Unless it is in one of the 2 bug fix mods mentioned in the beginning, an absolutely essential mod would be: Silverite Mines bug fix. The fact that you can lose all your equipment on the main character with this bug makes this fix necessary.
Oh, you're right! I recorded the script when I was sick, so it completely slipped my mind to include those two on the list. I knew I was missing something cause I did initially want to make a top 10 list, lol.
Your arachnophobia mod description was adorabubble in a vulnerable sort of way also the idea that someone would be triggered by chittering spidery noises is just a little bit funny given spideys don't make noises, not a that we can hear anyway.
I'm starting DA2 in a couple weeks. I WISH i saw this video before i started playing DAO. But at least i did before my final canon playthrough. Any chance you have a top mods video coming soon for DA2?
@@JazmineKhanOfficial I don't use many mods for DA2 since I play it very rarely, and certainly I don't consider any of them essential since I mainly just use stuff that changes the way something looks, or otherwise mods that make the game easier through various effects
Hello, I downloaded Dain's Fixes and all 3 of the Immersive DLC Integrations mods, put them in the Override through Mod Manager, but upon installing it says they're incompatible with each other, any idea what may be causing it? Maybe some item fixes in the Dain's thats also touched in the DLC Integration?
For the Dexterity mod, am I supposed to see a change in the item description in game from strength to dexterity? my items still show strength, just making sure that's intended and it'll work because it's my first time doing mods and maybe I did something wrong.
If you installed the Dexterity Light Armor mod, all the light armors in the game should show up with Dex requirements. If they still have Strength requirements, something is wrong. To install the mod, you have to extract the files from the archive and copy paste them into "Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/packages/core/override".
Hey man wanted to ask you about Dain's fixes. In the vid you mentioned to only keep the bug fixes for someone that's not to well versed with modding and in regards to the monster bugs which ones did you end up deleting? Also is it worth downloading the extra module in dain fixes?
@@Protege88 I deleted all the monster abilities and monster animations bug fixes because they felt very unbalancing - Shades became extremely hard to kill, IF you could kill them at all. Not sure if perhaps something in Dain's Fixes combined with another mod I have, or whether there's an issue somewhere in these monster ability fixes, but even playing on Easy or Normal, certain enemies became almost impossible to kill. Other than that, I think I have all other bugfixes. From the Quality of Life folder, I use most of them other than auto-looting, because I prefer to make a choice of when to loot certain items or not, especially in challenge playthroughs. I believe I also use all the changes included in the Balance/Mechanics Tweaks (they seem to fit the game well). From the Extras folder, I only use one change that makes the Destroyer ability work as it says it does in the description. The other changes didn't appeal to me. I recommend reading through the description of all the changes which you can find on the mod's page, and choosing which ones you want to include. If some of the changes seem undesirable to you, just delete them. The only mandatory thing you need to keep is the base "_Core" folder of the mod. From all the other folders you can keep whatever you want!
@btiermutineer Thanks for the reply. I downloaded most of the mods I'm going to use but was iffy about what to keep and not to for Dain's Fixes. I'm glad you told me about the monster fixes going to delete those. Again, thank you so much for the info and your vids in general. Can't wait to play this on pc finally.
@btiermutineer Hey wanted to ask you one more question. I have everything downloaded and made changes to some of Dain's Fixes but wanted to ask in regards to the Monster Abilities and Animation Fix, if I enable them in a save and don't end up liking them can I remove them and my save would be fine or would I have to make an entirely new save?
@@Protege88 yes, you can keep them at first to see if you like them. I believe if you delete the folders later on everything should update properly in the save file, since that's what I did when I figured out I didn't like the monster changes and after deleting those specific files my game has worked normally
Hello, great video, it has been helpful to me, but I have a problem with the mod at 1:18. As you know, I speak Spanish, and this mod changes some dialogues to English. Is there any way to fix it?
Oh, I have no idea if there is anything for that mod that keeps dialgoues in Spanish, unfortunately. I would guess it's because some of that restored dialogue got cut earlier before localization into other languages was done, so that's why it's only in English
The main thing I don't include in Dain's Fixes is the monster bugfixes - some of them work in a weird way and cause Shades specifically to be incredibly powerful (very unbalanced compared to the other monsters). Some other things in the extras are the autoloot-related things (I've found that autoloot can cause problems in the game and in all honesty I don't mind opening a menu and clicking on "Take all"); the nature damage spells (it doesn't make sense for Stonefist to do nature damage for example, since you're just hurling a rock at an enemy and nature damage is supposed to be poison and acid and such). There might be some other things I removed, but these are the main ones I can remember. I recommend you read through the list of changes in each category as part of the mod's description on NexusMods. The author took the time to explain what each change does, so you can decide for yourself which ones you would prefer to keep.
