Dragon Age 3: Inquisition announced

[bystander36]

I have 35 hours in Inquisition and I'm almost done with the Hinterlands. Hurrah! I chose to side with the Templars but still haven't "closed the Rift once and for all", whatever that means. My characters are level 9-10, so I'm pretty sure I have a long way to go still.

Inquisition is a huge step in the right direction, although so far playing on "Hard" difficulty has been a total cake walk. I never even lose health in battles anymore on my sword/shield main character at level 10. The "guard" I generate is more than enough to keep any hp from ticking away... hopefully the game gets harder real soon. Maybe the fact I still haven't progressed the main story very far is to blame for how easy everything is, here's hoping at least!

If you are going to do every zone and side mission, you might consider going nightmare. You are out leveling the areas you are in, making the fights easier than they would otherwise be.

 

[bystander36]

I thought it was the Storm Coast Dragon that did that--I do recall pulsating rings around my party members when he breathed on me.

that one was annoying; I retreated and haven't gone back yet.

It's possible they both do, I have not revealed the Storm Coast one, other than seeing him fighting that giant. I had just done Crestwood, so it is pretty clear in my mind.

 

[Red Hawk]

There is so. Much. Stuff. To. Do. And it all feels so much more personal than doing this sort of thing in Skyrim.

 

[Bateluer]

I have 35 hours in Inquisition and I'm almost done with the Hinterlands. Hurrah! I chose to side with the Templars but still haven't "closed the Rift once and for all", whatever that means. My characters are level 9-10, so I'm pretty sure I have a long way to go still.

Inquisition is a huge step in the right direction, although so far playing on "Hard" difficulty has been a total cake walk. I never even lose health in battles anymore on my sword/shield main character at level 10. The "guard" I generate is more than enough to keep any hp from ticking away... hopefully the game gets harder real soon. Maybe the fact I still haven't progressed the main story very far is to blame for how easy everything is, here's hoping at least!

You need to do that Close the Rift mission soon. I think its targeted for characters at level 5 to 8. I did it just before 10, and it was kind of a breeze.

DAI's open world means the story isn't as tight as it was in Origins. Its very easy to become over powered for the story missions if you're trying to be a completionist.

 

[facetman]

Ah, so thats it. Guess I need to knock out some story missions then. :/




Out of curiosity, what level were you? I ran into the lightning dragon, Northern Hunter, in Crestwood around level 12, and got my ass royally spanked.

I was level 10/11 - had not shut the rift yet. BUT, I am not real good at this type of game. So, others may think I was over powered for normal difficulty - but not for me - as I barely lived to tell the tail. However, I probably was a bit OP as it was my first try. Maybe I will set the difficulty up as typically I have to try BOSS fights several times to be successful. Also- I am playing on PC using K/M - so from what I have read that makes things more difficult.

 

[Bateluer]

 

[NoSoup4You]

Now that's taking double-jointed to a whole 'nother level.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I have seen some graphical glitches too. Sometimes when loading the game characters appear in mid-air or drop down from the sky. Overall, I like the game a lot, but I don't really find the combat that easy. As I get further into the game, the limited healing potions and lack of healing spells is becoming annoying. Any enemies equal in level, I can handle, but even one, or for sure 2 levels above me becomes difficult. Closing rifts is especially annoying, because the enemies respawn and I run out of potions before the last wave. You are also kind of screwed if you spend power points to unlock areas that you are under-levelled for.

 

[bystander36]

I have seen some graphical glitches too. Sometimes when loading the game characters appear in mid-air or drop down from the sky. Overall, I like the game a lot, but I don't really find the combat that easy. As I get further into the game, the limited healing potions and lack of healing spells is becoming annoying. Any enemies equal in level, I can handle, but even one, or for sure 2 levels above me becomes difficult. Closing rifts is especially annoying, because the enemies respawn and I run out of potions before the last wave. You are also kind of screwed if you spend power points to unlock areas that you are under-levelled for.

I've been finding that rifts have gotten a lot easier by following a lead from someone in this thread. As it turns out, when they go to respawn, you can dispel the respawn locations. Now I have Cassandra and a mage dispelling the respawn locations. You can remove up to 4 enemy from one fight if you are lucky. 2 for sure.

If you want to make the fights easier, you can also make sure to carry 2 mages, instead of 1, and be sure they have barrier.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I've seen some crazy stuff too in cutscenes. Odd animations and strange clipping issues.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I've been finding that rifts have gotten a lot easier by following a lead from someone in this thread. As it turns out, when they go to respawn, you can dispel the respawn locations. Now I have Cassandra and a mage dispelling the respawn locations. You can remove up to 4 enemy from one fight if you are lucky. 2 for sure.

If you want to make the fights easier, you can also make sure to carry 2 mages, instead of 1, and be sure they have barrier.

Interesting. Thanks for the tip. My main character is a mage and I ususally have another mage in the party. I have barrier for both, but dont really use dispel, except for the thing the main character does to close the rifts.

