I would agree with most about DA:O and Awakening. I consider that DA2 is also a good game, BUT it is really different from DA:O, and I feel like I liked it more after having replayed it later on.
I don’t really like DA:I, and it is only worth it if you also play the endgame DLC, because the base game ending is really underwhelming. And, the game managed to implement everything that I hate about “Open World” games.
I’d recommend playing in release order if you’re someone who tends to enjoy delving into lore. (And man, is there a LOT of lore.) I did them in reverse order originally, and although I enjoyed DAI a lot, I didn’t quite get why the stakes were so high for the protag. I felt way more connected to the storyline when I returned to Inquisition after having Origins and DA2 under my belt.
My other reason for recommending chronological order is that Origins is one of the best games I’ve ever played. I still fire up my Xbox 360 to give it a play now and again.
Origins struck a good balance between player autonomy and the required storyline. You can pick your character’s race, gender, and class at the start of the game and get a unique back story that informs how you can approach later conflicts and circumstances. Then you find out the central conflict and are presented with the different factions you need to draw together. From there, it’s up to you to decide who you’ll support and how you’ll make it happen. You can be a true asshole to all your companions, or a Lothario, or BFFs. And the combat system is pretty good overall, despite being dated and a touch clunky. The party mechanics are fun when you get used to them.
DA2 is a perfectly serviceable game, but not one I personally enjoy replaying. Humans are the least interesting race in Thedas to me, and I’m sure that contributes.
DAI is definitely an Open World Game and therefore plagued by all the struggles these games tend to have, but I still found it really fun. Jaws of Hakkon is a great DLC for the world building element. Trespasser is basically the real ending of the game, so hopefully you’ll have access to that DLC as well!
I hope you have a great experience playing these games for the first time! DA is my favourite series ever, and I love seeing folks give it a go. :)
Been a fan since the start, so here’s my two cents:
Dragon Age Origins is amazing. Buy each of the expansions. Save files transfer from expansion to expansion, and there are also a few DLCs for the base game. Usually everything is sold in one package - either the Ultimate Edition on Steam (which can also be modded), or GoG. GamePass only has the basegame.
Once you’ve completed the final DAO expansion (Witch Hunt), DA2 is worth playing at least once for its story. It has two expansions (Mark of the Assassin and Legacy) both of which are improvements on the base game. Don’t bother with any other DLC unless you get it all in a package deal. Save file transfers directly into DA2 from DAO.
Once you’ve completed DA2, DAI is also worth playing (I personally liked it more than 2, but YMMV). Mainline it if you start getting bored, as the main quest is worth the playthrough. It had three expansions, the first two played during the main campaign (both endgame) and one postgame expansion. All are worth playing, but The Descent and Trespasser are the most important for the overall world. DAI saves are a bit weird, as they don’t come from DA2. Instead, you fill in your choices in the Dragon Age Keep (should be first result on Google) and export them to DAI. I suggest jotting down major choices as you go.
Outside of the three games, there’s also a series of novels and a Netflix series, as well as a series of comics. The first five and following three comics are available in collections, generally pretty cheaply. Novels are printed to order. If you enjoy the stories in the games, I strongly recommend Asunder by David Gaider and The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes. Tevinter Nights was great, but it may lose relevance when the new game comes out in the coming couple of years, as it was written as a kind of preview for what’s coming up. The Netflix series was good, but likely of little relevance to the greater narrative.
Honestly, all three games are worth playing in order. There’s nothing atrocious about any of them (DAI won game of the year in 2014), although none have aged super well. In the case of DA2, it may be worth mainlining if the environments bother you (game was made in 18 months, so most maps were recycled several times). If you do mod DAO, just do texture mods for now; there’s some great stuff out there, but only really worthwhile for later playthroughs.
If you find yourself really loving DAO, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a spiritual successor to it and a direct sequel to the games that were DAO’s original inspiration. Do check that out when it comes out at the end of the week if DAO is your jam.
Feel free to DM me if you have any other questions!
True, although combat is only one aspect of BG3, I’m mostly referring to storytelling and depth of decision making. Tbh I typically avoid combat in EA if I can’t one-shot everything (playing a very squishy Elder One Warlock for whom constitution is his dump stat). There are similarities though (DAO is largely turn-based RTP combat, whereas BG3 is totally turn-based. If you pause enough, DAO slows down enough to become pure turn-based).
