Dragon Age II The Complete Official Guide 8601416213682 Books
Download As PDF : Dragon Age II The Complete Official Guide 8601416213682 Books
This is a Collector's Edition. Pages are clean and binding is tight.
Dragon Age II The Complete Official Guide 8601416213682 Books
I've been a fan of the Dragon Age series for a few years now, and I've played through all of the games 3+ times already. I love collecting any sort of memorabilia, so when I saw this, I just had to have it. I got it mainly because 1. the cover looks like the book that Cassandra had in the beginning of the game and 2. it was a collector's edition hardback for $13. It was pretty hard to say no. That being said, I didn't think I would need it because I thought I knew everything there was to know about this game.It should be noted, however, that while this guide does cover premium content such as the The Black Emporium and The Exiled Prince, it DOES NOT cover Mark of the Assassin or Legacy. It also heavily leans toward the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game in regards to button and menu controls. It is still helpful towards the PC version of the game because the story is exactly the same.
The book itself is separated into 8 different sections: Primer, Walkthrough, Quests, Maps, Strategy & Analysis, Inventory, Bestiary, and Extras.
The Primer quickly outlines what the book is about and breaks down the fundamentals, which is great for anyone starting out for the first time. It goes over "useful features" such as onscreen display, the radial menu (Xbox 360 and PS3 only), how to open up maps, and button definitions. It also covers "essential gameplay concepts", which talks about the different classes to choose from, the companion system, why loot is important, and various terms and abbreviations many RPG players should know. I personally didn't need this section, but it's a great tool for those who are new to the series and to RPGs in general.
The Walktrough gives short descriptions of the quests that you encounter though Acts 1-3. They're not very extensive, but they let you know exactly what you need to keep in mind while doing these quests without giving away too many spoilers. It tells you if a certain quest is a "point of no return", or if there is significant profit to be made. Most of the larger quests also have a "Quest Summary & Map Reference" section, which condenses the quest even more into a bullet point list of things you need to accomplish.
The Quests section is one of my favorites. It shows "Completion Roadmaps" for all three Acts, which basically breaks down the quest lines and shows the possible radiant quests that come from completing others. It sorts them out into 5 colors: red for the main plot, yellow for the secondary quests, green for the companion quests, blue for the premium content quests, and red highlights for the quest that opens the act as well as the quest that finishes the act. They provide "fact sheets" for each of the quests as well. It lists things like loot and rewards (which is gives a rating of 1-5 stars), starting locations, specific requirements, a brief walkthrough, consequences, and companion guidance. However, it is extremely repetitive in comparison to the previous Walkthrough section. If you're new, I say use both, but if youve played the games before, I say choose one section or the other. I personally recommend the Quests section, but the Walkthrough section has its benefits as well.
I really like the Maps section, as well. While it is incredibly easy to find your way through the game's world due to set pathways and repeating dungeons, what I like about it is that it shows you the things that you can find throughout the different acts. There as some items, like crafting ingredients, armor upgrades, locked chests, piles of bones, etc., that can only be found during a certain act, and if you don't get it before moving into the next act, you miss out on that item completely. These maps have three icons, an open chest that represents a standard container, a closed chest that represents a locked chest, and a star that represents a rare item. They are color coded to show which act or which main quest you can find the specific loot in. I'm the kind of person who loves to get every single thing and finish the game to completion, so these maps helped A LOT.
The Strategy & Analysis is one of the sections that I personally don't use that often, but it definitely has very useful information. It covers the dialogue system, as well as Hawke's personality based on the choices you make. It also goes over friend vs rival, romances (Fenris is the only real option, let's be real here), attributes, resistances, status effects, elemental damage, specific abilities for the different classes and companions, cross-class combos, character roles, recommended party builds, tactics, combat strategy, and threat management. It also goes over the Nightmare difficulty, which I have yet to finish, so this quick guide helps a little, but it doesn't really go in depth. I've found better guides online that cover more than the few bullet points listed in the guide. This section also has a segment dedicated to companion analysis, which is helpful as it shows quick facts, general notes, potential crisis points, and romance help, if applicable (oh, my sweet Varric, why can't we be together?).
The Inventory section introduces different weapon and armor attributes, as well as certain requirements, potential rune slots and goes over equipment properties. It then has a complete list of unique weapons and armor for warriors, rogues, and mages, as well as unique accessories. There are charts that show where you find backpacks, tomes and special potions, gifts, and armor upgrades for your companions, which are all extremely helpful. This section also goes over the different potions, poisons, runes, and poisons/bombs that you can craft. You can also find a list of the shops that you can buy from in the locations found around The Free Marches.
The Bestiary is pretty cool because it goes over the different enemies archetypes, which I didn't really pay attention to before. I just killed whoever was trying to kill me without thinking about the best and most effective way to do so. There is a chart that is titled "enemy identification". Basically, while there are many generic enemies, there are enemies in the game that have names. Sometimes you can't tell what kind of creature they're classified as, so this chart lists all of the names enemies and shows their corresponding creature classification. The next 14 pages go over said creature classifications, and lists things like elemental resistances, loot category, archetype, notable abilities, and special traits as well as descriptions of the creature and possible variations that you could encounter. All in all, this section is very helpful, especially in my Nightmare playthrough right now.