@btiermutineer thank you for the in depth reply. I have just completed my mod set up, added a bit more than I thought but it should be an amazing run. Took me so long because of work and life balance, but the weekend is free for me and it will probably all be spent on playing Origins. Now I am just trying to work out whom to start as, I am thinking Dwarf noble, dwarfs are my least played and going to pair it with rogue which is my least played class.
I believe there might be some mod manager out there, but you'd have to search online for it. I personally mod the game manually, and have done so for many years, so I can't really help if you want to use a mod manager. For me it's been pretty easy to install most mods: you install the .dazip files with the DAUpdater.exe file in the "bin_ship" folder where the game is installed. And for the other types of mods, you just need to copy paste their folders into the "Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/packages/core/override" folder. Most of the time the mods you can find on NexusMods have installation instructions in the description. If they don't, just follow the advice I gave - dazip means using the DAUpdater.exe file, all other files/folders need to be copied in the override folder.
I started with 1 DLC item in my inventory (ultimate edition) and i can't equip it due to level, not sure why immersive dlc is needed. I'm pretty sure in Quinn's fixes it says lock bash is not compatible with his mood?
You can get access to multiple DLC items by linking your EA account and going on the Dragon Age Keep, plus there are various items you can obtain from getting achievements in standalone DLC campaigns like Witch Hunt, Leliana's Song, and Golems of Amgarrak. I, myself, no longer use the Immersive DLC Integration because I didn't like some of the quests that some DLC items were placed behind. In terms of Dain's Fixes (which I assume is the mod you wanted to write), it is in fact compatible with his mod, just not the "autoloot" tweaks which I don't recommend using in general since autolooting can get buggy. I use Dain's Fixes + Lock Bash, and even the "Party skill unlock" tweak works just fine: it checks to see if one of the rogues in my party has the skill to unlock it and if yes then it unlocks automatically. If no one has the skill, then the lock bash kicks in. Edit: in terms of why DLC Integration is needed, I will say that once you have all the DLC items at the start of the game and you know which attributes to put points in early, you'll be able to equip them super early and be quite overpowered. Accessories like belts, amulets, and rings are equippable from the beginning and can help you boost your attributes and other stats by a lot. Then for example, the dagger "The Edge" only requires 26 dexterity which is very easy to reach if you put most or all your attribute points into it (plus have the extra points from stuff like Pearl of the Anointed, The Lucky Stone, and Cinch of Skillful Maneuvering). Again, not everyone will have access to all these DLC items of course - especially newer players may not know about the fact you can get these DLC items from the Dragon Age Keep... But for older players it can feel pretty annoying to have to either delete the DLC items for a challenge, or need some kind of mod to "hide" them away until a more appropriate level.
I love extra dog slot. I know it technically makes the game easier because you have the dog around all the time, but he is a good boi and I want to take him with me.
@@christinefarrell6438 oh yeah! I'll definitely mention it in a future mod video. I use it in some of my playthroughs where my Warden and their Dog are inseparable, since I like roleplaying like that. It's really nice to have the dog come along as an extra companion ☺️
Many of the mods you listed, I find the base game a bit too easy and prefer a bit more rewarding loot. Not imbalanced great loot, just more variety and randomization. I haven't been able to find a good enough mod for the latter yet.
I think that in the first playthrough you should have the DLCs as they are in the base game, since it's harder to get used to the combat, as well as to figure out how to do certain quests which certain DLC items may be hidden behind. I do think the fix mods are good to use (Qwinn's, Dain's, Advanced Tactics), but I'd recommend leaving the DLC items as they are.
@@btiermutineer I have all the DLCs but I choose not to use any of the gear or items. However, there's still additional exp, loot and gold that come from those DLCs. I don't want to turn them off completely because of the added story, but they still sort of make your life a little easier compared to the vanilla game.
@@ЕвгенийЛебедев-н7ц8э that's true, the items do make the game easier. That's exactly why I recommend it for a first playthrough cause the game can be hard for a lot of people who haven't played older games. But otherwise I've definitely done playthroughs where I just sell off the DLC items or ignore them, to try out different builds without these op items
Nope! I use both and they work. You may have to look at certain folders from Dain's Fixes, since I don't remember exactly which ones I have and don't have, but I can absolutely tell you that in the form that I have both mods, they work.
@@katzarkul oh yeah, I don't use any autoloot things because I noticed it gets buggy in general. I do have the party skill lockpick, though - not sure if it's a version that's somehow compatible with lock bash, but if a rogue in my party can unlock a chest/door and I'm controlling someone else, then it does get unlocked.
