Saturday, May 21, 2011

Finished Dragon Age 2 again

I just finished my second playthrough of Dragon Age 2, with a dual-wielding duelist/assassin rogue. FPS FTW. I'm hesitant to say this, but I may have enjoyed playing her more than I liked playing as a mage. Part of it may be that I was just better at it this time, though. I played my rogue with a humorous/charming personality, while my first character was diplomatic. Here are a few screen shots, plus a lot of quotes that I painstakingly recorded, mostly for my own benefit and that of other people who have played the game. It's nice to remember some of the good ones. See a few of my favorite quotes I caught on my first playthrough here.

Note: Some of these may contain minor spoilers (not really plot points, but character appearances/cameos).

Isabela: I'm more likely to be shanked in a bar than eaten by an abomination. You can hear those coming a mile away. "Grr. Argh." "Oh, is that an abomination coming to eat us? We should get out of here!"
Anders: Abominations don't go "Grr, argh."
Isabela: They don't? Hmn, I should rethink the whole thing then.

Sarebaas: [explaining why he has to kill himself] I was outside my Karataam. I may be corrupted. I cannot know. How I return is my choice.
Anders: Of all the ridiculous, spineless, mind-controlled senseless piece of shit arguments I've ever heard!
Sarebaas: What comfort has freedom brought you, mage? You would have more if you submitted to the Qun.

Fenris: So this relic you mentioned losing...
Isabela: You have pretty eyes.
Fenris: I...have pretty...eyes.?

Hawke: Carry on. I love to eavesdrop.

Isabela: I enjoy a man with markings like that.
Fenris: You enjoy many men.
Isabela: Where I come from, they're called "tattoos." Sailors get them all the time.
Fenris: Not made of lyrium, I'd imagine.
Isabela: Not a one. And the pictures are different. Usually breasts.
Fenris: I suppose a pair of lyrium breasts tattooed onto my chest would make things better.
Isabela: That's me--I'm a helper.

Fenris: I thought all dwarves had beards. Where's yours?
Varric: I misplaced it along with my sense of dwarven pride, and my gold-plated noble caste pin.
Fenris: I thought maybe it had fallen onto your chest.
Varric: Oho! The broody elf tells a joke!
Fenris: I don't brood.
Varric: Friend, if your brooding were any more impressive, women would swoon as you passed, and they'd have broody babies in your honor.
Fenris: You're a very odd dwarf.
Varric: And you thought I was joking about the pin!

Mine worker: You should leave, too. But don't go that way. There's this huge dragon!
Merrill: Oh, are we going to go that way? I've never seen a huge dragon before.


Actually, this is a huger dragon than the one that guy was talking about.

Seneschal Bran: It's clear the City Guard has no excuse for allowing this, unless they were involved.
Aveline: Have any failed to report?
Bran: Several. You should start with one of them. Although where you find a swordsman so eager to sell his honor and duty, I'm sure I don't know.
Anders (interchangeable): The Hanged Man.
Aveline: The Hanged Man.
Sebastian: Even I know that.

Merrill: Don't be silly. A dowry would only matter if you were courting him.
Aveline: Merrill...
Merrill: (Gasp!) You're courting him!

Hawke: Well well well. I never thought you were they type, Varric. I'm flattered.
Varric: It's the chest hair, isn't it? Women can never resist my chest hair. Unfortunately, it's not to be. I'm spoken for.
Hawke: Ah, Bianca [that is, his crossbow] stands in my way again, does she?
Varric: What can I say? She's the jealous type.

Anders: Just mix the ingredients up and boom! Justice and I are free.
Very funny, Anders.

Sketch: Take my advice, friend: Stay away from storytellers. Never know what they'll say.

Aveline: I don't think I've asked to be the butt of your jokes.
Hawke: Donnic.
Aveline: OK, sometimes I have asked for it.

Fenris: [bitingly angry] I didn't realize you were in the market for a slave.
Hawke: I gave her a job, Fenris.
Fenris: Ah...then...that's good. My apologies.


Brittle + upgraded assassinate + Low Blade = Arcane Horror dead several times over.

