Dragon Age: Origins.

[DeadPoolX]

Which weapon skill tree are you using, Rath? The Warrior has access to four weapon types: two-handed, dual weapon, archery & weapon and shield.

My advice would be to choose weapon and shield or two-handed. Dual weapon is best suited for daggers, although later on you can use a sword-and-dagger combo. Archery is... well, no explanation needed there, right?

I'd leave dual weapon and archery to Rogues. You'll get Leliana, who specializes in archery and Zevran, who's best at dual weapon melee combat.

If you're really dying to use a ranged weapon, you can always keep a crossbow as a backup. Crossbows use strength instead of dexterity, and as a Warrior you'll have more of the former than the latter.

Whether you choose weapon and shield or two-handed is up to you, but you might want to consider it based on which companions you want with you. There are three Warriors in the game who'll join you: Oghren and Sten, both of whom use two-handed weapons and Alistair, who uses weapon and shield.

If you're going to take Alistair with you a lot, then maybe choosing two-handed is best. If you're going to have Sten or Oghren (or possibly both, but I wouldn't recommend that many fighters in one group), then maybe weapon and shield is best.

You don't need to play this way. I just think it makes more sense to try and have a well-rounded group. This isn't always possible, but if it can be done, I'd recommend it.

I played a Mage. Except for very early on, when my only party members were Alistair, Morrigan and the dog, I didn't have a second Mage with me for the entire game. I felt I didn't need one and I could use assistance from other classes.

The group I used consisted of: Alistair, Leliana, Zevran and me. That gave us a Warrior (weapon and shield), two Rogues (archery and dual weapon) and me, a Mage. With that group, I had melee, ranged and magical attacks covered.

Oh and ALWAYS keep a Rogue with you and make sure he or she can lockpick. Without that skill, you'll lose out on a lot of loot and access to some areas. If nothing else, that one skill alone makes having a Rogue with you worthwhile.

[Tawmis]

Which difficulty are you playing at? Normal?
Let us know if you need help with the tactics, the combat or the different options the game offers!

I don't think you get access to the tactics until you have actually gotten Morgannright?

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm. I'm playing on easy level, at least to start with.

As for tactics - I played LOADS of AD&D and D&D 3rd ed as well as NWN, and I'm a huge fan of Knights of the Dinner Table, so I know that the party has to have at least one fighter, one mage, one rogue and one cleric (ideally, if possible).

As for the tree - I'm going for a sword-and-shield type fighter. They tend to have better AC. (Yes, I know this isn't D&D, but you know what I mean).

Incidentally, I wasn't able to convince the Revered Mother that she should let Sten go. I guess I must have failed a persuasion roll. When I try again, she says no. Is there any way I can try to free him? I'd rather not threaten the Revered Mother, if only for the fact that she's well-protected by Templars etc. Also, it's probably not a smart thing to do.

[AndreaDraco]

Yes, there is a way.

There's a person in Lothering who has a certain influence on the Revered Mother and can convince her to let Sten go. Check under the spoiler, if you want a clearer answer

Go to the tavern, battle Loghain's thugs and allow Leliana to join your party. Add her to your active party and go back to the Revered Mother with her. Leliana will do the convincing.

With one of my characters, though, I simply threatened and offended the old hag (I hate the Chantry), even if it meant that everyone but Morrigan disapproved, and the dialogue it's quite funny, so you might want to try and then reload.

[Tawmis]

First time through, I threatened as well. Second time through, I did what Andrea's spoiler tags mention.

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmmm. There are two things with DA:O that I still don't understand.... (there'll be lots more, I'm sure, but for now...)

1. How do I give a gift to someone? The manual and game say that I have to open my inventory sheet, switch to the party member I want to give a gift to, and then drag the gift over to them. However, when I try doing this... I open my inventory sheet, but when I switch to someone else, their inventory sheet opens instead - so I never get to give them a gift. WTF? I'm confused.

