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Achievement Guide and Roadmap


ponypo2001
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Before anything else, please note, there will be SPOILERS! If you have yet to play the game and don't want anything spoiled, please view with caution.

 

Overview

Estimated achievement difficulty: 2/10

Estimated time for 250: 10-15 hours.

Minimum playthroughs: 1

Missable achievements: 4

Glitched achievements: None

Offline: 8

Online: 0

Do Cheat's disable achievements: No cheats

 

Road Map

Dragon Age Origins gets it's first expansion in the form of the Awakening. If you've played the original game, this is a very straightforward playthrough and shouldn't take any more than 15 hours if you want to see and do everything. I list 4 achievements as missable. Obviously,if you follow the guide, you will get them all but they are missable if you don't.

 

Firstly, make sure you pick up all the quests in Vigil's Keep as they become available and do them as early as possible. This will enable you to ensure your The Enduring Vigil achievement as this is tied mainly to side quests.

 

Follow the guide to ensure your story related achievements. Make sure that you hit level 30 either before going to war (this is the point of no return) or make sure you're very close before and you should make it during the last battles. If you want it quickly, check out this thread. It details the infinite XP/gold glitch and works very nicely if you are in need of XP or cash quickly.

 

Make sure to make a seperate save in Vigil's Keep before choosing to go to war at the end of the game and this will enable to get both Amaranthine's Last Hope and Keeper of the Vigil in one playthrough.

 

If you follow the guide you should have no trouble at all finishing all achievements in approx 10-15 hours.

Edited by ponypo2001
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Below is the order in which I unlocked all achievements. Hope the guide is helpful. Any errors or additions, please let me know. Thanks.

 

http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/ZX/Jh/1ICLiGJhbC9NCRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzM5AAAAAOfn5-tOcnk=.jpgSavior of Kal'Hirol 30 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Destroyed the broodmothers in Kal'Hirol

 

Oh no, not another broodmother I hear you cry! Well fear not,this time, you don't actually fight the broodmother's at all. After arriving at Knotwood Hills, you will meet Sigrun. You will then enter the halls of Kal'Hirol. Make sure to pick up the ore during your travels (located just before the boss fight with the giant golem) and just proceed through till you reach a room full of chains. Simply slash the chains and you will see a cutscene of the broodmother's demise. After this cutscene you will earn the achievement.

 

http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/EZ/b+/1YCLiGJhbC82CRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzNCAAAAAOfn5-rRlg0=.jpgPride Before The Fall 30 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Defeated the baroness

 

This achievement is gained from completing the Blackmarsh section of the story. You will stumble upon a corpse and will then be transported into the Fade during a trap. Work your way through the Fade section of the Blackmarsh making sure to pick up all the stat boost items and to also destroy all the veil tears (guarded by 3 pride demons each). It's a very linear route so it's difficult to get lost (also remember,if you want to complete the dragon bone quest and fight the ghostly dragon, pick up the dragon bone inside the crypt as this one is missable as you cannot return). After a boss fight with the Baroness, you will have the chance to recruit Justice (awesome tank) and will then be transported back to Blackmarsh. Simply work your way to the mansion and finally put an end to the Baroness once and for all. Like most boss fights, it's a simple tank and spank affair and should cause no problems.

 

http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/pJ/-f/14CLiGJhbC81CRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzNBAAAAAOfn5-jwn7g=.jpgBlind Vengeance 30 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Escaped the silverite mines

 

Firstly, make sure when you enter the Wending Woods make a manual save and then do the following in order else it is possible to hit a nasty glitch which will make story progress impossible :-

 

Cross the bridge FIRST to initiate the scene with the Dalish elf. Then find the scavenger who runs away (the one who tells you the darkspawn ate the elf's sister). Then go find the guy who is injured. As you talk to him, you are ambushed. Kill the darkspawn then loot the locket from one of them. Go back to the elf for another ambush (some wolves and 2 treants). Finally, go up to the camp and hand the locket over to recruit Velanna.

 

By doing things in this order (basically, do not deviate from your main quest just yet, just follow the pointer arrow) you should avoid the glitch. If you find yourself teleported to another area at some point, reload your save and make sure to do things in the correct order.

 

Once you enter the mines you will have to get your equipment back. Basically, just kill the ghouls wearing your gear and you will be set for another boss showdown. This time you are pitted against two drakes. Simply tank one at a time keeping your healer out of range. Each time a drake takes damage, it will fly into the air and shift position. Either nuke the same one down or start whittling down the second one. They go down real quick and shouldn't prove any challenge. After killing the drakes (and looting them for some nice gear) you will get the achievement, ironically enough, before you actually leave the mines!

