I'm at Level 14 with a warrior specialized in berserk and champion. I'm playing her as a good but pushy character. I get on Morrigan's nerves, but Alistair likes me just fine. I'm dumping most of my level-up points into strength and constitution, with some going into everything else except magic. I'm leaving all magic to Morrigan so far, though I'm now playing through a dream world in the Mage's tower. That mission put a healer in my party. I left the Rogue behind. Morrigan is just too important.
I wanted my first character to be a very straightforward tank, while I got through the game's learning curve. Since I can take over any party character at any time, I've been switching a lot to Morrigan, and see what she can do. I know the PC version of the game works somewhat differently. On the 360, I have a radial menu that pauses the action whenever I invoke it. By default, you're supposed to hold down a trigger to keep it open, but I changed that to a toggle. Then lets me choose an action from any character, then it goes back to real time, though I can immediately call up the menu again, and issue the next command for anyone. Party members all have a tactics list that is executed in order. (I imagine the PC version has this as well?) So you have Condition: Action X however many slots you have developed for each character. They start out with 5. I've been playing with this programming quite a bit as well, so there are some decent default behaviors during battles. It's all a micromanager's delight.
Yes, PC version has Tactics System, as well.
I didn't really use them. though - I micro-managed the hell out of my characters, as I played. Lots of pausing and strategizing.
I'm just so used to that, from the BG1+2 era of Bioware RPG's.
Also, worth noting - I probably controlled Morrigan more than even my main character Rogue. Morrigan is just TOO valuable in the party, no matter what.
To prove my point about Morrigan...
[spoiler]There's also a very gripping moment later on w/ Morrigan in the Final Chapter, in which it took me a good while of pacing around the room (literally) and trying to decide pro's and con's on what to do w/ Morrigan even despite how EVIL her proposal was and knowing damn well what she would do, if I did NOT agree to her terms, since she was VERY blunt about them from the get-go...
[/spoiler]
Also, Wynne [the healer mage] is VERY important, as well - at least in the PC version, as there are battles you'd basically NEVER win without her.
[spoiler]The Jarvia and Golem battles come to mind, as it's widely known the PC version scaled-up and made it MORE difficult, if you had more tank character types in your party - such as Shale.[/spoiler]
I been meaning to go back and play DAO Ultimate, since I have re-bought the game so I could have all the DLC now. I also wanted to play again, as a full-blown Mage. I just...haven't got around to it. DA:O was just such a LONG game - took over 105 hours to finish. That ain't even including Awakening, which was around another 30 hours.
On the down side, I'm not terribly impressed with being taken out of the world and into an overworld map where you see your trail move from one location to another, with the occasional random battle or other encounter interrupting it. I'm too spoiled by the Elder Scrolls world here.
I didn't think that was a big deal myself. [shrug]
