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Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 14th, 2014
by Fessels
On Sunday I some how found this link...

https://www.origin.com/nl-nl/store/buy/ ... rd-edition

** Crap ... when i started making this post it was still the case that you could get the Standard Edition for free ... and after having finished this post it no longer is!? Sorry people i should have posted this sooner. :( **
* Now i hat heard in the past that Dragon Age Origins was not so good. Well I have only played 3 to 4 hours the past two days but from what I saw and did in that time i can say that I personally disagree so far with those that said it was not a good game.

* Here is an unofficial Trailer some one made, it gives away a bit of the mood in the game. ( Albeit that it is cinematics mostly. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4AdzcB3KtY


* I have to admit that the combat system will take time to get used to, but that will come with time. :)

* Here are a few random screenshots from my Warrior character.

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My character Rhaegos and his faithful partner ... the Mabari War Hound named Galzra. ( That is a big WOOF. :) )
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Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 15th, 2014
by Maigrets
Yeah, I tried it when it first came out but I couldn't get on with the turn based combat at all. It's supposed to have a good story though. There a re a lot of mods for it on the Nexus.

The screenshots look really good. Galzra is a BIG boy! Just as well he's your buddy. :grin:

I think it's the second game that people say is terrible though.

I'm hoping that I can play DA:Inquisition when it comes out but I couldn't find any system requirements from the source, not those "Can I Play It" sites, but it was a couple of weeks ago that I last looked.

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 15th, 2014
by Fessels
Maigrets wrote:Yeah, I tried it when it first came out but I couldn't get on with the turn based combat at all.


Well it is not exactly turn based, you can fight real time but you can also use the tactics and then continue the fight. So it is up to the players, but i should be able to get used to it. :)
Maigrets wrote:It's supposed to have a good story though. There a re a lot of mods for it on the Nexus.
It does indeed have a good story so far, and the Banter between companions can be quit funny at times. As for the mods ... yeah i have several installed. :grin:
Maigrets wrote:The screenshots look really good. Galzra is a BIG boy! Just as well he's your buddy. :grin:
He certainly is, Mabari in game are a cross breed of Mastiff and Wolves.

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 16th, 2014
by Fessels
A prisoner ... lets go talk to him. It ended up in me agreeing to free him through the law.
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Getting that prisoner free was not as easy as I thought it would be. The woman I hat to convince to let him free under my custody simply did not budge ... nothing seemed to work. So through trial and error i found out that i first needed to find a female Elf in town and help her with the problem in that spot. And then i hat to talk to the prisoner and then the woman who could let him free. So here is the gang that this woman hat to face.
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Turned out the female elf and the other woman are members of the Chantry ... a sort of Mages guild. The gang from left to right:

* The woman with the black hair and dark clothing: Morrigan ( I have 2 mods that make her look a bit different then on there. )
* My character Rhaegos.
* Behind my character the female elf: Leliana
* Next to Rhaegos: Alistair
* And of course the good old faithful Galzra.
The group of people and a dog i can ask to join my grop if need be. The big dude in the back is the prisoner i freed with the help of Leliana.

* Sten
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I gave Galzra some Warpaint which makes him look cooler, and the Warpaints from the mod also add benefits for Galzra.
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Last evening i found out that not only the banter between Morrigan and Alistair can be funny, I found out that Galzra has a mean streak in him. Morrigan mentioned something to Galzra and his reaction ... "Whine", this annoyed Morrigan a bit so she did it another 2 or three times. Each time Glazra Whined, and on the last time he did that Morrigan became practically at him ... Galzra's reaction was to start barking happily and then rolling on his back on the ground. As if he wanted to let Morrigan know ... "got you, you shapeshifter." :grin:

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 16th, 2014
by Maigrets
So you understood what that prisoner was saying... :grin: I like quests that seem easy at first glance but have more to them. Makes it interesting when it's well done.

