DA2 SPOILERS - Play Thread with FULL SPOILS

Dragon Age 2

Dasale

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I'm playing the chapter 3 and still haven't finished the game but well this chapter 3 is evolving in a way I totally don't understand, it's quite frustrating.

So I wonder if someone can explain me a bit. I'm playing a mage, during the whole adventure I made almost all the angel choices. But also I believed have choose the mage camp. At end of chapter II I choose the mage against the mad woman.

But then I got first missions from the mad women that I couldn't refuse ending in two possessed mages dead and one I let flee.

Then I got a mission from the mage leader and then it turn in successive butchery of mages in conspiracy. It's like I'm forced to be a traitor. Anyone can explain me a bit?
 
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Those two quests were just retarded, you're not missing anything. You can't tell Meredith to fuck off and you can't tell the rebel mages you agree with them until after you kill them all.

They're both incredibly stupid missions, especially the second one. When I was playing the second one I actually quit the game to check a forum because I thought there was some bug at fault, like the game had recorded my decisions wrong or something. Nope, you have to kill all the rebel mages even if you side with them.

DUMB.
 
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Yes, this was easily the worst part of the game for me personally. The recycled maps, combat that was boring and unappealing to me, the streamlining...none of that truly bothered me the way the story's immersion factor was simply snapped by this glaring design mistake. I actually found the story fairly engaging and I was mostly immersed in the tale up until this point, when the player's actions leading up to and including chapter 3 meant absolutely nothing.

Regardless of what you as the player believed in terms of which side you wanted to support, you were forced to battle against both sides. Being forced to attack the rebel mages who I wanted to support (!) (I'm a f***ing' apostate mage!!) was simply the most disappointing aspect of a mostly disappointing game to begin with. I know that Bioware's strength has always been creating linear, cinematic stories, but this was an all-time low for what I consider "corridor story-telling" that refuses to allow the player to make meaningful, personal choices that impact the game world and the characters within it. In some stories, at least it makes sense to have a linear ending. For example, in DA:O, what are you going to do, side with the Arch-Demon and the darkspawn? Or in Mass Effect, are you going to join the reapers? That doesn't make the lack of choice completely excusable, but at least it is believable and tolerable given the overarching storyline.

This is why I refer to DA2 as a missed opportunity from a story-telling perspective. They had a wonderful and unique set-up (one that avoided the "save the world" cliche) that could have implemented meaningful and difficult choices that allow the player to feel like their actions affect the game world, but they inexplicably tossed this opportunity out the window in chapter 3.
 
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Ha ok thanks for the precisions, I don't think there's really opportunity in chapter 3, it isn't well written, there's no interesting choices ie none that make you hesitate. The only possible choices that can make you hesitate are choices the game push you to make long before and it's too late to change in chapter 3.

From what I have played of it, this chapter 3 is the weak chapter. It was missing a main quest in chapter 1 but a least the discovering of the new structure and a sort of strange freedom had good points. The chapter 2 is the more interesting. But the chapter 3 is just a global failure, too bad. Even the fights are less interesting, I think it's a problem of game length vs combat diversity on whole game. But also I suspect fights designers of chapter 3 wasn't those of chapter 1.
 
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Chapter two is the one I enjoyed the most... even the ending of chapter two is better than the ending of the game if you ask me.
 
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Yes chapter 2 is from far the best and I don't think the reason is more than 2/3 great quests plus few somehow linear parts and a transition between chapter 1 and 2 which is quite well done unlike the one from 2 to 3.

But I'm replaying now the game and I'm quite surprised how fun it is to replay, at least the chapter 1. Knowing what will happen later add some salt to some quests or companions. I was also surprised to discover few new mildly hidden places, and few new quests.

Also it refresh the game to exchange Merrill+Fenris+Varric+Carver with Bethena+Isabella+Aveline+Later Anders and perhaps Sebastian if I don't succeed keep Isabella.

I hadn't used Isabella much in my first play so it's only now I realize she is a sort of Oghren with a Shift à la Morrigan. For now I appreciate her a lot. Well I appreciate a lot too Merrill+Fenris+Varric during chapter 1.

The only point a bit strange for now during this replay is the close range rogues. I almost didn't used any in my first play and now is using two, my character and Isabella. For sure controlling close range rogues gives a little a feeling of more an action game with ton of pauses (and then not really an action game in fact because of the number of pauses).
 
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