Any tips for a first time player for an enjoyable experience?
Hi,
Wondering if anybody has some random tips while I wait for the download to play the game for the first time?
- I read that there are a lot of grinding (MMORPG type) aspects to the game... are these avoidable or necessary to progress?
- Is the highest difficult super hard or worth trying on the first playthrough?
- Any companions that are seem more fun than others?
Thanks in advance!
Tips for a First Timer, huh?
1. Get out of the Hinterlands and explore other areas early! I am basically a completionist, so I tend to try to look into every nook and cranny before moving along. This is definitely a mistake with Inquisition. The world is huge and dynamic (meaning things that weren't there before will appear later.) and the game gives you reason to revisit places anyway. I probably spent 20 hours wandering those hills my first time, wondering when the "real" game was going to begin. My problem was trying to do all the side-quests I was being offered (see point 2. below) when they didn't move the story along.
2. Don't feel compelled to perform every side-quest (see point 1. above.) There are a seemingly endless stream of them and while they do help earn the "Power" and/or "Influence" you'll need to open up more missions on the War Table, many of those are simply another side-quest. Your Journal will keep track of what's essential for the plot (or relationships) and what's not. Do as many or as few as you like.
3. Do NOT play on a high difficulty setting your first time. Several reasons for that. One is that if you're not used to the game mechanics, battles will be almost impossible. Second, the world is structured so that your party can encounter situations early on that it is in no way prepared to handle. In those cases, running away really is the only option until you've leveled-up enough to take them on. Too high a difficulty will just multiply the number of such encounters.
4. Speaking of game mechanics and running away, the party members are severely limited in both the number of consumables (health, lyrium, grenades, etc.) they can carry, and the number of "abilities" they can keep at the ready (even if they actually have more in their "arsenal".) The only time times those can be swapped is when in "base". Many times, especially early in the game, you'll realize you brought the wrong set for this particular encounter. No shame in returning to base and re-outfitting!
5. Plan on spending between 100-200 hours to finish. (More, if you do all the DLC.) It's a BIG game, and it rewards taking the time to listen to the convos, look around as you travel, and generally lose yourself in Thedas for a while. It's not a looter/shooter. (See Anthem for a disappointing counter example.)
6. Play without any mods the first time through. That way you'll have a much better idea of both which mods you might want to try, and the difference they actually make when you do.
7. Presuming you like it after one go, plan on doing at least a few more. (I have over a dozen complete runs through Trespasser.) Changing your race/class/gender opens (and closes) several dialogue/relationship branches, and even a few plot ones!
8. Have Fun! If a battle seems to be unwinnable, re-load your last save and lower the difficulty until it's over. No one is judging you... It's your game! 😇
[EDIT: Fixed typos.]