The Extras section is for anyone who wants to know more about Dragon Age lore. It lists all of the possible achievements and trophies that you can earn throughout the game, and then it goes straight into a condensed segment of the Dragon Age Encyclopedia. It gives away some spoilers to people who don't know anything about Thedas and its history, but nothing too much. It's a great tool to use to get to know the world a little better. There is also a short Artwork Gallery at the very end which is very nice. There aren't much pictures, but the ones shown are very detailed. The index is directly after that, and honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed. I mean, compared to the other game guides I own, this one is relatively small, with 287 pages, but I thought the index would be a little larger. I am glad that they did add an index, though. It's easy to navigate and you can find everything that you need to quickly.
Overall, I'm floored by how much content is in this book. It has pretty much every piece of information that you need to play this game to its full potential. It's not too bulky, and if gets right to the point. I also bought this copy used, from Red Tiger Books, and I'm amazed at the quality! It was listed as "very good", but I think it's even better than that. There is only one noticeable tear at the very bottom of the spine on the front, but it's so small you could hardly see it. The book cover and pages are crisp and looks relatively unused.
Consider this huge review as my recommendation to buy this book!
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Dragon Age II The Complete Official Guide 8601416213682 Books Reviews
At first, I thought my eyes were going bad. Then I compared this Guide with other Strategy Guides I have for other games. This Guide uses the smallest font I have ever seen, which makes it hard to read.
The other bad thing about this Guide is the poor presentation of Maps. Either show the Maps on a Quest by Quest basis, OR each map with all the quests, plot points and loot labelled in it. This Guide describes Quests in a separate chapter, and shows maps in a separate chapter. Both should go together.
The only good thing about this Guide is the Flowchart of Quests for each of the game's three Acts. If it was not for the small fonts and poor presentation of maps, I would have rated this Guide higher.
Save your money and don't buy this Guide. The free online webguides do a better job!
First This is a very attractive book. The cover looks really cool....almost like some sort of ancient spell book or journal or somesuch. Very neat looking. It is also quite durable.
The content is also quite revealing. I had a few questions while playing the game, like what impact finding the Book of the Damned (at least, the first part) would have (afterwards anyway...i had already read the first one i found, lol). It is actually laid out well. At first, i found the general layout of the book to be a bit confusing, but once i became accustomed to it, i realized it was very easy to use. I generally dont worry about the character building or the bestiary sections, but both are there. As far as the actual gameplay through the storyline goes, it is broken down into a Walkthrough of the storyline through the Intro and the three "Acts", followed by a more detailed walkthrough describing all the quests,including the side quests, and provides a "quest" tree to see how they impact each other and in what order they are optimally experienced. The rest of the book primarily focuses on the guts, such as equipment and maps of the entire game.
I give it 4 stars because the first read is a tad cluttered and confusing, although like i said earlier, you learn the system pretty quickly.
I played this game through a couple of times. I didn't find it as enjoyable as DA I, but it was decent. Then it stopped working. Origin was no help. Would not respond. Electronic Arts was no help. Would not respond. When I complained and asked for a refund, I was unable to play even Dragon Age I. I will never buy another product from Origin or Electronic Arts.
Hmm what to say.
Well it was informative and has details on all quests or the important parts but it could have been done in a better format, on some quest it was very detailed while on others it was basically an outline, with barely enough info to do the stupid quest. Also I have found items not really mentioned in the guide book. like in tranquility when you kill the commander of the bad guys he has a letter on his body that if you don't collect while in the quest spawned map other wise it disappears forever, now honestly it as far as I know doesn't have anything to do with any quests but it does have info on what lead to the encounter and gives insight into one of the possible main bad guys the knight-commander if I remember rightly, so you don't really need it but if you like to get all the loot and don't feel right if you don't then that would have been nice to know. Also it didn't include trap/locked boxes level requirements which would also be nice like in act one trap/locked box difficulties range from10-30 so that would help reduce damage and backtracking.
But it is a good product overall to help with quest you had problems with and other various and sundry questions you may have asked so buying isn't a total loss.
I've been a fan of the Dragon Age series for a few years now, and I've played through all of the games 3+ times already. I love collecting any sort of memorabilia, so when I saw this, I just had to have it. I got it mainly because 1. the cover looks like the book that Cassandra had in the beginning of the game and 2. it was a collector's edition hardback for $13. It was pretty hard to say no. That being said, I didn't think I would need it because I thought I knew everything there was to know about this game.
It should be noted, however, that while this guide does cover premium content such as the The Black Emporium and The Exiled Prince, it DOES NOT cover Mark of the Assassin or Legacy. It also heavily leans toward the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game in regards to button and menu controls. It is still helpful towards the PC version of the game because the story is exactly the same.
The book itself is separated into 8 different sections Primer, Walkthrough, Quests, Maps, Strategy & Analysis, Inventory, Bestiary, and Extras.
