Best products from r/dragonage

Pick up the trilogy written by Gaider and published by Dark Horse and read them in this order: The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, Until We Sleep. Alternatively, the Library Edition compiles the three comics into a nice hardcover already in the proper order and with interesting marginalia by Gaider himself explaining the thought process behind a lot of the decisions in the comics.

The comics miniseries Dragon Age written by Orson Scott Card and published by IDW you can pretty much skip. It's really badly written, it features no known characters, it connects to no plot at all that we currently follow through the games, it piles up Twilight level of terribad romance clichés and it's just... really not good mmkay.

As for personal opinions of the Gaider series... there are soft spoilers here, kay. I can dig where he takes Alistair as a character, although his Alistair is clearly a softie, because a hardened Alistair comes to that same place about ten years earlier during the Blight itself. So there's definitely some cognitive dissonance with my personal playthroughs there, but well. I enjoy seeing Alistair beyond DAO in any form, so I just deal with it. I like that Maric's story gets some closure, even if it's... let's just say, not anyone's ideal scenario, for the sake of avoiding major spoilers. I don't have to necessarily like how a character's fate turns out to acknowlege that this is what happened to them and it's what we have to deal with. I like the deeper insights into Varric's and Isabela's pasts and how it's shaped them, for better or worse, and find it very humanizing that there are some secrets we hold so close that even Hawke never managed to get it out of them.

I don't like that we have an adventure set entirely in Antiva, involving the Crows, and all Zevran gets is a teeny tiny namedrop and that's it. I don't like that we have an adventure entirely set in Tevinter, involving magisters and slaves, and Fenris doesn't even get a teeny tiny namedrop for his trouble. I don't like that in the only chance we'll ever have of seeing Alistair, Cailan and Maric interact, Cailan is reduced to a namedrop. What a wasted opportunity for a truly punch-in-the-nuts emotional scene, damn. These things are rather minor, but missing details like these make the universe of the comics seem disconnected, like they exist in a bubble of their own. I would have appreciated a little more effort to make it seem like the things and people that shape these characters' lives matter more.

But overall, I enjoy them. I love that we get to see Antiva and Tevinter first hand, even if only for a brief glimpse, it's much better than relying on third party narrative forever. Some scenes in the Fade made me cry, I won't even front it. Maevaris is the baddest bitch in the place, I would play a whole spinoff series based solely on her. I love Yavanna, and I love that, in true older sister form, she thinks Morrigan is just a whiny brat. I love the full circle of mutual respect that Alistair and Sten's sort of not-really-friendship comes to. I live and breathe for Varric lampshading His Royal Highness Alibooboo's special snowflake syndrome in his most perfectly timed deadpan. The comics are not without fault, but there is certainly a lot to like in there.

A good price to look for is around $10-15. (Unless there is a Summer or Christmas game sale going on where you can find it even cheaper.) The downloadable version is $14 on Amazon right now.

The DLC never goes on sale, but Legacy is definitely worth buying. It's very polished and adds several hours of good game play.

I wasn't as impressed with Mark of the Assassin, but it is pretty entertaining. The Exiled Prince costs less and adds a party member, so you'd probably want to get it too.

In reference to if DA2 is worth buying, here are some similar threads for anyone interested in reading past discussions on this topic:

Is DA:2 even worth playing?
Should I play Dragon Age 2?
How good is DA2 compared to Origins?
Dragon Age 2 Hate?
Questions about DA:2
DA2, Just some thoughts about it.

LOL, very good! Can we play too?

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Sera - Etiquette and Decorum: A Guide For Young Ladies

Oghren - Decorum and Etiquette: A Guide For Young Dwarven Nobles

Sera - Winning at THE GAME (of wife): How to Make Your Woman Love You, Want You, & Adore You, Like Never Before actual book title!

Josephine - A Bard's Life: How To Lose The Game And Keep On Winning

Solas - Radical Honesty: How to Transform Your Life by Telling the Truth
another real book title

Morrigan - Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Hearts and Rekindle the Spirits of Mothers so many layers of meaning to this one!

Also, as far as I know, it's kinda difficult to find bundles for ALL the comics out there. You can purchase the separate comics with their issues all bundled together.

