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Dragon Age: Origins Updated Q&A - Dragons, Character Development, and Adventuring Parties

By Staff, GameSpotPosted Feb 12, 2009 3:42 pm PT

BioWare executive producer Dan Tudge answers some, but not all, questions about dragons, character development, adventuring parties, and side quests.

Exclusive Video

Watch the story of Dragon Age: Origins begin to unfold in this exclusive video.

The upcoming role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins will be an all-new adventure, but a spiritual follow-up to developer BioWare's classic Baldur's Gate fantasy role-playing series. Like in those games, you'll create an individual character, then venture into a dark fantasy world and recruit additional companions to your side while fighting your battles with the real-time-with-pause system used in games like Baldur's Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. However, the new game will offer in-depth "origin" stories for your character and will take place in an all-new fantasy world crafted by BioWare. This time around, executive producer Dan Tudge offers some tantalizing hints on character development, side quests, and dragons.

GameSpot: For a game named "Dragon Age," we sure haven't seen too many dragons...until now. Tell us about the dragons in the game. Who and what are they? What part will they play in the story?

Dan Tudge: There are different kinds of dragons in the game, ranging in size from large to "I can't believe I'm actually fighting something this huge!" One of the cool features in Dragon Age: Origins is large creature combat, so players can expect some pretty epic battles if a dragon is involved. As for their role in the story, dragons were once worshipped as deities, but "the maker" shackled them under the earth to sleep for all time. The darkspawn, who dwell underground, search for these "old gods," and when they find one, they corrupt the dragon with their taint, transforming it into an archdemon that commands the darkspawn to the surface, unleashing a devastating "blight" on the world. It will be up to you, as one of the last remaining Grey Wardens, to stop it.

Dragon Age: Origins will feature fire-chucking wizards, werewolves, and yes, even dragons.

GS: We recall from our previous jaunts in BioWare games that fighting dragons wasn't exactly a walk in the park--they were extremely powerful foes that ignored the attacks of simple magic spells and required a great deal of preparation, strategy, and even a bit of luck to overcome. How powerful will the dragons of Dragon Age: Origins be, and if they end up at odds with your character, what kind of prep and strategy will players need to take them on?

DT: I won't lie to you: bringing down a dragon is pretty tough, but if you can do it, the payoff is worth it. Combat is party-based, so you can choose to have some very powerful allies in your party, each with their own unique abilities that you can combine to give yourself some tactical advantages. Some strategies that work well are things like buffing your party at the start of combat (especially your warriors) to make them tougher in battle and also keeping your mages at a safe distance. You'll have to experiment to see what kind of strategy works best for you, but one thing I find useful is the "pause and play" system. The ability to freeze the game and examine the situation from different angles can give you some great ideas on how to shift the odds in your favor.

GS: Now that we've been introduced to some of the characters we'll meet in the game, let's talk about the character classes. For instance, if players are interested in picking up a sword, walking right up to their foes, and beating them senseless, what professions will be available, and how will they differ?

DT: You start the game by picking from one of three base classes: fighter, mage, or rogue. If you're into the melee-focused "beat them senseless" style of play, you'll love playing as a fighter. As you progress, you'll be able to further customize your fighter by choosing which talents to develop (and there are a lot to choose from, many unique to each class). Eventually you'll be able to specialize, and each specialization unlocks new sets of skills. It's a very robust system, allowing you to truly develop your hero the way you want.

GS: For players who prefer to be stealthy and operate from the shadows, what career paths will be available? How will they differ?

Depending on which origin you choose, you can create a highly customized character.

DT: You can do some pretty amazing things as a rogue. One tactic I like to use is the rogue's ability to go into a stealth mode that makes him/her pretty much invisible to enemies. Once in stealth mode, I can use another rogue talent of setting traps near some unsuspecting enemies. When I exit stealth mode, the enemies see me and come charging...right into the trap and back to the main party for an ambush. But the rogue has some pretty deadly combat moves too. For example, if you can position your rogue right behind an enemy in combat, you can have him backstab for some devastating damage.

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138 Comments

  • Pagani_ZondaF

    Posted Jun 3, 2009 7:02 pm PT

    "Some strategies that work well are things like buffing your party at the start of combat (especially your warriors) to make them tougher in battle and also keeping your mages at a safe distance." Wow, that's like RPG 101. I love how they always give the most benign advice on how to play well.

  • Rinoa_Bunansa

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 11:37 am PT

    Mmmmm... why is it always when there is a decent Dragon-type game to come out, you're always killing them and not riding them? Lair was just another Epic Fail... Drakengard seemed to be a waste of time, and so on and so forth. Can't wait to see what this one is like. Bioware usually makes pretty pleasing games If I do say so.

