“Let those who enter the teig know

That in these halls were the Perfect,

And mothers gave birth in agony.

When darkness came from the Paths of the Deep,

We rose, we made a vow,

The vow is deadly.

And tears flowed from my eyes."

Source unknown.

Thayg is a Dwarven term meaning a kind of large cave.

It is one of the three playable races in dragon age: Origins. A dwarf can be a warrior or a rogue, but not a mage, because these people do not have access to the Fade. In their own language, they call themselves "dvarva".

culture

Unlike other beliefs in Thedas, the religion of the Dwarves is not based on the worship of anthropomorphic gods. On the contrary, they worship their ancestors, as well as the Stone that surrounds them. It is said that strong and noble representatives of the mountain people return to the Stone after death and strengthen it. Rejected and disgraced dwarves, on the contrary, weaken the rock.

On the shoulders of the Guardians (something like the ruling council) lies the choice worthy of the title Perfect, who are worshiped even after their death. After the approval of the candidate in the Assembly, a Rod is created, which will bear the name of the dwarf. All deeds of the Perfect One are recorded in the Traditions, and his word is respected just like the word of the king.

Dwarf society is divided into castes. Those who do not belong to any caste have the lowest position. Although no, even lower are the exiles and those born on the surface, who are generally excluded from society. An ordinary gnome is unlikely to ever see the surface, taking stereotypes seriously, such as the sky falling on his head. The mountain folk who travel above are usually merchants, but among the Dwarves they could be assassins or thieves.

The people of Piedmont have a king, but the throne is not inherited. When the time comes, the Clans fight for the power that the throne gives.

“We Dwarves are very zealous in the fight for the scepter. Nobody stands aside. There are no observers. In Orzammar, things are dealt with quickly and... bloody."

Naltur, Legion of the Dead

Legion of the Dead

Reputation and authority among kin are very important to any gnome. Various actions of one family member can greatly shake the position of the entire Genus in the social hierarchy. Some of those tainted with shame decide to wash away all shame from themselves and their families through a "burial" ceremony. They leave Orzammar for the Deep Roads and, in the ranks of the Legion of the Dead, fight the darkspawn for the rest of their lives. When one of them dies, the Legion buries them in stone, glad that the fallen one has finally found peace.

Naltur and his soldiers, members of the Legion, assisted King Maric in regaining the throne of Ferelden. He was able to convince them to help by promising to tell them about their exploits in Orzammar and bury them in stone instead of dirt under the sky. This, and the great respect the dwarves have for the kings of men, was a great motivation to leave the Deep Roads and go to the surface.

Gaining Orzammar's support in the war against Mort will prove to be no easy task. King Endryn Aedukan has died, and the Deshirs, the Dwarf Lords, cannot choose a successor. There is no hereditary right to the throne. The reigning king can nominate his heir, but it is up to the Council to ultimately decide who gets the power. Two dwarves claim the throne of Orzammar at once - Belen Aedukan, the king's youngest son, and Lord Piral Harrowmont, the king's closest adviser, who is known as a good ruler, who has repeatedly reached compromises in the Council torn apart by confrontations. The future way of life of the dwarves depends primarily on who will be in power, despite this, both applicants will keep their word and help the Gray Wardens cope with the Pestilence. Most likely, the developers have set the stage for future games in the series, where the decision will play a more significant role in the development of the plot than in the original game. For example, the first echo is as follows: if you support Belen, Lord Harrowmont will be killed, and his family will be persecuted (the task "The Last of the Kind" will appear (typical story No Compromises or Martyr), in which you will have to save Lord Renvil Harrowmont from thugs from the Charter ).

Prince Belen is an adventurer, a lover of intrigue, does not hesitate to use dirty methods to eliminate competitors, but his progressive views allow him to hope for global reforms of gnome society. These qualities clearly characterize his personality. Piral Harrowmont, unlike Belen, is a conservative, a diplomat, a follower of traditions who will not allow global changes and upheavals. Each candidate has his supporters and opponents who are ready to give their lives in the struggle for their ideals and beliefs. In order for the Council to make a unanimous decision and elect the future ruler, a number of tasks will have to be completed, the main of which will be the battle in the tournament or the delivery of IOUs, the destruction of the Charter along with Jarvia and. Having decided whom to support, there will be an opportunity to change your choice at the last meeting of the Council, when the future of Orzammar will depend on the words of the Gray Warden. Depending on the choice made, one of the achievements "Companion of Harrowmont" or "Companion of Belen" is unlocked.

Gift from Belen for support in Dragon Age: Origins:

• Hammer of Triana- strength: 34; damage: 13.50; +4 damage against darkspawn, 2 slots for runes.

Gift from Harrowmont for support in Dragon Age: Origins:

• Staff of Harrowmont- magic: 20; damage: 4.80; +1 Magic, +2 Constitution.

The impact of the decision made about the fate of the dwarf kingdom on the ending of the game Dragon Age: Origins:

• King Belen of Orzammar quickly established himself as a reformer, lending his support to land merchants and easing the oppression of caste restrictions. The untouchables were allowed to wield weapons to fight the creatures of darkness. For the first time in generations, an entire stretch of the Deep Roads, along with the thaigs, was reclaimed. When the human armies began to arrive from Ferelden, King Belen welcomed them with open arms. In a matter of months, the darkspawn were driven back beyond the very Dead Moats, and the first warrior, who returned with a trophy from the gates of Bonammar, was greeted with universal rejoicing. However, with his reforms, Belen made many enemies among the nobility and in the warrior caste, and after several attempts on his life, the Council was dissolved. Now the king rules alone. Some call him a tyrant, others - an educator who firmly decided to drag screaming and kicking Orzammar by the scruff of his neck into a new era.
• In Orzammar, King Harrowmont quickly crushed Belen's rebellion and then passed a series of laws to appease the clan lords. Alas, these laws further fenced off the gnomes from the upper world. Caste prohibitions intensified, the rights of the nobility increased, and trade with the lands of people almost dried up. When the human troops arrived from Ferelden, they were not allowed into Orzammar. Harrowmont was afraid that people would bring ruin to the city and accepted help only in the form of equipment and healing potions. After the issuance of a law that forbade untouchables from appearing in public places, an uprising began, as a result of which the slums were practically demolished to the ground. The discontent grows, though the Assembly still fully supports the King of Harrowmont...
• King Harrowmont of Orzammar found himself embroiled in a protracted war with the rebels of Belen, which prevented him from providing the necessary stability. The clan lords rejected many of his proposals in the Council, and only attempts to further isolate the dwarves from the upper world were met with approval. Over time, Harrowmont's health began to decline. Some spoke of poisoning, others referred to mental weakness. Be that as it may, after a long illness, the king died. And the Council immediately began arguing about a successor.

In order to call the dwarves to join the army, go to the frosty pass. As always, do not rush to follow the mark on the map, first inspect the surroundings and ask the price of goods. Personally, I found excellent armor there for 27 gold. When you're ready to move through the Dragon Age Origins walkthrough, move to the northern part of the location. There you will see the messengers of Loghain who want to do the same as you. But to add the dwarves to your army, not to ours. And they don’t want to let him in, citing the fact that only gnomes can enter during a crisis. Say what you need to the king, and you will find out that the dwarf king has died from a heart attack, and the council is now divided. The dwarves are on the brink of civil war. Then say that you are a gray guard, and you need to go through. Naturally, the messenger of Loghain will be indignant. Personally, I intimidated him and he ran away. But he promised that King Loghain (this creature has already appropriated the royal title!) will quarter us. Well, let him try, but for now we will be allowed into Orzammar, the kingdom of the dwarves.

Head forward, checking out the statues along the way. The passage of the dragon age beginning sometimes allows us to admire the beauties. You will not interfere with the addition to your code. Also, passing along the alley, Just before the transition to the community halls, an officer's report will be lying around. Raise it - another piece of your code. Now go to the Commons. Here you will see how one gnome kills the second ... for insulting the supposedly future king. As always, don't be in a hurry to take on assignments. First, run around the shops, look for something for yourself. When you're done looking at your purchases, start collecting tasks. Outside there are three tasks that we need to collect everything. I also suggest going to the tavern - very good ale and honey are sold there. Yes, and here you can get some information about the candidates for the throne of the gnomes.

Now let's go to Dust City. The passage of dragon age origins sometimes shows us the other side of life. There are also several tasks. And a merchant. And I also found the dwarf Nadezhda there. She spoke about the caste system of the gnomes. I don’t know about you, but I decided that if the choice is mine, then the one who leaves the caste system will not come to power. The dwarves need a change, that's for sure! The passage of dragon age origins draws an interesting analogy ... Although this is only my opinion. Okay, this will be after. Now go to the diamond quarter and go to the first estate if you want Lord Harrowmont to become king. But I decided that I would fight for Lord Belen! It is he who will lead Orzammar to change! Go now to the Keepers and talk to the Chronicler on assignment from the common quarter (building a church, remember?). I persuaded him for permission to hold prayer meetings, but he did not give permission to build a large church. Here you can take two more tasks. Go to the council chamber and talk to Vartag, who is standing right there. If you repeat my path, then agree to his task. He will give you papers that should reveal Lord Harrowmont's deceit. If you go further down the corridor, you will witness bickering in the council. Well, as small children, by God. They have a feud over the fact that some want to close trade with the outside world before the end of the elections. And why, you ask? Okay it does not matter. Get out of there and go back along the arc of the block. Here you will find Lady Days, the first person to be notified of the deception. Some during the passage of dragon age act dishonestly. Sometimes we do that too. She will believe you, but she will say that only her father, who is now at deep levels, can terminate the contract. We will be given a map and permission to visit the levels, which is what we need. Now let's go to the communal halls, to the tavern. Before entering there, we will hand over the task about the church. Then go to the tavern and talk first with Odral, who drove his daughter away (remember, the task in the dusty city) and convince her to take her daughter back. And then - go to the second lord, who will now vote for Belen. Excellent. Now let's go to the dusty city and hand over the task. When it's handed over, let's go to the deep paths. Should we hunt the creatures a little too? But before leaving, talk to the bald gnome, who will say that he has already sold the book we need, and will immediately attack. Killing him is like soaking two fingers in water, and there is a note on the corpse that says that the tome was handed over to someone from the Arena for testing. Go there and you will see a mark on the map. There you will kill four people, one of whom will reveal the volume we need. Then hand over the book. Now - on the deep paths! The passage of dragon age enters a new round.

Come there and give the pass documents to the patrol dwarf. Now the path is open to you. Come in and on the map of the deep paths, choose the only available location, except for Orzammar, location. When you enter - until a certain point you will have only one way. After one cave, you will have a branching into three tunnels. In the western tunnel you will find only a bag of bones, which you will need later. If you follow the middle tunnel, you will soon come to a chamber where Lord Days is being attacked by the Deep Hunters. Save him, although this is not so strong and necessary. They would have done it themselves. When you kill - in 30 seconds there will be a second wave. Kill them and now you can calmly talk to the lord. Show him the paper you were given. And, of course, he will agree to vote for Lord Belen. Excellent. He invites you to go with him. Give up and keep going. Take the trophies from the chests and go forward, crossing the lava river. Very beautiful. Now keep moving forward. Watch out, deep hunters are coming out of the ground. When you explore all the other dungeons - go outside. For now, there is nothing more interesting for you there. Yes, and you should go there only for experience.
Now go to the Diamond Hall, to the council chambers. Sometimes the passage of the dragon age forces us to participate in politics, well, yes, this only makes the game more interesting. Turn in your quest there. You will be thanked and offered to go to Belen. Agree, you ran so much for this. Talk to him about everything you can. He will tell a lot of interesting things, but after his stories, I realized that I made the right choice. And he will also say that after the neutralization of the lord, there is another person who is an obstacle - a gang, almost entirely consisting of untouchables. Naturally, we agree to help with this problem. To do this, you need to destroy the leader of the criminal organization - Jarvia. Well, for us, as experienced adventurers, this is not difficult. We first go to the Chronicle department, where we hand over the task of finding a book. On the way, I was attacked twice by the fanatical followers of Harrowmont. Well, it doesn’t matter, they are mediocre fighters. After that, with a clear conscience, go to the dusty city. In total, the passage of dragon age develops the plot further and further.

When you enter the dusty city - talk to Nadezhda - she will tell an interesting tale that almost everyone who has their arms and legs is already serving Jarvia. Ask her where to find Jarvia, and they'll tell you she's hard to find. Yes, and the doors must have a special key. But even Nadezhda does not know where to find such a key. You may or may not pay her. Now go to the trading shop (she is alone in the dusty city) and ask the merchant about Jarvia. You should pay him these 30 silver coins, as the merchant may come in handy in the future. After he tells you everything - go to the "Poor Shack" house, where you will find adventures on your own head. The people of Jarvia are already waiting for you here. Gnomes, in the sense:. As soon as you almost kill their leader, he will immediately stop the fight. Apparently, even he valued his life. Intimidate him and find out that Jarvia's hideout is right below the city. He will give you the key. I let him go, because he was not at all interesting to me. And you? Anyway, time to get out of this house. Remember, there is another entrance on the map - a suspicious door. Here, insert that key from the phalanx of the finger into it, which the leader of the attackers gave you. The door will open and you can go in. Don't forget to save! Then go down the corridor and meet with the gatekeeper of the Charter. You don't even have to try to guess the password. There is no correct option. So just say the password is Death to Bastards. And kill them all without a twinge of conscience. Going further, you will see a crossroads. Go west first - there is only one room. When you put down all the enemies - collect trophies and return to the crossroads. Go east - also one room. But there will be a Qunari mercenary, which is rather strange for the dwarves. Cleaned up? Great, now go back to the crossroads. Walk a little forward - and again at the crossroads. Let's call it the second one. Let's do the same - first to the west, then go to the east. There will be Kanka's chest, from which take ONLY the silver ring. Don't touch the rest! Go back to the second intersection - and further down. To the T-junction. Go north first, then east - after the room, another corridor will stretch, in which there will be a trap near the barrels. Defuse it with your thief or blow it up with your strongest character. Then exit to the next T-junction, where you turn west. You will come to prison cells. Clean up everything hostile here. Then pick up the key from the body of the jailer, unlock the cell and release the prisoner. After that - go east from the T-junction. In the first room, assassins will be waiting for you, who will not come out of the shadows until you approach them. Move on, since there is only one way. And in the next room you will find Jammer's Chest. Take only an iron letter opener from it. Don't touch the rest! Move forward along one corridor. The path does not split yet, because the direction is one. In the next room there will be a Pique chest, from which you need to take the Garnet Necklace. If you took what I wrote above, then you will have the key to Jammer's cache. Go further along the corridor to the crossroads. Go south first, where cute spiders will be waiting for you. From there you can go immediately to the north, where there will be a few more people and the cache we need, and after that - to the east, where the desired Jarvia is waiting for you. Kill them all, but keep in mind that Jarvia is a pretty strong opponent. When everyone is dead, take the key from Jarvia's body and go further along the only available corridor. The passage of the game dragon age sometimes makes you act out of honor. There will be an exit to the Charter shop. Naturally, go there. Wow, where are we! Exactly, in Janara's store. How interesting, however. However, he will claim that he has nothing to do with the Charter. Okay, let's take his word for it. Also talk to him about his daughter, who wants to become a magician. He will ask you to immediately drive her home, and there he will deal with her. The choice is yours. I still decided that in the Circle I would ask for her. Okay, it's not that important now. Go outside and go to the diamond quarter. There, go to the Royal Palace and head towards Belen.

Talk to him, and it turns out that this is still not enough to give us troops. And Belen will ask this time to find the Perfect Branca. Yes, yes, the one about which so much is heard. Great twist on the dragon age walkthrough, right? However, he will say that if Branca turns out to be insane, then it would be better for her not to return. An original approach to finding votes. Well, okay, since you have already taken up this, then agree. But first ask him about everything you can. Have you talked? That's good, now go to the deep paths. Before entering, you will meet Ogran, who is her husband. He will want to join you. Agree, of course. Let there be one more warrior in your squad. Now we have access to another location of the deep paths. I advise you to rest, talk to your allies, and so on before leaving for the deep paths. When you're done, go to Karridina's Crossing. We need to go to Ortan teig. Remember? This is what we will focus on.

After walking just a couple of meters ahead, you will stumble upon supporters of the second candidate who will want to show us who is the king here. Well, the flag is in their hands and the drum as an accompaniment to their last journey. Go further and you will have a fork - to the West and to the east. The passage of the game dragon age sometimes bifurcates in the same way as the corridors in the game. Let's go west first. There you will find a huge hall with a small number of opponents. Once they're all dead, head up the bridge. Watch out, there are traps! After the bridge - another huge hall, but there are already more enemies. And among them - ogre. When everyone is cleared - go through the only passage further. You again go to the track, near the western edge of which there will be a transition to the map of the area. But it's too early to get there. Head east along the highway, dealing with the creatures of darkness along the way. A little further ahead, you will come across three genlock messengers. Destroy one and run after the rest. They will lead you to a small crowd, which you cut out and find the hilt of one sword. It will help you in the future! Now go back and go forward along the track. At the first intersection, go north, find a branch and follow it. In the first branching room, go north and come to the original entrance. Great, that's what I wanted - to explore as much terrain as possible. Return and go west from the cave. But there is a dead end and we can return to the track with a clear conscience. When you return to the crossroads on the highway - now go east. If you go straight all the time - go to the Ortan teig. We need this! Go there, we'll explore the rest of the area a little later.
So, here you are in the teige. Talk to your gnome companion and move forward. I already have a pointer on the map where we need to go! Go ahead, since there is only one track. When you find a branch, turn there. It will lead to the west. Follow one path to the hall where the spiders are attacking the ogre. There, destroying everyone, you will again be at the fork. Let's head west first. There you will find a warrior's grave, which will be a plus for your codex. Well, now with a clear conscience on the only remaining path. After just a couple of steps north, you will again be at a T-junction. Let's head north first. Although there is not much difference - one way or another, you will come to a large hall with destroyed buildings. Go forward through this cave and stumble upon a living gnome. His name is Ruk, who has been living here for many years. The most merciful thing would be to kill him, even though we will not be given such an opportunity. He will run away to himself, and you will be attacked by spiders. Kill them and move to one of the signs in this room. There is a chest with the notes you need to find. Take them. Explore the hall completely and you will find two bridges leading to the west, and one passage that leads to the north (Rook escaped through it). Head over the bridges first. Beware of golems - they are VERY dangerous opponents. Go further - there is only one passage. Apparently, there will be a very interesting battle soon. Therefore, save, heal injuries, in short, prepare for battle. Move forward little by little, and better - along the bottom edge. When you go around the central rock, you will attack the queen of spiders. The enemy is difficult, but quite killable. She loves to en masse confuse everyone nearby in a web and run away, so keep that in mind. The passage of the game dragon age origins sometimes slips us such terrible-looking opponents. After her death, go to Branca's diary, which lies right next to it. According to this diary, it follows that the anvil is not in the teig of Ortan, but in the Dead Ditches, or rather, somewhere behind them. It's a shame, of course. But there's nothing you can do, you have to go. But first, let's go back and explore what remains unexplored in this location - the passage where that crazy dwarf fled. Going a little further you will find the same Rook. Personally, I gave him death. And how will you do it? Yes, and in the vase he has the pommel of the sword. It will be useful to you too. Now with a pure heart you can go into the dead ditches. But first, I preferred to go to the Carridina Crossing and scout everything there. You can choose not to do this.

