The Tower of Ishal | First time playing 'Dragon Age: Origins' | DAO - Pt 2 | Blind Playthrough

Check out my playlist of 'Dragon Age: Origin' -
• Dragon Age: Origins Pl...
Hi!
Welcome to part 2 of my first playthrough of Dragon Age: Origin's -
On today's episode Duncan takes us into his custody, hoping to make us a Grey Warden, though much like proving ourselves in becoming a mage, we must also go through a test, 'The Rirual' before becoming a Grey Warden.
I hope everyone enjoys it ♥
TikTok: tiktok.com/@kiki_maliki073
#dragonage #firstplaythrough #dao #dragonageorigins #roleplayinggame #rpggame #gaming #reaction #playthrough #playthroughgames #gameplay #gameplayvideo #firstplaythrough #pcgaming #reaction #rpggame

[@Adam-xp5nm]

Highly recommend you buy all backpacks that you come across - there is a limited amount of them in the game and they permanently increase your total inventory capacity by 10 slots - very very useful so you don't have to constantly make shop runs to sell junk! :) Also, holding down TAB highlights all interactable objects/things to loot, very helpful so you don't miss things. Lastly, Alistair is standing around in combat because his behaviour is set to 'defensive', I'd probably set him to aggressive. Lastly, make sure you finish everything in this village (Lothering) before moving on, as you CANNOT return later. There are two recruitable party members to pick up here! Glad you see you're enjoying the party members already 😂

[@livelaughstuck]

This is so important -- I missed one of the characters entirely my first playthough because i didn't look into stuff enough lol

[@Alannah44]

Duncan: "How do you feel?" Warden Surana: (without hesitation) "Lied to" lmao favourite moment

[@LoungingPotato]

Had me laughing out loud. Had to play it back a few times to get it all out haha

[@amypetty5013]

I always appreciated how they wrote it such that the knight who fancied himself a noble warrior and willingly joined the Wardens, turned out to be the one who tried to back out. While the thief who didn't have a choice because the only other option was hanging, turned out to be the more truly heroic one.

[@kiki_maliki]

I agree in the end their true personalities came out, one being brave, the other scared but for me I found in interesting that he pulled his sword, like it was a 50/50 chance but the moment he pulled his sword his odds were forfeit 😬

[@isbammoi3358]

@@kiki_maliki Exactly! He very wel could've lived, but he decided to pull his sword instead and now we'll never know

[@xGreyxRainbowx]

OMG YESSS YOU'RE PLAYING DAO! 🤣 Alistair and Morrigan's dynamic is just so fun, the banter oh lord you will love it ahhh I just love them so much - Can't wait to see this playthrough ;)

[@kiki_maliki]

Hehe yes I am 😁 and I love it so far! Omg yes I can literally see them having a love hate relationship and I can't wait aha

[@abdallaaa98]

I AM GLAD SOMEONE IS STILL PLAYING MY FAVOURITE GAME!!! insta subbed

[@tinaswafford1985]

Jory actually had a choice and wasn't a first choice for the Grey Wardens but kept pushing to get in, if you find him in the camp and have all the dialog with him. FYI.

[@tinaswafford1985]

Ah, how I love the 'swooping is bad' in Alistair's voice. ♥

[@annina134]

I love that line. 😄

[@ericpotter1961]

When you fall in combat, then stand up right after the fight, you pick up an injury that has to be healed by an injury kit.

[@kiki_maliki]

Ohhhhhh I didn't realize, thank you 🙃

[@stefanstoyanov7460]

You don't want spoilers, butt buy every backpack you see, you'll need them. Also the quarter masters stock resets after the Korkari Wilds, you can buy another backpack from him.

[@kiki_maliki]

Thank youuuu 🙃 I'll definitely be on the look out for backpacks

[@ericpotter1961]

Talk to Bean, he will run off and find random things for you. He brings a staff, wine, herbs, gold, cake, a lot of pish.

