i am currently pretty proud of them for there commitment to keep improving the game at least. I just stepped on today and I am enjoying some improvements that have been added. it even feels like some optimization went in, as I am on an average/slightly below average machine trying to run high settings and it seems as though I've had a lot less frame drops today. they have also promised that content that they were trying to make but they ran out of time before release will be in added via patches. that is fantastic, seeing as most companies would either leave that work unreleased or put them in paid DLC.
btw, anyone know the cooldown exploit they supposedly fixed? it certainly wasn't mine as Varric and my rogue continue to be capable of spamming our abilities.
@shandyr well my own trick has to do with rogues, and works using the artificer skills. what you probably have is one of the skills in the fire skill line where after the mage crits the next spell they cast will have no cooldown. that is obviously intended by the skill. my own thing is a combination of skills that make my rogues capable of spam, and my main absolutely destroys everything with spammed twin fangs
I know nothing of the cut content, just that they said they would work on getting it all in game. guess we don't need to wait an an unfinished business mod this time around. i would like to imagine that if it were cut to begin with that this content is significant enough to not be a fetch quest though, or I imagine they would've been able to easily fit in a simple mission.
i just put a lot of work in today and finished most of the emprise du lion area. quite a tough area, and I still didn't do it's 3 dragons. i am actually not sure, but I think the boss in the keep even said something about gaxkang (kangaxx easter egg in DAO) amidst the fight. it sounded like it... but I am not too sure about that. seems random and I don't really see the corelation between the two. it seems I only have 2 open areas left now, so I think I could be done somewhat soon.
and hey, I realized I never did share my own inquisitor in anything but armor. decided if we have a picture with Andrew and Dorian that this is only suiting. i think this was the perfect place to take a screen of him
it's funny though that although usually in a Bioware game I am usually absolutely loyal to just one romance option that I never switch from, I am almost tempted into a few in DAI. i actually have a desire to try Cullen if I make a female Inquisitor as well as Solas, and I may try Josephine on a male. honestly, I don't even usually make females in Bioware games because I feel uncomfortable romancing from the other gender, but from what I've seen Cullen's may be a really good one. however I am not sure I really want to spend over 100 hours facepalming at the animations as I generally play from my main. it is bad enough for me already seeing it as much as I use Cassandra. I'll be waiting on that female to male animation mod before I do that...
@shandyr yeah, I went at level 18 on nightmare. it wasn't too bad until I got to the mines and the keep. the mines is a difficult place to fight in, and the keep is long and deadly. we had to use our regeneration potions to make it to the boss, and once there we quickly ran out of potions and he became a fight of running away trying to revive people. didn't help that one of his stages was a pride demon and they love to put armor on...
in DA2 I only romanced Isabella because I only played once, but if I have anything to say on that it is that making every character bi really did not help any of the characters. it was like preferences just didn't exist and everyone would flirt with Hawke. really made me a little mad how Anders wouldn't take the hint that I am not interested and just ended up hating me for it...
Dorian I can at least like as a friend without romancing him. I stood up for him and his preferences to his father, and he didn't then start advancing on me for doing so. I honestly don't care what someone's preference is, seeing as it's their life. it is also just nice that they wrote a gay character that doesn't have that as his primary trait. eventually you figure out and if you don't actively pursue him you could practically forget about it. that is good for his character overall that you can pursue him rather than the other way, where he can become an annoyance if you don't share his feelings lol. he is a very good character though and if I were more comfortable to be drastically different from myself or if I were gay myself I would probably go with him on a future playthrough.
I'm at the Tower of Bones right now (captured it already). The fights were quite tough. But now you make me dreading what is about to come Well I'll see soon. Will tell you how it worked out.
in DA2 I only romanced Isabella because I only played once, but if I have anything to say on that it is that making every character bi really did not help any of the characters. it was like preferences just didn't exist and everyone would flirt with Hawke. really made me a little mad how Anders wouldn't take the hint that I am not interested and just ended up hating me for it...
Actually I don't see the characters of DA2 as bi. Not everyone at least. I see some of them as "playersexual" that is they change their preference according to the main chars gender. So for a female Hawke Anders may be heterosexual, while for a male one he may be gay. I'm not saying this is "how it is". This is merely one way of interpretation.