So, we are in the Dead Moats. What will be next? Will we find Branca? Or will we only find her remains in the stomach of some monster? So, you will see a video in which you look from a cliff and ... you will see a dragon. Most likely, this was the same Archdemon that would have to be killed. But not now, not yet. Walking just a little forward, you will stumble upon fighting dwarf legionnaires and creatures of darkness. Naturally, help the legionnaires! Then there is only one way - through the bridge. There are really VERY many darkspawn here, and it will take a lot of effort to kill them. But soon they will be dead. Cross the bridge and destroy the next batch of creatures of darkness. Go south to the chest, and from there - north. Only there is a passage further. Follow it to the big hall. When you deal with the first enemies - go to the north of this hall and examine the room with sarcophagi. From there - to the south, exploring the rooms there. There is also the only passage further south. Move on it. Here you will often come across creatures of darkness - and one boss. An ancient creature of darkness, it is quite difficult to kill him, especially when every little thing flickers under your feet. But the passage of the game dragon age origins provides for the possibility of killing him, do not hesitate! He also has the third part of the sword - the blade. The task will be updated, according to which it will be clear that the sword should be taken to the corpse east of the Ortan teig. So you will move until you reach the next large hall. Apparently - there will be some kind of scary moment, as autosave will occur. Head down, where another boss will be waiting for you. This is an archer, so it's better to immediately throw one character at his distraction while the rest deal with the little things. I managed to kill him so that not a single character died. After the owner of the anvil (it's just a name!) Is dead, go north, looking into the room to the east along the way. On the bridge, screamers will attack you from two sides - it is not difficult to fight back. Go forward and in the next large hall, clean everything alive. There is only one path, so follow it. So you go, go and come to a fork. One way north, one way east. First, north. When you clear the cave from spiders and creatures - collect trophies and move east from the crossroads. Going forward, you will stumble upon a dwarf who does not understand who you are. She is constantly tormented by the creatures of darkness... They make a uterus out of her. She will give new information about Branca, who has done something. Something terrible. Branca has become...

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Gespit, the same dwarf, runs away. Do not rush to run after her. Slowly look around the room, and then move along one available path. Before entering the large hall, save, go immediately to the north, and then go south. There will be an ogre, who is already killed quickly as usual. From this hall there are two passages to the east. Let's first go to the south passage to the east. There you will find the altar of the Legion of the Dead, which will start a new task. Okay, now let's take the more northern passage to the east. It is here that you will find the sarcophagus, which will continue the task from the southern tunnel. Take everything from there and move on. And then ... Next, the uterus is waiting for you. She is quite a fearsome opponent, especially her tentacles. But it's easy to kill her - run away from her, kill the tentacles and the running enemies, then run up to her and remove a certain part of her health. Then she will reject you - and all over again. In short, everything is simple. When she is dead, you will watch the video again with the participation of Gespit, who will tell you that she was a victim of betrayal. I suspect Branca's betrayals. Take all the trophies from the Womb and exit the location to the Deep Roads. Another new location will become available to you - the Anvil of the Void. Let's go there.

And here we are in the very west of the Deep Roads. Come in and go down the corridor to the stop. And then you will meet Branca, finally. Talk to her. It seems she is in her mind, although not a fact. But Branca will say that she will only agree to support the king if you bring her an anvil. And there is an anvil at the end of the labyrinth ... Well, yes, everyone who wants to send us. Well, let's try to get her an anvil. Well, okay, move along one path, there is nowhere to turn. Here you already have to cut through the crowds of enemies, Really a huge number and in narrow passages. Taki will continue until a certain point, or rather, until the start of civil buildings. This is where the maze starts. There are 4 golems that come to life one at a time. Lure them outside and kill them there. You can simply run through the gas chamber. This is not a problem at all. The next hall is much more difficult - the golems come to life in twos. But here you can do smarter. Lure them so that they can only go through the entrance one at a time. Yes, and there are traps, so be careful. Go further down the corridor to a large cave. Go forward and you will see that the stone pedestal has come to life, which you will have to kill. This pedestal has four faces. Each face summons 4 forgotten spirits. So kill just those who appear. It's not that difficult. Along the way, break the four anvils that are behind the spirits. Thus, after going through a couple of circles of the new call of spirits, you will destroy that stone nonsense in the middle. The passage of the game dragon age origins makes you think about how to kill certain opponents. When you destroy it, a door will open to pass further. Then you will enter a large hall with several golems. And there you will talk to Karridin. He was the Perfect among the dwarves. Now he is in the form of a golem. Talk to him, otherwise it will be bad. He will tell you that in order to create a golem, you need to take the life of someone. And immediately Branca will come running, who will say that the anvil is hers. Karridin will ask us to help him destroy the anvil. Either the magic of Karridin, which is eerily similar to blood magic, will go to the crazy Branca, or you will destroy her. I chose to destroy the anvil. And then there is a battle with Branca and her golems, whom she managed to subdue herself. You will have one last request. I asked for the support of the Perfect One and a crown was forged for me. After that, he destroyed the anvil, listened to good wishes from Karridin and saw how he committed suicide. Immediately take a paper copy of the notes about the Golems, they will be useful to you. Head to the exit and before leaving the room, your dwarf companion will speak to you, and we won’t have to make our way to the exit ourselves - the map of the area will immediately open. If you have all three pieces of the landman's sword, go to Ortan teig to turn in the quest.

"From ancient times in the depths of Thedas lived a hardworking, and what a sin to conceal - somewhat ... economical people. And he was called - gnomes ..."

"stop stop- the attentive reader will correct me - But "gnomes" is not their self-name". And it will be absolutely right - the gnomes themselves call themselves " Dwarva"which is close to the English name" Dwarves"and in the original, apparently it was from the self-name that the name that the other races of Thedas gave this people came from. However, for the convenience of readers, I will continue to call them " gnomes- which, although not entirely true, is more familiar.

So - who are these gnomes? Dwarves are a humanoid race that have inhabited the depths of Thedas since ancient times, as mentioned above. In ancient times, they had their own underground empire, about which almost nothing is known now. Also, dwarves are known for their resistance to magic and lyrium - if the latter does not fall into open wounds. A sad example of what happens then, you can see in " Dragon Age: Origins"in the form of a trinket merchant in Orzammar.

However, after the First Blight, the ancient dwarven empire fell into decay, as it was destroyed by the Creatures of Darkness. In fact, the gnomes were the first to encounter the Spawns, and suffered the most from them. More than 90% of the territories of the former empire were lost, many gnomes died in battles with the Creatures of Darkness, and many of those who survived, due to the filth that had a bad effect on the wounded, became barren. Here it is worth noting the excellent health of the dwarves - people or elves, in most cases, upon contact with filth, went to meet the Creator (well, or in whom they believed there) or became ghouls. The dwarves, on the other hand, "got off" with just barrenness - which, however, caused serious fears for the future of the race: there were already a handful of them left, compared to ancient times, in addition, the dwarves continued to die in battles with the Spawns, and then such a misfortune.

Which, however, gave rise to a rather interesting phenomenon - the institute " noble hunters" (or, more correctly - " noble huntresses"). Women who wanted to rise in society seduced a member of one of the wealthy families and gave birth to a child from him. If this child was male, then both he and his mother "rose" in society, entering the father's caste. Well, if no, then excuse me - it happened the other way around. In a similar way, most often, they sought to increase their status " untouchables"- which is quite understandable and understandable. "Noble" hunters were called because they hunted mainly representatives of noble houses ( yes yes, your K.O .).

Gnomes, as mentioned above, are resistant to lyrium, and as a result, to magic. Which is a source of great headache for magicians - for most of the spells cannot be caught by gnomes. However, this also closes the way for the gnomes to study magic in principle - for lyrium immunity turns into an inability to manipulate magical energy. There is an interesting effect - the gnomes, living on the surface for a long time, gradually lose their resistance to lyrium and magic, however, there are no reliable cases of the use of magic by gnomes.

Also, the dwarves have a unique ability - "Stone Sense", received from the progenitor of the race. It helps them navigate underground, being a kind of internal compass. Like lyrium resistance, this ability atrophies over time in surface-dwelling dwarves.

*This ability of the gnomes is not displayed in the game, so how it serves to navigate the dwarves underground is not exactly known.

Story

Read more about the history of the dwarven kingdom and the race as a whole in this article.

Dwarves are one of the oldest races in Thedas and have an eventful history.

In ancient times, a huge Dwarven Empire existed and developed, consisting of many underground cities and communications, whose trade turnover with Elvenan and the Tevinter Empire reached enormous proportions. Then the gnomes reached the peak of their power.

However, during the First Blight, the Dwarves suffered massive damage from the Darkspawn. And as a result of fierce battles, only two teigs survived - Orzammar and Kal "Sharok, and the latter was sealed until recently, and everyone considered its inhabitants dead.

By the Age of the Dragon, the dwarves have lost almost all of their holdings, but Orzammar continues to hold on, sometimes winning back and losing a few small thaigs. The dwarven population is slowly but steadily declining. And traditionalism prevents you from actively interacting with the surface, which, however, you can try to change during the game by helping Belen Aeducan in his rise to the throne.

Culture and society

caste system

Dwarven social hierarchy is quite unique - in particular, the presence of castes. Members of different castes differ sharply in rights (and duties), and the transition from one caste to another is very difficult.

"Pspruce forests" (they are - " untouchables") - outcasts living in the Dusty City - old ruins, a kind of "ghetto" for the "declassed element". If we draw analogues, then they are closest to the caste of the same name in India - these are despised, dregs of society that have no rights, descendants of criminals, exiles "Anthers" do not have the right to work, cannot defend their honor in the Trial, cannot serve in the army in order to fight the Spawn of Darkness (well, except in the Legion of the Dead - everyone is accepted there). that in this state of affairs, this is the most criminalized and asocial part of gnome society.Also, those gnomes who abandoned the Stone and went to the surface (which, I must say, are identical in the understanding of the gnomes) were also considered to belong to this caste, or were expelled to the surface.

However, recently, with an increase in the percentage of representatives of rich and respected families among the terrestrial, the situation and attitude towards the dwarves, who preferred the sun to the vaults of the caves, is changing. It also did not happen suddenly and spontaneously - the dwarves realized their gesheft from trading with the inhabitants of the surface, and noble wealthy houses came to grips with this issue. Nevertheless, most gnomes are afraid to go to the surface, there are many superstitions and prejudices about this, such as "falling into the sky", or the fall of the sun on the earth, and the rulers of the gnomes, not wanting the emigration of their subjects, are in no hurry to carry out an educational program. There are many merchants, merchants and blacksmiths among the terrestrial, but there is also a "criminal element" such as thieves, murderers and other dubious occupations of citizens. For example, after the murder of their leaders Berat and Jarvia, the largest gang of the Dust City, known as the Charter, managed to get to the surface almost in full strength: they settled down near Kirkwall.

Above the "anthers" are located servants(who are very proud that, unlike the despised "dusters", they can find a job), merchants, miners, blacksmiths, warriors, aristocrats and deshira. Aristocrats occupy a dominant position in gnome society, while deshirs - " first among equals". This is a special group that governs all dwarven life, meeting in Assemblies on behalf of their houses, and can even advise (strongly) the king what to do in any given situation.

Despite the rigidity of the hierarchy, it is still possible to move from caste to caste. The first way is to do something unique, out of the ordinary. Then even the untouchable will be able to receive the status of the Perfect and the right to establish their own noble House. However, this happens extremely rarely. Much more often, the status of the family is enhanced by the birth of a male child from a representative of a higher caste. Then the mother's family enters the caste of the father of the child - but this only works when a boy is born. The girl inherits the caste of her mother, and has no right to an increase in social status.

Monarchy is the usual form of government for dwarves. However, heredity is not a determining factor in who sits on the throne after the death of a king. The king can only propose the most suitable candidate from his point of view, and the Assembly will meet and determine the next king.

Most of the wealth of the dwarves is not based on the sale of jewelry, not on the extraction of ore, and not even on the arms trade (although dwarf blacksmithing is famous throughout Thedas) - the most income comes from the trade in lyrium. The gnomes successfully sell this substance to both the Tevinter Empire and the Church, which controls the Order of the Templars (and at the same time the magicians) with its help, and in such volumes that the Colombian and Afghan drug dealers would cry in an embrace with burning tears of envy, if it were in reality. Well, where there is trade, there is also its illegal, but very profitable sister - smuggling. It is the smuggling of lyrium that is the main source of income for the shady tycoons of the dusty city.

Food

The diet of the gnomes is unique compared to the other races of Thedas, as the gnomes lead an underground lifestyle. The diet of the Dwarfs of Orzammar is the most well-known. they have contacts with the outside world, unlike the more secretive gnomes of Kal "Sharok. The basis of the gnomes' diet is animals that live underground and plants, mainly mushrooms (who said "Castaneda"?). Which shows the wisdom and foresight of the gnomes, who had the opportunity to purchase products on the surface, but did not become dependent on them.

Due to the loss of many thaigs captured by the Darkspawn, the gnomes were forced to partially purchase products on the surface, but they continued to grow the plants available to them and breed animals.

Plants

Not many plants can grow underground, but the dwarves do their best to breed them. An additional danger in such "farming" is the filth of the Creatures of Darkness and the proximity of lyrium, but the gnomes do not give up. They grow whole line plants:

• Lichen- it is usually used to make bread;
• deep mushroom- it usually grows near the habitats of the Creatures of Darkness, which gives it, according to the dwarves, "a unique taste and heady aroma";
• Moss- used to create a dubious quality, but an undoubted strength of alcohol;
• Mushrooms- used for food and drinks.

Animals

• Nag- a small animal, something between a hare and pork (the taste of meat is appropriate);
• bronto- used both as a draft and driving, and for food;
• cave beetle- Dwarves eat them fried in a shell.

Alcoholic drinks

Gnomes love and know how to drink. They export, import alcoholic beverages and actively consume alcohol in unmeasured quantities.

• Dwarf ale- black viscous liquid, which is cooked on mushrooms, is unsuitable for drinking by non-dwarves;
• Beer "Brakien"- beer with a deep, rich taste;
• "Coconut Draft"- a drink offered by the waitress at the Tapster tavern in The Tale of Orzammar;
• "Hirol Lava Eruption"- made in Cal "Hirol;
• Lichen ale- poisonous ale, common in Dust City;
• moss wine- wine made from moss;
• "Valenta's Red".

Surface food

With the development of trade with the surface, food appeared among other goods. Products from the surface were new, exotic, accessible to few. In truth, generally available only to nobles or very influential personalities and families. What the nobles and those who could afford this luxury, of course, did not complain. Famous delicacies that are supplied to Orzammar are plum jam and caviar, and for drinks, mead, which is supplied by the owner of the Tapster tavern, who trades with gnome families who have settled on the surface.

Notable dishes:

• matured cheese and minced meat- very common
• Pancakes with naga meat- often used as food for children;
• "Pieces of the Naga"- also often used as food for children;
• Braised nag- fried in an analogue of a frying pan, and then stewed in the oven in a creamy mushroom sauce;
• fried porridge.

Religion

Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, the gnomes do not worship anthropomorphic deities. Instead, they developed a deep reverence for the Stone. Gnomes are the children of the Stone, they respect him, fear him, they bow before him, and in gratitude they receive the protection and favor of their "deity". This tradition has been around for almost two thousand years.

Another tradition is the worship of ancestors. If the gnome led a correct life, was honest, noble in his actions and thoughts - "strengthened the Stone" - then after death he was revered as an ancestor. If the dwarf behaved cowardly, meanly, lied and committed unworthy deeds - "weakened the Stone" - then his name was forever forgotten.

Another unique gnome tradition is the institution of the Perfect. If a gnome did something great in his life that saved many lives, gave a new impetus to science, or helped the gnomes survive their difficult life, then the Assembly had the right to award such a dwarf the title of Perfect. In addition to buns in the form of all-round respect and the right to found his own aristocratic family, the Perfect One was also endowed with the right to “speak as you please to the Stone” - i.e. his words and decisions were interpreted as expressing the will of the Stone. This was not always true—as the example of Perfect Branca shows—but it was true nonetheless. In addition, after death, a dwarf who had the status of Perfect, automatically began to be revered along with the Ancestors.

But other religions and churches among the gnomes took root poorly. Neither the religion of Tevinter, a longtime ally, nor the Church of Andraste had a significant impact on their religious beliefs.

Intimate life and marriage

Despite the conservatism of gnome culture, their intimate life is not limited by puritanical rules. The reason for this is as simple as a kylo - due to filth and attacks by the Creatures of Darkness, the population of the race is slowly but surely decreasing. Therefore, the gnomes do not adhere to strict rules in their personal lives, because they understand that otherwise they will die out like mammoths. Nevertheless, aristocrats prefer to marry within “their circle”, and keep “noble huntresses” as concubines so that they can continue the family if the “main” wife can’t cope with this - three or four concubines like this, “just in case case". "Contacts of the third kind" with representatives of other races are not common - due to the fact that Orzammar is still a closed city. In any case, the dwarves consider themselves superior to the other races of Thedas, and such contacts are looked down upon.

