The expedition in Dragon Age 2

[Anah'ya]

Sending a small force to a month long expedetion with no immunity to darkspawn(which they KNOW there will be a lot of). This is the equivalent of sending swat officers to take down armed gunmen without any body armor on.

There is only a very small window of opportunity after a Blight in which the Deep Roads are not overrun by Darkspawn.

This is even mentioned by Varric and can be gleamed just from playing Witch Hunt and listening to Finn.

 

[Trolldor]

As I said elsewhere - the potential is destroyed by intellectually dumbing the game down.

Edit: The dialogue wheel stops character exploration on the player's part, forcing you in to 'events' if you want backstory, which also limits what part of the backstory is revealed.
The only thing they got right was party banter - something the player is in no way involved with at all.

I would so much like to have a in depth discussion about this with you, though I believe it would end up ugly

"Go, Charizard!"

 

[Chrissyluky]

Do you seriously think they didn't expect to find any darkspawn in the deep roads? Like they were just going to walk around and it would be a jolly good time? They're risking their lives based on rumors. Along with this the keyword is overrun meaning they can still find darkspawn there just won't be as many. It's a plothole because there's no proper motivation for this, why would you go on a long dangerous expedition with someone you just met?(not to mention you aren't being paid)
And the chances of someone who is not immune to the taint surviving a month long darkspawn vacation are very slim unless you are the fastest swordsmen around.

 

[Trolldor]

Do you seriously think they didn't expect to find any darkspawn in the deep roads? Like they were just going to walk around and it would be a jolly good time? They're risking their lives based on rumors. Along with this the keyword is overrun meaning they can still find darkspawn there just won't be as many. It's a plothole because there's no proper motivation for this, why would you go on a long dangerous expedition with someone you just met?(not to mention you aren't being paid)

Well. You have your sibling, and Varric was already part of it. Aveline has a long friendship/loyalty to you, and every other character wants to get in to your pants.

 

[Gudrests]

Well Bioware develops their own engines(for the most part), and most rpgs use a lot of backdrops to allow the illusion of a large city. Dragon age 2 actually has some of their more realistic towns which are actually...populated. This was also on a brand new engine so really I doubt this was an issue of system resources and more of plot convenience. It still totally bothers me that almost your whole party isn't a gray warden but you willingly fight darkspawn like it's nothing. In dragon age origins there are quite a few gray wardens including the main character. In origins the task is far more plausible than in this installment. It's like playing a game of operation where if you touch the sides the whole game blows up. Honestly your whole party is probably clinically insane considering they agreed to do this without pay anyways.

Well most of your party members either
A. are some dangerious MOFO'S and darkspawn or not they couldnt care because of BLOOD MAGIC *wiggles fingers*
B. They have no where else to go and they trust you and have seen your skill.
C.......well..Anders is a Grey Warden
D. So on and so forth.
E.wait...you don't really fight darkspawn that often do you....in the beggining because your running away...and like once or twice later if there in the way. OH and count ....whats her face out the guard captain because she has shown she can fight them sooooo an experience thing id guess
...............ANDDDDD OF COURSE...your party is made up of a bunch of people who owe you and want to do you....there showing off to get in your pants

 

[Anah'ya]

Do you seriously think they didn't expect to find any darkspawn in the deep roads? Like they were just going to walk around and it would be a jolly good time? They're risking their lives based on rumors also the keyword is overrun meaning they can still find darkspawn there just won't be as many.

And that is what you need the guards for, which were hired using the money pooled together by the investors and Bartrand. You die just as well from a Darkspawn as you die from a sword to the belly wielded by a perfectly normal human as a mercenary.

Trading your safety for money is what desperate swordsmen for hire do.

And that includes Hawke. He/She needed the money and the status, not just for him/herself, but for the protection of his/her family. Admittedly you could argue he might not care a-lot, but if you want to argue the credibility of Hawke accepting this quest then you could just as well argue the credibility of every single story in any game on any given time that offered you a quest.