I'm aware there are many people who rather prefer to see them as bisexual, which is fine. It's just a different way of seeing it.
I agree with what you wrote about Dorian. However I wouldn't say Anders was annoyed or hated Hawke for rejection. I interprete that situation differently too. But this is not the right thread to discuss that
So Red Templars, I'm coming for you
do I not remember right? i am pretty sure Anders loses approval when I turn down his advances...
really though I prefer each character to have their own sexuality. it is a part of a person and being playersexual just didn't feel right...
anyway, now that I am done in that area I certainly notice that the other areas are easier lol. i gained 2 whole levels in just that area and got some nice equipment. for the dragons I returned and managed to kill the level 19 one, but I haven't managed the 21 or 23 ones yet. I am now in the emerald graves where all my enemies are level 15 and it is really easy in comparison. next playthrough I guess I go to emprise a bit later. for now I am looking to get as much gear as I can to in these 2 areas so I can return and finish off the other 2 dragons before starting my next story mission which, seeing as I've managed to avoid looking at a walkthrough, I don't know if it is my last. seeing it's level requirements tells me there is at least a bit more to come, however, and I think I might take a small peak to make sure my feeling is right and perhaps go do that when I am done in the graves and leave the wastes for after.
so I've talked about how a lot of the side content is a bore, but I just found the most interesting side content so far. if you really don't want to be spoiled (which you shouldn't for this quest), I am going to just leave it in a spoiler box. it is in emerald graves though if you want to experience it yourself. I guess if you really want to know some of the best this game has to offer in side content:
We walked into a building in the emerald graves, and were greeted by darkness. My party commented on how it looked abandoned, but I guess that just means I can loot it. Walking through the dark corridors, the lights began to turn on around me. Something was very odd about this place. Seeing as I had no idea what was going on and I was genuinely curious, I started reading the notes I found around, which I generally ignore many of because there is just so much that I could spend hours reading these codex entries rather than playing in a session. A child talked about how they were lonely and made a "friend", and it became quickly clear that it was a young mage who met a demon. The child wouldn't be allowed out of their room during a party because the parents were hiding that they were a mage, but the demon promised to make the child not lonely. Supposedly, the demon killed all the guests, and later on the inhabitents. The backstory, the noises, the lights turning on, and eventually as I made progress, the walking corpses, made for a genuinely disturbing experience. Not really scary, as this isn't a horror game and it couldn't create that feeling, but it was very disturbing. I made progress by finding the hidden locations of clues that eventually led me to the balcony key, where I was properly rewarded with a 10 point boost to cunning (i assume the boost is to your class major skill, as I am a rogue). There was also a room that rewarded me with a purple staggering ring and a dwarven longsword schematic (random loot). Nice! After getting the skill boost, however, an arcane horror appeared, the demon behind all this. I put it down quite easily, as I overleveled it and it was unfortunately just a normal arcane horror. Still, it was a very well thought out mini dungeon that I really enjoyed.
Its a great game cos so much of earlier stuff gets cleared up. Leliana, Morrigan, etc, etc. But the controls are horrible! Only 8 buttons on the toolbar. Have to be out of combat to change weapons. The list goes on. Its fine if you are playing with a controller in front of a tv. A very poor port from console to PC
@shandyr lol I've had that happening to giants in the emerald graves. I see that they kind of launch into the air and take damage when they fall. as for the keep boss, I found him quite difficult on nightmare. we went in with 9 potions after using some after the restock. we had to immediately take down his fear form so that all the spiders would stop spawning. after that we ignored the rage form while we killed his two minions in the corners. luckily, like any rage demon, he was vulnerable to being frozen. the problems started at the desire demon mostly, as the amount of guard he generates was insane and difficult to take away, and we were out of pots at that point so if he hit someone without a barrier they would be down, and he was being very unpredicatable for me. luckily Cassandra as always had plenty of guard and continued to generate it with the help of barriers so she could be up most of the time tanking it, but his whip and his ranged ability would get my ranged people, and sometimes his close range whip would get my main. eventually we did get him after over 10 revivals in the fight, but it took a while, especially when he could regenerate his guard at any time and we have to work it back down.