For noble gnomes, everything is ambivalent - men are allowed a lot, there were cases when a noble dwarf was allowed to have as many children as possible from "noble huntresses". But women from noble families should “keep cleanliness”, and this is closely monitored by relatives of young ladies. So that, so to speak, there were no "unpleasant incidents".

For the "common people" everything is much simpler - either within the caste, or if a woman gives birth to a boy to a representative of a higher caste - the whole family goes "for promotion". For women of the “anther” caste, this was generally the only chance to “rise in life”. But the men, alas, either have their own caste, or those who are lower (well, except for the "anthers" - there was no one below them).

A dwarf wearing bracers showed in this way that he was not married.

Organizations

Guardians

Keepers are a special entity in gnome society. The members of this peculiar order are scientists, judges, specialists in genealogy and philosophy of the dwarves. Their task is almost sacred - to preserve the knowledge of the gnomes and about the gnomes, everything that happened throughout the history of the underground people. Keepers are out of politics, and try to adhere to this rule, although they do not always succeed. They keep history, keep records of births, deaths and marriages - based on their data, you can trace the history of almost any family of dwarves.

In addition, the duties of the Guardians include the search for and preservation of knowledge lost during the fall of the Dwarf Empire. Knowledge is sought in the lost teigs, which, of course, is not the easiest and safest occupation.

Keepers are the source of knowledge in Orzammar. Their archives are open to members of any caste, perhaps even untouchables can go inside. Some scientists receive "grants" from noble families for a more detailed study of the history of these families. They also regulate changes in the structure of society in Orzammar - for example, they can decide whether or not those who worship someone other than the Stone, the Ancestors and the Perfected criminals or not.

The Keepers are apolitical, although in sensitive matters (such as the assassination of members of the royal family) their powers are severely limited by the Assembly. They can also act as judges, as they are considered impartial and disinterested persons.

However, they cannot be considered completely objective. For example, they never write down anything related to “anthers” - they don’t even record the fact that the last children were born (which is very important for gnomes). May they seize the records of the "unworthy" dwarf (or dwarves) who discredit their race - according to the Guardians. In addition, some inconvenient moments in the history of noble families can be cleaned up.

And, finally, the Keepers are responsible for the maintenance of the golems.

There are three branches of the Guardians - Keepers of Memory, Keepers of the Golems, and Keepers of the Stone.

"Memory Keepers" - as a rule, these are nobles, since the Memory Keepers are the most respected and "elite" part of the Keepers. Their "ranks":

• Memory Keeper;
• The keeper;
• Guardian assistant;
• Scientist;
• Scribe Guardian;
• Keeper-catalogue.

The "Golem Keepers" are, as you might guess, in charge of the golems; earlier it was also a fairly significant part of the Order of the Guardians, however, with a decrease in the number of golems, its significance gradually faded;

The Keepers of the Stone keep records of work, marriage, fertility, and other aspects of the inner life of gnome society.

legion of the dead

One of the most powerful - and darkest units of the dwarven army. Reporting directly to the king or queen of Orzammar, the Legion accepted everyone into its ranks. Whether you're a noble seeking to avoid family disgrace, a commoner, or even an untouchable, the Legion is open to all. On the eve of joining the Legion, he said goodbye to his relatives, who celebrated a memorial service for him and fell into mourning, after which the “dead” left his home and joined the Legion - from now on and forever he was dead to everyone who knew him. Legionnaires usually wore dark tattoos and heavy armor, each of them fought desperately, for he had nothing to lose - he was already dead. Legionnaires escort their dead brothers on their last journey, calling it the "Second Death" and rejoicing for them - after all, finally their torment on this earth came to an end, and they were free. They tried to bury the legionnaires in crypts, in securely walled up sarcophagi - in order to avoid desecrating the bodies of those who were not afraid to reject everything they knew to fight the Darkness, the filthy Creatures.

In general, the Legion fights against the Creatures of Darkness, holding back their onslaught, and almost never comes to the surface. However, there were cases - although they were rare. In 8:99 of the Blessed Age, the then Prince Maric Teirin asked the dwarves for support in overthrowing the Orlesian yoke - and the Legion of the Dead came to his aid. The dwarves must have had great respect for him, but Maric also had to make concessions - he promised that all the legionnaires who died above would be buried underground so that they could be reunited with the Stone. The second time, during the Fifth Blight, the Gray Warden helped the Dwarves of the Legion at the Battle of the Dead Moats, and the legionaries came to the aid in the final battle for Denerim with the Archdemon Urthemiel. However, their main task is still to contain the Darkspawn in the Deep Roads.

Tests

Tests are fights in the public arena, where fighters fight for honor and glory, and, of course, to entertain the people. For although gnomes are gnomes, nothing human is alien to them, and the crowd demands - "Bread and circuses", and bloody spectacles are desirable. Of course, usually the Trials are a kind of "God's Judgment" - if two individuals or two communities cannot otherwise resolve the dispute, they put up fighters (well, or go out on their own) and decide who is right in the arena. The winner receives the "Approval of the Perfect", and he is recognized as being right. Naturally, only warriors and nobility fight in the arena, so even if the fighters fight to the death, this is acceptable. After all, the death of one fighter in a severe shortage of personnel is preferable to a full-scale massacre between clans a la Corsican vendetta.

By the way, the first gladiator fights in the Tevinter Empire were based on the Trials of the Dwarves. Most likely, the Tevinter merchants "peeped" the battles and decided to make the same entertainment for themselves.

However, if the fight to the death was not agreed in advance, and the fighter killed his opponent, he is rejected and condemned by society as unworthy - this was the case with Oghren.

Golems

Read more about golems in this article.

The most powerful and most destructive creatures of the dwarves. One stone golem was worth ten dwarves in battle. But the price for their creation was prohibitively high. Karidin developed the golem technology at the Anvil of the Void, but he couldn't breathe life into his creations, so he used the souls of the dwarves to do so. However, over time, in addition to volunteer warriors, criminals or political opponents of the king began to come to his anvil. Karidin refused, and was turned into a golem by order of the king, but he managed to escape with the Anvil, as he was able to keep his mind. Before the Gray Warden discovered the location of the anvil, the technology was thought to be lost. However, many other magicians and blacksmiths tried to repeat the experiments of Karidin, and even more terrible creatures, already made of flesh and blood, were born.

State

Settlements

As mentioned above, only two settlements survived - Orzammar and Kal "Sharok. Moreover, Orzammar was considered for a long time the only city of the dwarves that even exists. However, in 9:12 Dragon it turned out that Kal" Sharok was written off early. It survived - at the cost of enormous hardships, only thanks to the courage of its defenders, deprived of any kind of support. Therefore, when the "fraternal peoples" finally found each other, in response to Orzammar's demands to once again recognize his supreme power, Kal "Sharok refused, citing the fact that they themselves, without anyone's help, lived all these years and survived, so the new owners are completely useless to them.

After the Fifth Blight, the dwarves revived, and were even able to push the Spawns from Kal "Hirol - now they are settling in again, recreating the third of the twelve ancient "kingdoms".

Politics

Politics is a very unscrupulous occupation, but, alas, necessary for every developed society. The gnomes also have it, and I must say, it has its own flavor.

Little is known of the ancient Dwarf Empire. Moreover, the name "Empire" in terms of meaning among the dwarves may be somewhat different than the meaning that people (and other races of Thedas) put into this word. In any case, this period in the history of the dwarves is a mystery shrouded in darkness (and in our case it is exactly like this, with a capital letter and literally). With regards to modern politics, the management of gnome society (at least in Orzammar for sure) is divided between the Assembly and the king.

Assembly It has been the central legislative body of the kingdom since the time of the ancient empire. She can even replace the king in a number of powers. She is chosen from members of wealthy and noble families, who become deshira - "Assembly of Lords" (sometimes they are derisively called "Deep Lords"). However, this only happens in Orzammar - in Kal'Sharok, a member of any caste can become a member of the Assembly, which, of course, is not liked by conservatives from Orzammar, but the dwarves of Kal'Sharok spit into the well of their opinions. In Orzammar, it is not easy to become a deshire - firstly, this title is for life, and you can take a free vacancy only after the death of one of the deshirs or his resignation (which, however, for obvious reasons, happens extremely rarely), and secondly, for this you need to spend a lot of money - to establish political alliances, the necessary connections, and just give "who should" to a thick, furry paw.

The Assembly is a legislative body, as already mentioned, so its main function is to introduce bills for consideration and recommend to the king for their adoption. The law must be adopted by a majority vote, however, as in any parliament, its discussion and transfusion from empty to empty can continue for years. However, the ruler has the right to impose his big veto on this law and send it for revision. However, the Assembly can also veto the king's decision - that's how, by vetoing each other, they keep the political balance. In addition, on very rare occasions, the Assembly considers particularly serious crimes against the state, such as the murder of members of the royal family. The punishment for this is extremely severe. The Assembly also approves the candidacy of the heir to the throne, which is introduced by the king. Usually this is the eldest son, but there are exceptions - for example, the succession of a woman to the throne is not prohibited. However, the introduction of a candidate does not automatically make that candidate the heir - the Assembly may also reject this proposal. What can cause a wave of chaos, intrigue, bloodshed, murder and other delights of political life in a troubled period - as it was during the Fifth Blight. Well, another function of the Assembly is to award the title of Perfect to this or that dwarf, whose merits the deshirs consider worthy. Since, along with the title, the dwarf also gains the right to establish his own noble house, the Assembly awards the title of Perfect extremely rarely and reluctantly - who needs competitors. And the award of this title should be unanimous, well, or at least with one abstention.

King or Queen - has the status of the highest power since the ancient Empire. However, their power is not absolute - rather, it is a constitutional monarchy, which is checked and balanced by the Assembly, and to a lesser extent, the Guardians. The King may also submit bills to the Assembly, which may or may not approve them. Biggest Influence the king has on foreign policy, as well as the army of dwarves, being the Supreme Commander. He also commands the Legion of the Dead.

International relationships

Dwarves are a very proud people. Their contribution to history can hardly be overestimated, their achievements in science and architecture are amazing, the quality of their weapons and blacksmithing skills are known far beyond their dungeons .... There is only one "but" - all their great achievements have long been in the past. And no matter how the gnomes swagger, no matter how they beat themselves with their heels in the chest, the fact remains - it is highly doubtful that they could withstand the onslaught of a powerful ground army, if there would be such a ruler who would send his troops underground. And all the achievements - golems, majestic halls, rich mines - all this has practically disappeared a long time ago.

The dwarves are not xenophobic, but they believe that it is unlikely that anything worthy of attention can be found outside their underground cities. They consider themselves the most formidable nation of Thedas, condescending to outsiders only on rare and very unusual occasions. However, it is worth noting that if the dwarves consider a person (well, or any other stranger) worthy based on their observations, they are willing to cooperate and are open to him. At the same time, they will foam at the mouth to prove that this particular person / elf / other is an exception to the rule, and the rest of the representatives of his kind are not suitable for gnomes.

Avars

Once upon a time, they sheltered the Avar woman Kalah, helped to cope with the magician Ruadan. In addition, with the help of the dwarves, the Avars built the fortress of Kinloch - and I must say, this fortress stood for a very long time.

Gray Wardens

The Gray Wardens are highly respected by the dwarves - after all, they have in common the opposition to the Creatures of Darkness. Dwarfs are perhaps the best of all candidates for the Gray Wardens, history has preserved many examples when the Dwarf Wardens bravely resisted the Creatures. However, due to the gradual reduction in the number of dwarves, they fall into the ranks of the Guardians less and less. However, the Guardians are the only organization on the surface that helps the dwarves fight the Spawn. And the dwarves respect the Guardians for their sacrifice, honoring those who come to the Deep Roads to die fighting the Darkspawn.

Orlais

The Dwarves have a very good relationship with Orlais - they wouldn't have a good relationship with one of their main trading partners. And although they are separated by mountains, this does not prevent the Dwarves from having a very large volume of trade in lyrium and minerals with the Orlesian Empire. Lyrium is one of the most important goods - since with its help the Church keeps under control both the templars and the magicians, so good relations with the gnomes are beneficial to Orley - Orley gets the lyrium, the dwarves get their gesheft, and everyone is happy.

Tevinter Empire

The oldest and largest of all the trading partners of the dwarves. Trade, as you might guess, all the same lyrium. Relations have been going back 2000 years, dwarves even live within the Tevinter Empire - however, as "non-citizens", but they are respected. However, the gnomes have their own authority there - Embassies located underground - which allows them to be "within the Stone", and some do not come out of the dungeons for years. No dwarven slaves have been recorded in Tevinter - apparently, knowing full well that in an attempt to enslave the dwarves will act according to the principle: “- They won’t take it - we’ll turn off the gas” - and cut off the supply of lyrium.

The cooperation pact has been preserved for thousands of years, relations have cooled and again experienced an upsurge, but in general, the dwarves and Tevinter keep parity. Only two cases of violation of the treaty by the dwarves are known: the first, when in the Kadash teig the dwarves sheltered the elves who fled after the destruction of Arlatan by Tevinter, the second - when Tevinter tried to conquer Ferelden, but the dwarves did not stop trading with the Avars.

Language and Linguistics

Gnomes have several dialects, however, as a rule, they speak in phrases and words common to all. Some words come from borrowed words from humans and elves. When first contact was made with the surface, the dwarves developed a "common language" for trading with outsiders. Now you rarely see a gnome who cannot speak fluently in common language, although the gnomes of Kal "Sharok speak their own dialect, most similar to the ancient language of the gnomes - this is due to their isolation and weak contacts with the surface. Dwarf runes are used by dwarves, and sometimes by people.

Famous phrases from games and books

• "Aedros Atuna": underground river. Her clay is used by gnome blacksmiths.
• "Amgarrak": Victory
• "Amgeforn"(ahm-geh-forn): Surface
• "Amgetoll": Duty
• "Atrast nal tunsha" (a-TRAST NAWL TON-shah): Formal farewell. Possibly an archaic form of "atrast tunsha", since only Caridin says that when the Gray Warden confronts him. A rough translation is "You can always find your way in the Darkness."
• "Atrast tunsha"(a-TRAST TON-shah): Formal farewell.
• "Atrast tunsha. Totarnia amgetol tavash aeduc.": Words spoken at the official rite of passage of the dwarves.
• "Atrast vala"(a-TRAST VA-la): Formal greeting. Literally - "speak", "find your language".
• cloudgazer: Name of the Dwarves who live on the surface and "lost the Stone"
• Deshyr: Name of members of the Assembly, roughly equivalent to "Lord".
• "Dust to Dunkels": "Dust on the dusty" (approximately) - a phrase indicating a great deal of confidence
• "Dwarva": Self-designation of gnomes.
• "Gwah": Salt
• Isana: The name of the lyrium. Premerno can be translated as "singing stone."
• "Kallak": War.
• Kalna(KAL-nah): "Home" or "lineage".
• "Mathas gar na fornen pa salroka atrast.": Meaning unknown.
• Mud Splashers: Naga name
• Partha: World. (meaning "non-war")
• Ren: Pond, swimming pool
• "Rock Licker": Name of bronto
• "Salroka"(sal-ROW-cah): "Friend." Most commonly used by the Untouchables, the literal translation is "one who is on my side".
• "Stalata Negat": Part of the title of a book of gnomes.
• "Sun touched": "Touching the sun" is a contemptuous nickname for surface gnomes.
• Tezpadam: "Deep Seeker"
• Thaig(TAIG): That was the name of the dwarven colonies. Usually the name “teig such and such” was given, in honor of the House that founded it.
• "Valos atredum"(VAH-lows a-TRAY-doom): "favor of the ancestors", voice of the ancestors, "blessing of the ancestors".
• Veata(VEE-et-ah): "Stay" or "do not move further"
• "Wim and Wam": "Whining (or whining) and begging."

• Initially, the developers planned that the gnomes would speak with a German accent. However, they decided not to do this, as a result, the gnomes speak with various North American accents.
• None of the gnome heroes have been announced as the love interest of the main characters, although the gnome protagonist in the first part of the game is no different romantically from the heroes of other races.
• Oddly enough, gnomes are completely absent from Dragon Age II.
• Dwarven culture is somewhat borrowed from the cultures of the Aztecs and Mayans.
• The Qunari probably refer to all Dwarves as "short".

Worked on the article: Umbra (translation), Darth LegiON (addition, editing, design).

• Role system
• Squad Composition
• Characteristics
• Skills
• Talents and Spells
• Classes
• Talent selection options
• Tactics

Role system

The parameters for the character are as follows:

• health and mana - directly follow from the characteristics;

  defense - a chance to dodge an attack;

  resistance (physical and mental) - measured in "conventional units" and determine the chance to "resist" against an attack. Physical resistance is not needed against health removal, but against additional effects like stuns or knockdowns. These effects are common to a good half of martial techniques and many spells; mental stability is needed much less often. In the future, we will designate them as FU and PU;

  experience - as usual, determines how much is left to the level;

• talents and spells.

The last two points are easy to confuse. So, "talents and spells" are basically those actions that you can use in combat. And skills determine your overall effectiveness. And if talents and spells come to you 1 each level, then skills come only once every three levels, and you can’t change them in any way.

We are offered a choice of three races - a man, an elf, a dwarf - and three classes: a warrior, a mage, a robber (I will already use this clumsy translation). You can create only one hero - he will be our incarnation in the game; the rest of the team - up to three satellites allowed at a time - will assemble along the way.

Of course, there is not such a wealth of choice as in Baldur's Gate; however, we take into account that two heroes of the same class differ very much due to their abilities, and starting from level 7 they can try to take on a specialization (four options for each class) The repertoires of magicians are especially different.

Ask in the shops of the city

You will really need money in the game, because there are enough expensive things to buy from merchants. With potions, bombs, weapons, components, recipes for herbalists and poisoners, everyone will figure it out for themselves, but I would like to draw your attention to items that you should especially seek out from all the merchants you meet:

Backpack. Each of them increases the inventory capacity of the entire team by 10 units. Initially, you have seventy of them, and this is absolutely not enough for long autonomous hikes - which you will start pretty soon. The first one is in Ostagar, don't miss it.

Books. You are primarily interested in two types of literary works: for getting talent or skill points (you need as many of them as you can find and pay for) and for specialization (you need a maximum of two of these that you plan to study, and only if there is nowhere else to learn).

Present. An invaluable tool for increasing the loyalty of companions. However, most gifts are only of interest to one of your friends, the rest of you will receive a penny increase and a slight decrease in interest in gifts in the future. In the next issue, I hope to present you with a complete list of who to give what; for now I will limit myself to general advice on the NPCs I have met.