[@alexcollins71090]

Just want to echo what some other folks have said - I'm really enjoying your commentary on happenings in-game and your playstyle! DAO is top notch stuff and it's truly lovely to see someone else enjoying it for the first time :) I can def see this becoming my current comfort series. Favorite part was when you kept bringing up Boromir after you got shot by those arrows lol

[@ericpotter1961]

Your narration was very entertaining....Great playthrough and video. Thanks Miss Kiki

[@kiki_maliki]

Thank you 😊

[@GwynethFaeleneThatOneWierdo]

So glad you liked Alistair instantly. He's amazing. -"Y'know, what I'm realizing is they're picking up people in really dire situations so they have no choice" Typically Grey Wardens recuit that way, but it isn't always involuntary. Plenty of Grey Wardens are criminals and becoming something else allowed them a get out of jail free card. -"Wait, I'm alive? I got shot with three arrows! Boromir has nothing on me." For shame! For shame! -"The moment I laid my eyes upon her, I fell in love." Sadly Morrigan isn't romancable for female wardens. I've been grief-stricken ever since I met her... my queen.....

[@ziva000]

I always love watching people play this wonderful game for the first time! Really enjoyed your playstyle so far. I look forward to seeing your future videos!

[@kiki_maliki]

Thank you 😊 I'm very intrigued to see where the story takes me!

[@sanctimoniouslocke3941]

I've always loved how Alistair tells you that you won't be running into darkspawn ambushes (because he can sense them!), but then immediately fails to warn you several times when you're walking into a group of stealthed darkspawn rogues. 🤣 The battle cutscenes are just pure hype. I think it was that first cutscene, right before you cross the bridge to get to the tower, that really sold me on this game back in the day. It definitely gives some Helm's Deep vibes. So, a few points of advice! Starting with lockpicking! You don't need to get a mod; just have a rogue in your party (when you can) and make sure you give them the skill to pick locks. You didn't miss out on anything spectacular in those early chests, so its just something to keep in mind going forward. Regarding inventory space. Each item (or stack of items) takes up one slot of your inventory. 99 healing potions will take up the same amount of space as one sword. This is why, for a while, you were able to continue picking up items even though your inventory was full; they were all stackable items. You should make sure to buy every backpack you see. Each one increases your inventory space, and you may lose out on the opportunity to buy some of them if you wait (as with the one the quartermaster was selling). In combat, you may want to consider changing to the top-down ("tactical") camera mode. In that mode you move your character by clicking on the ground, and it might make it easier to aim your spells, locate enemies, or see lootable objects. You can also take advantage of pausing in order to line up your AoE spells.

[@kiki_maliki]

I think he did it for the laughs, wanted to keep us on our toes or he's just a really bad grey warden 😂 one or the other That's fine then, no mods I kinda like playing with no mods, sometimes I feel like it's cheating a little so I'm super excited to get my rogue so I can finally open chests 😅

[@Elvhen]

Alistair not warning you about the sneaking/hiding darkspawn in the Wilds is 100% a bug tho, he even has lines to warn you about it recorded and in the game just they never fixed that up. There's many tiny things and dialogue options that suffered the same fate-- but there is a mod that basically works as an overhaul of fixes, a patch basically that gives access to how stuff was meant to be from the start if Bioware/EA actually cared to fix all that. I guess not every game developer is Larian but it is an old game after all. (the mod is Qwinn's Ultimate DAO Fixpack v3.52 on Nexus mods, definitely recommend it even for mostly vanilla playthroughs, it allows you to get bugged codex entries and just... fixes So Much (about 850(!!!) bugs) so i think it's worth getting eventually) And mods are not really cheating. There's so many quality of life stuff to pick off and well, considering that there's literally an updater built into the game that allows outside content to be installed with Dazip files? I guess it was meant to be so. There is a Lockbash mod too, it runs a risk of accidentally destroying what's in the chest when you swing at it so there's some realism to that, but a rogue in the party is a must either way, if only for the removal of 'insufficient skill' irritant and safety from traps.

[@soloragoldsun2163]

I'm pretty sure everyone falls in love with Morrigan on sight! Sadly, without mods, you can't romance her as a woman. :( Loved your reaction to the Battle of Ostagar! It's one of the best moments in the whole series, in my opinion!

