** Latest Update from Author 4/5/2011 **
Wow, i've been away for almost 1 year and people are still using this mod =) SORRY for all the bugs but I do hope everyone had a chance to enjoy it. I want to say IF THERE ARE MODDERS who wants to take over these projects, you have my permission to fix bugs, edit it, etc... Unfortunately I DO NOT have the builder-to-builder files anymore. But regardless, modders are SMART and EFFICIENT people. If you want, i'm sure you will figure it out.

Again, anyone has permission to edit, maintain, translate to a different language of this mod mod because I do not have time nor resources anymore.



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// TEMPLE OF VULAK //
(For level 20+++, high gear level)
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* Extremely Challenging Dungeon *
* Hack & Slash Your Way to Victory *

Released for play with customized creatures, encounters, and loot!

If you can not handle a butt whooping, frustrated because you have to reload the game many times, etc.. do not attempt this mod. I have played through this mod using default gear at least 10x and its very beatable, although very challenging =P

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...:::Author Update (8/31/10):::...
So... I started on 1 more mod about 2 months ago. It is ONLY 40% finished, but it has cutscenes, and a storyline. Is there any modders who wish to pick up on the project? If so, leave a comment -- I will upload a builder to builder version so someone can finish my final and last mod. =)


..::Author Update (7/23/10)::..
Hey everyone, sorry for being totally MIA and not able to provide any support. Restaurant business is TOUGH and challenging... very long hours. I OFFICIALLY CAN NOT provide anymore support for my mods. Very very sorry. I hope you all can over look the 'faults' and enjoy the mods for what it is -- something fun, made by a fan who really enjoyed Dragonage and took the painful hours to learn the toolset =) Have fun everyone!


..::Author Update (6/20)::..
My life is extremely busy, and I have been spending little to no time on these boards & modding. I have just opened up a restaurant, and it's sucking all waking hours of my time. Therefore, I will be on MIA status for a while - but I will still check periodically for major bug reports. Although I am working on my 4th and last mod - incorporating everything I have learned making the 3 mods - I question if I will even have the time or drive to finish it. Best of luck to everyone, and I hope I had provided some enjoyable content to the community, whether it be too hard, buggy content, boring fights, and of course the robotic VOs.

I do want to thank everyone for all the support and suggestions along the way. I thank everyone for their patience and understanding. For those few who disliked my work, I apologize I couldn't make it better. The toolset was hard to learn, and very time consuming... my only answer to you is - I tried my best. =)

If I absolutely can not devote anymore time to the mods, I will upload a builder-to-builder package for anyone who wish to learn from my work... or to just repackage and make the mods better.

Good luck everyone!

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...:::VERSION 10 RELEASED (5/29/2010):::...
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This version i'm 95%-99% sure will fix all "crash" problems. I fixed the 2DA data files that was conflicting with other mods. This version should also be compatible with other mods such as Improved Atmosphere! I think this version 10 should be the most stable one yet.

- I wanted to introduce an "OH MY GOD" moment - a moment where players become hesistant and scared to pull a boss - before players reach Vulak. Therefor, I removed 2 bosses from Mountain Tops, and replaced them with 1 NEW boss. Meet Gigantus, General Commander to the Legion of Triumph. (Hint: To deal with this new boss - You must kite effectively, and time your stun/paralyse/etc.. for his Ram attack. Misdirection Hex is godsend here as well, along with cone of cold, glyphs and traps. Use all your skills to defeat this new boss! If you don't, he WILL destroy you - I have beaten him on Normal Difficulty.)
- I have added some rocks to Vulak's room to prevent "cheating".
- Everything else remains mostly unchanged.
- I am currently learning how to make some good cutscenes. I will update alot of cutscenes in v11, at a much later date.

Data files I modified are:
apr_base.gda
eyes.gda
head.gda
meleering.gda

I will leave "v.91-no-creature-resize" up for a few more days. If v10 is working and no bug reports, I will take it down.

