Exploits (Origins)

An exploit is a vulnerability that that can be triggered within a game that allows the player to use a bug to give the player an unintended advantage. Some of these bugs get patched, so the patch version where they occur is noted where it is relevant.

Spoiers ahead!

Shade Exp Glitch
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening In Blackmarsh there is a misson called Tears in the Veil. After killing the 3 sets of desire demons and return to the real world there will be 3 Fade portals that appear where the tears were (a 4th one if you activated the summoning circle). Killing each portal gains about 170 exp but the shades it spawns generate 79 exp if you have the time and patience you can sit there and kill the shades over and over again that it puts out that are never endingly spawned. I would recomend leaveing your team behind so that they do not attack the portal themselves. You have to be near the portals in order for the portal to spawn a shade.

Random Encounter - Forcing encounters
You can actually experience random encounters by not actually going anywhere (360 confirmed) simply go to a map access location as if you were going to travel, move the cursor select to another region (should start out highlighting the region you are in) then go back to the region you're at and select it. You may not even realize this triggers a possible random encounter, as it quite promptly returns you to your game. However if you spam this you'll realize that after about 10 or so attempts it will trigger a random encounter. This method typically only results in an alternative to grinding to level characters, or attempts to get rare drops from some of the elite class mobs, including the elven leader, and the fen witch, of which can drop some nice random loot. For more information on these random items see Rare Loot - Awakening or Rare Loot - Origins. Also bear in mind the examples of areas that result in different encounters is specific to awakening, as my dragon age disc is now scratched beyond readability. However I can confirm this glitch did in fact work on origins, but i'm unfamiliar with the exacted results as it has been a few months since I tried it and cannot distinctly remember any of the results I received.

Templar Boots
Now I assume these drop in both awakening, and origins as a rare drop via the rare drop system mentioned on the previously linked page, however these can be obtained via rare drops from the named templar Rylock (presumably her buddies, but i only got them off her) during Anders' short loyalty mission in the abandoned warehouse. I would also assume they drop from the various templars the character can face during the Broken Circle quest in origins. These boots however, have no graphic, and as long as they are worn by anyone not wearing a templar armor (or knight commander's plate) or a robe/clothing style armor, they make your character's feet literally disappear. This serves no real function, aside from comedy, and potentially confusing cut scene animations. The wearer appears to be walking on air with amputated knees. (this is only confirmed on 360, but as it's a missing mesh/model I assume it applies to all systems, please confirm anyone with these boots on ps3 or pc (if you have the toolset for pc this is a quick check)


 * The previously mentioned exceptions are only because those chest graphics include foot graphics (and potentially glove graphics).

Essences/Fonts (Fade)
While in the Fade at Circle Tower, it is possible (PC + xbox confirmed) to get two +1 attribute bonuses per Essence/Font. On PC, this involves first right-clicking the Essence to move towards it, then right clicking it again immediately before (almost at the same time)as the player reaches it. If done correctly, two +1 Bonuses will be shown on screen, one after the other. Make sure to save before this is attempted on each Essence, as if done incorrectly there is no way to repeat. If this exploit is successfully used for every single Essence and Font available in the Fade, the player can gain not 21, but 42 +attribute bonuses. This is equivalent to 14 level-up bonuses.

The Ballista - Vigils Keep Exterior
In the very beginning of Awakening you enter in an attack on vigils keep. Shortly after you acquire Anders or turn him away, you stumble upon a ballista which in traditional sense seems utterly useless. As most items are only able to interact with out of combat, (or so it seems on the xbox, as I can see this potentially being possible on the pc with a mouse click, but do not have a pc version of game to confirm). However, if you use my radial wheel glitch to interact with objects while in combat (this allows chests, corpses etc, to be looted.) You can in fact use this ballista after adjusting it's aim to fire upon the darkspawn at the end of the fortress' wall. However, it doesn't actually seem to do ANYTHING. The projectile lands, doing white damage to a target, but doesn't appear to hurt the darkspawn. So either it's hurting the wall, or this ballista is just plain bugged. After doing this however, and following up my frustration with endless attacking of the darkspawn I found the emmissary at the end extremely likely to 0% life bug, the bug that prevents you from progressing through doors as the mob just doesn't die. 2 out of 8 times it actually froze my xbox, which could be a game bug or just obvious signs of the abuse my xbox sees physically in an apartment with 4 roommates.

