A Few issues here.

Astrariums frequently have more stars available than you need to use. This is part of the challenge. You won't need to use all the stars all the time.

You can upgrade your party's potion totals through Inquisition Perks to a base of 12. You can add additional slots through belts, and equip regeneration potions in the other default unlocked belt slot. You can unlock a third belt slot for another set of regeneration potions if you like.  Or equip grenades/tonics for use against specific bosses.

If you play on easy and can't kill even the Hinterlands dragon, this is user error. Or you're severely underleveled (which is still user error, hehe). They aren't easy but they are killable, and I say this playing on Nightmare from day one. Build tier 3 armors with tier 3 resources (metals/leather/cloth) and then use the arms/legs enchants with t3 resources to further boost your combat effectiveness. Same goes for weapons.

Hi 

Gonna try and help a little. 

Let's go in order I suppose.  

1 and 4, The potion thing I can understand to be annoying but there are camps all around the map, so it shouldn't be that bad and of course you can have regen potion or healing mist in your other potion slot to make it a little easier on you.  As for using 8 potions for one fight I have to wonder what health your using them at.  Cause for me and I played on normal I ran around the entire map of hinterlands and maybe used two potions.  When I went to fight the dragon I only used 6 potions then.  So this might be because you have your party members set to taking them at half health, you could lower that to 25 percent or lower.  It might also be because your armor and weapons are too low level for you and you simply need to upgrade them.  On my first playthrough I had two of my party members use level 3 gear till they were level 8 and then I upgraded and I noticed the difference right away.  There is also an inquistion perk that adds another 4 potions, to give you a total of 12. 

2. The Astrariums may be a glitch, you could use the old work around of saving your game and then loading back in, that might help or if it's not a glitch and there are like three more stars or something, it's a challange.  Just try and you'll get it.  I found the astrariums rather easy.

3. I'm a little confused but I think I got it, changing from melee to ranged.  Umm well there are a number of ways.  if your a rogue you can buy a tactical renewal and change to either archery or duel daggers, mage you sort of have a way to be both with knight enchanter and warrior well your out of luck there.  Or you could do what every other dragon ager does from time to time, simply play as one of your companions when your out in the wilds.  Whenever I didn't feel like being a mage I would jump on Cassandra or Cole and play them and I simply did that by clicking on their icon on the left of the screen where their health is. As for the trunk that will probably be brought back in through a dlc or something, or I could be completely wrong on the trunk front, don't quote me.

5.  There is a game guide, it was released on the same day as the game.  Bioware probably didn't include it with the game probably because there are three different versions you could buy.  The ultimate guide, which included a lot of things (can't remember what), the collectors edition, (which I bought) and the regular edition that just included the book and nothing else. 

6.  Umm I'm not even gonna touch that. 

XoXo MockingJaye

A note on the astrariums: I had a similar problem as what you describe but discovered, at least when using a mouse/kybd you can left-click and hold between stars and drag the map around so the other stars come into view.

Dear Sir.

I dont know how to express  the feelings about this game, but here i go.

1. You have finally managed to **bleep** up a good story & good game, it takes 7 / 10 days to comlete  DA 3 , at least DA 1 & 2  took  a bit longer, i dont care about the 4  gameplayer setup`s from easy to hard it doesnt makes the game more exciting,rather more  idiotic.

In Both Da & da 2 the game was a bit scary & with the xtra small areas we could buy for points it became even better, it made the game longer & more fun, in Da 2 it was extremely bloody when you killed certain monsters, this you have removed from DA 3 you can no longer  no matter how hard you try call it Pegi 18 because its not its far from 18 actually even  certain Dungeons in wow are more scary than all you have  done with DA 3 & like wow, Da 3 is rather pegi 12 now, futhermore  the quarrys is already made for us (  only **bleep** or kids age 12 need it to be cut down without doing anything themself as they have no patience) when youre an adult it becomes  very boring when  all is made for you.

About the Dragons giants etc you were right  i just had to be high enough level both on easy & normal, a little change from  Da & Da 2 where  if you had enough potions you could kill them as level 5 :D 

About the Potions : The replenish ( 5 potions ) & the heal area yellow potions  they doesnt work at all no matter how many times i upgrade them, neither can i expand from 8 to 12.

About the Astrariums the star images doesnt match the images i have to create no matter how many stars i use or not.

It annoys me greatly  you just dont admit you  havent made the game properly before launching it.

Also in Da 2  we could buy the mats we needed for healings at the Dalish encampment now we have to loot them, very boring very very boring.

If you  customer target is kids & youngsters between 12-25  then its a good game, but to oldies like me  i think you have ruined you creation a shame really you did the same with baldurs gate, when you made Baldurs gate 2.

The graphic is awesome the best to date ive seen & i love it, but i would rather have had a more bloodier game  lot more scary & very longer gameplay as in Da 2, so from now on  just call it Pegi 12,  theres nearly no blood its  very easy to complete ( you no longer need a brain ) & the language is polished  nicely so even parents dont get upset when theere kids plas the game.

Thank you very much for  ruining  a once good game.

Sincerely & in the future no longer a customer of lousy games, yours.

Okay I have to question if we're discussing the same game here cause a lot of the things your saying don't make any sense.

First Dragon Age isn't suppose to be scary, It's an rpg that allows you to step into the shoes of a hero and save the world.  

Second what are you talking about? DAI is THE biggest game bioware has made.  The hinterlands map is bigger than DAO and DA2 combined.  It took my nearly two weeks to complete and my hours were at 110.  

