Walkthrough - Act II: Companions' Quests. Walkthrough - Act II: Quests of companions Dragon Age 2 companions approval

Many RPG fans know such a game as Dragon Age 2. In it we have to fight enemies in order to stay alive in the conditions of the beginning Pestilence. In this matter, we will be helped by companions who can be met during the game. It is very interesting that you can make friends with them, quarrel or build romantic relationship. One of the companions may be the elf Fenris. In Dragon Age 2, he is presented as a strong warrior with a two-handed weapon. You don’t have to take him into your team, since he doesn’t affect the progress of the main plot. But it’s still worth talking to him or building a relationship, because he’s so interesting.

Who is he

First, let's find out who Fenris is in Dragon Age 2 and why he is interesting. This is the name the game creators gave to an elf with white hair and unusual lyrium tattoos all over his body. He is short and has a thin build. At the same time, he is quite strong, since he has gone through many battles in his life. Main appearance features:

• short white hair with loose strands;
• green eyes surrounded by dark eyelashes;
• dark eyebrows;
• sharp nose with an inconspicuous hump;
• plump lips(always tightly compressed);
• regular (pointed);
• lyrium tattoos made in the form of a pattern.

Fenris from Dragon Age 2 does not remember his past. It turns out that his life began after the infusion of lyrium. He and his family were slaves to Master Danarius, who decided to experiment with the substance and needed a test subject. He invited our colleague to participate and, if he won (from other experimental subjects), he promised to fulfill any wish. The elf wanted to save his family, so he agreed to any manipulation.

There was nothing left in Fenris's memory except the pain that accompanied him during the ritual. Also, as a result of the experiments, he turned gray and acquired lyrium pictures covering his entire body. Danarius was inflamed with love for the elf and constantly mocked him. The owner raised him to be an ideal killer and demanded that he carry out any order.

It was not easy for the slave, but one day everything changed. During the battle between Tevinter and the Qunari, Danarius escaped on a ship that Fenris from Dragon Age 2 had no place on. Saving himself, the master sacrificed it and left it on the shore. The elf was lost in the jungle, where he was picked up by rebels who fought against both Tevinter and the Qunari. The owner did not forget his pet and a few months later came for him. The rebels refused to hand him over, but Danarius ordered his ward to kill everyone, and he did it.

The Master was wounded in the battle, causing Fenris to escape. He made his way onto the ship and left the dangerous place. The poor fellow had to constantly wander, defend himself and earn money (he worked as a mercenary). The difficult past had a strong influence on the character and life views of our partner.

How to meet and be accepted into the team

In the second part of the "Age of Dragons" we play as a character with the surname Hawk (male or female). On our journey we will be accompanied by companions who will join us and help us survive. Let's try to figure out where to find Fenris in Dragon Age 2 and how to accept him into your team.

The “Free Cheese” quest, in which we will meet him, will become available after talking with Varrick and the “Business” quest. We go home and find a letter offering a job to the gnome Anso. To clarify the details, we will meet with him after sunset in the Lower City. Be careful, at night a large number of bandits take to the streets, so it is better to take companions with you. The gnome will ask you to return his goods, which someone stole from him. If you press him, he will tell you that it was lyrium for the templars.

Based on Anso's tip, we go to small house in Elfinage. Traps and an ambush will await us here. As soon as we kill all the enemies, we examine the chest and find the lost goods. We go out into the street, there we will be met by a large number of slave traders, with whom we will have to deal. In addition to ordinary warriors, among them there will be a fairly strong magician, who is better to kill first.

We return to the gnome and meet another squad of enemies. The fight will not start, because our cute elf with white hair and a bunch of tattoos will intervene in the conversation. Talk to Fenris in Dragon Age 2 and find out that he has come to get even with Danarius. We will help him, but we will have to do it at night. We meet a new acquaintance in the magician’s house, near which he will join our squad. Here you will have to fight demons and avoid many traps. Danarius's room is on the second floor, to open it, kill the demon of Fury. Behind the door there will be a squad of enemies on whom the “Secret Horror” spell has been cast.

As soon as we deal with the enemies, the elf will leave the squad and meet us at the exit from the house. We talk to him and finally accept him into our squad.

Character

Fenris is a handsome elf with a very pleasant voice. But his character leaves much to be desired (this is due to his difficult past). He loves his freedom and will kill anyone who wants to encroach on it. Fenris is very strong, but this does not save him from constant mental torment. He is also haunted by the fact that he will be constantly hunted. The character is constantly angry with himself and those around him, so he seems gloomy, gloomy, cruel and hot-tempered.

In order for Hawke and Fenris to reach a love relationship in Dragon Age 2, they will have to try. There will be especially many difficulties if main character- magician The elf hates them fiercely, because all the experiments on him were carried out by the magician. He doesn’t want them to come to power, so he supports the templars and the existence of the Circle in everything. He also hates slavery and slave owners, so he is ready to help every slave who has escaped from his master.

Fenris doesn't trust anyone, doesn't open up. And in general, he communicates only when he considers it necessary. Due to constant bullying and humiliation, he developed low self-esteem, and he decided that he was not worthy of a good relationship, friendship, or love. He is afraid to get close to anyone, so he has lived alone all his life. If you manage to break through such a wall of doubt, then the elf will become the most devoted friend or lover. To see love dialogues with Fenris in Dragon Age 2 as quickly as possible, you can appease him with gifts (they will be discussed below).