The 3rd shot looks like a family photo. Really nice. :) The dog seems to think he's in Alpha position. :cheese:

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 16th, 2014
by Fessels
Maigrets wrote:So you understood what that prisoner was saying... :grin: I like quests that seem easy at first glance but have more to them. Makes it interesting when it's well done.

The 3rd shot looks like a family photo. Really nice. :) The dog seems to think he's in Alpha position. :cheese:
LoL Sten ( The Prisoner. ) usually talks English, perhaps it was a some kind of religious text. :) Now that I looked at the third one like that, I have to agree that it does look like a family photo. As for Galzra ... well he can keep thinking that i know better. :)

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 25th, 2014
by Fessels
Shjees I was going nicely in the Redcliff Castle when I found out that if I want the best possible out come for the family of the Castle lord ... then I would need to get the Mages guild on my side. And getting the Mages on my side will apparently take quit a lot of work ... oh well means more XP. :)
The Circle Tower ... home of the Mages and the Templars is insight.
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Hmm i should ask Alistair if he knows if he has a twin brother?
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Rhaegos with his current travel companions.
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At the moment the group consists of my Grey Warden Rhaegos ... The Rogue/Bard Leliana ... The Grey Warden Alistair ... Galzra and the new addition to the group Wynne. In the game she is a senior Mage with a lot of useful healing and buffing spells, but she also has offensive spells of course. One of those is a Earthquake spell with a truly massive area of effect, and although it does not seem to cause damage to the group it does have quit a chance to knock one or more of us down. ( So I have to make sure that she only uses that spell when I ask her to use it. )
Inside the Circle Tower.
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Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 25th, 2014
by Maigrets
lol, mages...so demanding and untrusting making you work for it. :P

What is the AI of the followers like? Especially in battle where it matters most.

Also, I discovered that the system reqs for DA:Inquisition have been released and I'm a bit over the minimum which might be promising. I'm going to pre-order it next week as it does look pretty good and I do love my rpg's.

You should be fine as well since the specs for us are below Skyrim modded. The only thing is it says Quad Core and I have a Triple Core CPU, but other games say the same and work fine. As long as it runs reasonably well I'll be happy enough. Otherwise, it's a basic 512mb graphics as minimum, and I have 1Gb VRAM.

Anyway, here's the home page with the sys specs if you're interested:
http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/news/ ... s-revealed

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 25th, 2014
by Fessels
Maigrets wrote:lol, mages...so demanding and untrusting making you work for it. :P

What is the AI of the followers like? Especially in battle where it matters most.
In Origins they are not liked by all, always scheming and believing they are the best. When I have Morrigan in the group then she loves to mention how much she dislikes the mages or as the are more commonly known ... the Chantry. Morrigan is a shapeshifter and she uses bloodmagic, which is not allowed by the Chantry.

As for the AI in Origins ... well it is pretty good in my opinion. And you can set the tactic rules for each group member as you see fit, so you can set them that they use for instance a healing potion / spell when it drops below a set percentage. Or that they switch weapons ( If they can use that secondary weapon of course. ) when they are under ranged / melee attacks. It is quit extensive what you can set in the tactics menu. I will make a few screenshots from the tactics menu to show. :)
Maigrets wrote:Also, I discovered that the system reqs for DA:Inquisition have been released and I'm a bit over the minimum which might be promising. I'm going to pre-order it next week as it does look pretty good and I do love my rpg's.

You should be fine as well since the specs for us are below Skyrim modded. The only thing is it says Quad Core and I have a Triple Core CPU, but other games say the same and work fine. As long as it runs reasonably well I'll be happy enough. Otherwise, it's a basic 512mb graphics as minimum, and I have 1Gb VRAM.

Anyway, here's the home page with the sys specs if you're interested:
http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/news/ ... s-revealed
Thanks for the specs info on Inquisition, all but the cores make me happy. But 4 cores for minimum and 6 for recommended ... yikes?

