A review of what not to do

First let me lead with I love Dragon Age.

I think Bioware really developed a breathing living world that i honestly want to explore as much as I can, and so I end up getting the DLC as soon as I can. The latest DLC Golems of Amgarrak, released yesterday and like a die hard, I got it. It's not bad, but prepare to be frustrated.

This time around you can import your character from either Origins or Awakenings, to play the game, or start a new high level toon. I say high level, because my level 32 rogue (post awakening) was still having some trouble killing some of the things this time around. That would normally be good as I love a challenge, but this time around it's not so.

First, you're being swarmed. I don't mind fighting, but it's not really fighting when you're surrounded by 6+ golems, and all they are doing is the nigh undodgeable/unblockable knockdown attack. The bad part is, to my toon (and I would assume anyone's who is around that level), they aren't really doing damage so much as they are wasting time. Eventually I just stayed in the corner whittling their health until I had killed them all.

My group had long been dead.

Apparently, though they are near my level, the NPC's they give you this time really have no stamina or defense, so expect them to die pretty fast to the generic enemies.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, the story has nothing to really do with the main game. It's loosely tied to the dwarves search for the anvil to make golem (thus the name), but no one comes with you from your main party. Most of the other DLC, was tied more directly into the story and this outcropping is so remote, it feels like a third party made it. The puzzles are fairly simple and the whole experience is so straightforward, it might as well been linear.

But what's worse that all of this is that this time they implemented a badge for defeating a Boss on a specific setting. There is a 50 point achievement for defeating the Harvester (the final and only boss) on Hard or nightmare, which really is only so bad because the game goes out of it's way to not give you anything to heal with. You eventually can get a golem that can heal, but he's no mage and his combat abilities seem so limited that you'll be using your potions. That combines with the Harvesters ability to literally generate medium level foes to attack you, all make it a badge not worth it.

Sure it's 50 points, but it's one of those badges that won't convey a sense of pride, so much as just be a grind.

Ultimately, if you are Dragon Age fan, you'll probably pick this up. It's barely worth it's asking price (400 MS points or $5) if for no other reason than it's something else to do with your high level toon.