Rowan : Yes my main character just learned how to be a Ranger and I am enjoying the summoning of the beasties very much !!! Yea . . . at the level I attempted Morrigan's quest I mine as well have been wrapped in Marshmellows and wielding Hersheys Chocolate Bars instead of swords . . . at least it was a level thing instead of a tactics thing (At least that's what I'm going to continue to tell myself) :winter:

Nope, but then I didn't travel with a rogue very often. The times I did, I'd just control her for that limited amount of time then switch back to my main. We enjoyed getting stuck in those traps.

I only had the camp attacked once- and with everybody pitching in, it wasn't a big deal.

Remember the gift rules: Morrigan = jewelery, Shale = precious stones ; Alistair = runestones and statues, Zevran = gold bars and anything Dalish or Antivan ; Wynne = books and scolls, Leliana = religious items and cutesy items - flowers, shoes, pets ; Sten = pictures and paintings, Ogren = booze ; and you're set!

Keep in mind that your companions gain stat bonuses every time you gain a new approval category with them, so it's worthwhile working on those approval ratings!

Re Morrigan's quest - not sure if the level scaling is set the first time you entered that area, so it might be better (or not? I'd think it would actually scale, but not sure) to wait for a higher level. I did it faily early. Around level 8, 9, 10-ish?
I've found Shale to be very useful against ogres, spiders, mabari's and dragons, since she seems pretty immune to being "overpowered" and picked up in their jaws to be crunched.

I think 7 is a bit early for Morrigan's quest. I'd wait till I had Shale. I had her using melee and Wynne healing and the two of them did it pretty much by themselves.

For those worried about doing some things too early, there's information about enemy scaling here: Dragon Age: Origins - The Missing Manual

I took Shale, Alistair and Wynne. My girl delivered the killing blow. It was quite satisfying.

Thanks, toger, your link to that map will be very useful when I fire up this game :bravo12: :bravo12:

I have a question, I am shaking in my boots at the mage temple because although the map says it is for level 6 and I am a level 7 how in the world can battles that are described in the walkthrough be for such a low level? I have nothing to combat with besides Morgana the mage, and she just has puny cold spells. Everyone else swords or arrows. How did you survive these battles against demons and worse demons?

I have not entered in the door yet and thinking of getting stronger before I do go into the door of no return. Is Allistar any special benefit in the mage temple? I am using Sten.

Hi Sherryah

Sten is described by various members of the bioware boards to simply be the best tank in the game - in case of how much damage he can take.

The game won't punish you for trying to go through the mage temple at level 7; just try it. If you feel it's too much for you to handle, just come back later.

The thing to remember in battles for this game is crowd control and crowd control. Do you have the dog? He has quite the stun ability...

This game relies heavily on the tactical side of combat. This means focus your attack on one enemy at a time, try to lure one or two enemies towards you - before you stun them, hack them, or fling arrows in them - in the game - that is.

At least give it a try.

I always make a regular save just before going into a new area; the game should make an autosave, too.

Good luck

Thanks Karstan, I wish we could flee out the door again at the mage temple when we see the battle is too hard. However it says your locked in. Is there no way I can get the healer in any other place besides in the mage temple?

I hope you have the game and are enjoying it, because you have helped so many people enjoy it. I know you must be great teacher and really hope you get more employment, a lot of people are out of work now even in Europe.

Anyway thanks for being my teacher in regards to this game.

You will pick up Wynne soon after you enter the door and she will be a great help. The early battles are not hard. If there are too many enemies, station your companions outside the room and lure a few out. Morgana's cone of cold is a huge help.

I want to Denerim first thinking the city might be easy. Those back alley fights were tough and needed a lot of strategy to win.

Thanks Pokey, yeah the back alley fights were vicious but not one of my party was knocked down. Thus far I have never had to do a re load because of death of party. I have to go and get more arrows before I take on the mage tower. What is with the guy in the spoiled princess? I know the bartender is lying to me when he says he doesn't know the man I am looking for. How do I get information from him? I tried persuade and it did not work. I tried intimidate and it did not work.

When I left the bar I got attacked by cult leaders and that was not an easy battle either but we all were left standing.

One question which town should I go to so I can stock up on arrows or bolts that is the closet to the mage tower? The spoiled princess does not have any weapons.

I have to agree that Sten is a tank that has never been knocked down. I have laughed at some of the dialog as Morgona made passes at him and his replies are so funny.

There is a quartermaster at the entrance to the Mage Tower. I assume he has arrows.

Did you talk to the bartender after you defeated the enemy outside?

Hi Pokey the quartermaster had no arrows and I need bolts. What town do I find bolts instead of arrows for my crossbows? A town that a level 7 can handle. I did talk to the bartender but he did not say anything different once I defeated the cults outside. Was he suppose to say something? He has no bolts or arrows either.

I ended up going to the redcliff and defeated the undead so people lived through the night. I have the ring to go in the secret passage to the castle but decided to leave first to try and find some bolts for the cross bow. I defeated the caravan after I left redcliff because there was not a bolt anywhere. i went back to denarin and got paid for some jobs I did, good money for lugging the body bags around. LOL

So I am looking all over Denarin for bolts for the cross bow. The dwarf does not have them in Denarian either. I went back to the elves camp and they have flying arrows, ice arrows, fire arrows but you guessed it no bolts for my crossbows. Yikes! What merchant has the bolts?