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 25th, 2014
by Gork712
Glad you are enjoying the game, i loved playing it, now i am eagerly awaiting Inquisition. :)

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 26th, 2014
by Maigrets
Thanks for the specs info on Inquisition, all but the cores make me happy. But 4 cores for minimum and 6 for recommended ... yikes?
Yeah, I'm a bit concerned about that, but if it doesn't work I'll probably put it aside and hope to upgrade one day, even if it's just the CPU.

I miss the days when games all had Demos on magazines, or for download, so you could see if it was going to work...and if you would actually like a game besides what you could read about it.

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 26th, 2014
by Fessels
Gork712 wrote:Glad you are enjoying the game, i loved playing it, now i am eagerly awaiting Inquisition. :)
Yeah the game is really great so far, thanks. :)
Maigrets wrote:Yeah, I'm a bit concerned about that, but if it doesn't work I'll probably put it aside and hope to upgrade one day, even if it's just the CPU.

I miss the days when games all had Demos on magazines, or for download, so you could see if it was going to work...and if you would actually like a game besides what you could read about it.
Well holding on to it till i have a computer update is possible indeed, but i will wait for a while with buying the game any way. The price for the game is way to high for my taste. As for the demo's ... I remember that time as well, made things a lot easier to decide on buying the full game or not.


Okay here are a few screenshots of the Tactics menu, and some of the possible options.
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It seems that not all characters who join your group have the same amount of tactics slots, because Wynne has a lot more then Rhaegos. ( At the moment that is. )
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Once but no more will I underestimate this so called Arcane Horror. It has dangerous magic alroght, because very quickly he defeated my character ... Alistair and Leliana. Only Galzra and Wynne where still standing. Wynne hat also very little life left so while Galzra distracted the Arcane Horror just long enough ... I hat Wynne revive my warden. That happen just in the nick of time because when she hat fired the Revival spell she was defeated as well. Galzra also hat not much life left but because my character was almost next to the Arcane Horror i could quickly aid him with dual blade attacks.
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Alistair it is as if I do not know you at all. :grin:
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Just when i thought i was at the end of the Circle tower this pops up and i have to enter another area.
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A place called The Raw Fade, with a lonely dude already present.
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See the little white/yellow patch ... that is a mouse hole I hat to get my character through ... by transforming in a Mouse. :grin:
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Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 28th, 2014
by Maigrets
Well holding on to it till i have a computer update is possible indeed, but i will wait for a while with buying the game any way. The price for the game is way to high for my taste. As for the demo's ... I remember that time as well, made things a lot easier to decide on buying the full game or not.
Well, yes, all games are expensive, but if you're lucky you can get many, many hours of enjoyment out of it. In my case with Dark Souls 2 (over 400+ hours) and now KOAR, (so far 60 hours and am nowhere near halfway on the map) as well as a number of other games, I think the cost, in most cases is worth it. As I have said before, I've been caught with "lemons" which was mainly from not researching enough beforehand or that the developers completely ruined a franchise...ie Thief and Gothic 4:Arcania, which I am still sad about. :-(

I usually pre-order a couple of months ahead so it's paid for when it's released, but if not then I just continue to pay in installments until it's done which is one reason I prefer physical copies of games. It's doesn't seem like such a large amount that way. I don't get the special editions because I don't care about the extras, just the game. Luckily, our game store (EBGames) allows that and they know me anyway...lol.

Anyway, I've been doing some research on the Official DA:Inquisition forums in the Sys Reqs thread and it just may be that you and I can play this reasonably well, if not comfortably. In recent years I've lost touch with a lot of the tech and how it works which is a pain sometimes as I used to try to stay well informed, but this post may help with the dual core question and in my case triple core. It's to do with hyperthreading more than the number of cores and the way games actually utilize those cores than the actual number.

Bioware forum: I'm only on page 4 of 20+ but I found this to be interesting. Post 90 by Hyperion, who seems to know what he/she is talking about over the rest of the topic.
http://forum.bioware.com/topic/515786-t ... ead/page-4

As to your screenshots:
There does seem to be a lot of detail re the followers. At the least it should make them seem more "real" and less like cannon fodder.

