Got bored of playing this game. Decided to watch a play through on YouTube but it was almost 15hours long. Decided to read the Wikipedia article about the plot instead but the names were hard to follow.
Watched the trailer and called it a day
Yeah, I too have to take Inquisition in smaller doses. The maps are so huge and there's so much to do on each one it starts feeling like a chore after a while. The side tasks are of course not mandatory but if you want to level up consistently with the main story and not have your ass kicked by a story boss, you gotta do at least some of them.
Though I'd recommend finishing the game and the Trespasser DLC just to find out what's gonna be the setup for the next game. Or just Google it haha.
Raise your hand if you romance Cullen pretty much every time you play the game.
*raises both hands*
I'm raising both hands because I really wanted to romance the guy ever since that awkward mage convo in Origins. Oh how far we've come.
I'd highly recommend playing the first Dragon Age game (Origins) first.
.
It's older, but it's still the best of all the DA games and Inquisition will likely make more sense if you play Origins first
.
Plotline of Origins is essentially:
It's set in a fantasy world where there are several races (elves, humans, dwarves, and Qunari being the main 4 they talk about).
.
The world is plagued by creatures called Darkspawn that slaughter people. Most of the time the Darkspawn are not too big an issue -- they tend to remain underground in areas known as the deep roads, with only a few coming to the surface now and again.
.
However, once every so many years, the darkspawn will manage to awaken what is more or less believed to be a slumbering god. In doing so, they corrupt it, causing the God [now known as an Archdemon] to become a darkspawn as well, which eventually will lead the darkspawn to swarm the surface world in an event known as a "Blight"
The Origins game follows a group known as the Grey Wardens, who exist almost solely to protect the world from Darkspawn and to stop Blights from destroying the world. Grey Wardens are also the only ones capable of killing Archdemons
`
Origins allows you to pick between one of (I believe) 6 origin stories that will shape to a degree how the world interacts with you:
Human Mage
Human Noble
Dalish Elf [kind of like a gypsy or a nomad - the culture/lore is explained more in game]
City Elf
Dwarf Rogue
Dwarf Noble
You CAN play Inquisition without playing Origins (I think) but a lot of the lore of the world will be lost.
`
Inquisition takes place several years after both Origins, and as a semi-direct result of DA2 and deals with the mage side of the world where rifts (tears) have formed in what's known as "The Fade." The Fade is basically a dimension that is inhabited by demons and spirits, and the interacting with the fade is what allows mages to perform magic-- or become possessed.
.
This tear in the Fade has caused demons and other chaotic forces to be unleashed upon the world.
.
You play as a character called the inquisitor, who has somehow obtained the ability to close these tears and seal them, and as a result you are tasked with trying to find a way to close the main breach-- while also trying to restore order to a world at war with itself
^ you do still get to pick different races to play as in Inquisition, with Qunari being a new addition - but the origin diversion and impact this has on the story is extremely limited
.
.
.
*Qunari being a race, humanoid in nature. In Origins they are fairly generic looking (and we only ever meet one of them). In later games they are tall, have grey skin, horns, and usually white hair. They have a very rigid society in the eyes of most other races, based heavily in their religious views
Great summary @xvarnah! It's so cool to see someone nerding out about Dragon Age as much as I do.
@memesgobrr I'd say check it out if you like plot and lore-heavy games with well written characters and amazing interactions. Start with Origins, it's the first and imo best one!
Haha it's actually a very cut down summary, but I wanted to avoid spoilers as much as possible.
.
Even though it's definitely aged a bit, can't really praise Dragon Age: Origins enough. Iirc it was loosely inspired by Game of Thrones (the Grey Wardens being based off the Night's watch) - but they definitely made it their own thing.
.
They created countries that, while you don't really get to see them, you can definitely get a feel for what they're like - their culture and opinions and way of life (<- though this specifically becomes more apparent in Dragon Age 2).
`
Each race similarly has it's own history, social order, cultures, lore.
.
There's hours of lore, dialogue, choices, etc. It's a very easy world to get lost in if you like that type of game
I'd also recommend getting at least the "Awakenings" DLC (though the ultimate edition isn't super expensive anymore and has all DLC included I think?)
.
As for the sequel..DA2 possibly can be skipped before playing Inquisition if you look up what happened (it's plot is MUCH more simplified). But I think is worth playing for the record-- provided you have to keep in mind that the studio was extremely rushed when creating it.