He communicates differently with the rest of the squad. The elf treats Aveline with respect, Varrick with favor, Merril with tension, and Anders with hostility (he is a magician, after all).

Skills & Abilities

Although Fenris constantly complains and whines, he has amazing fighting skills and abilities. He's good with a two-handed sword, and thanks to his lyrium tattoos, Danarius was able to increase Fenris' stamina in Dragon Age 2 (and physical strength, of course).

With the help of lyrium he learned:

• penetrate objects (for example, tear the enemy’s heart from the inside);
• become transparent (this is how he hides from the enemy on the battlefield);
• strike with a wave of spiritual power that stuns enemies for a while;
• resist damage-reducing magic.

The price he pays for such skills is the agony in which he thrashes about because of his lyrium tattoos. It is unknown what the elf could do in a past life (before the ritual), but at the moment he is good at swearing in Tevinter and gambling. Otherwise, he can be called incompetent, since he can’t do anything special anymore. It is worth noting that our pointy-eared ally knows a lot about the Kun and speaks their language. Therefore, it is worth taking him to all negotiations with the Qunari.

We are friends and rivals

As they said, he doesn’t like magic and everything connected with it. How to make friends with Fenris in Dragon Age 2? Do not take him on tasks in which you will support magicians. It is very important to always listen to his memories of the past and share his point of view. Our comrade-in-arms does not like slave traders and protects slaves, which means we will have to do the same. If you do everything the other way around, your rivalry with him will increase.

Fenris is constantly whining and capricious, complaining about his past life. You will have to communicate with him very carefully, because he may react strangely. Even gifts can lead to increased rivalry rather than friendship. So, the favor of the green-eyed handsome man can be earned if you do not support slave traders and magicians.

Do you want to do the opposite and not quarrel with Fenris? Don't take him on the mission, replace him with someone else. Remember that winning his heart will not be easy. If there is open hostility at the end of the game, he can go over to the side of the templars and fight against us.

Romantic relationship

The main character of many Dragon Age 2 fanfictions is Fenris. This is due to the fact that with it Hawk can build an unusual whirlwind romance(both women and men). In the first act after the task “Free Cheese” you can flirt with him. Choose dialogues highlighted with hearts and slowly begin to rejoice. If our heroine is a magician, then with love relationships Difficulties may arise. But when the right approach The elf can be subdued without any problems.

In the second act we talk with the elf about his past. After this and several tasks, a quest concerning Fenris in Dragon Age 2 will appear - “Matters of Faith”. In the process of moving, we will come across a detachment of robbers who were sent by Danarius’ student. They want to kill the elf, so we deal with them without regret. After the battle, we go after the student herself, who is in the cave. As soon as we win, our green-eyed handsome man will leave the squad. Let's go to former house magician and find out what happened to him. Fenris will apologize, and if we flirted correctly before, a night of love awaits us. In the morning, the escape lover will disappear again and explain this by saying that he is afraid of causing us pain or harm.

In the third act, news will appear from the elf's sister. When we go to save her, it turns out that she is a traitor. Fenris will kill the slave trader, but our heroine decides the fate of the elf. No matter what we do, our companion will still whine again about loneliness, emptiness in his soul, etc. It is important to support him here if you want a serious relationship with him. And as usual, he will leave the squad again.

When we enter the beloved's home, Aveline and Varric will say that he needs new housing (after all, it is full of corpses). He will be skeptical about their words, but Hawk will be able to persuade him to move in with her. The elf will agree and kiss the heroine. If Hawke and Fenris speak before the final battle in Dragon Age 2, they will also share a tender and passionate kiss.

Equipment

Fenris is a strong and resilient warrior, delivering devastating blows with a two-handed sword. He wears old, battered armor that cannot be changed in the second part of the game. But you can improve the robe, increase the parameters, insert additional runes. Improvements are sold in stores or obtained after completing a certain quest. Partial and full armor upgrades will give the player the “True Friend” and “Take Care of Yourself” achievements.

From the very first meeting, Fenris wears the “Shelter of the Transmigrated Spirit” armor. If you start a romantic relationship with him, then in the second act he will have a red scarf on his arm and the Amell family crest on his belt.

The armor can be improved and get an additional slot for a rune or a bonus to attack. To do this you will need to find the following items:

• Spiritual Symbol of Tevinter (sold by Jean Luc in the High City);
• lyrium scales (we buy in the “Doubtful Goods” located in the port);
• reinforced belts (found when completing the task “Bitter Pill”);
• enchanted resin (located on the body of the dragon, which will have to be killed during the quest “Massacre in the Mine”).

Give gifts

To add friendship or rivalry points, you can give gifts to Fenris in Dragon Age 2. Its location can be affected by 2 items: the book of Shartan and the sword of Mercy.

The quest in which we will receive Shartan's book can be taken in the second act. We wait for night and go to Elfinage, there at the entrance there is a bag with the book we need. We go home to our elf, talk to him and show it. It turns out he can't read, but promises to learn. If the heroine has an affair with Fenris, then you can personally teach him. The gift will add 15 points to friendship or rivalry (depending on which one outweighs).

The Sword of Mercy can be found when completing a quest given by Orsino (or Meredith). We have to find out where a group of magicians periodically leaves the Circle. We go to the Upper City at night and witness a battle between magicians and templars. We will have to intervene and kill all the enemies. On one of them we find a note mentioning a warehouse in Porto. There they will attack us again and inform us that our loved one was captured on the Ragged Coast. We move there and finish the quest. The sword is in one of the chests in Porto.