[@kiki_maliki]

Honestly! There's something super intriguing about her character, a lil bit of a mystery too and you have to love a bit of a mystery 😂 And the battle omg if was amazing but super sad at the same time!

[@Te3time]

Not me I sent her away in my first play through when she asked me to kill flemeth lmao

[@davida.j.berner776]

You asked about DA: Awakening (in the previous episode, I think). It's an add-on, criticised at the time of release for being short, but in today's terms it would be called a fairly large, story-driven DLC. You don't need to make a decision now. The events of Awakening all take place AFTER the events of the main game, so wait until you've finished, and if it leaves you wanting more, then tackle it then. Personally, I like it, but don't go into it expecting it to be as grand as Origins. More immediately, if the version you bought includes the Stone Prisoner DLC, I recommend making sure that's activated. That one integrates seamlessly into the main game, and is a great add-on.

[@kiki_maliki]

I think I have everything activated but I'll definitely have a check just to make sure 😊

[@DrMustacho]

There is a mod for a seperate dog slot so he won't take the place of a companion that can talk and has a story

[@kiki_maliki]

I'll definitely have a look into that, Bean deserves to join us on our adventures ☺️

[@Lil_ias]

​@@kiki_malikiif you're modding I'd also get a storage mod for camp it's so helpful

[@GreyWardenArlethaVakarian]

Hey there just found your channel I hope you'll like DAO it's my favourite game of all time, day one fan here. I am grateful that you decided to play the first game of the series. I'll never understand peeps who skip the first games and start with the newest of the series. It's weird in my opinion plus they miss so much important lore. Without the first game a game series wouldn't be possible.. Anyways if you have issues with game crashes I'll recommend you to lower the graphics to medium. The game struggles to run on new hardware and it's frustrating to continue playing if the game keeps on crashing every 20-40 minutes.

[@kiki_maliki]

I'm loving it so far 😊 and yeah everyone told me that if I want to follow the story and understand what's going on I have to start from the beginning and definitely have no regrets the story is so interesting and I can't wait to see where it leads me!

[@DKBoogieMan]

Wynne is everybodys grandmother , treat her well!

[@kiki_maliki]

She's so cute 🥺 I love her

[@gunstarheroine5173]

1:02:25 you are so smart! I feel like you just intuitively get so much that the game's trying to do. It's really rewarding to watch.

[@tomkecskes5853]

Hello, Kiki. I see that you moved on to another one of my favorite RPGs. Undoubtedly, Dragon Age: Origins has one of the best dark fantasy narratives among PC games. Just be aware that few choices in this game are simple, right or wrong, decisions. DA: O doesn't deal in black and white, rather everything is some shade of gray. The outcome of your major decisions that significantly impact various characters, factions, and races may not be revealed until the epilogue. With that in mind, it makes sense to really think carefully when choosing between factions and which characters to support. In a way, DA: O has a fair bit of Game of Thrones style political machinations and jockeying and the reflexive or emotional choice often has unforeseen (and frequently negative) consequences. There are some useful comments already regarding managing game mechanics so I won't repeat such advice. The one thing that I would suggest though is looking at adding some mods. Generally, I prefer playing games unmodded the first time around. But as an older game, DA: O definitely benefits from both cosmetic and gameplay mods. There is a respec mod for example that has no impact on the game other than offering you a chance to respec (i.e. a Withers style character rebuild) your protagonist and your NPC companions. I hope that your will have as much fun with Dragon Age: Origins as you did with Baldur's Gate 3. Just keep in mind that the world of Thedas is definitely more grim and dark than Faerun.

[@kiki_maliki]

Thank you for the tips this helps! I am enjoying it so far and I do see what you mean it is a lot darker than BG3 which makes me scared for my companions even more 😅

[@gregs3845]

Alastair in defensive stance will only attack if you are being attacked. Otherwise he'll stand there not doing much.

[@trackblaster4627]

Just discovered this channel as my DA hype was through the roof, hope you enjoy the series!

[@kiki_maliki]

Thank you so much 😊 so far I'm really enjoying it

[@ericpotter1961]

You have Alistair's tactics set to Defensive, he is standing near you, as a protector, but not doing it very well. I would let him be default setting.

