Mmmmh, read your little experience and I’m not agrreing with you about the force field spell. The repulsion glyph spell is a better crod control spell, the better of the game. With paralyzie explosion force field is just a perk, who allow you to make only ONE enemy paralyzed. And you can’t even attack him when is paralyzed. When you have nine enemies paralyzed and you just see them die under your two tempest, you don’t really see force field to be “possibly the best crowd control spell”.

There are mods that can remove the DLC guy if you didn’t buy it. If you consider a second playthrough, I’d also recommand the Detailed Tooltips mod to have a better idea at what spell and abilities do.

My party was Sten (or Alistair or Oghren, but I prefer Sten), Zevran, Wynne and my character.

My strategy for every single fight in the game :
1) Gather the enemies around the warrior
2) Use Taunt
3) Force Field the warrior
4) Kill the enemies using any means in complete safety, renewing Force Field on the warrior when it wears off

Taunt locks the enemies on the character using it, and they won’t change target until they die. Force Field makes a character invulnerable. Combine the two, and there goes game balance. Having two mages give access to permanent Force Field with no down time as long as mages have Mana, and Lyrium is available in infinite quantities to make potions.

@ Dr. Azrael Tod:
I don’t mind paying for a game if it’s good. But that is just bait. EA/Bioware knows that. Advertising DLC outside the game makes the DLC seem like an addition, but advertising in the game makes one’s perception of the game incomplete, clearly targetting the completion-OCD gamers. It’s just too shrewd.

I just put EA suits in there cos it’s so easy to blame them sometimes. :P I do concede that I may not be correct on that.

Mart wrote:

That DLC guy is really dick move. I blame the suits at EA for that! Money-grubbing asses.

I think a part of the Problem is that it constantly reminds one that this game is just a way for some Persons to get your money. Dont get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting your money, but you want to play a game… you want to feel a world with dwarfes, elves and dragons and you don’t want to read “by XYZ now and pay via VISA or Paypal”. It just doesn’t belong there!
It’s just as if EA would drop some CocaCola-Ads on the Dungeon-Walls. :-/

Luke Maciak wrote:

I guess it is more about my CRPG-OCD – anything that shines, glimmers or has an icon must be clicked and picked up. I swear, that DLC guy in the camp was mighty annoying. I really wished I could get that exclamation mark from above of his head.

I also got that bad habit, but not only does it extend to CRPGs, but most games in general. Strategy, simulation, sports, puzzle games: I must be able to find and complete everything. Feels incomplete otherwise.

That DLC guy is really dick move. I blame the suits at EA for that! Money-grubbing asses.

Luke Maciak wrote:

I really wished I could get that exclamation mark from above of his head.

same here… This bastard is more annoying then any kind of enemy to me… -.-

Dr. Azrael Tod wrote:

As far as i know there is only one Way to get to the Bloodmage-Specialisation, this is by entering the Fade in Redclive and to barter with the Deamon.

That’s what I read too. But I also read you can only do it when you play a mage. Then again, I haven’t tried it – I just killed the demon on my first playthrough.

Mart wrote:

Locked chests aren’t that appealing in DA:O. Read somewhere that there really weren’t any “awesome”-level items in locked chests, just the usual pots, mats and trash.

That’s actually very true. There are few chests here and there which may have some decent stuff inside, but they are rare.

I guess it is more about my CRPG-OCD – anything that shines, glimmers or has an icon must be clicked and picked up. I swear, that DLC guy in the camp was mighty annoying. I really wished I could get that exclamation mark from above of his head.

Locked chests aren’t that appealing in DA:O. Read somewhere that there really weren’t any “awesome”-level items in locked chests, just the usual pots, mats and trash.

At first i played the Game as Warrior, mostly taking Wynne (for healing) with me and everything else was pretty flexible.

Now in my second attempt i play as pretty offensive Mage, mostly taking Leliana and/or Morrigan/Wynne with me.

I don’t really rely on one or two Characters. One of the best parts of this Game is imho that inactive Chars still Level up and you have allways enough Equipment for everyone. Thus you never really need to decide who you need and who not.

Most time my Team-Selection is by far more plot-based then speciality-based. At least i allways select one or two Chars based on the current Quest or Area and the last one is reserved for balance.

Morrigans Shapeshifting-Spell is indeed usefull.. at least if you reach the last level of it. Then She bekommes someone who can be adapted to nearly every task, be it healing, crowd-control or even directly attacking as a swarm of bees.

As far as i know there is only one Way to get to the Bloodmage-Specialisation, this is by entering the Fade in Redclive and to barter with the Deamon.
I think this should be possible with every Specialisation, as long as you’ve got any Mage in your team at this point. (in my first run i didn’t, so i don’t really know)