Can you see yourself as the mouse? And pillow fights....lol, I'm trying to imagine the great hero who saves the world.... :think: What was his answer? It seems like a strange attempt at humour for a Templar, even if he was trying to avoid the real question.

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 28th, 2014
by Fessels
Maigrets wrote:Well, yes, all games are expensive, but if you're lucky you can get many, many hours of enjoyment out of it. In my case with Dark Souls 2 (over 400+ hours) and now KOAR, (so far 60 hours and am nowhere near halfway on the map) as well as a number of other games, I think the cost, in most cases is worth it. As I have said before, I've been caught with "lemons" which was mainly from not researching enough beforehand or that the developers completely ruined a franchise...ie Thief and Gothic 4:Arcania, which I am still sad about. :-(

I usually pre-order a couple of months ahead so it's paid for when it's released, but if not then I just continue to pay in installments until it's done which is one reason I prefer physical copies of games. It's doesn't seem like such a large amount that way. I don't get the special editions because I don't care about the extras, just the game. Luckily, our game store (EBGames) allows that and they know me anyway...lol.
Yeah I could pre-order games and then try to see if I can pay in terms, I will see. And I totally agree with the Thief and Gothic franchises, the sequels brought those games down in the dump so to speak.
Maigrets wrote:Anyway, I've been doing some research on the Official DA:Inquisition forums in the Sys Reqs thread and it just may be that you and I can play this reasonably well, if not comfortably. In recent years I've lost touch with a lot of the tech and how it works which is a pain sometimes as I used to try to stay well informed, but this post may help with the dual core question and in my case triple core. It's to do with hyperthreading more than the number of cores and the way games actually utilize those cores than the actual number.

Bioware forum: I'm only on page 4 of 20+ but I found this to be interesting. Post 90 by Hyperion, who seems to know what he/she is talking about over the rest of the topic.
http://forum.bioware.com/topic/515786-t ... ead/page-4
Thanks for the link, I will certainly try to read through it when I have enough time. :)
Maigrets wrote:As to your screenshots:
There does seem to be a lot of detail re the followers. At the least it should make them seem more "real" and less like cannon fodder.

Can you see yourself as the mouse? And pillow fights....lol, I'm trying to imagine the great hero who saves the world.... :think: What was his answer? It seems like a strange attempt at humour for a Templar, even if he was trying to avoid the real question.
Yeah by default they act more realistic then in other similar games, and since yesterday on advice from some one I started using a mod called "Even More Advanced tacticts". It was advised because i was getting a bit annoyed with the fact that my companions can always start attacking enemies right away when a fight starts ... but with my character i hat to click a few times on an enemy before he would attack.

Now with this mod Even More Advanced Tactics my warden will attack right away. This mod has so much more possibilities that it will take some time to learn everything it can do for my character and the rest of the group. ( It does have a good PDF manual so it should not take weeks. :) )

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 30th, 2014
by Fessels
Getting the Mouse Form.
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Some how I already knew up front it would suck for combat. :)
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The second form I got was Spirit Form. ( I used this form a lot in the Fade quest line, a very useful form in my opinion. )
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Hmm left a trail of Death apparently.
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Those fire are more deadly then you might think.
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In the yellow corner the Golem Rhaegos versus the Ogre in the red corner.
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I won. ( Albeit just barely ... that Ogre kept knocking me down with some kind of shoulder bash attack. )
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A closer shot of the Golem form.
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Emperor Shadam I ... uhmm i mean Sloth Demon I come for you. ( Guess where I found it. :) )
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Oh shucks ... thank you Wynne.
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After an ambush on the road we reached the camp of the Dalish Elf's.
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Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 30th, 2014
by Maigrets
Mouse form is cute..lol. And I notice Golem form is smaller than the Ogre. The hero always has a disadvantage in every game..lol, but it's great when you defeat something twice your size. I'm glad that's not your blood.

I that area in the first few shots poisonous? Just going by the colours it looks that way.