[@joandsarah77]

The chantrey signs is a quest with a big stash of loot at the end. I don't think you are highlighting things. Hold down TAB and it will show you things, including those chantry signs. You can click J for your quest journal. Never knock back a backpack, sell all your junk for it, which means most of what you have save for really good armour, weapons and potions and gifts. I know it looks like you have tons of room, but you will find that quickly fills up in the huge areas that DAO has with few merchants.

[@ericpotter1961]

When you get a chance to level up, if you don't have the prerequisite Stat or level for your desired spell, just level up next time and do two at once.

[@setas7818]

I am really enjoying your let's play of Dragon age Origins. I hope that in the future you will also let's play The Witcher games.

[@kiki_maliki]

Aw thank you so much ☺️ and yes, it's definitely on my list

[@ericpotter1961]

The many quests you get in the city will have you running all over the Fereldan map. Be prepared to get ambushed 2 dozen times. If you find a fight too difficult, just run away from the fight. If you can run far enough from the battle, your companions will arise and rejoin the fight. Injuries can be healed later.

[@ericpotter1961]

I love how passionate you are about the mages and their plight. Gregoire comes through for you much later on.

[@kiki_maliki]

Honestly it's just super sad how poorly they are treated 😢 but I am curious if they did something in the past or it's just the way it is in this worlds... I guess I'll find out as the game progresses 🙃

[@CC-of5xl]

Kind of a spoiler

[@DrMustacho]

​@kiki_maliki you've read about the empire ruled by mages that enslaved the elves And mages can be possessed by demons and demons are very dangerous

[@Adanu191]

@@kiki_maliki There are reasons for it, much of which you've already heard about.

[@SimonDoherty-i9m]

Maker the magi origin! Teenage student at Hogwarts a week ago then you had fight a demon get arrested hunt darkspawn drink there blood watch a murder get betrayed and told you have to single handedly raise an atmy to overthrow a tyrant and slay an archdemon like bruh i was in school last week 😂

[@kiki_maliki]

Stooooppppp 🤣🤣 this is honestly so true! Like my poor character was literally locked in a tower and now she's been thrown into the position of Grey Warden hilarious 😂

[@catika505]

Seeing a new player read the codex entries brings joy to my heart

[@MariRoxUrSox]

I actually named my dog Waffle in my first playthrough! 😂😂😂

[@ericpotter1961]

Elhara has poor eyesight, you need to be practically standing on the Chasind trail markers to find them. All quests end in some kind of loot.

[@ericpotter1961]

Miss Kiki, this game doesn't have a chance to Re-spec your main character or your followers. Your decisions are final, there's a lot to progress: mage spells, plan for a Specialization at levels 7 and 14; Ability stats increase at level up, you want high Magic, Willpower and Constitution, some Strength and Dexterity, Cunning can be lower. Skill tree need Coercion and Combat training, one Steal and some Herbalism. Personal reputation with your companions as it increases so do their ability scores. I give gifts to make them like me. Keep an eye out for: Backpack, Robe, Amulet, Staff, Belt, 2-Rings, tomes and pick all the herbs you find. Gain gold a lot of it. Combat tactics preset can stay as it is, unless a character keeps doing something to annoy you.

[@amypetty5013]

I'm surprised you skipped the chance to have an audience with Loghain when you were talking to the man in front of his tent. It would've been a cool introduction to the character. These blind playthroughs are always fun to watch. You get to watch someone make decisions that will...have consequences later.

[@kiki_maliki]

I dunno 🤔 he intimidated me I guess but you saying that now I'm scared 😬

[@tinaswafford1985]

I hope you discovered the need to use injury kits on people after they com3 back to life.

[@yep_thatsme]

Loving this gameplay! Please buy all backpacks that you come across, they are limited and the more you explore the more items you find that are extremely important and useful to you/ your companions or to sell.

[@ericpotter1961]

You as a mage will be the primary target of your enemy, The Tank has to become more threatening to draw aggro and the new target of the enemy. Alistairs job is to tank, you can cast Heal as needed and use ranged magic damaged. Later in the game you could choose to melee the baddies.