The good part is morgana now has the cone of cold so all that fighting will help in the mage tower. I just do not want to fight without bolts for the crossbow. My party has never died and I do not want this to be the first time.

How hard is fighting inside the castle at redcliff? I had bad feelings about the guy going in there alone with the woman, but of course he did not listen to me. All that fighting in Redcliff and I received no reward at all from the towns people. I found the missing kid in redcliff and the sister has a chest I could not open and she did not offer any reward. Really ungrateful people in Redcliff. That was not an easy battle but we made it through the night.

At Redcliff I did get Loyd the bartender to fight and the waitress let me empty the store free but nothing good no armor or weapons. The dwarf and his sons who are thugs, I bribed him with money, and I did force the spy elf in the bar to fight. So at least there was more help for the battle on top of the hill, but I was forced to fight alone with my party in the village. Really insulted all this fighting and not even a reward, yeah I know if I live long enough in the castle I will get a reward.

Hi Sherryah

Thank you for your kind words

As for bows, try looking here

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Bolts

It seems that bolts merchants have are magical bolts.

On the Bioware forums for this game, it was mentioned that archers have unlimited supplies or normal arrows. It could well be the same for crossbows, I think?

Oh, and you do know that as long as one of party members still is standing at the end of a battle, you've won the battle?

Ah, finally finished the game this weekend. It doesn't knock either of the Baldur's Gate games from the throne, but it was a truly remarkable gaming experience. I felt like I was participating in an epic fantasy movie.

I have already re-started it as an city elf rogue...

The only special bolts I found for sale were from the dwarf in Denerim. I assume you have an unending supply of regular bolts available similar to bows.

I didn't think the castle fights were difficult.

when I went to Denerium he had no more bolts, this is the one across from the open market right? I am going to try again but if I remember correct when I have no more bolts or arrows it says no ranged weapon available.

maybe I am wrong because I never tried to fire anything. Why do they have all these fancy crossbows and it is hard to find bolts for them? What is a rogue to do with such a plight?

In the Dansk Elves camp did anyone ever succeed in opening the blue chest by the leader? I keep getting warned not to touch it by the girl elf. I don't want to get banned from returning to the camp of the Dansk Elves those flying arrows hit for 6 attack and so afraid to try again. What is in the blue chest is it anything worthy?

I got the letter from the other chest in the Dansk Elves camp.

EDIT...............
Thanks Karsten these magical bolts are the one I am looking for and cannot find them anymore. Do you know what merchant has them for a level 7 to find?

Sherryah

The only thing about merchants I've been able to find is this:

1) There should be a magic merchant in Orzammer. Maybe he sells some?

2) Have you gotten the merchants in you camp yet.
Sorry, if you have answered this question already.

Yes I have the merchant in my camp but he has no bolts. I am not strong enough for ozzimer only level 7.

Hi Sherryah

From Traveller at the justadventureforum comes this:



It seems that you need to either a) lockpick some chests or wait for enemies to drop those magical bolts.

Sometimes, you'll need to scroll through a merchant's inventory, though, to see all the goodies he has for sale.

Sherryah, I'm sure you know that you don't really need those magical bolts, they just give you a bit of an edge, you can still shoot normal bolts with the crossbow if you don't equip anything in the bolts slot, just like with arrows and bow. If you have already used up the bolts from the dwarven merchant in Denerim, - yes, do try the named merchants in the dwarven commons in Orzammar (in the Frostback mountains, past the Frostback pass).

I looted so many of these magical bolts and arrows during the game, that by the end, even after having equipped every single party member with them, I still had so many that I sold them just to make space in my inventory.

Now, I wish I could pass some of them along to you...

Sherryah, as you level up, the crossbow becomes less effective than the bow. You might consider switching. I found no bolts at the Dalish Camp. You can get to Orzammer fairly easily. Just a few ememies on the way. It only gets tough in Deep Roads later on.

Thanks Pokey I will take your advice and dump the crossbows.

Well, I wouldn't advise her to actually go on with the Orzammar quest itself, at this early stage.

Nothing prevents you from simply entering Orzammar (besides a rather vicious fight to get in at first), and just browsing the stores there, then leaving again and continueing the rest of the game.

If you manage the fight you encounter at the Orzammar gate, you can pretty much explore their marketplace without committing yourself to anything, and I would advise that you don't commit yourself here until you have managed to gather all the other armies first, because as Pokey mentioned, the Orzammar MQ can get rather tough at the end.

Maybe best would be, however, to ignore Orzammar completely for now, and to switch back to bows, like you said.

You could always keep a crossbow as a backup, in case you find some bolts as loot.

Thanks Moondancer, I don' t want to ruin my record and wipe my party out. I am going to go for bows and forget the magical bolts. I thought I had to drag arrows to equip them because it shows nothing in the slot. Wow this is really a big help. Thanks Pokey for your help also.