Anyways, please continue your support for this mod and my future mods. It gives me drive to know people are enjoying my creations - which will keep me making new mods =) As always, continue to leave comments and report bugs. I will try to fix any problems as soon as possible.

ENJOY!!!

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...:::BACKGROUND::::...
Tales of a mysterious ruin resting in the middle of Amaranthine Ocean surfaced in Ferelden. Discovered by sea-travelers to Bracilian Forest, whispers of glory and riches awaits those brave enough to seek adventure here. Legend speaks of Vulak as the Dragon Highlord, the Lord of the Scales. It is unknown if in fact he is real or mearly a legend. With the most recent onslaught of the Archdemon & the Blight after 400 years of near quiet, what was belived to be tales of legend, might actually be true. There is only one way to find out. You will gather the strongest and most brave adventurers and venture towards this newly discovered Ruined Temple. Only then can you find out all the mysteries it hold.


...:::INTENDED FOR::::...
Characters level 20+ who is about to begin the Final Battle against the Archdemon. You are expected to have very good NPC tactics, high level gear, and good amounts of consumable. If "your" Alistair likes to run into battle randomly, you will be in a world of hurt (unless you're totally modded out). This adventure is "tuned" to the best gear obtainable from "regular campaign play" so heavily modded party might find this not much of a challenge. For my party of level 20-22 on Nightmare Mode, it was.. a nightmare. This mod should also let you take advantage of item mods you've downloaded off the internet. Put those uber equipment to the test =) Even when I know the entire layout, I still die multiple times when I tune the dungeon - I am wearing only original game gear. If you are running Nightmare Plus or a modded difficulty.gda & autoscale.gda, you will find this adventure VERY challenging.


...:::DESIGN CONCEPT:::...
I have personally completed this game about 4-5 playthroughs. I have downloaded countless "item" mods to try and make the game interesting, including Nightmare Plus to make the game harder. No matter what my hero looks like with all the new downloaded gear, I was still PLAYING THE SAME GAME over and over.

So I set out to create a dungeon that was HARD. Something that will take me a while to finish. A dungeon where I have to move slowly, analyse the room and mobs first before going in. Boss fights where I will die many many times, before I get the right strategy to beat. I had to use potions, use elixirs, and all that stuff you normally just sell to a merchant -- because you could run head into anything and live.. until now. I don't know about you, but all those rock salves, elixirs of whatever protections, traps, etc.. I have NEVER had to use.. ever.

Ultimately, I wanted to give the players a few "OH MY GOD" moments.. take a few deep breaths... and prepare yourself for a tough battle. =) I think resized creatures and retuned creature strength really acoomplishes that feeling of "awe" and "oh shi.." feel.


...:::ADVENTURE TYPE:::...
This module is added into your "Original Campaign". You will travel to and from this dungeon via the world map. The jumpoff point is Flemeth's hut.


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...:::VERSION UPDATES:::...
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v10_Release1
I have recreated 2DA files to fix the crash experienced by 10% of the players who had other conflicting mods. This mod should no longer clash with other heavily modified mods such as Improved Atmosphere.

- Removed 2 bosses from Dragonflight Mountain, replaced them with 1 NEW boss - Gigantus. This guy is beastly, and a sight to behold (very hard, but not impossible to kill). He is considered the 2nd hardest boss in this zone, next to Vulak - a hardcore checkpoint for adventurers.
- Altered some terrain where players were able to glitch boss fights. You can no longer "cheat" certain boss kills.


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v1.9_Release2
This should be my pre-final release. I have fixed all the crash problems, I have tested for any "saved game" problems in every room. I have repackaged the entire mod from scratch to make sure I have a very clean package. Everything SHOULD BE WORKING perfect.

