In Dragon Age: Origins, does the main story get more difficult if you progress in level through side quests?

I found this out the hard way in Oblivion: Elder Scrolls. It seemed, in Oblivion, that though all of the side quests leveled me correctly, providing enough challenge to be both fun and challenging, when I got back to the main quest, the monsters were nearly impossible even though I was a high level. Granted I didn't start Kavatch till I was nearly level 20, when I got there, I was murdered before even stepping through the portal.



- spoilers present -



So, my worry is, in Dragon Age, I'm facing some nearly impossible foes now on the Normal gameplay setting. I can switch to Easy and still play well, but I'd rather not. I think the first town I came to I did all of the side quests I possibly could, only raising me to about level 7. Now, after moving from the town, I got to the mages "circle" in the main quest and got slaughtered by this Reverent, I think it was called.



I admit, I didn't know how to play these types of games, thinking RPGs like Fallout 3 and Oblivion would prep me, but I've got the hang of it now.



I was using a healer, a damaging mage, a tank, and my main, a rouge, and on the normal setting, I used all of my health items, nearly all my mana restoring items, and with more than efficient healing, my whole team died with the foe only losing half of its life. I know, I was like wtf.



So, again, if I level my squad with side quests without getting into the meat of the main story first, will the main story be incredibly difficult, almost to the point where I have to start over? I almost want to, though it's taken me some time to get to level 9. I'm still leveling, the foes just seem much harder than they should be on Normal, especially considering the more reasonable level of difficulty during the side quests.



Any ideas? Or has anybody experienced this problem with the game? Or does anybody even use Yahoo! Answers for Dragon Age help? Hello???



Thanks for reading, any help would be appreciated.In Dragon Age: Origins, does the main story get more difficult if you progress in level through side quests?
Before I begin let me note that I too am a fan of Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fable I %26amp; II, and pretty much any and all other RPGs out there.



I found out that Dragon Age: Origins is not your average rpg. There is the usual smash and loot element, but it goes a little further than that. If you can not put together a decent strategy based on the enemy than you don't really stand a chance. I am not sure if you take full advantage of the Tactics in the game but if you were to it helps significantly. In a way this game is an RPG with almost RTS like elements mixed in. RTS= Real Time Strategy.



I too am a fan of carrying out every side quest i possibly can. I feel that it shouldn't matter how high a level you are before moving further into the main quest as long as you can put together a decent plan of attack.



For Single Boss types, in this case the reverent, its important to have your healer's tactics set to heal, allies as well as their self, and cast stonefist, arcane bolt and any other offensive spell they may have. They should also be set to take lyrium potions when their mana falls below 25% so you dont have to switch back to them mid fight too often.



I also use a damaging mage, and i set their tactics to pretty much attack with everything including the kitchen sink. My mind set for the d. mage is "if all else fails go for the eyes." So basically their tactics should be set to an offensive style and they should be set to take lyrium potions if their mana falls below 25%.



As for the other two party members i have always liked to have two tank like characters.



For my main i am using a dual wielding warrior. i like to have him up close and personal since i am controlling him about 90% of the time i don't really spend to much time on setting his tactics. the main thing to keep in mind would be to set him use a health potion when health drops below 25% and the other tactics are set to attack with any and all special moves.



As for my last party member i like to use Sten or Zevran. For Sten you just need to have him swinging for the fences. I like to have him going all out on his attacks, the only problem is that he is usually the first one to die so "YOU" need to be keeping a close eye on him throughout the battle and keep his health up.



When i use Zevran I always poison his weapons because that little extra damage always helps. He can be set to a range character but I prefer him to be in the thick of things attacking from behind. which is kind of ironic considering his "actions" when you converse with him. Make sure you set him to attack with any and all special moves and when you need to, use the radial menu to reapply the poisons to his weapons.



As for group battles and group "boss-like" battles i like to use the old reliable method of hit and run when all else fails at least. If you are having trouble taking down a large group of enemies, try setting your party to hold at a distance and you go in solo. Get the attention of some of the enemies and have the follow you back to your "ambush" site. When you kill " your catch" wait and allow your health and stamina/mana to refill. then rinse and repeat. if you want you can also set up some booby traps to chip away their health before they get to you.



If that isn't something you are willing to try then i recommend you set morrigan to use her Cone of Cold on a group of enemies and then slash away. If you are strong enough you might shatter some of them. Just keep in mind that spell also freezes you and your party.



If you have any further questions just drop me a message and i will try to help.



hopefully this helps at least a little bit, or at the very least it gave you something to waste your time. lol big_boi_7778@yahoo.comIn Dragon Age: Origins, does the main story get more difficult if you progress in level through side quests?
Thanks a lot, matt and cameron both. I love the gameplay, and Normal hasn't been too difficult. I'm getting better as I play more as well. I guess I just wanted a concrete answer, whether or not the game actually gets harder as you progress. I'm sure we'll find out in time for certain. Thanks!

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In Dragon Age: Origins, does the main story get more difficult if you progress in level through side quests?
The Revenant is a dangerous guy I saved him for when I was lvl 14 and above. Then went back for the other ones. You have to visit places multiple times anyway.



I used the same set of characters as you and went right through to the end. The best thing to do is buy a lot of materials to make potions. I had two stacks of 99 lesser and two stacks of greater for the sticky situations. I always had a lot materials on hand just in case. I also set the tac/auto heal at 75%, because at times they do not heal fast enough at 50%.



I started out buy buying 198 flasks in Ostagar and then went to the Brecilian Forest right after. the elf camp and bought 198 elf root. Can tell you this, this way of playing will not make you rich at all.



As with most rpg's it does get easier the more spells and such you have at your command. But the thing about this game I noticed is that playing through on easy was way too easy. Normal is tough but manageable. The foes do get harder the higher you go, but like I said with more and more spells at your command it is not unbearable. I made my healer able to cast all the stun spells as not to get hit and it worked out really well. In the end my mage and healer had pretty much the same build.



Just make sure you always have plenty of potions on hand. I would say buy that stuff before getting new armor or weapons. You will find most of what you need off of drops anyway. I just finished it on normal and trying hard and it is well... hard. :)



Oh and do not forget if you want a Blood Mage tell the demon possessing Conner that you would like to make a deal. I did not find that out until it was too late...