Isabela: I like big boats. I cannot lie.

Varric: [to Sebastian] You can't even pretend to be interesting, can you?

Anders: [expressing surprise] Well, put me in a dress and call me a templar!

Varric: [about Aveline] She's a woman-shaped battering ram.

Grand Cleric Elthina: [to Meredith] Go back to the Gallows and calm down. Like a good girl.

Aveline: [having learned that Donnic plays cards at Fenris's mansion] What? Why am I not invited to these games?
Fenris: He says you get angry when you lose.
Aveline: I do not!
Varric: Yes, you do.
Aveline: All right, perhaps I do.

This conversation is conditional on Hawke having a rival relationship with Fenris.
Fenris: I am alone.
Hawke: You have friends.
Fenris: [caustic] Oh? And who would those be? You?
Anders: It sure isn't me.
Varric: Hey now, you could do worse.

Anders: Now that I'm living here, there isn't room for you in the bed. Do you understand?
Dog: Awhoooooooo!
Anders: That won't work on me. I'm a cat person.

Isabela: Step 1 - We go to Velasco. Step 2 - Something exciting happens. Step 3 - Profit!


Maker help the mister who comes between me and my sister...

Varric: You know, you play Diamond Back better than my cousin Vedar. You wag your tail whenever you have a good hand, though. Might want to watch that.
Dog: (Barks)
Hawke: Is it brilliant or horrible that you play Diamond Back with my dog?
Varric: All I'm saying is he'd be up more than two Sovereigns if he watched his tells. My uncle Emmit has a whole pack of rat terriers who play every week. They're a cutthroat bunch. You've got a long way to go to be their quality.
Dog: (Growls)
Varric: Now don't take it bad. You're still better than Anders.
Dog: (Happy bark)
Varric: Coming to The Hanged Man later?
Dog: (Barks)

Fenris: Fish, fish, and more fish! Bluch! Let's look for those crates.
I don't know why I thought this one was funny. I guess he's usually complaining about mages, it was funny to hear him complain about something like fish.

Hawke: [about Gamlen's daughter] She looks nothing like you. Thank the Maker for small miracles, hmm?
Gamlen: Really! I--...Hey!


Hawke is amused

Anders: [compared to the Kirkwall Circle] The Ferelden Circle's more fun. Everyone was kissing everyone.

I thought this little conversation was very interesting. I assume it only triggers if you initially "consummate" your romance with Fenris, but then switch to the Anders romance.
Fenris: You, uh, living with Hawke now?
Anders: What's it to you?
Fenris: Be good to her. Break her heart, and I will kill you.

Hubert: The only survivor was the horse, and it cannot speak! Town full of rotten mages, and not one can get answers from a horse!

Zevran: Why they insist on thinking they can kill people like you and the Warden, I will never guess.
Hawke: Let me tell you, it's a burden I bear on a daily basis.

Hawke: Did you really escape the Circle so you could kiss a girl?
Emile: Well, not just that. I've read so much about the other things you can do with girls.
Isabela: Aw, he's like you were. Do you remember, Aveline, when you were stupid over Donnic.
Aveline: Yes, I remember, thank you.

Aveline: You didn't come to my Solstice dinner party.
Isabela: Look at you! Dinner parties. Cooking. Do you have a lace apron yet, or should I get one for you?
Aveline: Don't change the subject. I sent you an invitation and you didn't show up.
Isabela: I thought it would be...I mean, I don't know. I just don't do family gatherings. Besides, one day you and Donnic will have children and I'll be the last person you want around there. Imagine all the awkward questions you'd have to answer. "Mother, what's a slattern?"
Aveline: I'll just point at you and say, "That's a slattern."

Anders: There is justice in the world.
Isabela: Is there? You want to free the mages. Let's say you do, but to get there, you kill a bunch of innocent people. What about them? Don't they then deserve justice?
Anders: Yes.
Isabela: And then what? When does it end? It's like a bar brawl. People are continuously pulled into the fray, and nobody remembers why it started! Justice is an idea. It makes sense in a world of ideas, but not in our world.