On the Xbox if you use the D-pad you can actually choose items in combat. This enables you to open doors, close doors, open chests or use ballista. The ballista mentioned above actually will kill the darkspawn- it just takes a few shots.

The Architect's Best Trap Yet! - Bugged Lever - Silverite Mines
After triggering the sleep rune and following the cutscene that entails you find yourself awakening in the architects custody. If you progress shortly after this cutscene towards his lab to the North East you find a room with some quest codexs, a pile of books, 2 levers, and 2 chests; one of which appears out of reach, On the xbox360, if the player carefully walks up (yes, climbs) the lever on the right side, the player falls off the edge and into the secret area with the chest. Bear in mind this is not a solution to obtain this chest, as the trick door remains still magically locked and the player is stuck unless he/she masters the range activation bug also mentioned on this page. Bear in mind if you do in fact master this range activation glitch, it's easier to just loot the chest from the ledge above, rather than mess with the annoying puzzle of hitting the different levers in a certain order when range activation is already fairly diffcult.


 * Note if you do this, for fun, I highly suggest saving before, as the developers didn't see fit to put a convenient autosave prior.

Range/ In-Combat Activation and Looting - Also lucrative uses as exploit
This glitch works similarly to the glitch someone else listed on a different site in which the player can force a game pause during play. That glitch serves no real purpose other than glam factor. This glitch however, can lead you to getting many items, breaking many quests, and potentially achieving 100% completion regardless of which factions you side with in Amaranthine. Shy of game breaking, the most viable use I've found for this is to get the master archer which would normally only be attainable if you side with the smugglers of amaranthine, and also to obtain the ever elusive dagger The Withered wields at the beginning of the game (which by the way, is kind of funny when you DO get it). This glitch is very basic, and I'll explain OPTIMAL circumstances to make this easier: It's easier if you haven't reset your system recently, nor cleared the system catch, as in this case, system lagg is very useful (please do not burn out your systems trying this glitch, as it;s definitely not worth 400 bucks to try) It ONLY works when the item is within targetable range, meaning when you use you radial window, and turn to see it within view, the action image next to it is visible. Just the name/text normally will NOT work. This image by default of the xbox 360 is usually a little eye, with a green box next to it, or something similar based on the type of object (box, chest, quest object, etc) While keeping the radial menu up, move the target crosshair (center circle) over the objects window, as if you were going to cast a spell on it with a caster character (this should bring up the green box i referred to) While dropping the radial menu, hit your button to interact with the object. Timing has to be precise here, similar to the merchant item dupe cheat, and it is very difficult to explain what is "Correct" timing. Trial and error is your friend here. In my experience in combat looting/interacting is far easier to successfully hit than range activation/looting, but it can be done. For example i was able to trigger the lever first encountered when entering vigils keep in the prologue by only stepping up on the stairs nearby to get a clear action shot. This glitch can be combined with the glitch / bug resolution trick with the reaver (warrior spec) ability to use "devour" which can often bring corpses that are unlootable to a lootable point. Sometimes this will allow you to loot corpses not intended to be looted as their battles are almost immediately followed but a cutscene, and prevent you from returning to the area (the withered is one that comes to mind).


 * A quick walktrhough to get this to work on the withered is this(YOU MUST have a WARRIOR with devour (oghren via a glitch method works, or a warden commander warrior with this spec with the devour skill trained)) turn the game up to the highest difficulty you can sustain (i use nightmare, but hard is better than normal, etc) and put your characters ONLY focusing on the withered, not his companion darkspawn, When he dies, wait about 5 seconds, and halt the attacks on this darkspawn allies either via sue of the forcefield spell with anders, or the hold position command with some intuitive character control. After about 5-6 seconds (depending on your systems heat, memory, etc) use the devour ability. This potentially will make his corpse lootable. You WILL have to repeat this a few times, so save before you enter battle with him on the roof, as his chance to drop the dagger at all is slim (3-7% chance in my tests) which is only even possible via the inventory rare loot mentioned on my dragon age wiki page. The end result is a darkspawn dagger, with slightly better stats, though not really significant, with the graphic from the top section of "lampost in winter" a named legendary staff obtained later in this game. It's basically the semicircle graphic dagger it shows him carrying. Exact stats are not listed as when I got it, I immediately went back and reloaded, as my goal was to get his shield. The shield for anyone who wants to know, is just a basic darkspawn shield with a different graphic (sadface) I got the shield after about 90 ish attempts, and then got another shield within 20 more attempts. In a total of around 130 attempts I only ever got the daggers once. Another interesting thing to look into for anyone intrigued in the darkspawn weapon construction is the staff that shares this graphic, lampost in winter, and also a staff obtained via similar methods as the dagger, from disciples found later on in this stories progression. (drakes fall specifically) Which also, ironically is also just a slightly improved darkspawn staff bearing the exact same name "darkspawn staff". These are only small examples of the results I came across using this method, and I am sure there are various other places this glitch could either game break, or yield interesting loot. (you can also get 2x the loot from The First this way during the quest in the fade when you battle him, if you time it correctly)

