Dragon Age Origins

[The Doctor Alt 8]

I am finding it impossible to conquer a section in this game ( keep getting killed by Drakes while trying to retrive The Urn of Andrasties ashes) I have found an invincibility chat code on line but can I use it mid game?

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Probably, but I also think you can come back to that bit when you have powered up the party a bit. I think. I recall it being hard and also, if you are the bit I'm think of, just when you think it's all over... [spoiler]a big dragon jumps you before you can recover[/spoiler]

[The Doctor Alt 8]

What? You mean AFTER The 3 drakes, assorted cultists & mages? Aaagghhh!

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

If it's the bit at the top of the mountain where you have the choice of polluting the ashes with blood or not... then, yup.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Oh lordy.. I'm not quite that far. But close. Cheat code it is. Does it just protect me or all my party?

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Well reading how to work the cheat code seems a little complicated...

make shortcut to daorigins.exe found in bin_ship on your desktop...
is that a programme file ? Can I get to it by using the search ...? I don't want my mates PC to bloody blow up!

I then assume from the instruction that I opens this bin_ship and scroll down to the line

daorigins.exe and add the following text to this line...

d -enabledeveloperconsole  so that the whole line looks like

daorigins.exe -enabledeveloperconsole

am I right?

the next instruction is to use the shortcut to  start the game... How do I do that?

finally  it then tell s you to press  the ~ tilde button

I assume from then you enter your desired cheat code  & press enter...

is this right?

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Ok said fiend cannot find this bloody bin_ship section/file whatever....

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Can't help, what with this being a comic forum and all that.

How about:

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/subindex/7 ?

[Arkwright99]

Have you tried turning the game difficulty down? Or are you already running on 'Easy'/'Casual'? What level is your Grey Warden? Origins was designed for some sections to be easier/harder than others, so the presumed quest order is Redcliffe and/or Mage's Tower (depending on preference), then the Brecilian Forest, then the Urn of Sacred Ashes and finally Orzammar. In theory there are 'gatekeepers' at the start of each quest section who will whup your ass if you go somewhere too soon but that might not always work in practice. (I seem to recall I beat the Orzammer 'gatekeepers' quite early on in my first playthrough before I realised I wasn't supposed to do that section first.)

[The Doctor Alt 8]

I am at the lowest difficulty level... (Which already brought critizium from you-know-who)
I am a 12 thlevel elf mage...
Alister 12th level gray Warden
with 12th level bard & assassin in tow

I can't go anywhere else as I get slaughtered there too...

[Arkwright99]

I am at the lowest difficulty level... (Which already brought critizium from you-know-who)

Don't worry about it; I frequently play RPGs on the lowest combat setting myself since I'm more interested in the storyline than a combat tactics nerd.  I need to say that it's at least three years since I last played DAO so my memory is a little hazy on the specifics now but at the time I fully completed the game three times, once each with the rogue, warrior and mage builds finishing at levels 25, 24, and 23 respectively. Of course each build can be tailored so there's a difference between playing an Arcane Warrior Mage and a Healer Mage.

I am a 12 thlevel elf mage...
Alister 12th level gray Warden
with 12th level bard & assassin in tow

Urn of Sacred Ashes at lvl 12 might be a little steep (as you seem to be finding); you've presumably completed Redcliffe so you're trying to get the cure for the Arl, yes? Have you completed the Mage's Tower quest line (to recruit either Mages or Templars)? It can be done before or straight after Redcliffe so should be within your level ability. Narratively you can do Sacred Ashes before the Brecilian Forest but I would be inclined to complete the Forest beforehand to unlock the "Arcane Warrior" specialisation so you can play a Battle-Mage.

