson's 414th podcast includes an eight-minute interview with BioWare's Mike Laidlaw about their Mark of the Assassin add-on for Dragon Age II. Topics include Felicia Day's involvement, the questions that will be answered during the DLC, the wyverns and "trap-laden" dungeon we'll be dealing with, and more.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Anybody played Mark of the Assassin yet? I'm excited, since I'm downloading it now.

Also, Dragon Age Redemption is finally here, and it seems to be off to a good start. Also, THEY GOT DOUG JONES TO STAR IN IT! He seems to be doing a lot of web series these days. First Fallout: Nuka Break and now this!