Unlimited Morrigan Approval while in Lothering
While in Lothering speak to Sten and tell him you will talk to the Chantry Mother and see if she will release him. Before you enter the chantry it is advisable to remove all party members other than Morrigan so that no one disapproves of your actions. Speak to the Chantry Mother and ask about Sten's release. When the first intimidate option appears chose it. If it fails, the Chantry mother will tell you she will not release Sten and you should leave. Now you can repeatedly talk to the Chantry Mother about Sten and she will tell you No and Morrigan will gain +4 approval each time. With this you can easily max her approval and if you still want Sten you can have Leliana lock pick his cage. You will only fail the intimidate check if your ranks in Coercion and Strength are low enough.

Unlimited Sten Approval while in Lothering
After you free Sten while in Lothering, speak with him and complete the dialogue that starts with "I think we should talk for a moment.". After this dialogue is completed, the next time you speak to him, you should have the "I have a question." option.

Proceed as follows:
 * I have a question.
 * Why did you come to Ferelden?
 * What was the question?
 * Why would the qunari care about the Blight? (Loop Start)
 * I'm a Grey Warden. It's my job.
 * Did you find the answer to his question. (Returns to Loop Start)

Each time you complete the loop, it adds more to the conversation as a whole. Assuming you started at 50 approval, you'll need to complete the loop 13 times to reach 100 approval.

Unlimited Leliana Approval in Village of Haven
Once you find Brother Genitivi inside Haven Chantry, you will have a lot of option for discussion, make sure to choose the "Is this the medallion you were talking about?" option to trigger the exploit then ask him if he is sure he can make the journey (option 2), he will insist that he can make it and would endure any pain for the Urn. Then choose (option 3) No, I think you should return to Denerim. At this point, he will insist further on and Leliana will join in the discussion. Choose (option 2) I'm trying to keep him alive, and Leliana will insist that Brother Genitivi comes along and will offer to watch over him. Agree to Leliana's statement (option 1) then choose (option 4) Could you answer some questions for me first? Then choose any options you wish to discuss as long as you do not choose the option to leave just yet. No matter what you choose Brother Genitivi will say to run along and get the medallion and choose (option 4) I'll be back soon. You will gain a +2 approval for each time. Then start the whole process again by talking with Brother Genitivi and talk about the medallion (option 1) Is this the medallion you were talking about? Just make sure not to choose to leave right away until you're satisfied with Leliana's approval rating.

Note: You can be much more efficient by repeating a loop inside the conversation over and over, each time is +2 approval. After you agree with Leliana (1. Oh, very well....), rather than leaving the conversation as noted above, chose a repeat of option 3 (3. No, I think you should return to Denerim.) and the conversation loops to Leliana joining the conversation.

Choose options: 2. I'm trying... 1. Oh very well... 3. No, I think you should...

Repeat these three until you are ready to leave the conversation. You'll receive the +2 for each loop.

Unlimited Zevran Approval from romance
While in a romance with Zevran you will have the dialogue option to invite him to join you in your tent. If the first such conversation ends without triggering the cutscene, dialogue for a second invitation can be repeated with a +7 Approval gain each time. The exploit will stop working if the love-making cutscene is ever triggered.

Proceed as follows. First invitation:
 * I want to discuss something personal.
 * Care to join me in my tent?
 * I was only joking, really. Just forget it.
 * Fine. Get in my tent.  No more questions.
 * That's… not what I had in mind. (Ends conversation)

Second invitation, can be repeated as many times as desired:
 * I want to discuss something personal.
 * Care to join me in my tent?
 * Enough with the coy bit. Get in the tent.
 * That's… not what I had in mind. (Ends conversation)

Each time you complete the loop, it adds.

