Mark Plays ‘Dragon Age: Origins’: Hour 30

In the thirtieth hour of Dragon Age: Origins, I win the crown for my totally Thdreamy dwarf king, Shale deeply adores me, Oghren is awkward as hell, and I am determined to beat every quest. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to play Dragon Age: Origins.

Hour Thirty

It’s very comforting to me to know that so many of you play these types of video games in the way that I do. I’ve been worried that someone would call foul and say that I was deliberately stretching out this game, and then I read the comments. I would like to extend a hearty hello to each and every one of you who, like me, are obsessed with completing every mission, exploring every room, discovering every location on the map, and generally being as complete as possible. That’s the general theme of today’s post: I really want to get everything.

• Once again, I’m thrilled by the in-game design of the different settings. In Cadash Thaig, as I approached the final location in this mission, I almost felt like I was in a dream. The roads are haphazardly strung about, suggesting something tore them from their foundation. Bridges appear to jut up into the sky at impossible angles. It’s truly unsettling, and I loved it!
• I’ve seen my roommate do it, but this was the first time Roslin climbed up an Ogre Alpha and stabbed it in the face. I cheered. Then I found Cadash Stompers on the Ogre, and I cheered again. Holy shit, those boots are GREAT.
• How did I not notice that there was a giant statue of a dwarf in the middle of this place? WELL.
• Okay, this side mission was superb. I admit that I felt mighty emotional as Shayle had her past confirmed on the memorial. She volunteered her life to become a golem for the dwarves. I spoke to her about it afterwards, and she made it clear she much prefers being a golem rather than a fleshy human. Bless her heart.
• OH SHIT, SHAYLE APPROVES +23 OH MY GOD.
• After this, it was time to crown Harrowmont! I traveled instantly to the Assembly, where Bhelen was buttmad about everything I’d done. Dude, I just cleared the Deep Roads of darkspawn, ended the tyranny of forced servitude through the Anvil of the Void, and I found Caridin. Shut up. So I wasn’t surprised when he and his men immediately fought me, refusing to recognize my choice of Harrowmont. He was so mad! Oh well, now he’s dead, I convinced the dwarves to fight the Blight, and THE LEGION OF THE DEAD ALSO AGREED TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE ME. OH MY GOD. THAT IS SO AWESOME. Wait, what is this? THE KEY TO THE CITY. THIS RULES.
• At this point, I’ve managed to fulfill every Grey Warden contract. Oh gosh, this is exciting! But I know I’ve got about ten side missions I want to take care of, so it’s going to be quite a few hours until I’m done. (Plus, I have like seven DLC missions I’m going to cover, too!)
• For the last half hour, I didn’t do much fighting at all. I spent time going through Orzammar to complete certain missions I’d gained throughout. First of all, I lied to Filda and told her that her son was dead. Gosh, is he just going to stay down there in Ortan Thaig until he dies? I’m sad.
• I returned to the Shaperate to give Orta the records I found in Ortan Thaig. She’s nobility! AND I GOT 15 GOLD. Y’all, I have 182 Gold, 71 Silver, and 50 Bronze. I’M RICH. I’M SO RICH.
• Wow, I managed to help Brother Burkel start a chantry in Orzammar. Good thing my Persuasion is so high!
• I entered the Dead Caste isignia into the Memories, so now the Legion of the Dead might become a house/caste. SWEET.
• OGHREN. YOU DO NOT JUST ASK PEOPLE IF THEY’VE EVER SHAPESHIFTED DURING SEX. NO. NO.

I have to travel to a whole lot of places before I deal with Loghain, so I’m going to spend the next hour fulfilling missions for The Mages’ Collective, the Chanter’s Board, The Blackstone Irregulars, Rogek, Dagna, and any other miscellaneous missions I can do. THEN IT’S THE LANDSMEET. OH GOD. OH GOD, Y’ALL. I can’t believe I’m come so far in this game!

My Character Stats

Strength: 27+4
Dexterity: 25+10
Willpower: 22
Magic: 14
Cunning: 22
Constitution: 26

Heroic Stats

Kills: 576
Damage Dealt: 127496
Friendly-fire: 0
Greatest Damage dealt: 90
Contribution to party damage: 30
Hit rate: 87
Most powerful foe slain: Revenant
Injuries: 19

Mark Links Stuff

– You can follow me on Twitter for any updates and live commentary on upcoming reviews I’m writing.
– Mark Plays video commissions are only $25! You can provide me with map locations or directions of what you want to see me do as long as you don’t spoil plot points for me!
– You should read this very important post about supporting Mark Does Stuff!
– I have just released Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for $4.99!
– I’ve started reading The Shoebox Project for Mark Reads, the first fanfic “series” I’ve ever covered! Join me!