  • xXFr34k_0uTXx

    Posted Mar 18, 2009 5:22 am PT

    I am very anxious to see what BioWare has in store for us.

    O.o

  • mathiasX

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 10:14 pm PT

    Still, standing on the shoulders of giants...

  • orcsblade

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 3:17 pm PT

    waiting for this one so much

  • zenathor17

    Posted Mar 8, 2009 11:17 am PT

    is it online?

  • brownba3

    Posted Mar 2, 2009 11:41 am PT

    Well it's waiting time.... Nov is a long ways off - but will allow me to get a computer rebuild in. Hope they give us a playable demo, ... soon... Dan Tudge doesn't seem much of an old school player his hints on fighting a dragon and the rogue info - stealth - which makes him pretty much invisible, traps and backstab...- some pretty deadly combat moves?....Um, any of us who have ever played an RPG kind of already know that...Not a font of knowledge - is he... anyway - making do with drakensang - not bad

  • jedinelson

    Posted Feb 27, 2009 7:20 pm PT

    Bioware has yet to dissappoint me. not a single one of their games sucked: NWN, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect. If all of those games are the best examples of an RPG out there, and Bioware says that this is their crowning achievement, then my only worry is that they might over-work it.

  • salman06p0020

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 1:35 pm PT

    Still counting

  • Vargre666

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 12:18 pm PT

    I cannot believe that anyone into RP/ Fantasy oriented games would not be wetting themselves over this. Bioware for one, is an amazing game dev company. And it looks like they have gone all out on this one. From what ive read so far its like the game I wanted to play when I was playing the Bards Tale series. All the stuff i made up in my head to round out those games seems to be appearing in this one. The detail looks intense, the backstory well fleshed out. Im really, really excited about this game. Like FallOut 3 excited....well, ok...mebbe not that much. Yet. But its getting there. For all you nay-sayers, all i can tell you is just wait and see. Id be willing to bet my first born that this game sets the bar for future RP/ Fantasy games. And its really nice to see that theyre not going to dumb it down for consoles and we PC players end up getting the short end of the stick. Its been proven time and again that the PC is the best and most flexible platform for games and im really happy that Bioware are taking advantage of that and making the game FOR PC...

  • Surodhet

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 8:52 am PT

    Gabriel: Err, no. You can play all BG titles that i know of in Multiplayer Coop, I'm definitely sure about BG2: Shadows of Amn, which I played just two months ago with a friend.

  • GabrielVan

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 11:16 am PT

    Partytimekegs -

    Obviously you're young and do not realize that the console Baldurs Gate games are not the originals. This game is a successor to the original PC games, which were party based, single-player RPGs.

  • brycex99

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 11:27 am PT

    Think of it like this Voqar, Metroid was a 2d side scrolling shooter, its spiritual successor on GameCube was Metroid Prime, but now it's 3D. Adding that 3rd dimension isn't going to destroy the game, what would potentially destroy the game is going to be the story. The game looks great and the battle mechanics are also looking pretty solid and fun, however the story is the only thing up in question. Let me guess, you're one of those guys that thinks that a game has to have 90s graphics in order for it to be good? Because right now that's the only thing you have to base your judgment on.

  • TehEliteElite

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 11:19 am PT

    @tmhall & Voqar: This is NOTHING like Oblivion, and certainly not a ripoff of it!

    @ Voqar: "This game looks nothing like BG or IWD." What were you expecting? 2D? It is a spiritual sucessor in terms of having a great story, great characters & development, tactical gameplay. Oblivion was a great game, but it had none of those. It was good for its own reasons.

    @party & tmhal: It's confirmed not to have Multiplayer coop.

  • Voqar posted Feb 19, 2009 10:45 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Voqar

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 10:45 am PT (hide)

    This game looks nothing like BG or IWD. Spiritual successor to what?

    Just what the gaming world needs. Another PC game that is like a console game. Or an Oblivion (dookie) ripoff.


    Is it really asking too much for one of these developers to make a game based on a classic that is actually LIKE the original, instead of pure crap like the Fallout3 joke or this dookie looking pile?

  • retroman77

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 9:40 am PT

    tmhal..u gonna "buy it" where tha "sex'' do u live

  • tmhal

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 5:58 am PT

    I sooo love Oblivion..
    If this has Multiplayer Co-Op then i definitely buy and play

  • bennae66

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 9:05 pm PT

    im in

  • partytimekegs posted Feb 18, 2009 2:21 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    partytimekegs

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 2:21 pm PT (hide)

    Its not a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate if it doesn't have multiplayer Co-Op.

    Definitely not getting my money.

  • angelkadaj

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 12:01 pm PT

    looks like fun. I will definitely try it when it gets out.

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