We go to Fenris and talk to him about the sword. If desired, you can give it as a gift, but then other comrades will not be able to pick it up. Points are added as follows:

• +15 to friendship or rivalry if given;
• +10 to friendship or rivalry if you keep the sword.

Secrets of communication

If you really want to look at the relationship between the elf and the main character, you will have to try. It will be very difficult to develop a romance with Fenris in Dragon Age 2. Saving the best moments of the relationship in the game will help you try again if you fail.

And also remember following tips:

1. The elf doesn't like Anders, so it's better not to take them on quests together.
2. Remember, he won't tolerate cheating, so don't even think about flirting with any male characters. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get into an affair.
3. If the main character is a magician, then it is better to make Fenris a rival. To do this, you will have to support the magicians and do everything in defiance of him. Give up searching for Danarius's student and don't rush to visit the slave traders' lair. When you run on other quests, the elf will stop you and accuse you of inaction. You shouldn’t refuse him help with his sister, otherwise Fenris will leave alone and, most likely, won’t cope. Remember that rivalry has no effect on the development of the romance.
4. The magical abilities of the main character of the game will not prevent you from making the green-eyed handsome man a faithful friend or lover. With proper communication everything should work out.
5. In Act 2, don't take on the quest "Bitter Pill" until you reach 50 friendship points with Fenris. In it you can get +60 to friendship. To achieve this, it is necessary to tell the slave traders that he is not a slave. You should also immediately set out to find his sister Adriana. In the quest with the slave, take pity on her and offer her a job. When you get home, offer support with the right words or flirt.
6. In the third act we speak with our fugitive and receive the quest “Alone”. A well-leveled influence will help you learn more about his past. Also because of this, in the Questions of Faith quest in Dragon Age 2, Fenris may change his mind about magicians (not without Hawke’s influence, of course).
7. Give him gifts, but do not forget that they increase not only friendship points. To develop a romance, it is best to present them if your friendships outweigh.

Modifications

For Dragon games Age 2 has created many mods - add-ons that change the appearance of characters, improve textures, add unique weapons, etc. With their help, the game becomes more interesting and varied. The following add-ons can be installed for Fenris:

1. Retexture of the armor. She looks more stylish and respectable.
2. Improved face. Now it can look neater, smoother and more attractive.
3. Cloth. Here you can find clothes of different colors and styles (for example, make it look like a Tevinter).
4. Corrected glow of tattoos. Thanks to the addition, they do not glow constantly, but are activated upon action.
5. The scythe is an unusual and amazing weapon.

Let's take a closer look at the scythe fashion for Fenris from Dragon Age 2. His creators decided that the elf was too original a character, so he couldn't run around with ordinary two-handed swords. This is how a glass scythe appeared, which is also held with two hands. It increases in levels, protects against magic and deals “spiritual” damage. Weapons are added to the hero's inventory after loading old game or starting a new one.

Fans of the game have written many works on it - fan fiction. They gave Fenris from Dragon Age 2 one of the main roles. And for good reason, because everyone wants to continue the amazing romance with the elf. His popularity is due to his elven appearance, unusual character and passionate nature.

Gifts for companions affect the level of relationships. Each gift can either improve or worsen them. It all depends on the existing level of relationship at the time the gift is given. If the relationship is friendly, then the gift will have a beneficial effect on the companion and strengthen trust. If they are bad, then the slider will move even more towards rivalry. In case of rivalry, companions do not leave the squad. Friendship and rivalry provide their own advantages, which affect the indicators of unique abilities. It is better to have developed relationships in one of the directions than to simply remain neutral: in some cases, this has a beneficial effect on the gameplay and plot development. Improving relationships sometimes leads to flirting, and later to... When the relationship reaches 100%, there will be no more changes. Having made at least one gift to a companion, the achievement "The Giver".

Gift for Aveline in Dragon Age 2:

• Lady Knight's Shield(chapter II) - Cloaca (day). Sir Varnell's hideout. The shield lies in a large box just before leaving the location (task “Find and Lose Again”).

Gift for Anders in Dragon Age 2:

• Amulet of the Tevinter Church(Chapter II) - Cave pens. Abandoned lair. Green chest in the hall with the slave Orana (task “The Bitter Pill”).

Gift for Bethany in Dragon Age 2:

• Portrait of your mother

Gift for Varric in Dragon Age 2:

• Signet ring(Chapter II) - Lower City. Trinket shop.

Gifts for Isabella in Dragon Age 2:

• Ship in a bottle(chapter II) - Smugglers' pit. Chest in front of the entrance to the “Wilderness” (task “Explosive Service”).
• Rivain Talisman(chapter III) - Port (night). . The storage urn is in a dead end from the northern entrance to the location.

Gift for Carver in Dragon Age 2:

• Tobrius Papers(chapter I) - A chest in a small room in the center of the cellar of the Amell estate (task “Family Matters”).

Gifts for Merrill in Dragon Age 2:

• Galla carved from wood(Chapter II) - Broken Mountain. Master Ailen's shop.
• Sylvan Wood Ring(Chapter III) - Broken Mountain. The leader of the thieves when you first visit the location. Or a pile of bones lying in the middle of the “Cave in the Mountain” location (quest “Kill of Crows”).

Gift for Sebastian in Dragon Age 2:

• Starkhaven Bow(Chapter II) - Upper City. Harimann's estate. The bow lies next to the “Underground Passage” (task “Repentance”).

