It's nice to see that I'm not the only one with post-traumatic shard disorder... Every time I look at a shard, I can hear it echoing in my head: "This mission is over, Herceg. Do you understand me? This mission is over!"
What I hated about the shards in inquisition is that they break immersion. If I'm leading an army with tons of men and resources getting some of these bloody shards should be a simple matter not the biggest challenge in the game. Why can't I just order the men to go fetch a bloody ladder.
I just decided to ignore the shards. Inquisition becomes a lot more enjoyable once you realize you can ignore the parts of the game that don't interest you
The Deep Roads in Origins is my favorite part of the game; for two reasons: the first being that I play 9 out 10 times as a Dwarf Noble, and secondly because the feeling when you ACTUALLY complete it it's just sooo rewarding. It feels GOOD to fix the mess that is Orzammar at the time, and know that u went through ALL OF THAT for it, and now it's finally over. Job done. I fucking love that!
I absolutely agree with you. I loved all the hard long difficult parts of the Dragon Age series because of that rewarding feeling you get in the end when is finally over.
Orzammer and the deep roads are my favourite sections of DAO... and it’s my favourite game of all time, no way is this hated The Fade I personally like now, but can understand why people would be put off
Hot take: I actually really like the Fade in Origins. It’s awesome shapeshifting into different creatures. That said I also 100% use the wiki as a guide to prevent getting lost lol
I hate it, although I find it informative since this also introduce the concept of Fade and plant the seeds of Mage vs Templar conflict, particularly of the points of both sides and my personal views about them. Also in my first two playthroughs, I never did use a wiki since I immediately got the idea of what to do.
I used to hate the hinterlands until I memorized the whole map and can complete the whole thing in probably under an hour. Now it's Lowkey kinda my favorite spot because I know it so much better than any other area.
@@adv8882 I used to feel the same about the grassy feel of it. I don't know what it is, but it's one of the more enjoyable areas to me now. Second only to the Winter Palace.
do u think da2 has more bad moments? 😂 i think we can all agree that the map reusing was pretty bad too. But I’ll give BioWare a slack on DA2... for now 😏
@@sarialue welll they made that one in a year, so think its actually pretty impressive. Also as a noob gamer i reallly really liked it, and origins, for different reasons.
Worst thing about DA2 was unlikeable companions. Only Varric and Aveline were cool. Merrill was just an idiot, Anders was just an Alistair reebot, Isabella was ok just a bit bleh, Venris was a miserable emo that I kicked out of party as soon as he started bitching at me.
I am usually a complionist, but the shards is only quest I just completly ignore, too much time for little reward. For Dragon age Origins, I tend to let my mage companion learn the skill haste which increases movement speed in and out of combat, it makes exploring much faster.
I at least try to open up the ice doors in tha ttemple as the cold resistance rewards come in hand when fighting the Jaws of Hakkon. Othe rthan that I think the doors are pretty optional. As outside of the dragon fights which again are mostly optional you may not need the resistances.
I think the reason why the Hinterlands was just so overwhelming was because of the massive size of the area, combined with the sheer amount of quest/collectibles content that spanned from Level 1 until level 15; The biggest game level range on any of the maps in Thedas. Even after getting to skyhold and unlocking more areas, there's always _something_ that brings you back to the Hinterlands.
Incidentally I actually did get stuck in the Hinterlands. I first played in like 2016 and after doing so many quests in the hinterlands, I got so frustrated I stopped playing, thinking "This cant be all there is.." I ended up giving the game to a friend. Last year I decided to try it out again on a whim and I fell in love.
I feel like the issue with the shards quest line was the loot just wasn't worth all the effort. The stat boosts to the elemental resistances were alright ig but better loot could be found in the DLC.
I just do the shards last before the final boss fight. The resistance you get from that quest makes it almost worth the time, especially against those Despair demons in Jaws of Hakkon. Those are a pain.
Not me, I totally loved the deep roads. The fade was overwhelming at first but it grew on me. The only thing I absolutely hate in dragon age is the shards.
I spent so much time in Hinterlands that I know where everything is without looking at a map. I can clearly see the whole area in my mind and I know where most of the resources are and how to get to them, as well as where the npc needs me to go to collect someone/something for them. It's a blessing and a curse.
Рік тому+20
I got all the shards once in 2014, and a second time last year... I'm seriously considering never doing it again xD If they had at least put an unique fight at the end of the temple, but alas =/
I have to say i love the Hinterlands, sometimes i restart when i get to skyhold. But the Shards! oh the shards, those can go! I found them annoying and tedious.
The Hinterlands wore on me for a long time, I was lost and confused and hated it until this week on a new playthrough I was enjoying running around doing things. I like the level variance and difficulty. It's just fun.
The Deep Roads were my least favorite part of the story when I first played. But after my last playthrough it's now one of my favorites! Maybe it's because of me enjoying reading every peace of codex, but it's creepy, hard enough to be entertaining and not so repetitive and have great lore around it.
@@pauls478 I think, the worst thing for me about the Deep Roads in DAII was my anticipation. I really loved the Deep Roads in DA:O. I love the Combat-System, and there is some amazing encouter design in nearly every room. When it was announced in DAII, that Hawke will go there on an expedition, I was so hyped. "If all of chapter one takes place in one location on one map, I guess there will be an new map and location for chapter two, I thought. I imagined a megadungeon, bigger even than the Deep Roads in DA:O. (It is a long planned Expedition with a big team after all). I Imagined exploring cave after cave and in between returning to your camp. Maybe deciding, how you use you ressources, to ulock new areas, desperately needing the money, reaching deeper and deeper in the unknown... We all know, what I got instead.
I loved the Deep Roads in Origins. I always did Orzamar as my last area so seeing the army of Darkspawn marching was a great way to set up the last pinch of the game.
I honestly can't understand the hatred for the Deep Roads. It's one of my most favorite parts of Origins; However, the Fade in Origins is horrible. Lol
I love the last two sections of the Deep Roads (except the spinny statue), but overall it's very long and Orthan Thaig is annoying. I need to go topside after every section to hang in camp a bit.