Cheat mods are never essential. They're killing the fun asap. I want the real experience that the devs had in mind. Mods that improve graphics f.e. are ok
Don't know what you consider a cheat mod from my list, but that's okay. Everyone has their own preferences. I've been playing the game since 2010 and the vanilla experience is just not that player friendly or well balanced in my opinion. But of course this is my list, my opinion!
@@_BBAGG_ Nothing stops the player from leaving the area mid-quest, fast traveling to a merchant and selling/stashing the loot. Would you consider that immersive? Because the devs think it's totally fine.
@@_BBAGG_Just because the developers designed something does not mean it was a good idea to implement it. I would rather take a QoL mod than be a masochist while gaming anytime.
@viewtifuljoe4412 That's a massive reach, equating needing to upgrade your storage to masochism. The mechanic is used to balance the economy, you can't carry as much early game, so you are incentivized to use your early money to buy more storage so you can hold more or it will come back to inconvenience you later, it's a pretty standard mechanic that you can find on alot of other RPG's like The Witcher 3.
Unless it is in one of the 2 bug fix mods mentioned in the beginning, an absolutely essential mod would be: Silverite Mines bug fix. The fact that you can lose all your equipment on the main character with this bug makes this fix necessary.
This is really helpful! I'm just about to replay the games and try mods for the first time, so am grateful for this!
Glad to help!
Very good list! I would add the respecialization mod, too, or at least the Followers don't autoscale past level 7 mod.
Oh, you're right! I recorded the script when I was sick, so it completely slipped my mind to include those two on the list. I knew I was missing something cause I did initially want to make a top 10 list, lol.
I believe autoscale is included in Dains Mod
@@TheLaughingOgre oh yeah, it is! I should have mentioned that in the video, though
This is late, but would you happen to have a link to the respec mod you use?
The white teeth mod is another I'd recommend. Mostly because I had someone point it out to me and now I can't stop noticing.
Your arachnophobia mod description was adorabubble in a vulnerable sort of way also the idea that someone would be triggered by chittering spidery noises is just a little bit funny given spideys don't make noises, not a that we can hear anyway.
i don’t really like how improved atmosphere changed how duncan sword looks like i wish they didn’t change ittt
Yeah, that's why I don't use Improved Atmosphere, some of the changes they made are a bit too much for me
I'm starting DA2 in a couple weeks. I WISH i saw this video before i started playing DAO. But at least i did before my final canon playthrough.
Any chance you have a top mods video coming soon for DA2?
@@JazmineKhanOfficial I don't use many mods for DA2 since I play it very rarely, and certainly I don't consider any of them essential since I mainly just use stuff that changes the way something looks, or otherwise mods that make the game easier through various effects
Great list man. Thanks for the vid
thanks a lot! just bought the game, looking forward to try these out!
Glad to hear it, hope you enjoy!
Hello, I downloaded Dain's Fixes and all 3 of the Immersive DLC Integrations mods, put them in the Override through Mod Manager, but upon installing it says they're incompatible with each other, any idea what may be causing it? Maybe some item fixes in the Dain's thats also touched in the DLC Integration?
Awesome video! Thanks for making it, exactly what I was looking for.
For the Dexterity mod, am I supposed to see a change in the item description in game from strength to dexterity? my items still show strength, just making sure that's intended and it'll work because it's my first time doing mods and maybe I did something wrong.
If you installed the Dexterity Light Armor mod, all the light armors in the game should show up with Dex requirements. If they still have Strength requirements, something is wrong. To install the mod, you have to extract the files from the archive and copy paste them into "Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/packages/core/override".
@@btiermutineer Silly me was looking at the wrong armor lol it does show dexterity for light, thanks for answering!
Great video, do you have a preferred mod manager for origins?
Hey man wanted to ask you about Dain's fixes. In the vid you mentioned to only keep the bug fixes for someone that's not to well versed with modding and in regards to the monster bugs which ones did you end up deleting? Also is it worth downloading the extra module in dain fixes?
@@Protege88 I deleted all the monster abilities and monster animations bug fixes because they felt very unbalancing - Shades became extremely hard to kill, IF you could kill them at all. Not sure if perhaps something in Dain's Fixes combined with another mod I have, or whether there's an issue somewhere in these monster ability fixes, but even playing on Easy or Normal, certain enemies became almost impossible to kill. Other than that, I think I have all other bugfixes.
From the Quality of Life folder, I use most of them other than auto-looting, because I prefer to make a choice of when to loot certain items or not, especially in challenge playthroughs.
I believe I also use all the changes included in the Balance/Mechanics Tweaks (they seem to fit the game well).
