Dragon Age: Origins-Awakening (PC)
Runecrafting Guide v1.00
This guide is best viewed in Lucinda Console Font, Regular Text, Size 10.
By: Scott Madison
aka: smadiso1
Copyright ©2010 Scott Madison
Table of Contents
A. Introduction
B. Legal Stuff
C. Runecrafting Overview
1. Runecrafting skill
2. Money
3. Rune Tracings
4. Runestones and Supplies
D. Revision List
E. Personal Remarks on Runecrafting
F. Contact information
A. Introduction
Welcome to Dragon Age: Origins-Awakening (DA:O-A) and its world of
Runecrafting! If you have not already discovered this new skill, the short
synopsis on Runecrafting is it provides gamers with the chance to enhance
their game play through the in-game creation of runes that augment their
character’s abilities. However, unlike the Trap, Potion and Poison skills
found in Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O), Runecrafting has presented fans with a
very complex and often confusing system. From what I have read on many forum
posts, the system has created so much frustration that many have all but given
up on Runecrafting! I encountered many of the posted problems and soon
resolved to find solutions to them. This guide has been designed to help
reduce the frustration and hopefully make the process more user-friendly.
While many fans will have varying opinions on the usefulness of runes (from
the runes making the game too easy to the runes themselves being useless),
I have put forth the best effort to write a non-biased guide that simply
shares the facts and tested tips of making Runecrafting easier. Whatever
your opinion may be, I simply ask: please be considerate of other gamers and
their opinions of runes and Runecrafting. I will make every effort to update
this guide with new, and useful, information whenever possible, but ask that
readers be patient with the updating process. I do, after all, spend eight
hours at work, devote many hours of free time to my family and put whatever
free minutes I find towards playing DA:O-A. Please believe me when I say I
will share updates whenever time permits! With that said I thank every reader
for visiting this guide and hope that everyone finds some answers to their
questions on Runecrafting.
B. Legal Stuff
This version of the Runecrafting guide was designed for GameFAQs and
is not to be reposted on any other site without prior permission from the
author. All tips, charts and observations were made by the author through
numerous hours of experimental game play sessions. As such, I ask that if you
would like to include any findings from this guide in your own guides that you
please get permission first and give credit where credit is due! Contact
information will be listed at the end of the guide for anyone interested.
C. Runecrafting Overview
All processes listed in this guide have been verified to work for version 1.03
on the PC. While all information should prove valid for the PS3 and XBOX 360
versions, please keep in mind that some differences may exist and will not be
documented in this guide unless such information is shared and approved for
posting here.
The Runecrafting process has been broken down into the following categories:
1. Runecrafting skill
2. Money
3. Rune Tracings
4. Runestones and Supplies
The creation of every rune in the game will be affected by these categories.
The last category, Runestones and Supplies, will likely be the most heavily
referred to area of this guide. So if you are simply reading this guide to
find out how to quickly create a specific rune (or runes), skip the previous
sections and go get that answer in section four now! For anyone wanting a
better understanding of the whole Runecrafting process, and some helpful hints
on how to make everything a lot easier, start with the first section below.
1. Runecrafting skill
**SPOILER WARNING!**
**MINOR RECRUITABLE CHARACTER SPOILERS WITHIN THIS SECTION!**
To access the Runecrafting screen you must first have access to the
Runecrafting skill. This is accomplished by leveling up your main player
character (MPC) or a recruitable player character (RPC) and selecting the
Runecrafting skill in the Skills selection page. (*SPOILER* Anders has level
one Runecrafting selected by default at the time of recruitment). Like all
other skills in DA:O, Runecrafting has four levels which allows the production
of higher quality runes with each increase in skill level. Level one
(Runecrafting) allows creation of journeyman and expert runes. Level two
(Improved Runecrafting) the creation of master runes. Level three (Expert
Runecrafting) the creation of grandmaster runes. And level four (Master
Runecrafting) the creation of masterpiece and paragon runes. Similar to
opening up the crafting menu for other DA:O skills, simply click on the level
one Runecrafting icon in the Skills menu. Additionally, the level one
Runecrafting icon can be dragged and placed into the quick key bar, provided
there is a free space and the quick key bar is not locked. Since DA:O-A
guarantees all MPCs start off at a minimum level of 18 (whether transferred
from DA:O at a level lower than 18 or starting a new Orlesian Grey Warden
character), unlocking the first level of Runecrafting is quite easy. The same
holds true for RPCs as they will start off at the same level as the MPC when
they are first recruited. So long as one character in your party has access
to the level four Runecrafting skill you will have completed the first
requirement for crafting every rune in DA:O-A. Along with the standard level
based runes there are a few specialty runes scattered through out the game.
