It seems those are only for consoles, I’m on a PC 
No, all DLC is also available for PC.
It’s just that back then Bioware had this weird system where you had to purchase bioware points in order to purchase the DLC and then download it from the Bioware forums.
It was just an incredibly convoluted system. I don’t know what they were thinking.
I’m not sure how easy it is to purchase the DLC separate now a days. I’ve only ever seen the version with all the DLC on sale.
Maybe I shouldn’t be asking this but…
Do we get a satisfactory answer as to who/what saved us in the fade at the start of the game?
I don’t know where in the game you are but (relatively spoiler free in details but tagged anyway):
Later in the game you are pulled back into the Fade where you recollect (literally) your memories of what happened when the tower/conclave exploded
@zoid -
Seriously, drop everything and go to the Circle Tower. It’ll be a considerable challenge in its own right - and one part of the Tower is the single worst part about Origins - but it’s best to get it out of the way early and you’ll find the rest of the game MUCH easier going once you get the thing you’ll get there.
@everyone else -
OK, I’ve started the game about ten times, trying to play around with the various races and classes, but I can’t decide which one to use for my first “real” play through.
My problem is this: for one time in my video game playing life, I don’t want to spoil myself for the characters and situations I’ll be encountering. I know some of the names I’m likely to meet, but nothing about any of them including their classes or even races (except for Cassandra, Varric, and Billy Corgan the Elf, who I’ve met already). I usually want to pick a class for myself that will replace one of the less interesting NPCs (so I don’t have to ever use that NPC). So, for instance, in Origins I chose to be a dagger rogue my first time through because I didn’t find Zevran particularly interesting and left him at camp on every mission. So, with that in mind - and knowing as I do not what companions I will eventually recruit - any suggestions for starting class?
Hard to figure out without spoiling the characters for you, really.
You can buy respec amulets from the blacksmith, so it’s possible to kit out most of the characters to be whatever you want within their baseline class. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
So there’s not anybody obviously bad or lame? Wow. That’s pretty cool, actually. Doesn’t help me with picking a character, though. Maybe I’ll just random.org it or something.
I personally found the second sword n’ board warrior to be a little flat. I’ve heard some people don’t like the other archer you find.
I also never got much out of the stabby rogue or the other mages. But I don’t think anything about them was particularly lame.
All the later companions start with their ability points unused though so you can specialize them the way you want. Just for example, having a Reaver tank might be a bit less than optimal but unless you are playing on Nightmare it shouldn’t be an actual issue. I think Varric’s focus ability is the only one that actually requires a (cross)bow, all the other focus abilities work with whatever weapons you happen to be using.
I’m not keen on 66% of the rogues so if I was looking to replace a class, it would be that.
The only companion I don’t really ever use is Vivienne, since I unlocked her specialisation (akin to Arcane Warrior in Origins). Btw, if you’re a mage, I want to say one word to you - silverite. Lets you make classless heavy armour. Plus she’s a bit of a snob and Orlesians are doing my head in.
Varric, Solas and Cass are pretty much all I use, although I switch them around just for variety’s sake every now and again. What’s with the character portraits? I’ve got some real funky ones going on now.
Sera’s is pretty racy, although her and her friends of Red Jenny (or Occupy Thedas as I call them) Greatly Disapprove of mostly everything I do.
Varic is him just chilling in front of a curtain since I did his quest. After you-know-who died his portrait was freaky as fuck, all weird red ghosts around him.
Cole is now just white since I told him spirits should spirit.
“Blackwall” is him on a griffon couching his lance, badass.
Despite romancing her Cassandra’s is unchanged.
Iron Bull’s is him marching in a qunari army, since I let his wacky sidekick squad get pulped to save a dreadnought and an alliance with the qunari.
I’m hooked on this game in a way that I haven’t been hooked on an RPG in a long time. I’m probably about a third of the way through playing as female elf two-handed warrior. My standard party is me, Cassandra, Sera, and Dorian. I sent Cole away when he showed up – too creepy – but otherwise I’ve collected everyone.
Sera is the best. On one of her personal quests I was negotiating with a snotty noble and one of my conversation choices was “Kill him, Sera” and she did, with great relish and a long string of curse words.
To please Sera, I mistreated the mages and Solas got so pissed off about it I had to smack him in the face to shut him up. Quit your whining, Solas. Sera thinks how I’m treating the mages is great! I also sentenced someone to death and carried out his execution myself, cutting off his head with a big sword in front of the entire Inquisition. Sera thought that was really great too!
Will a party with two rogues in it be viable on Hard difficulty in the middle game?
As long as one of them uses a bow, sure. Three melees gets a bit too crowded and you really need a tank.
OK - I’m off to the circle tower!
Do I need to keep all this crap I’m carrying? I have like 5 gems, 10 plants, lots of shit I have no idea what to do with.
Unfortunately vanilla DA doesn’t have a storage chest. You can get mods that give you access to storage though. Same with respec if you think you didn’t assign abilities or attributes the way you like.
Mods are found on DragonAgeNexus, but may not be very intuitive on how to install.
They are good for some things though. Once you complete a story area, say you finish the mage tower and get mages on your side, you can give them runes, I think, to make them stronger when you need them.
Hey can you post all the attributes of one character? maybe Alistair? Or your warden? List strength, constitution, dexterity and so on? Maybe we can give you advice on how to apply those points if you need it.
At this stage, sell the gems and herbs except maybe the elfroots, which act like weak healing potions in a pinch. I never bothered much with crafting or trap making (you can buy/loot most items more easily than gathering the ingredients to make them) and traps are hard to use effectively. Same thing with balms and salves, they’re not useful unless you know what type of attack an enemy will throw at you and don’t provide much protection. It’s also safe to sell off armor and weapons your gang aren’t using. Stuff like vellum, documents, fancy vases is just vendor trash with no use in game.
Make sure to check every merchant you run into because some of them sell backpacks, which add an extra 10 (?) inventory spaces. Comes in handy when you finish a dungeon and don’t have inventory space for the good boss loot because it’s all full of low-level junk. 
In Dragon Age: Origins, I believe that Morrigan starts with enough Herbalism to fashion Elfroots into weak healing potions which work better than the elfroot itself on recovery-per-root basis.
Crap I think my game is bugged now.
Iron Bull is no longer in the tavern like the map says he should be,a nd where I would normally see him before.
They say a patch is coming soon at least…
In my new game, I’m definitely noticing a decline in banter with my new companion choices. Varric, Cassandra, and Solas talk all the damn time, but my new party of Sera, Iron Bull, and Cassandra is much, much quieter. I might wait on the patch before continuing.