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Pick up the trilogy written by Gaider and published by Dark Horse and read them in this order: The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, Until We Sleep. Alternatively, the Library Edition compiles the three comics into a nice hardcover already in the proper order and with interesting marginalia by Gaider himself explaining the thought process behind a lot of the decisions in the comics.

The comics miniseries Dragon Age written by Orson Scott Card and published by IDW you can pretty much skip. It's really badly written, it features no known characters, it connects to no plot at all that we currently follow through the games, it piles up Twilight level of terribad romance clichés and it's just... really not good mmkay.

As for personal opinions of the Gaider series... there are soft spoilers here, kay. I can dig where he takes Alistair as a character, although his Alistair is clearly a softie, because a hardened Alistair comes to that same place about ten years earlier during the Blight itself. So there's definitely some cognitive dissonance with my personal playthroughs there, but well. I enjoy seeing Alistair beyond DAO in any form, so I just deal with it. I like that Maric's story gets some closure, even if it's... let's just say, not anyone's ideal scenario, for the sake of avoiding major spoilers. I don't have to necessarily like how a character's fate turns out to acknowlege that this is what happened to them and it's what we have to deal with. I like the deeper insights into Varric's and Isabela's pasts and how it's shaped them, for better or worse, and find it very humanizing that there are some secrets we hold so close that even Hawke never managed to get it out of them.

I don't like that we have an adventure set entirely in Antiva, involving the Crows, and all Zevran gets is a teeny tiny namedrop and that's it. I don't like that we have an adventure entirely set in Tevinter, involving magisters and slaves, and Fenris doesn't even get a teeny tiny namedrop for his trouble. I don't like that in the only chance we'll ever have of seeing Alistair, Cailan and Maric interact, Cailan is reduced to a namedrop. What a wasted opportunity for a truly punch-in-the-nuts emotional scene, damn. These things are rather minor, but missing details like these make the universe of the comics seem disconnected, like they exist in a bubble of their own. I would have appreciated a little more effort to make it seem like the things and people that shape these characters' lives matter more.

But overall, I enjoy them. I love that we get to see Antiva and Tevinter first hand, even if only for a brief glimpse, it's much better than relying on third party narrative forever. Some scenes in the Fade made me cry, I won't even front it. Maevaris is the baddest bitch in the place, I would play a whole spinoff series based solely on her. I love Yavanna, and I love that, in true older sister form, she thinks Morrigan is just a whiny brat. I love the full circle of mutual respect that Alistair and Sten's sort of not-really-friendship comes to. I live and breathe for Varric lampshading His Royal Highness Alibooboo's special snowflake syndrome in his most perfectly timed deadpan. The comics are not without fault, but there is certainly a lot to like in there.

A good price to look for is around $10-15. (Unless there is a Summer or Christmas game sale going on where you can find it even cheaper.) The downloadable version is $14 on Amazon right now.

The DLC never goes on sale, but Legacy is definitely worth buying. It's very polished and adds several hours of good game play.

I wasn't as impressed with Mark of the Assassin, but it is pretty entertaining. The Exiled Prince costs less and adds a party member, so you'd probably want to get it too.

In reference to if DA2 is worth buying, here are some similar threads for anyone interested in reading past discussions on this topic:

Is DA:2 even worth playing?
Should I play Dragon Age 2?
How good is DA2 compared to Origins?
Dragon Age 2 Hate?
Questions about DA:2
DA2, Just some thoughts about it.

LOL, very good! Can we play too?

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Sera - Etiquette and Decorum: A Guide For Young Ladies

Oghren - Decorum and Etiquette: A Guide For Young Dwarven Nobles

Sera - Winning at THE GAME (of wife): How to Make Your Woman Love You, Want You, & Adore You, Like Never Before actual book title!

Josephine - A Bard's Life: How To Lose The Game And Keep On Winning

Solas - Radical Honesty: How to Transform Your Life by Telling the Truth
another real book title

Morrigan - Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Hearts and Rekindle the Spirits of Mothers so many layers of meaning to this one!

Also, as far as I know, it's kinda difficult to find bundles for ALL the comics out there. You can purchase the separate comics with their issues all bundled together.

