Kilgengoor said:
So guys, I'm sorry if anyone has already answered this, but from what I've seen in the 3 or 4 pages I've skimmed, there hasn't been such questions. Since the demo won't work on my PC and some of you might as well have already finished the game, could you please answer this for me?
1- Does being an Archer (well, alright, archer rogue) suck as much as on DA:O?
2- Are there still punctual missions that will disappear forever in case you don't do them right then? (the dog companion mission comes to mind as the most blatant example, same as with that burly fellow with the white hair)
3- Is combat still that exhasperating? Are there complex tactics beside "stand here and attack only if they hit you" and "free for all!"? Things like "defend an area" or such?
4- Are skill trees still that rigid? For instance: Do I have to spend large amounts of time and patience if I want Morrigan to be a decent healer if I don't want that old hag to be in my party FOREVER?
5- Please, please tell me there is no Fade mission. Please?
6- Is combat as cool as they say it is? Shouldn't be more technical since everyone claimed DA2 would be "more RPG-ish"? Instead, all I hear is how frantic and streamlined it has become. I understand it could be a little of each, but come on.
As I'm only 12 hours into the game so far (which as far as I can tell could possibly be about 1/3rd of the way through), I won't have perfect answers to these questions. Here's my best answers at this point:
1) Honestly, I've only played the demo as an archer, but the archer was the best playthrough of the demo I had (did it with all classes except sword-shield warrior), and if dual wielding wasn't as awesome-looking as it is, I'd be doing an archer on my second playthrough.
2) The game is split into different acts. The missions for these acts are not time exclusive, but if you complete an act before you complete all missions, I don't believe any missions transfer to the next act. Note: I've only switched through two acts, if you can count getting to Kirkwall and joining the mercs to be an act, and both times I had no extraneous missions.
3) Tactics are pretty much the same as the first game, if you're speaking of the auto-combat system for non-controlled party members. Strategically, the pause and choose method works wonders for some of the great cross-class combos that happen on a few skills.
4) Skill trees are well done, and if you mess up at any time, you can take a trip to the Black Emporium (if you buy the game new at least) and buy a potion for under a sovereign to reset all points and abilities. I believe these potions are available in the non-DLC part of the game as well, but not in as great of numbers.
5) Bad News: There's at least one Fade Mission. Good News(s): It's shorter, you have your party for the entirety of the mission, and it's optional! (Note: Once again, there might be more, but the mission is a special case in the game's context, so I doubt there is another one)
6) Combat on the consoles and on the Normal/Casual Difficulty definitely favors a more "actiony" style of gameplay. If I were to compare it to another battle system, think Kingdom Hearts but you actually use your skills because they're waaaaaaay more useful than button mashing. Playing on the upper difficulties requires a more turn by turn approach, utilizing the radial menu to command your forces. Honestly, I'm playing on Normal, and the system still feels like I'm playing DA:O, though now I'm mashing A waiting for the auto-attack feature to get added to X360 version during a patch, and I'm enjoying the combat even more.
If you have other questions, hopefully others can fill in the gaps where I can't, or perhaps by tomorrow when I check this again, I'll be far enough along to have a better idea of what the game has to offer.