Runes. They can be built into weapons (starting from the moment you leave Lothering) and they will work as a permanent buff. Usually additional damage of some type, say electricity or acid.

Squad Composition

On the team you will need:

indisputably - at least one "tank", which must certainly be a warrior;

at least one, and preferably two "hitoboys", one of which can be an auxiliary "tank" - a mage, a robber, and even a warrior are suitable for this role;

desirable (although without it here really dispense) - a healer, and this is definitely a magician;

preferably - at least one "subjugator", that is, a specialist in fettering and neutralizing opponents (crowd controller). It can also be combined with a hit-boy or a healer. Naturally, a magician is suitable for this role, a robber with a bard specialization is also not bad.

And I was also assured that you seemed to be able to turn into even the smallest animals. Well, for example, become a rat
or even a mouse!

You will be able to regularly change the composition of the group - wherever you can arrange a halt. This will not help you in the dungeon, but before entering there, it will.

Before you start inventing a character, I should give you a little advice. It actually borders on a spoiler, so if you want to avoid it, skip ahead to the next chapter.

The fact is that among the satellites that are in the game, there are many warriors, they make up almost two-thirds of the list. And mages and robbers - only two each. Moreover, among the magicians there is not a single "artilleryman", but there is a magnificent healer named Wynn and a werewolf sorceress (that is, a magician with the possibility of close combat).

"Tank" you, in principle, will be almost from the very beginning, and very good. There are alternatives to him, but they are usually better adapted to the role of a "hit-killer tank": for example, Stan - you will have him soon enough - wields a two-handed sword convincingly.

Also, from the very beginning, you will have a creature with you that does good melee damage and can occasionally stun all enemies, that is, it works partly as a “subduer”. But he has almost no equipment, which greatly limits his capabilities.

Pretty soon, if you're careful, you'll be able to add a rogue bard: it's a 'hitoboy subduer', but this particular companion is more of a subdue than a damage dealer. The second robber will be found much later, and he is a specialist exclusively in murder.

This is something to keep in mind before creating the original hero. I myself, of course, did not know this at the beginning of the game and chose the robber as the first hero. But you can't say that I'm particularly sorry about it.

Characteristics

We have six characteristics, as it should be from the century. Namely:

Strength

Each unit of power is here:

Increases the damage of any attack, except for the crossbow and staff. Please note: bows are included! And the staff in Dragon Age is not a long club, but a magic shot weapon.

Increases the chance to hit in melee combat (accuracy increases by 0.5 per unit).

Added to physical stability.

Helps to threaten the enemy.

In addition, a certain level of strength is required for almost any hand weapon, as well as for wearing armor. Each sword or helmet has a "requires this much power" parameter. Like in old Diablo.

Agility

Each point of dexterity:

increases the chances of hitting in melee combat (accuracy increases by 0.5 per unit);

increases the chances of hitting when shooting (accuracy increases by 1 per unit);

increases damage from piercing weapons, including bows and crossbows;

increases defense by 1 for each point;

enhances physical resilience.

In addition, high dexterity values ​​are needed for bows and crossbows, as well as a number of tricks.

Strength of will

Increases mental stability, and also gives the hero mana - 5 units for each point. Thus, everyone needs it, even warriors - they call mana energy, but the essence is the same.

Magic

Magic Feature:

If at least one wolf is able to
to knock you down, the rest will tear you apart in the blink of an eye, not allowing you to get up.

increases the mental stability of the hero;

increases the hero's magic power by 1 for each point;

required for staves and spells (as power for weapons);

increases the effectiveness of potions and poultices applied to the character (!).

Cunning

Cunning Features:

affects the ability to convince;

required for many tricks, especially robber ones;

increases the effectiveness of rogue skills;

affects mental stability.

Body type

Increases physical resistance and gives health points - 5 for each point.

Races

Let's face it: races are given little importance in the game mechanics. Four plus points to the characteristics is ridiculous, you will receive +3 for each level, and there are 20 of these levels in total. Except that the dwarves - who are forbidden to be magicians - receive a 10% chance to reflect enemy spells as compensation. It's nice, but 10% is not a probability that you should rely on.

Elves are pariahs, an oppressed race; most of them settle in ghettos within human cities.

The plus features are:

Human: +1 Strength, Agility, Cunning, and Magic.

Elf: +2 to magic and willpower.

Dwarf: +1 Strength and Agility, +2 Constitution.

However, something different depends on the race: how you will be treated in the game. And also your original story.

Elves in Dragon Age are pariahs, an oppressed race; most of them settle in ghettos within human cities (such quarters are called "elfinages"), but there are still free tribes in the distant Brecilian Forest.

The Dwarves were once mighty and strong, but now they are in decline, and only two of their great cities remain; but still, they have a pretty decent relationship with people.

Well, people ... as usual, dominate this world. True, there is no agreement between them, but other races are a little better.

Skills

Oddly enough, the skills for all classes are common. Of course, they are useful in different ways, but any character can learn any skill. The only exception is influence; it is only allowed to be taught by the main character.

You will gain one skill point for every three levels, for a total of six in addition to what you already had. This value can be slightly improved by books that give an extra point. But they are rare and expensive.

Any skill has four stages; to learn the next one, one must know the previous one and fulfill other requirements. So:

Influence

According to the good old tradition, it increases the persuasiveness of your speeches. The first level requires cunning 10, the second - 12, the third - 14, the fourth - 16.

Thief

An attempt to steal valuables from the character. This skill improves the well-being of the squad quite well, but is the game worth the candle? Perhaps it is useful to make a “reserve” robber a thief, so that from time to time he is included in the squad and enriches it a little.

At the highest level, this skill helps to distract the enemy during combat, which is useful for a rogue. And yet sacrifice half of all skill points for it? I doubt...

Survival

Helps to notice opponents in time, as well as better imagine their parameters; from the third level it gives a little resistance to the forces of nature, from the fourth it further increases this and physical resistance.

As for me, this thing does not give serious advantages.

The requirements are the same as those of influence.

Making traps

Probably later they will say that the rain wetted the strings of the bows ...

If you remember, in Baldur's Gate, traps made and installed with your own hands were damned serious weapons; old Yoshimo simply worked miracles with their help. So, here it’s no worse. If you have time to prepare for battle, the good old trap will mentally please your opponents.

Parts for traps will have to be bought mainly from merchants; there is little in place.

This skill competes for "a place in the sun" with the manufacture of poisons; but it is desirable for a robber to study some of this - otherwise his possibilities in battle will be limited. Perhaps traps are better for the "shooting" version of the robber.

This skill also allows, which is logical, to better feel other people's traps.

Requirements: second stage - level 4, third - level 7, fourth - level 10.

Making poisons

Poisons are made from purchased or improvised means (such as herbs or dead spiders) and smeared on blades. A rogue who prefers close combat should seriously consider this skill.

But poisons are only half the fun: this skill also determines the crafting and use bombs and acid bottles. At low levels, these very bottles are almost the most powerful weapon of your squad. Later, the efficiency drops.

Do not forget that the poisoner needs to buy bottles as soon as possible: the product is inexpensive, but without it he will not cook anything.

Herbalist

This character also uses the collected plants and flasks, but makes something completely different from them - potions, ointments and healing poultices. From the purchased powder of lyrium, mana potions are obtained, from the everywhere growing "elven root" - medicines.

Keep in mind that all mage companions in the game have at least some mastery of this craft.

The requirements are the same as for making traps.

combat training

Neither a warrior nor a robber can escape this skill, and it will have to be developed, most likely, all the way. The fact is that access to all techniques depends on his level - to get to the third level technique in any branch, you need the third level of combat training. This is the must have program...

In addition, combat training gives advantages in battle, and for mages - also the chances not to lose the spell when the enemy tries to knock it down.

There are no requirements.

Combat tactics

This skill is then needed to add new tactics for your character. That is, if you prefer to manually command everyone all the time, then this is useless to you; but you can donate a cell or two and set the hero "on the machine."

The requirements are the same as those of influence.

Talents and Spells

Arranged in the same way as skills - in a line of four, but you will have more of them, because each level will bring one point.

You can roughly divide them into three types: passive - which simply work themselves (for example, a warrior gets tired less in heavy armor); active - they work on command and take away some mana; and long-term - they work like active ones, but after that they remain in force until they are turned off. Since mana regenerates very quickly here, long-term abilities "lock" some of your mana, as if they are constantly using it.

Unlike skills, each new ability rank here has its own name. Therefore, I will name the lines by the first talent from the chain.

Please note that it is quite possible to "unwind" the chain completely by the level of 12-14. This may make the hero a little one-sided, but many rank four abilities are a kind of “superweapon”.

Weapon in each hand

Weapon wielding in each hand

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Hero Level	—	—	9	12
Agility	12	16	26	36

The first rank of the talent simply provides full off-hand weapon damage. The second gives pluses to attack and defense. The third provides a chance to inflict a wound that will gradually reduce the health of the enemy. And finally, the fourth one reduces the cost of all the techniques of twin blades, and in addition, it allows you to take a full-fledged sword in your left hand, and not a short dagger.

Double punch

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Agility	12	16	22	28

Double Strike itself is a long-term move that increases damage, but at the same time reduces the chance of a critical hit. For a robber - a very dubious joy, but if you already pressed it so that you can’t get in from the back ... The Warrior will do just fine.

The next rank is retaliation. The fighter attacks with the right hand with a chance to stun the target; then strikes with the left, which, if the target is stunned, automatically gives critical damage.

Crippling Strike: If the attack hits, the damage is critical and the enemy takes a movement speed penalty.

Punisher (oh, and who only translated this ?!): triple hit, third hit - critical, chance to knock the target down or reduce attack and defense.

Swing with two arms

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Agility	12	18	24	30

Attack on all enemies in front of you - with increased damage. It is dangerous for a rogue to get carried away with this trick - it is easy to distract the enemy, but the damage is very worthy. In general, this line is especially suitable for a warrior, if he decides on dual blades instead of a shield or a two-hander.

Second rank, flurry - three hits with normal damage.

Gust - Attack speed increases dramatically, but energy drops every moment.

Whirlwind - the hero begins to spin, distributing attacks to everyone around. A warrior surrounded by enemies is just great.

Weapon and shield

Shield Bash

Shield strike with normal damage and a chance to stun the target. Shield push is the same, but the blow is double (note that the "recharge" of these skills is different). Suppression - three hits, with the third of them being critical. And the assault - as many as four blows, but ... for some reason, weakened. The first rank is very useful, the next - less.

shield defense

Shield Defense is a stance with improved defense against arrows and a penalty to attack (long-term technique). Its development, a balanced shield, removes the attack penalty... and before that, it does more harm than good. Shield Wall is a long-term move that drastically increases defense, and if you take the last ability in the line, then in this state the warrior cannot be knocked down.

Shield block

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Hero Level	—	—	9	12
Agility	10	16	20	26

Shield block prevents flank attacks against the warrior from the side of his shield. Covering with a shield gives advantages against shooting. Shield training does not allow hitting a warrior in the back at all, all attacks against him are considered the same; and the last talent in this line dramatically increases all shield skills.

This line is almost necessary for a real "tank" - if you want to live longer. Please note that it does not require strength, but dexterity.

Two-handed weapon

Access: warrior. Require combat training.

hilt strike

A blow with the blunt end of a weapon (?) that knocks the opponent down if they fail an FU check.

Indomitable is a long-term effect that slightly increases damage and does not allow you to either knock down or stun a fighter.

Stunning Blows - any attack of a fighter has a chance to stun the enemy. This is not a long-term, but a passive talent - it does not require inclusion!

And the top of the line is a critical strike: this attack, on hit, not only always gives critical damage, but can (if the enemy is already wounded) kill him on the spot.

Split weapon

If the target fails FP checks, it suffers an attack penalty for a short time. It only makes sense against "bosses" - but they will pass this test...

The next rank - crushing blows - is a plus for damage against golems and other mechanical objects. Shatter Armor is normal damage and if the target fails FP, a penalty to defense. It is better to split the weapon, because the attack still deals damage. And at the fourth rank (“Destroyer”), all the attacks of the hero have this property. Unfortunately, the armor penalty from them does not stack, so the benefit is not that great; it is not even clear why this particular talent has such brutal requirements.

mighty blow

Hit with increased damage; if the target does not pass the FP, it will be slowed down. An alternative way to "bind" the enemy to you... Powerful blows - a long-term technique that increases damage - but with a penalty to attack and defense (which is reduced by the next rank of the talent - "Strength of two hands").

And finally, the fourth rank is perhaps the best two-handed move: the swing deals normal damage to all nearby enemies, and each of them makes an FU check or falls. Mow, scythe, while the dew ...

Archery

Access: Warrior, Rogue. Require combat training.

Shooting in close combat

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Agility	12	16	22	28

The first rank allows you to shoot while being attacked; if you bet only on the bow, you can’t do without it.

Aimed fire reduces the rate of fire, but increases accuracy, damage, armor penetration and critical hit chance - in a word, you should always turn it on when the enemies are not completely flimsy (this is a long-term technique). Defensive shooting - the rate of fire is reduced for the sake of a plus to protection; if you had to use it, then you miscalculated somewhere.

And Master Shooter is an ability that improves almost all shooting techniques, and also allows you to avoid the penalty in heavy armor (but not armor). Who would have developed defensive shooting without this ...

Pinning Shot

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Agility	12	16	21	30

This line is, in my opinion, the key for a robber with a bow; at least the first rank in it is obligatory. After a pinning shot, the target that passed the FU is slowed down, and the one that didn’t is forced to stay in place! A melee specialist boss fight almost always starts with this shot.

The second move, a crippling shot, lowers the target's attack and defense (while dealing normal damage). The third is a critical shot - an attack with a plus to armor penetration and automatic critical damage.

The fourth one, the Killer Arrow, is described in the game as simply a critical shot, but in reality it has a chance to lay down the target on the spot. On "bosses", however, does not work.

fast shooting

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Agility	12	16	24	27

Increased rate of fire - but no chance of a critical hit. Long-term reception; in my opinion, not the most valuable. Shattering Shot - normal damage + penalty to the target's armor. Suppressive Arrow - normal damage + penalty to the target's attack; much more useful than a similar two-handed technique, because the penalties add up and as a result, the enemy stops hitting the "tank" at all.

And finally, the explosive arrow: it deals normal damage, stuns the target - and after that, with an explosion, it deals the same effect to all enemies in the vicinity.

elemental magic

Access: mag.

fiery flash

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	27	34

Good old fire spells - as usual, hit both enemies and friends, which is irrelevant only at the lowest difficulty levels. But they hit very well if the enemy does not have stability. They can also ignite the effects of other spells (dirt...).

Flame Flare is a cone, quite narrow, hard to catch a lot of enemies in it. The second rank is fire weapons, a long-term spell that makes all of the party's weapons fire. Fireball - not only does damage in a large area, it also knocks you down; Yes, and it looks much more interesting than the usual "balls". And the highest fiery spell - fiery hell - a sort of whirlwind that removes health every round. A terrible thing, but it also hurts its own.

stone armor

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	25	30

The first rank is to increase the protection of the magician himself. Stone Fist - a projectile that removes health and knocks you down; it is good to use it after an ice spell, because targets turned to ice or stone can break into pieces.

Earthquake is a long-lasting spell that causes everyone in the area (including friends) to make an FU check or fall every few seconds. Finally, Turn to Stone: On a FU failure, the target turns to stone for a few seconds. It does not move and can be broken by an attack or a stone fist.

Ice Snap

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	25	34

Decent damage + freezing the target: it turns into ice (which can be broken) or just slows down, depending on your luck. Ice weapons are similar to fire weapons. Cone of Cold - the same ice grip, but in a cone; and finally, Blizzard is a long area spell that constantly hits everyone (friends and foes), and also forces you to make stability checks so as not to fall and turn into ice. True, the targets get a bonus to defense and resistance to fire, but usually this is of little comfort to them.

Lightning

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	18	18	28	33

The first rank is just a combat spell, but quite powerful. The second is the same lightning, but in a cone. The third - a storm - hits the area for a long time, scattering lightning. And the fourth - chain lightning - deals powerful damage, and then small lightning strikes the target's neighbors with less damage.

creation

Access: mag.

Treatment

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	23	28

Heals wounds to one ally. The following spells speed up an ally's mana and health regeneration, respectively, and the last one grants both to the whole group. Alas, ordinary magicians are not given mass treatment - this requires the specialization of a healer.

Heroic Assault

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	15	20	30

Spell of the first rank - plus to the attack of an ally. The second, heroic aura, is a shield that reflects ranged attacks with a very decent probability. The third - heroic defense - gives protection and stability of all kinds, but puts pressure on the target, adding fatigue (that is, increasing the cost of all her abilities). And finally, the fourth is a wonderful haste spell: the whole group begins to move and attack faster, although the chances of hitting are somewhat reduced.

Rune of Paralysis

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	25	33

A very strange looking but useful school. The first spell is a trap rune that paralyzes the first person to step on it. The second is a defensive rune that grants defense and resilience bonuses to all friends near it. Rune of Repulsion - Pushes aside enemies that fail the FU check; along with the rune of paralysis, it explodes, paralyzing everyone around! And finally, a terrible rune of neutralization, which blocks all spells in the radius of action, drains mana, dispels effects and does not allow you to restore strength; some fights turn into child's play with her.

Magic light

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	20	23	33

The magic light is just an addition to the magical power of the sorcerer himself. The next spell, mud, is a large puddle that everyone slips in (slow), and can be set on fire with a fire spell. Enchantment Flower is an effect that causes all nearby mages (including enemies) to increase mana regeneration. And finally, the stinging swarm: very powerful damage, and if the victim dies from it, the swarm flies to the next enemy. As for me, this school is of little use - except that you have as many as three magicians in the group ...

Spirit

Access: mag.

Magic shield

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	25	33

Great tool for a magic duel... if your mana is thicker than the enemy's. The spell absorbs enemy spells with a probability of three to four, but at the same time, it eats up your mana for each operation. As the mana runs out, so the shield will fall. Alas, most often those enemies from which you want to defend yourself so much are stuffed with mana to the eyeballs.

