247 replies to this topic

[Archmage Silver]

IGN has played through the first few hours of Awakening, read the review *Spoilers* here. Lead Designer Ferret Baudoin will also host a live broadcast on March 5th @ Xfire. Here's the blurb:

Join us at 5 PM PST, on Friday, March 5th for a live broadcast of Lead Designer Ferret Baudoin playing Dragon Age: Origins ? Awakening over the Xfire network. This demo will offer unique insight into the level design and of course show off some of the new features found in the expansion. Following the live gameplay demo, there will be an interactive chat session where your questions about Awakening will be answered.

We will also be giving away 10 PC copies of Dragon Age: Origins ? Awakening and 10 copies of the Dragon Age novel The Stolen Throne signed by author David Gaider. So head over to the Dragon Age: Origins ? Awakening live broadcast page, create a bookmark, and set an alarm for 5 PM PST. You don't want to miss it!

... (And I'm also one who is happy about Oghren returning, but he seems quite unpopular on these forums.) ...

That's probably because most of us left Orzammar for the last in our playthroughs, so Oghren didn't get as much travel time as the other companions.

From the developers' FAQs and interviews, there are six companions: 5+1, five new, one returning.

Anders, Velanna, Sigrun, Mhairi are new.
Oghren is returning.

Seems like there's one more new NPC left. Probably a bald human we saw.

Hopefully it's someone I can stand, because I really need a rogue most of the time...

[Kulyok]

That's very interesting. The article indeed spoils quite a bit of the new quests, but it was a good read(and I AM curious!). Thanks!

(Spoiler about the article:)
I wonder, though: I just finished a game with a Male Human Noble where I killed *everyone*, from Archdemon to Howe, and married the queen to boot. I mean, these nobles of Amaranthine have to be really stupid to try and depose me after that, right?



As for Oghren, I guess it varies. I don't find his character interesting, it's as simple as that. I have no compassion for him. In addition to that, I don't enjoy how the game treats Oghren's alcoholism - not funny to me. I think dwarf commoner's mother, who is also a drunk, paints a much more realistic picture.

[Gomb]

Oghren can come off quite obnoxious at first, but once you warm up to him he's a nice enough fellow, plus he is partially supposed to be the drunken dward comic relief. Which is hardly new, so I can understand why people don't appreciate him. I still do, though.

[Kulyok]

New info from the developers: Return to Ostagar items WILL import to the Awakening.

http://social.biowar...ex/1502395&lf=8

[Kulyok]

New rogue abilites: http://social.biowar...7/index/1501505
Or straight from the Wiki: http://social.biowar...ls_or_Abilities

[Kulyok]

Another world update: Dragonbone Wastes, a place where dragons presumably go to die.
http://social.biowar...ex/1521992&lf=8

Sounds weird to me. Why would a dragon leave his hoard and go to die somewhere else? It's just like "why would female Warden go and die in the Deep Roads? She risks becoming a Broodmother!"

[Solar's Harper]

To compete or parody the Warcraft series perhaps. What with their frosties heading up north to become nothing short of bones and ice.
Either way not very original of them; as for the female wardens well, if I understand correctly they only become a Broodmother after a prolonged period of being tainted, just like how their male counterparts eventually succumb and become other kinds of Darkspawn, it's essentially the same process - and a heroic death is a cultural aspect of ensuring they both A) go out with a bang, and B) don't suffer the transistion process, which is likely to be anything but pleasant as it would involve the altering of one's physical and mental state while still being acutely aware.

That in mind, it leaves small room to wonder why Grey Wardens leave all chances of climbing their social ladder behind them and embark on a seperate path instead. Which, really leaves a questionable level of consistency when they dragged the Alistair subplot out, sure he can become king, but he's on a much shorter time limit than most of his peers - and the consequences of waiting around are rather severe indeed.

[Archmage Silver]

Yeah, well, things based on elephants' graveyard aren't exactly new in fiction.

New info from the developers: Return to Ostagar items WILL import to the Awakening.

http://social.biowar...ex/1502395&lf=8

Now, now... how interesting. If I was a malignant person, I'd say they only published that detail to increase the sales of RtO.

Anyway, if we can't get our DLC items in the expansion, I'll try to fix it somehow. Of course I'll post any development in the process here later on, should it come to that.

[Archmage Silver]

Oghren's Awakening bio is up.

[Archmage Silver]

Also:

We have a new update on the Dragon Age: Origins Awakening creatures page - The Disciples.

Players think of the darkspawn as mindless fighters or footsoldiers of the darkspawn, and until Awakening this was mostly true. However now you must face a new threat. Intelligent, talking darkspawn with powers and abilities that can rival even the strongest of Grey Wardens. Where do these talking darkspawn come from and what new allies are they bringing with them into battle?

Check out new screenshots and video of the Disciples on the Dragon Age: Origins Awakening creatures page here: http://dragonage.bio...ture/disciples/

[Kulyok]

Seems like Oghren lives with Felsi anyway, whether you complete his quest or not. And abandons a newborn child, yuck! (And I took him into my party for some reason. Sigh!)


I'm more worried about this: I can no longer read "Bioware-only" posts. When I click on Bioware icons in Bioware social forum threads, I am getting the whole thread. It sucks.

[Archmage Silver]

It's probably a temporary bug, the site's in beta after all.

[Archmage Silver]

Fernando Melo Interview @ Gamasutra

Apparently the latest DA PS3 patch contains some changes not yet applied to the PC and 360 versions of the game.

[Archmage Silver]

Preview @ IGN
Penny Arcade Comic, Part 4

[berelinde]

Serious spoilers ahead! Those spoiler tags are there for a reason.

Spoiler

Apparently, I was correct when I said that there was another NPC beyond the 5+1. There is that dark-haired male rogue, Nathaniel Howe, featured in the Penny Arcade comics. He's joinable, apparently. And there's another NPC, a warrior name Justice. He's probably the bald guy in the Blackmarsh trailer.

So that makes the companions Anders, Sigrun, Mhairi, Velanna, Nathaniel, Justice, and Oghren.

Have a link.

Edited by berelinde, 08 March 2010 - 08:32 AM.

[Kulyok]

Good news! Looking forward to new NPCs.

[Archmage Silver]

If they aren't bland personality-wise, sure.

[berelinde]

I doubt they will be. So far, about the only companions that I've found bland are Leliana and Wynne, and I liked them well enough on the first playthrough. And some people prefer those two to characters I favor, too, so tastes aren't universal.

One of them looks more interesting at first blush than the other, but we'll see how that develops.

[Kulyok]

I found Leliana, Wynne and Oghren bland, myself. Oghren was a little better. I suspect that was because of their writer. The problem is that the same writer will be in Awakening, but I think I'll just do one try with her NPCs, and ditch them afterwards.

I like the *Spoiler!* NPC. I think he's going to be interesting. (Alas, he's a rogue, and most of my chars are rogues, but then again, my mage will probably love him - no one to steal her Inferno glory). Now, I almost regret that I don't have a Human Noble Female PC ready...

[berelinde]

Under the circumstances, an Orlesian warden mught enjoy just as many fireworks as a human noble one.