too easy?

[heime2003]

the game is too easy on normal difficulty?

[Migromul]

You can set several "Trials" to adjust the difficulty. I don't think normal is too hard or too easy, though. But since I played the game several times already, I used some of the trials. (opponent-leveling, for example.)

Also: I think a playing a ranged character is way easier than playing a melee-one. Especially, because you're often outnumbered, and melee has a significant chaos-state imho.

[barzai]

The answer is, "it depends." It depends mostly on (1) where you are in your character progression, and (2) how experienced with the game you are.

At the lowest levels--levels 1-3, during the prologue and in your first foray into the Hinterlands--your character is still quite fragile and weak. In fact I've argued elsewhere that the toughest boss-fight in the game is against the Pride Demon in the courtyard of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, at the end of the prologue. It's a setpiece in which you have virtually zero control over your own capabilities, excepting only the one (!) skill point you get right before you meet up with Leliana and Roderick on the bridge.

But perhaps more importantly, it depends on your experience and thus skill level with the game. I've got a lot of hours in the game, and nowadays, even at Nightmare with most of the Trials turned on, the game can seem very easy--though even now I still struggle with that pesky Pride Demon, especially as a mage.

I'm currently doing a playthrough in which I'm using a mod that reduces your XP by 70 percent--you only get 30 percent of what you'd otherwise get. Still on Nightmare, still with many of the Trials--not Take It Slow, which would override the mod I'm using, and although I'm also using Level Ground, at this stage (pre-Skyhold) it's almost irrelevant given that I'm much lower level than I would be even using Take It Slow. Now the game is reasonably balanced for me.

But I can tell you for a fact that when I first started playing when the game first came out a decade ago, I was struggling even at Normal and without Trials (which of course didn't come in until the third DLC, Trespasser).

[Frances River]

I mean, if you're only on Normal than you can increase the difficulty, but if you want a super challenging game this might not be the one for you - this game isn't one of those doom and die games: I think it does a great job of balancing everything, including story, rather than focusing on just combat. At the beginning it should be very easy to stumble across fights you can't win and are way too weak for, but later on in the game, unless you're speeding through it, you'll end up being a higher level than you need to be for most things and combat won't be difficult. I like games with relatively easy combat though so that's fine for me - I play Dragon Age for the characters and the story :)

[Pharis Gough]

First playthrough can get difficult at times on normal if only because enemies can be very tanky in the beginning but any playthrough after is a cake walk, even on something like nightmare due to schematics carrying over from one character to another, this includes legendary and tier 4 schematics.

[barzai]

Originally posted by Pharis Gough:

First playthrough can get difficult at times on normal if only because enemies can be very tanky in the beginning but any playthrough after is a cake walk, even on something like nightmare due to schematics carrying over from one character to another, this includes legendary and tier 4 schematics.

True, but as it's effectively a "God Mode" it's pretty pointless to do that. You're certainly never going to either learn from or enjoy the game if you start doing that.

[Pharis Gough]

Originally posted by barzai:

Originally posted by Pharis Gough:

First playthrough can get difficult at times on normal if only because enemies can be very tanky in the beginning but any playthrough after is a cake walk, even on something like nightmare due to schematics carrying over from one character to another, this includes legendary and tier 4 schematics.

True, but as it's effectively a "God Mode" it's pretty pointless to do that. You're certainly never going to either learn from or enjoy the game if you start doing that.

True, especially since some of the trespasser weapons are stupidly powerful (like the bow that shoots explosive arrows as a basic attack which pretty much doubles it's damage).

[Migromul]

Originally posted by Pharis Gough:

First playthrough can get difficult at times on normal if only because enemies can be very tanky in the beginning but any playthrough after is a cake walk, even on something like nightmare due to schematics carrying over from one character to another, this includes legendary and tier 4 schematics.

Well, but this is optional. It's very tempting, though, to activate the golden nug-statue. And you NEED to activate it, if you want to upload your plans. Sadly you can't choose to only upload but NOT download them... (It will always be both, if you activate the statue.)

[barzai]

Originally posted by Migromul:

Originally posted by Pharis Gough:

First playthrough can get difficult at times on normal if only because enemies can be very tanky in the beginning but any playthrough after is a cake walk, even on something like nightmare due to schematics carrying over from one character to another, this includes legendary and tier 4 schematics.

Well, but this is optional. It's very tempting, though, to activate the golden nug-statue. And you NEED to activate it, if you want to upload your plans. Sadly you can't choose to only upload but NOT download them... (It will always be both, if you activate the statue.)

If I want to upload I just wait till the end of the game--in Trespasser this means right before you commit to the final part of the episode when you invade the enemy base (no spoilers!).

[Migromul]

Originally posted by barzai:

Originally posted by Migromul:

Well, but this is optional. It's very tempting, though, to activate the golden nug-statue. And you NEED to activate it, if you want to upload your plans. Sadly you can't choose to only upload but NOT download them... (It will always be both, if you activate the statue.)

If I want to upload I just wait till the end of the game--in Trespasser this means right before you commit to the final part of the episode when you invade the enemy base (no spoilers!).