2. What would you say is the 'best' party makeup (as in, the best people to be in the party)? At the moment, I (a warrior) have the wardog, Alistair and Morrigan. *shrug* I'm guessing that's a fairly good party, battle-wise, but... hmm. I've just walked into that inn, and Leliana now wants in on my party. I can't keep everyone, obviously, so... what's the best thing to be done? I'm confused (again).

Thanks!

[DeadPoolX]

1. How do I give a gift to someone? The manual and game say that I have to open my inventory sheet, switch to the party member I want to give a gift to, and then drag the gift over to them. However, when I try doing this... I open my inventory sheet, but when I switch to someone else, their inventory sheet opens instead - so I never get to give them a gift. WTF? I'm confused.

Everyone in the party SHARES the inventory. Do you mean their character sheet?

You can easily switch between characters using the little gold arrows on the top of the left page. From there you can grab and drop gifts (or any other item, like weapons, armor, etc) onto the character.

2. What would you say is the 'best' party makeup (as in, the best people to be in the party)? At the moment, I (a warrior) have the wardog, Alistair and Morrigan. *shrug* I'm guessing that's a fairly good party, battle-wise, but... hmm. I've just walked into that inn, and Leliana now wants in on my party. I can't keep everyone, obviously, so... what's the best thing to be done? I'm confused (again).

Actually, you CAN keep everyone, just not all at one time. Once you've finished Lothering, you'll go to your party's camp. At camp you can switch characters out before leaving to go elsewhere.

There are ways to permanently lose party members, but switching them out isn't one of them.

One word of advice: do everything you want to do in Lothering before leaving. You can't come back later.

Rath, I'd strongly suggest looking at the Dragon Age Wiki. It can answer all of your questions (except those that pertain to personal choice) and much quicker than any of us could.

[AndreaDraco]

DPX is right about gifts: simply open up your inventory, click on the golden arrows on the left until you reach you desired character and then drag and drop the gift on the picture. It's fairly easy, don't worry. You should probably know, though, that when you give a gift to a character, one out of four things can happen:

- Plot Gift: as soon as you drop the gift on the character, you'll see a cutscene and you'll have a chance to earn additional disposition with a dialogue. This happens when you give a character one of his specific, plot-related gifts.
- Favored Gift: the gift will net you a +10 Approval (with subsequent gifts netting you, +9, +8, +7, etc.) if the gift is one of the character's specific gifts.
- Disfavored Gift: gifts that were supposed to be given to other characters will only net you half of the Approvel if given to the wrong character.
- Refused Gift: if you try giving a Plot Gift to the wrong character, he or she will simply refuse it and nothing happens.

As for the party, I partly disagree with DPX. To me the best party layout is:

- Melee Warrior with Sword & Shield (Tank): Alistair is a wonderful choice, if you're not a warrior yourself.
- Melee Rogue with Duel Weapons (Damager): Zevran is perfect for this role, just be sure to respec him so that he has Deft Hands (and subsequent talents). You'll find Zevrana after you completed at least one of the major World Quests (the quickiest one, in case you're wondering, is Broken Tower).
- Mage heavily focused on damage, with just a splash of crowd control: I filled this role in my first playthrough and I had a blast playing this kind of mage. Anyway, with a bit of initial respeccing, Morrigan can fill this role.
- Mage heavily focused on healing, with another splash of crowd control: Wynne is the right choice and her ability makes her perhaps the most powerful mage (beside yourself, if you're a mage yourself) in the game. Wynne is, simply put, a must-have.

Of course, if you're not a mage, DPX's option is extremely valid, but I would drop the archery talents, which before Awakening are a bit useless, and I would forget about the poison-making ability, which is a bit clumsy.

[Tawmis]

2. What would you say is the 'best' party makeup (as in, the best people to be in the party)? At the moment, I (a warrior) have the wardog, Alistair and Morrigan. *shrug* I'm guessing that's a fairly good party, battle-wise, but... hmm. I've just walked into that inn, and Leliana now wants in on my party. I can't keep everyone, obviously, so... what's the best thing to be done? I'm confused (again).
Thanks!

