Dragon Age: Origins fly-by posting

[lexin]

Even on 'easy' (or 'casual' as the PS3 version calls it) some of the Dark creatures are hard. I just spent the best part of an hour beating up an ancient Darkspawn over and over again. I really began to think I'd never win. Bloody things.

There was a spider queen earlier, too, which was more of a problem than it should have been if casual was actually casual. I hate to think what it would be like on 'normal'. As someone on my flist said, I'm in it for the plot not to keep dying all over the place.

Comments

[lexin.livejournal.com]

That would explain why I keep dying by inches...I would choose a mage for my first time out!

[cjk1701.livejournal.com]

Try a warrior, they're hardy. Or a rogue, and get Sten or Alistair to tank you by changing their tactics to "defender" and specifically protecting you. The tactics menu is incredibly versatile; I'm only slowly getting the full extent of what it can do.

My best fandom friend, on the other hand, plays only mages, and enjoys it. Takes all kinds. My own attempt at mage died *everytwhere*, starting with bloody Ostagar.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I tend to play mages and I do normally enjoy it. But now I'm dying by inches in the Wyrmling lair, not from the worm, which we haven't met yet, but from the mad bloke who thinks Adraste is still alive. I'm beginning to really hate him.

[cjk1701.livejournal.com]

Just wait till you get to the bridge puzzle. Though I hear it's easier on the console version than on the PC.

Mind you, the Landsmeet questline later on is magnificent. I'm very deeply in love with Loghain, and you get to see a lot of him in that, and make some tough choices at the end.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

That bridge puzzle...very odd indeed. I did it eventually, but kept on having to move the dog around. Why did I have the dog in my party? Your guess is as good as mine, but he's more use than Lalania(sp?).

I'd just about reached the Landsmeet questline when Zavren turned on me. Bastard! Obviously I've saved at that point and will return to it at intervals to see if there are any fewer assassins/more ooomph in my party. It should not be impossible to beat anything at 'casual', it really shouldn't.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I've given up on the mage for the time being - when Zevren turned on me, I just couldn't beat the group of assassins. Not nohow. So I'm going to try a warrior for a bit and see if that works out better.

Meanwhile, I've got to go to bed and then go to work. Which is a pity.

[cjk1701.livejournal.com]

Despite it being Easter, my bread didn't rise. :(

Also, while I'm utterly unfond of Zevran (look, ma, I'm inventing words!), I always get his approval to 50 at least, so he won't stab me in the back. Smarmy bastard.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! I didn't make bread this Easter, I bought it - and lived yesterday on toast and honey. Which was nice.

I'm still feeling my way with this approval thing. So far Wynne and Alistair think my mage character is the bees knees - but Morrigan isn't so sure, and obviously Zevren didn't like him. Not that it matters either way given the stuck-in-assassin-attack situation.

[cjk1701.livejournal.com]

Alistair is incredibly easy to become friends with; the problem is just avoiding him falling in love with you if you play a female. Morrigan can be won over with gifts and her personal quest (there's a handy gift guide at http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Gifts ). Zevran has two gifts that *really* matter, and a bit of flirting and sympathy go a long way (only then he'll try to get you into bed, male and female both). Sten responds nicely to firmness and all but outright insults, and Shale is... very odd. Better just give her the shinies to shut her up. Her personal quest gives quite a lot of approval, too. Oghren likes his drinks. A lot. Like, really a lot.

If you're planning on getting Awakening after, Oghren might be a disappointment. They've Al Bundy'd him even more in that one. But there's a *lovely* female dwarf companion in Awakening, to make up for it.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've really got to grips yet with the amount of chatting you have to do to the other characters. Maybe I'll get that right with the new character. I can see both of my characters giving in to Zevran if he tries to bed them!