Snook's stupid questions thread- spoilers inside

Remove all ads!

OK, I'm in Lothering and in the tavern a scared off some of Logain's guys who were after me. Leliana asked to join my party. It looks like I can only have 4 people in total. I'm playing a warrior, I have Alistair, my dog, and Morrigan. Since I needed a rogue I had to say goodbye to my faithful mutt (I miss him already). Now my question is where the heck did he go? Is there a way to get him back?

I'm guessing that Alistair will be the next to go as I've been told I need a good healer which I guess then makes the party the standard Tank, Mage, Cleric, Rogue.

Is this the type of game where you constantly need different people or do the different characters just change the flavor of the game. I have the Shale download, but I'm guessing I don't need two tanks. Thoughts?

 

You can change your party in camp and in Lothering (because you don't have access to the camp yet, at least not the definitive version of the camp). In other areas you'll have to go back to the camp to change your party (there are some exceptions in the game and you'll find out about them later).

There is nothing wrong with changing party members. You may enjoy hearing their stories and depending on their opinion or your progress in the main quest they may open some side quests or trigger some (not so random) encounters.

If you like the dog you can pick him up again. The dog is very useful since he can take down enemies quite effectively with overwhelm, shred or growl. You can also ask him to look for stuff in various locations (I won't disclose what he finds but it may be worthwhile to take him especially if you like him). The dog can also use the special landmarks.

You didn't mention what was your warrior's specialty. Sword and Shield types like Alistair make the best tanks so if your main character is a Sword and Shield warrior Alistair may be redundant indeed but if your main is a two handed weapon specialist or a dual wielder then you may get find Alistair to be very useful to your party.

 

I usually play with a tank (my PC this time), two mages, and a rotating character depending on how many chests I've had to pass up...

Now that I have Morrigan as a kickass Arcane Warrior, I have 2 tanks, 2 mages, and a rogue. (PC, Morrigan, Wynne, and Leliana). Best party EVER!

 

It kinda sucks that magic is so useful that you want two mages as there only are two npc mages in the game. On my first run I picked three characters and ran with them using them for the entire playthrough. Not too fond of the switching back and forth thing.

 

In most friendly areas* you can change your party by clicking on the party icon in the interface, in hostile areas you either have to go to the overland map or reach a friendly area.

As for character needed, go with what suits your style, I beat the game with two tanks, a rogue and mage. with my mage focused on healing. Next game, I might go one tank, two rogues and a mage. Nothing is really needed but some things make the games more easy (the more mages, the more power. So I limit myself to one)

I say most friendly areas, because why some areas are marked as friendly and why some aren't doesn't always make sense.

 

OK, next question. How do you check your "status" with your companions to see if they like you or not. I haven't seen any indiciations that I'm gaining or losing favor with them (Ala Neverwinter Nights).

 

On your companion's character screen there is a status bar, indicating whether they like you or not. Hover the cursor over it and you'll get an info where you stand. Compare with Dog's char screen - being fiercely loyal to his master his status bar is always maxed out.

Tip: Some characters, especially Morrigan or Sten and occasionally Shale, will not like you doing good deeds, and doing them will yield a caustic comment and disapproval (and a black broken heart symbol with a negative number indicating that visually). If you want to do such quests it is wise to go collecting such quests with a party that doesn't react to that negatively. I suggest to have Wynne, Leliana and Alistair in your party then, as they are likely to give you approval for good deeds (as indicated by a golden heart with a positive number). You get most of the quests in friendly areas, so you can reshuffle your party accordingly.

 

Which begs the question, why are there gifts for him?

 

Cause he has earned them?

 

It's a bit more complex than that even if what Ragusa posted is a good guideline for a start.

Sten is a foreigner who doesn't share Fereldan values and he is very focused and dedicated to his mission. That doesn't make him evil but it does make him hard to befriend until you understand how he thinks.

Morrigan is not really evil but she is certainly not the caring type.

So you can give them to Alistair?

 

Apparently giving gifts to Dog before asking him if there is anything interesting in the area makes him find better items but I've never tested it.

 

Indeed. Giving gifts to Dog should result in you getting more stuff back in return. Or you could just give the bones to another character.

 

Kit,
I read that when you give him a gift and send him out for a search he is likelier to find something good. Didn't test that yet.

 

OK, next question. I just finished Lothering. Does it matter in which order I do the four main quests? My understanding is that the game ramps up to your level, so I'm guessing it doesn't matter as they should all be the same difficulty when you get to them. Is this correct?

 

The most popular quest to do first is the Mage's Tower, because there is an area inside where your PC can gain substantial boosts to his/her stats. If you plan ahead, this can allow your character to qualify for spells or talents in the most expedient manner. For me, it's Mage Tower, then Redcliffe, then Dwarves, then Elves (though - in my next playthrough, I'm going to try doing elves earlier).

But aside from these considerations, it doesn't matter story-wise. You can do them in any order you wish, much like BG2.

 

The only locations you have to do first is Lothering. After that you can go anywhere you like. If you play the game and follow what you commrades state, from beginning to end the game would be played like this...

Origin
Ostagar
Red Cliffe
Wizard Tower
Scared Urn Quest
Dalish Elves
Dwarves
Back to Deneruim
Final Battle

My first play through I played the game in that exact order. My second play through I did the Wizard Tower, Elves, Redcliffe, Dwarves, Scared Urn, etc...

Between the two play through I have to say following the list I have above from Origin on, actually plays quite well into the story.

 

I played:
Origin
Red Cliff
Wizard Tower
Red Cliff Castle
Shale (forgot the town's name)
Dalish Elves
Warden's Peak
Urn of Scared Ashes
Denerim
Ostagar
Deep Roads
Back to Denerim...which is were I am now. (I just got rescued! )

That's *not* the way I will be playing next time.

 

I played:
Origin
Lothering
Getting Shale
Warden's Peak
Redcliff complete
Denerim
Mage Tower
Elves
Orzammar
More Denerim
The rest.

 

In my second time through, with the benefit of hindsight, I played in about the following order:

# Lothering
# Sidequesting i.e. visiting all places in a more or less random fashion except Redcliffe. I started in Denerim, then went to Orzammar and to the Elves forrest (both times avoiding the main quest)
# Mages Tower
# Urn of Sacred Ashes
# Redcliffe
# Elves
# Orzammar and Deep Roads
# The rest