

Though neither the city nor story are as expansive as either Origins or Inquisition, there are still many paths to try. Like other RPGs and other games in the Dragon Age series, due to the large number of choices players need to make and possible outcomes, there are many reasons to revisit Dragon Age 2.

Related: Why Dragon Age 4 Is Just Called Dragon Age Now Players carve a name and a place for Hawke and his friends in Kirkwall by fighting bandits, slavers, and monsters and eventually becoming its Champion. Players take on the role of Hawke, a refugee from Lothering, which has been ravaged by the same Blight from Origins. In Dragon Age 2, players once more find themselves in Thedas, though this time only in the city of Kirkwall. Spell-shaping for mages is handy if you like a lot of friendly-fire spells.Though Dragon Age 2 wasn't the most well-received game when it was first released, it has begun to enjoy a surge in popularity within the fanbase as an underrated gem. Why lockpicking isn't a generic skill is beyond me and why my mage can cast doom and destruction and a simple lock defeats her is also beyond my ken. Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, Open Lock spell is a definite for the mage class. Make sure when you start modding these types of things that you get the chargenmorph compiler, as you'll need it. However, these improved morphs and textures really smooth out the graphics and give them a gorgeous upgrade. Pineappletree, Bidelle's, CC's, etc., will probably be needed installations. Many of the morphs and improved texture mods will require a lot of other mods as well, so watch for those. I also like the extended tooltiops and quickbar. There are numerous armor and weapon sets you can install, as well as new/tweaked skills and abilities.

The origins starter packages are nice as well. Updated dialogue mods are a MUST in my book, as they really add to the story. There are even mods that allow you to recruit new NPC companions, some of which are fully voiced (volunteer voice actors). I also like being able to respec my companions when I get them, but that's just me. Advanced tactics is fantastic, as is advanced party. Extra dog slot, improved dog talents, and improved dog gifts are great as well (dog loves you unconditionally, so gifts that actually do something are nice). I do highly recommend Improved Atmosphere. Yes, it will take a while, but you will wind up with an incredible upgrade. I recommend you go through the DA Nexus for mods that interest you. You can use DAModder or the modder that comes with DAO (located for me in dragon age ultimate edition/bin_ship/DAUpdater).