Ok, but what if you want to play several characters at the same time? :) (I tend to do that). You won't get every plan with one character (because of the randomness alone...) and playing several will also enable you to buy more plans at the same time, because you don't need to waste all your gold with one. (but can spread out the buyings).

If such a feature will come in dreadwolf, I certainly hope, that you have a chice in that regard. (I doubt, that there will be any changes in DAI. Although I'm realy surprised how popular the multiplayer part stil is, considereing the age of the game.)

[barzai]

Originally posted by Migromul:

Originally posted by barzai:

If I want to upload I just wait till the end of the game--in Trespasser this means right before you commit to the final part of the episode when you invade the enemy base (no spoilers!).

Ok, but what if you want to play several characters at the same time? :) (I tend to do that). You won't get every plan with one character (because of the randomness alone...) and playing several will also enable you to buy more plans at the same time, because you don't need to waste all your gold with one. (but can spread out the buyings).

If such a feature will come in dreadwolf, I certainly hope, that you have a chice in that regard. (I doubt, that there will be any changes in DAI. Although I'm realy surprised how popular the multiplayer part stil is, considereing the age of the game.)

<shrug> These days I hardly buy any schematics at all. The game is too easy if you do. For a while I was buying all the Tier 2 add-on schematics as soon as I went to Val Royeaux to address the Chantry: now I don't. The only schematics I buy now are the three Tier 1 schematics for Bianca you can get from Seggrit, which quite honestly I think they should just give you at the start.

The problem with schematics is that you can almost always craft better gear than the game allows you to find and use, owing to the level restrictions. Yeah, you can find some nice gear...but you can't use it, because level restrictions. So instead you just craft something just as good that has no level restrictions. After a while it becomes a habit, and something I consider an important part of the game--finding and equipping cool stuff--is completely eliminated.

I remember when I first played the original Baldur's Gate. There were seven chapters in the game, and the first--the very first!--enchanted item you found was at the very end of Chapter 3, at the bottom of the Nashkell mine. It was a Short Sword +1, and--man!--was that the coolest thing ever! Fast forward another chapter or two and now it was, oh...another +1 item? Throw it into the junk pile so we can sell it.

But--in answer to your actual question--I don't play multiple characters in parallel, but I replay the game often enough it doesn't matter. But since I never download the accrued schematics anyhow, it matters not. So if your point is as a completionist collector, I can see it: but as a technique for getting more high-level schematics you can actually use from the start...not for me.

EDIT: It occurs to me, you might not realize that the Golden Nug did not come in until the last DLC, Trespasser, so for those of us who started playing the game when it came out, it wasn't a feature until we'd already played the game extensively in its absence.

[Pharis Gough]

Originally posted by barzai:

Originally posted by Migromul:

Ok, but what if you want to play several characters at the same time? :) (I tend to do that). You won't get every plan with one character (because of the randomness alone...) and playing several will also enable you to buy more plans at the same time, because you don't need to waste all your gold with one. (but can spread out the buyings).

If such a feature will come in dreadwolf, I certainly hope, that you have a chice in that regard. (I doubt, that there will be any changes in DAI. Although I'm realy surprised how popular the multiplayer part stil is, considereing the age of the game.)

<shrug> These days I hardly buy any schematics at all. The game is too easy if you do. For a while I was buying all the Tier 2 add-on schematics as soon as I went to Val Royeaux to address the Chantry: now I don't. The only schematics I buy now are the three Tier 1 schematics for Bianca you can get from Seggrit, which quite honestly I think they should just give you at the start.

The problem with schematics is that you can almost always craft better gear than the game allows you to find and use, owing to the level restrictions. Yeah, you can find some nice gear...but you can't use it, because level restrictions. So instead you just craft something just as good that has no level restrictions. After a while it becomes a habit, and something I consider an important part of the game--finding and equipping cool stuff--is completely eliminated.

I remember when I first played the original Baldur's Gate. There were seven chapters in the game, and the first--the very first!--enchanted item you found was at the very end of Chapter 3, at the bottom of the Nashkell mine. It was a Short Sword +1, and--man!--was that the coolest thing ever! Fast forward another chapter or two and now it was, oh...another +1 item? Throw it into the junk pile so we can sell it.

But--in answer to your actual question--I don't play multiple characters in parallel, but I replay the game often enough it doesn't matter. But since I never download the accrued schematics anyhow, it matters not. So if your point is as a completionist collector, I can see it: but as a technique for getting more high-level schematics you can actually use from the start...not for me.

EDIT: It occurs to me, you might not realize that the Golden Nug did not come in until the last DLC, Trespasser, so for those of us who started playing the game when it came out, it wasn't a feature until we'd already played the game extensively in its absence.

Yeah, as much as I like customising my armour, I will admit, it does de-value any uniques you find. If any thing, a system that would allow you to dissemble unique's for schematics or having a way to upgrade the quality of said unique weapons would be nice.

[Migromul]

Originally posted by barzai:

Originally posted by Migromul:

Ok, but what if you want to play several characters at the same time? :) (I tend to do that). You won't get every plan with one character (because of the randomness alone...) and playing several will also enable you to buy more plans at the same time, because you don't need to waste all your gold with one. (but can spread out the buyings).