 

http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/9o/qB/1YCLiGJhbC9MCRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzM4AAAAAOfn5-quiuo=.jpgThe Enduring Vigil 30 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Acquired all upgrades for Vigil's Keep

 

This is an easy achievement to gain and just requires you fulfill certain requests during your game. The key things you must do are as follows :-

 

Find the 3 ore deposits for Wade and his assistant. The first is located in the Basement under the keep during the first quest to go down there. It's on a darkspawn corpse if memory serves me correctly. The second is located in Kal'Hirol in a basket, just before the giant golem fight. The last ore is located in the Silverite Mines and can be missed. It's in a room just before fighting the drakes and is right in front of you so is quite hard to miss. Take these back to Wade's assistant and he will say that your soldiers will now be fully kitted out.

 

Pay the dwarf 80 sovereigns to strengthen the walls. You can easily get the gold by using the infinite gold/xp trick. This completes the first part. For the second part, you will need to locate the granite deposit in The Wending Woods. Talk to the dwarf again after locating it and agree to send some soldiers to protect his men. Your walls are now upgraded.

 

Make sure to complete both Keep Basement quests. They are very straightforward to complete and should end with the doors being sealed shut. This stops the Darkspawn from entering the Keep and completes the second part of the quest. You can only do the second part after moving the story along a little ways. Just check back for the quest to be open when you return to Vigil's Keep.

 

Not 100% if this part is required but I believe it is. You need to make sure you get at least 1 trader to trade at the Keep. There are 2 I found. The first is Lillith who I found on a farm whilst travelling between maps. The farm is being attacked by bandits. Kill them all and then she will return to the Keep. The second is just before you fight the Drake's in the Silverite Mines. He is standing right next to the door. Talk to him and persuade him to sell at the Keep. I got both of these but I think you only need one to ensure your achievement.

 

http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/XX/R9/0oCLiGJhbC8yCRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzNGAAAAAOfn5-1SdEE=.jpgCommander of the Grey 30 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Reached level 30

 

This should come easily if you import a character from the original DA. However, it's also quite easy to get with a fresh toon. I started over a new character and this popped towards the end of the game. I actually hit level 31 upon finishing. Just make sure to do all the quests you can, disarm traps, read books/notes etc and obviously kill everything. If you struggle to get it, you can use the infinite xp/gold glitch and get it easily there.

Edited by ponypo2001
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http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/gm/4e/1ICLiGJhbC83CRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzNDAAAAAOfn5-sxbp4=.jpgAmaranthine's Last Hope 25 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Saved the city of Amaranthine

 

You will have to make a choice shortly after deciding to go to war whether to stay and save Amaranthine or go back to Vigil's Keep. Make a save in the Keep before choosing the dialogue option "Let's go to war". This enables you to reload and get both this and the saving Vigil Keep achievements. I couldn't save both even with a maxed out Keep so by making this save, you will be able to do both on one playthrough.

 

Simply choose to stay and save Amaranthine no matter what the cost. After clearing out all the Darkspawn, you will save the city and be rewarded with your achievement.

 

http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/e4/W8/0YCLiGJhbC8wCRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzNEAAAAAOfn5-6ThWc=.jpgKeeper of the Vigil 25 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Saved Vigil's Keep

 

For this one, you need to this time choose to go back to save Vigil's Keep while you are at Amaranthine. Once you arrive back, defend against the overwhelming Darkspawn attack and you will get the achievement. Remember if you are getting into strife you can call forth reinforcements such as archers or infantry to help stem the flow.

 

http://tiles.xbox.com/tiles/6H/1c/0ICLiGJhbC8xCRsFG1lTWUMwL2FjaC8wLzNFAAAAAOfn5-9zffQ=.jpgAwakening 50 http://www.xbox360achievements.org/images/site/gp-g.jpg

Completed Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

 

After saving either the Keep or Amaranthine, the Mother's den will open on your map. Take your strongest team and leave for the new area. Work your way through the Darkspawn and children till you reach a dragon. After killing the dragon, enter the tower

section. You can pick up crystals on your to the Mother which you can slot into the holes in the towers to provide support during the final fight so by all means do this.

 

A little ways through you will be faced with the Architect. Depending on your team, you may have to choose your dialogue carefully. I used a team of Justice, Anders and Nathaniel and chose to kill the Architect. If you choose to spare him, unless your persuade skill is very high, you will lose certain members as they can betray you (I know Justice does). The Architect is quite tough. I advise getting Justice to tank him out of the way whilst the rest of your team focus on killing his dwarf ghoulfriend (haha) on the stairs. Once she is dead nuke him down. Be mindful of his rain of fire attack, it hurts!