Dispel Magic, as you'd expect, removes all effects from the target, making no difference between self and non-self spells. It always works, if the spell can be dispelled at all. But then comes the anti-magic barrier - full protection from spells (yes, from healing ones too). And this is often the weapon of victory. Works, unlike the shield, not only on itself. Anti-Magic Flare - mass scattering over the area; 99% of the time it's useless, but...

Manna Siphon

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	25	33

Trying to borrow someone else's mana. Unfortunately, not in commercial quantities. Mana Burn - Spend your own mana to destroy others around you. Magic Power - Strengthens all of your spells, but mana is consumed faster and regenerated more slowly. And finally, Mana Collision is a very expensive spell that takes away from the enemy all mana and deals damage to him in proportion to the taken away.

I think this line is worth checking out. only for the final. Do you want to spend four talents to become a thunderstorm of magicians and be able to quickly burn your resource?

walking bomb

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	20	25	33

Pretty Spell: The target takes constant poison damage, and if it dies before the spell breaks, it explodes. The next rank is Death Vortex: a long-term spell that restores mana if there are killed enemies nearby. The third rank - Infectious Walking Bomb - does the same as the first one, but even with the explosion you can infect neighbors (at the same time, it is not placed on those who already have the effect of the first level bomb). And finally, the fourth - raising the corpse of the enemy as a skeleton.

Bombs are powerful weapons, but if you don't play on the lower difficulty level, it makes sense to at least study dispel magic along with this line. And then a lot of trouble can be done.

mind explosion

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	23	30

Simple and tasteful: stuns all enemies around (unless, of course, they pass the PU). The next rank is a force field: the target cannot move and cannot be damaged, a kind of "stasis". The third rank puts a telekinesis spell on the weapons of the entire squad; god knows why, but it improves armor penetration. And finally, the fourth is a crushing dungeon: the spell prevents the enemy from doing anything and gradually takes the life out of him. The most tenacious will wait for it to end, and with medium enemies - apply and forget.

Entropy

Access: mag.

Weakness

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	25	35

Penalty to attack and defend the target; if FU does not pass, it will also slow down. Paralysis is slowed on a successful FU check, completely immobilized on a failed one. Toxic Vapors is a long-term spell that imposes penalties on any target of the mage. And finally, the top of this line, not without reason, requires a whopping 35 units of magic: this is mass paralysis. Disables enemies in heavy bursts.

Vulnerability Corruption

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	20	28	36

Inflicts resistance penalties against fire damage, cold damage, and so on; in addition, it significantly strengthens attacks against its target, such as draining life. Infectious damage - the same, but in a circle next to the victim. Averting Corruption weakens the enemy's attacks: critical hits become normal, normal misses. And the last, disastrous, damage makes all hits on the victim critical.

The most useful link here seems to be the third one; but in general this line is not the most rational expenditure of talents. I think Bioware overestimated her.

Loss of orientation

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	18	30	32

The victim suffers a penalty to attack and defense. Horror, the second rank, is a double-acting spell: it usually pins the victim in place if he does not pass the DR; but against an unconscious victim, deals massive damage without any checks. Sleep puts a whole group of enemies to rest (before the first hit, the victim wakes up from the damage), and sleeping ones can be finished off with horror. And finally, a nightmare in reality - something like a D&D confusion: someone is stunned, someone is charmed, someone is attacking their allies ... Of course, if the PU does not pass.

This branch is being studied by one of your companions; it will pass the first two links by itself, and it makes sense to advance it at least one more link, and preferably two.

Life Siphon

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Magic	—	20	25	34

The first spell does the same as all its namesakes - it transfers part of the health from the victim to the magician. The second - death magic - is long-term, it restores the magician's "life line" if there are dead enemies around. Next - a deadly curse: the enemy cannot be healed and takes constant damage. And lastly, the cloud of death - constant damage to everyone in the area of ​​​​effect (and your own too).

Warrior

Bogatyr

More health, less armor fatigue - in general, an absolutely necessary thing. The next ability, intimidation, is absolutely necessary for any "tank" - the hero constantly emits threat (long-term). Courage is also, by and large, for the "tank": it increases all the parameters of a fighter if he is opposed by more than two enemies (for each additional one). Finally, the death rush restores energy when an enemy dies.

calculated blow

Less attack speed, but higher chances of hitting and critical damage. Provocation - the second rank - a one-time outbreak of threat, interception of opponents. Exiting the battle - on the contrary, reducing the threat and the chance that the enemies will immediately switch to others. A perfect hit is a big plus for accuracy.

In my opinion, both the tank and the hitman can save money on this line. Although many of them have the first reception initially.

Rogue

dirty wrestling

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Hero Level	—	4	8	12
Agility	10	14	18	22

Dirty Fight is a stun that deals no damage. It is needed mainly when it is not possible to go behind the back. And to facilitate this maneuver - the next rank of the line, movement in battle: it allows you to consider a wider angle as "backward", and it is highly recommended to have it - especially for "blade" robbers. The third move is Mercy Strike: If the target is stunned or paralyzed, each hit counts as a backstab. The fourth rank - "SOS button" - feigned death, that is, a forced exit from the battle.

Hit below the belt

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Hero Level	—	4	8	12
Agility	10	14	18	22

A low blow deals normal damage; if the victim did not pass the FL, then he receives a penalty to protection and movement. Second rank technique - death blow - despite the loud name, differs from a simple attack only in improved armor penetration. The third rank is lethality; it increases the chance of a critical strike, and in addition, it uses cunning instead of strength when calculating damage. That's a very serious damage boost! And finally, dodge - 20% chance to avoid any physical attack.

Skillful hands

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Hero Level	—	4	8	12
Cunning	10	14	18	22

This technique improves the hero's ability to break locks and traps - at all ranks. Although this is usually the main thing for keeping a thief on a team, in Dragon Age you can try to do without a burglar. Most hacked chests contain small valuables or gifts; in addition, already early stages you will regularly miss the second rank of this skill. That is, if you want to open any lock with your little finger, you invest in skillful hands until it stops, losing combat talents.

Stealth

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Hero Level	—	4	8	12
Cunning	10	14	18	22

But for this, many rogues should not spare points: an attack from stealth is considered an attack from behind, even if in fact you are standing face to face. The first rank simply allows you to sneak up on the enemy unnoticed, and nothing can be done in this state. The second allows you to use items. The third gives a chance to hide right in the thick of the fight. The fourth simply increases your chances of getting out of sight and not getting caught.

Mage

magic arrow

Requirements
Rank	1	2	3	4
Level	1	3	7	10

A simple combat spell, all the advantages of which are fast reloading. It makes sense only if you plan to develop the line. The second rank is a magical shield that temporarily increases the protection of the magician himself (and do not lead him into battle ...). The third one, focusing on the staff, increases the damage from the staff (and in fact devalues ​​the magic arrow). The fourth - mastery of magic - permanently increases magical power.

Classes

We have already analyzed the main abilities; this chapter is devoted to the story of how to develop the characters of each of the classes. We will consider several “working” options, which, of course, does not prevent us from inventing our own based on them or without it.

As already mentioned, there are only three base classes, but each of them has four specializations. They can be taken at levels 7 and 14 (choosing two out of four), but you can’t do it “just like that” - you need a teacher or guidance. The manual can sometimes be bought from merchants; a teacher is either your companion who already has a similar class (and you need a warm relationship with him), or a special NPC in the city. It is not easy to find a teacher for some specialties ...

Each specialty provides permanent pluses and its own line of skills. I won't cover them in detail now, but I'll briefly describe them.

Warrior

A warrior has two main occupations: a tank and a hit fighter. Between them there is an intermediate one (sometimes called off-tank): an attacking fighter, who, however, is tenacious enough not to be afraid of intercepting aggression.

The skills of a warrior, oddly enough, do not depend on the type.

For any warrior, without fail, the skill of combat training must develop to the limit. Not necessarily first, but must. If this is the main character, 1-3 units of influence will not hurt. The rest can be spent on tactics or get a rank or two in survival.

Warrior Specializations

If bears were hedgehogs...

Templar. Anti-Mage: He has the ability to drain mana from the enemy, increase his own RP and neutralize spells.

Berserk. Attacking fighter: battle rage increases damage (for slow recovery), there is a technique that burns all energy in one hit and deals damage proportionally.

Knight. Strengthening your own, penalties to enemies. With terrible cries, the knights weaken the opponents (or even throw them to the ground), with a cheerful voice they increase the attack and defense of the squad.

Ripper. This gentleman knows how to heal at the expense of the corpses of enemies (similar to the "death magic" spell), deal damage to enemies around him with his aura, and also fights the stronger, the less health he has left.

Tank

As we have known since prehistoric times, a "tank" is a shield. Let's leave two-handed weapons to hit-boys and hybrids, twin blades and a bow, all the more so.

The characteristics of the "tank" are needed are: strength, agility and physique. In what proportion? Strength and constitution are about 2:1, like most warriors, and agility is just enough to learn the necessary techniques. Unfortunately, dexterity is indispensable for blocking with a shield. The main character, if you want to study influence, will also need cunning (though not in exorbitant quantities).

The most obvious set of talents:

Bogatyr: 4 ranks

Shield Block: 4 ranks

Shield Defense: 4 ranks

Shield Bash: 2 ranks

The rest is on specialization. Among them, we immediately reject the berserker, the rest can be considered. The Knight is good if you have a lot of warriors and robbers in the squad, but weakening the enemies is always in the price. Templar and Ripper can definitely come in handy too, although the advantages of the former are not so often needed (I fell for the magician - somehow you can manage to cut him down without additional advantages).

Alternative:

Bogatyr: 4 ranks

Shield Block: 4 ranks

Shield Defense: 4 ranks

Calculating Strike: 2 ranks

The rest is specialization.

You can also try to save on dexterity:

Bogatyr: 4 ranks

Shield Block: 4 ranks

Calculating Strike: 2 ranks

Shield Bash: 4 ranks

The rest is specialization.

But such a warrior will be noticeably less durable. Maybe he should take the ripper specialization.

To get the right talents at the start, it is recommended to take a noble origin. Gnome or human is the second question, a dwarf might fit a little better. Elves and riffraff will get bonuses to marksmanship, dual blades... why do you need all this?

Tactics for the "tank" looks something like this:

At the beginning of the battle - intimidation.

If they shoot at him, take cover with a shield.

If the enemy has more than 75% health - hit with a shield or push with a shield.

The templar can additionally be ordered to attack mages and apply a righteous blow, and against a mage surrounded by other enemies - a holy punishment.

hitoboy

What weapon to take? Let's exclude the bow right away: what's the point of taking a warrior and not letting him into the thick of the battle? The shield is the lot of the "tank", two-handed swords and twin blades remain. I'd strongly recommend a two-hander because dual blades require dexterity; however, a dwarf of non-noble origin will immediately give you the talent of swinging with two blades. Without it, you can focus on strength and, to a lesser extent, physique.

Talents (two-handed variant):

Hilt strike: 4 ranks

Bogatyr: 1 rank

Calculating Strike: 2 ranks

Mighty Strike: 4 ranks

Another talent, the one that is given at birth, will go to an unnecessary direction for you. You can put everything else into specializations (berserker, ripper are the most natural options).

Talents (Dual Blades variant):

Swing with two arms with weapons: 4 ranks

Bogatyr: 1 rank

Calculating Strike: 2 ranks

Double Strike: 2 ranks

Be sure to take the dwarf "from the bottom" so as not to spend money on a shield or bow.

Talents (hybrid hit-tank):

Hilt strike: 4 ranks

Bogatyr: 4 ranks

Calculating Strike: 2 ranks

Mighty Strike: 4 ranks

The rest is specialization (any one is fine).

Hitboy tactics:

(If there is no healer) If health is below 25%, heal with a poultice.

(If there is a ripper specialty) If health is below 25%, drain life.

If there are more than two enemies, swing with two-handed weapons / swing with weapons in each hand.

(If there is a knight specialty) There are more than two enemies - a battle cry.

If the enemy has more than 75% health - hilt strike / triple strike.

If the enemy has more than 50% health - mighty strike / double strike

Rogue

A rogue's main occupation is a hit slayer, but it is possible to make a subdue out of him as well.

A rogue's skills almost necessarily include:

- combat training of the 4th rank, in the most extreme case of the third;

- poisons or making traps 2-3 ranks;

- the rest, if any, can be spent on influence, tactics or an extra rank of poisons / traps.

In general, the robber is worse than the warrior, to leave at the mercy of the machine gun: the correct position here means a lot.

There are only two types of rogue weapons: twin blades or a bow. The bow is easier to develop, because such a rogue does not need strength at all; it pairs better with traps than poison. Dual blades require some strength; if you want to use daggers, then a small one, and if you pretend to swing swords, then a fair one. Note that daggers have a higher chance of critical damage; however, the base damage is too low.

When choosing talents, you have to keep in mind not only the occupation in combat, but also “side jobs” like picking locks.

Rogue Specializations

Duelist. He is somewhat better protected than his counterparts, and has the ability to make all hits critical for a while.

Killer. The most damage-oriented variant, he can inflict bleeding wounds, as well as "mark" the target so that everyone deals increased damage against it.

Bard. Unique Specialty: Allows you to sing a song that stuns all nearby enemies every few seconds instead of directly participating in combat. To do this, you need to fully develop the line of his abilities; and before that, he strengthens the detachment with his songs.

Pathfinder. Another "step to the side": the ranger calls on the beast to help the squad. Unlike a bard, this does not prevent him from fighting himself.

Swordsman

Low Power Talents (Daggers):

Low blow: 4 ranks

Weapon Proficiency in Each Hand: 3 ranks

Dirty Wrestling: Ranks 3-4

Stealth: 3-4 ranks

The rest is specialization and/or skillful hands. Specializations here, most likely, are a duelist or an assassin, a ranger is possible.

Talents with decent power (dagger + sword, then swords):

Low blow: 1 rank

Weapon proficiency in each hand: 4 ranks

Dirty Wrestling: Ranks 3-4

Stealth: 3-4 ranks

The rest is specialization and/or skillful hands. There are more chances to develop specialization, the set is the same.

Swordsman Tactics suggests the following:

This is where a bomb would come in handy. And a warrior ... what is a warrior? Come to life. After battle.

Start the fight by smearing the blades with poison.

The duelist - to start a duel, the killer - to mark the target of the "tank".

Launch your critical hits against the tank's target.

If health falls below 25% - feigned death.

Dirty fight - if he is attacked.

Archer

Archer Talents:

Pinning Shot: 4 ranks

Rapid Fire: 4 ranks

Stealth: 1-3 ranks

Dirty Wrestling: Rank 1

Melee Shooting: 2 ranks

The rest is specialization and/or skillful hands. Specializations here are tracker, assassin.

Before the battle, the archer sets a trap (if he can), then, perhaps, hides; the fight begins with a shackling and crippling shot, choosing the target of the tank. If attacked in melee - a dirty fight, if health is below 25% - feigned death. It's possible to risk starting with an explosive arrow, but it's better to use this technique consciously when the tanks are already holding enemies securely.

subjugator

This is a completely different combat role. After developing bardic talents, most of the time he will not fight at all, but will summon beasts (if he already has a second specialization) and sing an enchanting song.

Bow Bard Talents:

Pinning Shot: 4 ranks

Bard: 4 ranks

Pathfinder: 4 ranks

Rapid Fire: 4 ranks

Stealth: 3 ranks

Dirty Wrestling: Rank 1

Sword Bard Talents:

Dirty Wrestling: 4 ranks

Bard: 4 ranks

Pathfinder: 4 ranks

Weapon proficiency in each hand: 4 ranks

Stealth: 3 ranks

Low blow: 1 rank

Tactics until you get an enchanting song - by weapon, then - bardo-stalker tricks, and if attacked, then dirty fight / feigned death.

Mage

In terms of skills, the magician enjoys considerable freedom. It is worth letting four ranks into herbalism (although one herbalist mage in the team is enough), and you are free to make your hero a chrysostom, tactician, and so on - nothing fetters him.

With the parameters, everything is quite simple: magic + willpower is about 2:1 or even 3:1.

But with spells - how many people, so many approaches. Mage spells allow you to create completely different characters - under the role of a hit-boy, healer and subdue. The specializations of magicians differ no less.

The mage, with the exception of the healer, is better controlled by hand than by tactics. The healer is quite capable of simply launching healers as needed, and the rest of the time fighting back with a staff and what God sent.

Mage Specializations

Spiritual healer. The obvious specialization of the healer: here, and only here, there is a group healing, resurrection, a talisman (a “delayed” heal that works when the target becomes low on health), and even an aura of permanent healing of all friends around him. Listed in order received.

Blood Mage. Conjuring over the blood of the enemy, he can subjugate him, turning him into an ally. In addition, a blood mage can cast spells at the expense of health (instead of mana), as well as heal at the expense of an ally's life force (from which he may die). Keep in mind that blood magicians... to put it mildly, are not very liked by many, and for good reason.

Werewolf. The first ability from the line turns the mage into a giant spider that spits poison and cobwebs, the second into a huge bear, the third into a stinging swarm of insects, which, when attacked by an enemy, loses mana instead of health. The fourth strengthens all these forms - for example, the swarm begins to drink the health of the enemy. In the transformed form, the werewolf does not cast spells.

Battle Mage. The strangest specialty - increases the magician's defense and attack in battle. For staff maniacs? Perhaps combined with the pluses of a werewolf, not sure.

hitoboy

To build a truly effective hit fighter, you need to master spell combinations. A couple of these have already been mentioned: runes of paralysis and repulsion, dirt and a fireball. Here is an example of one of the most deadly combinations:

Elemental Talents:

Flame Flash: 3 ranks

Rune of Paralysis: 3 ranks

Magic Wisp: 2 ranks

Walking Bomb: 4 ranks

Heal: 1 rank

Stone armor: 4 ranks

For the rest, you can take a specialization (for example, a blood mage or even a healer), contagious damage, raising a skeleton, or a professional mage line.

Two runes - explosive paralysis / slowdown, then we put dirt there and set it on fire with a fireball. An option is to study stone armor before runes and make opponents fall from an earthquake. Then you can “polish” with a contagious bomb - and hardly at least one enemy will get to you at all.

Why treatment? And it is always worth taking it at an opportunity. Simply because two healers are better than one.

Alternative option:

Frost Snap: 4 ranks

Lightning: 3 ranks

Rune of Paralysis: 4 ranks

Heal: 1 rank

Stone armor: 4 ranks

The principle is the same, but instead of mud + fire - storm + blizzard. The effect is a mighty thunderstorm.

