Dragon Age--Final Battle Take Two

[cyrano]

Once I realized I had armies and could summon them (I lost a single dwarf in the Alienage) things went far more smoothly. I don't think I ever saw any of the generals I was hunting, but I also don't think they showed up in the final combat either. I must have done something at some point to piss off Leliana, because when I accidentally clicked on her at one point instead of a door she said "I can't take it any more! You have to break up with Zevran!" And I was all .....what? Baby, whatever you say.

I gave Alistair the sword +10 vs dragon and of course he spent the last battle mowing down Darkspawn. Of course, for most of the battle, the dragon sat way off on a pillar and sniped at us. I'm assuming the ending animation where I leap across the battlefield to strike the final blow was meant to be universal for all game endings. They cut away to Alistair looking at Morrigan and his expression definitely seemed to say "I thought you told me your crazy sex plan would work."

And then there was a long load and a lot of speechifying by Alistair until I can confirm that the ritual worked and I did in fact survive. Wrap up was satisfying, even if I wanted to ask Wynne two questions on the list and was only allowed one. Loghain and Oghren are both visible and quite alive (my first time getting to actually see Oghren!). Loghain says he's re-joining the Grey Wardens. When the hell did Duncan let him join in the first place? And who let him 'take a time out' to be Teryn? I was amused and delighted at Shale deciding to seek out her soft and squishy nature and maybe try to become human again, nearly as much as I was at being called 'you' once.

And then there was the big global wrap up outside the castle. Most of it was just sort of 'yadda yadda yadda' (although I may have just been tired) except that Bhelen was working to break the screwed up caste system, which totally made me go fist pump. I guess now I have to buy Awakenings.

Comments

[roisnoir.livejournal.com]

If you get Awakening, you'll get to meet the One True Anders, who is totally my video game boyfriend. :)

I've been playing around with mods - found one that will, with a little bit of tinkering (it's not cheating if it has no gameplay implications!) will allow me to boink Duncan. I am so 12 years old, but I don't mind. Heh.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

I need the mod that lets Alistair boink Duncan so he can get it out of his system.

[toastedtea.livejournal.com]

Oh, gods, YES. I would pay to see that. *vbg*

[toastedtea.livejournal.com]

Anders = &hearts &hearts &hearts He's the best part of Awakening, IMO.

found one that will, with a little bit of tinkering (it's not cheating if it has no gameplay implications!) will allow me to boink Duncan.

Ooooo! Where did you find this and why I have not seen it before? *makes grabby hands*

[roisnoir.livejournal.com]

It's the Romance Skills mod - http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1793
(smutty smutty smutty if used with certain nude mods. Also hilarious playing with the 'let's you and him fightfuck' function. Accidentally paired Alistair up with seemingly everyone at one point or other while I was figuring out how it worked.)

Alas, it appears that Duncan doesn't remove his armor. Boooo.
But, boinking happened. Heh.

[toastedtea.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had not seen that one before, however did I miss it?

Some of the nude mods make for some serious "OW MY EYES!" moments in-game. I'd forgotten I'd added the "Natural Bodies" mod until I did "Return to Ostagar" and stumbled upon a certain dead, naked, crucified corpse, who was sporting quite the stiffy. *facepalm*

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Now that you're done, I can answer questions fully!

I must have done something at some point to piss off Leliana, because when I accidentally clicked on her at one point instead of a door she said "I can't take it any more! You have to break up with Zevran!"

What happened is that you got Zevran's Approval high enough to trigger his Romance while you weren't looking. However, you didn't talk to either Zevran or Leliana in Camp after this happened, so you never triggered the 'jealousy' reaction that happens in the situation of being in Romance with two characters simultaneously.

You did trigger it when you accidentally clicked on Leliana during the end game.

(I had the same thing happen in my last Origins game. She was in a relationship with Alistair, triggered Zevran's Romance, then I accidentally clicked on Alistair while trawling through the End Game and he gave me the jealousy speech. Other than having to go back and re-load from save, I got to LMAO at the total inappropriateness of having the conversation in the middle of Darkspawn Occupied Denerim.)

I'm assuming the ending animation where I leap across the battlefield to strike the final blow was meant to be universal for all game endings.

It is for all endings, save two. Even my little mage character grabbed up the big fucking two handed sword and killed the archdemon with it.

