Best Mods for a first run

[OltreBradipo]

Well... It's not really a first run because I already started and left unfinished this game many times in the last years. Now I want to finally finish it and I'd like to use a few mods to enhance the graphics and make the gameplay better. Do you have any suggestion?

(For example I remember a Nexus mod which gave you a third party slot for the dog.)

[neil]

I like the fade too
So No
Your not the only one

Neil
Aussie Land

[OltreBradipo]

Aeixelis님이 먼저 게시:

I'd recommend not going crazy with mods if it's your first playthrough, but there are several that can definitely be considered essential depending on what you're looking for. As far as graphics and gameplay go, here are some that haven't been listed yet:

• JB3 Textures[www.nexusmods.com]
  This is a must-have if you have no other texture mods. Origins is an amazing game, but the vanilla textures are horribly outdated. This replaces all of the low-res textures with high-res versions and is probably the most popular texture mod out there.
  
  
• Advanced Tactics[www.nexusmods.com]
  This one really expands the tactics system and follower/AI behavior. It's really useful if you're playing on a harder difficulty and need to strategize.
  
  
• Combat Tweaks[www.nexusmods.com]
  The creator of this mod tries not to stray too much from vanilla gameplay, but they've adjusted quite a few things to make combat more enjoyable while still maintaining a good overall balance.
  
  
• Dialogue Tweaks[www.nexusmods.com]
  This fixes a lot of bugs and adds a few minor dialogue options. There's an optional file that restores some unused dialogue from the game files as well.

And here are some smaller mods that are less essential but still nice to have:

• Two Specializations Sten[www.nexusmods.com]
  For some reason, Sten is the only character that doesn't get two specialization points. This fixes that.
  
  
• Detailed Tooltips[www.nexusmods.com]
  This modifies some item and ability descriptions by giving more detailed information on their effects.
  
  
• The Icons Project[www.nexusmods.com]
  This is a really well-done equipment icon overhaul if you get tired of some of the more overused icons in the game.
  
  
• Weapon Drawn Casting[www.nexusmods.com]
  This is useful if you're playing an Arcane Warrior, though I can't remember if there were any compatibility issues with Combat Tweaks. Just make sure to read through the descriptions of any mods you install, and check for compatibility fixes if they're listed.
  
  
• White Teeth[www.nexusmods.com]
  I'm all for immersion and medieval era realism in Origins, but I find the vanilla teeth textures to be distracting. There are a couple of different teeth mods out there, so you'll have to use your own judgement here.
  
  
• Forced Deathblows[www.nexusmods.com]
  This one makes the list simply because I'm a fan of the badass deathblow animations. There are four different files you can choose from, ranging from having all melee kills forced into deathblows to having deathblow animations on just boss mobs.

It's far from my full mod list, but I tried to pick out a few good ones that hadn't been mentioned yet. There are a lot of other small bug fixes that are worth checking out but would be too tedious to list here. If you're interested in looking at more, I'd recommend just going through the top files on Nexus Mods or reading through this big thread on Reddit. Good luck with your modding!

Thanks those were exactly the kind of mods I was looking for!

[OltreBradipo]

The Fade it's just not as interesting as other parts of the story in my opinion due to it's "puzzle" gameplay. However, I'm not going to skip it for immertion's sake.

[ScubaSteve]

Thanks for asking this. I literatlly made a post just now and then seen this! I had the same question!

[ScubaSteve]

HerrDoktor님이 먼저 게시:

Aeixelis님이 먼저 게시:

I'd recommend not going crazy with mods if it's your first playthrough, but there are several that can definitely be considered essential depending on what you're looking for. As far as graphics and gameplay go, here are some that haven't been listed yet:

• JB3 Textures[www.nexusmods.com]
  This is a must-have if you have no other texture mods. Origins is an amazing game, but the vanilla textures are horribly outdated. This replaces all of the low-res textures with high-res versions and is probably the most popular texture mod out there.
  
  
• Advanced Tactics[www.nexusmods.com]
  This one really expands the tactics system and follower/AI behavior. It's really useful if you're playing on a harder difficulty and need to strategize.
  