I really liked the Fade section on DAO, it was a whole different experience compared to the rest of the game, a massive puzzle that gave me a new mechanic to traverse it with, But as most puzzle games, once i learned the trick it got stale and for subsequent playthroughs i used the Skip the Fade mod.
I actually think the shards have something to do with Solas, like he's the one who initially hide them ages ago or something - hear me out; since it takes someone who has been completely severed from the fade to recognize them - when of his time the Fade was everywhere and everything - it was a very clever hiding place. Then the actual temple being Solasan - The Temple of Pride. And Solas's comments of the temple being warded to instill that feeling of dread until the person unlocking it is proven worthy... kind of like greeting/blessing to access his sanctuary/ hidden compound in trespasser... I think there is a reason they were made so stand out, an entire quest chain completely separate from the main story... If nothing else, it's sus.
Throwing my inquisitor off cliffs in The Descent to get those frickin' gears ...uhg. The gears were just the shards to the umpteenth degree...loathesome!!!
I actually didn't mind the hinterlands the swamp in the south and the coastline in the north were more annoying honestly the only part of the video I agree with is getting all the shards for the Oasis
My first playthrough of Inquisition I got so bored with the Hinterlands. Thankfully I started going to the different areas doing quests there, leveling up and then went back. That helped the boredom so much for me.
The biggest problem Inquisition has is the bloated maps. Just using the Hinterlands as an example, did we really need a Bandit fortress to the southwest? Or a Andrastian cult in the southeast? The Hinterlands should’ve been that small opening village, the forests full of rebel mages and templars, Dennet’s estate, and Redcliffe. Cut the map in half and you’ve got a much better experience on your hands.
The fade and deep roads are some of my favorite quests in origins. TBH something that I really would consider 'bad' are the board quests of mages collectives, chantry, etc...
Yeah, I look through one tranquil’s skull (generally in one of the easier Hinterlands locations), have my character declare it too creepy, and then pick up just those shards so I can mess around in the Forbidden Oasis (have to get that awesome 2-handed sword after all) without having to deal with all the shards or going through that temple. I definitely lean towards being a completionist, but in DAI that’s a tall order, so I forgive myself if I skip a few things 😸
I really liked the Fade part in Origins. I was only disappointed that we never got to tell Morrigan that we got to shapeshift and try to bond with her over it. The Hinterlands were so bountiful in missions, because it was intended to be the first zone and wanted to offer a full range of things you could do at any skill level, many being quick fetch quests. I really liked The Deep Roads. It really helped you better understand the reasons the dwarves will struggling so hard and why they generally had less sympathy about helping the surfacers in The Blight. I loved The Bone Pit quests. They were always big things to fight that were challenging and fun. I felt that the Dragon Age games were all pretty fair and easy in combat, except for a couple of rare exceptions (usually in the DLC, where they became challenging), so I don't really understand the people who couldn't get past the combat in regular quests. The fetch quests did make a lot of DA:I feel like an MMORPG that you were playing alone. I feel like a lot of the things got totally wasted, because people just ignored them. I really loved that they were there, because when I really wanted to spend time fully diving into a game (like at the beginning of COVID), it gave me a lot to do, but if I didn't want to do it, I could just skip it.
fade is DA:O is definitely a slog... that skip the fade mod is a divinie blessing upon us mere mortals. The Deep roads while annoying isn't so bad... i've basically got it down to a science where I can complete the whole quest in like 2 hours so not the worst thing in the world. If you don't like it or are still struggling then there is also a mod to skip it as well lol. I didn't really have any issues with the Bone Pit... my main problem with DA:2 is that everything starts feeling samey and repetitive. Guess that's to be expected for a game they made in 18 months lol. The Hinterlands definitely was too crowded... I mean you had the main quests of meeting Mother Gisselle, Reaching the Redcliffe Mages and helping out the Outskirts village (not technically a main quest but feels like it). On top of that you have Fade Rifts, Shards, obtaining mounts, establishing watchtowers, clearing out possessed wolfs, a cult holed up in a castle, a long landmark quest, a demonic ritual in a house, and so on and so on... The worst part about DA:I is that there are entire sections of the game you can completely ignore and it won't affect the story at all. The Emerald Graves? No impact on the story. The Hissing Wastes? No impact on the story. The Exalted Plains? Only if you care about Vivienne. The Forbidden Oasis? Only if you care about getting some elemental resistence and some materials for crafting runes. Essentially DA:I just has too much fluff and not enough substance... the good bits are AMAZING, but all the side stuff is rather forgettable.
I remember playing Inquisition for the first time and reaching the Hinterlands, i thought "Damn, is the entire game this tedious?". It was many years before i would actually push past it. I probably could have skipped most of it, but i wanted the extra experience and power. What actually inspired me to get through it was my friend. We both had interest in the series itself and neither of us had played it. He showed me Mass Effect so i decided i'd show him Dragon Age. I tried to start with Origins but i hated the gameplay so much so i decided to start with Inquisition. Finishing that inspired me to go back to Origins/Awakening and play through all of them chronologically to get the bits i wanted to see in Inquisition. Origins has great story, but the gameplay had me grinding me teeth by the end. Currently on Dragon Age 2 now, and i'm enjoying it so far.
The trick to the Hinterlands is that you're not supposed to clear the whole map all at once. You technically can, but large sections of the map are intended to be too OP for the player and later quests will send you further into the area as the game progresses. Once you've completed the early game quests that took you there innthe first place, you're supposed to leave, complete other quests elsewhere, then return as needed for further quest completion. ...or you can pull up your big boy panties and power level through most of it until you hit the parts that are sealed off with barriers until later in the game. Either way, it's up to you, but following the quest journal (conveniently marked with level recomendations) is the easiest way to go.