Possibly you might want to rejig your party formation since you've really only got Alistair as your heavy-hitter/tank; Leliana and Zevran are effectively the same class (rogue) and as a Mage it depends what Spell Classes you've decided to specialise in as to how effective you are in combat. Did you manage to recruit Sten before you left Lothering? I don't know whether you've got the Stone Prisoner DLC to recruit Shale but a golem could be a useful team member. (I tend to use Shale (massive HP) to draw the attention of the [spoiler]dragon[/spoiler] while everyone else uses ranged attacks to take it down - [spoiler]unless I'm playing a two-handed warrior in which case I like to get up close and personal. [/spoiler])

I can't go anywhere else as I get slaughtered there too...

You may need to rethink your combat tactics if that's the case. One useful tactic is to park your party backaways on 'Hold' so they don't follow you (or not as closely as they usually do) then sneak up towards the enemy and lure one or two of them back towards the rest of the group. In other words, salami tactics rather than rushing headlong into a fight. But I daresay you've already tried that?

Another option you could consider is to respec' your Warden/party members if you've chosen skills/abilities that maybe aren't proving very useful. There's a useful mod that you can download to do this - Character Respecialization v1.6 - but it will involve using the "bin_ship\daupdater.exe" file and it's been 3+ years since I installed/used it and I don't know how it behaves with the latest patches and stuff.

Afaik, to use mod, you need to find the "bin_ship" FOLDER (not file) located under C:\Program Files\Dragon Age\ (the precise folder location might depend somewhat on how the game was installed, i.e. Steam download might install the game to different location, or what system you're running (i.e. on a 64-bit PC it might be C:\Program Files (x86)\Dragon Age\). Anyhow, in the bin_ship folder, you should find the file DAupdater.exe. Just open this (or create a shortcut first on desktop), drag the <mod_filename>.dazip file into it, click "Install selected" and you're done. I think. Like I say, it's been a while. You might find more up-to-date help at the BioWare Answers HQ.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Well I HAVE clear ed out the Mage tower of deamons & blood mages.. Haven't got Shale and missed out on the caged warrior... (The reverend mother refused to release him because I didn't have Lieanna the bard in the party.the only others I have back at camp is Morigan & Whynne... Both mages at level 8 respectively...
now whilst trying to get the cheat code to work Adrian has to reinstall the game & has lost the bloody manual with the code..

Damn it ...am. I destined NEVER to finish a game?????

[Gothmog]

If you've managed to get it reinstalled and still having problems with the cheat:

bin_ship is one of the installation folders and daorigins.exe is a file within it.  A windows search should find daorigins.exe but if you need to find it manually it depends on what drive it's installed on and whether you're 32 or 64 bit windows but it'll be vaguely similar to my installation folder which is:
E:\Program Files (x86)\Dragon Age\bin_ship\daorigins.exe
But it could be C: or D: with or without (x86) after Program Files.

Once you find it make sure you can see your desktop behind your open window then hold down the right mouse button on the daorigins file and drag it to your desktop.  Release the mouse button and select create shortcut from the menu and it'll create a shortcut icon.

Right click your new shorcut icon and select properties.  There'll be a box marked target, add -enabledeveloperconsole to the text in there after the speech marks.  Mine would look llike:
"E:\Program Files (x86)\Dragon Age\bin_ship\daorigins.exe" -enabledeveloperconsole
Click ok to save it and use that shortcut icon to launch the game whenever you want to use the cheat console.

If you use Steam and have it in your games library it's a bit easier.  Just right click the game in your library, select properties, then select launch options and enter -enabledeveloperconsole into the box that appears.

When you're in game the tilde button will open up the developer console and you enter the cheat codes there.  Press tilde again to close the console and return to game.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Well we finally found the bin_ship and. The line was there (more by luck than judgment... I don't think Adrian would know how to do it again...) But.... It wouldn't allow us to enter the text on the dragons origins line so no cheat code for us.

I can't seem to process further on any of my main active quests... My team keeps getting killed & picking up numerous serious debilitating wounds and I've picked & bought up every blood elfroit available so I now can neither buy or make the needed injury kits/ health poultices to keep alive.

This is so bloody frustrating.... Don't game designers realise that if things are to hard to do you'll give up because you've made it impossible? ....
Aaaaaaaaaghhh

[Satanist]

You should play Dark Souls next.