Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition USA

Topics: IBM PC, IBM PC Compatible, PC Game, Redump, Redump.org, Software, VGDB, VGPC

Language: English

Description

Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition includes:

- Dragon Age: Origins

Four hundred years have passed since the last Blight was successfully prevented by the Grey Wardens. Now once again the fearsome Darkspawn under the rule of the Arch Demon gather and are about to invade the land of Ferelden. The first battleground: the destroyed city at Ostagar, where the Grey Wardens meet the army of Cailan, king of Ferelden, to try and stop the Darkspawn, preventing death and destruction before it has even begun.

However, during the battle, the forces of general Loghain inexplicably abandon the battlefield. As a result, the Grey Wardens, the king, and most of the human warriors are killed. Among the few survivors is the hero, who had joined the Grey Wardens just before the battle, and must now find a way to unite the races of Ferelden in a struggle against the common enemy.

Dragon Age: Origins is a party-based third-person perspective role-playing game. Similarly to Baldur's Gate, combat is in real time, with the ability to pause at any moment. Tactical options include an editor which allows the players to give the AI detailed instructions on how to behave in every possible situation. Nonetheless the player can also control the party (with up to four active combatants) one by one, switching between the characters, using their special talents and abilities to overcome the many different enemies. During the course of the game, the player will have the opportunity to invite up to nine players to his party. While only four can leave the party camp at any given time, the experience points earned by killing enemies, fulfilling quests or simply opening a chest are granted to each member of the group.

At each level-up a character earns three attribute points and one talent point. The talent point is used to unlock new spells and abilities in the extensive talent tree differing greatly between the three available classes: warrior, rogue and mage. Every three levels the character also earns a skill point allowing him/her to learn or get better at herbalism or increasing survival skills. In addition, at level 7 and 14 characters earn a specialisation point which allows them to learn two of four class specializations, such as for example shapeshifter and spirit healer for the mage class. These specializations give instant bonuses to certain attributes and unlock five exclusive talents. However, in order to learn such a specialization, it needs to be unlocked first. This is either done by buying the corresponding book from traders, or by learning it from another character, may it be a non-playable character or a party member.

Not everyone is willing from the start to teach the protagonist. In particular the player's party members have to have a certain level of trust and satisfaction. Satisfaction can range from -100 to +100 and is influenced heavily by the decisions the player makes during the game. Talking and giving gifts to the party members also increases their satisfaction. A high level of satisfaction then grants the party member a bonus to specific attributes and unlocks additional quests as they open up and tell their past. In addition, it is possible to have a romance with up to two of the party members if the player character is of the right gender and makes the right dialogue choices.

Although the main part of the game is the same for every character created and will only differ in what the player decides to do first or what choices he or she makes, the game features six unique prologues (called "origin stories" in the game) - two for each race, except the humans who share the magi origin story with the elves. They all tell the story how the player's character met the Grey Warden Duncan and ended up at the battle at Ostagar.

The console versions lack the tactical overhead view available in the PC version. The controls are designed in such a way that it is easier to control one characters and let the AI handle the rest of the party, as opposed to the PC version, where the entire party can be handled with more ease. Also, the default difficulty level on the consoles is lower than on the PC.

- Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening is the first add-on to Dragon Age: Origins. After the death of the Archdemon in the main game, the Dark Spawn have been defeated and driven out of Ferelden. Well, it turns out the victory didn't last long. Those damn demons just relocated to the north and are now threatening the city of Amaranthine and its neighbouring lands. Worse yet, during the six months since their defeat the Dark Spawn got themselves a new leadership: the Mother and the Architect. And those two bred a new kind of Dark Spawn that are actually able to talk. Luckily the player arrives in the nick of time at Vigil's Keep to defend the castle from the Dark Spawn, take over control of the keep and prepare to deal the final blow against the Dark Spawn.

At the beginning of the game, the player has the choice of importing any existing character from a savegame of his choosing. The character neither has to have completed the game nor to have survived the ending. The game will adjust the character at the start moving up to the minimum level of 18 or assume he didn't die at the end. Importing a character will slightly change some dialogues and appearances during the following hours but nothing plot-related or really important. New characters, on the other hand, will start at level 18 and be proclaimed to be Wardens from Orlais who have been sent to take control over the region.

Gameplay-wise, the game remains the same as the original. Using a party with up to three companions, the player talks to people in multiple-choice dialogues to get missions or advance the story, kills monsters in tactical real-time battles, fulfills quests in the five main new areas and earns experience points to level up and gain access to new skills and talents.

To accompany the higher levels the players are now able to reach, 32 talents and spells have been added as well as two new specialisations for each of the three classes including an extra specialisations point being available at level 22 allowing for three specialisations to be chosen. The three new skills include the ability to craft runes. This is especially important since the new armor runes as well as the new high-level runes can not be found or bought anymore. The only way to get them is to make them out of lesser runes.

During the course of the game the player can find up to six new companions, two of each class and one being the dwarf Oghren already known from the main game. As opposed to the original however, the dialogues with the companions are now triggered automatically at specific points in the game-world or at a certain stage in the storyline. Romance-options are also not available anymore. Also new with the add-on: two additional tiers for weapons and armor, additional types of usable items and several kinds of enemies including Darkspawn children.