To be honest, you literally described my favorite moments of the game. besides the fetch quests of course, still the circle of magie from DAO, the Dragon from Bone bit and hinterlands were actually one of the best remembered moments in Dragon age Series for me. Especially hinterlands, because unlike DA 1 and 2 having an open location in this world is so refreshing from those slightly different corridors you have to wander around just to collect some damn love riddles.
True, and the open world is so beautiful. I wonder though, how many people did the horse master quest? I just never seem to see people using the horses.
As a dwarf fan, i really like the deep roads, fighting against an entire horde to reach Branka and the Anvil of Void. And dont forget about finding the Legion of the Dead as well the armor set.
I don't even bother with those dumb shards. They frustrated me to no end and when I learned they weren't required to finish the game, I said fuck it and never bothered with them again lol
The main part of the Fade quest(DAO) that makes it feel tedious for me is the fact that once you leave the fade, you can’t return. If you miss some of the magical fonts or essences or even some of the codex entries, there’s no going back. Whenever doing the Fade quests, I’m always keeping a list of which codex entries and which fonts and essences I’ve collected and it feels more akin to a chore than fun.
The Hinterlands... I spent many hours there, a very long time. So long that the battle of Haven felt like the climax of the game. Damn I love that battle, with the music. Epic
the oasis is honestly ptsd worthy, the amount of times ive pulled my hair out trying to get to a shard for about 10 minutes only to realize its on the layer above you and you have to go all the way around the map to reach to it ... *heavy breathing*
I actually really liked the shards questline. It never dawned on me that people disliked it because the rewards were actually solid. Particularly if you wait till late game/tackling the DLC areas. Plus playing on nightmare gives me an excuse to get every advantage I can find! Lol.
3:17 funnily enough no I did not get stuck in the hinterlands I thank bethesda for this uncanny ability of mine to navigate strange areas in video games with the simple task of navigating from whiterun to Ivarstead
My biggest complaint about the hinterlands is that you wouldn't be able to complete in one go due to some quests being a higher level. Like some fade rifts that were way beyond my character level. So you are forced to return at a later level and then just steamroll through
I think the devs made the hinterlands large with many quests on purpose. The purpose being to impress. It was their first attempt at large open world areas. So the Hinterlands had to give a good first impression. Look how big this area is, look how rich in activities it is etc. Btw the thing I found tedious in DAI was picking elfroot 😁
I feel that we have two types of stuff here: - The difficult/challenging but can be fun content like the Deep roads, Fade, and Bonepit. - DAI content ... which is ... not fun ... too many fetch quests, and too many boring things to do in the hinterlands.
Honestly the Hinterlands never bothered me, even to this day now replaying it on PC it never bothered me. I do have to agree on the shard fetch quest being an absolute bother.
So I decided to dust off my copy of inquisition this weekend and give it another go. I was one of the ones that got stuck in the hinterlands. I I am old and have years of gaming experience told me that I risked locking myself out of content if I "moved on" to different content. As a lover of all bioware games inquisition did itself a huge disservice with its quests and area setup if it could not get long time gamers like me to understand that it would be ok for me to leave before I did everything.
The deep roads reminded me of the underdark from bg2. And you are right, you need to have grasped elements of combat and AI throughout the game. With the proper AI script the roads are a cake walk.
My favorite way to do Dragon Age Origins is playing as a mage,and using aoe spells through doorways and far away from my character and party is the most effective way.
Man I totally agree with the Hinterlands part, I picked up dragon age inquisition and played it on release only to get overwhelmed by the Hinterlands and never try it again, until all the dlc was out and the game was amazing and I loved it but if the Hinterlands was less overwhelming I would have loved it even more.
My problem with the shards was that by the time I had gotten all the shards, I already had better gear so it wasn't really that useful, and really felt like a waste of time.
100% agree on all of this, even though I adore the Deep Roads questing in DAO. And honestly, Inquisition forced me to be okay with not completing a game fully, I can't handle the shards quest.
Completely agree on the Hinterlands, wouldn’t be so bad if there were only 4 or 5 maps in the game and certain areas of hinterlands were locked off until got further in story.. but it’s well to overwhelming
I absolutely got stuck in the hinterlands. The advice that I give people is to take literally the first available opportunity to leave because fuck those side quests
I very much enjoyed the Fade in Origins, but I can absolutely see why some people were tired of it. As for the Hinterlands, on my first play through when the game came out, I actually looked up what to do because I spent some 30 hours in the zone. The guide said “GET OUT OF THE HINTERLANDS”. But I also didn’t realize there was a map in the menu, so I wandered and got lost a lot
Hey, comnpeltely agree with your quest choices. I, like you, played through the DA:O Fade once and then installed the mod. Yikes. Btw, what hair mods do you use? they look phenomenal!
docs.google.com/document/d/1dmuoFWMqaP8DDCisx8KYdlE9afF0CjrfmAm2iJEvnxQ/edit?usp=sharing This is my Inquisition mod list, i don’t have my DAO & DA2 up, but hope this helps a lil! ❤️
I'm on my first playthrough of Inquisition, and as a completionist I am proud to say that I have completed all the shard quests so far. Only took me 80+ hours lol. Haven't fought Corypheus yet so idk if there are shards after him.
I actually loved the Fade. It's meant to be disorienting and confusing; it's literally the first time the mage has to face it, and the fade constantly changes. You are a mouse running around a giant Maze and the demons are all chasing you. It wasn't supposed to be straightforward and is meant to be dreamlike and confusing. Even if you do figure out the mechanics to fighting the demons, that's also lore-friendly, because Mages are supposed to know how to deal with demons; that's what they learn. Same for the Deep Roads. You are a Warden. You should definitely expect to face tons of darkspawn down there. In fact, that's the only time I felt anytime that the Deep roads were well represented. The next two games made it simple to go through, although at least with Dragon Age 2, there was a repercussion with the sibling getting sick. Dragon Age Inquisition made darkspawn seem way too much like any old generic mob, and not the Thedas-unifying threat to existence that they actually are. Spot on with the hinterlands and the shards though. I definitely got stuck my first game through and almost quit, as I was sick of them.