By the way, note that both of these options give the mage some chances as a subdue - an earthquake and a couple of runes perfectly control enemies.

For werewolf mage there is no special set of talents; one can combine it with any arsenal of spells, shifting into transmuted form as needed. In the game, we see an example of a combination of werewolf with weakening spells (weakness, mind explosion, horror); it certainly works, but there's no reason not to make a werewolf elemental.

healer

They have already learned how to build bridges. As for "reducing" problems so far.

The main thing here is the arsenal of healing spells. It would seem that the actual treatment is not very necessary with the abilities of a spiritual healer; but in practice at high levels they save mana a lot. The rest of the slots can be devoted to combat or dominating magic.

Healer Talents:

Healing: 4 ranks

Spiritual Healer: 4 ranks

Rune of Paralysis: 4 ranks

Heroic Assault: 4 ranks

For the rest - something attacking. Just in case.

Please note that all four ranks of the rune of paralysis are taken here - to provide rear protection. Heroic Assault is a good branch for a healer because it doesn't build up a lot of aggro.

subjugator

The main question is: do you want to make your hero a blood mage? If so, it will add quite a bit to his main arsenal.

It is not necessary to make a "pure" subdue - you can combine it with an elemental hit-boy or a werewolf.

Submitter Talents:

Disorientation: 4 ranks

Weakness: 4 ranks

Blood Mage: 4 ranks

Mind Blast: 4 ranks

Heal: 1 rank

And something offensive.

The disadvantage of this option is that if the enemy suddenly has a high PU, this hero will be almost powerless against him. You can sacrifice one of the subordinate branches and make an intermediate version of the magician. What branch to give? Unfortunately, most likely disorientation, although its effect of mass confusion is beautiful, but it does not combine well with battle magic. But you can do it differently.

Hitbreaker Overlord Talents (with Paralysis):

Weakness: 4 ranks

Flame Flash: 4 ranks

Magic Wisp: 2 ranks

Blood Mage: 4 ranks

Mind Blast: 4 ranks

Heal: 1 rank

Hit-Slayer Discipline Talents (Disoriented):

Disorientation: 4 ranks

Walking Bomb: 4 ranks

Blood Mage: 4 ranks

Mind Blast: 4 ranks

Lightning: 3 ranks

Heal: 1 rank

Walkthrough

• Ostagar
• Lothering
• Circle of Magi
• Branca and the gnomes
• Search for a shrine

We will not dwell on each of the starting stories; the benefit of the game itself leads you to a natural denouement. I can only say that if you are a man and a nobleman, do not miss the story of the angry cook...

Ostagar

Whoever you are, sooner or later you will find yourself in Ostagar - in the status of a student of the gray guards and personally their chief Duncan. You will be asked to get comfortable in the city before passing the test. Don't give up; among them there is a task from the kennel, which will allow you, if you do not already have war dog get one!

My faithful dog

The first companion that will stay with us for life is a faithful dog. The nobleman will have it before arriving in Ostagar, but the rest can purchase it from the kennel in the city.

The local mabari breed is famous, in addition to truly brutal fighting qualities, for loyalty and devotion: therefore, no matter what you do, your dog will not betray you. But this should not be a reason to refuse gifts to the little animal, since his tastes are unpretentious: he is only interested in bones. No one else will take them anyway...

The dog is a dangerous fighter; he has the ability to stun all enemies around with an eerie howl, as well as knock the enemy to the ground and inflict critical hits (as do wolves). Howling before the fight will give the mage time for an extra fireball or something like that... Although the dogs do not carry weapons and armor, something can still be put on them: a collar and battle tattoos.

Don't forget sometimes... to talk to your dog. You can, for example, ask the little animal if she sees something interesting; no, no, yes, and bring something useful, and even an expensive gift to one of the companions. And if you complain about being stained with blood, the dog will lick you and become healthier. Hm...

His Majesty and Head of the Order. Snapshot for memory.

Also pay attention to quartermaster. You can purchase the first of the additional backpacks from him. Maybe now there is still not enough money for this, but you can look at him upon returning from the test.

Upon arrival, you will be given an audience His Majesty. He is full of optimism about the upcoming battle... somewhere I have heard such bravura speeches, oh, I have heard...

But now you have talked with the king, gathered other people passing the test around the city (all the key points are on the map) and go on a hike. They give you two fighters with you - the shield-bearer Alistair and the swordsman Jory, as well as a robber-shooter Daveta. You need to bring three vials with the blood of the creatures of darkness - and some papers from the chest in the ruins. Well, and a plant for the kennel, if you took this task.

Alistair is a templar warrior with a wealth of experience fighting mages. He is a specialist in shield combat and (although he developed it, perhaps not perfectly) is excellent for the title of command "tank". You can develop it approximately as shown above in the "Tank" chapter. He can teach the protagonist the specialization of the templar (if the relationship with him is at a high level).

It may seem that the straightforward and benevolent Alistair is so loyal that it is difficult to piss him off. And in vain. This guy is not so simple, he has seen something in his life even before joining the templars, and besides, he is categorically not inclined to forgive treason. But lovers of empty cruelty are categorically not on the way with him.

To please Alistair with a gift, present him with something related to the people he honors; in addition, he is a lover of figurines and runestones.

I can also tell the heroines that friendship with Alistair opens up rich opportunities.

The Corcari wastelands are empty only at first glance: the road through them will not allow much to stray. Here you will find a pack of wolves; wolves love to knock down heroes and pounce in bulk, so get used to leading Alistair ahead and away from others. We will also meet the first creatures of darkness; until we know who they are and where they came from. The main thing is to look out for archers and especially the hurlock emissary, this is the most dangerous enemy. If you have a weakening spell, it's time to try it out.

In the clearing next to the emissary, the very plant that is needed for dogs blooms, do not forget to collect it.

Flower to cure fighting dogs.

But the chest ... in strangers and not to say very reliable hands. The mysterious lady Flemeth settled here - is it really the one about whom there are fairy tales from among those that it is better not to read at night? — and her even more mysterious daughter, Morrigan, who loves to speak in verse. They have the papers, and for now we'll have to go back with what we have; probably the blood has already been collected by this point.

It is interesting: Morrigan "borrowed" the name from the Celtic goddess of war, one of the most terrible deities in the Celtic pantheon; that Morrigan is famous for her prophetic gift, love of love ... and the ability to turn into different creatures.

And now - the actual test: the campaign, it turns out, was only a preparation for it ...

And now - a word to the main character.

Bonfire on the tower

Our leaders are, of course, great strategists. The idea that the reserve attack should be called with a fire on the tower, and the signal is given at the beginning of the battle (which the reserve can hear and see) is wonderful in itself.

And for some reason it is not at all surprising that the tower is not filled with soldiers at all. Or, more precisely, not by our soldiers!

Picking up a stray mage along the way, Alistair and I rushed in and nearly fried like a steak in a fire trap. Harlocks? Well well. And who is guarding our tower? Isn't that the one Loghain McTeer, to whom we are in such a hurry to give a signal?

But no one argues with orders, and we cleared the tower of hurlocks floor by floor. And upstairs a fire was burning, but not where it should be, and a huge ogre was warming by its fire.

The ogre is a very dangerous creature, because there is nothing to catch against him in close combat. He grabs and throws those who are nearby, and also kicks with his foot - and everyone who tried to attack him falls. What remains? Little. The bow and me and the mage took up positions from opposite ends of the hall, and the faithful dog Griffin and Alistair took turns trying to attract the attention of the blue-skinned image. The poultice is gone - a terrible thing. The main thing here... do not shoot too accurately. Because if the ogre decided to pounce on me, he would not let go until he had chewed me into mush.

And why wasn't I completely surprised that the signal wasn't answered?

I woke up in Flemeth's house. The old witch suddenly decided to help at the last moment - me and Alistair; the poor mage, whose name I never learned, did not survive the assault on Ostagar. And Flemeth let her daughter go with us. Alistair was far from happy with this fact ...

Morrigan

Charming, mysterious and terrifying, Morrigan is likely to become a symbol of Dragon Age: Origins. With her manner of speaking in blank verse (which was messed up by Russian voice acting) and a cynical view of the world, you will remember her for a long time.

Morrigan is a witch and does not hide it at all. She grew up in wild lands full of barbarians and monsters, under the care of her mother, who was hardly inferior to these monsters. She always "has a couple of words in reserve", she does not like to feel sorry for the weak and stupid, she respects strength - but not rudeness. She may remind you of the tough Viconia from Baldur's Gate, but only slightly.

As for gifts, Morrigan loves grimoires and sometimes does not refuse jewelry. A silver chain and a gold “rope” bracelet obviously suit her, sometimes brooches, amulets and mirrors are suitable.

In combat, Morrigan is a werewolf mage (and can teach you that if you make friends). Her other spells are not very convincing and are scattered in different categories. I would recommend either immediately developing the werewolf line (a swarm is good against any enemy), or investing in ice magic or a mind blast to the limit.

And here we are on our way. We have documents with us - the same agreements from the chest, according to which dwarves, elves, magicians undertake to help the gray guards. That is, Alistair and me; the others don't seem to be...

Our path lies in the city of Lothering; there you can replenish supplies and decide where to go next.

Lothering

The city met us with a bandit outpost; this company takes a "duty" from passing refugees. For once, Alistair and Morrigan were unanimous: greed and impudence must be punished! Frankly, I did not want to get tired from the road to join the fight, especially since at the mention of the gray guards the bandits were ready to show caution; but I gave in.

Next to the bodies of the robbers (where there was enough loot), I found the corpse of a templar, on which is a letter. The addressee, apparently, lives in Lothering... By the way, the bandits mentioned that we were being hunted: Loghain announced that the king had been killed by the Gray Guards, and a reward was put on our heads.

Before going down the stairs to the city, we discussed our mournful deeds a little. Alistair is in favor of going to Earl Eamon: he is an honest and influential nobleman who is definitely not for Loghain - and can unite the teyrns. In addition, we have letters to mages, elves and dwarves. Who to start with? Let's think it over.

Lothering, despite the efforts of the "toll collectors," is already packed with refugees; some merchant made a fuss and inflates prices, which is extremely dissatisfied with the local clergywoman. The laws in the city are mostly represented by the right of the strong... and why shouldn't I be the strong one? At least - not to judge the dispute? And for conscience or for money ...

You can buy a lot of things in the city (for example, flasks for the herbalist Morrigan and for my poisons), but with the seams.

But near the preacher, a stone's throw from the merchant, there is a notice board where they offer a reward for the destruction of three robber leaders (the one on the bridge does not count). In the temple, behind this board, you can give the knight a letter from the body of the templar. He said that Earl Eamon, whom we hoped for, was seriously ill, and the sacred ashes of Andraste were being sought to cure him.

The respectable old lady is offering money for the healing poultices that Morrigan knows how to make from the elven root - and this root, by the way, grows a lot in the fields, if only there were bottles. Across the bridge, a farmer hopes to save the fields from the darkspawn with the help of... traps. Alas, I am not an expert in this area.

But in the tavern, Loghain's people are already waiting for us; it's not a miracle, it's a miracle that someone was found to intercede for us. Charming girl with temple signs on her dress - Leliana- spoke in our defense; and, since we spared the surrendered leader, asked permission to join. Well, do I mind?

It is important: if the leader is killed, the opportunity to take Leliana to the team will be lost forever.

A very correct, deeply religious lady ... even strange for the specialty of a robber! True, she is still not a thief or a murderer, but a bard - and she can teach you this.

How to please Leliana? The answer can be summed up in two words familiar to every D&D fan: Lawful Good. And although one day you will probably find a flock of devils in the still pool, but in general, Leliana should be treated like a priest. And even a passion for jewelry that is natural for a pretty girl, she realizes exclusively through jewelry-made sacred symbols. Do not even try to please her with a simple secular ring or bracelet.

In battle, Leliana is an archer; her bardic abilities are worth little so far. As an archer, she also lacks the stars from the sky, but she knows how to do something. And it's good for locks. And if she gets to the enchanting song, then ... however, a lot has already been said about bards above.

The innkeeper Barlin, the one who gave the neighbor the idea of ​​traps, wants to grease his traps with poison. Poisons are brewed from the black root, of which there are many in the fields, and also from the mandibles of spiders; bottles can be bought from the innkeeper himself. Comfortable.

And a couple more tasks - from local mercenaries nicknamed Blackstone Volunteers. They politely suggest that I might want to work with them someday; for now, a couple of simple tasks. And really simple; to complete one, you just need to return to the temple and hand over the letter to one recruit.

But it can wait: in the square I noticed a huge cage in which sat a huge guy named Stan. He is waiting for execution - and, in general, for the cause: without understanding, he killed the family of his savior. But maybe it's better to die in battle for a just cause? He seems to be a brave warrior, one of the wild Qunari...

I convinced the holy mother in the temple to give Stan to me. There were three arguments: personal charm, a gift for the needs of the church, and the consideration that his fellow tribesmen might come for Stan, after which Lothering might not live to Pestilence. She listened.

On a note: the ease with which the holy mother will agree depends on your generosity in donation. But if Leliana is on the team, she will persuade the priestess for nothing.

Well, a very big and ferocious uncle; everyone at first glance will say that he was created for two-handed combat. Give him a two-hander and he will show himself as a hybrid tank hit-boy! Bring him to swing with a two-handed sword at the first opportunity. As a "tank" Alistair is better, although you can slightly increase the threat to Stan - and then ... Of course, he will have to be treated more often. But there will be no more enemies!

It’s easy to keep him around: he set his sights on death in battle to atone for his mistakes, and therefore most often he doesn’t care what you talk about there. Of the gifts, Stan will appreciate his own sword (you will come across it over time); and this thug is a lover of painting. Who would have thought!

You're too big for a songbird, boy...

Three detachments of bandits were waiting for us north of the city, in the fields; the main thing was to hide in time and send Alistair ahead (and to lower the Griffin on the archers). I left Leliana and Stan in strategic reserve for the time being. And in the east of the robber fields, there was a flock of poisonous spiders with valuable components at the ready.

The temple gave a good reward and two more tasks - very simple: kill bears in the field and find a dead woman. Another run in the same places - easy money and sediment in the shower.

On the way out of the city we met a couple of dwarfs, father and son, and at not the best hour for them: genlocks lay in wait for them right near Lothering. We helped them manage - and the cunning dwarf decided that the safest place on the roads of Ferelden was behind us. So now we are traveling with a convoy: in the parking lot next to us, a dwarf family is bivouacking. They have good goods, including books; and the younger dwarf knows how to put magical runes into weapons.

Circle Tower

Do you like to have a good rest? Look carefully, this is what Idleness incarnate looks like.

Are you often angry over trifles? Yell at those around you? Meet this is Wrath.

Mages might be happy to receive a letter from a gray guardian, but they just can't. Because there's some kind of pogrom going on in the tower - rebellion, demons, all kinds of hell - and the templars sealed it from the outside. And if suddenly someone brave and stupid does not dare to enter there and liquidate the hullabaloo, then the tower will simply be demolished along with everything that is in it, to hell. Who is the bravest and most stupid here?

On a note: don't forget to talk, now or after the campaign, with the quartermaster of the templars. He also has a lot of things for sale, including a backpack. If you have money, it is worth buying - there will be no way out of the tower until the very end.

Almost immediately outside the door—literally, as soon as they began to rummage through the drawers and rooms in search of a reward for diligence—a hotbed of resistance to the pogrom was discovered: a teacher named Wynn created a magical barrier and, together with the students, holds the entrance to the next floors. She still doesn't know what the templars have decided... After a brief negotiation, Wynn became our escort through the tower.

“Miss McGonagall! How did you get here?" - I want to ask at the first meeting. The manners of a real “cool lady”, a gray bun on the back of her head, passionate devotion to school ...

True, Wynn is not a Transfigurator, but a healer. Excellent and the only one in the game (unless you yourself choose the same path). And can teach you the way of a spiritual healer. It is worth developing it first of all in this direction, and then take care of the combat magic (she has something in store for this part, but rather helpless).

She is very, very easy to anger: as an old school worker, she is not used to being ignored. In difficult situations, it is better that she wait in reserve ... And if suddenly your main character takes the path of a blood magician, then you will most likely part with Wynn.

It's not easy to cajole her either; she seems to be only interested in books and scrolls. You will find something suitable in the Circle Tower, but in general, gifts for Wynn are not lying on the road.

Well, excuse me?

At first, we were resisted mainly by the Possessed - these are obnoxious, but not too dangerous creatures - and occasionally lesser demons of wrath, repulsively similar to Azerothian elementals. But soon there were those who made the mess: blood mages who decided to rebel against the control of the templars. It was then that Alistair's talents for suppressing mages and drinking their mana turned out to be more in place.

We walked slowly and methodically: in the rooms there were books, scrolls, even grimoires... The finds on the second floor subsequently pleased many of my friends; there were even gifts for Stan, but I especially pleased Morrigan with a rare grimoire. Many locked, and tightly locked, chests were found. Leliana would have been in place here with her talents as a burglar, but alas, it was she who I let go for a walk to give Wynn a place. However, those chests that I myself opened did not hide any miracles in themselves.

And if you get greedy and try to remove the amulet from the remains of the statue, show
It feels like the demons around him are like lambs...

It was tight on the third floor. The very first large hall turned out to be a trap: as soon as we went deeper inside, the dead bodies stood up and attacked us. It's a good thing I didn't let anyone in front but Alistair. While Alistair and the two mages dealt with the skeletons, I quietly crept to the opposite door and did a good job: as soon as the spell-casting nightmare appeared there, I jumped up to it and cut it into cubes. Otherwise, a couple of fireballs - and then everything would have ended for us.

At the next closed door, I noticed a trap; I opened the door, but did not go in - let the obsessed themselves climb on it. In addition, while they are rushing to Alistair through the door, it is so easy to please them in a narrow passage with mass charms or a bomb ...

The third hall is completely unpleasant - there are bewitched templars in full armor, so our swords can hardly find where to stick. True, a bottle of acid dramatically changed the chances. And in the fourth, the undead are plentiful, but not too dangerous - if only Wynn did not get hit.

On the fourth floor, I ran into several more templars in the side rooms. One of them was enchanted by the Demon of Desire... but I don't want to reminisce about that conversation right now.

