My understanding of the endgame situation is that if you turn down Morrigan’s offer someone has to die in the final battle against the Archdemon. If you have Allistair in your party then you might have a choice between the two of you, maybe not I’m not sure. I’ve heard that Allistair also doesn’t give you a choice and takes the killing blow for himself. There is a third option, but it requires leaving Logain alive at the landsmeet, which pisses off Allistair immensely and he ends up leaving even before the final battle. If you want both him and your main character alive at the end, I think you may be stuck letting him knock up Morrigan.
As an aside, The Dragon Age Wiki recently put up a page detailing the various differences in the epilogue and what can happen to the different characters and locations depending on the choices you make throughout the game.
It should go without saying that there are MASSIVE SPOILERS concerning the entire game at this link. I would recommend completing the game at least once before checking this page out. It’s very interesting though seeing how things might have been different.
Aaaaaaaargh, annoying bug. I took Shale with me into the Circle Tower and into the sloth demon’s trap. When you get to his nightmare area, there’s a statue in the way that blocks your path with no other way past. Now my current game has come to a halt.
He didn’t give me a choice, though I assumed it was because I was in a romance with him. Yet for some reason I got an achievement for ordering him to sacrifice himself.
[Spoiler] Yeah, I had Logain with me for the final battle and after we downed the Archdemon it automatically launched into a conversation where I was given the choice of killing the demon myself or letting him do it. Based on his dialogue he thought I brought him there just to do that and I accused him of trying to take the easy way out. I had assumed at the time that a similar conversation with Allistair must take place if you have him with you, but if you trigger his romance option it makes sense that might change.
“No, you atone the hard way.”
Best line of dialogue my warden had in the entire game. :D[/Spoiler]
From what I hear (I haven’t done that part yet) all you should need to do is move using WASD. I’m just about to run the tower with Shale in tow, so I’d really like to know if that works.
ETA: Shale is probably my favourite party member: efficient and funny.
Tested and confirmed. While your character gets stuck if you try to click your way past, moving using WASD lets you through. Not so much a bug as poor path finding.
Here’s what worked for me: I made sure everyone was equipped with ranged weapons. When there were no tentacles about, everyone stayed at range from the brood mother and just shot at her. When the tentacles/adds came, I switched to melee and whacked everything dead, then switched back to ranged when it was just the brood mother. When I got her close to dead I sent the melee in to finish the job. I imagine if you have a party with all ranged-specialized characters it might go quicker, but you’d still want a tank for the adds. An Arcane Warrior would probably be pretty handy for this fight (tough in close combat but still with some powerful ranged attacks, and capable of cc).
Also, the Arcane Warrior specialty is a must if you don’t want your mage running around looking like a total prat. My second character had to give up his Chasind Robes because of the following conversation that should have occurred:
Alistair: Are you aware that you look like a complete git? With the dress and the bonnet, I mean. Nothus: These are my Chasind Robes. They’re +6 to defense! Anyway, it’s not a bonnet, it’s a cowl. Alistair: Yes, I see. +6 to defense. But if you do die, well, your body will be found dressed like that. Looking, you know, like the meat in a catamite sandwich. Nothus: What are you talking about? If anything I would be the bread. Alistair: The piece on the top or on the bottom? Nothus: I wouldn’t be in that sandwich at all! That’s it, take off that Blood Dragon armor. I’m going Arcane Warrior. Bastard!
I found this comic on the Escapist amusing (link contains mild spoilers of the early part of the game). I admit I do that in RPGs. It’s painfully obvious who is and who isn’t going to stick around.
I think I will let Alistair duel Loghain and take him out. I’ll suggest we be king and queen together but let him knock up Morrigan so he doesn’t go all heroically suicidal on me. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.
That, or they realized people would get pretty annoyed if they equipped temporary party members only to have them disappear with your loot after an unavoidable cut scene.
It just occurred to me that the XP system seems a bit off. I mean, 200-some xp for killing a big ass dragon or 120 for an orange boss, and 30-40 for every trap you disarm? Admittedly, disarming traps is rarely required for completing quests, but it just strikes me as disproportionately rewarding.
After 40+ hours, this is one of the most repetitive game ever. Every battle unfolds in the same way - you get swarmed, you pull the target towards you or otherwise you immobilize them. Any other way you get chewed up.
In term of boss fights, the best designed well is Broodmother, IMHO. She’s really difficult, and is way different from the other ‘tank, spam and hope you resist the boss’ super attack’ fight.
There is a serious pacing problem for some parts of the game It’s nothing but one fights after another. First, in the Deep Roads, you have to crawl through four dungeons (or is it five). And just when you thought it is over, the game throws you two boss fights. I was screaming inwardly ‘enough already!’
Stuff that could be covered in a room (the Dwarvish chapter [before the crowning]) the developers expand into a dungeon when there are already 3 or 4 other dungeons before them. I am just killing things left and right waiting for something interesting to happen.
The spider queen fight is interesting. The one one where the Arcane Horror teleports about if you try to engage him in melee is fun. The rest of the fights dissolve into crowd control, tank and dps.
That said, this game has potential. I don’t really dig the combat that much; wish they had take advantage of the ability to split the party for some puzzles.
I hated the Broodmother battle, as I hate all battles where the antagonist has tentacles or other appendages shooting out of the ground.
Plus, she is easy to kill if you just don’t get too close before disposing of most of her little helpers. She spits at you, which is not very effective, although disgusting.
I had much more trouble with Branka. Especially when I didn’t get to a Lyrium vein before her.
I also didn’t mind the dungeons, except maybe for the boring Thaig Aeducan.