[@TRafael82]

You got Allistair on defensive. He will only attack when you are attacked.

[@ericpotter1961]

Rogues open locked containers.

[@oblivija]

I always name the dog "Barkspawn". In every playthrough XD

[@kiki_maliki]

😅 I didn't think of that

[@oblivija]

@@kiki_maliki Lmao you gave him a real cute name though :D

[@Te3time]

Yayy Bean! I hope someone told you about the dog mod so you can keep 3 companions plus Bean since I saw you're already on da2 now. Can't wait to watch you play inquisition

[@ericpotter1961]

You have weapon slots for both ranged and melee weapons. Once within arms reach, warriors and rogues need to use the melee weapon. Mages only get staves, distance is not a factor. But backup when Darkspawn rush to attack you, stand behind Alistair, he's your Tank.

[@militaryarchive4840]

this game is a masterpiece❤ still have such fond memories even though I played it for the first time in 2011🥹

[@kiki_maliki]

The story is pretty amazing so far. My sister still says it's one of her favourite games cent believe it's taken me so long to play it aha ☺️

[@gaigelarry]

I wish i was here earlier lol. I'd have told you there's something wrong with Alistair's tactics. i think that's why he freezes in battle. Also... Mod to your heart's content >=D highly recommend inventory increasing mods

[@ericpotter1961]

You can use the Kiting fighting method, get the enemies to chase you and lead them into an ambush you set up, I have 3 archers waiting to fill them with arrows. 1st target enemy mages, archers, leaders designated as Alpha's. Let them come to you in small groups. You are always winning your fights, this will be challenging Kiki.

[@ericpotter1961]

Now that you have reached civilization, Lothering has 2 merchants, a lot of chests, a Job board, chance to recruit companions, people have quests for you. The City has multiple people with series of quests to do. Hit the small outlying areas before the city. You have option of visiting places that you can see merchants and later progress to do that main quest. Mage tower, dont enter past barrier until ready to committ to finishing the Tower. Orzammar, visit shops, do some minor questing, later committ to finish it. I hit the docks and Honnleath, wardens peak early. Go to Lothering about 5 more times. As you progress the merchants inventory gets better equipment, As you see what metal is used for weapons and armor. Dalish have best bows, that merchant also upgrades his inventory.

[@ericpotter1961]

The backpack is what items your party has for the moment, give each member the items that work best for them. You control all party members in this game, soldiers can come over and help you fight sometimes. You want to get 5 backpacks in this game, it increases your carrying capacity. Drop worthless items when you get full, then sell the pish in town.

[@TRafael82]

If you talked to the prisoner more that needed food he would have giving you a key to open a chest.

[@paulwares]

Using a mod to open chests you dont have the skill for IS cheating pure and simple.

[@gaigelarry]

Also Gift Mods! ^_^ there's a very helpful one that tells you who the Gift will have the Best effect on!

[@BLCJ123]

Oh you finally noticed the underbite LOL I’ve seen it since the beginning and I was wondering when you’d notice your character was permanently pouting 😭 Edit to add: you cant change your appearance in this game unfortunately, but in the second and third game, there’s a free DLC called the Black Emporium that comes with a mirror you can change your appearance in, just like BG3.

[@kiki_maliki]

Honestly 😅😅 it's all I can see when I look at her but it's grown on me a lil aha

[@SOAD4ever47]

Warden Surana probably speaks like this guy 2:55:31

[@SaltedFishero]

Probably too late but if you have problems reading the tiny font, there are mods for more readable and bigger font out there!

[@joandsarah77]

You are pretty good at deducing the characters. The one who died has a sustained injury now, he needs to use an injury kit, they are brown and can be placed in the hot bar.

[@kiki_maliki]

Ahaha thank you 🙃 I'll be on the look out for injury kits

[@patinho5589]

Orlais is obviously a French word like ‘Calais’.