Gifts for Fenris in Dragon Age 2:

• Chartan's book "The Life of a Slave"(Chapter II) - Elfinage (night). One of the bags is in the yard around a tree.
• Sword of Mercy(chapter III) - Port (night). Secret meeting place. The chest is on the first floor in the eastern part of the location (task “Serve cold”).

Genre: action/RPG
Release date in Russia: March 2011
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Introduction

The Dragon Age game series from BioWare boasted a very successful debut. Warmly received by fans of role-playing games, this project made one mourn only the departure of BioWare from working under the Dungeons and Dragons license. However, politically this can be explained very simply - Wizards of the Coast has relations with the Atari corporation, and the BioWare studio now works under the roof of a direct competitor - the Electronic Arts corporation.

But let's return to Dragon Age. As it became clear during the preliminary screenings, the second part of the game was developed with an eye to gaming consoles. It’s hard to throw a stone at BioWare’s desire to increase its sales market, but the suspicion that all this would lead to certain compromises and simplifications was, alas, completely justified...

The game has changed a lot, and most fans of the first part are sure that not for the better. However, we will talk about this at the very end of the article, summing up.

System requirements:

operating room Windows system 7/Vista (SP2)/XP (SP3)
1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo-class processor or better
1 GB RAM (1.5 GB in case of Windows 7/Vista)
ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro class video card with 256 MB video memory / NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS with 256 MB video memory or better
7 GB of free hard disk space

About the adventures of the main character, a native of the Hawk family, who fled from his native lands with his surviving relatives due to the invasion of Pestilence and hordes of creatures of darkness, the dwarf Varrick begins his story, constantly making jokes in the direction of a serious-minded woman - a sort of medieval “investigator for especially important cases.” "(representing the interests of the Church)...

If you import a saved game from the first Dragon Age game (including the Awakening add-on or downloadable content), then references to events that happened earlier will appear in the Dragon Age II story. If you do not have a saved game, you will be offered three alternative templates to choose from describing previous events.

During the plotting process, you set up appearance main character, choose his class, distribute the first points according to basic characteristics. Well, the time has come to take a closer look at the Dragon Age II role-playing system...

Character characteristics and skills

In Dragon Age II, the role-playing system is built on the basis of the basic characteristics of the character and the set of his skills (activated actions and states, as well as permanent skills). Information about resistance to physical influences and elements (fire, electricity, etc.) is included in a separate category.

Basic character characteristics

Strength. The success rate of an attack and the amount of damage inflicted by a warrior depend on strength. It also affects the stamina parameter: it helps to stay on your feet and not be thrown back by some enemy actions, and also not to catch fire when attacked with fire (receiving additional damage).

Dexterity (Dexterity). The success rate of an attack and the amount of damage inflicted by a thief depend on agility. Agility also affects the likelihood of landing a critical hit on an enemy.

Magic. The success rate of an attack and the amount of damage caused by the magician depend on magic. It also affects the protection against magical attacks (absorbing part of the damage, reducing the duration of the cast spell).

Cunning. The thief’s ability to open locks and disarm traps depends on his ingenuity (once he reaches 10 points, the thief will be able to deal with the simplest locks or traps, 20 - standard, 30 - skillful, 40 - very complex). Also tied to ingenuity is the defense parameter (the chance to evade an attack) and the amount of damage from a critical hit.

Willpower (Willpower). The supply of mana for magicians or stamina for warriors/thieves depends on willpower.

Constitution. Increases the character's health.

Each time you level up, you are given the opportunity to additionally distribute three points according to basic characteristics. In addition, the game contains special items (books, tinctures), with which you can permanently increase your basic characteristics by one or two points. And, of course, some enchanted items (if you are wearing them) also increase these indicators.

Derivatives such as damage, attack, and defense depend on the basic characteristics. The armor indicator depends on the armor and items you are wearing (which, however, can also affect damage and attack with defense).

Damage. The quantitative amount of damage caused by the character's basic weapon (bow, crossbow, axe, hammer, mace, dagger, sword, magic staff). Also shown here is the DPS (damage per second) indicator - quantitative damage inflicted per second of time.

Attack. Attack indicator, next to which the probability of a successful strike on the enemy is indicated (based on an “ordinary” enemy encountered in mass quantities). If you hover the cursor over this indicator, additional details will be displayed: the probability of a successful strike against an “advanced” enemy and against an “elite” (boss).

Defense. Defense indicator, next to which the probability of successfully evading an enemy attack is indicated (again, an “ordinary” enemy is taken as a basis). If you hover your cursor over this indicator, you will find out the probability of successfully dodging an attack from an “advanced” enemy and an “elite” (boss).

Armor. Armor indicator, next to which the percentage of physical damage absorbed by your armor after an enemy attack is indicated (and again, we are talking about an “ordinary” enemy). If you hover the cursor over this indicator, additional details will be displayed: the proportion of physical damage absorbed by armor after an attack by an “advanced” enemy and an “elite” (boss).

Resistance

A separate paragraph includes indicators of the character’s resistance:

Fire resistance.
Cold resistance.
Resistance to electricity.
Resistance to the forces of nature.
Resistance to spiritual magic.
The indicator of absorption of part of the damage from an enemy attack (any - magical or physical).
An indicator of absorbing part of the damage from any magical attack, as well as reducing the time of magical influence on the character.
Persistence. The higher this indicator, the more chances the hero has to stay on his feet and not be thrown back by some enemy actions, as well as avoid additional damage due to fire after a fire attack.