If you can just keep saying NO, then you could just as well make a sandbox game with no point A and no point Z leading to a conclusion. That's not the type of games BioWare is making though. If that is what you want, look at Fallout or Oblivion and just ignore the quest line and RP your character as you see fit.

Or go play Sims.

Not Sims Medieval though, that has quests too that you can't avoid.

 

[Chrissyluky]

How likely are you to fight so many darkspawn without getting hit even once? It doesn't even have to be a mortal blow they just have to draw blood.

 

[Anah'ya]

C.......well..Anders is a Grey Warden

Thank you!

 

[Trolldor]

How likely are you to fight so many darkspawn without getting hit even once? It doesn't even have to be a mortal blow they just have to draw blood.

Sacrifices to realism for the sake of gameplay.

 

[Anah'ya]

How likely are you to fight so many darkspawn without getting hit even once?

Getting hit once by a Darkspawn is not going to infect you with the taint.

Else Fereldren would be looking VERY bleak and void of populace after the blight and all the skirmishes and large scale battles fought by none Gray Wardens.

Hell, Maric, Loghain, Rowan and Katriel went into the Deep Roads and they were no Gray Wardens. Just desperate.

 

[Anah'ya]

How likely are you to fight so many darkspawn without getting hit even once? It doesn't even have to be a mortal blow they just have to draw blood.

Sacrifices to realism for the sake of gameplay.

Not really. There was no sacrificing realism or lore for the sake of gameplay for facing the Darkspawn. Please elaborate why you would believe so.

 

[Simon Pettersson]

How likely are you to fight so many darkspawn without getting hit even once? It doesn't even have to be a mortal blow they just have to draw blood.

You need to get darkspawn blood inside you.

 

[Chrissyluky]

Getting hit once by a Darkspawn is not going to infect you with the taint.

Despite it happening in nearly every dragon age game to this date...
Also

Creatures that come in close or frequent contact with the darkspawn often become diseased themselves

Captain action isn't going to live too long without becoming a gray warden.

 

[Trolldor]

How likely are you to fight so many darkspawn without getting hit even once? It doesn't even have to be a mortal blow they just have to draw blood.

Sacrifices to realism for the sake of gameplay.

Not really. There was no sacrificing realism or lore for the sake of gameplay for facing the Darkspawn. Please elaborate why you would believe so.

Hawke kills a slew of Darkspawn and in turn gets cut by Darkspawn, so do all members of the party, but the taint is only introduced through a specific character event.

Considering most of the enemies tend to explode, blood gets everywhere, and even the slightest cut or abbrasion could cause them to catch the taint.

 

[Anah'ya]

Getting hit once by a Darkspawn is not going to infect you with the taint.

Despite it happening in nearly every dragon age game to this date...

There was one Dragon Age game to this date before Dragon Age II. And tell me ONE instance where this was said. Morrigan never turned into a Darkspawn. Oghren did not. Sten did not. Not ever single man and woman fighting alongside the Warden or in the background turned.

You need to get the blood into your system, as another player pointed out. Creating a foe that would infect other beings as easily as you make it sound would be the most ridiculous notion a writer can have. There is NOTHING, nothing WHATSOEVER that would stop the Darkspawn from just marching across the countryside once and having the surface dwellers reduced to slobbering infected darkspawn-spawn.

Yes. They are dangerous. Yes, the Darkspawn taint will affect people, not just from fighting them and the blood, but corruption can spread through touch and contact (see the Messenger going on good Samaritan duty if you let him go in Awakening) to the point of making you ill, but they are not the unstoppable "hurr I hit you, now you are Darkspawn!" tide that you make them out to be. They can be fought. They can be killed. And it doesn't need a Gray Warden to do so.

Only the Blight, that is when the Gray Wardens are necessary, for who else will kill the Archdemon.

 

[Chrissyluky]

Writing around this isn't hard...Easy to obtain disease? Okay let's make the main character immune to it, PROBLEM SOLVED.