[@MalarikFilms]

19:10 I'm enjoying this, it's like catching up before the new game comes out (I also never read the codex's😅 probably should but I'm inpatient)

[@kiki_maliki]

Honestly I understand about the codexs there's a lot of information but in a sucker for lore 😅

[@MalarikFilms]

@@kiki_maliki me too- I LOVE lore, I just forget how much of it is in there, and my attention span needs some exercise if I plan to read some codex entries. (I usually watch them in video form, but reading them on the spot is better for context)

[@amypetty5013]

The flower you picked up first was a deathroot. And just FYI, you had a dialogue option to ask the kennel master where to find it. It's a good idea to make sure you don't overlook those options in dialogue. Also, don't know if you know this by now, but you definitely need a rogue in your party in order to be able to unlock chests, but you also have to make sure they have the requisite lockpicking skill. I do believe the is a mod to bash chests open, though.

[@rcm_kem]

Boromir getting DRAGGED

[@tinaswafford1985]

Look for 'gifts' to give your companions for approval. Wait until you have Alistair with you to speak to the prisoner in the cage for his approval.

[@beetaylor3529]

Take a shot every time someone says taint.

[@SimonDoherty-o6l]

Love how with the magi origin you go from the harrowing to the joining in like a couple days

[@kiki_maliki]

Honestly my poor character didn't get a break 😅

[@herrzimm]

Tip: Pull your quickbar across the screen. Allows you to expand your quickbar so that you can have more items/abilities available without having to pick and choose which ones to replace/drop all the time as you fill up the "shortened bar" that is standard.

[@puppetofmasters]

How did I never know you could do this lol

[@kiki_maliki]

Thank you for the tips this helps 🙃

[@eestiny9734]

2:29:12 we all love 🤣 Boromir

[@kiki_maliki]

Everyone loves Boromir 😂 he did his best aha

[@SilveryRow]

I'm glad you also like Alistair; he has such little brother energy, I think. I can't believe you apologized for exploring in an RPG xD And yes, getting a mod to unlock chests rather than learning (or having a companion learn) Lockpicking is cheating. If you wanted to open everything yourself, picking Rogue would've been your best bet ;) My tip would be to read all quests, notes, letter, etc, as you receive them (not lore) because sometimes they're bound to the area you are currently in. The Wilds held many secrets and you unfortunately missed them all!

[@ericpotter1961]

Once you progress to the joining ritual, you are compelled to move to the Tower and the next part of the story. Bring on pain Kiki. You can practice ways of killing your enemies, plenty to kill, about 1,200 or so. Your record updates as you go. Check out your stats, if you are inclined to.

[@ericpotter1961]

Return to Jogby's campsite. Have Daveth open the chests both in Wilds and at Ostagar, both sides of the bridge. Sell your pish before you report to Duncan with the 3 vials, and treaties.

[@adriancruz359]

Excellent video!

[@Stuffeddodo]

Thoroughly enjoying watching this playthrough of my favourite game!! So nostalgic for me 🥲

[@123Nightcloud]

Bean is such a cute name for your Mabari omg

[@Happydragon81]

Love this game

[@AgentZ46]

If you haven't already I recommend changing Alistair's tactics a bit. As it is with the defensive set he's set to follow you around and protect you. And since you're a ranged character he's not really attacking the enemy that often.

[@ericpotter1961]

Your carrying capacity has no bearing on your movement. You can look at the cheapest item and drop it once you get full up to the max number of items. It's not weight but the number of things in the backpack.

[@annina134]

Found your channel yesterday and saw you play my absolute favourite game of all times. So have to watch every video now. 😁

[@ericpotter1961]

You can click on the map, the characters will run to that spot, unless they get attacked before reaching the place you mark. See the dots moving on your map.

[@ericpotter1961]

Go back 2 more times to the Quartermaster after getting the blood. Ask about his special wares too.

[@annina134]

Omg, why do I always cry when the battle scene starts..😢

[@ericpotter1961]

The Elf Pic has dialogue and an item you can use on a warrior.

[@ericpotter1961]

Daveth is the Rogue and can open most locked chests.

[@davidvaughan5512]

Really enjoying this. Thank you.