Increasing resistance to the elements and magical attacks is very important (and at a high level of difficulty - critically necessary). Manipulate basic characteristics, enchanted objects (including runes), upgrade the corresponding skills - otherwise the next battle with the boss can very upset you.

Skills and Spells

In Dragon Age II, only three character classes are implemented: Warrior, Mage and Rogue. Actually, at the very beginning of the game you are given a choice of six options (taking into account the character’s gender):

Naturally, at the start of the game, each class receives its own initial bonuses, as well as strictly defined sets of skills/spells that it can learn. On the one hand, this to a certain extent kills the intrigue (remember with what interest you read a newly found scroll with a spell in some classic D&D game), on the other hand, it allows you to plan the development of the hero in advance. Although, of course, practical use new skill in the first battle may disappoint you, and you will have to go to the Black Emporium for a special potion that allows you to redistribute points among the character’s basic characteristics and skills...

Skills are divided into three types:

Activated actions (indicated by a diamond). Unique attacks, spells, special effects. They can only be used periodically, since they have a certain recovery time.

Activated states (indicated by a hexagon). When activated, they block part of the mana or stamina reserve, but at the same time give a certain bonus (to defense, attack, resistance, etc.) or additional specific capabilities.

Permanent skill (indicated by a circle). A static bonus that improves characteristics, skills, or expands a character's capabilities.

Within the framework of this material, there is no point in meticulously listing all the capabilities of the classes plus the individual development branches of each of your companions. Therefore, I will simply introduce you to the implementation of skills using the example of one of the “special” branches of warrior skills.

The fact is that at the 7th and 14th level of character development you will be given the opportunity to open the so-called. specializations are additional skill sets. In my case, the main character had a choice of three additional sets - Reaver, Berserker and Templar.

This is what the general “tree” of skills of the main character who has chosen the warrior class looks like:

And here is a separate “branch” of the Templar:

Let's go through the skills and improvements presented here (I apologize in advance for using the original English names):

Templar (specialization). When choosing the Templar specialization, you automatically (even before the distribution of points by skills) receive a 10% bonus to damage dealt to magicians and creatures from Otherworld(Fade).

Cleanse (activated action). The ability to “cleanse” the territory and your companions from the effects of unfriendly magic. The Lasting Cleanse upgrade allows you to additionally block the ability of enemies to cast spells for ten seconds. The Cleansing wave improvement increases the diameter of the zone of influence of this skill from six to ten meters.

Holy Smite (activated action). “Divine Strike”, dealing damage to enemies with spirit magic. Upgrading Righteous Smite causes mages and Otherworldly creatures to take double damage from this attack. The Staggering Smite upgrade allows you to stun "ordinary" enemies with a 50% chance.

Righteous Strike (permanent skill). The warrior has the opportunity for 4 seconds to block the ability of spells and activated actions by the enemy during a normal blow in hand-to-hand combat, with a probability of 10% (in the case of an “ordinary” enemy).

Silence (activated action). The ability to block the ability of the enemy to cast spells and activated actions for 20 seconds. The Lingering Silence improvement reduces the cooldown of the skill (until the next activation) by 10 seconds.

Annulment (permanent skill). +50% to the overall damage absorption rate from any magical attack, as well as reducing the time of magical effects on the character.

Some permanent bonuses appear in the characters' arsenal after the relationship with the main character has reached a critical point (Friendship or Rivalry).

From general recommendations Regarding character development, I would personally single out two: firstly, be sure to upgrade the skills involved in transferring the enemy into a state of stupefaction, fragility and disorientation, as well as skills that take advantage of such a weakening of the enemy (see further section “Combinations of actions in battle” ). Secondly, upgrade skills and conditions that improve your character’s defense against various types attacks and elements. Boss fights last a long time (especially on high levels complexity), and even in the case of high levels of damage you inflict, the need to somehow survive on the battlefield has not been canceled.

Tactics

Each character has a certain number of tactical slots, which increases as the level increases. You can use these slots to create rules by which the hero will behave in battle (provided, of course, that you do not directly interfere with his actions).

In principle, on easy and normal difficulty levels, using tactics greatly relieves the player (especially if you play Dragon Age II on a game console and not on a PC). But as for higher difficulty levels, I am sure that difficult battles will force you to manually control the actions of the team. After all, it is impossible to foresee all situations, and the enemy’s emerging vulnerabilities (stunning, fragility, disorientation) can be “pierced” with various attacks and spells. So it's mine Subjective opinion: using tactics is just nice additional opportunity, in demand primarily at low difficulty levels.

Armor, weapons, equipment

The character's "doll" looks like this:

As you can see, you have slots for a couple of rings and a belt, the rest is reserved for weapons and armor. Weapons can be two-handed (sword, hammer, axe, staff, bow, crossbow) or one-handed. One-handed weapons naturally deal less damage. The thief uses a pair of daggers, and the defensive warrior uses a sword and shield.

There are certain unique armor sets in the game (main armor plus helmet, gloves, boots) that provide an additional bonus for wearing the full set.

As for your companions, manipulations with them are limited (according to the developers, this gives them greater individuality and independence). You won't be able to replace their armor (and Varrick's weapon too), but you have the opportunity to improve it by finding or buying special add-ons.

Some add-ons provide a slot for inserting a rune into your comrade's armor. The effect of runes in the armor of companions is automatically enhanced as the character levels up.