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 30th, 2014
by Fessels
Maigrets wrote:Mouse form is cute..lol. And I notice Golem form is smaller than the Ogre. The hero always has a disadvantage in every game..lol, but it's great when you defeat something twice your size. I'm glad that's not your blood.
Yeah the Mouse form was cute. :) The Golem form was indeed smaller then an Ogre, but thanks to a few things it allowed me hold out lot longer then in the normal Human form. Here is the info on the Golem ...
spoiler:
Golem:
=====

* Gained in the Mage Asunder.

"The golem form makes you very tough and allows you to smash through heavy doors." Golem form can be very effectively used to heal your character. While in golem form, your character will gain significant bonus to constitution, resulting in almost double health. When shifting from the normal form to the golem form, your health will be calculated as a percentage of your original health. When shifting back to normal, however, your health will be calculated as an absolute value. For example, your characted has 200 health in normal form, and shifts into the Golem form. The resulting golem will have around 400 health. During a fight the golem has lost some hit points, and health dropped to 230. If you shift back to normal, the game will set your health to 230. But since that value exceeds your maximum health in normal form, it will be reduced to 200. If you shift back to golem form now, the golem will have 400 health again. This can be done while in combat.

* Powers gained:

Golem Form - Bonus to armour, defence, strength, electricity resistance, and physical resistance; gains Slam, Quake, and Hurl.

Hurl Rock - The golem hurls a rock at the target, damaging all nearby targets and knocking them down unless they pass a physical resistance check. Friendly fire possible.
Quake - The golem slams the ground three times, dealing damage to all nearby targets and stunning them unless they pass a physical resistance check. Friendly fire possible.
Slam - The golem slams the target. If the attack hits, it deals critical damage and knocks the target down. This move is very useful for shattering frozen enemies.

Contrary to the tool tip, the Golem form imposes a 10-point penalty to defence. In addition, this form gives a large bonus to constitution that is not mentioned in the tooltip.

* Abilities gained

The ability to hurl boulders through massive doors and shatter them permanently. However, the Hurl Rock skill is used and thus cannot be used again until the cool-down time is up.
Each form hat hat good and bad things.

Shapeshifting forms in The Fade

Maigrets wrote:I that area in the first few shots poisonous? Just going by the colours it looks that way.
No the Fade is not poisonous, it was made to look like that I guess to make it look more depressing. If you thought so because of the bright green icon on the quick bar ... that icon shows me that my characters armour is giving me some kind of bonus for wearing the complete set of that armour. :) But for some reason there is no way I know of, to see what that bonus is?

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 31st, 2014
by Maigrets
Yeah the Mouse form was cute. :) The Golem form was indeed smaller then an Ogre, but thanks to a few things it allowed me hold out lot longer then in the normal Human form. Here is the info on the Golem ...
Is that a necklace your are wearing in golem form. Looks like a string of pearls. :grin: I like the idea of being able to transform into different things for different situations. Makes it more interesting and the golem form seems quite powerful. What happens if you don't gain the ability you need for a given situation? Or is it automatic that you get it when you pass an area?
No the Fade is not poisonous, it was made to look like that I guess to make it look more depressing. If you thought so because of the bright green icon on the quick bar ... that icon shows me that my characters armour is giving me some kind of bonus for wearing the complete set of that armour. :) But for some reason there is no way I know of, to see what that bonus is?
I thought it might be poison because of the yellow/green environment which a lot of games use to denote poison or diseased areas like swamps and sewers etc, but depressing is also a good reason...lol. I guess it doesn't show you the set bonuses in the inventory as in KOAR? There must be some way to see it though. It's always nice to see what your gear is doing for you but maybe they thought otherwise?

