So this will be a bit of a retraction from my previous Bioware rant 🙂  I’m still not completely happy with Bioware over their handling of the Return to Ostagar DLC fiasco, but I am VERY excited about this upcoming expansion.  If you haven’t see this article, IGN UK has a 3 page interview/preview of the upcoming expansion with Fernando Melo the online Producer for Dragon Age.  There’s some really great stuff in there (cool pics too) and much of it hits directly at what concerned me with the initial announcement.  Also, check out the trailer if you haven’t seen it – Bioware does some really good videos and this game has had some amazing ones.  Overall, it looks like this will be an amazing expansion and will really bring lots to the game – even if you haven’t finished Origins yet!  To re-cap:

  • The time frame for Awakening story is several months after the events of Origins
    • Still lots of chaos from the blight and work to be done to rebuild
  • Our player characters role is the Warden Commander rebuilding the Grey Wardens
  • You can also start off a new character as an Orlesian Grey Warden commander
    • Or you can load a previous Origins saved character
    • The level of that new toon will be 17-20ish
  • New level cap is mid to high 30s
    • This is HUGE – really shows how much new content there will be
  • Sounds like ending specifics will carry over from saved games – it isn’t just a generic starting point like the trailer implies (I’m trying not to spoil too much)
  • An option is available to re-spec your imported character to take advantage of new attributes, skills, talents, spells, and specializations
    • This is pretty nice as well such that old characters can take advantage of new cool things
    • Plus it is mentioned there’s a story behind it, not just a random option
  • The size of the expansion is “bigger then most retail games”
    • This had me concerned initially so I’m glad to hear this comment
  • At the end of the interview, there is a discussion about RtO delay
    • Late January is the new “target”
    • The issue was a major bug that effected all platforms, not just one and made it through their internal reviews and one of the external before being caught by the third.
    • Other cool teaser is that different characters will react differently during the RtO storyline.
      • So I’ll probably end up running through that content a few times on my current play-through

Still not real happy with Bioware’s support, but if they keep on putting out such amazing content they will continue to get my money!