From the Extras folder, I only use one change that makes the Destroyer ability work as it says it does in the description. The other changes didn't appeal to me.
I recommend reading through the description of all the changes which you can find on the mod's page, and choosing which ones you want to include. If some of the changes seem undesirable to you, just delete them. The only mandatory thing you need to keep is the base "_Core" folder of the mod. From all the other folders you can keep whatever you want!
@btiermutineer Thanks for the reply. I downloaded most of the mods I'm going to use but was iffy about what to keep and not to for Dain's Fixes. I'm glad you told me about the monster fixes going to delete those. Again, thank you so much for the info and your vids in general. Can't wait to play this on pc finally.
@btiermutineer Hey wanted to ask you one more question. I have everything downloaded and made changes to some of Dain's Fixes but wanted to ask in regards to the Monster Abilities and Animation Fix, if I enable them in a save and don't end up liking them can I remove them and my save would be fine or would I have to make an entirely new save?
@@Protege88 yes, you can keep them at first to see if you like them. I believe if you delete the folders later on everything should update properly in the save file, since that's what I did when I figured out I didn't like the monster changes and after deleting those specific files my game has worked normally
@btiermutineer Perfect well I'm all set for my playthrough later. Again your help has been great
Hello, great video, it has been helpful to me, but I have a problem with the mod at 1:18. As you know, I speak Spanish, and this mod changes some dialogues to English. Is there any way to fix it?
Oh, I have no idea if there is anything for that mod that keeps dialgoues in Spanish, unfortunately. I would guess it's because some of that restored dialogue got cut earlier before localization into other languages was done, so that's why it's only in English
@@btiermutineer ok, it makes sense. Thanks
Really late but what parts have you removed in Dain’s fixes?
The main thing I don't include in Dain's Fixes is the monster bugfixes - some of them work in a weird way and cause Shades specifically to be incredibly powerful (very unbalanced compared to the other monsters). Some other things in the extras are the autoloot-related things (I've found that autoloot can cause problems in the game and in all honesty I don't mind opening a menu and clicking on "Take all"); the nature damage spells (it doesn't make sense for Stonefist to do nature damage for example, since you're just hurling a rock at an enemy and nature damage is supposed to be poison and acid and such). There might be some other things I removed, but these are the main ones I can remember.
I recommend you read through the list of changes in each category as part of the mod's description on NexusMods. The author took the time to explain what each change does, so you can decide for yourself which ones you would prefer to keep.
@btiermutineer thank you for the in depth reply. I have just completed my mod set up, added a bit more than I thought but it should be an amazing run.
Took me so long because of work and life balance, but the weekend is free for me and it will probably all be spent on playing Origins.
Now I am just trying to work out whom to start as, I am thinking Dwarf noble, dwarfs are my least played and going to pair it with rogue which is my least played class.
Tried running Qwinns mod tonight and it did not work because the game needs a newer version.
My DAO copy from GoG is 1.5. That makes no sense.
Hey, so im starting to try to mod DAO, but i get so frustrated whenever i see a manual download. Is there any way to help?
I believe there might be some mod manager out there, but you'd have to search online for it. I personally mod the game manually, and have done so for many years, so I can't really help if you want to use a mod manager. For me it's been pretty easy to install most mods: you install the .dazip files with the DAUpdater.exe file in the "bin_ship" folder where the game is installed. And for the other types of mods, you just need to copy paste their folders into the "Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/packages/core/override" folder. Most of the time the mods you can find on NexusMods have installation instructions in the description. If they don't, just follow the advice I gave - dazip means using the DAUpdater.exe file, all other files/folders need to be copied in the override folder.
I started with 1 DLC item in my inventory (ultimate edition) and i can't equip it due to level, not sure why immersive dlc is needed.
I'm pretty sure in Quinn's fixes it says lock bash is not compatible with his mood?
You can get access to multiple DLC items by linking your EA account and going on the Dragon Age Keep, plus there are various items you can obtain from getting achievements in standalone DLC campaigns like Witch Hunt, Leliana's Song, and Golems of Amgarrak. I, myself, no longer use the Immersive DLC Integration because I didn't like some of the quests that some DLC items were placed behind.
In terms of Dain's Fixes (which I assume is the mod you wanted to write), it is in fact compatible with his mod, just not the "autoloot" tweaks which I don't recommend using in general since autolooting can get buggy. I use Dain's Fixes + Lock Bash, and even the "Party skill unlock" tweak works just fine: it checks to see if one of the rogues in my party has the skill to unlock it and if yes then it unlocks automatically. If no one has the skill, then the lock bash kicks in.