These runes have no levels but require the combination of specific rune types
at specific levels. Their skill level requirements are listed here:
Rune Type Runecrafting Level
Amplification Level three
Diligence Level one
Elemental Level three
Endurance Level two
Evasion Level four
Intensifying Level two
Menacing Level one
Momentum Level four
TIME SAVING TIP!
DA:O-A offers a very handy manual that allows for the redistribution of every
stat, talent/spell and skill your MPC and RPCs have accumulated. Herren, in
Vigil's Keep Courtyard, sells the Manual of Focus for 6 gold. Consider using
one to redistribute your MPC’s skills to allow access to level four
Runecrafting. Doing so will cut out the load times you would encounter when
using a RPC to create your runes. This is because you will NOT be able to
open the Runecrafting menu with a RPC when inside Vigil’s Keep Throne Room.
And within this room are the primary vendors of novice runes and the only
vendor of Runecrafting supplies. After creating all the desired high level
runes, use another Manual of Focus to redistribute your MPC’s skills once
again to better fit a more combat focused Grey Warden.
Whether you decide to use the quick tip listed here or not, overall,
Runecrafting can be quite expensive. For players who are already struggling
to keep sovereigns in their coin purse, continue on to the next section for
some help on managing your gold in future rune crafting attempts.
2. Money
If you have not already noticed during your playing sessions, keep in mind
that DA:O-A can be rather demanding on your money supply. Along with all the
expensive high quality store-bought gear, plot specific dialogue options and
the pre-existing potion/poison/trap required store-bought supplies,
Runecrafting adds the additional expense of requiring three, sometimes four,
additional store-bought supplies. In a game that has limited gold procurement
via treasure and loot drops, it can be quite frustrating to determine just how
much hard earned swag you need to sell to craft a rune you want. Granted,
with the aid of the cheat console, download content (DLC), player generated
custom content and the in-game Potent Lyrium Potion crafting/selling trick a
player’s money woes can be all but eliminated. Not all players, however, feel
comfortable using cheats/DLC/tricks/etc or even know how to use them. So
having fore knowledge of what the final cost will be for each rune type and
level can greatly reduce the frustration of having sold a beloved item for no
apparent gain. The following chart depicts total costs that were calculated
using the prices found from items purchased in Cera’s Rune Stock in Vigil's
Keep Throne Room. The total cost includes all novice runes, blank runestones
and etching agents required to make the listed rune level. Costs for Rune
Tracings are NOT included! Some runes can be purchased from other vendors,
but keep in mind that the final cost will likely be higher than what is listed
here! The chart is broken down by rune type versus rune level and the total
cost you will pay to create them. The listed costs are arranged as follows:
gold/silver/copper.