also, the suledin boss would probably be easier with more warriors. strength gives a guard damage bonus, so Cass does a lot more to get rid of his guard than my rogue. honestly my rogue was doing almost nothing to the guard, and only really helped when we were dealing health damage. and that is with him doing his OP twin fangs ability over and over again.
finally found the helmet from the trailer, etc. it is obtained from the emerald graves dragon
also, that dragon was an absolute piece of cake for me. i saved my focus abilities until he was hurt to the point that he falls down and you are able to deal insane damage to him for a time. at that moment I then hit him with my 3 damage dealing focus abilities: hail of arrows from Varric, firestorm from Solas, and mark of the rift from the Inquisitor. the mark also slows down enemies within it, so we actually got extra time to deal damage. not only that, but it seems the mark can crit, so while it was active it was getting a very stupid amount of crits so I just spammed twin fangs over and over and he went from about 2/5 health to dead just from that absolute bombardment. i might have to try this on the level 21 dragon in emprise, if I can just get his health low enough to make him fall over.
wow... for the first time I am actually grinding for focus. i took another shot at the level 21 dragon, and got it down to half health. it did the falling things, but I couldn't do the same trick because I went into just after the other dragon fight. the way things were going I was fine, but then it turns out this is one of those dragons that summon dragonling! we held out as long as we could, but we couldn't take everything that was coming at us.
seeing as though I now overleveled the storm coast dragon, I decided to take another shot at that. i am now entirely sure that the dragons I hate most are the shock dragons. I hate that static cage spell (i think that is what it is using) and the breathe also does serious damage. to top it off it is another enemy that generates guard, so every now and then I need to take that down. i don't know if I am ever going to beat that one at this point. not on nightmare at least. for now I am getting focus to take on the level 21 again. i'll see about this one another time lol
@shandyr i've most kept away from serious spoilers other than what is in the spoiler box. other than that only spoiler I may have really given is an item location. most of it is just me saying what I am doing, which is pretty much just me killing dragons. also, lots of snoufleurs had to die for dragon destruction to be achieved...
I am sure Cole is great also. my main is a dual wield rogue, but me combined with Varric both being artificers makes it just so overkill! just get Cole behind some foes and twin fang them and you are all set for damage dealing. the back legs will be the weakspot on the dragons so go for that with twin fangs. i must say though that dragon fighting is repetitive. the only real difference are the elements, and the rest is kind of the same. still, I want to be as complete as possible and the goodies are worth it.
@shandyr i've most kept away from serious spoilers other than what is in the spoiler box. other than that only spoiler I may have really given is an item location. most of it is just me saying what I am doing, which is pretty much just me killing dragons. also, lots of snoufleurs had to die for dragon destruction to be achieved...
I am sure Cole is great also. my main is a dual wield rogue, but me combined with Varric both being artificers makes it just so overkill! just get Cole behind some foes and twin fang them and you are all set for damage dealing. the back legs will be the weakspot on the dragons so go for that with twin fangs. i must say though that dragon fighting is repetitive. the only real difference are the elements, and the rest is kind of the same. still, I want to be as complete as possible and the goodies are worth it.
I still don't understand the different body parts of a dragon.
The health bar is always the same on all body parts, so what is the difference?
mostly you just want to choose a body part in order to control where you are, but the back legs are also the best place for a dual wield rogue to attack. hitting the back legs count as the dragon's flank, so you get the damage bonus from it. for a warrior it is still a good idea to be in the back just to avoid more attacks. you can also get a rogue to dodge an attack by usings the teleporting attack on the leg on the opposite side, or with a warrior you could just charging bull to the other side. i am also not sure, but I believe the dragon falling over is only caused by dealing a lot of damage to the back legs. I could be wrong on that, though. it could also be that you do so much damage to one specific leg, or perhaps it is just luck.
making a lot of progress today. i have 2 dragons left, and I finished the forbidden oasis temple entirely. i think the reward was well enough worth it for gathering every shard in the game. i got a really sweet dagger, lots of damage, 34% critical bonus damage (my rogue's crit chance is 45%, so that is really helpful). i also got the frost resistant items and some shock resistance in the final room. i may try taking on both the dragons again. i have a good feeling about the level 23 frost one, but the shock ones I hate the most, and I may not be able to even kill that one. first I should go check out what I could make at skyhold to prepare me for this.