  
• Combat Tweaks[www.nexusmods.com]
  The creator of this mod tries not to stray too much from vanilla gameplay, but they've adjusted quite a few things to make combat more enjoyable while still maintaining a good overall balance.
  
  
• Dialogue Tweaks[www.nexusmods.com]
  This fixes a lot of bugs and adds a few minor dialogue options. There's an optional file that restores some unused dialogue from the game files as well.

And here are some smaller mods that are less essential but still nice to have:

• Two Specializations Sten[www.nexusmods.com]
  For some reason, Sten is the only character that doesn't get two specialization points. This fixes that.
  
  
• Detailed Tooltips[www.nexusmods.com]
  This modifies some item and ability descriptions by giving more detailed information on their effects.
  
  
• The Icons Project[www.nexusmods.com]
  This is a really well-done equipment icon overhaul if you get tired of some of the more overused icons in the game.
  
  
• Weapon Drawn Casting[www.nexusmods.com]
  This is useful if you're playing an Arcane Warrior, though I can't remember if there were any compatibility issues with Combat Tweaks. Just make sure to read through the descriptions of any mods you install, and check for compatibility fixes if they're listed.
  
  
• White Teeth[www.nexusmods.com]
  I'm all for immersion and medieval era realism in Origins, but I find the vanilla teeth textures to be distracting. There are a couple of different teeth mods out there, so you'll have to use your own judgement here.
  
  
• Forced Deathblows[www.nexusmods.com]
  This one makes the list simply because I'm a fan of the badass deathblow animations. There are four different files you can choose from, ranging from having all melee kills forced into deathblows to having deathblow animations on just boss mobs.

It's far from my full mod list, but I tried to pick out a few good ones that hadn't been mentioned yet. There are a lot of other small bug fixes that are worth checking out but would be too tedious to list here. If you're interested in looking at more, I'd recommend just going through the top files on Nexus Mods or reading through this big thread on Reddit. Good luck with your modding!

Thanks those were exactly the kind of mods I was looking for!

Is the JB3 textures the best graphics upgrade for the game? I noticed some other ones in Nexus mod list. Would installing others work together or cause conflicts?

PS Extra dog slot worth it? First time playing.

[red255]

neil님이 먼저 게시:

I like the fade too
So No
Your not the only one

Neil
Aussie Land

I suppose. If people treat it as text or a puzzle I guess it could be more easily skipped like a book you've already read, but this is a first play thru, and I don;t see how its any different than any other area in the game IMO.

Playing thru this game though I would like a mod that gets rid of the talk-a-port. dear god.

Talk-a-port is where you have some dialog before a fight and it takes your guys who maybe are mages and archers and whatnot and moves them right next to the fight because....I have no idea. I call it talk-a-port. and it forces me to RUN my guys to not stupid positions.

...There are a few fights in this game that are ....oddly balanced.

the hard ones like the ogre on top of the tower stands out the most. I'd only change it so it wouldn't resist my damn paralyze so much. cuz that fight is literally go fail paralyze. die. load. load load load. succeed paralyze. win.

[OltreBradipo]

I already wrote in the original post it's not really a first run. I went through the fade two times and I enjoyed only the companion's dream part. I'll play it this time too for immertion's sake. Have you got any mod to suggest?

red255님이 먼저 게시:

neil님이 먼저 게시:

I like the fade too
So No
Your not the only one

Neil
Aussie Land

I suppose. If people treat it as text or a puzzle I guess it could be more easily skipped like a book you've already read, but this is a first play thru, and I don;t see how its any different than any other area in the game IMO.

Playing thru this game though I would like a mod that gets rid of the talk-a-port. dear god.

Talk-a-port is where you have some dialog before a fight and it takes your guys who maybe are mages and archers and whatnot and moves them right next to the fight because....I have no idea. I call it talk-a-port. and it forces me to RUN my guys to not stupid positions.

...There are a few fights in this game that are ....oddly balanced.

the hard ones like the ogre on top of the tower stands out the most. I'd only change it so it wouldn't resist my damn paralyze so much. cuz that fight is literally go fail paralyze. die. load. load load load. succeed paralyze. win.