Rune Type Novice Journeyman Expert Master Grandmaster Masterpiece Paragon
Cold Iron 0/66/0 0/66/55 1/33/65 2/94/25 6/24/25 12/93/05 26/39/45
Dweomer 0/71/50 0/72/05 1/44/65 3/16/25 6/68/25 13/81/05 28/15/45
Flame 0/66/0 0/66/55 1/33/65 2/94/25 6/24/25 12/93/05 26/39/45
Frost 0/66/0 0/66/55 1/33/65 2/94/25 6/24/25 12/93/05 26/39/45
Hale 0/63/25 0/63/75 1/28/15 2/83/25 6/2/25 12/49/05 25/51/45
Immunity 0/88/0 0/88/55 1/77/65 3/82/25 8/0/25 16/45/05 33/43/45
Lightning 0/66/0 0/66/55 1/33/65 2/94/25 6/24/25 12/93/05 26/39/45
Paralyze 1/10/0 1/10/55 2/21/65 4/70/25 9/76/25 19/97/05 40/47/45
Reservoir 1/10/0 1/10/55 2/21/65 4/70/25 9/76/25 19/97/05 40/47/45
Silverite 0/77/0 0/77/55 1/55/65 3/38/25 7/12/25 14/69/05 29/91/45
Slow 0/88/0 0/88/55 1/77/65 3/82/25 8/0/25 16/45/05 33/43/45
Stout 1/32/0 1/32/55 2/65/65 5/58/25 11/52/25 26/6/05 47/51/45
Tempest 0/66/0 0/66/55 1/33/65 2/94/25 6/24/25 12/93/05 26/39/45
Specialty runes have been figured here by combining the total costs for the
runes and supplies required to create them. Again, Rune Tracing costs are NOT
included in the price and costs are arranged as follows: gold/silver/copper.
Rune Type Cost
Amplification 3/93/25
Diligence 2/49/70
Elemental 2/94/25
Endurance 2/12/45
Evasion 6/24/25
Intensifying 3/25/25
Menacing 1/74/35
Momentum 6/13/25
TIME SAVING TIP!
Aside from using cheats/DLC/tricks/etc, there is no quick and easy way to gain
large amounts of money to create the above listed runes. When relying only on
completing quests, looting containers and looting defeated enemies the best
tip I can offer is to try and save up enough gold to batch create all the
runes you want in one creating session. Try to sell just the right amount of
swag you feel you can live without and will give you the total amounts needed
to fulfill the above listed costs.
As mentioned previously, there is one additional cost that will apply to some
rune types and levels: acquiring Rune Tracings. The next section covers not
only these costs, but additional in depth information on each rune type and
level.
3. Rune Tracings
**SPOILER WARNING!**
**THIS SECTION CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT REVEALS THE LOCATION
OF EVERY RUNE TRACING ENCOUNTERED IN THE GAME!**
Much like the recipes for potions and poisons and the plans for traps,
Runecrafting requires the acquisition of Rune Tracings. These allow you to
create the desired rune and level you want. Even if you have the required
lower level rune pre-requisites and needed supplies, without the proper Rune
Tracing you cannot create the next level rune. This presents the commonly
encountered problem of missing a mid-level Rune Tracing which prevents you
from creating a high-level rune which you do have a Rune Tracing for. In
other words, you CANNOT create a paragon rune without having the Rune Tracings
for the journeyman through masterpiece levels. The notable expectiong to this
is that you were fortunate enough to find sufficient pre-made mid and/or high-
level runes (ie: brought grandmaster runes over from DA:O) which can be used
instead of starting from novice runes alone. Rune Tracings can be bought in
stores, found in treasure chests and are even looted from defeated enemies
(stealing cannot be confirmed as of game version 1.03 due to a bug). Most of
the higher level Rune Tracings are found in treasure chests tucked away in
enemy infested areas. There are notable exceptions including a few high level
Rune Tracings that can be found right in Vigil's Keep Throne room. So just in
case you are new to the world of role playing games (RPGs): open every
treasure chest, check every store inventory and stay near defeated enemies for
a few seconds to make sure it doesn’t have a delayed loot-able corpse. One
additional tip, to make spotting these treasure troves easier, is to hold
down the "tab" key. This highlights every interactable item within a
respectable distance. As of game version 1.03, the order in which Rune
Tracings appear in the Runecrafting screen appears to be in the order in which
you acquire them. This can be an unfortunate complication that has no quick
fix without a mod or patch. The following chart lists every encountered rune
type and level, if applicable, found in the game. The listed location will
be where the cheapest Rune Tracing can be found. Keep in mind that a few
Rune Tracings can be found in multiple locations at different costs! A few
location listings have a special designation requiring a future update. The
(???) designation refers to a Rune Tracing that has been confirmed to exist,
but requires a second playthrough to confirm it's exact location. The *???*
designation refers to a Rune Tracing I have NOT been able to confirm to exist.