 

[zinfamous]

I tend to get weird camera angles from the bottom of a shoe. I did take a screen cap of Cullen standing on the outside of the castle--the other side of the window behind his desk, and non-interactible

Spoiler

I suppose Lyrium withdrawal is just too much for him to take

most annoying visual/interaction bug for me is the lag in the interact window--you see the item, you're near it, but you can't activate. Being that it's all the same button with jump, I'm often jumping in midair, then start chatting with someone on the down jump, so I'm stuck flailing my limbs, hovering just above the ground, while having a conversation.

Also, the world that continues to live around you, even while in long conversation. Especially in a map like Exalted Plains, which has an obnoxious number of wolf packs constantly spawning and roaming about. I'm doing the Solas mission, start chatting with with one of the NPCs involved, when I see a wolf that wasn't around before the convo, run up in the background then start attacking Solas as he chats and chats and chats. Blood spurting, teeth and claws going at him from time to time....conversation keeps fucking going and going and going. Wolf moves to someone else and starts attacking. Conversation ends, Solas is suddenly dead and my inquisitor is at 1/2 health.

 

[zinfamous]

It's possible they both do, I have not revealed the Storm Coast one, other than seeing him fighting that giant. I had just done Crestwood, so it is pretty clear in my mind.

Yeah, that's probably it. Crestwood was the first one I attempted, and I could only get him to ~30% or so before submitting. I wasn't paying much attention other than trying to keep lightning tonics up and spreading my ranged about (I tend to use Varric + opposite element mage for dragons now--Solas is my go-to for bosses because that bastard is a tank)

For whatever reason, it seems to me that dragon physical attacks are very, very weak compared to their general breath/ability attacks, as well as to other mobs. My shield/sword inquisitor can get her ass handed to her in 2 hits from one of those red templar rogues if not paying attention, but if I'm the only one left standing in a dragon fight, the biting and stomping and all of that barely does anything to my guard and I can hold out pretty long.

**
I also did the Reaver thing, which limits the build--very annoying because the class still doesn't say that Rampage only works with 2-hand weapon (It does, I tested this--I noticed the same with Sera, after readjusting her build back to bow, after Cole progressed to Assassin. Sera can no longer use her focus (thousand cuts or whatever), with a bow in her hand). That makes a little more sense, because the skill basically says you are using daggers. Rampage really suggests nothing as to 2-hand being necessary. Pretty horrible design, if you ask me--and consider that Sera starts with a bow, so the designers pretty much want you to go bow with her...yet she goes to a specialization that can't use the focus skill? Fucking horrible.

In general, limiting those focus skills to specific weapon classes really does nothing to personalize your build. It's god damn awful and I hope Bioware adjusts this, if possible. Oh, I have a choice of 3 specializations for my hero, to make some variety! ...oh, wait, no...no I don't.

 

[bystander36]

I ran into the Storm coast dragon lastnight. He was 2 levels higher than my group, and I had the wrong group, but I attacked him anyways.

Spoiler

He did have some sort of lightning ring on him as well, though I don't recall my party members exploding

, so it could still be a slightly different ability. I plan to go back when I get to his level.

I don't see how Solas is a tank. I can only assume you just have him spec'ed in a way to not get in trouble? Vivienne is the tank, as an KE.

As far as the melee of the Dragons. It is definitely weaker, but there is no way you could tank him for that long if he did high damage. Not with out heals. And his constant moving and kicking makes it really difficulty to actually hit him in melee. I think going 3 ranged with a tank is generally the best strat, though my rogue is now using daggers, so that doesn't happen.

 

[zinfamous]

I ran into the Storm coast dragon lastnight. He was 2 levels higher than my group, and I had the wrong group, but I attacked him anyways.

Spoiler

He did have some sort of lightning ring on him as well, though I don't recall my party members exploding

, so it could still be a slightly different ability. I plan to go back when I get to his level.

I don't see how Solas is a tank. I can only assume you just have him spec'ed in a way to not get in trouble? Vivienne is the tank, as an KE.

As far as the melee of the Dragons. It is definitely weaker, but there is no way you could tank him for that long if he did high damage. Not with out heals. And his constant moving and kicking makes it really difficulty to actually hit him in melee. I think going 3 ranged with a tank is generally the best strat, though my rogue is now using daggers, so that doesn't happen.

I tend to go me + Bull (because he likes Dragons) and mage + Varric or Sera (bow). The

Spoiler

Emprise du lion? whatever dragons--they are all level 21-22

. I'm at level 21 and 22 fighting them, and really have no trouble tanking them in mele. don't know, man.