Urgh! The Hinterlands! I love Inquisition. I have a ridiculous number of hours into that game. But every time I start a new game and have to go through the Hinterlands again reinforces my belief that I am a masochist.
I don’t think any mission annoys me to the point I want to skip it. The thing that pisses me off is the lack of clothing or staves for mages in Origins, the lack of heavy armour in Inquisition
The Fade in origins was one of my favorite Dragon Age experiences. Something I hate about games in general is NPCs talking about how difficult a thing is & then you get past it lickity split. Not the Fade people tell you how dangerous & draining the fade is trapping everyone of it's victims & only those strong willed survive as inevitably the demons pounce on those who have been witled down. The Fade tried me, not gonna lie, but I love how deeply it emerges you, into it, I blame the Fade for my love of from software games, even though I completely suck at them 😅
I finally am able to play Inquisition, and as someone who has done dozens of runs on Origins... can confirm, I still haven't left the Hinterlands. So. Many. Quests.
I agree with DAO - Deep Roads - and DAI Shards. I use the less shards to open the Temple of Solasan mod therefore it's not a problem anymore. On the other hand I like to just go around in Hinterlands and chill :)
Thanks for the vid! :) Though some might disagree with me, one of my favourite games ever was Dragon Age 2. I have played it probably close to 100 times now and the responsiveness and ease of play still amaze me. Dragon Age Inquistion? I was excited as hell when it was first released, downloaded it and played it exactly one time. Once. Call me old-fashioned but it was far less appealing than the predecessors and IMO, far too complicated.
The moment I realized what kinda quest the shards were, I immediately gave up. I have neither the time nor the patience for any of that. I've played through Inquisition a good number of times now and have still never done that quest.
btw @saria the Shards ARE VERY rewarding, completing the forbidden oasis gives the Inquisitor 20% resistance to all elements, each of the 4 parts of the tomb giving 20% respectively to its element. which is why i use a save editor to give myself all of them after i collect 1 (needs to have 1 in inventory to use the program lol) its very easy, i think ive collected all of them manually 2x in my life and ill never do it again
I entered The Keep of Suledin to find Imshael and defeat The Red Templars. I left the keep halfway thru, due to VERY low supplies. Now I can't get back in.
one thing i hated was how specific seras romance was, doing all the red jenny wartable bits and how one specific cut scene is so hard to fucking obtain that even guides are so vague about triggering it
Sorry, but the Deep Roads and the Fade were some of my favorite parts of Origins. While we can talk all day about the craftsmanship of specific details, the concept as such was great - and OF COURSE the Deep Roads were supposed to be dangerous.
The Fade actually made me quit. Fortunately for me, my co-worker at that time played it and told me to start over and do the other quests first and save that for last and take Morrigan. She was right and I did much better.
Dragon age content in 2022? Neat!
u came to the right channel! 😁
you made start to replay again! i'm remembering stuff before the dreadwolf!
It's nice to see that I'm not the only one with post-traumatic shard disorder...
Every time I look at a shard, I can hear it echoing in my head: "This mission is over, Herceg. Do you understand me? This mission is over!"
🤣🤣
Less time commenting on others dragon age videos is more time spent on making dragon age builds videos... Chop chop!
@@garwynrosser8907 Shore leave is over I guess...
Idk, I don't mind the shards. It's the Forbidden Oasis are itself that pisses me off. That place is a 3D maze, and I absolutely hate it.
Off topic: Did you know that your username in my language means "The Little Prince"? :D
What I hated about the shards in inquisition is that they break immersion. If I'm leading an army with tons of men and resources getting some of these bloody shards should be a simple matter not the biggest challenge in the game. Why can't I just order the men to go fetch a bloody ladder.
A lot of problems in Inquisition could've been handled by telling your troops to do it.
The shards were weird in general, how does the skulls of dead tranquil mages reveal these invisible shards in the first place?
@@ShadowJCreed A wizard did it?
@@Mirrekala You find where the Ocularums were made in a locked house in Redcliffe so most likely
I just decided to ignore the shards. Inquisition becomes a lot more enjoyable once you realize you can ignore the parts of the game that don't interest you
The Deep Roads in Origins is my favorite part of the game; for two reasons: the first being that I play 9 out 10 times as a Dwarf Noble, and secondly because the feeling when you ACTUALLY complete it it's just sooo rewarding. It feels GOOD to fix the mess that is Orzammar at the time, and know that u went through ALL OF THAT for it, and now it's finally over. Job done. I fucking love that!
I will totally agree that the Dwarf Origins makes it 100 times better!
@@sarialue Right!? And u should totally make more Dragon Age videos! I'd watch all of them.
A nice week to you!
@@Daniel-co7sc a nice week to you as well!
More content coming soon ❤️😊
I absolutely agree with you. I loved all the hard long difficult parts of the Dragon Age series because of that rewarding feeling you get in the end when is finally over.
Orzammer and the deep roads are my favourite sections of DAO... and it’s my favourite game of all time, no way is this hated
The Fade I personally like now, but can understand why people would be put off
Hot take: I actually really like the Fade in Origins. It’s awesome shapeshifting into different creatures. That said I also 100% use the wiki as a guide to prevent getting lost lol
the wiki is my life sometimes LOL
@@sarialue it's like a Fade Tourist Guide
Me too. I like the Fade, I find it fun. I didn't even know there was a guide though
I never once used wikihow in the fade, I probably should’ve done that.
I hate it, although I find it informative since this also introduce the concept of Fade and plant the seeds of Mage vs Templar conflict, particularly of the points of both sides and my personal views about them. Also in my first two playthroughs, I never did use a wiki since I immediately got the idea of what to do.
I used to hate the hinterlands until I memorized the whole map and can complete the whole thing in probably under an hour. Now it's Lowkey kinda my favorite spot because I know it so much better than any other area.
Once u know it you can kinda run through the map in more or less one go
@@tiramercu True
To like The Hinterlands,you have to do it in parts, because there's too much to do. And i personally don't like the grassy look of it
@@adv8882 I used to feel the same about the grassy feel of it. I don't know what it is, but it's one of the more enjoyable areas to me now. Second only to the Winter Palace.
