Dragon Age II

• Don't skip the quest called Bait and Switch you get from a letter on your desk in act 1. It sends you to a dwarf named Anso; don't turn down his request, either. It's a recruiting mission in disguise.

• There is a clear point of no return in act 1 and 2 (characters will basically tell you aloud "this is the point of no return") but the one in act 3 is much less clear. Obviously you won't be worrying about it for a while, but act 3 is very short and the endgame starts earlier than you think.

• Check vendors under the "other" tab. Check every vendor under that tab. Check them once every act. Hightown, Lowtown, Dalish camp, doesn't matter, check them all. Runes, some companion armor upgrades, and some companion gifts can be found under that tab. You can order your own runes once you find the guy who sells them, but the other stuff is important. The "other" tab also has backpacks which increase your carrying capacity so you don't have to click the "sell all junk" and scour your rings and necklaces quite as often.

• There are a lot of bugs. If you're getting the PC version a patch has recently come out for a bunch of them, but if you're getting console, you're out of luck for a bit longer.

• Yes, mages are overpowered. But, if you go on normal difficulty, a duel-wielding Rogue focused in Shadow (Inconspicuous is amazing) and Assassin, with full dex/cunning, makes a fantastically fun glass cannon. By the end of the game, you'll be constantly backstabbing, ripping people apart, then disappearing in a puff of smoke. Duel-wielding rogues got a HUGE upgrade.

• If you want the ambrosia crafting ingredient, you must have a romance and/or high friendship and/or high rivalry with Isabela by the end of Act 2. You'll know at the very, very end of act 2. Else, you're locked out of the Act 3 quest where the ambrosia is.