Dragon Age 2: Replay Thoughts

I've been playing Dragon Age 2 again lately, because honestly, I missed it. It was fun.

I've also been playing Dragon Age: Origins again, and I'll eventually import that save into 2, then use the decisions of both in the Keep for my third inquisitor. Big plans. Right now I'm mucking about on a 'just for fun' 2 save.

I don't take many screenshots, because I play with subtitles on, but I have a couple, one of my Hawke's usual team, and a close-up of the blood mage himself. (Most of the time, he's a normal mage, but damn is blood magic handy in a tight spot. No wonder half of Kirkwall resorts to it.)

Pictured: Fenris wearing the red armband of 'has banged Hawke', Hawke, Varric's blood-repelling chest-hair, and some pious bastard in blinding white armour. Compare with Sassmaster Hawke's similar team shot.

There's a lot I've forgotten about this game, like who leaves/doesn't come back if the approval numbers aren't ideal, and maybe Varric is why I had persistent gore turned off in the first place, and so on. I feel like I'm fumbling my way through a first playthrough again, and that is something amazing.

It's been interesting watching this Hawke evolve as events unfold, most notably his personality. Act 1, 100% sarcastic dialogue. Act 2, 50-75% sarcastic dialogue. Act 3, all over the wheel. The point where things start tumbling down is in one quest, where, on selecting the funny option, Hawke gets most of the way through the line before breaking off and saying 'that's not funny at all, actually', in a serious tone. I always second guess the comedic dialogue choices after that.

I really only gave him blood mage speciality because I didn't need the second speciality point - biotic force magic is all I need. (I am a terrible healer.) But it has been handy to switch to for the extra power, crank out a few heavy spells after the mana runs dry.

Also, the Fenris romance is interesting, but could use more 'but I'm a mage' at times. I was hoping for more conflict, but I had to drag him around while I was trying to get Carver's friendship up, didn't I? I did indeed max Carver's friendship, and Fenris' in the process. I'll have to try a rival romance with him another time.

BIG Inquisition Spoilers. No really. Huge. OR: My brother noticed another thing.

Previous 'My brother noticed a thing' post. (Mass Effect spoilers.)

So... this time it was ambient noise. "When I stand here, and this character is not in my line of sight, I hear this noise."

Read more jump going in here.

BIG spoilers below.

Seriously, it's a thing you don't learn until the after-credits scene.

Oh, and there's an after-credits scene, so stick around for that.

Note: Not labelling this post with the character involved, as that could also be a spoiler.

Crafting

And the exact moment I decided to craft my companions' armour:

Blackwall: Looking good. Inquisitor: Exquisite. Dorian: ...

Really, though. Plaideweave?

That's more like it. Not the armour he finished the game in, but better than plaideweave.

Here was the end-game armour for my Inquisitor and Dorian:

Matching hats! I made four of them, then ran out of lambswool. Varric has one, and I think Blackwall wound up with the fourth. Until this point, I had 'hide helmets' option checked. They're still hidden in cutscenes, I didn't see an option to turn that off, but they look great in the wild.

For my Inquisitor, I prefer the armour in the first two screenshots to the one he ended up in. Mostly for the colours - if I had the latter armour in those colours it probably would be my favourite. Still, it's not bad.

Anyway, some spoiler-free info on this playthrough: Romanced Dorian. Played 95 hours before going to the final fight. Left a bazillion sidequests undone. Gave up on the war table about 60 hours in, kept sending my people out as soon as they were free, but so many markers, still so many.