[@TheJackedOLantern]

I had a crush on Duncan when I first played this. Well him and strangely enough... Daveth. Kinda bummed the ones I immediately get a liking to always end up dead. Also, I dunno why, Alistair reminds me of Gale or maybe the other way around lol. When I was playing BG3 Gale sounded like a nerdy Alistair. It's probably the voice. They sound somewhat similar to my ears. Oh and if you're looking for mods, there's one that lets you hit any treasure chest to open them. There's also one that lets you have Bean as a permanent summon instead of him taking over a companion slot. With that mod, he still also functions like natural companion as well because he still appears in cutscenes as if he was in your party. At least from what I can remember when I added that mod.

[@kiki_maliki]

Oooooooo I might have to have a look at that, I love lil Bean and feel like he deserves all the screen time 🙃

[@tinaswafford1985]

I laughed when you said, "Alistair, why are you making my life difficult?" before you even met him! Lol. How true, as you'll find out. 😁

[@ericpotter1961]

You picked up a pouch of ashes off a dead soldier. If you want to, go do this little side quest before reporting to Duncan. Go kill those wolves you saw from a distance. And loot the pelts to sell to quartermaster, give flower to the Kennel master before reporting to Duncan. That prisoner should've offered his item for the food you gave him.

[@transsylvanian9100]

If you find the word "Fraternities" difficult to pronounce you can just say "Brotherhoods" because it means the exact same thing.

[@johanwittens7712]

Getting a mod to open locked chests IS cheating. The whole point of an rpg is that your character choices and skills determine what you can and CAN'T do. If you wanted to open locked chests and doors, then play a rogue. You're a mage. You will never have the skills to open locked chests and doors. But you DO have different very powerfull skills. And one of your companions later in the game might have lock picking skills. You're basically still playing the prologue at this point. The "real" open world game hasn't even started yet. Have some patience. But please don't download a mod to open locked chests. It goes against everything an rpg is meant to be imho. And please please start using the space bar pause in the game instead of running around mid combat deciding what to do. It is the way the game is meant to be played, and is absolutely essential in big boss fights. It allows you to fight tactically, use your different party member's skills, combine different skills, etc etc. This is not a fps where you run around and shoot whatever you see. It's an RPG where skills and tactics are important, and where you pauze to consider your next move(s). Just one example: notice how your frost spells have a chance of freezing enemies in place for a short time? Yeah maybe let your party members take advantage of that by ordering them to atrack those frozen enemies?? Or figure out the tactics settings before continuing the game, and set your companions' tactics to take advantage of situations like enemies being frozen by you. Playing as a mage, it will be very important to set the tactics of your companions to take advantage of the effects your spells cause, AND to set them to protect squishy you that is very bad at melee combat... Otherwise you'll end up dying pretty much every combat encounter... And lastly, those AOE (area of effect) spells you keep using enthousiastically like the lightning and fire, do dalage your allies too if they're in the spell's area. You set that dog on fire, but you've been shocking and thus damaging your companions/allies constantly throughout this play.

[@Nebula_Coffee]

I generally agree with what you said. But to me it seems that she doesn't really have issues with fights despite not pausing, and not playing very tactical. I have wondered about the AOE spells also. It doesn't seem like companions are taking damage? Or perhaps I missed that. But in general her character as well as the companions are barely taking damage and she breezes through most fights, wich makes me think she is playing on easy mode (which would explain no friendly fire, I think). So she might not even need to consider the things you've mentioned because it ends up working out anyway for most fights. Usually first time players struggle way more in the beginning and the Ogre fight should not have been that easy (honestly, a bit dissatisfying to watch). But playing as a mage is also easier because mages are kind of OP, so that might be a reason too. And the game gets even easier once you've gotten the hang of it and have more abilities. So I'm kind of hoping she adjusts the difficulty at one point when she's gotten more comfortable with how the game functions so that it feels like there is at least some sort of challenge.

[@kiki_maliki]

Hey a lot of these are pre recorded (as I'm away) so I'm only now just seeing all of your advise about pausing and the tactical strategies. I haven't downloaded any mods so you don't have to worry - later on though I do add another companion slot for lil Bean because he's great and everyone's been advising me to do so ☺️