Edit: in terms of why DLC Integration is needed, I will say that once you have all the DLC items at the start of the game and you know which attributes to put points in early, you'll be able to equip them super early and be quite overpowered. Accessories like belts, amulets, and rings are equippable from the beginning and can help you boost your attributes and other stats by a lot. Then for example, the dagger "The Edge" only requires 26 dexterity which is very easy to reach if you put most or all your attribute points into it (plus have the extra points from stuff like Pearl of the Anointed, The Lucky Stone, and Cinch of Skillful Maneuvering). Again, not everyone will have access to all these DLC items of course - especially newer players may not know about the fact you can get these DLC items from the Dragon Age Keep... But for older players it can feel pretty annoying to have to either delete the DLC items for a challenge, or need some kind of mod to "hide" them away until a more appropriate level.
Just started a new playthrough and found this channel hell yeah! Are you exicted for veilbreaker???
Skip the Fade
I'm gathering ideas for my next DAO mods video: what are your favorite mods?
I love extra dog slot. I know it technically makes the game easier because you have the dog around all the time, but he is a good boi and I want to take him with me.
@@christinefarrell6438 oh yeah! I'll definitely mention it in a future mod video. I use it in some of my playthroughs where my Warden and their Dog are inseparable, since I like roleplaying like that. It's really nice to have the dog come along as an extra companion ☺️
Try out Shan's QoL Scripts -> Bodybag Looting. This is my best finding on Nexus, I always wanted DA2 style area looting in origins!
Many of the mods you listed, I find the base game a bit too easy and prefer a bit more rewarding loot. Not imbalanced great loot, just more variety and randomization.
I haven't been able to find a good enough mod for the latter yet.
What's your take on DLCs included/excluded first playthrough?
I think that in the first playthrough you should have the DLCs as they are in the base game, since it's harder to get used to the combat, as well as to figure out how to do certain quests which certain DLC items may be hidden behind. I do think the fix mods are good to use (Qwinn's, Dain's, Advanced Tactics), but I'd recommend leaving the DLC items as they are.
@@btiermutineer I have all the DLCs but I choose not to use any of the gear or items. However, there's still additional exp, loot and gold that come from those DLCs. I don't want to turn them off completely because of the added story, but they still sort of make your life a little easier compared to the vanilla game.
@@ЕвгенийЛебедев-н7ц8э that's true, the items do make the game easier. That's exactly why I recommend it for a first playthrough cause the game can be hard for a lot of people who haven't played older games. But otherwise I've definitely done playthroughs where I just sell off the DLC items or ignore them, to try out different builds without these op items
What difficulty do you recommend to play the game?
Isn't lock bash incompatible with Dain's Fixes?
Nope! I use both and they work. You may have to look at certain folders from Dain's Fixes, since I don't remember exactly which ones I have and don't have, but I can absolutely tell you that in the form that I have both mods, they work.
@@btiermutineer Yeah I had to delete autoloot containers and party skill lockpick in the qol folder.
@@katzarkul oh yeah, I don't use any autoloot things because I noticed it gets buggy in general. I do have the party skill lockpick, though - not sure if it's a version that's somehow compatible with lock bash, but if a rogue in my party can unlock a chest/door and I'm controlling someone else, then it does get unlocked.
Would these mods still work if I changed the game from DX9 to Vulkan?
I have no idea what the game supports in this sense, but if it supports Vulkan then I imagine that the mods should be fine as well.
Good basic selection, I have all of these apart from the dex armor.
Ça, c'est moi.
Cheat mods are never essential. They're killing the fun asap. I want the real experience that the devs had in mind. Mods that improve graphics f.e. are ok
Don't know what you consider a cheat mod from my list, but that's okay. Everyone has their own preferences. I've been playing the game since 2010 and the vanilla experience is just not that player friendly or well balanced in my opinion. But of course this is my list, my opinion!
@@btiermutineer I would consider expanded inventory a cheat mod, you're cheating in a fully upgraded bag.
@@_BBAGG_ Nothing stops the player from leaving the area mid-quest, fast traveling to a merchant and selling/stashing the loot. Would you consider that immersive? Because the devs think it's totally fine.
@@_BBAGG_Just because the developers designed something does not mean it was a good idea to implement it. I would rather take a QoL mod than be a masochist while gaming anytime.
@viewtifuljoe4412 That's a massive reach, equating needing to upgrade your storage to masochism.
The mechanic is used to balance the economy, you can't carry as much early game, so you are incentivized to use your early money to buy more storage so you can hold more or it will come back to inconvenience you later, it's a pretty standard mechanic that you can find on alot of other RPG's like The Witcher 3.