Potent Lyrium Potions
Making Potent Lyrium Potions is one way to make extra money. The following steps are repeatable.
 * 1) Promote one character to master level herbalism.
 * 2) Buy the Potent Lyrium Potion Recipe from Tranquil Proprietor in the Denerim Market District: 11
 * 3) Buy lyrium dust from the Quartermaster in The Circle Tower. The more you purchase, the fewer trips you need to make.
 * 4) Buy concentrator, distillation agents, and flasks at the Gnawed Noble Tavern. (Other merchants sell these at higher prices.)
 * 5) Create potions.
 * 6) Sell to the Gnawed Noble innkeeper (best prices).
 * 7) * Dwarf Nobles should sell to Gorim in Denerim, who offers even better prices.
 * 8) * Parties that helped Lord Dace during A Paragon of Her Kind might also receive better prices from Gorim.
 * 9) Repeat. Net profit: 20/Potion.

Frequently Asked Questions

 * How many potions must be sold before you begin making a profit?
 * Using the method above, after selling 52 potions, you have a profit of 2130, from an investment of 647870 covering all items.


 * Can I create more than one potion at once?
 * No, unfortunately not.


 * How much profit is there really?
 * A stack of Lyrium can be turned into 216810, for a total investment of 102630, about a 21% return-on-investment (ROI).
 * To make an initial 100 profit, sell 508 potions.
 * You can double your money in 3.6 cycles.


 * Is it really worth selling to Gorim instead (if you are a Dwarf Noble)?
 * Absolutely. The ROI is 142%: for the same effort that others must go through to turn 100 into 200, the Dwarf noble will end up with 242.


 * Where can I see all the calculations?
 * Lyrium Potions for Profit

'''CAUTION: Overloading a merchant (by selling too many items to them) may corrupt your save files. See: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/67/index/247529/10'''

Pre/Post Camping Bodahn Glitch
You can purchase two of anything in Bodahn's inventory, including some tomes, runes, and an excellent axe.
 * When you first arrive in Camp (after leaving Lothering), purchase anything you covet.
 * Next time you return, his inventory will be completely reset, allowing you to purchase the same items.

Infinite Money Glitch
This glitch essentially allows the player to sell an item twice. Add any item (preferably an expensive one) to your Junk and visit any merchant. When selling the item hit the "Sell All Junk" button and 'immediately' after hit the "Sell" button. You will need to hit the buttons nearly simultaneously, so it might take it bit of practice. If done correctly, you will receive twice the sell price of the item. Simply buy the item back from the merchant and repeat for more cash. The trick on the PS3 (also confirmed on 360) is to make sure the highlight is always on the right side of the screen under "Party Inventory". After you sell the item and get 2x the selling price, buy the item back from the left side and move your highlight back to the right side.

Note: The value of the "exploited" item will drop significantly from its original price however. i.e. a 4 gold item will be rendered into a 75 silver item. In some cases, the "exploited" item will be sold for the original price plus the new, depreciated price, rather than a full 2x the original selling price. This still leads to a net profit, but is less useful on cheaper items. However it has been confirmed at least on the 360, that Evon the Great's Mail which vendors for 2070 can be used indefinitely for this exploit with no depreciation, allowing your player to net approx. 41 4 per time this exploit is performed in the trade/sell junk window allowing you to gain money in the thousands in a short amount of time.

Confirmed: Blood dragon plate does not depreciate.

Confirmed: Smuggled Lyrium (Side quest from dust town) does not depreciate.

Note:to counter the depreciation effect of the exploit on most items simply exit the store with said items in the vendor junk section and enter again their value will reset in most cases (not verified with all items) works on Xbox360 with latest update

Note: The most effective method is to use the duplicate item glitch below on either tomes sold by Bodhan. These sell for over 2 gold each, and so a stack of 99 sells for over 200 gold.

On the PC version, left-click and drag the item over to sell as usual, but hold down the right button at the same time.

This works best by buying the most expensive item you can afford from the vendor and then performing the cheat on that item. Due to item buyback you will receive twice the full value of the item rather than the vendor price after which you will then be able to buy the item back again for the vendor price. In this manner you can quickly step up even from an inexpensive item to items such as The Rose's Thorn with a buyback price of over 28, quickly netting huge profits. There is no deprecation for items bought/sold in this manner on the PC.

Note: There are some items which you can not sell back, such as the Ranger and Templar Manuals in Camp, and as such can not be used in this exploit.