They already answered... You will eventually get a "Camp" that you can always go to to switch party members. Technically everyone follows you - it's just there's only four of you ever at one time.

As for the best party... I think it's going to depend on what type of player you are and what kind of tactics (if any) that you use. Mix and match as you get more party members and see what fits your style the best.

[DeadPoolX]

While we're at it, let's talk about class specializations. Might as well since we're discussing which characters to bring with you. Because you're playing Origins right now (and not Awakenings), I'll only list the original four specializations for each class.

Note that ALL teammates start with one specialization and with the exception of Sten, can be given a second specialization as well. Keep this in mind when choosing their specializations so that they can complement your class and overall play style.

Every specialization also carries stat benefits. So sometimes it's beneficial to take a specialization you might not ever use simply to gain those benefits.

WARRIOR
Berserker: Uses a character's rage to fuel their power and cause damage. This causes a penalty to stamina regeneration; however, upgrading talents within this specialization lowers that penalty.

Overall, I didn't find it that useful, especially since stamina potions don't exist in Origins, therefore conserving stamina is important. Oghren starts with this specialization, so you learn it from him or buy a manual to learn it later on.

Champion: I'd this is the single most useful Warrior specialization. While this doesn't increase the Warrior's damage output himself, he positively affects his teammates. War Cry initially causes a penalty to your enemy's attack and when all talents have been taken, this can knock enemies down. A sustained ability called Rally gives your team bonuses to attack and defense.

No one starts with this, so it'll be up to you to choose it yourself or give it to a party member. You get it by becoming the "Champion of Redcliffe" and curing Arl Eamon Guerrein.

Reaver: I never took this specialization and no party members start out with it, so I can't give much advice on it. All I know is it seems sort of sick and perverted, since you thrive on pain and death in order to be efficient in battle.

You get this during a quest, but in order to do so, you must side with some sick freaks. The best way to gain it is to save first, side with the lunatics to gain the specialization and then restore your game. The specialization will remain unlocked, but you won't have sided with the crazies.

Templar: Exceptionally useful when fighting Mages, but in most cases, that's the only true benefit. The last talent (Holy Smite) causes spirit damage to everyone and if your target is a Mage, it drops their mana count. One of the earlier talents, Cleanse Area, is also useful in that it removes all disellable magical effects, but it's important to keep in mind that this also removes any beneficial spells cast on you or party members. So only use this when you absolutely have to do so.

Alistair starts with this so you can learn it from him or buy a manual to learn it. As I said, it's great when fighting Mages, but it loses its perks when fighting regular enemies. Having said that, there are a lot of Mages in the game, so it can be quite useful.

ROGUE
Assassin: With the exception of the first talent (Mark of Death), this specialization is only useful for a melee Rogue. When given to a melee Rogue, however, the damage done is substantial causing bleeding wounds and giving back stamina.

Zevran starts with this and he can teach it to you or you can buy a manual to learn it. Once again, this is a great specialization for a melee Rogue, but if you're planning on using archery, forget about it entirely.

Bard: This specialization is all about assistance. These talents cause bonuses to stamina/mana regeneration or attack damage. These skills can also disorient or stun hostile targets.

Leliana starts with this, so you can learn it from her or buy a manual to learn it. I found it useful if given to a party member, unless you like playing a more defensive/supportive role yourself.

Duelist: For a melee Rogue, this is a fantastic specialization. It gives bonuses to attack and defense, while imposing penalties to the enemy's movement speed and defense.

No one starts with this, but it's a must have for Zevran and you, if you're a melee Rogue. You can learn this from some Isabela at the The Pearl (a tavern) in Denerim.

Ranger: Simply put, this allows you to summon creatures. That's useful if you're playing a ranged Rogue (i.e. archery) or you have Leliana in your party. Giving her the ability to summon animals is useful since she's not too good at close-up combat and a summoned creature can defend her.

No one starts with this, so I think you need to purchase and read a manual to get it.