The Primer quickly outlines what the book is about and breaks down the fundamentals, which is great for anyone starting out for the first time. It goes over "useful features" such as onscreen display, the radial menu (Xbox 360 and PS3 only), how to open up maps, and button definitions. It also covers "essential gameplay concepts", which talks about the different classes to choose from, the companion system, why loot is important, and various terms and abbreviations many RPG players should know. I personally didn't need this section, but it's a great tool for those who are new to the series and to RPGs in general.
The Walktrough gives short descriptions of the quests that you encounter though Acts 1-3. They're not very extensive, but they let you know exactly what you need to keep in mind while doing these quests without giving away too many spoilers. It tells you if a certain quest is a "point of no return", or if there is significant profit to be made. Most of the larger quests also have a "Quest Summary & Map Reference" section, which condenses the quest even more into a bullet point list of things you need to accomplish.
The Quests section is one of my favorites. It shows "Completion Roadmaps" for all three Acts, which basically breaks down the quest lines and shows the possible radiant quests that come from completing others. It sorts them out into 5 colors red for the main plot, yellow for the secondary quests, green for the companion quests, blue for the premium content quests, and red highlights for the quest that opens the act as well as the quest that finishes the act. They provide "fact sheets" for each of the quests as well. It lists things like loot and rewards (which is gives a rating of 1-5 stars), starting locations, specific requirements, a brief walkthrough, consequences, and companion guidance. However, it is extremely repetitive in comparison to the previous Walkthrough section. If you're new, I say use both, but if youve played the games before, I say choose one section or the other. I personally recommend the Quests section, but the Walkthrough section has its benefits as well.
I really like the Maps section, as well. While it is incredibly easy to find your way through the game's world due to set pathways and repeating dungeons, what I like about it is that it shows you the things that you can find throughout the different acts. There as some items, like crafting ingredients, armor upgrades, locked chests, piles of bones, etc., that can only be found during a certain act, and if you don't get it before moving into the next act, you miss out on that item completely. These maps have three icons, an open chest that represents a standard container, a closed chest that represents a locked chest, and a star that represents a rare item. They are color coded to show which act or which main quest you can find the specific loot in. I'm the kind of person who loves to get every single thing and finish the game to completion, so these maps helped A LOT.
The Strategy & Analysis is one of the sections that I personally don't use that often, but it definitely has very useful information. It covers the dialogue system, as well as Hawke's personality based on the choices you make. It also goes over friend vs rival, romances (Fenris is the only real option, let's be real here), attributes, resistances, status effects, elemental damage, specific abilities for the different classes and companions, cross-class combos, character roles, recommended party builds, tactics, combat strategy, and threat management. It also goes over the Nightmare difficulty, which I have yet to finish, so this quick guide helps a little, but it doesn't really go in depth. I've found better guides online that cover more than the few bullet points listed in the guide. This section also has a segment dedicated to companion analysis, which is helpful as it shows quick facts, general notes, potential crisis points, and romance help, if applicable (oh, my sweet Varric, why can't we be together?).
The Inventory section introduces different weapon and armor attributes, as well as certain requirements, potential rune slots and goes over equipment properties. It then has a complete list of unique weapons and armor for warriors, rogues, and mages, as well as unique accessories. There are charts that show where you find backpacks, tomes and special potions, gifts, and armor upgrades for your companions, which are all extremely helpful. This section also goes over the different potions, poisons, runes, and poisons/bombs that you can craft. You can also find a list of the shops that you can buy from in the locations found around The Free Marches.
The Bestiary is pretty cool because it goes over the different enemies archetypes, which I didn't really pay attention to before. I just killed whoever was trying to kill me without thinking about the best and most effective way to do so. There is a chart that is titled "enemy identification". Basically, while there are many generic enemies, there are enemies in the game that have names. Sometimes you can't tell what kind of creature they're classified as, so this chart lists all of the names enemies and shows their corresponding creature classification. The next 14 pages go over said creature classifications, and lists things like elemental resistances, loot category, archetype, notable abilities, and special traits as well as descriptions of the creature and possible variations that you could encounter. All in all, this section is very helpful, especially in my Nightmare playthrough right now.
The Extras section is for anyone who wants to know more about Dragon Age lore. It lists all of the possible achievements and trophies that you can earn throughout the game, and then it goes straight into a condensed segment of the Dragon Age Encyclopedia. It gives away some spoilers to people who don't know anything about Thedas and its history, but nothing too much. It's a great tool to use to get to know the world a little better. There is also a short Artwork Gallery at the very end which is very nice. There aren't much pictures, but the ones shown are very detailed. The index is directly after that, and honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed. I mean, compared to the other game guides I own, this one is relatively small, with 287 pages, but I thought the index would be a little larger. I am glad that they did add an index, though. It's easy to navigate and you can find everything that you need to quickly.
Overall, I'm floored by how much content is in this book. It has pretty much every piece of information that you need to play this game to its full potential. It's not too bulky, and if gets right to the point. I also bought this copy used, from Red Tiger Books, and I'm amazed at the quality! It was listed as "very good", but I think it's even better than that. There is only one noticeable tear at the very bottom of the spine on the front, but it's so small you could hardly see it. The book cover and pages are crisp and looks relatively unused.
Consider this huge review as my recommendation to buy this book!
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