I break it down by area so it's easy to get through
For DA2 fans like myself I find it funny how Origins and Inquisition each have 2 spots here but DA2 only has one, feels vindicating.
do u think da2 has more bad moments? 😂
i think we can all agree that the map reusing was pretty bad too. But I’ll give BioWare a slack on DA2... for now 😏
@@sarialue welll they made that one in a year, so think its actually pretty impressive. Also as a noob gamer i reallly really liked it, and origins, for different reasons.
Worst thing about DA2 was unlikeable companions. Only Varric and Aveline were cool. Merrill was just an idiot, Anders was just an Alistair reebot, Isabella was ok just a bit bleh, Venris was a miserable emo that I kicked out of party as soon as he started bitching at me.
@@littlesebastian4389 I loved Merrill and Bethany was also good, the less said about Carver the better.
@@The_13th_Hussar the sibling rivalry was fun
I am usually a complionist, but the shards is only quest I just completly ignore, too much time for little reward. For Dragon age Origins, I tend to let my mage companion learn the skill haste which increases movement speed in and out of combat, it makes exploring much faster.
skill haste is the best!
I at least try to open up the ice doors in tha ttemple as the cold resistance rewards come in hand when fighting the Jaws of Hakkon. Othe rthan that I think the doors are pretty optional. As outside of the dragon fights which again are mostly optional you may not need the resistances.
Haste or turning into bugs
Ah, yes, the ol' KoTOR Force Speed Spam!
I think the reason why the Hinterlands was just so overwhelming was because of the massive size of the area, combined with the sheer amount of quest/collectibles content that spanned from Level 1 until level 15; The biggest game level range on any of the maps in Thedas.
Even after getting to skyhold and unlocking more areas, there's always _something_ that brings you back to the Hinterlands.
Incidentally I actually did get stuck in the Hinterlands. I first played in like 2016 and after doing so many quests in the hinterlands, I got so frustrated I stopped playing, thinking "This cant be all there is.." I ended up giving the game to a friend. Last year I decided to try it out again on a whim and I fell in love.
I feel like the issue with the shards quest line was the loot just wasn't worth all the effort. The stat boosts to the elemental resistances were alright ig but better loot could be found in the DLC.
I just do the shards last before the final boss fight. The resistance you get from that quest makes it almost worth the time, especially against those Despair demons in Jaws of Hakkon. Those are a pain.
Not me, I totally loved the deep roads. The fade was overwhelming at first but it grew on me. The only thing I absolutely hate in dragon age is the shards.
I spent so much time in Hinterlands that I know where everything is without looking at a map. I can clearly see the whole area in my mind and I know where most of the resources are and how to get to them, as well as where the npc needs me to go to collect someone/something for them. It's a blessing and a curse.
I got all the shards once in 2014, and a second time last year... I'm seriously considering never doing it again xD
If they had at least put an unique fight at the end of the temple, but alas =/
that would have been so cool! forbidden oasis was fun and pretty, but those shards were the death of my motivation ;-;
I have to say i love the Hinterlands, sometimes i restart when i get to skyhold. But the Shards! oh the shards, those can go! I found them annoying and tedious.
Same. I find the Hinterlands to be much less confusing than a lot of the other areas, especially the Oasis and Fallow Mire.
The Hinterlands wore on me for a long time, I was lost and confused and hated it until this week on a new playthrough I was enjoying running around doing things. I like the level variance and difficulty. It's just fun.
Most people in DAO's Deep Roads: "It's hard, tense and claustrophobic, i don't like it."
Me, a Dark Souls veteran: "First time?"
Same with the fade section of DAO. I find it very soulslike.
The Deep Roads were my least favorite part of the story when I first played. But after my last playthrough it's now one of my favorites! Maybe it's because of me enjoying reading every peace of codex, but it's creepy, hard enough to be entertaining and not so repetitive and have great lore around it.
The Deep Roads in DA2 were pretty bad, though.
@@pauls478 imo everything related to map design in DA2 was pretty bad, lol
@@pauls478 I think, the worst thing for me about the Deep Roads in DAII was my anticipation. I really loved the Deep Roads in DA:O. I love the Combat-System, and there is some amazing encouter design in nearly every room. When it was announced in DAII, that Hawke will go there on an expedition, I was so hyped. "If all of chapter one takes place in one location on one map, I guess there will be an new map and location for chapter two, I thought. I imagined a megadungeon, bigger even than the Deep Roads in DA:O. (It is a long planned Expedition with a big team after all). I Imagined exploring cave after cave and in between returning to your camp. Maybe deciding, how you use you ressources, to ulock new areas, desperately needing the money, reaching deeper and deeper in the unknown...
We all know, what I got instead.
I loved the Deep Roads in Origins. I always did Orzamar as my last area so seeing the army of Darkspawn marching was a great way to set up the last pinch of the game.
I honestly can't understand the hatred for the Deep Roads. It's one of my most favorite parts of Origins; However, the Fade in Origins is horrible. Lol
I like the deep roads too 🥲 might of died too much tho
One word: spiders.
I love the last two sections of the Deep Roads (except the spinny statue), but overall it's very long and Orthan Thaig is annoying. I need to go topside after every section to hang in camp a bit.
i used to dread the deep roads i origins but now its actually one of my fav questlines. probably because i know exactly what im doing 😂
Usually you need to know exactly how to play Orgins to enjoy it. Though I am still not much of a fan of Orzammar. The Fade is kinda cool though.
Every time I start the shard quest I vow to get them all. I have yet to do it.
I really liked the Fade section on DAO, it was a whole different experience compared to the rest of the game, a massive puzzle that gave me a new mechanic to traverse it with, But as most puzzle games, once i learned the trick it got stale and for subsequent playthroughs i used the Skip the Fade mod.