MAGE
Arcane Warrior: This gives you (or any Mage) the ability to use your magic stat in place of the strength stat. That's important if you plan on wearing heavy or massive armor. AW also allows you to switch to "warrior mode" as this specialization can turn you into a pretty damn good Warrior. Why would you want to do that? Because it gives you versatility, plus it's really fun!

I took this specialization early on and I loved it. I always wore massive armor and kept a sword-and-shield as my secondary weapons. When my mana was drained, I turned on the AW talents and pounded away. It's very useful if you use a lot of buffing spells and like to fight close-up as well as from a distance.

Some people say you'll use always have a mana deficit with this specialization, but I never found that. Maybe I was careful and strategic when casting spells. Whatever the case, it worked for me.

No one starts out with this and you need to find it underground in the Brecilian Forest. It's stored within a phylactery and is very easy to miss. Search carefully.

Blood Mage: In short, you use blood (i.e. health) to cast spells. Why bother? Some people say this complements Arcane Warrior since you'll supposedly be low on mana. I never found that the case and blood magic doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. One of the spells even sucks life from a teammate in order to heal yourself, which seems extremely dumb.

No one starts out with this. You'll find this this specialization by making a deal with a Desire Demon in Redcliffe Castle. Like the Reaver specialization, I'd recommend getting it and then restoring so you don't have to do what's necessary to gain it.

Shapeshifter: This allows you to transform yourself into different animals. That sounds neat (and it is), but it's also useless. While in animal form, you don't have access to your spells.

Morrigan starts with this specialization and you can learn it from her (or buy a manual to learn it). Oddly enough, she won't teach it to you if she likes you (which is different from everyone else who can teach you specializations). If gaining Morrigan's approval is important to you, then piss her off, have her teach it to you and then restore your game.

Spirit Healer: I found this specialization incredibly useful, if for no other reason, the first talent lets you heal you and your party from anywhere on the map.

Wynn starts out with this, although I don't remember if she'll teach you it. Even if she does, you can buy a manual and learn it from there as well.

[AndreaDraco]

Wynne doesn't teach her specialization, not even when at +100 Approval.

Anyway, good analysis DPX. I agree with everything, except on Ranger, which I found quite useless to be honest. Reaver is quite good, but it's not useful for a tank so it's best to leave it as a second specialization for a two-handed warrior.

[Tawmis]

And just to point out, there's 17 pages of goodness (and most spoilers are all covered up properly!) that can be found on our forum right over here.

[DeadPoolX]

And just to point out, there's 17 pages of goodness (and most spoilers are all covered up properly!) that can be found on our forum right over here.

Add the Dragon Age Wiki and you've got some good resources to use.

[Rath Darkblade]

Well, I find myself with a DA:O quandary that I haven't found an answer to anywhere else...

I've solved all (or most of) the quests in Lotherin, and am ready to go on to other things. Unfortunately, although I have the "Ultimate Edition" of the game (and thus should have all the downloadable content, e.g. "Warden's Keep", "The Stone Prisoner" etc., etc., etc.), none of it seems to be installed (or authorised).

I wasn't connected to the internet when I installed this game, so it might be my fault there. However, I assumed that I could fix it later on, simply by connecting to the internet at my leisure and doing it then. However (again), it tells me now that the EA servers are not reachable, and therefore I can't play the game.

So what's the story there? What can I do to make things right?

Thanks!

[DeadPoolX]

Hmmm... that's interesting. Seeing as how you have the "Ultimate Edition" you shouldn't need to download anything.

Did you check the "downloadable content" section of the game? At the menu click "downloadable content" and you'll see three tabs. Look at the tabs named "available content" and "installed content." From there you can see what you have and if it's installed. If it's installed, make sure you have the box next to it checked off.

If that doesn't work, try signing in to your account and see if that makes a difference. It shouldn't, but it might for whatever reason.

As for the EA servers themselves... well, I have no idea. They've always worked for me. Is your firewall blocking access for some reason?

Oh and one question: what do you mean you "weren't connected to the Internet" when you installed the game? Did you lose your connection? I can't imagine you'd turn it off yourself. There's no reason to do that.