all 10 dragons dead. the shock one barely stood a chance anymore. i got slightly more used to it's deadly attacks, as well as having a resistance belt for Solas and 20 natural resistance for my main. whenever he used his cage thing where I need to seperate my people or they hurt each other I would actually get Cassandra and my main together and dispel them, and just keep Solas and Varric away from the others. now I also have so much attack that he went down pretty fast. i even messed up a lot of tactical things due to my lack of sleep at the time and most importantly I forgot to charge our focus. still, it is all done, and now I have a handful of sidequests left before I head straight through the story to the end. i think the next story mission will actually be stupidly easy now that we are level 23 currently, but that is better than having leveled enemies that make my power gained all for nothing.
just beat the game. game timer clocked in a bit under 150 hours. so, lets try to not get to spoilery here and talk some ending stuff...
final boss: at least there was a final boss, but Corypheus seriously felt like a pushover. when his dragon also was involved it was still no different than the 10 other dragons I already killed, and that was also a pushover. still, they didn't pull a murauder shields on us so I am grateful, just wish there weren't so many other fights that were harder.
the banquet: good job BW for bringing this back from Origins. it really created a lot of closure in both the games to be there celebrating and talking to your friends about what is to come next. Dorian's was absolutely my favorite one! i took so long trying to find how to respond that I had to reload because it gave me no response lol. "She hugged me. HUGGED ME. This is your influence." XD
ending the romance: honestly ever since getting involved in the romance it was a let down for the rest of the game. by that I mean they did almost nothing with it after the scene where you get the achievement. i was hoping for some closure on that front when Cassandra interupted me when I went to leave the party, but it basically went "Things are going to change now. I just wanted a moment before all that" *leans on shoulder, looking at sunrise from balcony, fade to black*
epilogue: good that they also gave us a proper epilogue like ME3 never did. this part I was quite happy with. I was explained how things were going in the future for many of the big organizations within the story. i felt like the world would go on with my character because of this, rather than my character and world ending with the credits roll
credits: could use original music not in game. yeah, I'll complain about the credits lol. i've found some good songs from credits, but I can't if you just give me the game soundtrack! for example I love that Origins used "This is War" in the credits.
after credits scene: ok, my mind is still trying to figure that out. really can't talk about it without spoilers
continued play: i took a moment to go around skyhold and talk to everybody. mostly all they talk about is their thoughts on the new divine, which for me is Lelianna. selfishness actually ruled that decision for me, as my Inquisi couldn't be with Cassandra if she were divine... though now I wonder about my warden and Lelianna! NO! I should've went with Vivienne if I knew she were an option lol. anyway, this seems to be before many of the epilogue events, as Lelianna is still here until we get a new spymaster, and many other events that are stated to happen are being referenced as something that is going to happen. i suppose they did this for those companions who stated that they would leave after a time to still be there. the saddest part for me however is that one of the companions is gone in continued play. this is explained in the after credits scene, but it sucks that I used this companion a lot and now they are gone. so much for continued play for me lol.
overall: not a Mass Effect 3. there is closure to be found here. unfortunately though the final moments toward the ending were still quite lackluster and overall too easy for a finale. i felt like I just started the end and then all of a sudden it was over just like that. i definitely think many games, such as Origins, did a lot better, but this was satisfactory. it mostly needs a more epic final battle to really make you feel like you've come to the end and victory is within your grasp, but there is that one obstacle left in the way tougher than any before it. then when you defeat it and everyone is celebrating you don't think "well, he was a pushover. i don't feel that special, you are all overexaggerating".
now I guess I find something else to play. not so sure about starting another 100+ hour playthrough of this right away lol
i can't help but notice that every time I finish a game I tend to spend days thinking about the ending. so far I haven't done anything but sit here thinking about it since writing that post. that sucks because I have my MP game to do tomorrow and my last final on Monday, and here I am trying to puzzle all this together lol
i can't help but notice that every time I finish a game I tend to spend days thinking about the ending. so far I haven't done anything but sit here thinking about it since writing that post. that sucks because I have my MP game to do tomorrow and my last final on Monday, and here I am trying to puzzle all this together lol
Same with me here. I always need some time after finishing a game. I tend to get a minor depression and need one to two weeks to work out everything.
