Origins | Ostagar | Lothering | Circle Tower | Warden's Keep (DLC) | Return to Ostagar (DLC) | Stone Prisoner (DLC) | Brecilian Forest | Redcliffe | The Urn of Sacred Ashes | Orzammar | Deep Roads | Denerim | Final Onslaught |
Lake Calenhad | Shopping Around | Apprentice Quarters | Senior Mage Quarters Random Encounters |
SHOPPING AROUND
Master Herbalism
First, I need a character that can use the recipe to craft Potent Lyrium Potions. This requires a character with the Master Herbalist skill. The natural candidate is Morrigan. I return to Lothering, and exploit the Traps are a Girl's Friend quest some more until Morrigan reaches 12th level and acquires the Master Herbalist skill. If you want Morrigan to get Master Herbalism earlier than 12th level, you can always buy a Tome of Skill and Sundry from Old Tegrin.
I then travel to Denerim, and buy the Potent Lyrium Potion Recipe from the Wonders of Thedas on the south side of the Market Square.
Limitless Gold
This is a video demonstration of Myrridan's method of gaining unlimited gold. Lyrium Dust is available in infinite supply from the Quartermaster in the Circle Tower. Concentrator Agents, Distillation Agents, and Flasks are available from the Gnawed Noble Tavern in infinite supply. Buy Lyrium Dust, Concentrator Agents, Distillation Agents, and Flasks in proportions of 4:2:2:1 respectively. I have Morrigan craft Potent Lyrium Potions, and I then sell them off at a significant profit margin. This is a tedious process, but well worth it. Suffice it to say, the many repetitions of this process were not shown in the video.
My objective is of course to raise plenty of gold and then do some shopping for choice items for when I begin the Circle Tower quest in earnest. The next few videos show my particular choices.
Wonders of Thedas
As I mentioned during her profile page, I plan on Leliana's fighting style being one of dual-wielding an axe and a dagger. I start off by purchasing a decent interim weapon from Cesar in the Market Square, an Ash Warrior Axe (+2 Axe) that has one rune slot in it.
I then go to the Wonders of Thedas, and rack up some experience points from the various books lying around. I buy the following:
More of Bodahn's Wares
Now I buy the following from Bodahn:
Circle Tower Quartermaster
I then buy the following from the Quartermaster in the Circle Tower:
Alistair is at 34 Strength, and cannot use the Earthheart's Portable Bulwark just yet. I show a simple trick to get around this. I simply have Alistair wear Andruil's Blessing to temporarily raise his Strength to 36, and then he can equip the Bulwark. I can then remove Andruil's Blessing, but Alistair will still have the Bulwark equipped.
*Note* This trick won't work if you keep more than one weapon equipped and you switch away from the weapon that you don't meet the requirements for. Once you remove the Strength-enhancing items and switch away from the weapon whose requirements you didn't meet, the weapon will unequip and appear in your backpack. This is why I raise Leliana's Strength to 27 over the course of the game.
Aldarion then wears Andruil's Blessing, and thus is able to equip Wintersbreath.
Sandal
It turns out that my Red Steel Dagger didn't have any rune slots, so I had to buy a Silverite one from the Quartermaster. Here I show my first initial interaction with Bodahn's son, Sandal. I have Sandal place some of my runes into weapons to prepare me for my foray into the Circle.
Now I enter the Apprentice Quarters of the Tower.