There are, however, a few series: First wave of comics (that I'm aware of) are The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak and Until We Sleep series. These are about King Alistair employing Varric Tethras and Isabela for a quest he personally needs to see through. It takes place right after the events of DA II, but before Inquisition (8 years after archdemon's death). It's my absolute favorite Dragon Age related piece of art. It's written well and I'm not saying that just because Alistair and Varric are my favorite characters in the DA universe. You can find the omnibus (all three comics) for that one online, but mostly it's sold out in a lot of places:

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Omnibus-David-Gaider/dp/1506702759

The next one in the chronological series is Dragon Age: Magekiller. It takes place right before the inquisition, and it's about Tessa and Marius, who end up traveling to Minrathous for dealing with the Venatori. It's fun, and you get to meet Archon Radonis, but overall a meh story in my opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Magekiller-Greg-Rucka/dp/161655634X

Next ones are Draagon Age: Knight Errant and Dragon Age: Deception. I haven't read them yet. I heard Knight Errand is a-ok, and Deception is a fun read.

Out of all of these, The Silent Grove is my absolute favorite, because it's nice seeing Alistair actually act like a less whiny person, and he ends up learning something BIG about himself. I don't know if it'll ever translate into the games in any way, but it's nice to think about the possibilities of what it means for Thedas.

At first I decided I would ride the Bull with my Dwarfquisitor for the lulz (and I hart couples with giant height discrepancies it's too adorbs). Then I got to the first sex scene and was, like, super excited about the BDSM undertones.

I've been in the BDSM lifestyle for years and identify as a sub. Right now, in a world where 50 Shades of Grey is being made into a multi-million dollar movie, any sort of healthy and accurate representation of this lifestyle--my lifestyle--is a breath of fresh air.

But as I continued Iron Bull's romance I realized Bioware hadn't just put in BDSM undertones; they'd written a full blown, explicitly stated, safe-word-and-everything BDSM relationship. Suddenly seeing my own relationship represented accurately instead of as being abusive and deviant made me so happy. To see it in a Bioware RPG made it special, though, as I've been playin (and romancin) since KotOR.

Communication of and respect for boundaries are at the core of BDSM, and Iron Bull illustrates both of these to the player very well. He starts by telling the Inquisitor that this stays in the bedroom, that "out there everything is still the same. You're the Inquisitor, you're the Boss." This is the reality for most BDSM relationships--there is playtime, and there is real life. 24/7 BDSM relationships are not common, but because they're more extreme people hear about them more and come to believe they are the norm.

Bull goes on to employ a safeword (say "katoh" and "everything stops. No questions asked."). In doing this he puts the Inquisitor in charge even though they are a sub, and that's the difference between a BDSM relationship and an abusive one: who is in charge.

Moreover, Iron Bull's later explanation for why the Inquisitor wants this relationship ("You need a safe place--one where you're not in charge.") is on point with some current theories about the psychology of BDSM and particularly of those who identify as subs/bottoms (source: SM 101 by Jay Wiseman).

The writers did their homework and it shows. Bioware wasn't just trying to jump on some 50 Shades train because it's not just Bull. The Qunari have a well-developed, wholly different and fascinating culture--including that which surrounds sex and relationships--and that makes Iron Bull a really sex positive character overall.

Very cool, Bioware. Very cool.

^((all quotes I paraphrased from memory)^)

You can definitely play it without having played the other games. If you don't mind reading codex entries in the game, there's a ton of that in there with all sorts of background info. The characters do give some exposition on what happen in the past too. I mean you won't get that 'oh neato' feeling when there's some fan servicy thing they do to refer back to the other games (or novels for that matter) but the game and story itself I think are solid.

That said, Origins is a great game too so I would definitely recommend playing it at some point, and you can find it quite cheap on sale. I think you could definitely go and play it at a later date though having played Inquisition first.

I know people having differing opinions but there isn't really a right or wrong. Either way with or without having played the past games I think Inquisition is a great game that stands on it's own.

If you really want to get the background of the world before playing you can always grab the reference book The World of Thedas Volume 1 or for a quick and dirty Cliffs Notes version of the back story check out Kotaku's A Beginner's Guide to All Things Dragon Age. But really though, most of the info is already there in the game in codex texts and dialog.

The wiki would be the best place to start. It's constantly updated whenever new material is released, so it's often up to date even on things like the novels or comics.

If you don't mind spending some money, I would suggest World of Thedas as being an excellent compendium and overview on the world of Dragon Age. It covers the lore up to Asunder. I do want to stress that it is just an overview; the wiki is a lot more in-depth but WoT is useful if you're particularly new on the lore side of things.

But if you've played DA2 and its DLCs, you're pretty much up to date on the known lore. The novels Asunder and The Masked Empire would be the only things I would suggest you look into, as both novels serve to set up several different potential plots in DA:I. But you can read the basics on both of those novels on the wiki lol.