There are, however, a few series: First wave of comics (that I'm aware of) are The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak and Until We Sleep series. These are about King Alistair employing Varric Tethras and Isabela for a quest he personally needs to see through. It takes place right after the events of DA II, but before Inquisition (8 years after archdemon's death). It's my absolute favorite Dragon Age related piece of art. It's written well and I'm not saying that just because Alistair and Varric are my favorite characters in the DA universe. You can find the omnibus (all three comics) for that one online, but mostly it's sold out in a lot of places:

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Omnibus-David-Gaider/dp/1506702759

The next one in the chronological series is Dragon Age: Magekiller. It takes place right before the inquisition, and it's about Tessa and Marius, who end up traveling to Minrathous for dealing with the Venatori. It's fun, and you get to meet Archon Radonis, but overall a meh story in my opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Magekiller-Greg-Rucka/dp/161655634X

Next ones are Draagon Age: Knight Errant and Dragon Age: Deception. I haven't read them yet. I heard Knight Errand is a-ok, and Deception is a fun read.

Out of all of these, The Silent Grove is my absolute favorite, because it's nice seeing Alistair actually act like a less whiny person, and he ends up learning something BIG about himself. I don't know if it'll ever translate into the games in any way, but it's nice to think about the possibilities of what it means for Thedas.

I'd go for something with an Intel 4th-6th gen i3/i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a relatively roomy SSD (>250GB).

You don't really need a laptop with a dedicated GPU, intel integrated graphics post 4th gen is more than enough for running DA:O

Other than that maybe go for a large and nice screen?

Personally I'd maybe go for this one: https://amzn.com/B01CGGOUJM
Extremely good CPU (i5, 6th gen), Big SSD (256GB), 8GB of RAM and the display is 1080p.

This is a lot of computer for your money and it's definitely worth it. I did look at some of the cheaper ones, but seeing as you're also going to be using it for school and such, I'm thinking you're going to want to invest a teeny bit more. Trust me, I've worked with a lot of cheap laptops and the low price is almost never worth it. The cheaper ones are going to last a couple of years before they become outdated, but the one I suggested is going to last a lot longer (as long as you're careful with it).

If you got any opinions/wishes/questions just mention them and I'll do my best to help you ;-)

At first I decided I would ride the Bull with my Dwarfquisitor for the lulz (and I hart couples with giant height discrepancies it's too adorbs). Then I got to the first sex scene and was, like, super excited about the BDSM undertones.

I've been in the BDSM lifestyle for years and identify as a sub. Right now, in a world where 50 Shades of Grey is being made into a multi-million dollar movie, any sort of healthy and accurate representation of this lifestyle--my lifestyle--is a breath of fresh air.

But as I continued Iron Bull's romance I realized Bioware hadn't just put in BDSM undertones; they'd written a full blown, explicitly stated, safe-word-and-everything BDSM relationship. Suddenly seeing my own relationship represented accurately instead of as being abusive and deviant made me so happy. To see it in a Bioware RPG made it special, though, as I've been playin (and romancin) since KotOR.

Communication of and respect for boundaries are at the core of BDSM, and Iron Bull illustrates both of these to the player very well. He starts by telling the Inquisitor that this stays in the bedroom, that "out there everything is still the same. You're the Inquisitor, you're the Boss." This is the reality for most BDSM relationships--there is playtime, and there is real life. 24/7 BDSM relationships are not common, but because they're more extreme people hear about them more and come to believe they are the norm.

Bull goes on to employ a safeword (say "katoh" and "everything stops. No questions asked."). In doing this he puts the Inquisitor in charge even though they are a sub, and that's the difference between a BDSM relationship and an abusive one: who is in charge.

Moreover, Iron Bull's later explanation for why the Inquisitor wants this relationship ("You need a safe place--one where you're not in charge.") is on point with some current theories about the psychology of BDSM and particularly of those who identify as subs/bottoms (source: SM 101 by Jay Wiseman).

The writers did their homework and it shows. Bioware wasn't just trying to jump on some 50 Shades train because it's not just Bull. The Qunari have a well-developed, wholly different and fascinating culture--including that which surrounds sex and relationships--and that makes Iron Bull a really sex positive character overall.

Very cool, Bioware. Very cool.

^((all quotes I paraphrased from memory)^)

You can definitely play it without having played the other games. If you don't mind reading codex entries in the game, there's a ton of that in there with all sorts of background info. The characters do give some exposition on what happen in the past too. I mean you won't get that 'oh neato' feeling when there's some fan servicy thing they do to refer back to the other games (or novels for that matter) but the game and story itself I think are solid.

That said, Origins is a great game too so I would definitely recommend playing it at some point, and you can find it quite cheap on sale. I think you could definitely go and play it at a later date though having played Inquisition first.

I know people having differing opinions but there isn't really a right or wrong. Either way with or without having played the past games I think Inquisition is a great game that stands on it's own.

If you really want to get the background of the world before playing you can always grab the reference book The World of Thedas Volume 1 or for a quick and dirty Cliffs Notes version of the back story check out Kotaku's A Beginner's Guide to All Things Dragon Age. But really though, most of the info is already there in the game in codex texts and dialog.