Such Rune Tracings might be in quests I failed to unlock, chests or enemies I
missed and/or cannot be aquired due to a bug in version 1.03 (similar to the
Blackblade boots and gauntlets problem). These listings will be updated in a
future version when such information is available. This chart also lists the
effects for each rune type, the slot they are placed into (weapon or armor)
and their cost, if applicable. The slot listing has one special designation
that refers to a possible bug in some high level runes. The designation
Armor* refers to a rune that shows up in the Runecrafting menu as a weapon
rune, but when attempting placement in the Enchanting menu can only be placed
as an armor rune. The costs are arranged as follows: gold/silver/copper.
Rune Type Level Location Effect Slot Cost
Amplification N/A (???) +5% Fire/Cold/ Armor N/A
Electricity/
Nature/
Spirit Damage
Cold Iron Journeyman Cera’s Runestock +4 damage Weapon 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep vs undead
Throne Room
Expert Glassric's Wares +6 damage Weapon 1/20/0
Amaranthine vs undead
Master Glassric's Wares +8 damage Weapon 4/20/0
Amaranthine vs undead
Grandmaster Glassric's Wares +10 damage Weapon 8/94/0
Amaranthine vs undead
Masterpiece Scrolls +12 damage Armor* N/A
Kal' Hirol vs undead
Main Hall
Paragon Scrolls +14 damage Armor* N/A
Kal' Hirol vs undead
Main Hall
Diligence N/A Loot Drop Flanking Armor N/A
Spectral Dragon Immunity
Dweomer Journeyman Cera’s Runestock +4% Spell Weapon 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep Resistance
Throne Room
Expert Otham’s Goods +6% Spell Weapon 1/20/0
Amaranthine Resistance
Master Otham’s Goods +8% Spell Weapon 4/20/0
Amaranthine Resistance
Grandmaster Yuriah’s Wares +10% Spell Armor* 8/94/0
Vigil's Keep Resistance
Throne Room
Masterpiece Yuriah’s Wares +12% Spell Armor* 8/40/0
Vigil's Keep Resistance
Throne Room
Paragon *???*
Elemental N/A Scrolls +2 damage from Weapon N/A
Kal' Hirol each element
Main Hall
Endurance N/A Yuriah’s Wares -5% Fatigue Armor 8/94/0
Vigil's Keep
Throne Room
Evasion N/A Cera’s Runestock +5% Dodge Armor 8/19/50
Vigil's Keep Attacks
Throne Room
Flame Journeyman Begin game +2 Fire Weapon N/A
with this damage
Expert Cera’s Runestock +3 Fire Weapon 1/10/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Master Cera’s Runestock +4 Fire Weapon 3/85/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Grandmaster Cera’s Runestock +5 Fire Weapon 8/19/50
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Masterpiece Scrolls +6 Fire Weapon N/A
Kal' Hirol damage
Trade Center
Paragon Scrolls +7 Fire Weapon N/A
Kal' Hirol damage
Trade Center
Frost Journeyman Begin game +2 Cold Weapon N/A
with this damage
Expert Cera’s Runestock +3 Cold Weapon 1/10/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Master Cera’s Runestock +4 Cold Weapon 3/85/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Grandmaster Books +5 Cold Weapon 8/19/50
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Masterpiece (???) +6 Cold Weapon
damage
Paragon (???) +7 Cold Weapon
damage
Hale Journeyman Cera’s Runestock +10 physical Weapon 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep Resistance
Throne Room
Expert Glassric's Wares +15 physical Weapon 1/20/0
Amaranthine Resistance
Master Glassric's Wares +20 physical Weapon 4/20/0
Amaranthine Resistance
Grandmaster Books +25 physical Weapon N/A
Vigil's Keep Resistance
Throne Room
Masterpiece (???) +30 physical Armor* N/A
Resistance
Paragon (???) +35 physical Armor* N/A
Resistance
Immunity Journeyman Cera’s Runestock +6%/Fire/Cold/ Armor 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep Electricity
Throne Room Resistance
Expert Otham’s Goods +9%/Fire/Cold/ Armor 1/20/0
Amaranthine Electricity