Incoming screenshots from dragon no 2, next post
lol yeah I guess I would describe it as a "minor depression". i don't want to do anything but think everything through, and every consequence something would have, or what the future would hold. really though, that plot twist in the end is really getting to me, and I don't want to say a thing about it as I avoided in the long post. they seriously need a DLC to go into that subject because there is no way I could wait until the next game for some answers there. it is in a good way though, unlike what happened with ME3. after that released I didn't have this same feeling I get on other games, and instead it was just anger for months. they did good when I feel this way. now I wonder how I am going to get to sleep now though...
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btw, anyone know the cooldown exploit they supposedly fixed? it certainly wasn't mine as Varric and my rogue continue to be capable of spamming our abilities.
I know nothing of the cut content, just that they said they would work on getting it all in game. guess we don't need to wait an an unfinished business mod this time around. i would like to imagine that if it were cut to begin with that this content is significant enough to not be a fetch quest though, or I imagine they would've been able to easily fit in a simple mission.
i just put a lot of work in today and finished most of the emprise du lion area. quite a tough area, and I still didn't do it's 3 dragons. i am actually not sure, but I think the boss in the keep even said something about gaxkang (kangaxx easter egg in DAO) amidst the fight. it sounded like it... but I am not too sure about that. seems random and I don't really see the corelation between the two. it seems I only have 2 open areas left now, so I think I could be done somewhat soon.
and hey, I realized I never did share my own inquisitor in anything but armor. decided if we have a picture with Andrew and Dorian that this is only suiting. i think this was the perfect place to take a screen of him
it's funny though that although usually in a Bioware game I am usually absolutely loyal to just one romance option that I never switch from, I am almost tempted into a few in DAI. i actually have a desire to try Cullen if I make a female Inquisitor as well as Solas, and I may try Josephine on a male. honestly, I don't even usually make females in Bioware games because I feel uncomfortable romancing from the other gender, but from what I've seen Cullen's may be a really good one. however I am not sure I really want to spend over 100 hours facepalming at the animations as I generally play from my main. it is bad enough for me already seeing it as much as I use Cassandra. I'll be waiting on that female to male animation mod before I do that...
in DA2 I only romanced Isabella because I only played once, but if I have anything to say on that it is that making every character bi really did not help any of the characters. it was like preferences just didn't exist and everyone would flirt with Hawke. really made me a little mad how Anders wouldn't take the hint that I am not interested and just ended up hating me for it...
Dorian I can at least like as a friend without romancing him. I stood up for him and his preferences to his father, and he didn't then start advancing on me for doing so. I honestly don't care what someone's preference is, seeing as it's their life. it is also just nice that they wrote a gay character that doesn't have that as his primary trait. eventually you figure out and if you don't actively pursue him you could practically forget about it. that is good for his character overall that you can pursue him rather than the other way, where he can become an annoyance if you don't share his feelings lol. he is a very good character though and if I were more comfortable to be drastically different from myself or if I were gay myself I would probably go with him on a future playthrough.
really though I prefer each character to have their own sexuality. it is a part of a person and being playersexual just didn't feel right...
anyway, now that I am done in that area I certainly notice that the other areas are easier lol. i gained 2 whole levels in just that area and got some nice equipment. for the dragons I returned and managed to kill the level 19 one, but I haven't managed the 21 or 23 ones yet. I am now in the emerald graves where all my enemies are level 15 and it is really easy in comparison. next playthrough I guess I go to emprise a bit later. for now I am looking to get as much gear as I can to in these 2 areas so I can return and finish off the other 2 dragons before starting my next story mission which, seeing as I've managed to avoid looking at a walkthrough, I don't know if it is my last. seeing it's level requirements tells me there is at least a bit more to come, however, and I think I might take a small peak to make sure my feeling is right and perhaps go do that when I am done in the graves and leave the wastes for after.
also, the suledin boss would probably be easier with more warriors. strength gives a guard damage bonus, so Cass does a lot more to get rid of his guard than my rogue. honestly my rogue was doing almost nothing to the guard, and only really helped when we were dealing health damage. and that is with him doing his OP twin fangs ability over and over again.