- The Stone Prisoner

The Stone Prisoner is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age and requires the original game to play. The DLC is included in all new copies of the game. Sending players to the small village of Honnleath, your party is greeted by a bunch of villagers who want nothing more than to keep you out. You later discover that they are guarding a secret, one hiding in plain sight. In the middle of the town there is a stone figure, but it is no statue. It’s a golem, frozen in time, waiting to be awoken from the spell he was placed under.

The DLC is centered around the frozen golem Shale. Once awakened, he will be able to join your party as a playable character. It features a bunch of new items and two achievements/trophies to be earned.

- Warden's Keep

Warden's Keep is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age and requires the original game to play. It is not available separately for the Macintosh version of the game and it is free for owners of the Windows Dragon Age: Origins (Digital Deluxe Edition). The download gives players access to a fortress known as Soldier's Peak, a place said to be haunted by spirits of old Grey Wardens. Warden's Peak will explain why those Grey Wardens were expelled from Ferelden and what led to their deaths at the fortress.

The Soldier's Peak base holds equipment used by the Warden's themselves available for the taking. Other features include two new spells (mage)/ talents (rogue/warrior), a couple of achievements/trophies, and a Party Storage Chest to store all those items in your inventory taking up space.

- Return to Ostagar

Return to Ostagar is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age: Origins. During the course of the quest the player revisits the ruins and the battlefield of Ostagar to retrieve secret documents and a powerful armor set worn by King Cailen during the fight. This DLC is very fighting oriented; there is only one dialogue sequence at the start of the quest and one decision at the end. The rest of the mission is spent slaughtering Darkspawn masses which occupy Ostagar.

Additionally it offers a second chance to recruit the Mabari dog if the player missed the first opportunity. The NPCs which participated in the battle offer a few additional lines.

- The Darkspawn Chronicles

The Darkspawn Chronicles is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age: Origins and is not integrated into the main storyline but has to be started separately. It is set in an alternate storyline in which the Grey Warden dies during the initiation and Alistair takes his place to defeat the blight. The player takes the role of a Darkspawn who has to conquer Denerim and protect the archdemon.

As Darkspawns are not exactly known for their friendly behaviour, the DLC consists entirely of fighting through the Denerim city areas. A new talent is used to force various Darkspawn types, e.g. Shrieks or Ogres, into the player controlled party - but since this is a frontal assault the player is mostly accompanied with a larger force which gets constantly refilled. In fact every dead Darkspawn in the party (besides the main character) is gone for good and has to be replaced with a new. This is not desirable because every Darkspawn in the party has an approval rating which brings certain bonuses; similar to the mechanics in the main game. The approval increases with every killed defender and by giving them war trophies which are collected from powerful enemies. These are main or secondary characters from the main game and their death results in a codex entry which shows the different development compared to the main storyline.

- Leliana's Song

Leliana's Song is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age: Origins and requires the original game to play. The download gives the player control of Leliana, a female bard part of a criminal ring from Orlais. Under the leadership of her mentor and lover Marjolaine, she is thrust into a dangerous situation which sees her life as a spy questioned, and more than anything puts her own life in jeopardy.

The DLC is a prequel to the main game and shows how Leliana ends up at the Chantry in DA. It features eight quests and fully-voiced cinematics. There are three achievements/trophies to be collected, and completing the DLC unlocks a reward that can be used in the main game and Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

- The Golems of Amgarrak

The Golems of Amgarrak is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age: Origins. It is set after the main storyline and has to be started separately. The Grey Warden receives a letter from the dwarf Jarrik whose clan discovered an old Thaig which is supposed to have an alternate way of Golem production - unfortunately the expedition vanished. Now Jarrik and the Grey Warden have to uncover the secret of the Thaig...

This DLC consists mostly of fights against the Thaig's guardians. These are designed to be a challenge - the difficulty of this DLC is cranked up in comparison to the main game or Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. There are also small puzzle elements to be found because switches change the fade the heroes are walking in - for example a purple switch results in a purple fade. Every fade allows passage through certain barriers, access to chests or fighting different enemies.

- Witch Hunt

Witch Hunt is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age: Origins and is not integrated into the main storyline but has to be started separately. It takes place a few years after the end of the Blight and now the player is on the search after Morrigan who disappeared after the final fight. In his initial research he meets a female Elf warrior who also searches for Morrigan because she stole an important magic book from her clan. Now the Grey Warden has to uncover her plans...

Additionally the player is accompanied by a mage and dog. During the course of the game he visits various known areas, e.g. the mage tower, the temple from the Dalish Elf origin story, and the Dragonbone Wastes from Awakening. Gameplay mostly consists of slashing enemies and a few conversations. Because the player is stuck with a pre-defined party the game takes the opportunity to insert a lot of humorous banter between the two new characters.

- Feastday Gifts

Feastday Gifts is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age: Origins. It features ten gifts for the companions which are available from the merchant found in the party camp. Every gift is made for one specific companion and give +50 approval. Most of the items can be used for a small animation; some even give a small buff. Additionally the package features two companion unspecific pranks which result in a small disapproval.

- Feastday Pranks

Feastday Pranks is a commercial downloadable content (DLC) pack for Dragon Age: Origins. It features ten pranks for the companions which are available from the merchant found in the party camp. Every gift is made for one specific companion and give -50 approval. Most of the items turn into regular gear with a small stat boost which can be equipped through the inventory, e.g. boots. A few items have special usages, e.g. removing blood splatters. Additionally the package features two companion unspecific gift which result in a small approval.

- Single use code that unlocks Blood Dragon Armor in Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2.