I actually think the shards have something to do with Solas, like he's the one who initially hide them ages ago or something - hear me out; since it takes someone who has been completely severed from the fade to recognize them - when of his time the Fade was everywhere and everything - it was a very clever hiding place. Then the actual temple being Solasan - The Temple of Pride. And Solas's comments of the temple being warded to instill that feeling of dread until the person unlocking it is proven worthy... kind of like greeting/blessing to access his sanctuary/ hidden compound in trespasser... I think there is a reason they were made so stand out, an entire quest chain completely separate from the main story... If nothing else, it's sus.
Also the brood mother because of the lore , the creepy poem, and how she’s is just there all of a sudden.
For reall!!! I hate that scene ;(
@@sarialue it’s just the worst !!!
The loot in the shards quest is soooo mid. Not worth it at all. I did the nature element and was slightly underwhelmed
Great video! I always use Skip the Fade mod. I got soooo lost there in my first playthrough 😂
Hey Big Dan! thank u for watching - and yeah, Skip the Fade mod is so useful 😭
Throwing my inquisitor off cliffs in The Descent to get those frickin' gears ...uhg. The gears were just the shards to the umpteenth degree...loathesome!!!
i forgot THOSE GEARS! man they were horrible XD
I actually didn't mind the hinterlands the swamp in the south and the coastline in the north were more annoying honestly the only part of the video I agree with is getting all the shards for the Oasis
My first playthrough of Inquisition I got so bored with the Hinterlands. Thankfully I started going to the different areas doing quests there, leveling up and then went back. That helped the boredom so much for me.
The biggest problem Inquisition has is the bloated maps. Just using the Hinterlands as an example, did we really need a Bandit fortress to the southwest? Or a Andrastian cult in the southeast? The Hinterlands should’ve been that small opening village, the forests full of rebel mages and templars, Dennet’s estate, and Redcliffe. Cut the map in half and you’ve got a much better experience on your hands.
The fade and deep roads are some of my favorite quests in origins. TBH something that I really would consider 'bad' are the board quests of mages collectives, chantry, etc...
Yeah, I look through one tranquil’s skull (generally in one of the easier Hinterlands locations), have my character declare it too creepy, and then pick up just those shards so I can mess around in the Forbidden Oasis (have to get that awesome 2-handed sword after all) without having to deal with all the shards or going through that temple. I definitely lean towards being a completionist, but in DAI that’s a tall order, so I forgive myself if I skip a few things 😸
i don’t blame u!! 🥲
I really liked the Fade part in Origins. I was only disappointed that we never got to tell Morrigan that we got to shapeshift and try to bond with her over it.
The Hinterlands were so bountiful in missions, because it was intended to be the first zone and wanted to offer a full range of things you could do at any skill level, many being quick fetch quests.
I really liked The Deep Roads. It really helped you better understand the reasons the dwarves will struggling so hard and why they generally had less sympathy about helping the surfacers in The Blight.
I loved The Bone Pit quests. They were always big things to fight that were challenging and fun.
I felt that the Dragon Age games were all pretty fair and easy in combat, except for a couple of rare exceptions (usually in the DLC, where they became challenging), so I don't really understand the people who couldn't get past the combat in regular quests.
The fetch quests did make a lot of DA:I feel like an MMORPG that you were playing alone. I feel like a lot of the things got totally wasted, because people just ignored them. I really loved that they were there, because when I really wanted to spend time fully diving into a game (like at the beginning of COVID), it gave me a lot to do, but if I didn't want to do it, I could just skip it.
The hinterlands was fun, if you didnt try to complete the whole thing at once.
fade is DA:O is definitely a slog... that skip the fade mod is a divinie blessing upon us mere mortals. The Deep roads while annoying isn't so bad... i've basically got it down to a science where I can complete the whole quest in like 2 hours so not the worst thing in the world. If you don't like it or are still struggling then there is also a mod to skip it as well lol. I didn't really have any issues with the Bone Pit... my main problem with DA:2 is that everything starts feeling samey and repetitive. Guess that's to be expected for a game they made in 18 months lol. The Hinterlands definitely was too crowded... I mean you had the main quests of meeting Mother Gisselle, Reaching the Redcliffe Mages and helping out the Outskirts village (not technically a main quest but feels like it). On top of that you have Fade Rifts, Shards, obtaining mounts, establishing watchtowers, clearing out possessed wolfs, a cult holed up in a castle, a long landmark quest, a demonic ritual in a house, and so on and so on... The worst part about DA:I is that there are entire sections of the game you can completely ignore and it won't affect the story at all. The Emerald Graves? No impact on the story. The Hissing Wastes? No impact on the story. The Exalted Plains? Only if you care about Vivienne. The Forbidden Oasis? Only if you care about getting some elemental resistence and some materials for crafting runes. Essentially DA:I just has too much fluff and not enough substance... the good bits are AMAZING, but all the side stuff is rather forgettable.
For me, it's two quests.
Escorting that stupid Druffalo in the Hinterlands.
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. Too confusing unless you read the wiki.
That Druffalo was pretty annoying ngl
I remember playing Inquisition for the first time and reaching the Hinterlands, i thought "Damn, is the entire game this tedious?". It was many years before i would actually push past it. I probably could have skipped most of it, but i wanted the extra experience and power. What actually inspired me to get through it was my friend. We both had interest in the series itself and neither of us had played it. He showed me Mass Effect so i decided i'd show him Dragon Age.
I tried to start with Origins but i hated the gameplay so much so i decided to start with Inquisition. Finishing that inspired me to go back to Origins/Awakening and play through all of them chronologically to get the bits i wanted to see in Inquisition. Origins has great story, but the gameplay had me grinding me teeth by the end. Currently on Dragon Age 2 now, and i'm enjoying it so far.
hope u like Dragon Age 2!
The trick to the Hinterlands is that you're not supposed to clear the whole map all at once. You technically can, but large sections of the map are intended to be too OP for the player and later quests will send you further into the area as the game progresses. Once you've completed the early game quests that took you there innthe first place, you're supposed to leave, complete other quests elsewhere, then return as needed for further quest completion.