I got sucked into playing Witcher 3 again. I swear I’ll finish it this time! I’ve also been playing an early access indy game called Inkulinati, and when I need some mindless kick-ass action, I have my go-to TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge.
I just finished Tears of the Kingdom last week. No spoilers, the final boss fight felt like a dragon ball Z episode. The health bar busting out of its usual bounds and hitting the edge of the screen was a “shit just got real” moment for me and the kids, lots of hype. I didn’t think I would see anything top Breath of the Wild in this generation but glad to be wrong.
I love Dragon Age: Origins. One of the best “modern” RPGs for sure. Great replayability. Great characters. Great “rpgness”.
I also love Dragon Age 2. It’s not a great game… but I actually like the story more. I like how more “focused” it feels narrative-wise. The characters are also great. The “rpgness” is less good… and development issues makes for a lot of reused assets.
I kinda like Dragon Age: Inquisition. I’ve been replaying it recently. The story is decent. The characters are also good. Maybe even better tbh. I like the main plot points and the ideas etc. But the game mechanics kinda suck… I hate the pointless missions that take time like mobile games. The way the story progresses, with meta-points blocking things also sucks. But it’s ok…
All in all, I would recommend playing them all. But kinda like watching all the Godfather movies. One is great, another is pretty good, and one kinda sucks but it’s ok. But if you just watch the one that’s great, you kinda miss the whole thing.
FFVIIR and enjoying it. I’m getting the hang of the hybrid battle system, it’s a good balance of the two, curious about other titles that mix action and almost turn based style commands. Still a little annoyed at the camera and target locking, but have gotten used to it after switching to d-pad targeting.
Also just escaped fort joy in Divinity Original Sin 2. Such a great game.
I don’t post gaming memes myself so it won’t directly affect me, but how do you count a “Monday” if taking other timezones/countries into consideration? Just curious.
This is a fair question. I was just going to base it off my pst timezone, but not every mod is there. I want to say we’re all relatively close timezone wise so I don’t think it’ll be an issue, but if it is we will discuss further
Obligatory grinding. Like all those “retrieve my friends bracelet from the Torture Chamber of the Bloodseeking Ghouls”. You’re just running around doing the same things over and over again. Finding the place, killing everything, going back, talk to person A, get referred to person B, etc etc.
I agree that is clearly broken and overused in many games but if we were able to actually control the walking speed on PC with a keyboard similar to what is possible with a controller, it would probably be more bearable tbh.
I am a collector, and inventory management is always the thing that makes or breaks an RPG for me. Unlimited inventory is just completely unrealistic, but on the other hand, making an RPG inventory completely realistic is just no fun. Of course I want to be able to lug all that sweet loot home, including battle axes, broadswords, several full armor sets, myriad other weapons, potions, etc. Having an encumbrance such as Skyrim has makes total sense to me. I love the idea of being able to sort and filter my inventory, and store items in whatever container I own. I also like to be able to compare the stats of new items with ones I own so I know if something is a trade up.
I hate storage block inventories, where items physically take up one, or a few “squares”. I don’t want to play a tile puzzle with my items.
RDR2 has one of, if not my favorite, inventory systems. Your own 'backpack' that had a weight limit and could only carry smaller things. Big things you'd have to lug onto the back of your horse or find a cart. All of your equipped weapons are displayed on your person. If you want to swap weapons you have to run back to your horse and exchange weapons at your saddle bags
I often find mechanics that only exist to waste time incredibly annoying. In the case of loot, a limited inventory is kind of that. You could absolutely just portal/teleport to town, sell your stuff, and then get back to playing. There’s no challenge involved, EXCEPT that it wastes your real-world time.
I liked the pets in Torchlight for this reason. You could send them off to sell loot, while you kept playing the part of the game that’s actually fun.
One exception is something like Resident Evil, where the choice is relevant to the gameplay directly. But even then, I would’ve preferred limits on individual elements (Only X weapons, only X healing items, etc.) and having extras automatically stored.
Gathering mechanics in rpgs. It’s a waste of time neuron activator. I want to get immersed in the world and not walk from bush to bush going grabbing flowers, rocks and sticks.
Hades. I bought it a few months ago and finally installed it yesterday. Only played about 30 minutes, but love it so far. I didn't even know it was a roguelike -- I thought it was more like Diablo from the screenshots. I just bought it because everyone said it was amazing, and I think I'm going to agree with them.
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