Dragon Age: Origins - Complete

After almost 60 hours of playtime, we completed Dragon Age: Origins. It was excellent. It was difficult, which it should be -- you want a sense of accomplishment to an adventure game.

I knew I was loving it, and that I needed to recommend it to some friends.  I am very glad I did.  Pete and Mike will like this.  Eric will really like this, though he bought another game instead, so I hope he enjoys it and can recommend it back to me.  Still, one of the cool things about the game is not knowing what's happening, so I can't talk much more about it than I did in the two posts I have already written - when we started, and Betrayed.  (And even Betrayed was probably a spoiler.)

I am convinced I will re-play this game, choosing an entirely different character, and being careful to complete more of the early game.  I especially want to have access to all of the potential party members, and I think I left two of them in areas I encountered very early.

So, to help myself remember details, and to compare with friends who play, and with myself when I re-play, I have two sections below - "For the Record - Non-Spoiler" and "For the Record - Spoilers."

Those few of you who are going to play the game, stay away from the "Spoilers" until you've completed it once.

For the Record - Non-Spoilers

• Character: Stefan, Dalish Elf, Warrior, Dual-Weapon focus
• Completion Date: 9/3/11
• Time Played: 58:53:34 (Epilog); 58:36:54 Fort Drakon Second Floor just before final battle

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For the Record - Spoilers

• Level at Completion: 19
• I had to go to "Casual" each time I beat a Dragon.
• I backed up to agree to support the Queen, because the first time through, when I got to the Landsmeet, the split of support was close to half and half, and the Queen lied against me, so I had to fight a huge battle.  When I supported the Queen, I was able to work the conversation to offering a one-on-one battle with Loghain.
• I got Morrigan to like me enough to let me kiss her.
• Morrigan offered to sleep with me.  The first time through, I declined, because her plan did not seem heroic -- which makes sense for Morrigan's character.  I was worried that her plan would result in a Very Bad Thing. 
• Morrigan left me when I did not agree.  I completed the game without her.
• Now that I completed the game that way, I am trying to continue from that point, accepting her offer.  At least that leaves her in the party for the final battle (though I am finding that some of the battles are harder without Oghren.) 
• Very near the end of the fight (2nd time) (this is a real spoiler -- are you sure you want to read it?)  I discovered a ballista on the corner of the roof.  By this point, the Archdemon was probably at 10% life.  And, for some reason, it stayed on the main platform surface.  So I could just sit at the ballista and shoot 100+ points each shot at it.  I did stop just short of killing it, so I could take the final blow.
• The end was quite different, having accepted Morrigan's offer.  I got to request a boon, and so I requested the land for the Dalish (even though Alistair had granted it on his own with the first ending.) And I told him I was going in search of Morrigan.  I don't think it mattered, though.