...or you can pull up your big boy panties and power level through most of it until you hit the parts that are sealed off with barriers until later in the game. Either way, it's up to you, but following the quest journal (conveniently marked with level recomendations) is the easiest way to go.
On one of my inquisition normal mode play throughs I got to level 11 without leaving the Hinterlands. Which made me seriously OP for every other zone.
"Where the druffalo roam" literally causes me physical pain. Especially when I have serious altoholic problems (around 10 characters). 🤣😭
To be honest, you literally described my favorite moments of the game. besides the fetch quests of course, still the circle of magie from DAO, the Dragon from Bone bit and hinterlands were actually one of the best remembered moments in Dragon age Series for me. Especially hinterlands, because unlike DA 1 and 2 having an open location in this world is so refreshing from those slightly different corridors you have to wander around just to collect some damn love riddles.
True, and the open world is so beautiful. I wonder though, how many people did the horse master quest? I just never seem to see people using the horses.
@@channel45853 I also do not use them, you miss on companions chit-chat when you use horse, and DAO3 has A TON of different conversations recorded.
As a dwarf fan, i really like the deep roads, fighting against an entire horde to reach Branka and the Anvil of Void. And dont forget about finding the Legion of the Dead as well the armor set.
I don't even bother with those dumb shards. They frustrated me to no end and when I learned they weren't required to finish the game, I said fuck it and never bothered with them again lol
The main part of the Fade quest(DAO) that makes it feel tedious for me is the fact that once you leave the fade, you can’t return. If you miss some of the magical fonts or essences or even some of the codex entries, there’s no going back. Whenever doing the Fade quests, I’m always keeping a list of which codex entries and which fonts and essences I’ve collected and it feels more akin to a chore than fun.
I love how much of an arduous adventure the deep roads feels like.
Yes, yes I did get stuck in the Hinterlands. That's only because I HAD to do every quest there. 😅 I was compelled to do it.
The Hinterlands... I spent many hours there, a very long time. So long that the battle of Haven felt like the climax of the game. Damn I love that battle, with the music. Epic
the oasis is honestly ptsd worthy, the amount of times ive pulled my hair out trying to get to a shard for about 10 minutes only to realize its on the layer above you and you have to go all the way around the map to reach to it ...
*heavy breathing*
I actually really liked the shards questline. It never dawned on me that people disliked it because the rewards were actually solid. Particularly if you wait till late game/tackling the DLC areas. Plus playing on nightmare gives me an excuse to get every advantage I can find! Lol.
3:17 funnily enough no I did not get stuck in the hinterlands
I thank bethesda for this uncanny ability of mine to navigate strange areas in video games with the simple task of navigating from whiterun to Ivarstead
My biggest complaint about the hinterlands is that you wouldn't be able to complete in one go due to some quests being a higher level. Like some fade rifts that were way beyond my character level. So you are forced to return at a later level and then just steamroll through
I think the devs made the hinterlands large with many quests on purpose. The purpose being to impress. It was their first attempt at large open world areas. So the Hinterlands had to give a good first impression. Look how big this area is, look how rich in activities it is etc. Btw the thing I found tedious in DAI was picking elfroot 😁
I feel that we have two types of stuff here:
- The difficult/challenging but can be fun content like the Deep roads, Fade, and Bonepit.
- DAI content ... which is ... not fun ... too many fetch quests, and too many boring things to do in the hinterlands.
Just got your video recommended, so glad to watch your videos again! I love your voice and takes on Dragon Age. Hope you’re doing good
i am doing well - thank you for saying that ❤️
hope to make more content for you guys!
Honestly the Hinterlands never bothered me, even to this day now replaying it on PC it never bothered me. I do have to agree on the shard fetch quest being an absolute bother.
So I decided to dust off my copy of inquisition this weekend and give it another go. I was one of the ones that got stuck in the hinterlands. I I am old and have years of gaming experience told me that I risked locking myself out of content if I "moved on" to different content. As a lover of all bioware games inquisition did itself a huge disservice with its quests and area setup if it could not get long time gamers like me to understand that it would be ok for me to leave before I did everything.
The deep roads reminded me of the underdark from bg2. And you are right, you need to have grasped elements of combat and AI throughout the game. With the proper AI script the roads are a cake walk.
Fun fact: The quest called "Hinterlands Who's Who" is an Easter egg, referencing an old TV show on CBC.
Maybe it was just how I played, but I found the dragon in the bone pit laughably easy when I did it.
where were U when i played DA2? 😭
idk, but I still agree with the annoyance that was that quest
My favorite way to do Dragon Age Origins is playing as a mage,and using aoe spells through doorways and far away from my character and party is the most effective way.
Man I totally agree with the Hinterlands part, I picked up dragon age inquisition and played it on release only to get overwhelmed by the Hinterlands and never try it again, until all the dlc was out and the game was amazing and I loved it but if the Hinterlands was less overwhelming I would have loved it even more.
Even though the Hinterlands is where you're first dropped, the developers never intended for anyone to stay there.
My problem with the shards was that by the time I had gotten all the shards, I already had better gear so it wasn't really that useful, and really felt like a waste of time.
I got stuck in the hinterlands for years before I finally sat down and grinded through it. Thankfully I did
100% agree on all of this, even though I adore the Deep Roads questing in DAO. And honestly, Inquisition forced me to be okay with not completing a game fully, I can't handle the shards quest.
I just came back to inquisition after I nope'd out at the hinterlands back in 2014. 😅 Love watching your videos!
Completely agree on the Hinterlands, wouldn’t be so bad if there were only 4 or 5 maps in the game and certain areas of hinterlands were locked off until got further in story.. but it’s well to overwhelming
You forgot to mention the extra stats you are given in the fade. It’s a nice little bonus leaving stronger.
I absolutely got stuck in the hinterlands. The advice that I give people is to take literally the first available opportunity to leave because fuck those side quests
I like the Shards. Except for the ones in the Dales... specifically the one near the lion staute - I'm sure you know which one.
I very much enjoyed the Fade in Origins, but I can absolutely see why some people were tired of it.
As for the Hinterlands, on my first play through when the game came out, I actually looked up what to do because I spent some 30 hours in the zone. The guide said “GET OUT OF THE HINTERLANDS”. But I also didn’t realize there was a map in the menu, so I wandered and got lost a lot
I love the deep roads in Origins. I fell in love with them the moment I set foot in there!
The Dragon Age wiki has a guide to defeat every boss, not just that dragon...the only time it's hard is when it bugs out.
Love the series. Can't wait for the newest one to release
Hey, comnpeltely agree with your quest choices. I, like you, played through the DA:O Fade once and then installed the mod. Yikes.
Btw, what hair mods do you use? they look phenomenal!
docs.google.com/document/d/1dmuoFWMqaP8DDCisx8KYdlE9afF0CjrfmAm2iJEvnxQ/edit?usp=sharing
This is my Inquisition mod list, i don’t have my DAO & DA2 up, but hope this helps a lil! ❤️
When I first played inquisition I was in the hinterlands for like 3 weeks 😂😂
I'm on my first playthrough of Inquisition, and as a completionist I am proud to say that I have completed all the shard quests so far. Only took me 80+ hours lol. Haven't fought Corypheus yet so idk if there are shards after him.
Jaws of Hakkon DLC have shards, but congratulations!! Another fellow completionist says hi! 👋
@@sarialue Groan.....yay, more shards. Thanks for the heads-up!
I actually loved the Fade. It's meant to be disorienting and confusing; it's literally the first time the mage has to face it, and the fade constantly changes. You are a mouse running around a giant Maze and the demons are all chasing you. It wasn't supposed to be straightforward and is meant to be dreamlike and confusing. Even if you do figure out the mechanics to fighting the demons, that's also lore-friendly, because Mages are supposed to know how to deal with demons; that's what they learn.
Same for the Deep Roads. You are a Warden. You should definitely expect to face tons of darkspawn down there. In fact, that's the only time I felt anytime that the Deep roads were well represented. The next two games made it simple to go through, although at least with Dragon Age 2, there was a repercussion with the sibling getting sick. Dragon Age Inquisition made darkspawn seem way too much like any old generic mob, and not the Thedas-unifying threat to existence that they actually are.
Spot on with the hinterlands and the shards though. I definitely got stuck my first game through and almost quit, as I was sick of them.
Urgh! The Hinterlands! I love Inquisition. I have a ridiculous number of hours into that game. But every time I start a new game and have to go through the Hinterlands again reinforces my belief that I am a masochist.
The fade section haunts me...which I guess is good canon for all the wrong reasons lol
the fade is so creepy, and uncomfortable at times ;(
I don’t think any mission annoys me to the point I want to skip it. The thing that pisses me off is the lack of clothing or staves for mages in Origins, the lack of heavy armour in Inquisition
The Fade in origins was one of my favorite Dragon Age experiences. Something I hate about games in general is NPCs talking about how difficult a thing is & then you get past it lickity split. Not the Fade people tell you how dangerous & draining the fade is trapping everyone of it's victims & only those strong willed survive as inevitably the demons pounce on those who have been witled down. The Fade tried me, not gonna lie, but I love how deeply it emerges you, into it, I blame the Fade for my love of from software games, even though I completely suck at them 😅
I finally am able to play Inquisition, and as someone who has done dozens of runs on Origins... can confirm, I still haven't left the Hinterlands. So. Many. Quests.
I agree with DAO - Deep Roads - and DAI Shards. I use the less shards to open the Temple of Solasan mod therefore it's not a problem anymore.
On the other hand I like to just go around in Hinterlands and chill :)
Thanks for the vid! :) Though some might disagree with me, one of my favourite games ever was Dragon Age 2. I have played it probably close to 100 times now and the responsiveness and ease of play still amaze me. Dragon Age Inquistion? I was excited as hell when it was first released, downloaded it and played it exactly one time. Once. Call me old-fashioned but it was far less appealing than the predecessors and IMO, far too complicated.
The moment I realized what kinda quest the shards were, I immediately gave up. I have neither the time nor the patience for any of that. I've played through Inquisition a good number of times now and have still never done that quest.
btw @saria the Shards ARE VERY rewarding, completing the forbidden oasis gives the Inquisitor 20% resistance to all elements, each of the 4 parts of the tomb giving 20% respectively to its element.
which is why i use a save editor to give myself all of them after i collect 1 (needs to have 1 in inventory to use the program lol) its very easy, i think ive collected all of them manually 2x in my life and ill never do it again
I entered The Keep of Suledin to find Imshael and defeat The Red Templars. I left the keep halfway thru, due to VERY low supplies. Now I can't get back in.
I hated the shard-searching -____- also the mosaic-plates
What's the mod with the Origins party dancing at @01:45 ? :)
I’m just gonna say it, that fade rift in the canyon by Dennit’s farm is stupid hard for no reason
I actually loved the shards bc of it's puzzles 😳
U and me 😳
What puzzle? 😅
I loooved shards. I was feeling empty after I got them all lol
;(
one thing i hated was how specific seras romance was, doing all the red jenny wartable bits and how one specific cut scene is so hard to fucking obtain that even guides are so vague about triggering it
Omg, I was gonna say, if the fade wasn't brought up here, I would riot. I hate doing the circle every Origins playthrough D:
Sorry, but the Deep Roads and the Fade were some of my favorite parts of Origins. While we can talk all day about the craftsmanship of specific details, the concept as such was great - and OF COURSE the Deep Roads were supposed to be dangerous.
To me the easy fix for the shards would have been a war table mission once you collect half the shards in an area to collect the rest
I like the hinterlands, it's the fallow mire that I can't stand.
that was a pretty creepy map, the rain also made me feel disorientated LOL
The Fade actually made me quit. Fortunately for me, my co-worker at that time played it and told me to start over and do the other quests first and save that for last and take Morrigan. She was right and I did much better.