Keeping your warrior's armor up to date is critically important. After all, armor absorbs part of the physical damage inflicted, and good armor in the recent past, after several increases in the character’s level (and the level of development of enemies tied to it), turns into a “cardboard box”, so you will have to constantly look for new armor that improves the armor indicator.
In your inventory, all items are divided into tabs - weapons, armor, accessories (rings, belts, amulets), used items (potions, poisons, grenades), other (runes), and trash. Garbage is all sorts of impersonal nonsense (“worn pants,” “a fragment of opal,” etc.), which you, without hesitation, “wholesale” sell from the nearest merchant.

In order to make it easier for you to navigate the rubble of the goods you have obtained, the developers have assigned a special rating (maximum five stars) to each item in the sections of weapons, armor and accessories. This will help you quickly get rid of your “junk” from the nearest dealer.

Combinations of actions in battle

If you choose the difficulty level Hard or Nightmare, then the use of combinations of actions by your group members in battle is a prerequisite, otherwise any more or less serious battle will take up a lot of your time and nerves.

Certain types of attacks or actions by your characters can put enemies into the following vulnerable states:

Stagger (Stun). Can be triggered by warrior attacks such as Shield Bash (with Pummel upgrade); Pommel (with Pommel Blow improvement); Tremor (with Aftershock upgrade); Cleave (with Claymore upgrade); Devour (with Voracious upgrade); and also Sunder.

Brittle. Can be called by mage spells such as Winter's Grasp (with the improvement of Winter's Blast); Cone of Cold (with Deep Freeze upgrade); Petrify (with the Desiccate upgrade), as well as the Elemental Mastery skill.

Disorient. Can be triggered by attacks and thief actions such as Pinning Shot (with Disorienting Shot upgrade); Fatiguing Fog (with Overpowering Fog upgrade); Confusion (with Chaos improvement); as well as the Disorienting Criticals skill.

Please note that different levels of enemies may have different chances of successfully introducing the target into each of the specified states. At the same time, some actions with a certain “pumping” guarantee 100% success - however, in the event that the enemy (in most cases, we are talking about bosses, of course) does not have special immunity. You can find all the specific numbers in the description of skills/spells (Abilities) in the game itself.

Evidence that the enemy is stunned, disoriented, or has become fragile is a special icon above his head. Immediately activate one of the actions of another member of your party, who can take advantage of this enemy state. In general, this will lead to serious damage, and quickly destroying the enemy at high difficulty levels is the main key to success.

Here is a list of actions that take advantage of the vulnerable state (stunned/fragile/disorientated) of enemies:

Using the Stagger state:

Mage: Chain (with improvement Chain Reaction); Crushing Prison (with Paralyzing Prison upgrade); Hemorrhage (with Paralyzing Hemorrhage improvement); Fist of the Maker (with Maker's Hammer upgrade).

Thief: Explosive Strike (with Merciless Strike upgrade); Vendetta (with Blood Feud upgrade); Kickback (with Backlash upgrade), Lacerate (with Maim upgrade).


Using the Brittle state:

Warrior: Mighty Blow (with Shattering Blow upgrade); Scythe (with Reaper upgrade); Cleave (with Claymore upgrade).

Thief: Bursting Arrow (with Shattering Arrow upgrade); Archer's Lance (with the Punishing Lance improvement); Assassinate (with the Annihilate improvement).


Using the Disorient state:

Warrior: Scatter (with Disperse upgrade); Assault (with Battery upgrade); Devour (with Insatiable enhancement).

Mage: Spirit Bolt (with Spirit Strike upgrade); Walking Bomb (upgraded to Corrosive Walking Bomb and/or Virulent Walking Bomb); Stonefist (with Golem's Fist upgrade).

Don't forget that some of the skills are inherent not only to a certain class, but also to a certain game character. So don’t be surprised if a particular member of your team doesn’t have them.

Here is an example of a mage successfully using the stun state (using lightning: the Chain spell with the Chain Reaction enhancement).

More than three and a half thousand damage points speak for themselves. In this specific case A successful lightning strike only took about 5-7% of an enemy's total health, so you can easily imagine how durable your enemies will be on higher difficulty levels (white numbers are damage from normal attacks in melee combat).

Creation of runes, potions, poisons and grenades

The game allows you to create your own items. In the first part of Dragon Age, to successfully create runes and potions, you had to look for recipes, level up the corresponding skills and find the necessary ingredients (mostly from merchants). In Dragon Age II, you have to buy or find scrolls with recipes, and then look for sources of certain ingredients in the game universe (lyrium, mountain copper, elven root, ambrosia, felandaris, etc.). Carefully studying the game level, you find a source of some “silverite” in a secluded corner, receiving 200 experience points for this and expanding your ability to create runes, potions, poisons and grenades. Next, following the recipe you found (or purchased from a merchant), you “order” the desired item on a special table in your home (additionally paying a certain amount of money).

It is clear that if you have not discovered the source of any ingredient from the list specified in the recipe, then you will not be able to create the item you are looking for, even if you have instructions for its manufacture.

Created potions (which restore health and mana, improve defense and attack, etc.), as well as grenades, poisons (which can be used to lubricate weapons to cause additional damage) appear in your inventory. As for the created runes, they should be inserted into armor or weapons thanks to the skills of your old friend, the gnome Sandal.

Unfortunately, unlike the first part of Dragon Age, you can no longer remove runes inserted into weapons or armor. If you want to insert another rune into the slot, the previous one will be automatically destroyed.