And now - the one whom the blood magicians invited to this cheerful holiday. The Demon of Idleness in its own ugly persona. Now you will answer for everything, creature ... but where am I?

Shadow

I came to my senses (or so it seemed to me) in a strange place - with a foggy eye I see some kind of castle, and in the distance - Duncan. Duncan? But for mercy, he died... And why am I alone, without friends?

Having struck the illusion, I got into another world - from pieces of land floating through the air. And then I met Niall, one of the mages of the tower. So he's here too... where? In the dreams of Idleness?

This guy wanted to use Andraste's Litany to save himself from the blood mages. But he didn't. And I?

After wandering around, I found... a mouse. An ordinary mouse that died in front of my eyes. Looking closer at her, I realized that I could ... become the same as her. And seep into mouse holes.

Four images

In the Shadow, our hero can learn several forms that will allow him to pass through all the pieces of the Shadow one by one. The mouse is the first one. We need to quickly find all the others and only then go to destroy the local demons, and then Idleness itself.

The mouse is then needed to squeeze into holes; in addition, with its help you can bypass many opponents, since it is hardly noticeable.

Spirit - the second form - is quite suitable for combat if there are few enemies. His crushing dungeon spell will destroy almost any enemy, but it takes a long time to recharge, and the spirit's health is so-so (although it can be healed). And he also goes through special portals that cannot be entered in another guise.

The Flaming Man is flimsy in close combat, but without fear he passes through the fires, of which there are many in the Fade. In addition, he can throw a fireball and a weak fiery flash. He also runs faster than most monsters, and this should be used.

And finally, the golem is a heavyweight, stone thrower and earth shaker; throwing a boulder, he knocks out all the locked doors. When there is this form, the others are, by and large, no longer required, except for travel. On the other hand, it's nice to first please the enemies with a fireball, and then spread into a golem and add a boulder.

Dog? In a dog cage...

First of all, I spoke with Niall - and a pedestal opened up for me, through which I can walk on fragments of the Shadow.

On a note: try to go through all the rooms in these shadows. There are many places where they permanently give +1 to one of the basic parameters; you will come out of there much stronger than you were.

I started with " Dark Invasions". Leaking through the northeast corner of the hall into the hole and turning left in the corridor, I cut through the genlocks (in the midst of the battle, I kissed the vein of lyrium - in the shade it restores health and mana) and through the next hole landed on two flaming spawn of darkness. They fight painfully, but they are flimsy, and my two swords easily folded them both.

And what is an ogre to me when I myself am a golem!

There was an emissary in the next room; I had to, ignoring the blows, headlong to the emissary, since he is a magician, and then return to the door and grab the lyrium. Another hole - and here in front of me is the spirit of the templar, besieged by enemies. He gave me a spirit form. That was enough; I passed through the pedestal to the next shadow, " flaming tower».

There are many fires here - and creatures that do not burn in the fire. The spirit can handle most, but it's safer to dart around with a mouse until they notice. The task was already clear to me - to find another templar who would give me a new form (flaming).

Then with three forms were passed (until the next templar) " Scattered Magicians ». And now, fully armed with forms, it was possible to go through all the corridors, visit all the reinforcing pedestals and, most importantly, deal with the demons. Then visit the side shadows, talk with friends - and do Idleness together.

Uldred, why do you have such long horns?

Idleness was revived several times in different guises. The key is to focus. Otherwise, mass spells will certainly be covered. Luckily, Wynn's group healing works over a larger area than fire and ice spells!

And so we returned from the dreams of Idleness... alive and angry as ever. Don't forget to pick up the Litany from the dead body of our poor friend. As the desert wolves say before attacking a camel caravan: and now a hunchback!

Uldred, the one who started all this, was not in the least upset by what his rebellion led to. He was determined to turn all the surviving sorcerers into blood mages - and brought it to the end. But we spoiled his music a little. As soon as a beam of Uldred spells appeared over one of the magicians, I read the litany, and the magic went astray.

So Irving, the high sorcerer (whose grimoire I had already...borrowed) survived, and so did his mages. And I received his word that later, in the decisive battle, he would be on my side. And it seems to me that if the magicians had not escaped, the templars would have been on my side, who would have nothing more to guard ...

We left our hero when he cleared the Tower of the Circle from the evil spirits that had settled there, freed the magicians (or he might not have freed them - then the Templars would have gone to the last battle instead of the sorcerers on his side) and set off to get new allies for himself.

Branka and 777 gnomes

Two respected equally

Two glorious and high families,

To the regret of all the people,

Ancient, fierce enmity

They were drawn - that day - then into a new battle.

The hands of citizens were crimsoned with blood ...

W. Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet"

Having somehow rested after the Tower, having washed book dust and ashes from our faces, we gathered for the next trip: to the city Orzammar, present papers about an ancient alliance to the dwarves.

On a note: it makes sense to return to the Tower from time to time. For a very simple purpose: it looks like the Templar Quartermaster is the only merchant who doesn't run out of lyrium dust. And you will need tons of lyrium, especially if the main character is a mage...

On the pass in front of the gnome, a pleasant meeting with a team of "bounty hunters" was already prepared for us. The guys got serious - with a magician, with archers - and this battle was, as it were, no more difficult than all the battles in the Tower. But the spells of mass destruction did their job.

At the gate stood a guardian dwarf, moderately politely sending all visitors in azimuth. In addition to us, a certain Imrek, the messenger of Loghain, sought the right to enter! As it turned out, our paper is thicker than Imrek's, and the door was opened for us. Imrek ran into a fight; and whether I persuaded him or left him on the rock as a memento for the dwarves - guess for yourself.

Election Day

Level 20 Designer Quest: Is it possible to make a dwarven city that doesn't end up with Ironforge?

Well, the gnomes are honest guys: they are ready to recognize the treaty even now. Only here is one bad luck: who, you say, should fulfill the promise? How is it written on the paper? Dwarf King? Weird! And we have such an opportunity - just temporarily there is no king. For how long - we do not know, but enough for your lifetime ...

The old king has passed away, and dwarven laws do not allow a successor to be named immediately. Because the king appointed an heir, but the heir did not survive. And the youngest son Prince Belen never promised the throne. In such cases, the council chooses the king - but he cannot decide in any way, because Belen is opposed by the right hand of the late monarch, Lord Harrowmont.

The solution to the problem is obvious: in order for the treaty to be observed, it is necessary to achieve the coronation of any of the applicants. Who - you can choose to taste! The story is dark: Harrowmont claims that the king on his deathbed asked not to give the throne to Belen, and Belen claims that Harrowmont slandered him and urged his father to suspect him of who knows what.

The choice is complicated by the fact that we are not allowed to see either the prince or the lord until we prove our loyalty to their cause. Judging by what we saw in the city - the supporters of both have already gone over to stabbing - they have reason to do so!

Dealing with local politics, I explored both the Commons and Diamond (that is, the dwellings of the nobility) in order, and also scored a few additional tasks on my neck, since my wallet rattled very plaintively.

For example, an old lady Filda asked to look for her son, missing in the Deep Roads; something told me that sooner or later I would be there anyway. Naga Trader(these are meat animals that are grown in caves) blew all his nagas and asked him to catch at least one on occasion - they come across there every now and then and do not run away, so it was a sure, albeit small profit. Wandering Preacher Berkel asked to put in a good word for him so that he would be allowed to open a church in Orzammar: the dwarves need it like a golem needs a bathing suit, but why not talk to the chronicler? All things - that he was allowed to preach. And finally, girl Dagna with funny red ponytails dreams of... studying at the Circle Tower. Why, if the gnomes are incapable of magic? Oh well, Irving after recent events will accept anyone you want, even a naga, so you can put in a word on occasion. More assignments can be found at hall of chronicles. We will do them later when it comes to trails.

Oh sport, you are the world!

After much hesitation, I chose Harrowmont: you need damn good reasons for the dwarves loyal to the ruling house not to want to give the inheritance to the son of their beloved king!

This is a spoiler: if our main character is a noble dwarf, he, in principle, already guesses who is actually right. Both are not without sin, but it seems that Belen was involved in the death of the heir ... But the first task for Belen is simpler.

Three against four, one of the participants is a magician. Dwarfs have interesting ideas about an equal fight!

Let's start with the fighters - one of them is right in the central hall of the Arena, the other is in the side room. With the first, Bayzil, such bad luck came out - one of the fighters of Belen had compromising evidence on him. But the compromising evidence is hidden right here nearby, in the fighting rooms in the chest; you can hack it (moreover, going outside the Arena, it is not forbidden to change the team) and return the letters. Gwiddon you just have to lie that I heard from Harrowmont with my own ears - he is not going to cede the throne without a fight.

But this is only the beginning, and then the tournament itself. We have all seen such tournaments - at Westgate, for example; but the last fighter, a relative of Belen - Piotin Aeducan, the most dangerous opponent that I have come across so far on the way. Idleness, Uldred and other inhabitants of the Tower are children next to him; and you can’t enter the tournament with your proven team and hide behind Alistair’s shield. True, since I persuaded Baizil and Gwiddon, I nevertheless fought in three - against four warriors of Piotin.

I think the stands were hysterical from such a fight: I exhausted Piotin with a quick run. I drank a potion of speed at the very beginning of the fight in order to have time to run back, heal and wait for my abilities to recharge. There’s no other way: I don’t know what Piotin was fed in childhood, but his health is enough for three sumotori. Neither magic nor a blade is able to finish off such a block quickly, and his blows in three strokes will chop an elephant into dumplings. At the very beginning of the battle, I lit a glorious fire in the middle of the arena, and it helped - Piotin was not always smart enough to run around the fire. Apparently, the biceps sprouted into the skull.

But the main thing is that I still received the trust of Harrowmont, even despite such a not very valiant victory.

Alternative: if you choose Belen, then instead of a tournament, you will have to take two letters - to the lords, who seemed to have been deceived by Harrowmont. With one there is no problem, but the other - that is, the other - demands to find her father in the Deep Roads, having killed a bunch of Blight spawn. From now on, the questlines for Belen and Harrowmont are the same.

Visit to the godmother

Now it remains only to elevate my chosen one to the throne. On this score, he had two useful ideas.

The first idea: to show that he is able to maintain order in the city. And to do this, find the local mafia "godmother", Jarvia, and tear off something she needs.

This is how the battle mage goes through the dungeons of the gnomes. Rune of repulsion on the door, inside - hell, blizzard, storm, or all of this at once. You can also add an earthquake so that they don’t shoot from behind the door. We ourselves stand at the door and poison jokes.

It is important: if you want to large earn, don't start this quest until you have 50 gold coins in your bag. Once you take the next step, you will come across a lyrium smuggler dwarf: he has cargo for the mage Godwin in the Circle Tower. By running back and forth, you will receive at least 10 gold; but if you have the persuasion skill, you can take 65 instead of 50 from Godwin, and 25 instead of 10 from the dwarf - a total of 40 gold net profit! But if you do not have that kind of money with you, the smuggler will immediately leave, and you will be left with nothing. As I already explained, you can try to deal with humans or elves before solving gnome problems - or do side quests. The main thing is not to go to Dust City.

Of course, Jarvia is not in the habit of leaving business cards with detailed addresses. Therefore, I went down to Dusty City, where wild non-caste gnomes live (they immediately tried to dismantle me for salvage, but could not cope). By the fire I found an aunt with a characteristic gnome name Hope: she explained that she needed to get a special “key” - a bone, which can be taken away from one of her fighters. For example, two steps from here there is a Slum Yard...

Having hung on the neck of the inhabitants of the courtyard, I received not only a bone, but also an indication of how to find the entrance to the dungeon. Again, I didn't have to go far.

Jarvia's dungeon was long, but unpretentious - a serious fight was expected only at the very end, with Jarvia. On the way, I looked into a corner of the prison and took the keys from the local jailer.

On a note: a dwarf of a simple kind is especially advised not to miss the chance to open cages with captives.

Jarvia herself is dangerous, but not too resistant to magic, and therefore was easily entangled in traps and an earthquake (which Wynn had mastered by that time) while we were getting rid of her retinue. Alone, she could do little to oppose us. And the key in her pocket led us through a secret door... to a weapons shop, where a frightened merchant promised a big discount for the future.

Firestarter

Here is the second idea: although, it would seem, the votes on the council should already be in favor of our candidate, but this is all complicated and doubtful. What if we went to the Deep Roads and found there a long-lost Ultimate named Branca, her voice could decide everything at once.

- Hey, open your eyes! The gray guard is going to look for your Perfect One! Or should I unscrew your stinking head?

“Oghren wants to say we have permission.

Perfect is such a rare title for a dwarf who invented or did something exceptional: for this he during life are reckoned among the ancestors. Really, only a dwarf can come up with such a reward! But it also has a practical meaning: the Perfect One and his family become a new noble family, and this is the only way to form them.

In truth, whoever you ask about Branca, at best, they all politely twist their fingers to their temples. Why the hell are you looking for an aunt, albeit thrice Perfect, who fled to the Deep Roads (from where very few people returned alive) a few years ago ?! As one scientist from another world said: “When people do not return from New Zealand for more than a year, it means that people have died irrevocably.” Moreover, she went not for any reason, but to search for the semi-mythical Anvil of the Void. All the inhabitants of Orzammar, whether common folk or noble, speak of Branca exclusively in the past tense. It is not even clear what makes the pretender to the throne think differently about her...

However, there is one dwarf who not only believes that Branca can be alive, but also dreams of finding her! He has special reasons for this: this is ... the husband of the Perfect One, named Oghren.

A wonderful personality - the most charming type of our entire cabinet of curiosities (maybe only Morrigan is inferior). This drunkard, brawler and buzzer always "has a few words in reserve", and these words could in no way be heard at an official reception. He rejoices like a child when we decide to stop talking and punch some sassy guy in the neck. He never loses his presence of mind and makes funny faces.

Well, as a fighter, he is a warrior with a berserk specialization, a lover of two-handed axes, decently armed from the very beginning and in very good armor (although the helmet, you see, was drunk somewhere). Deals very good damage and at the same time quite tenacious. She and Stan share a niche, but Oghren is better and a lot more fun.

And it's easy to please him with gifts. Perhaps you have already wondered for whom the gift drink found in different nooks and crannies is stored in your luggage? So here it is! Ogren, like a real connoisseur, will appreciate vintage wine and will not refuse simple ale either. The sympathy for you of this brave warrior is directly proportional to the degree in his blood. And if your hero is a warrior, then you can learn berserk talents from Oghren.

To further cheer him up, you should ask him questions - about how life is in Orzammar, how he likes it on the surface, and so on. Ladies can try to flirt with him, although you should not count on romance, but it will be fun. And what will he do if you pass Orzammar before the Circle and go with him to the Tower...

The first section of the caves - caridina junction- doesn't pose much of a problem. It can be passed in two ways: the bridge is collapsed, but there are two tunnels through the rock, one to the left, the other to the right. On the right (this move is closer) are genlocks and harlocks, on the left are screamers who hide and ambush, but are themselves very flimsy. Both roads lead to a large darkspawn camp with a tame bronto; behind this camp is the road to the next site, Ortan teigu.

Rook: "All of you grounders are alone
Nakovs are thieves and thugs!
I found it first!

Teig at home Ortan- a tangled corridor that does not have a single branch, so it is impossible to fly past. Along the way, we met the local Gollum - a dwarf named Rook, a collector of all kinds of rubbish, already pretty mournful in mind. This is the missing son of mother Filda ... Maybe it's better to tell her that her son is dead? It's kind of more merciful...

Shortly after the Hand, a battle awaits us on the bridge - on both sides of it are fair groups of darkspawn. But the bridge is good because it is easy to block it with spells, and then fry everything that is left on the other side.

But at the end of the path - where Branca's journal lies in a round cave, and bunches of cocoons hang from the ceiling - there will be a much more serious opponent - spider queen. This creature calls on spiders to help itself, and when things go tight for it, it disappears and appears in another part of the cave. You can try to pull it out into the corridor, then things will go easier, and when it disappears, you will be able to restore a little mana.

Next station - Dead ditches.

And again - the battle on the bridge: Legion of the Dead under the leadership of Cardol, repels the attack of hurlocks and genlocks.

It is interesting: The Legion of the Dead is almost a copy of the Slayers community from Warhammer Fantasy. In both cases, these are dwarves who have abandoned normal life due to some circumstances and are looking for a glorious death in battle. But in appearance, the classic slayer's look more like Oghren than the warrior Kardol.

We need to take part... First, we repelled the onslaught together with the legionnaires (and the magicians did it because of their backs), then someone alone ran to “hook out” new detachments, and finally they crossed the bridge and cleared the entire brigade. At the end, a very unpleasant surprise awaited us: a huge hall, along the edges of it - two columns of shooters, and two ogres stepping down the stairs! And if the shooters could still be entangled in the mud or knocked down by an earthquake (and then roasted with mass spells), then the ogres had to be beaten by hand, and it was long, painful and dirty.

Oghren gets so carried away in combat that he swings his giant two-handed
an ax with one hand!

It is important: you can try to convince Cardol that the Legion should join you during the last battle. You will not regret!

From this hall, a side fork in the north leads to another platform with a fragment of a bridge over the lava. Having killed the hurlocks, we carefully searched all the side rooms here: almost a complete set of legionary armor was found on the sarcophagi! And it is made, by the way, from dragon bone. In the north room - boots, in the south - gloves; going further, we ran into a hurlock summoning skeletons - a helmet was found in this room, and the main part of the armor was further away, in the legionnaires' temple. In each room with sarcophagi there were rune plates, from which we learned more and more details about the exciting life of the Legion of the Dead. And in the end, they collected enough data to try to give the Legion the rights of a noble house ...

The third bridge in these dungeons - and again the battle, although it seemed empty. The cursed screamers hide and come out only when they can surround the entire squad (or what they consider the entire squad: this is when a lone but heavily armored kamikaze calls screamers and fireballs on itself).

On a note: do not forget that the H key allows you to order the unit not to follow the leader.

Continuing our journey - there are no alternatives - we met a badly damaged gnome Gespit. She shouted to us that Branca had betrayed them all, as well as some other obscene things, and fled. The evening definitely ceased to be languid: the whole area is covered with some kind of growths like giblets, a disgusting stench from every corner ...

We got out to the platform in front of the lava, opened the temple of the legionnaires and found the key to the next door there. And behind her...