The wiki would be the best place to start. It's constantly updated whenever new material is released, so it's often up to date even on things like the novels or comics.

If you don't mind spending some money, I would suggest World of Thedas as being an excellent compendium and overview on the world of Dragon Age. It covers the lore up to Asunder. I do want to stress that it is just an overview; the wiki is a lot more in-depth but WoT is useful if you're particularly new on the lore side of things.

But if you've played DA2 and its DLCs, you're pretty much up to date on the known lore. The novels Asunder and The Masked Empire would be the only things I would suggest you look into, as both novels serve to set up several different potential plots in DA:I. But you can read the basics on both of those novels on the wiki lol.

> 'I would prefer if you made a note of when you are going to say a particular thing'

This is the absolute wrong onus. From the point of view of the person making the request, it seems on the surface to be reasonable. However, from the point of view of the person making the speech/content/art the logical conclusion is seven billion different "reasonable" points of view about notices for specific content. The correct onus is for the reader/lister/viewer to be mindful of offensive content, and act appropriately for themselves when that content presents itself. Anything else is absolutely bonkers.

>This world of 'ideal' free speech you are discussing does not exist.

Agreed. It is the ideal goal, however. A goal which permits the silencing of unpopular opinions is oppressive in nature, and contrary to liberty.

>Ironically, the judgment that "all speech should be permitted regardless of content" is also a false moral absolute - it reflects a particular cultural interpretation of 'freedom' that is not necessarily universal to every place and time.

It may not describe the realities of a given location or time, but it is the best ideal. Liberty is superior to oppression.

>Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is actually oppressed - do you really have 'free speech' when your voice is drowned out

History has demonstrated that your claim is false, by virtue the fact that popular opinion is where it is, and is moving ever more towards greater acceptance. What else has gotten us here except free speech by minority activists?

>'shit, dude, this is offensive, please stop doing that'.

This is absolutely not what they are doing. They are demanding self-censorship over a perceived slight where none exists. They are absolutely the ones who are shutting down speech.

>There is a very valid and nuanced discussion to be had about free speech and its limitations, and I feel that your perspective is too heavily founded on absolutes to adequately reflect that nuance.


At least you have avoided the "fire in a crowded theater" fallacy. Make sure you don't fall into that fallacy's trap by conflating the necessity of absolute freedom of speech with actions and their consequences.

Making a comment on twitter is speech. Publishing a game is an action (and also speech). Losing sales because of offensive content is a consequence. Furthermore, it's the most appropriate consequence to objectionable speech. Demanding self-censorship, especially to sooth a fragile ego, is fucking abhorrent.


e:

> Common ethical standards (by 'common', I mean generally shared by people in that particular cultural space and time) and common decency exist. I am not presuming a universal morality, but rather a time/culture-specific ethics

How do you presume those mores changed over time? They did not change because the cultural majority enjoyed a monopoly on what was decent and what was not. See Rauch: “A liberal society stands on the proposition that we should all take seriously the idea that we might be wrong. This means we must place no one, including ourselves, beyond the reach of criticism; it means that we must allow people to err, even where the error offends and upsets, as it often will.”

I'm late to the party but I kinda need to type this down.

I'm older than you, and I've had depression in the last years. It's a bitch. I can't give you some great advice because each case is different.

The only thing that I would recommend is to talk about it with someone. It helps more than you realise. Don't be afraid to let your guard down, there're many peoples out there that would help, or just only listen. It will not be the life-changing scene you see in the movies, but it'll be the first step (for me, it was not a life-changing scene, but it had a life-changing effect in the long run).

Just like you, I made an haven out of the Dragon Age universe. More than the games, it were the books that helped me come with terms with myself.

I highly recommend you Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, this book was released even before DA:Origin (the first DA game). It tells the legend of King Maric the Saviour, as much as immersion goes nothing will ever top this book. The story is amazing and IMHO it's the best book ever.

Sorry for my broken english, it's not my main language.
Sometimes the world may feel alien, just know that you're not alone.

Awesome, its incredible to hear that a work of art inspired you to continue living. You should share your experience with the devs at bioware.

Alos, now that you have some clarity please seek out help for your depression. Depression is a normal case of "the blues" and needs to be taken on aggressively like the lethal illness, and leading cause of teenage death it is.

AT the very least I would buy This Book

It was the first thing I came across about Cognitive Behavior Therapy and even today its sticks close to me. Its a popular book and chances are good your local library even has a copy.

Depression is caused by a dysfunction of the brain and thought patters that support it. Depression is not "you" is it something alien to yourself that can be beaten and dealt with. Depression can be triggered by periods of sadness, the confusion of building an ego as a teenager, and life events, but depression is not at all "normal." You also don't just snap out of it.