They cut away to Alistair looking at Morrigan and his expression definitely seemed to say "I thought you told me your crazy sex plan would work."

*snickers* :) That look is, sadly, also universal, and I think happens between characters in the #2 and #3 slots in your party roster.

Loghain says he's re-joining the Grey Wardens. When the hell did Duncan let him join in the first place? And who let him 'take a time out' to be Teryn?

You have the oddest bug EVER.

But to explain: if you don't kill Loghain at the end of the Landsmeet, Riordan (who had the coolest if most forseeable death ever) steps forward and offers you the choice of making Loghain a Warden rather than losing his significant expertise. (Where they suddenly get the archdemon blood that was lost after Duncan's death, IDEK, but you just have to overlook that glaring plot hole).

If you do make Loghain a Warden, Alistair will generally storm off in a snit and leave the party. Loghain 'takes his place' so to speak (up to and including being able to sleep with Morrigan for the Dark Ritual. Which I did once just to see the conversation. Let me say: ew.)

So it wasn't Duncan letting him join, and as for his teyrnship, he was kind of dishonored and disgraced as the losing half of a military coup, so he can't really return to it. The story goes he becomes a Grey Warden (the irony, it is delicious) and to make it even better, gets sent to the Grey Warden outpost in Orlais at some point.

Most of it was just sort of 'yadda yadda yadda' (although I may have just been tired) except that Bhelen was working to break the screwed up caste system, which totally made me go fist pump. I guess now I have to buy Awakenings.

You were pretty tired. :) The post-game Epilogue is one of the more fascinating bits to me, because it tells you the consequences of all the decisions you make during the game.

Interesting that you sided with Bhelen, but that decision is a lose-lose in my book (that we've seen so far).

Good luck with Awakenings. Drove me crazy. :)

But before you import your game, I'd really like to take a look at your save file. The having Alistair in your party and Loghain alive and thinking he's a Warden is a major, major problem and I can't even begin to imagine how it's going to break things going forward. If there's any way we can fix it before your first import, the better.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Inappropriately timed conversation: Double Plus Yes. I just figured my girlfriend is a lot crazy.
Loghain: Oh hell no, I wouldn't trust that guy with a rusty egg beater. The only reason I'd let him join is if I thought he'd die during the Joining.
PS: Why the hell haven't we been making new Wardens if we have the technology?
Bhelen: Orzammar made Zahara crazy, and the big focus of her frustration was watching dwarves do to other dwarves what humans do to elves. Bhelen hinted that he might do something about that.

So where do I find the save file, and what will it look like?

[tersa.livejournal.com]

PS: Why the hell haven't we been making new Wardens if we have the technology?

Plot hole. Big. Giant. Plot hole. :)

Bhelen hinted that he might do something about that.

Yes. Like setting himself up as a dictator. It's great.

So where do I find the save file, and what will it look like?

I'll send you an email. :)

[merlinofchaos]

I have a play-through where I let Alistair walk and Loghain came and joined me. I very nearly made Loghain boink Morrigan but I thought he deserved a heroic death as an apology for fucking everything up.

The actual explanations where it happens are very moving, because Loghain is shockingly gracious when he decides he has lost he realizes that he was wrong, the Wardens aren't just a bunch of pompous asses. Cause you (the Warden) beat him on his own turf.

The first play-through I was totally ready to take him as a Warden and Alistair got all huffy and so I said "Fine but YOU have to kill him" and he said "With pleasure." And then Anora broke the marriage pact I had arranged because she couldn't marry her father's killer. So I had to send her to the tower, which was annoying political fail #2. I found that whole bit very satisfying actually because the game politically outmaneuvered me in ways that felt very real.

And then it turned out Fergus was alive and I had trouble forgiving him for not showing his face anywhere for the entire time I was off saving Ferelden. Especially since HE gets to be Teyrn of Highever and I was the one who actually avenged Father's death.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

And I love that there's enough depth to these characters that we have involved motivations for our choices. Or, maybe in some cases enough hints are given that we construct that depth ourselves. But there is obviously care given to these characters and how they behave, why they behave.

[denyse.livejournal.com]

The playthrough feels pretty different when you are playing a lass human noble - it's actually quite cool to send Anora to the tower after you off Loghain because then you get to make yourself Queen. Then it's all 'Hey Fergus, I'm your Queen now.'