A hefty creature of obscene appearance turned out to be a queen of genlocks: and do not ask how she makes them from dwarves. I hope I don't find out until the end of my days.

But how to destroy such creatures - I'll tell you. This should be done slowly and with pleasure, well stocked with lyrium drinks. By itself, the uterus, firstly, is motionless (and will not crawl away from the areal charms), and secondly, it is very moderately dangerous. Tentacles bite painfully and genlocks with screamers are summoned from time to time; and it is difficult to figure out how many health tentacles have. First of all, it is the tentacles that must be beaten, which separated from the uterus and crawled out in another part of the hall (except for the very edge, where they are not dangerous). Area spells are not very effective against them; it is best, oddly enough, to chop them with weapons. At the same time, save energy and expensive melee techniques - to bring them down on the uterus as soon as the tentacles are defeated.

On a note: if suddenly you have a shortage of potions - it may be worth spending time and replenishing the supply, because there will be no such chance in the last section of the dungeon.

Perfect Branca.

And finally, a joyful meeting with Branca at the very Anvils of the Nether. She greeted us... and locked the doors so we couldn't go anywhere else. That's because Branca had a little trouble with the Anvil...

Well; let's go through.

The first chamber of the Anvil chambers was filled with a warm, friendly atmosphere of chlorine laced with a touch of phosgene, green joy hissing from the pipes as our crew were turned into the chopping fists of a stone golem. But, fortunately, the valves were in the same hall, and they were quickly closed.

Hall number two - with golems attacking in pairs (except for the first two, which - to lull vigilance - are made inactive). And the golem launch point is equipped with traps (with a robber in the team, everything is a little easier).

Room number three is with the Apparatus of Spirits: this is a huge construction that calls on spirits. The idea is to attack only one of them with all your strength, and then quickly activate the anvil that glows next to it. This operation had to be done eight times - until finally the perfume ran out.

It is interesting: the official translator made a moonshine out of the Apparatus of Spirits. With which we heartily congratulate him.

That which hangs over the platform is the Apparatus. Alas, he does not exhale
not overkill.

And here is the last room. In it, we found ... two whole Perfect: Branca, already familiar to us, and ancient, like these dungeons, Caridin, who turned into a golem.

Karidin, in simple human language, described to us that he once invented golems - but these automata, alas, need the soul of a dwarf as one of the components. He used volunteers who were revered as heroes ... then they began to use the condemned ... then opponents of the ruling king ... and then Caridin himself.

Karidin begged to destroy the Anvil, Branca - to give the artifact to her. As I did, guess for yourself ...

It is important: you will have to fight one or the other in any case, but keep in mind: Branca promises to put his golems in the last battle with Pestilence, Karidin cannot promise anything like that. Although any of them is able to forge a crown for your chosen one. Are you ready to take responsibility for what golems will continue to create? Note also that Branca's support will greatly upset all decent people in your team (Alistera, Wynn, Leliana), and Karidin's support will upset Oghren.

Having finally written down for memory (and for transmission to the chroniclers) a list of golem volunteers on a board not far from the Anvil, I returned to Orzammar, and my path was not joyful ...

The third test was not required: the newly proclaimed king (after his rival started a knife fight right in the Council hall and finally lost the opportunity to claim anything) gave us the word to send his warriors to battle. And we went for the support of the next ruler.

House of Lords

Don't hurt your soul. Let her go!

Only the enemy would try to keep him

For the torture of life.

W. Shakespeare, "King Lear"

It's time to visit in his castle Earl Eamon. As we have been told more than once, the earl is ill and does not get out of bed; and something told us that he was not suffering from a sore throat.

Along the way, there was a significant meeting with the assassin sent by Loghain: unfortunately for the "king", the Antivan raven Zevran somewhat overestimated his strength. And after that, the poor fellow had no choice but to ... join me.

An elf-robber directed behind your head - but he is not at all averse to working for you, especially since this is his chance not to part with his ears due to a failed assassination attempt. He knows how to disguise himself perfectly, skillfully uses poison and expertly cuts neat round holes in the back: his specialty is the killer.

By the way, this specialty is also good in another way - it increases the damage dealt by the whole team. In a word, in battle he surpasses Leliana, and there are no other robbers in the game.

But he has no mutual understanding with locks. That is, he does not know how! You can learn a little, of course, but usually you expect from a robber that he will bring additional money by hacking, but here ...

Being a cold professional, he is indifferent to most gifts - except for simple and understandable precious metal bars, as well as professional equipment.

If tomorrow is war

And then there's Radcliffe. But not yet a castle, but a village attached to it. The peaceful pastoral settlement bristled with palisades and barricades, and the inhabitants crowd into the church - some are hiding, and some are just ordering their own waste. No one plans to live until tomorrow morning.

- It remains only to help the villagers to remove the cats from the trees! (Morrigan)

What's the matter? And it's very simple: every night a horde of undead is declared to the faithful subjects from the castle of Redcliffe. Once recaptured, twice recaptured, but today they will not be recaptured. Unless, of course, we can help.

I had to take over the leadership of the defense (until now, it was mediocrely led by the younger brother of the earl, bann tegan). And that's what happened in the first hour in the village...

The blacksmith categorically does not want to forge, because no one wants to rescue his daughter from the castle. Well, we promise to help, but for now, let him forge, you scoundrel! (Morrigan was unpleasantly surprised by such gentleness.)

Even in the city, as the captain informs us, there is a veteran dwarf who does not want to fight. Well, let's agree...

It is important: if you do not agree and go to the swords, this operation will be credited to you not as a plus, but as a minus.

Searching the empty village shop, I found casks of oil; reported them to the unsuspecting Sir Perth, the commander of the knights, so that his people make burning barricades. The knights of Sir Perth are afraid of the undead and want amulets from the church, which the Reverend Mother refused them; I persuaded them to give at least some kind of amulets, otherwise everything good will run away from fear.

To raise the morale of the militia, I convincingly asked the innkeeper to pour beer for everyone at the expense of the establishment; and in the same tavern I saw a suspicious elf, about whom the waitress said that he was waiting for his brother here. After a thorough interrogation, it turned out that we were dealing with Loghain's spy - and from everything you can see that the Earl's illness could not have done without "our little king", as I call him.

I also casually took the Blackstone Volunteer agenda to recruit Garrison (in the house near the mill), took new assignments from the chest next to the church, and (which again angered Morrigan) promised the upset girl in the temple to look for the missing child.

Surprisingly, this good deed has borne fruit. The child was found at home, in the closet, and told about the wonderful grandfather's sword - which was given to us to protect the village. The sword, oddly enough, really turned out to be good.

It is interesting: if you don't have enough charm to coax your baby out, it doesn't have to be drastic. It is enough to include Winn in the group. As she barks in her best teaching voice: “Come on, get out, young man!” So ​​he pops out like a cork from a bottle.

And now, when all the preparations are completed, we go to Sir Perth and ask him to start the dark time of the day.

Evil Dead

The night fight with the undead consisted of two parts.

To easily win a fight with the undead, it is worth taking a position
position marked with a cross.

At first we defended the flaming barricade in front of the mill. This case is quite simple, because the undead were pouring in a crowd along a narrow corridor, representing an excellent target for everything that hits the squares. Not like the knights of Sir Perth, but even Alistair hardly had to work.

Even in the darkness of the night, you can see the undead marching across the bridge from the castle.

But when the ghouls came to the village from below, the most interesting thing began...

On a note: if he manages to win the battle without casualties among the local militias, Bann Teagan will appreciate it especially.

The undead come from two directions and in small groups, so burning them with Gehenna will not save up enough mana. However, if you look closely, you can see a funny fact: the ghouls, having run from the river, first look at the central square, spin around there for a couple of seconds - and then they are already looking for a victim! Therefore, there is an easy way to win (although “without victims” this will not work): stand at the square itself, but outside the barricades, and as it arrives, lock the nearest exit from the barricades, and burn the square itself, burn and burn again.

Flowers of life

After the battle, without even changing clothes, we hurried to the castle. As it turned out, Bann Tegan and Sir Perth knew very well the secret passage there, but ... decided not to please us with this news for the time being, so that we could help fight back.

Anyway. It's worse that you don't understand where it came from Isolde, the wife of Earl Eamon, and demanded that Tegan go with her - from the main entrance. Well, we'll manage alone, I decided, and led my group through the dungeon.

A secret passage led straight to the castle prison; and there just languished an old acquaintance of many magicians - someone Jovan, caught in his time in the practice of blood magic and escaped from the court of the Tower.

Jovan immediately confessed: it was he who poisoned the earl. And also ... taught the earl's son, Connor, of magic. A normal magician, not an apostate, would demand Connor into the Circle, because that is the law, and would deprive him of the right to inherit ...

Yes, but Jovan did not call the undead! Well, how can you not believe?

We could have easily... but decided to postpone irreversible conclusions. On reflection, I left him in the cell, where it is warm and flies do not bite. Although some of my companions were not too pleased with this.

I went through the lower floor of the castle through and through (in the extreme northeast corner I found the blacksmith's daughter) and through the southeast corner I went out into the courtyard, where I opened the gate to Sir Perth and his people. Having scattered the undead on the steps of the castle, we entered... and saw what strange entertainments the earl's son indulges in.

After that, an eight-year-old child coolly ordered Bann Tegan, his uncle, to kill us ... and he tried to the best of his ability. Fortunately, neither for him nor for us it ended fatally.

Connor escaped, and we had to decide what to do. The boy, having learned the basics of magic, tried to help his father - to save his life by agreeing with the demon. Well, the demon fulfilled its part of the contract: Eamon is alive (and no one promised recovery). Well, the boy is possessed by a demon...

What to do now? Can the earl's son be saved? Deciding that whoever confuses, let him unravel, we ordered Jovan to be brought here. He could offer only one thing: a blood magic ritual, with which you can find a demon in the Fade and kill him there. True, this requires a sacrifice ... but there is a volunteer.

It is important: if Jovan is killed or expelled from the castle, we will have to kill the demon right in his current body.

Well... maybe many (Aleister, for example) will condemn me, but I decided to follow Jovan's idea. The fighting was not too hard; and the demon himself has already offered me a deal - for the fact that I will not expel him forever (he will return after the war), I can get blood magic, or an additional ability, or something else of value ... And, characteristically, no one will know about it ... Do you think it was a test of honesty? And I'm not sure...

It is interesting: to enter the Shadow, you need a magician. But if your hero is of a different class, Wynn or Morrigan can do it. The only case of its kind when one of the companions performs the task without you!

And now the soul of Connor is free, the castle of Radcliffe is also free, in it the living dead no longer dance on coffins; but Earl Eamon did not get any healthier from this. And no healer can help. What to do? Unless to look for a holy relic - an urn with the ashes of the great Andraste.

It is important: on the table from the earl, you can pick up the amulet of Alistair's mother (and give it to Alistair, of course). It's worth doing, because no matter how you solve the problem with Connor and Iseult, Alistair will most likely be furious with the result, and it is almost impossible to convince him of the correct choice. So at least you mitigate the consequences ...

Looking for an urn

From the very beginning, we had one tip: to find in the capital, Denerim, brother Genitivi, who devoted a lot of time to searching for the urn and, possibly, attacked the trail.

But, to tell the truth, we were in no hurry to Denerim. Perhaps they did not feel ready for exploits. Or maybe they just succumbed to the charm of a huge city with a lot of wonderful establishments and an abundance of opportunities...

Savor

The appearance on the streets of the gray guard caused a sensation. They began to actively contact us ... with orders.

Hunting for city gangs.

For example, officer of the guard, a fair loafer, was hampered by the abundance of mercenaries in the city, who do not put the city guards in anything. Either they play tricks in a brothel, or they make too much noise (!) In a tavern ... And we were offered to calm down the mercenaries for a small reward. And sometimes, even if we managed to persuade them, after that, in some dark nook and cranny, an ambush awaited us. However, who counted those mercenaries?

Dealer Ignazio he doesn’t sell anything, but if you talk to him, then after a while a boy comes running with a letter and offers to meet in the back room of the tavern. It turns out that Mr. Ignazio represents ... Antivan crows. If you remember, this is a community of assassins. Wouldn't you like to order? Ignazio has special conditions for us: if we do not like the contract, we can not fulfill it. In general, we are only paid to inform Ignazio if a client suddenly dies. As you can see, everything is legal...

By the way, the first client is someone Pedan- does very interesting things: keeps a trap for those who sympathize with the gray guards. So maybe let's notify Ignazio of his death? It is not difficult to do this: on the wall next to the entrance to the elvenage there is its proclamation, from which you can find out the "secret password" to the trap. And Pedan himself lodges in the Zhemchuzhina brothel, where we have other assignments.

There is also a set of unseemly proposals innkeeper, it is not difficult to unwind it. Only some tasks ... really very small and indecent. Blackmail, hiding corpses...

It is important: if your hero is a rogue, he can get the duelist specialty in Denerim. To do this, contact the swordswoman Isabella in the same tavern "Bitten Nobleman".

There are also respectable tasks - according to the good old tradition, they hang on the bulletin board near the temple. For example, kill bandit gangs in the city. By the way, one of the gangs managed to kill the templar; he gave us his last will - to destroy the coven of blood magicians right in Denerim.

But the old knight next to the tavern found another thing for us: he calls to a duel because the gray guards killed the king. You can convince, but ... almost useless. The best defense of the guards, alas, is to accept the challenge.

But Alistair found the most unexpected thing in the city: it turned out that his sister lives in the city, Goldanna. Alas, the sister does not care about her brother, and Alistair was extremely disappointed by the visit...

It is important: if, after a conversation with his sister, you tell Alistair that, they say, everything is fine - every man for himself, then Alistair will greatly change his character. It will become tougher, get rid of the beautiful soul ... and become much less attractive, but more manageable. You decide...

For the Grail

Fire against such a creature, as one would expect, is not very effective. But the spell "Stinging Swarm" and poisons work fine.

The roof of the old temple has sagged, there are snowdrifts on the floor, but this is not a reason to desecrate it!

And brother Genitivi, for whom we came to Denerim, is not there. Instead, some student answers ... and he twists something, the bastard. Of course, you can go to that Kudykina mountain where he is trying to send us, but maybe it’s better to put pressure on him?

Alas, the pressure of the poor fellow could not stand it. But Brother Genitivi's diary gave us the answer to the question, and we are going to a snuffy village asylum in the Frost Mountains.

A strange people inhabit this village. We are not welcome from the very beginning, but that would be fine; for some reason, a peasant preaches in the church, although everyone knows that only women serve in our church; and, when we are trying to figure out what's what, all the parishioners suddenly take out their weapons. They are wild...

From the body of Eirik's father, I removed the amulet with strange signs. And in the side room I found a prisoner - that same Genitivi. Who explained that the medallion of the holy father is the key to the destroyed temple...

In the temple, Brother Genitivi stayed at the entrance to study, while we had to clear it of sectarians. In turn - first, residential cells in the west, then a warehouse in the east, and then the main, northern, room. The keys are in that order.

Our remorse over the murder of the holy father disappeared immediately when we saw that his flock did not disdain to make friends with the spirits of dust - disgusting creatures, I will tell you, and they are very good at hiding in the floor.

You can go into a small gazebo and, blowing a horn, summon a dragon. There will be a lot of prey ... And you can safely pass by.

And behind the temple caves began, full of young dragons and older dragons; I carefully removed the scales from the latter, because the Denerim blacksmith dreamed of experimenting with unusual material.

Incubator? Temple? Breakfast table?

The battle in the hall was especially difficult, where a sectarian overseer stood on a huge pedestal to the left. If we, as usual, rushed to him to figure out close combat, we would be surrounded on all sides by reptiles; however, as long as the cultist is only being fired upon, the dragons don't worry. Dealing with them and the overseer separately is much more pleasant!

And finally, the head of all sectarians - Father Kolgrim. He explained to us that the cult of the Urn with the Sacred Ashes is outdated: after all, Andraste has already been reborn, and they serve her - a giant dragon. And the urn should be finally... desecrated, filled with dragon's blood. And if we agree to this, then he will keep the dragon from attacking us...

True, something in this proposal seemed insincere to us. And we just passed through Kolgrim... ignoring his resistance and removing his horn from his body.

Oddly enough, the dragon did not attack anyway - it flew over us and went to its lair to rest.

Trial

In order to get closer to the Urn, you need to pass a test - a certain Guardian informs us about this, a bearded man in shining armor, subtly resembling the late Kolgrim. But this is far from Kolgrim, and he can even tell us what he was wrong about ...

This is a bug: in the official translation, the poor fellow Guardian sometimes forgets what gender he is, and begins to talk about himself in the feminine gender.

And now the test, which should prove the purity of our intentions...

It seems that our appearance did not bring the slightest joy to the Guardian ...

The urn impressed even the cynical Morrigan.

Part one of the test - eight riddles from ghosts, with multiple answers. There are few difficulties there, but for future pilgrims I will list the answers: Brona - dreams, Shartan - home, General Maferat - jealousy, Archon Hessarian - compassion, Katair - hunger, Gavard - mountains, Vasily - revenge, and the lady who received the tender name Elisha in translation , is a melody.

After talking with the ghost of the past (everyone probably has his own), a fight awaited me - one of the strangest in the game: a fight with the ghosts of our squad. Among them were the second me, and Morrigan, and the rest ... They knew all the same tricks and spells - but, of course, they did not guess that in battle it was necessary to first eliminate the healer, and then the battle mage, and this killed them.

The third test is a puzzle: there are six tiles on the left and right sides of the pool, and by standing on them, you can create ghosts of the bridge. It is necessary to combine the ghosts so that they become dense. The team stands on the tiles, and the leader tries to cross the bridge; with each step you need to move one person. The sequence here is this (we count the tiles from the starting point):

1 right, 3 left, 2 right.

We step on the first square of the bridge.

3 left, 2 right, 6 left.

We step to the second cell of the bridge.

2 right, 6 left, 4 right.

6 left, 4 right, 1 left.

We step on the third cell of the bridge.

4 right, 1 left, 5 right.

1 left, 5 right, 5 left.

The bridge has been passed.

And the last test - agreeing with the "offer" of the altar, take off your clothes and go through the fire. And here we have an Urn with Ashes...

A pinch of dust healed Earl Eamon. However, he is not yet ready to drop Loghain; and we went to persuade the last ally - the elves, which we will tell you about after a while.