Conversation logs (for the games where they make sense). I loved having this available in Dragon Age: Origins and it helped me remember my rationale for doing specific things. Also was just fun to read back through.

I’d recommend playing in release order if you’re someone who tends to enjoy delving into lore. (And man, is there a LOT of lore.) I did them in reverse order originally, and although I enjoyed DAI a lot, I didn’t quite get why the stakes were so high for the protag. I felt way more connected to the storyline when I returned to Inquisition after having Origins and DA2 under my belt.

My other reason for recommending chronological order is that Origins is one of the best games I’ve ever played. I still fire up my Xbox 360 to give it a play now and again.

Origins struck a good balance between player autonomy and the required storyline. You can pick your character’s race, gender, and class at the start of the game and get a unique back story that informs how you can approach later conflicts and circumstances. Then you find out the central conflict and are presented with the different factions you need to draw together. From there, it’s up to you to decide who you’ll support and how you’ll make it happen. You can be a true asshole to all your companions, or a Lothario, or BFFs. And the combat system is pretty good overall, despite being dated and a touch clunky. The party mechanics are fun when you get used to them.

DA2 is a perfectly serviceable game, but not one I personally enjoy replaying. Humans are the least interesting race in Thedas to me, and I’m sure that contributes.

DAI is definitely an Open World Game and therefore plagued by all the struggles these games tend to have, but I still found it really fun. Jaws of Hakkon is a great DLC for the world building element. Trespasser is basically the real ending of the game, so hopefully you’ll have access to that DLC as well!

I hope you have a great experience playing these games for the first time! DA is my favourite series ever, and I love seeing folks give it a go. :)

YouTube transcript link for anyone who needs it: https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=7wFqblQY6Dk

I really feel for the mods who’ve spent years building and curating communities, only to have them decimated by forces outside of their control. Reddit never listens to its userbase and I’d be surprised if they start now. I mean, they were regularly having calls with TPA developers only to blindside them with the API changes and treat them poorly for having questions. I don’t see how it will be any different for moderators, unfortunately.

It’s worth the time to me, but I can definitely understand why others might not feel the same. Personally, I don’t love the Viking “honour and glory” theme but I do like the zany “mystery” side quests and the overall game structure. As for whether it’s a rinse-and-repeat of previous games… yeah, it is, in most meaningful ways. Since Origins, they’ve relied on a lot of the same mechanisms, but that’s not a deal breaker to me. I like (modern) AC because of the visual polish and atmosphere, not necessarily unique gameplay. Odyssey was my favourite of the “new” gen of AC games, and I think Valhalla made a lot of tangible improvements to the mechanics and gameplay loops since that title.

I too am enjoying AC Valhalla, lol.

Ugh, how disappointing. :( As one of the many, many many people waiting for DA: Dreadwolf to maybe, hopefully, someday come out… this is bad news.

Edit: Maybe it’ll be fine! I am just not holding my breath.

Wow! I just bookmarked this comment. THANK YOU for the amazing suggestions!

I’ve heard a lot about F:NV. Maybe it’s finally time to give it a try!

Oh this is awesome, I appreciate your sharing!! I’ll definitely be giving these a watch for ideas.

I start off that way sometimes, but I’m usually not disciplined enough to stick through it. I think next time I do pick up the game, I’ll challenge myself to develop a character sheet and actually follow through.

Wonderful ideas! I’ll try some of them out. And I do have Oblivion but had forgotten about it — I’m glad for the reminder.

Fair! I’ve been playing a variety of other games in various genres as well and enjoying them too. :) Sometimes I still get the Skyrim itch though.

Really good ideas, thanks! I do think archery is probably diminishing my experience of the game at this point. Maybe I’ll try a 2H or dual wielding playthrough soon… I did try 2H once and only got like 5 levels in because I didn’t like it, but I was also just coming off a level 60-something sneak archer (surprise!), haha.

lol:

I’m genuinely excited though. I’ve been a long time sync user, and I’d love to see similar features available for Lemmy!