Teagan: Well we won't let them swoop down on us.
Alistair: That's right. Swooping is bad.

Varric: So, I've known you for three years now. I give up. You beat me. What is it? You like boys? Sheep? You slept with your sister?
Sebastian: What are you talking about?
Varric: What are you hiding? Nobody's this bloody clean. After you leave the Chantry you get drunk at The Hanged Man and walk around in women's clothes.
Isabela: Not that I've seen...unfortunately.
Sebastian: I've been honest with you and Hawke.
Varric: Liar.
Sebastian: Lying is a sin.

Anders: [at the end of the quest A New Path] That was the noblest thing I've ever seen anyone do. The world is poorer for having you in it instead of her.
Fenris: For once we agree on something.

Grand Cleric Elthina: [to Anders] Your soul is troubled, child. I hope you found a balm for it here.
This wasn't funny until the second playthrough.


Hawke headed toward the final showdown, looking very grim

Hawke: "Death is never justice"--those are the words of Elthina herself, Sebastian. By doing this, you shame her.
OK, that's definitely not a quote from the game, but I so wish it was! If you've finished the game, you know what moment I'm talking about.

7 comments:

Soph! said...

I loved this. I can't wait to start my second play through. With Sebastian this time. I bought the DLC, but haven't played it yet :)

Eleni said...

Nice! Sebastian is the least funny of the companions, but he has some fun quests with interesting conversations. Enjoy your second play through :)

Unknown said...

I'm almost at the end of Act 1 on my first playthrough..! So exciting!!

Eleni said...

Sweet! Guess you didn't wait too long before starting in on the next game, haha. What are you playing as?

You may be past this already, but just FYI, if you take your sibling to the Deep Roads, it's nice to have Anders as well.

Cassey said...

I like DA II far more than DA. I'm on my seconde play through, also with the two-weapon rogue, and I might just enjoy it more than with my warrior. I'm not sure I'll do a full 3rd play with a mage. I'll do the first year, to get the achievement :0, and then see.

Unknown said...

I'm playing as a mage! I didn't take Anders but I was okay with Carver dying... he really annoyed me. Hahaha. I think I'll definitely have to play through again though... I don't know how you managed to cause that much damage! I feel like I would have lots to learn from you about how to play.. I quite often have to switch to casual after dying three or four times in a row...

Eleni said...

Cassey - Two-weapon rogue is really fun! Yeah, I don't know whether I'll do a third play through with a warrior. You just have to get to Kirkwall to get the achievement, right? That doesn't take so long.

Hez - Yay for mages :) Yeah Carver is kind of annoying, but I still feel bad if he dies. If you take Anders with you, Carver joins the Grey Wardens. If you leave him behind he joins the templars, which isn't very nice considering his sister is an apostate, but it's kind of interesting when he pops up again later in the game.

Some battles are really tough, especially the Ancient Rock Wraith. There's no achievement for playing through on a certain difficulty, so there's really no reason not to turn it to the difficulty that is the most fun. I had an easier time with the battles on my second play through, I think largely because I now knew how to best use two people in my party. First time, I just controlled my mage and mostly let everyone else fend for themselves. This time, I controlled both Anders and my own character, which I think made a big difference.

Also, the rogue is made for DPS. The pleasure of a mage is being able to do attacks on large numbers of people at once. The pleasure of a rogue is dealing a lot of damage. My biggest attack (assassinate) at the very end of the game had a base damage of about 1200. Even with a critical hit and the Brittle multiplier, I'd still expect a value around 12,000, so I don't know what got that one hit all the way up to 47,000. One thing you definitely need to do is work on the cross-class combos (effects like brittle and staggered). Fenris's whirlwind can stagger a whole group of people (I think there's a skill that makes his crit hits stagger, and an upgrade for whirlwind that makes it crit hit), and then if you have upgraded chain lightning you can tear people apart. Upgraded ice attacks (or petrify) leave opponents brittle, and Varric can exploit that with bursting arrow or, even more powerful, Archer's Lance. That's my main advice, because my first time I waited too long before discovering how effective those could be.