I could beat DAO in two days, three if I was being lazy, DA2 I could beat in a day, a day and a half max.  So I really don't get it when you say DA2 is longer. 

Third, The blood and gore there is an option to turn that on and off, you probably have it set to off.

Fourth, Potions yes there is a perk for that, it's in forces section and you need a total of 3 or 4 perks in that selection to unlock it, that's rather easy to get if you do hinterlands and get agents because they count for perks.

Fifth, As for being able to kill a dragon at a low level in DAO and DA2 it's because the dragons, enemies and so forth scaled to you and your level.  DAI doesn't do that.  If you go to an area where your surrounded by level 12's and they are kicking your **bleep**, run away and leave the area, they aren't going to change. 

Sixth as for "buying" mats in DA2 which I'm assuming you mean materials for potions and such you can do that in DAI, actually the merchant in hinterlands village, where you start out and save everyone, yeah he sells them, also some armor material.  If your talking about recipes yeah merchants sell those to or you get them from missions, easy peasy. 

Seventh and this is turning into a serious pet peeve for me, just because there are bugs and some glitches doesn't mean the game isn't done.  It just came out, I know everyone wants all their problems to be fixed right then and there but that's not how life works.  Specially for games.  Here's the process, they need to get reports (Us telling them what is going on and when and other details) they need data to figure out exactly where the bug in the code is, then they need to analyze it, find a fix for it, test it out and make sure that fix they just did doesn't make ripples (meaning that they don't want to give us a fix that will cause more bugs or glitches to arise) and then they need to send it out, have it finalized and put it into the system for all platform's and if I'm not mistaken this game goes across varying consoles and pc's, which is a lot of different code. 

Eight, this is a graphic game, it's not meant for kids.  The fact you think a 12 year old should or could play this, is rather sad and shows poor judgement on your part. 

Nine, if you want a scary game go play Outlast: whistleblower or Out Last.

Ten, How about you actually have some patience and wait.  Bioware is trying to get to everyone's problems and help out.

But if you have no patience just go back to your other games and don't hate on a game you clearly misinterpreted and didn't get to fully know.

MockingJaye

1. Dragon age is supposed to be fun as with all other games, but Da 2  had some scary areas  so ofcourse i expect the same not less but the same in Da inq.

2. This isnt the biggest game theyve made it takes 7-10 days to complete its the most beautifil  graphically made game theyve made but not the biggest DA 2 was bigger.

3. My blood & gore is on  & only a few monsters bleed a bit  the rest is like wow, no blood etc just **bleep** boring.

4.I have the potion perks in 5 dont  correct me as ive done everything possible to  make my potions bigger no matter what i do im stucked with 8 heal NO replenish & NO heal area potions.

5. About the dragons i realized that very fast after a few deaths, so i went back later to kill them, but with 8 low heal potions you might as well be naked just standing & await the death blows.

6.yes i saw all vendors for mats of all kind, would have been nice with a manual with the game when i bought it, would gladly have paid more with the game instead i found it online on another farm site.

7.Theres lots of bugs, which means the game isnt ready for sale ( learn to beta test your games before launching them everybody else do so )  could repete the bugs ive found or could instead add some news, the search for Servis  is bugged amongst so many other quests, but again it was nearly expected so many bugs in this game  simply because it wasnt ready for sale.....o_0

8. Most Rpgs & Mmo Rpgs are meant for kids just take world of warcraft or older games like neverwinter Nights etc, 12 year old could play this thats the sad part of this game its very boring & very predictable, only the graphic is  whauw  so amazing.

9.If i want scary games just stop trusting Bioware  theyve drowned  their own child just as he grew up to be amazing, muct be because of EA

10. look at 7.

11.Its very simple actually !! Learn from Baldurs gate 1 when it comes to puzzles its after all your best made game ever when it comes to Rpg & then please make a game  that takes more than a few days to complete, im so disappointed, but again i should have known  when you let EA consume your games  they just drown it into oblivion.

Sincerely yours. 

About the Astrariums.

No matter what i do  the stars doesnt sits correctly according to the image i have to draw its like making a square with a triangle, its simply impossible.

I have tried in many areas latest last night in Hissing wastes, it didnt worked, the images still sits wrong, so now it doesnt matter to me  i play a game that isnt finished with a lot of bugs, i ran around in Hisssing wastes for 2 hours trying to find Servis he didnt spawn in the  fortress where he had to so i thought maybe he had fled to a smaller camp, so after killing everything he didnt showed up anywhere, yet another bug, very amazing i had to pay alot to play an unfinished game, i would stop playing if i got a full refund, instead i just warn people against buying it.

You know believe what you want, I'm not even gonna bother anymore. 

Have a nice day. 

I expect you cant understand what i write, no matter how many stars i use THE IMAGES JUST DONT MATCH THE STAR PICTURES............

very simply if im lets say making a hexagon then theres 5 stars but i need 6,,,,,,,,,its the same everywhere, so dont tell me just beause it works on your machines  that im doing something wrong, because i aint, the images simply doesnt match the pictures, or there isnt enough  stars.

& the potions  still doesnt work i have 8 potions  with all upgradwes & 5  clicks in the heal bar, yet my healing is still 340+ the replenish doesnt work & neither do the  heal area.

If i were the only 1 with issues in this game it  must have been the player ( me ) but  apparently im not since  1000s writes about  different issues every day.

THIS GAME JUST ISNT FINISHED yet the lauched it anyway to make money.