Yeah, Solas isn't technically a tank, he's sort of a hashed tank as I have him heavily into barrier--he's my ice mage with all points into any possible barrier up-time skills. Even with Viviene maxed into KE, Solas manages to stay alive longer--of course, this could be a factor of Viv rushing into mele range, but there it is. I like Viv a ton, though, and switch between her and Solas about 50/50. I have little use for Dorian.

dragons have 2 or 3 hitboxes all around them. It's pretty easy in my experience to hit them, regardless of how many mele toons you have fighting them. Only issue is the knokback and their flying about, but I always have and use distance closing abilities.

 

[bystander36]

The problem isn't the hitbox, have you put a character on auto attack against them and watched? They are constantly moving and getting pushed around, but rarely actually hitting them. This may be worse for rogues, but it is kind of crazy just how much they spend moving, and how little time they spend actually hitting them. It's not quite as bad if you control the character and stay out of tactical mode, but the auto fighting, and in tactical mode, they just never seem to swing much.

 

[Subyman]

I heard that if you do everything in the Hinterlands then you make the rest of the game unbalanced and super easy. I'll be doing every quest

 

[StinkyPinky]

THere are at least a couple of dragons that do the lightning ring attacks. I killed both of them. In reality, high DPS characters against dragons isn't the best. It's slow and steady wins the race against them. My two handed guy was getting hurt big time because he simply lacked the defence needed to stay alive. Cassandra on the other hand would barely get a scratch and it was her that was carrying me through the dragon fights. I think a good dragon killing party is...

Your guy (preferably a tank build)
Cassandra (full on tank build and she was just soak up anything, let the AI handle her)
Varric (ranged attack, he can hit for huge amounts of damage, especially with his focus ability. I ended up controlling him most of the time during dragon fights as the AI sucks using him well)
Mage with buffs (barrier is a must, a mage that does spirit damage is useful too as many dragons are vulnerable to spirit)

(Also regen potions are very useful and remember to upgrade them)

IMO one of the easiest dragons to fight is the one in Crestwood. It's lowish level and doesn't move around as much.

 

[Red Hawk]

So has anyone encountered the memory crash that I mentioned in the VC&G thread? I was in Crestwood when all of a sudden the game crashed, with a window popping up telling me that Direct3D had no memory to access. After I closed out that window, Windows had a message from the task bar telling me that it was low on system memory. It's only happened once in, oh, 30+ hours of gameplay, but I'm curious if anyone else has had it happen.

 

[ControlD]

So has anyone encountered the memory crash that I mentioned in the VC&G thread? I was in Crestwood when all of a sudden the game crashed, with a window popping up telling me that Direct3D had no memory to access. After I closed out that window, Windows had a message from the task bar telling me that it was low on system memory. It's only happened once in, oh, 30+ hours of gameplay, but I'm curious if anyone else has had it happen.

I haven't seen that problem myself (about 60 hours in now). I have had exactly one crash to desktop in my entire playing time so far, and that was just a straight game quitting with no error message.

 

[StinkyPinky]

No, but I did experience some annoying technical issues. I've finished, it took me 80 or so hours. I experienced probably something like..

- 3 or 4 CTD's
- Sometimes the war table would "Freeze", but I found out alt-tabbing into the desktop and back into the game solved that so not a biggie
- Had Origin crash on me once, and the game forces you to close it

Overall not terrible for 80 hours but definitely could be improved.

 

[Mem]

No, but I did experience some annoying technical issues. I've finished, it took me 80 or so hours. I experienced probably something like..

- 3 or 4 CTD's
- Sometimes the war table would "Freeze", but I found out alt-tabbing into the desktop and back into the game solved that so not a biggie
- Had Origin crash on me once, and the game forces you to close it

Overall not terrible for 80 hours but definitely could be improved.

I've put my DA:I on hold,waiting for the first patch,hopefully we'll get something soon but they sure are taking their time,I still feel they should of released the game later with less bugs more polished PC controls.

 

[ControlD]

I've put my DA:I on hold,waiting for the first patch,hopefully we'll get something soon but they sure are taking their time,I still feel they should of released the game later with less bugs more polished PC controls.

Honestly, for such a big game I find it to be remarkably bug free. I'm not holding my breath that the PC controls are ever going to be what people are hoping for. Luckily the game plays great with a controller.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Honestly, for such a big game I find it to be remarkably bug free. I'm not holding my breath that the PC controls are ever going to be what people are hoping for. Luckily the game plays great with a controller.

I agree, surprising considering the size.

 

[bystander36]

So has anyone encountered the memory crash that I mentioned in the VC&G thread? I was in Crestwood when all of a sudden the game crashed, with a window popping up telling me that Direct3D had no memory to access. After I closed out that window, Windows had a message from the task bar telling me that it was low on system memory. It's only happened once in, oh, 30+ hours of gameplay, but I'm curious if anyone else has had it happen.

I have at least 121 hours played, and about 5 hard crashes, which all showed a DirectX error, but I could never see what the report was in the popup, as I was prevented from showing that popup. Most the time I can recover by forcing the game to close. I suppose I could look at my log files to find out what it said exactly, but I have not.