Duplicate Items
This glitch is similar to the infinite money glitch above. You must have at least TWO (2) of the item you wish to duplicate. Move all copies of the item to your Junk, and sell all of them to any merchant. Buyback all but one of the items. Then select the item(s) now back in your inventory. Hit "Sell All Junk" and immediately afterwards hit "Sell." If done correctly, the merchant will receive twice the number of items you actually sold to them, and these can then be bought back. (Verified for both PS3 and XBox 360) you can also use this glitch at Wardens Keep storage chest instead of going to a shop (at least on the PS3)

This will only work if the icon for the item says "x", such as "x2" or "x3" denoting the number of items you have. Some items are shown as "(2)" or "(3)", such as enchantment runes or certain gifts. These items cannot be duplicated, but can be used to generate money using the Infinite Money Glitch.

Take caution when attempting to duplicate certain useable items and save beforehand. Specifically, skill tomes such as Arcane/Physical Technique, Mortal Vessel and Skill & Sundry tomes. If you duplicate any particular tome and reintroduce the lot of them back into your useable items inventory list AND have a set of any other tomes, the duplicated lot of tomes will NOT function and cannot be used at all. When attempting the duplication, make sure you have one and only one set of tomes available to your inventory. For this, the duplication effort has highest results if you have Warden's Keep (DLC) and have access to the party stash chest, for safety. Moving the other tomes into your junk list temporarily should work as well. As long as your duplicated tomes are the only sort of tome in your useable inventory list, it should be fine. Accounts of other items having this unique circumstance are unverified (or rather unstated or unheard at all) as has only been tried with the tomes.

On the PC version, have a stack of at least three items in your inventory (Two if the vendor you're talking to has that particular item in stock). Sell an item to the vendor, with at least one of its type still in your inventory, leave him, and speak to him again. The item will be full price. Left click it to buy it, but hold down the right mouse button at the same time (Similar to the infinite money glitch). If correctly performed, the amount of items in the stack that you already had will be increased by one, and you will also have a duplicate of that item in your inventory, not part of the stack.

This exploit works with 2 items on the PC. It works on all tomes, just be sure to buy the item back holding both mouse buttons, and sell it again while holding both buttons. Duplicating runes with this method does not work however.

Tomes of Mortal Vessal can't be duplicated this way at the 1.02 version. The tomes will be duplicated at the vendor's store, but after moving them to the player's inventory they will all dissappear.**


 * **The problem described above ("Tomes...can't be duplicated this way...") does not occur on the Xbox 360, at least not under patch v1.03. Tomes of the Mortal Vessal can be duplicated just like any other Tome. (Tested 27 May 2010.)

Unlimited Enhancement Crystals
This bug will give unlimited enhancement crystals for Shale. If Bella is made to own the tavern in Redcliffe, it is possible to get unlimited crystals for free. Sell them at the smith and return to Bella. (known for PS3, XBox 360 ).


 * Note that during the quest The Attack at Nightfall, Lloyd can be seen running around fighting the undead and can be subject to AoE attacks. You can kill him if you wish, and Bella will remain owner of the tavern throughout the game, providing inifinite Enchanment Cystals.


 * Lloyd will also provide free crystals if he is intimidated into giving the Warden ownership of the establishment. Bella does not need to own the tavern for this to work.


 * The quality of the Crystals will increase as the player increases in levels. The later in the game the glitch is exploited, the more money to be made with each trip.

Level Up Glitch
In Ostagar during the mission Tainted Blood you are asked to collect three vials of darkspawn blood and the Grey Warden Treaties. Collect the three Vials of darkspawn blood first before the treaties and then return to the main camp where you will talk to Duncan. Choose the choice option "We have the blood, but not the scrolls." On exiting the conversation you will collect experience for the mission and can continue to collect experience for this quest by continually talking to Duncan. Once you collect the Treaties you can no longer exploit Duncan for experience. This is an easy way to level up early if you need to. Using this exploit will skew the levelling/experience of future recruited companions. Although the future party members will be of a comparable level to the Warden, they will not have any attributes to accompany that level.

Additional Notes
It is worth mentioning that using this exploit to max out your level will make this quest very difficult to complete, since not only do the monsters scale with your level, so does their equipment, and the player does not have high-end gear sets and weapons to overcome this. Even moreso since only the player and Alistair can level up, which makes Ser Jory and Daveth essentially dead weight. You can however clear all the darkspawn and when you see the cache with the treaties simply return to Duncan and proceed as described above.