 

[Anah'ya]

Hawke kills a slew of Darkspawn and in turn gets cut by Darkspawn, so do all members of the party, but the taint is only introduced through a specific character event.

Considering most of the enemies tend to explode, blood gets everywhere, and even the slightest cut or abbrasion could cause them to catch the taint.

Again, you are jumping to conclusions here. You are "assuming". If these assumptions were correct, and if this is what the Darkspawn are, then it is not the Expedition that is the plot hole, but the general existence of the Darkspawn.

Take Rowan, for example. Rowan EVENTUALLY succumbed to the taint, but not until many many many years later. By your logic, Rowan should have died shortly after she ventured into the Deep Roads with Loghain, Maric and Katriel. Loghain certainly turned a bit on the wonky side and Maric might have been saved due to his involvements with the Architect, but either way -- it would indicate that the taint, while contagious and fucking dangerous, is not such a sure thing.

Getting hit once by a Darkspawn is not going to infect you with the taint.

Despite it happening in nearly every dragon age game to this date...
Also

Creatures that come in close or frequent contact with the darkspawn often become diseased themselves

Captain action isn't going to live too long without becoming a gray warden.

Often

I would like to refer to Rowan again.

And also, once again, present the question: What about your party members in Origins. You are saying that Origins had a plot hole too. But would you care to pause and think that maybe your thought on Darkspawn infection is a bit off the mark?

 

[Trolldor]

Hawke kills a slew of Darkspawn and in turn gets cut by Darkspawn, so do all members of the party, but the taint is only introduced through a specific character event.

Considering most of the enemies tend to explode, blood gets everywhere, and even the slightest cut or abbrasion could cause them to catch the taint.

Again, you are jumping to conclusions here. You are "assuming". If these assumptions were correct, and if this is what the Darkspawn are, then it is not the Expedition that is the plot hole, but the general existence of the Darkspawn.

Take Rowan, for example. Rowan EVENTUALLY succumbed to the taint, but not until many many many years later. By your logic, Rowan should have died shortly after she ventured into the Deep Roads with Loghain, Maric and Katriel. Loghain certainly turned a bit on the wonky side and Maric might have been saved due to his involvements with the Architect, but either way -- it would indicate that the taint, while contagious and fucking dangerous, is not such a sure thing.

Getting hit once by a Darkspawn is not going to infect you with the taint.

Despite it happening in nearly every dragon age game to this date...
Also

Creatures that come in close or frequent contact with the darkspawn often become diseased themselves

Captain action isn't going to live too long without becoming a gray warden.

Often

I would like to refer to Rowan again.

And also, once again, present the question: What about your party members in Origins. You are saying that Origins had a plot hole too. But would you care to pause and think that maybe your thought on Darkspawn infection is a bit off the mark?

No. There is still the risk of the taint, even if low, that none of the characters raise.

 

[Sarkule]

I don't think this has been brought up yet but it still drives me nuts. In Dragon Age 2 you are offered Forced to go onto an expedition but you have to pay 50 gold, what for? Nothing, it is never explained why they need 50 pieces of gold other than to force you to dredge through all of the side quests and that they need you to invest. Now normally this wouldn't bother me but there is never even any visual cues to show you what that money was spent on, the only armed guards that go down into the deep roads with you are you and your party. The only person who could possibly cost money is the trader that goes down with you. You could argue it's for supplies but I really doubt it costs 150g for a few weeks of food(assuming both dwarves paid the same amount).
The only conclusion I can come to is Bartrand and Varric spent the money on a pair of very brave floozies.

Seeing as when you finish, your suppost to be bloody rich, and.. Aren't. Especially if you go the route of getting over your head in debt with some random dwarfs, I find that using the level up/money glitch actually makes the game more believable.

50 Gold? Fuck that. I just killed a couple dragons, a thousand shades, and a new species of creatures that nobody's heard of. I'm now level 40 and have 1200 gold to my name. Successful expedition? Yeah, we're go with that.

You have a fully furnished mansion now. That would cost a fair bit of money.