Where should I go from here?

[Tosca]

Okay, I have just purchased and installed DA:O from disc.

My operating system is Vista

I have not manually updated the game yet, and did not notice any automatic updates, so I believe I am playing on a virgin game. :whistling: (with the exception of some purchased DLC modules, which I apparently means I need to update DA:O before I can run them.)

I fully intend to get Awakenings next pay. ( I tend to dive right in and get everything, then try to work my way through it)

 

My question is this: What should I do now? I want to run a few mods, the extra dog slot, texture, facial, hair, that sort of thing, but I have read here that there are problems with certain patches and mods etc, so I am afraid of gumming up the works. I don't really know enough to make even an educated guess, so I will leave it to the more experienced.

 

........SO.......................................

 

What patches / fixes do you suggest I run at this point?

 

Thanks.

[RustyBlade]

Install all the DLC you can install without patching, then patch to 1.03, install everything remaining but Golems and Witch Hunt; patch to 1.04 and then install those two. When you get Awakenings and install it you will need to re-apply the 1.04 patch after you install it for everything to work right.

[Thandal]

Everything RB said, plus the following advice.

 

Dragon Age is such a rich environment/experience for the Player-Character that mods aren't really necessary to fully enjoy the game. Some aesthetic aspects (if they are really important to you) can and should be enhanced, but the built-in limitations on game-play, character and item capabilities, and various internal restrictions and prohibitions, are all there for a reason.

 

While many of these have been modded to suit various tastes, I think the game, at least DA:Origins, is best experienced without these when played FOR THE FIRST TIME.

 

Two caveats to the above:

 

a. Use any/all appearance mods you want/like, even for your first playthrough. You'll be looking at some of these faces for many, many hours. It's better if you like what you see!

 

b. Use "Qwinn's Unoffical FixPack" and/or "Dialogue Tweaks", and/or "Morrigan Restoration Patch", and/or ... There are several others ("Alistair" and "Zevran" ones come to mind.) These all are to correct the (obviously unintentional) ommissions, oversights, and "oops"'s of the vanilla game's plot flags and dialogue branches. The three I named are the ones I happen to use.

 

NOTE: "Qwinn's" also corrects a number of other game behaviors to the way the internal notes indicate the developers intended.

 

After your first time, GO CRAZY! Add the "Buster" sword (use the "Search" box in the DANexus Files section to see it.) Like skimpy, flashy, or maybe Transformer-sized armour? Lots of that available from the Community. Don't like the fact that Dwarves can't use magic? No problem. There's a mod for that!

 

DA is one of the few CRPGs I've found that bears repeated playing. I'm at around a dozen "start-to-finish" runs, and have several more characters at various points along the way that I built and played "just to see what would happen if..."

 

Happy Adventuring!

[Tosca]

Thank-you! This is exactly what i was looking for. I would rather ask for help before there's a problem.....and after reading the forums, there does seem to be a few pitfalls in this area. I would likely find them all.

 

Thandal: I fully intend to play at least one character on the 'base' game, without any helper mods etc. However, I do love mods, I play WoW and use plenty there. I like the personalization of "my" games. If only LotRO would allow them.... :wallbash: