twitch.tv/letterswords
So this game has been out for about a week now, so I figured I'd see if anyone else is interested and share some initial thoughts on a (theoretical) speedrun.
The main problem with a speedrun is clearly going to be acquiring the power you need to trigger story missions. Doing some sidequests is going to be unavoidable, certainly, but it may be possible to limit the damage quite significantly. If you can pick up enough influence to get a few inquistion perks, you can unlock the ability to get a vendor who will basically directly sell you power/influence increases for gold. There is also currently a glitch in the game (as described here http://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/2nkjyw/glitch_discovered_free_skyhold_customisation/ ) that allows you to buy and resell the items you buy from him, and it will still trigger the influence gains and power gains, and it will cost a net zero gold to accomplish. I'm not sure how to trigger the war table operation to bring him to skyhold or how long it takes to complete though. I have to imagine at some point though it will save time compared to doing sidequests because of how high the power requirements can get late-game.
Other considerations include what class to play as. I'm also sort of aware of some glitched damage bug with flask of fire and thousand cuts, which are both tempest abilities (described here: http://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/2nbdsy/tempest_is_basically_a_god/). Presumably it would be too out of the way to get the specialization yourself, but you could just play as sera exclusively once she unlocks her specialization and respec her so you can get that combo really fast, assuming its worth it. Either way, I think you'll probably want to main one of the party members once specializations are unlocked.
Things I still don't know: if there is an optimal import. Does anyone know what happens after the Temple of Mythal if no one drinks from the fountain and Morrigan has no son to be kidnapped? Does that skip the Flemeth stuff and lead directly into fighting Corypheus? Also considerations: whether different Hawke classes do different amounts of damage (relevant in the sections where he fights alongside you, although probably not that significant), whether you get extra cutscenes anywhere depending on your import, or really anything else. Also, I sided with the mages at the beginning of the game in my only playthrough, so I'm not sure what happens differently if you side with Templars.
The main problem with a speedrun is clearly going to be acquiring the power you need to trigger story missions. Doing some sidequests is going to be unavoidable, certainly, but it may be possible to limit the damage quite significantly. If you can pick up enough influence to get a few inquistion perks, you can unlock the ability to get a vendor who will basically directly sell you power/influence increases for gold. There is also currently a glitch in the game (as described here http://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/2nkjyw/glitch_discovered_free_skyhold_customisation/ ) that allows you to buy and resell the items you buy from him, and it will still trigger the influence gains and power gains, and it will cost a net zero gold to accomplish. I'm not sure how to trigger the war table operation to bring him to skyhold or how long it takes to complete though. I have to imagine at some point though it will save time compared to doing sidequests because of how high the power requirements can get late-game.
Other considerations include what class to play as. I'm also sort of aware of some glitched damage bug with flask of fire and thousand cuts, which are both tempest abilities (described here: http://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/2nbdsy/tempest_is_basically_a_god/). Presumably it would be too out of the way to get the specialization yourself, but you could just play as sera exclusively once she unlocks her specialization and respec her so you can get that combo really fast, assuming its worth it. Either way, I think you'll probably want to main one of the party members once specializations are unlocked.
Things I still don't know: if there is an optimal import. Does anyone know what happens after the Temple of Mythal if no one drinks from the fountain and Morrigan has no son to be kidnapped? Does that skip the Flemeth stuff and lead directly into fighting Corypheus? Also considerations: whether different Hawke classes do different amounts of damage (relevant in the sections where he fights alongside you, although probably not that significant), whether you get extra cutscenes anywhere depending on your import, or really anything else. Also, I sided with the mages at the beginning of the game in my only playthrough, so I'm not sure what happens differently if you side with Templars.
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