You will have to create runes and potions without fail. After all, one of the most powerful runes adds several points to each basic characteristic of the character. A potion of “stone armor” reduces all damage (physical or magical) dealt to your characters by 10%. A bottle of “mystical support” brings a character killed on the battlefield back to life. Such advantages significantly improve the survivability of your combat group and ignoring them is more expensive for yourself.

Dragon Age II universe and gameplay

The first thing that catches your eye is the noticeably more beautiful implementation of graphics. The picture on the screen has really improved compared to the first part of the game.

But the gaming universe of Dragon Age II itself is very, very limited. One Big city with areas...

Plus a small amount of additional places around.

In order to somehow brighten up the absence large quantity various locations, the developers came up with a “night mode” - you walk through the same area, but almost deserted. At dusk, a gang of some bandits may be waiting for you (their systematic destruction will lead to the appearance of another secondary quest with the destruction of the leader).

Despite the occasional beautiful scenery...

...The level design raises serious complaints. And the main complaint is the frequent use of the same “blanks” when creating locations. Pirate lairs, dungeons, city houses - in most quests are identical and so monotonous that they give the impression of a second-rate game, and in no way resemble the calling card of the legendary BioWare studio. In addition, most of the levels are small in size, and in open spaces you will always have the feeling that you are running along narrowly defined corridors: the beauties on the sides are just decorations that cannot be approached.

In various areas of the city there are merchants and specialists in the production of potions, poisons, and runes. After you complete the key quest (you complete side and secondary tasks at will), the current game act is completed. In the next act, the merchants' arsenal changes, and certain cosmetic changes occur in game locations.

In this regard, it would be useful to go through the previously explored places again - check the merchants’ supplies, rummage through the boxes/chests/barrels, and find new quests.

As in any self-respecting role-playing game, cornerstone gameplay in Dragon Age II is to receive and complete quests. Quests are divided into main, secondary, side, and also related to your companions. Main quests, as well as companion quests, move the story forward. Secondary and side quests are a pleasant pastime, new items (armor and weapons), cash rewards, additional experience points, etc. That being said, don't think that the side quest in Dragon Age II is a cakewalk. Sometimes you have to fight very serious enemies...

The presentation of the plot and dialogues, along with noticeably improved graphics, are the main strong point Dragon Age II. Concerning new system dialogues, the developers decided to notify us in advance about the potential consequences of choosing each of the phrases, providing them with special icons - a sprig of myrtle (diplomatic option), a theatrical mask (sarcastic or humorous option), a hammer and anvil (a tough, straightforward option, close to rudeness), diamond (confident, firm answer). There is also an icon with coins - this means the main character will ask for money (or vice versa, offer money). An icon with a silhouette of a head on a green background is an invitation to intervene in a conversation with a companion who will express his opinion or make an important decision for you. Sometimes there is an icon with a heart, which means Hawk will try to flirt. Icon with a broken heart - the main character will clearly make it clear about the impossibility (or termination) of a romantic relationship.

Separately, it is worth noting the innovation regarding your companions (you go on a mission with a team of 4 people).

Now all your comrades live in certain places, and are not gathered under one roof. From time to time you will have to visit them - mainly as part of individual story quests, allocated to a special group.

Relationships with companions are an important component storyline. As before, you will be able to have an affair with some members or members of your team.

Depending on the line of behavior you choose (certain development of dialogues and making important decisions), your companions may change their attitude towards you depending on their own beliefs. So, for example, the elven warrior Fenris hates magicians, and the captain of the guard Aveline loves discipline, order and observance of the law. Accordingly, based on these beliefs, they can change their attitude towards you in response to any action or point of view expressed. When you reach a critical point (absolute friendship or irreconcilable rivalry) in your relationship with your companion, further change in this indicator becomes impossible.

In the second part of Dragon Age, a significant bias was made in favor of increasing the frequency of battles. If you calculate exactly how many enemies of various calibers you will “chop into cabbages” in total, the figure, I am sure, will exceed well over a thousand.

At the same time, of course, you will not only come across all sorts of small fry: the number of boss enemies in the game has also noticeably increased, so you will not be able to relax.

The battles have become much more dynamic (I would even say too dynamic). Therefore, take good care of upgrading the defensive skills of your “brigade” so as not to be distracted every second by micro-management during the battle (absorbing healing potions, removing half-dead characters from the battle, etc.).

In general, the second main complaint about Dragon Age II (the first, as you remember, is a shoddy approach to location design) is the implementation of a “wave” of enemy attacks. You can't sneak into a room, peek discreetly as a thief, count the number of enemies, and plan the coming fight. Having cut out 5-6 people with whom visual contact was initially established, you will be surprised (and then irritated) to continue to fight with new waves of enemy warriors, spiders, etc., which literally “fall out of the ceiling” "on the battlefield. As one famous character from a popular YouTube video used to say: “This is sad.”

Another terrible limitation for fans of the first part of the game: the use of bows and fighting with a weapon in each hand is now possible only for the thieves class. If you are a warrior, be kind, choose between a sword with a shield and a two-handed weapon. The much-loved opportunity to have in your arsenal the usual pair of ranged weapons / melee weapons (with the ability to quickly switch) has disappeared.