also, that dragon was an absolute piece of cake for me. i saved my focus abilities until he was hurt to the point that he falls down and you are able to deal insane damage to him for a time. at that moment I then hit him with my 3 damage dealing focus abilities: hail of arrows from Varric, firestorm from Solas, and mark of the rift from the Inquisitor. the mark also slows down enemies within it, so we actually got extra time to deal damage. not only that, but it seems the mark can crit, so while it was active it was getting a very stupid amount of crits so I just spammed twin fangs over and over and he went from about 2/5 health to dead just from that absolute bombardment. i might have to try this on the level 21 dragon in emprise, if I can just get his health low enough to make him fall over.
seeing as though I now overleveled the storm coast dragon, I decided to take another shot at that. i am now entirely sure that the dragons I hate most are the shock dragons. I hate that static cage spell (i think that is what it is using) and the breathe also does serious damage. to top it off it is another enemy that generates guard, so every now and then I need to take that down. i don't know if I am ever going to beat that one at this point. not on nightmare at least. for now I am getting focus to take on the level 21 again. i'll see about this one another time lol
I am sure Cole is great also. my main is a dual wield rogue, but me combined with Varric both being artificers makes it just so overkill! just get Cole behind some foes and twin fang them and you are all set for damage dealing. the back legs will be the weakspot on the dragons so go for that with twin fangs. i must say though that dragon fighting is repetitive. the only real difference are the elements, and the rest is kind of the same. still, I want to be as complete as possible and the goodies are worth it.
final boss: at least there was a final boss, but Corypheus seriously felt like a pushover. when his dragon also was involved it was still no different than the 10 other dragons I already killed, and that was also a pushover. still, they didn't pull a murauder shields on us so I am grateful, just wish there weren't so many other fights that were harder.
the banquet: good job BW for bringing this back from Origins. it really created a lot of closure in both the games to be there celebrating and talking to your friends about what is to come next. Dorian's was absolutely my favorite one! i took so long trying to find how to respond that I had to reload because it gave me no response lol. "She hugged me. HUGGED ME. This is your influence." XD
ending the romance: honestly ever since getting involved in the romance it was a let down for the rest of the game. by that I mean they did almost nothing with it after the scene where you get the achievement. i was hoping for some closure on that front when Cassandra interupted me when I went to leave the party, but it basically went "Things are going to change now. I just wanted a moment before all that" *leans on shoulder, looking at sunrise from balcony, fade to black*
epilogue: good that they also gave us a proper epilogue like ME3 never did. this part I was quite happy with. I was explained how things were going in the future for many of the big organizations within the story. i felt like the world would go on with my character because of this, rather than my character and world ending with the credits roll
credits: could use original music not in game. yeah, I'll complain about the credits lol. i've found some good songs from credits, but I can't if you just give me the game soundtrack! for example I love that Origins used "This is War" in the credits.
after credits scene: ok, my mind is still trying to figure that out. really can't talk about it without spoilers
continued play: i took a moment to go around skyhold and talk to everybody. mostly all they talk about is their thoughts on the new divine, which for me is Lelianna. selfishness actually ruled that decision for me, as my Inquisi couldn't be with Cassandra if she were divine... though now I wonder about my warden and Lelianna! NO! I should've went with Vivienne if I knew she were an option lol. anyway, this seems to be before many of the epilogue events, as Lelianna is still here until we get a new spymaster, and many other events that are stated to happen are being referenced as something that is going to happen. i suppose they did this for those companions who stated that they would leave after a time to still be there. the saddest part for me however is that one of the companions is gone in continued play. this is explained in the after credits scene, but it sucks that I used this companion a lot and now they are gone. so much for continued play for me lol.
overall: not a Mass Effect 3. there is closure to be found here. unfortunately though the final moments toward the ending were still quite lackluster and overall too easy for a finale. i felt like I just started the end and then all of a sudden it was over just like that. i definitely think many games, such as Origins, did a lot better, but this was satisfactory. it mostly needs a more epic final battle to really make you feel like you've come to the end and victory is within your grasp, but there is that one obstacle left in the way tougher than any before it. then when you defeat it and everyone is celebrating you don't think "well, he was a pushover. i don't feel that special, you are all overexaggerating".
now I guess I find something else to play. not so sure about starting another 100+ hour playthrough of this right away lol