[Nova]

Necrolancer님이 먼저 게시:

Is the JB3 textures the best graphics upgrade for the game? I noticed some other ones in Nexus mod list. Would installing others work together or cause conflicts?

PS Extra dog slot worth it? First time playing.

You'll have to use your own judgement on the texture mods. It all comes down to personal preference. As far as conflicts go, it depends on the mods that you're looking at. If you were considering something like Theta HD[www.nexusmods.com], you can install JB3 textures first and then install Theta HD afterwards without any conflicts. JB3 textures replaces most (if not all) textures in the game whereas Theta HD only replaces a few particularly low-res ones, so Theta HD will overwrite a few files in JB3 if you install it last. You'll be getting the best of both worlds. If you're looking at another full texture pack, I'd recommend just choosing the one that you like the most. Make sure to read the descriptions! Each one probably affects performance a little differently, and you'll want to take that into consideration.

As for the extra dog slot, I'd say so. I really love the mabari, but it gets kind of annoying to sacrifice a full follower slot for them once you have all of the other characters to choose from as well. I don't think it would change your combat experience too much, anyway. The dog is a fun companion to have around outside of camp, and it'll lead to some funny banter with your other followers that you might have missed otherwise. More banter is always good.

Best of luck with your mods, and enjoy your first playthrough! It's a great game.

[ScubaSteve]

Aeixelis님이 먼저 게시:

Necrolancer님이 먼저 게시:

Is the JB3 textures the best graphics upgrade for the game? I noticed some other ones in Nexus mod list. Would installing others work together or cause conflicts?

PS Extra dog slot worth it? First time playing.

You'll have to use your own judgement on the texture mods. It all comes down to personal preference. As far as conflicts go, it depends on the mods that you're looking at. If you were considering something like Theta HD[www.nexusmods.com], you can install JB3 textures first and then install Theta HD afterwards without any conflicts. JB3 textures replaces most (if not all) textures in the game whereas Theta HD only replaces a few particularly low-res ones, so Theta HD will overwrite a few files in JB3 if you install it last. You'll be getting the best of both worlds. If you're looking at another full texture pack, I'd recommend just choosing the one that you like the most. Make sure to read the descriptions! Each one probably affects performance a little differently, and you'll want to take that into consideration.

As for the extra dog slot, I'd say so. I really love the mabari, but it gets kind of annoying to sacrifice a full follower slot for them once you have all of the other characters to choose from as well. I don't think it would change your combat experience too much, anyway. The dog is a fun companion to have around outside of camp, and it'll lead to some funny banter with your other followers that you might have missed otherwise. More banter is always good.

Best of luck with your mods, and enjoy your first playthrough! It's a great game.

Thanks I didn't know all that, I will look into the Theta HD and likely just leave JB3.

[ZanyScum]

DAModder - Premiere DA Mod Manager
http://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/286/?

Character Respecialization
http://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/14/?

Auto Highlight
http://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/114/?

Detailed Tooltips
http://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/248/?

FtG Quickbar - Center and Multi Rows
http://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/2784/?

[lada_ loving life!]

Ilja님이 먼저 게시:

Am I only one who likes the Fade? I think it is a fun part of the game and I have never considered it tedious. It like to mess around with different character builds and powers there. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am with you on this, @Ilja .I always appreciate challenging my mind by switching gears on how I am using it. Plus, it made sense to me that the experience of the Fade should be very distinct from the experience of combat in the physical world. So, as tedious as it can be on repetition, I still put my mind into the story of why the Fade at all. That is a role playing technique. Life is tedious too! haha ...so good practice!

Regarding the mods, Übersloth. I am using Vortex now. I love how much it simplifies modding ...for those mods updated to use it. But also I suspect those mods not updated may be failing... if I understand nexusmods/vortex's explanation of this beta, there will be bugs to work out of course until they feel vortex can replace nexusmodmanager.

I decided to try using vortex for DAO recently...and at first, all grand. But a recent mod added... has caused my 'other campaigns' to be unavailable and therefore.. I cannot even open the game to finish it! Just a warning...
I am in the forums for vortex to troubleshoot after having checked and performed the various obvious checks with no resolution. To have even pulled off vortex, the devs are doing amazing work. Giving my faith to them to resolve this issue too.