Another important point: in the game, the “friendly fire” mode is implemented only on maximum level difficulty - Nightmare. Remember how you had to carefully “target” a fireball into a crowd of adversaries so as not to hurt your own comrades? Now at all difficulty levels up to and including Hard, this is not the case: unleash fire and electric storms and “ice cones” right into the midst of your enemies - all this will miraculously bypass your companions. In principle, an already very dynamic battle with crowds of enemies falling out will turn into complete chaos when the friendly fire mode is implemented, and therefore the decision of the developers is, in general, understandable to me. Here the initial mistake was in the implementation of an arcade massacre, which noticeably departed from the canons of the classic RPG genre.

In a separate paragraph, I would like to tell you about such a wonderful thing as a homing fire spit of a dragon, which I had to encounter towards the end of the game. To be honest, at first I was simply dumbfounded. While running away from the approaching fireball with my thief, I suddenly noticed how it began to describe an arc (just like a homing air-to-air missile in some aviation simulator!), and accurately pinned my character, who ran a good ten meters from the calculated location falling clot of flame! At first I thought that this was some kind of mistake, but a further battle with a high-tech “fifth generation dragon” showed that the vile reptile really knows how to fire homing fire charges...
Article update from 06/04/2011: In the released patch version 1.03, this behavior of fireballs emitted by dragons was corrected.

Conclusion

Dragon Age II is a classic representative of the action/RPG genre, with all the advantages related to BioWare’s ability to beautifully present the plot, and with all the disadvantages that the choice of gaming consoles as a priority platform brings.

Step forward graphics, distinctive characters, voice acting, dialogues, beautiful screensavers- all this rivets you to the screen and makes fans of the first part of Dragon Age agree to whole line not very pleasant compromises. Among which, first of all, it is worth highlighting the same type of location designs (in the best traditions of residential areas built up with absolutely identical houses) and the implementation of battles in the style of a blood bath, with new units of enemies “falling out of the ceiling.”

To the credit of the developers, they acknowledge the criticism and promise to improve in the future. BioWare lead designer Mike Laidlaw, in particular, said that the claims of the fan community were carefully studied and helped in drawing up future plans for creating games from the Dragon Age series. "I agree that some aspects of Dragon Age II not only could be improved, but should definitely be improved further. We learned a lot from what worked well, but even more from what we didn't."

And I will note on my own that if in Dragon Age III they return to us the concept of the very first part of the game with improved graphics and evolutionary changes (with a consistently high quality of presentation of the storyline) - fans of the series will be delighted. But I am tormented by vague doubts - it is unlikely that BioWare will refuse to release a version of Dragon Age III for game consoles... One hope is to release a separate version for PC, but will the legendary studio succumb to the temptation to save resources and again release a single project on all platforms ? I would like to hope for the best...

Check the availability of the game in F-Center stores

Ratings

Graphic arts: 80%
Sound: 90%
Game process: 70%

General impression: 80%

Carver

Carver Hawk is a warrior, the brother of the main character. It is much more difficult to establish friendly relations with him than with the setra. Dies at the beginning of the game if you choose the Warrior class or the Rogue class. He may also die during an expedition to the Deep Roads if Anders is not around.

If he is, then Carver is taken away by the Gray Guardians. If you leave him at home alone with his mother, he will become a templar. Appears at the end of the game and helps Hawk.

Bethany

Bethany Hawke is a renegade magician, the sister of the main character. It's much easier to have a friendly relationship with her than with Carver. Dies at the beginning of the game if you choose the "Mage" class. She may also die during an expedition to the Deep Roads if Anders is not around. If he is, then Bethany is taken away by the Gray Guardians. If you leave her at home alone with her mother, she will be taken to the Circle of Magicians. Appears at the end of the game and helps Hawk.

Aveline

Aveline Wallen - wife of the templar Wesley, warrior. Joins the player at the beginning of the game. After completing one of her personal quests, she marries the guard Donnik. If you take Aveline into the final battle, Donnik will also help in the battle against Meredith.

Varric

Varric Tetras is a dwarven overlander from the merchant caste. He is a robber, and also the only one who owns a crossbow. He even gave the crossbow a name, "Bianca". The game's narrative is narrated by Varrick. In his free time, he tells various tales about Hawk in the tavern.

Anders

Anders is a mage, spiritual healer, and former Gray Warden. He ran away from Gray Wardens after the guards allowed the templars to try to kill him. Doesn't like the Circle of Magicians. Anders also allowed the spirit of Justice to inhabit him. But then he regretted it, because when Anders sees the unfair treatment of magicians, Justice turns into Revenge. Justice also manifests itself in the Shadow. Anders spends his free time as a healer and by the end of the game starts a war between the templars and the magicians. Can be executed by the player.

Merrill

Merril is a Dalish elf and blood mage. Occurs while fulfilling Flemeth's request. Then the player decides whether he will take Merrill as his companion or not. Merril's high skill allows her to use dangerous artifacts that, upon contact with which an ordinary magician would become possessed.

Isabel

Isabella is the captain of a pirate ship. Her quest can only be started after accepting Anders. Leaves the squad before the battle with the Qunari. She admits that it was because of the book she stole that the Qunari landed on the shores of Kirkwall. After completing her personal quest, regardless of the level of relations, she can return.

Fenris

Fenris is a runaway slave, servant of a master from the Tevinter Empire. Lyrium was implanted into his skin. He hates mages because he believes that if all mages are freed, Kirkwall will turn into a second Tevinter. Joins the player after the mission "Free Cheese".

Sebastian Vehl

Sebastian Vel - archer, prince. He wants to take revenge on the killers of his family. It can become available by downloading The Exiled Prince add-on.