Mark Plays ‘Dragon Age: Origins’: Hour 38

In the thirty-eighth hour of Dragon Age: Origins, I prepare for the end. Well, sort of. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to play Dragon Age: Origins.

Hour Thirty-Eight

I must admit that I don’t have a whole lot to report back to you. I was checking my inventory and saw I had nearly 300 sovereigns. Yeah, what was I going to spend that on during the endgame of Dragon Age: Origins? So I thought, “Hell, might as well go visit some vendors, buy the expensive shit, and finish off those few missions I avoided because they seemed tedious.” I thought this would be a simple way to get shit done! I mean, I got the Lifegiver from Garvin in Orzammar and gave it to Alistair, making him EVEN MORE BADASS. I bought all four remaining Tomes that I could find as well, boosting up Alistair and Roslin’s points and skills in the process. I figured that since I only have two DLC to conquer before the Landsmeet, it’s as good of a time as it’s going to get to stock up as much as possible. I went back to Haven, too, because I’d never rung the gong on the hillside, and WOW DID I IMMEDIATELY REGRET DOING THAT. No shame, after being utterly annihilated by the High Dragon, I set the difficultly to Casual. Even then, it was Alistair’s newly amazing brick status that got me through this fight. BUT I GOT DRAGON SCALES. TIME TO GO TO WADE.

I stopped by the Circle of Mages Tower, where I picked up Andruil’s Blessing for Morrigan to wear. HELL YEAH, MY PARTY IS GONNA DESTROY THE BLIGHT. We got stopped by a band of dwarf rebels while I was on my way back to the Brecilian Forest. Aw, boo! Why are you fighting me, dwarves? Are you still pissed about Bhelen? The dude lost, okay? He’s dead. Trying to kill me won’t bring him back. Go away.

For the bulk of this hour, though, I spent time going through the Lost Ruins and the Lair of the Werewolves. I had forgotten just how huge this part of the game was; on top of that, I also left behind a lot of unopened chests because my lockpicking skills weren’t high enough. God, why am I getting nostalgic for something that I’m not even done with? Perhaps that’s because I HAD NEVER ACTUALLY DEFEATED THE REVENANT I DISCOVERED HERE. Oh lord, y’all, I forgot that I just passed on trying to destroy him after he ruined me time and time again. Now who’s unable to stay alive, huh? TAKE THAT, VIDEO GAME CHARACTER. I even found that final Scroll of Banastor down here, which was infuriating me because I COULDN’T REMEMBER WHERE I’D FOUND THE OTHER FOUR OF THEM. The weirdest part of this final side journey, though, was following the ritual for the Mage’s Treasure. Yeah, the instructions were in my codex all along. How did I not figure this out on the first try? It’s nice to know that I’ve played this game for nearly 40 hours, and basic shit like this still confuses the hell out of me. OH WELL.

The only thing I have left to report to you is the fact that Shale and Alistair cannot stop having conversations with one another. This time, Shale, at one point, shrieked out, “I DO NOT HAVE A BIRD THING!” Honey, you’re in denial. You so have a bird thing going on. What else would you call your irrational hatred of those winged creatures?

I guess all I have left is to talk to Arl Eamon about the Landsmeet. Well, here goes nothing, y’all!

My Character Stats

Strength: 27+6
Dexterity: 32+12
Willpower: 23+2
Magic: 14+2
Cunning: 24+7
Constitution: 27+2

Heroic Stats

Kills: 663
Damage dealt: 160446
Friendly-fire: 0
Greatest damage dealt: 90
Contribution to party damage: 29
Hit rate: 88
Most powerful foe slain: Arl Howe
Injuries: 31

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