- EA Dragon Age II for PS3 Manual

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BATTLE MENU
The battle menu is comprised of six icons (in two layers) displayed in the bottom-right corner of the screen. To
activate the primary shortcuts, press the F button, the D button, or the A button. To activate the second layer
of shortcuts, press and hold the R button and then press the F button, the D button, or the A button.
RADIAL MENU
More advanced controls, like using a special ability or consuming a health potion, are controlled through the
radial menu, which appears when you press and hold the W button. The radial menu is organized into
related categories of abilities, items, and party commands, almost any of which can be assigned to a shortcut
on the battle menu by highlighting the icon and pressing the D button.
AREA TARGETING
When you select an ability that affects a whole area rather than a single target—either in a circle shape or a
cone—the game pauses automatically for you to select a target area. Depending on the size of the affected
area, the camera may also zoom out to a tactical view so that you can position the target effectively. The game
also pauses when you select an ability, like a healing spell, that affects your party members instead of your
enemies. In this case, choose your target from among the characters’ portraits on the left side of the screen.
MAIN MENU
The main menu is mostly self-explanatory. To begin playing, select NEW GAME; to resume your game in the
future, select LOAD GAME; or to load your most recent saved game, select RESUME.
These are the options that might not be as obvious:
SIGN IN TO DRAGON AGE ™ SERVERS
This lets you log into your EA account (or create a new account) so that you can track your trophies and
character profile at http://social.bioware.com. To change what data is uploaded when you log in, visit the
Account Options screen.
Once you log into your EA account, it is permanently associated with your PS3™ system user profile. If you have
played other EA titles, including Dragon Age™: Origins, you may find that your user profile is already associated
with your EA account. In this case, you will not need to enter your EA account details when you select LOG IN.
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
This screen displays new content made available after the release of Dragon Age II and also lets you manage
the content you’ve already downloaded.
INTRODUCTION
Dragon Age II tells the story of a member of the Hawke family, a refugee of the Fifth Blight who became a
central figure in events that would reshape Thedas.
The full story is not well documented, and the details of how a refugee became Kirkwall’s Champion are known
only to a few. The story is not told as it happens, but long afterward.
And the narrator is sometimes prone to exaggeration.
CREATING HAWKE
Varric, our narrator, has told this story once or twice before. He has a certain way of remembering Hawke that,
er, might not be wholly consistent with the facts. After all, who would you find to contradict him?
But there are a few basics for which even Varric can’t get away with lies. You can’t say that a woman was
actually a man, or a warrior actually a mage, and expect your audience to still take you seriously.
CLASS
Hawke’s class determines which abilities he or she can learn during the course of the game and has a profound
effect on combat. Class—and gender, of course—also affects how characters in the story respond to Hawke.
Warrior
Warriors are front-line fighters, the backbone of any party under assault. Some heft an enormous two-handed
weapon that strikes several foes at once. Others pair a one-handed weapon with a shield that doubles as
a bludgeon.
Mage
Mages command arcane spells and hurl bolts of magic from their staves. Although mages are vulnerable when
fighting toe-to-toe with enemies, they deal immense amounts of damage and heal their allies when protected
by the party. Because they risk demonic possession, mages are either persecuted or carefully supervised in
most nations in Thedas.