 

Shortly after this fight you arrive at The Mother. First time I went in to this fight I got slaughtered, plain and simple. Second go was the charm. Firstly, aim to keep your team back whilst you kill off all the tentacles. Keep your healer back at all times. I found ranged DPS worked best here so was very grateful to Nathaniel being archery specced. Your healer should cope fine keep up any melee DPS you have whilst Nathaniel shoots from afar.

 

Once the tentacles are dead a wave of children will pop out of the pods that line the sides of the area. These are very quick and easy to shoot down and were dead before I even knew they were there. Once I killed them, I went and hugged the side of the left wall close to the boss with Nathaniel and continually shot arrows into her whilst my 2 warriors tanked her and Ander's healed everyone. The fight is over in a flash and the final achievement is yours.

Edited by ponypo2001
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Not 100% if this part is required but I believe it is.You need to make sure you get at least 1 trader to trade at the Keep.There are 2 I found.The first is Lillith who I found on a farm whilst travelling between maps.The farm is being attacked by bandits.Kill them all and then she will return to the Keep.The second is just before you fight the Drake's in the Silverite Mines.He is standing right next to the door.Talk to him and persuade him to sell at the Keep.I got both of these but I think you only need one to ensure your achievement.

 

You do not need to find the merchant in the Silverite mines for the achievement. I only found Lillith and it just unlocked for me.

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great post. it just really bothers me that you don't space in between your period and next sentence. good work tho!

 

Second the above comment, the period/no space thing bugs me too :). Also, you should update "Estimated time for 1000" to "Estimated time for 250" since there are only 250 points in this DLC. Good guide overall though!

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Second the above comment, the period/no space thing bugs me too :). Also, you should update "Estimated time for 1000" to "Estimated time for 250" since there are only 250 points in this DLC. Good guide overall though!

 

Fixed the estimate time, thanks for that. Also working on changing my typing, but seriously, I had no idea this was such an issue. Maybe I'm just old.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Nice guide for sure but you have spelling errors and still the no space issue. Not sure what age has to do with having a space between the end of a sentence and the next. I can't recall a time when that was the proper way.

Maybe it's because I don't live and breath for "Samsung Eternity" phones? Or maybe it's just that people have nothing else better to complain about? I now space correctly after all punctuation marks just to please the interwebs. Is that ok for you? Jesus!

 

EDIT : I just went a tidied it all up, also fixing the 2, yes 2 spelling errors. If the only thing wrong with my guides is a couple of spelling errors and errant spacing issues, I think I can live with that. Would love to know where and when I missed the boat with this whole spacing issue. Never once was it ever mentioned to me in 26 years of using computers, that's why I bring my age into it.

Edited by ponypo2001
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Thanks for the guide, but one question. Could you please list just the names of the missable achievements? I don't really want to spoil anything I don't have to but at the same time I don't want to play through twice.

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Thanks for the guide, but one question. Could you please list just the names of the missable achievements? I don't really want to spoil anything I don't have to but at the same time I don't want to play through twice.

It'd be very hard to do but I'll have a go without spoilers. The level 30 one is potentially missable if you complete the game without earning it but should come with no problems. You will also need to ensure to meet all requirements for upgrading the Keep. The guide explains what these are but sadly, does have some spoilers as it's impossible to accurately describe without them.

 

The last is a choice you have to make towards the end of the game. Again, without a slight spoiler, I can't say any more.

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The last is a choice you have to make towards the end of the game. Again, without a slight spoiler, I can't say any more.

 

Thanks for that. I did see the part saying save in the keep before going to war so I'll just make sure I do that.

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  • 1 month later...
Maybe it's because I don't live and breath for "Samsung Eternity" phones? Or maybe it's just that people have nothing else better to complain about? I now space correctly after all punctuation marks just to please the interwebs. Is that ok for you? Jesus!

 

EDIT : I just went a tidied it all up, also fixing the 2, yes 2 spelling errors. If the only thing wrong with my guides is a couple of spelling errors and errant spacing issues, I think I can live with that. Would love to know where and when I missed the boat with this whole spacing issue. Never once was it ever mentioned to me in 26 years of using computers, that's why I bring my age into it.

 

Not sure what a mobile phone has to do with it but since you want to call me Jesus, I'll point out two current spelling errors:

 

reinforements

strenghten

:drunk

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  • 4 weeks later...
Not sure what a mobile phone has to do with it but since you want to call me Jesus, I'll point out two current spelling errors:

 

reinforements

strenghten

 

:drunk

 

The mobile was a reference to your signiture at the time my dear. Thank you for pointing out those two errors, they are now fixed. I think I'll call you Shirley from now on though, Jesus just doesn't fit.

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