Resistance
Master Otham’s Goods +12%/Fire/Cold/ Armor 4/20/0
Amaranthine Electricity
Resistance
Grandmaster Otham’s Goods +15%/Fire/Cold/ Armor 8/94/0
Amaranthine Electricity
Resistance
Masterpiece Chest +20%/Fire/Cold/ Armor N/A
Kal' Hirol Electricity
Main Hall Resistance
Paragon Chest +25%/Fire/Cold/ Armor N/A
Kal' Hirol Electricity
Main Hall Resistance
Intensifying N/A Under the Bar +5% Ranged Weapon 8/19/50
Amaranthine and Weapon
Melee Critical
Chance
+20% critical/
backstab damage
Lightning Journeyman Cera’s Runestock +2 Electricity Weapon 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Expert Cera’s Runestock +3 Electricity Weapon 1/10/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Master Cera’s Runestock +4 Electricity Weapon 3/85/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Grandmaster Yuriah’s Wares +5 Electricity Weapon 8/94/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Masterpiece Yuriah’s Wares +6 Electricity Weapon 8/40/0
Vigil's Keep damage
Throne Room
Paragon (???) +7 Electricity Weapon N/A
damage
Menacing N/A (???) Increases Weapon
Hostility
Momentum N/A Loot Drop Increases Weapon N/A
Spectral Dragon Attack Speed
Paralyze Journeyman Cera’s Runestock Chance to Weapon 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep paralyze
Throne Room
Expert Cera’s Runestock Chance to Weapon 1/10/0
Vigil's Keep paralyze
Throne Room
Master Otham’s Goods Chance to Weapon 4/20/0
Amaranthine paralyze
Grandmaster (???) Chance to Weapon
paralyze
Masterpiece Scrolls Chance to Weapon N/A
Kal' Hirol paralyze
Main Hall
Paragon Scrolls Chance to Weapon N/A
Kal' Hirol paralyze
Main Hall
Reservoir Journeyman Cera’s Runestock +2 willpower Armor 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep
Throne Room
Expert Glassric's Wares +3 willpower Armor 1/20/0
Amaranthine
Master Cera’s Runestock +4 willpower Armor 3/85/0
Vigil's Keep
Throne Room
Grandmaster Yuriah’s Wares +5 willpower Armor 8/94/0
Vigil's Keep
Throne Room
Masterpiece (???) +6 willpower Armor
Paragon (???) +7 willpower Armor
Silverite Journeyman Cera’s Runestock +4 damage vs Weapon 0/55/0
Vigil's Keep darkspawn
Throne Room
Expert Glassric's Wares +6 damage vs Weapon 1/20/0
Amaranthine darkspawn
Master Glassric's Wares +8 damage vs Weapon 4/20/0
Amaranthine darkspawn
Grandmaster Yuriah’s Wares +10 damage vs Weapon 8/94/0
Vigil's Keep darkspawn
Throne Room
Masterpiece (???) +12 damage vs Armor*
darkspawn
Paragon *???*
Slow Journeyman Cera’s Runestock Chance to Weapon 0/55/0
Vigil Keep inflict slow
Courtroom
Expert Cera’s Runestock Chance to Weapon 1/10/0
Vigil Keep inflict slow
Courtroom
Master Otham’s Goods Chance to Weapon 4/20/0
Amaranthine inflict slow
Grandmaster Otham’s Goods Chance to Weapon 8/94/0
Amaranthine inflict slow
Masterpiece (???) Chance to Weapon
inflict slow
Paragon (???) Chance to Weapon
inflict slow
Stout Journeyman Begin game +4 Armor N/A
with this constitution
Expert Glassric's Wares +6 Armor 1/20/0
Amaranthine constitution
Master Glassric's Wares +8 Armor 4/20/0
Amaranthine constitution
Grandmaster Glassric's Wares +10 Armor 8/94/0
Amaranthine constitution
Masterpiece Chest +12 Armor N/A
Kal' Hirol constitution
Trade Center
Paragon Chest +14 Armor N/A
Kal' Hirol constitution
Trade Center
Tempest Journeyman Cera’s Runestock Chance to Armor 0/55/0
Vigil Keep avoid missile
Courtroom attacks
Expert Cera’s Runestock Chance to Armor 1/10/0
Vigil Keep avoid missile
Courtroom attacks
Master Cera’s Runestock Chance to Armor 3/85/0
Vigil Keep avoid missile
Courtroom attacks
Grandmaster Cera’s Runestock Chance to Armor 8/19/50
Vigil Keep avoid missile
Courtroom attacks
Masterpiece (???) Chance to Armor N/A
avoid missile
attacks
Paragon (???) Chance to Armor N/A
avoid missile
attacks
TIME SAVING TIP!
Until a mod or patch comes out to better organize the Runecrafting screen the
best time saving tip I can offer is to only craft one type of rune at a time
and put all other rune types into the storage chest in Vigil’s Keep Throne
Room. By doing this, only the rune type you want to craft will become
highlighted, as it levels up, and will be easier to spot in the clutter of
other rune types. This can also alleviate the complication of not having
enough backpack space to accommodate the large number of novice runes you have
to buy (which each take up one backpack slot) in order to craft the higher
level runes.
If you’re now wondering the all important question of “just how many novice
runes, blank runestones and etching agents do I need to craft a paragon rune,”
then you’ll be pleased to know the answer to that question is in the next
section.
4. Runestones and Supplies
The actual Runecrafting process is very similar to the potions, poisons and
traps process. Every rune crafted will require at least one blank runestone
and one or two pre-existing runes. Crafting runes above level 3, and all
specialty runes, require the use of etching agents. Thankfully, all of the
basic supplies, including novice runestones, can be found in Cera’s Runestock
in Vigil's Keep Throne Room. While you CAN use pre-made mid and high-level
runes imported from DA:O, for the purpose of basic reference I constructed
the following chart under the assumption that a player would start with novice
runes only. Simply find the rune level you want to create on the left and buy
exactly what is listed to the right and you will spend only the amount that is
found in the Money section chart.
Rune Level # of Novice Runes # of Blank Runestones # of Etching Agents
Journeyman 1 1 0
Expert 2 3 0
Master 4 7 3
Grandmaster 8 15 10
Masterpiece 16 31 25
Paragon 32 63 56
Specialty runes each require a specific number of etching agents. However,
each one only requires one blank runestone. So just remember to ADD IN ONE
BLANK RUNESTONE to each of these supply requirements.
Rune type Rune Level and Type Rune Level and Type # of Etching Agents
Amplification Expert Reservoir Expert Dweomer 3
Diligence Novice Tempest Menacing 1
Elemental Expert Flame Expert Frost 3
Endurance Journeyman Stout Journeyman Hale 2
Evasion Master Tempest Master Lightning 4
Intensifying Journeyman Cold Iron Journeyman Lightning 2
Menacing Novice Immunity Novice Silverite 1
Momentum Master Tempest Master Hale 4
TIME SAVING TIP!
After reading the above charts you might be asking yourself “this is all great
if I start from novice runes, but what the heck do I do if I want to use a
master rune I brought over from DA:O?” With the use of some elementary math
skills the answer is pretty simple. Refer to the first chart and find the
crafting requirements for the rune you want to craft. Write them down on a
piece of paper. Next, look up the crafting requirements for the level of rune
you already have and want to use. Write those down below the requirements for
the rune you want to create. Subtract the requirements for the rune you
already have from the requirements for the rune you want to make. The result
you get is what you need to purchase in order to craft the rune you want along
with using the rune you already have.
D. Revision List
v1.00: The initial release of the Runecrafting guide. Some Rune Tracing
locations are missing due to the need to either confirm their in-game
locations or the in-ability to locate them during my first playthrough.
Charts will be updated with regard to patches if any changes are noted
during subsequent game sessions. Submitted 4/3/2010.
E. Personal Remarks on Runecrafting
I promised at the beginning that I would try to write a guide that was as
unbiased as possible. Hopefully I was able to accomplish just that, but if
not I apologize. Within this section I wanted to share a few biased thoughts
and feelings I encountered during the creation of this guide. Feel free to
skip this section as it is simply my own personal thoughts and I would not
want to offend anyone or start a flame topic on any forum due to them.
By far the most challenging aspect to Runecrafting for me was in section four:
Runestones and Supplies. Determining just how many novice runestones, blank
runestones and etching agents was more frustrating than my first semester in
college calculus. Far too many hours went into trying to determine the
required amounts only to find I was short one item in every creation attempt.
As well, I lost quite a bit of time on load screens as I was relying on Anders
for all my crafting sessions. In the attempt to cut down on this wasted time,
I finally sat down and drew up a flow chart to determine just what crazy
calculation the Bioware developers put into this game. Upon completing this
chart, and dumbfounded by the fact that it was a simple dilution calculation I
used at work, I realized I had the beginnings of a guide that could be shared
with countless DA:O fans. I will admit that I’m the last person on this earth
that wants to use math to enjoy playing a video game. But after having used
these charts and the calculations included here, I can honestly say that
Runecrafting became a great deal easier to use and far less time consuming.
I still struggle with the potential benefit of creating high-level runes. In
my first playthrough I used several high-level Silverite, Hale, Fire, Cold,
Lightning, Stout, Tempest and nearly every specialty runes. Now well into my
second playthrough, and resolving not to use any runes except what I brought
from DA:O and find in loot, I have yet to notice any signicant challenge that
would convince me to spend the time to make high-level runes. Perhaps my use
of a mage in the second playthrough, versus a Dalish rogue archer/dual wielder
in the first, has something to do with this thinking. Overall, I do enjoy
having the option to further improve runes and even make specialty runes in
DA:O-A despite lacking any feeling to actually use them in every gaming
session. In regards to the Runecrafting guide itself, I resolved that if just
one DA:O-A gamer was able to save a few precious minutes, or even prevent a
headache, I knew any time I put into this guide would be well worth it.
I can easily say that calculating all the costs for the Money section was the
most tediuous and frustrating part of the guide construction process.
Confirming the locations of each Rune Tracing was a close second as I did not
start recording this information until I was nearly done with my first
playthrough. I should note that I noticed a potential bug with Rune Tracings
between both play throughs. Upon completion of the first play through, I
noticed I somehow missed the grandmaster Slow Rune Tracing. This was odd as
I knew I had bought every Rune Tracing available from the vendors I had found.
I chalked the missed Rune Tracing up to a possible missed quest or overlooked
treasure container and continued on to my second playthrough. I soon found
this missing Rune Tracing to be with the same vendor as the master version,
Otham's Goods in Amaranthine. So there is a small possibility that purchased
Rune Tracings are bugged when considering what I have experienced. Given the
shear number of bugs found in the base release of DA:O-A any number of
problems may be hidden in Runescrafting. As soon as patches are released I
will attempt to confirm any changes noted in the RUnecafting process and in
the many charts listed here.
In conclusion, I thank every reader for taking the time to read this guide and
I certainly hope you have been able to find the answers to the questions you
may have had. Any suggestions on ways to improve this guide can be sent to the
contact information below. I also appreciate any reports of typos, incorrect
information and updates to listed information. I will gladly give credit to
anyone contributing information, but request that readers be patient so that
submitted information can be confirmed.
F. Contact information
As of v1.0 I am requesting that readers only contact me via email at:
[email protected]. Please use the subject header "Runecrafting Guide"
to avoid accidental deletion! If enough interest is generated with this guide
I will consider starting a forum post, on GameFAQs and other social networking
sites, that will be more open to various comments, questions, suggestions and
information sharing that can be verified and built into the guide (namely Rune
Tracing locations). Thanks in advance for your patience when contacting me as
it may take several days for me to respond back!