I'm late to the party but I kinda need to type this down.

I'm older than you, and I've had depression in the last years. It's a bitch. I can't give you some great advice because each case is different.

The only thing that I would recommend is to talk about it with someone. It helps more than you realise. Don't be afraid to let your guard down, there're many peoples out there that would help, or just only listen. It will not be the life-changing scene you see in the movies, but it'll be the first step (for me, it was not a life-changing scene, but it had a life-changing effect in the long run).

Just like you, I made an haven out of the Dragon Age universe. More than the games, it were the books that helped me come with terms with myself.

I highly recommend you Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, this book was released even before DA:Origin (the first DA game). It tells the legend of King Maric the Saviour, as much as immersion goes nothing will ever top this book. The story is amazing and IMHO it's the best book ever.

Sorry for my broken english, it's not my main language.
Sometimes the world may feel alien, just know that you're not alone.

It's really brilliant of BioWare to have the writers doing playthroughs, and talking (in limited, spoiler-free ways) about them. They aren't professional QA people, but they do know their stuff, and provide another angle on QA, maybe even one that's closer to what we players will experience.

Also, it's hilarious. Plus good PR, to be sure.

EDIT TO ADD: speaking of PR, here's the link to Weekes' new book:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Prophecy-Rogues-Republic-Book/dp/1477824715

Just to add the the above post, most of the art in WoT volume 1 is new but volume 2 reuses a lot of the DAI art (the tarot cards and some of the end slides at least). I mean, volume 2 has quite a bit of new art, and what art it has that is new is pretty nice, but it has a lot of reused stuff too.

There's also a graphic novel that has an all-in-one hardbound edition that has some sidebars by the artist/author about the process of making it and the characters and whatever. It's still not quite what I'd call an art book, but depending on what you're looking for, it might be an option.

Very nice. I found it on Amazon as well: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B07QFSMY66

​

Definitely digging this!

I've read all the books but if your interested in learning more about the lore and the setting I would recommend The World of Thedas book.

Afaik the actual tarot deck was a limited run and you can only get it second hand. There's one on etsy right now for $125 USD which seems good; last I checked there were only a few and all >$200. There are also two sets of playing card decks that I believe have all the art split between them, which are a more affordable $8 USD per pack. And there's the poster collection, which comes as a book with 20 tear-out pages.

It doesn't look any different from the Library edition comics which have already been out for a while https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Library-David-Gaider/dp/1616553847/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1616553847&pd_rd_r=7CDGNF5C7SBD4Z4HX8GB&pd_rd_w=0IXLP&pd_rd_wg=wGjfT&psc=1&refRID=7CDGNF5C7SBD4Z4HX8GB

And is even the same price. The Omnibus is a bit smaller and more portable, however.

Otherwise, yes. It's a good read, especially if Alistair, Varric, and Isabela are some of your favorite characters. There's also some story about Witches of the Wild , Flemeth, and info about Dragons of Thedas. The art style is eh, but I prefer this over some of the DA novels but less than World of Thedas vol.2

Dragon Age 2 PC download is on sale for $4.99 on Amazon right now :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Official-Inquisitor/dp/1101898216/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406903176&sr=1-3&keywords=dragon+age+inquisition

This site is the only one that sells this edition, and all it says is "bonus in game items"

1. Yes, there are physical copies of the game. Amazon has one for example: http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-PC/dp/B00JUHZBRG/ The digital version is called "PC download".
   
2. You only need an Internet connection when activating and updating the game for the first time. Or when playing multiplayer (obviously).
   
3. Yes, an Origin account is required. The physical copy includes disc but you're still required to activate and update the game online when installing.

Yeah, its pretty awful.

So you have to buy bioware points, and then exchange those points to buy the DLC.

What I did, was buy the points on amazon. You get a code that you put into Origin, and this gives you the just the points. You then have to go into Origin, and choose which DLC you want with your points. So even though the link I posted is for Legacy, you could technically use the points to buy another DLC.

Here's a link to comixology if you want to buy/read it online. If you want a floppy you check to see if your local comic shop has any in stock, if not they can generally order it for. Or you can wait for the trade where they collect all the single issues into one book, but that won't happen until the series is finished or has a certain amount of issues. Also you should check out the comic trilogy by Gaider which has Alistair, Isabella, Varric, and a few others.