Changes in this version
- Rebalanced some item's stats. Some items I felt were under powered, and some I felt were slightly over powered.
- Changed the model for leather armor so it looks slightly better (more colors)
- Changed the robe model to a different dress. The old mage robe was looking very boring to me.
- I moved a few loot around to different mobs.
- I included ALOT more loot to Vulak. He should drop an assortment of enchant runes, some tomes, a bunch of gems, etc...
- I fixed minor spelling errors, and removed useless items
- I changed some creature models in Dragonflight Mountain. The dragon mounts are much larger!
- I changed some of the creature AI, mostly in the Halls of Testing. Now the creatures should use approporiate skills. For example, a DW skeleton should now use momentum, flurry etc.. Archers will now use proper skills as well. This AI change generally made the encounters a little bit more challenging.
- The 2nd half of the of the dungeon is left untouched. I felt it was "hard enough" but not impossible.. which was my goal.

As always please report bugs, leave me comments, give me a kudo, or just tell people to about this mod =) I like hearing feedbacks from the community!



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...:::LOOT DESIGN CONCEPT:::...
I took the BEST items I can find in the original and DLC content... and increased the strength by about 5-10%, since this was designed as an "end-game" package. The intent is for you to beat the game, and transfer the items to Awakening for that playthrough as well, thus the higher level stats. The items however are NOT overpowered, and you should be able to replace it in Awakening.

Some items come as lower tier material because I wanted to change the appearance without creating new texture mesh. So instead of creating everything with Dragonbone - this makes every item "brown" - I used materials like Silverite, Red Steel, Ash, Whitewood etc... To compensate for lower tier material, I made sure to adjust bonuses properly. Some items you get might be a weird tier material. This is because I set the material property to "All Metal" or "All Leather" etc.. You can easily upgrade the material by selling it to a merchant and rebuying it. Soldier's Peak works great for this.

Item that CAN be upgraded by selling to merchant at Soldier Peak --

* Conquest Sword
* Dragonspine Sword
* Frostwrath Sword
* Eternal Rapture 2h Sword
* Judgement 2h Axe
* Mace of Holy Blight
* Both daggers (Claw and Lifebane)
* Arrowstorm Bow
* Relentless Xbow
* All 3 Staffs can be upgraded also

Items that can NOT be upgraded --

* All the armor can not be upgraded (but they are already better than items in game, even if i used lower tier)
* Ruthless Dragon Cleaver
* Silent Thunder Longbow
* Warpath Maul
* The 2 shields can not be upgraded


* Superiority Tanking Set is only Silverite, but the bonuses will make it the highest armor set in game and better stats - but not over powered.
* Shadowmeld Rogue Armor is tier 2 material, but it has very good set bonus that makes it better than any other set.
* Judgement Axe will give you the MOST chance to crit, but does not hit as hard.
* Eternal Rapture 2h Sword will give you the MOST crit damage, but it's average base damage.
* Warpath Maul will give the MOST REGULAR damage hits, but it does not crit often.
* 1h mace is very good against Undeads, 1h axe is very good against dragons, Frostwrath is proabably the most balanced "overall" tank sword.


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...:::INSTALLATION:::...
Uninstall and delete any old versions you might have via DAModder. Unpack the .rar and install the .DAZIP with DAModder or whatever method you feel most comfortable with. IF you do find yourself crashing at very specific areas, it's probably because I have used "resized" creatures and you have a mod that's conflicting with mine. I ADVISE you to disable other mods you might have that alter graphics in the game world and play through this game once, just to experience the boss battles as they are intended. =) Otherwise, download "v1.91_no_resize_creature" instead. It won't feel epic, but in the end, its still the same game.


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...:::DISCLAIMERS:::...
- This is my first time creating an adventure mod. I tried my best to release a bug free mod.
- I will not be inserting god-items into this adventure. You will not find weapons with +10 damage, items with +10 armor, etc... which breaks game play. I will however, create items powerful enough for you to take with you to Awakening. IF the demand is high enough, I will create higher level tier items.
- Forgive any other mistakes I might have left in the mod. It was a HUGE project for me, being my first mod. I hope I have created something enjoyable for all of you =)

If you are a modder who understands how to write scripts, I would love to get some help from you. There are many encounters I want to script to truly create an epic adventure, unfortunately I am not a programmer. Please contact me if you're interested.

Thanks!!!