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: October 31st, 2014
by Fessels
Maigrets wrote:
Yeah the Mouse form was cute. :) The Golem form was indeed smaller then an Ogre, but thanks to a few things it allowed me hold out lot longer then in the normal Human form. Here is the info on the Golem ...
Is that a necklace your are wearing in golem form. Looks like a string of pearls. :grin: I like the idea of being able to transform into different things for different situations. Makes it more interesting and the golem form seems quite powerful. What happens if you don't gain the ability you need for a given situation? Or is it automatic that you get it when you pass an area?
The necklace is actually just a ring of runic text I think. But yeah the Golem form was quite powerful indeed, especially the Hurl Boulder attack. These transformation powers are gained by defeating a certain enemy in a certain area ... or by assisting another poor soul who got pulled in to The Fade. If you do not have a certain form then you will not be able to get in to certain area's, and then you can not finish the Fade and get yourself and your team members out. But it is impossible not to get those Forms, sooner or later you will find them. Also, once someone has defeated the Sloth Demon in the Fade you and your team are transported back to the “real” game world and you lose the four transformation forms.
Maigrets wrote:
No the Fade is not poisonous, it was made to look like that I guess to make it look more depressing. If you thought so because of the bright green icon on the quick bar ... that icon shows me that my characters armour is giving me some kind of bonus for wearing the complete set of that armour. :) But for some reason there is no way I know of, to see what that bonus is?
I thought it might be poison because of the yellow/green environment which a lot of games use to denote poison or diseased areas like swamps and sewers etc, but depressing is also a good reason...lol. I guess it doesn't show you the set bonuses in the inventory as in KOAR? There must be some way to see it though. It's always nice to see what your gear is doing for you but maybe they thought otherwise?
So far I have not found a way to see those bonuses, but I think I will search the forums for the game and ask if I do not find an answer to my question. :)

Re: Dragon Age Origins.

Posted: November 21st, 2014
by Fessels
Well I bought DAO Ultimate Edition on steam this week, but due to limited time this week ... combined with a couple of questions of mine on the DAO forums I was not able to start playing the Ultimate Edition. I now have all the extra mods and the Awakening DLC ... plus quit a few extra mods from registering the game.

Everything I have now due to the Ultimate Edition:
spoiler:
** Dragon Age: Origins

You are a Grey Warden, one of the last of this legendary order of guardians. With the return of mankind's ancient foe and the kingdom engulfed in civil war, you have been chosen by fate to unite the shattered lands and slay the archdemon once and for all. Explore a stunning world, make complex moral choices, and engage in bone-crushing combat against massive and terrifying creatures.

** Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening Expansion Pack

The story of the Grey Wardens continues as you are named their commander. Fight new enemies, learn new skills and spells, and explore an all-new area of the world, Amaranthine.

** All Nine Content Packs

- The Stone Prisoner
- Warden's Keep
- Return to Ostagar
- Feastday Gifts
- The Darkspawn Chronicles
- Feastday Pranks
- Leliana's Song
- The Golems of Amgarrak
- Witch Hunt


** The promotional mods I got for registering the Ultimate Edition and the DLC:

Dragon Age: Origins:
--------------------------------

- Memory Band
- Feral Wolf Charm
- Guildmaster's Belt
- Band of Fire
- Dalish Promise Ring
- Bulwark of the True King
- The Edge
- Embri's Many Pockets
- Bregan's Bow
- Helm of the Deep
- The Lucky Stone
- The Lion's Paw
- Pearl of the Anointed
- Mark of Vigilance
- Amulet of the War Mage
- The Wicked Oath

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening:
-------------------------------------------------

- Bulwark of the True King
- Bregan's Bow
- Pearl of the Anointed
As such I was uncertain if it was safe to continue playing with my old characters. After asking around and testing I finally decided that although nothing odd was happening I would restart the game to be safe. This did allow me to remove mods I no longer needed and add a few others, how that will turn out will be a matter of time but it should be very interesting I guess. :) Some of the changes are that I gave Rhaegos a new look and I changed the armour he wears.
The new version of Rhaegos. ( He is the one in the Black and Silver armour. )
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For some reason I am unable to get a mod working that temporarily removes the conversation bars during a conversation, but I will get it to work. Guess what I will be doing a lot this weekend. :grin: