Or at least, I didn't know about. Not until I read some info on the official site.
Anyways, I'm horrifically hooked on Dragon Age Origins. When not playing the game, I'm curious to see what info I can dig up through Wiki, the official web site etc. (mind you, I'm on disability, and have a lot of free time)
But did you know there's a flash game called Dragon Age Journeys? A little prequel / time-waster that's pretty fun if you're trying to avoid work, or schoolwork, or just look busy in a Starbucks.
http://www.dragonagejourneys.com/
Now if you went through the monotonous task of setting up an EA account and a Bioware account, there are some extra goodies to be had for putting some time into the game:
"Embri's Many Pockets
Embri of Gwaren, an elven mage of limited talent who volunteered to become one of the Tranquil, proved herself a talented enchanter--if absent-minded. She kept an array of magical ingredients on her belt at all times, and eventually the belt itself became magical. Embri died of lyrium poisoning many years later, but the enchanted belt remains.
Effects
* +5% Fire Resistance
* +5% Cold Resistance
* +5% Electricity Resistance
* +5% Nature Resistance
* +5% Spirit Resistance
Requirements
To earn Embri's Many Pockets in Dragon Age: Origins, save the Grey Warden Martine by completing The Missing Warden quest."
This is the second quest you get in Journeys, and it's pretty quick to get.
"Helm of the Deep
There is a legend amongst the dwarves of the Legion of the Dead that, three centuries ago, a commander of the Legion came across the body of a legionnaire wearing a helmet inscribed with lyrium. He took it, and died nobly... and then his body was found years later by another commander--and so forth, for generations. The helmet is said to be a sign of an honorable death for the lucky dwarf who stumbles across it.
Effects
* +2 Constitution
* +10 Mental Resistance
* +10 Physical Resistance
Requirements
To earn the Helm of the Deep in Dragon Age: Origins, you must earn all five achievements in Dragon Age Journeys: The Deep Roads."
Forgot to mention, there are five achievements you can get in Journey's that ties into your EA/Bioware/Dragon Age account mess-thing. The first 4 are pretty straight forward although the last one requires you to play as a Warrior, Rogue and Mage. I haven't finished the game yet, so I don't really know how long a single play-through could take. I'm sure you can always set the difficulty to easy and do three quick run through's.
"Amulet Of the War Mage
This amulet was forged during the height of the ancient Tevinter Imperium's power, a time when entire armies would flee upon seeing a Tevinter magister stride into battle. While the name Cavellus remains engraved on its back, any memory of the magister who created it has been lost to the mists of time.
Effects
* +5% to Fire Damage
* +5 % to Cold Damage
* +5% to Electrical Damage
* +5% to Nature Damage
* +5% to Spirit Damage
Requirements
To earn the Amulet of the War Mage in Dragon Age: Origins, you must complete Dragon Age Journeys on the hard combat difficulty setting. The difficulty setting must be set to hard for the entire play through. The combat difficulty setting is chosen after character creation."
Again, I haven't really played the game all the way through, so I don't know how hard. . . . well, hard is.
Through EA and Bioware's dark voodoo magic gobbledygook, you can get these items on PS3 and 360 too. As long as you have the EA/Bioware account and can safely navigate through it all.
One more thing: did you know you get a free ring just for making a character with the character creator?
"THE LUCKY STONE
This old stone, set in a golden ring, has been an aid and companion to dozens of adventurers across innumerable years. Its trip to Ferelden was long and convoluted. Some say it has a life of its own.
* Adds +1 to all of your stats
* The Lucky Stone is available from within DragonAge: Origins after you have uploaded a character using the Character Creator."
You'll have to upload the character you make into the Bioware Social Network thing, but you can get this item for PC, PS3, and 360.
http://blog.bioware.com/2009/10/13/character-creator-and-the-bioware-social-network/
I hadn't read anywhere else about these items, and I thought I'd bring it up in a c-blog.
Now, back to my cave to never come into contact with any other humanz again.
I remember Jim said it was hard to get potions. If you meet the traveling dwarf merchant pretty early on in Lothran, he'll be at the campsite for the rest of the game, and replenish his stock.
I don't really need potions anyways, as my party is 3 mages, all with off-healing.
Thanks for the tips!
@ Magnalon
THREE MAGES?! You must be melting faces CONSTANTLY.
I'm thinking about abandoning my Rogue for my Mage. They are amazing!
@Tubatic
One's a healer, mostly. But I love Morrigan, character wise and performance wise, and I'm a frost mage.
@magnalon
I agree. Having a mage or two in your party really REALLY drives down the need for constant potion chugging. Also, if you just take your time and attack with strategy, I really don't have to potion chug.
EDIT:
"also if you take your time and attack with some strategy, you really don't have to potion chug."
That's what I meant to type anyways.
Really struggling to resist getting the 360 version instead of waiting another 2 weeks for the PS3 version. I'm thinking I'll want the DLC at some point, and I'm not going to validate Microsoft's greed by signing up to Xbox Live.
I still can't find an answer as to why they PS3 version is 2 weeks late in Europe.
Cool finds. I'm still tring to work out why I can't find the soundtrack I think that was part of the pre-order.
I didnt actually know about the last one.
Yeah, thanks for letting me know about the last one. I wont bother with the other three because that flash game is awful.
Interesting!
Oh... and Magnalon, you like Morrigan?? I'm playing as a female character and I find her annoying and whiny! She'll be a party member I drop as soon as I can get another Mage.
Morrigan is one of the greatest RPG characters of all time. She's not whiny, she just lets you know how impractical your actions are. I'm playing a good two shoes character, so naturally she's always annoyed by how I continuously side track the main quest to help every single person who asks, but I love the element of your party not blinding you, and I think their input on things is one of the best elements of the game.
I mean, for example, one thing I did was the right thing in my eyes, but it pissed Ser Alistair off so much that he actually came up to me and bitched me out during when I came to a camp site.
Plus, Morrigan is worth keeping around just for the conversations she has with everyone.
@Gatsby
I think I did the same thing you did. The other solutions might have been too damaging. For more people.
Its hard to feel good about your decisions in this game sometimes! Its great!
It's hard to feel about them a lot of the time, I've felt conflicted pretty often too, and you really have to choose your words carefully or you can fuck a lot of things up.
The brilliance of this game is that trying to do good can lead to you doing harm. Sometimes the bad choice is the right choice, and it's hard to know which is what, and that's what's so amazing about the game's morality system.
Thanks! I'll check these out for sure.