The book is a great start and if you are 16 you likely are on your parents health plan. See if you can get therapy. And its ok if you have to go through a couple therapists to find one that works well for you.

Life is a wonderful thing and there will be lots of great works of art like Dragon Age 3 you would miss out on if you check out early. Hang in there and find some help with the clarity you have found before the depression monster comes back to bite you again. That way when he comes back you will be armed and ready to fight him off and get back to living life.

Okay I swear I'm not a Halo shill but: Eric Nylund's Fall of Reach. It's a Halo Prequel book but completely readable standalone and is what got me into the Halo series actually. If you liked Mass Effect & scifi it's really good. It's basically a similar universe to ME but with much more fleshed out lore.

I'm also not a fan of romance stuff usually but I discovered Karen Marie Moning's fever series looking through Mathia Arkoniel's gorgeous DeviantArt gallery (http://mathiaarkoniel.deviantart.com/gallery/) that's full of Dragon Age and ASOAIF stuff.. two of my favoritest series ever and went "What could go wrong?" And it isn't that bad at all actually.

And of course who could forget these? ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Garrett-Cold-Hockey-Novel-Carolina-ebook/dp/B00MZWA6KA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453510329&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0104EOJMQ/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $209.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $89.99 @ Newegg
Memory | Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory | $94.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $105.54 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $52.92 @ Amazon
Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card | $393.98 @ Newegg
Case | NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $109.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $89.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) | $102.98 @ Newegg
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1250.37
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-22 20:02 EDT-0400 |


I'm thinking this will be my final build version with these blue lights:
http://www.amazon.com/NZXT-CB-LED20-BU-2-Metres-Sensitivity-Sleeved/dp/B0046Y5Z5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=pc+led


The reason the motherboard isn't the best of the best is due to me not planning to overclock. The reason the k is there is because, believe it or not, the non-k version on PPP is $223 dollars compared to $209.99. Go figure, right?

I'm super excited to build this and play on PC! :D

Just to add the the above post, most of the art in WoT volume 1 is new but volume 2 reuses a lot of the DAI art (the tarot cards and some of the end slides at least). I mean, volume 2 has quite a bit of new art, and what art it has that is new is pretty nice, but it has a lot of reused stuff too.

There's also a graphic novel that has an all-in-one hardbound edition that has some sidebars by the artist/author about the process of making it and the characters and whatever. It's still not quite what I'd call an art book, but depending on what you're looking for, it might be an option.

Very nice. I found it on Amazon as well: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B07QFSMY66

​

Definitely digging this!

I've read all the books but if your interested in learning more about the lore and the setting I would recommend The World of Thedas book.

Dragon Age 2 PC download is on sale for $4.99 on Amazon right now :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Official-Inquisitor/dp/1101898216/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406903176&sr=1-3&keywords=dragon+age+inquisition

This site is the only one that sells this edition, and all it says is "bonus in game items"

Here's a link to comixology if you want to buy/read it online. If you want a floppy you check to see if your local comic shop has any in stock, if not they can generally order it for. Or you can wait for the trade where they collect all the single issues into one book, but that won't happen until the series is finished or has a certain amount of issues. Also you should check out the comic trilogy by Gaider which has Alistair, Isabella, Varric, and a few others.

In case anyone can't see it:

$107.99

"This ultra-exclusive collectible set is contained in a large leather-textured Dragon Age themed container and includes:

• 368-page Collector’s Edition hardcover guide with unique cover treatments matching the container
  
• Stylized pen with Inquisition logo presented in a themed box
  *Four faux leather bookmarks topped with metal headers, stamped with Dragon Age faction emblems, and backed with colored ribbons matching the faction colors
  
• Includes bonus in-game items
  
  There will only be one manufacturing run for this incredible uber edition. They will sell out. Pre-order your copy today"
  
  Image
  Pre-order here

Yeah, here is the Amazon page for it.

I'm actually getting this as a gift. Though, there hasn't been any update to the shipping date in... forever.

DA:O UE and DA2 are also both on sale on Amazon with the download option! ...you know, for everyone that wants to replay them or... hasn't played them yet ...cough cough... me.
Now if only Bioware would come out with an option to get DA2's DLC bundled or with a discount...

Yes. It includes some fancy packaging, bookmarks, and a pen. It was priced around $72 on Amazon.

If you want to read up on lore, consider checking out The World of Thedas.

Her name is Yavana. She appeared one of the books in a trio of DA graphic novels written by David Gaider.

https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Arts-70784-Dragon-Download/dp/B004PGNJG2