.
As a result the game is far narrower in scope than the original game (for example: it largely takes place in a single city, rather than an entire country. You can only play as a human), and there is definitely redundancy, and the characters and such suffer as a result.
.
Still, if you temper your expectations, there's more lore to be gleaned there, still some interesting companions, additional insight into particularly the Qunari, and it does give you a better set-up for why, exactly, everything's kind of going to hell in a handbasket in "Inquisition"
There is a good deal of combat in it, though I'll leave it up to the others to say whether it's good or not since I'm not always the best judge of that.
.
The combat system changes somewhat drastically between Origins and DA2/Inquisition with the graphics becoming much flashier etc
.
It's been awhile since I played Origins, so apologies if I get some of the details between games confused.
.
The basics that I remember is that at any time you can have four characters in combat (your character, and up to 3 companions). You can level characters up using different skill trees that will be dependant on their class (mage, warrior, or rogue), and using skill points for things like dexterity/strength etc.
.
A warrior, for example, may be able to unlock the Templar skill tree or a berserker skill tree which each have unique abilities. A mage may be able to unlock abilities from healer or blood mage. Etc
Your companions can also be levelled up in this way
.
There is also various weapons and armor which, with some exceptions (usually relating to class I think) can be equipped to just about any of your companions -- and most of the armor/weaponry will have their own buffs etc from what I remember.
.
During combat you can switch between any companions you have with you, orient them on the area of battle, and try and strategize which attacks to use. It's not turn based, mind you (though the fighting will pause when you're trying to orient AoA attacks if I remember right)
.
Each class also has it's own pros and cons. Rogues can unlock doors and chests, which doesn't sound like a big deal, but in some of the dungeons you'll likely find yourself just controlling whichever rogue you have in your party during off-battle time rather than constantly switching between them). They are fairly fast, can do some stealth, but are not as sturdy as a warrior
Warriors are, as usual, the tanks that can kind of run up and smack shit. Their downfall is they move very slowly. This was improved slightly in later games, but if you're an impatient person like I am it's something to consider :P
.
Mages can do a lot of damage with their spells, and can also do healing etc. But typically they need to be kept somewhat removed from the fray
.
.
^ this is part of why the class you start out as will impact how you experience the game as it will likely partly determine which companions you have with you most of the time, which will also influence which "companion banter" you get to hear (they talk to each other from time to time as you roam around). They also react to choices you make (certain companions might approve of you punching someone in the face, for example, while others wouldn't approve), and they will have different commentary with other NPCs, with some companions occasionally being able to offer alternative branches to questlines if they're in
...Your party during that interaction.
.
Can't think of a specific example from origins, but in DA2 having a specific character with you during interactions with a semi hostile NPC can afford you more insight into the character's background, and eventually the chance to challenge the character to a one on one duel rather than a full scale battle
Watched the trailer and called it a day
I require constant stimulation or I go into power saving and switch off
¯\_( ツ)_/¯
Though I'd recommend finishing the game and the Trespasser DLC just to find out what's gonna be the setup for the next game. Or just Google it haha.
*raises both hands*
I'm raising both hands because I really wanted to romance the guy ever since that awkward mage convo in Origins. Oh how far we've come.
.
It's older, but it's still the best of all the DA games and Inquisition will likely make more sense if you play Origins first
.
Plotline of Origins is essentially:
It's set in a fantasy world where there are several races (elves, humans, dwarves, and Qunari being the main 4 they talk about).
.
The world is plagued by creatures called Darkspawn that slaughter people. Most of the time the Darkspawn are not too big an issue -- they tend to remain underground in areas known as the deep roads, with only a few coming to the surface now and again.
.
However, once every so many years, the darkspawn will manage to awaken what is more or less believed to be a slumbering god. In doing so, they corrupt it, causing the God [now known as an Archdemon] to become a darkspawn as well, which eventually will lead the darkspawn to swarm the surface world in an event known as a "Blight"
`
Origins allows you to pick between one of (I believe) 6 origin stories that will shape to a degree how the world interacts with you:
Human Mage
Human Noble
Dalish Elf [kind of like a gypsy or a nomad - the culture/lore is explained more in game]
City Elf
Dwarf Rogue
Dwarf Noble
`
Inquisition takes place several years after both Origins, and as a semi-direct result of DA2 and deals with the mage side of the world where rifts (tears) have formed in what's known as "The Fade." The Fade is basically a dimension that is inhabited by demons and spirits, and the interacting with the fade is what allows mages to perform magic-- or become possessed.