If such a feature will come in dreadwolf, I certainly hope, that you have a chice in that regard. (I doubt, that there will be any changes in DAI. Although I'm realy surprised how popular the multiplayer part stil is, considereing the age of the game.)

<shrug> These days I hardly buy any schematics at all. The game is too easy if you do. For a while I was buying all the Tier 2 add-on schematics as soon as I went to Val Royeaux to address the Chantry: now I don't. The only schematics I buy now are the three Tier 1 schematics for Bianca you can get from Seggrit, which quite honestly I think they should just give you at the start.

The problem with schematics is that you can almost always craft better gear than the game allows you to find and use, owing to the level restrictions. Yeah, you can find some nice gear...but you can't use it, because level restrictions. So instead you just craft something just as good that has no level restrictions. After a while it becomes a habit, and something I consider an important part of the game--finding and equipping cool stuff--is completely eliminated.

I remember when I first played the original Baldur's Gate. There were seven chapters in the game, and the first--the very first!--enchanted item you found was at the very end of Chapter 3, at the bottom of the Nashkell mine. It was a Short Sword +1, and--man!--was that the coolest thing ever! Fast forward another chapter or two and now it was, oh...another +1 item? Throw it into the junk pile so we can sell it.

But--in answer to your actual question--I don't play multiple characters in parallel, but I replay the game often enough it doesn't matter. But since I never download the accrued schematics anyhow, it matters not. So if your point is as a completionist collector, I can see it: but as a technique for getting more high-level schematics you can actually use from the start...not for me.

EDIT: It occurs to me, you might not realize that the Golden Nug did not come in until the last DLC, Trespasser, so for those of us who started playing the game when it came out, it wasn't a feature until we'd already played the game extensively in its absence.

Yes, i meant, what SOMEONE - not nessecarily you - can do. If someone is a completionist and don't want the temption to use overpowered shematics with every character, this is a bit a problem. However, you're definitly not FORCED to use them, regardless if you have them or not. But I have somewhat fun creating items, which is for some special use.
And I tend to use the best items and resources available for that.
But you won't eventually, especially after recruiting Dgana. (e. g. you won't have enough masterpiece-parts to create different wapons for every companion and different situation.)

None the less, the items you can create with shematics are mostly very overpowered, because of no level-restctiction (as you said.)
But I even FOUND items, which are better, than that, what you can create.
in the "Frostgipfel-'Senke" (I don't know the english term) e. g. Hakons fangs.-DLC. But not even in the deep ways...

On the other hand, this will give you the option to play the game at the highest difficutly without much frustration, because you will survive the attacks most of the time.

[barzai]

Originally posted by Migromul:

But I even FOUND items, which are better, than that, what you can create.
in the "Frostgipfel-'Senke" (I don't know the english term) e. g. Hakons fangs.-DLC. But not even in the deep ways...

Indeed. Of course by then you're benefiting from the fact that the highest level requirement for level-restricted items is 21 and by the time you're doing what I still think of as the DLC areas--Frostback Basin, Deep Roads, Trespasser--you're probably beyond that anyhow.

There's also a handful of non-level-restricted weapons of which one is the one you mentioned--assuming we're thinking of the same one!

And you are right, the "Unique" (purple) items you get in the Deep Roads aren't all that great but conversely the "Rare" (blue) items are pretty nice.

FWIW I've thought of making specialty weapons for specific situations, but I never do, because it strikes me as a bit too "gamey." At most I take those demon-slaying runes you occasionally get and use them in the Adamant+ mission.

[Migromul]

Originally posted by barzai:

Originally posted by Migromul:

But I even FOUND items, which are better, than that, what you can create.
in the "Frostgipfel-'Senke" (I don't know the english term) e. g. Hakons fangs.-DLC. But not even in the deep ways...

Indeed. Of course by then you're benefiting from the fact that the highest level requirement for level-restricted items is 21 and by the time you're doing what I still think of as the DLC areas--Frostback Basin, Deep Roads, Trespasser--you're probably beyond that anyhow.

There's also a handful of non-level-restricted weapons of which one is the one you mentioned--assuming we're thinking of the same one!

And you are right, the "Unique" (purple) items you get in the Deep Roads aren't all that great but conversely the "Rare" (blue) items are pretty nice.

FWIW I've thought of making specialty weapons for specific situations, but I never do, because it strikes me as a bit too "gamey." At most I take those demon-slaying runes you occasionally get and use them in the Adamant+ mission.

I found normal daggers (e. g. non-double-blade) with over 400 dps. I only could create 390-dps-daggers at that time. Meanwhile this could have changed because of level 4 materiels, I'm not sure. Are we speaking of the same items? I wonder...

[barzai]

Originally posted by Migromul:

Are we speaking of the same items? I wonder...

I was thinking of a certain two-handed sword you can earn by doing a certain thing twice in the Avvar Stronghold. The sword is on par with other items that normally require level 20-21 but has no level restriction.