My SO bought me the game as a surprise on Amazon is there anyway I can preload too? It's the "PC" version not the (PC Download)

In case anyone can't see it:

$107.99

"This ultra-exclusive collectible set is contained in a large leather-textured Dragon Age themed container and includes:

• 368-page Collector’s Edition hardcover guide with unique cover treatments matching the container
  
• Stylized pen with Inquisition logo presented in a themed box
  *Four faux leather bookmarks topped with metal headers, stamped with Dragon Age faction emblems, and backed with colored ribbons matching the faction colors
  
• Includes bonus in-game items
  
  There will only be one manufacturing run for this incredible uber edition. They will sell out. Pre-order your copy today"
  
  Image
  Pre-order here

Hopefully the same voice actor will narrate Varric's novels. Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown https://www.amazon.com/dp/1506704042/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_JdS.AbBJ20507

Yeah, here is the Amazon page for it.

I'm actually getting this as a gift. Though, there hasn't been any update to the shipping date in... forever.

DA:O UE and DA2 are also both on sale on Amazon with the download option! ...you know, for everyone that wants to replay them or... hasn't played them yet ...cough cough... me.
Now if only Bioware would come out with an option to get DA2's DLC bundled or with a discount...

$23.99 on Amazon digital downloads right now

Yes. It includes some fancy packaging, bookmarks, and a pen. It was priced around $72 on Amazon.

If you want to read up on lore, consider checking out The World of Thedas.

Dragon Age Inquisition for 69.99$.
same price at futureshop.ca.
please do your research before trying to correct some one.

https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Arts-70784-Dragon-Download/dp/B004PGNJG2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0804162972?pc_redir=1413428055&robot_redir=1

Here you go buddy.

isn't this it? http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Windows-Edition-Pc/dp/B00JUI8HJ4/ref=zg_bs_1294221011_26

http://gyazo.com/9b1ba8ff8dcf4f110a851f39857816fe
theres my proof , and also what happens with my [amazon link] (http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-PC-Standard-Edition/dp/B00JUHZBRG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413968582&sr=8-2&keywords=dragon+age+inquisition+pc)

http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-PC-Deluxe-Edition/dp/B00JUI8HJ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412660666&sr=8-1&keywords=dragon+age+inquisition+pc

It's $40 on the consoles. $45.43 for the physical copy and $59.99 for the download on PC. This is all standard edition, by the way.

Her name is Yavana. She appeared one of the books in a trio of DA graphic novels written by David Gaider.

Do you know about this? Actual answer... that's really hard. Probably the books, since most other things would be quite incomplete without everything else (e.g. the fade, dwarves, dragons, magic, elves, etc)

Sadly there's no DA2 ultimate pack, you have to buy all the DLC separately. Bioware points are basically the 'currency' used to buy DLC for the Mass Effect trilogy and first two Dragon Age games. So, you buy bioware points, and you use those bioware points to buy DLC.
DLC can be bought directly through the Origin client after purchasing the game - you're practically skipping the Bioware Points part if you do that and don't need to worry about them - or through the Bioware Social Network. You can also buy Bioware Points from businesses like Amazon and redeem them on Origin (for PC, at least).

>> pretend to your shareholders that you are able to do something about piracy.

They haven't cracked DA:I (yet), so they aren't really pretending.

I'm not all for crazy intrusive DRM, but your anger seems to be misplaced.

If you bought it months ago, you've had plenty of time to download it (they even let you preload it quite early).

You opted to purchase it digitally, so you can't really complain about that aspect of things as that is the trade-off... you need to download it.

Single player right now works just fine so it isn't even like this is impacting the actual game that you bought and paid for, but chose not to install until the last hour or so.

I'll accept whatever downvotes come at me, but that's the truth of things. EA isn't ruining your day, some super bored people with computers are.

TLDR; [buy the disc] (http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-PC-Deluxe/dp/B00JUI8HJ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1416785706&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+age+inquisition) next time if you hate having to download things.

Most likely you're out of luck, but you might try emailing Origin support. The worst they can do is say no.

Keep an eye out for it on /r/ConsoleDeals and /r/GameDeals.

FWIW Target is having a B1G1 50% off deal on games until April 4th I believe.

Edit: It's still on sale at Amazon for $39.99

I finally caved and made a reddit account, to answer you! :D. but littlemexicanhat is wrong. The collector's edition [b]strategy guide[/b] comes with three unique items. One being a multiplayer chest, the other being a lizardy mount, and the third item being an amulet/ring (forgot what it's called though)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804162972/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1