.
This tear in the Fade has caused demons and other chaotic forces to be unleashed upon the world.
.
You play as a character called the inquisitor, who has somehow obtained the ability to close these tears and seal them, and as a result you are tasked with trying to find a way to close the main breach-- while also trying to restore order to a world at war with itself
.
.
.
*Qunari being a race, humanoid in nature. In Origins they are fairly generic looking (and we only ever meet one of them). In later games they are tall, have grey skin, horns, and usually white hair. They have a very rigid society in the eyes of most other races, based heavily in their religious views
and it actually seems like a good plotline as well
def gonna check it out
@memesgobrr I'd say check it out if you like plot and lore-heavy games with well written characters and amazing interactions. Start with Origins, it's the first and imo best one!
.
Even though it's definitely aged a bit, can't really praise Dragon Age: Origins enough. Iirc it was loosely inspired by Game of Thrones (the Grey Wardens being based off the Night's watch) - but they definitely made it their own thing.
.
They created countries that, while you don't really get to see them, you can definitely get a feel for what they're like - their culture and opinions and way of life (<- though this specifically becomes more apparent in Dragon Age 2).
`
Each race similarly has it's own history, social order, cultures, lore.
.
There's hours of lore, dialogue, choices, etc. It's a very easy world to get lost in if you like that type of game
.
As for the sequel..DA2 possibly can be skipped before playing Inquisition if you look up what happened (it's plot is MUCH more simplified). But I think is worth playing for the record-- provided you have to keep in mind that the studio was extremely rushed when creating it.
.
As a result the game is far narrower in scope than the original game (for example: it largely takes place in a single city, rather than an entire country. You can only play as a human), and there is definitely redundancy, and the characters and such suffer as a result.
.
Still, if you temper your expectations, there's more lore to be gleaned there, still some interesting companions, additional insight into particularly the Qunari, and it does give you a better set-up for why, exactly, everything's kind of going to hell in a handbasket in "Inquisition"
.
The combat system changes somewhat drastically between Origins and DA2/Inquisition with the graphics becoming much flashier etc
.
It's been awhile since I played Origins, so apologies if I get some of the details between games confused.
.
The basics that I remember is that at any time you can have four characters in combat (your character, and up to 3 companions). You can level characters up using different skill trees that will be dependant on their class (mage, warrior, or rogue), and using skill points for things like dexterity/strength etc.
.
A warrior, for example, may be able to unlock the Templar skill tree or a berserker skill tree which each have unique abilities. A mage may be able to unlock abilities from healer or blood mage. Etc
.
There is also various weapons and armor which, with some exceptions (usually relating to class I think) can be equipped to just about any of your companions -- and most of the armor/weaponry will have their own buffs etc from what I remember.
.
During combat you can switch between any companions you have with you, orient them on the area of battle, and try and strategize which attacks to use. It's not turn based, mind you (though the fighting will pause when you're trying to orient AoA attacks if I remember right)
.
Each class also has it's own pros and cons. Rogues can unlock doors and chests, which doesn't sound like a big deal, but in some of the dungeons you'll likely find yourself just controlling whichever rogue you have in your party during off-battle time rather than constantly switching between them). They are fairly fast, can do some stealth, but are not as sturdy as a warrior
.
Mages can do a lot of damage with their spells, and can also do healing etc. But typically they need to be kept somewhat removed from the fray
.
.
^ this is part of why the class you start out as will impact how you experience the game as it will likely partly determine which companions you have with you most of the time, which will also influence which "companion banter" you get to hear (they talk to each other from time to time as you roam around). They also react to choices you make (certain companions might approve of you punching someone in the face, for example, while others wouldn't approve), and they will have different commentary with other NPCs, with some companions occasionally being able to offer alternative branches to questlines if they're in
.
Can't think of a specific example from origins, but in DA2 having a specific character with you during interactions with a semi hostile NPC can afford you more insight into the character's background, and eventually the chance to challenge the character to a one on one duel rather than a full scale battle
im a sucker for a good storyline