Verified for Xbox 360 - You may also use this to get the level 20 achievements and it still works after the new update to the game just allocate(save up and use your skill/talent points when you hit lvl 20. Also works for the PC version of that achievement.

Note: You can still purchase items from the Seller in the Ostagar camp, his items tier as you rank up which makes fighting the Darkspawn much easier. However due to the price of these items it is advisable to use the infinite money exploit as mentioned above.

This exploit was 'fixed' with the release of the 1.02 patch for the PC on 8/12/09. Further, this exploit does not work on the PS3 retail version. Still works on PC version(Verified)

Not: Does not work on PC, attempted but did not work, patch 1.04 has fixed this

Level Up Glitch using Ally Supply Crates
Buying 99er Stacks of Deathroot (1G 60S) or Elfroot (1G 18S) from Varathorn at the Dalish Camp and putting them into the Elven Ally Supply Crates at the Camp gives 880 XP per stack, which is a very cheap and easy way to reach the Levelcap. Note that stacks of 88 of each item give the max XP (880) but there's no way to end up with multiple stacks of exactly 88 roots, thus anyone using this glitch will normally be "wasting" 11 roots per glitch.

''' Below is a less time consuming method. '''

An easier way to take advantage of this includes having the Warden's Keep DLC. (It is best done after you have completed the DLC)
 * Clear your inventory as much as possible before going to buy the Elfroots.
 * Once done, buy as many as you can fit of the Elfroots from Varathorn.
 * Do not travel back to camp, but go to Soldier's Peak instead.
 * Now, take advantage of your Party Storage Chest and deposit all but one stack (x99) of the Elfroots.
 * Go back to your Camp and hand in the one stack. Once done, head back to Soldier's Peak and pick up a new stack from the Storage chest and repeat until you run out
 * The benefits? There is no travel time between Soldiers Peak and the Party's camp, just the loading screen, and therefore no risk of encounters or boredom. Also, if you do not have your stacks seperate, you will hand in all stacks at once, but only receive a total of one stack. (You give one stack at a time on PC)

Verified on PC and PS3. Needs verification on 360.

On 360, this can be very time consuming, and using the gold exploit followed by turning in gold at the Ally Supply Crates is much more effective.

On PS3, there is no need to hand in the stacks one at a time as the effect is cumulative.

Item Tier Bug
The Item Tier "Bug" can be exploited in two ways:
 * 1)  Storing items in the Party Chest from Warden's Keep and returning later causes many non-fixed-tier items to raise to the tier they would be found at, if discovered at the character's current level. This method does not work on the.
 * 2) The same effect can be achieved by selling items to any merchant except Old Tegrin, exiting the trade menu, saving, reloading, opening it again and repurchasing the items. (This may still require Warden's Keep - see below)

DLC Reappearing items
When DLC-items are sold, they reappear after deactivating / activating the DLC enabling the user to sell them again. (PC)

Traps for Money and XP
In Lothering, there is an NPC named Allison who asks the player to create some traps for her farm to protect against the Darkspawn (Traps are a Girl's Best Friend). The quest gives 50 and some experience as a reward. The hand-in to the NPC requires a minimum of Level 1 Traps on any character active in the current party. Each turn in requires 3 spring traps (materials for these can be purchased from the Inn within Lothering who stocks an unlimited amount of this item). If none of the characters in the current group have the Trap Making skill, then this quest will not be able to be obtained and no further attempts to talk with Allison after the initial dialogue is complete will be possible. Note also that Allison will stop giving this quest (or accepting traps) if the MC's party exceeds some unknown limit of stealing attempts/failed stealing attempts in Lothering. On the XBox 360 version, at least, if you gain the Trap Making skill after initially telling Allison that you can't help her, you will have the option to tell her that you can help her now, and can make her as many traps as you like. Also, on the 360, you get coin each time, but not the experience.

You turn in 3 Spring Traps, these are made from a single Trap Trigger which costs 2 60  for a total cost of 7  80  for three traps. The net gain/hand in is therefore 42 20  along with 100 exp.

Verified: On the 360 you do receive both the 50 silver and a small amount of experience, it just doesn't give a notification but if you observe your EXP bar it does move after each time you give her the traps.

PC: This exploit was "fixed" in patch 1.02a and no longer works.*

PS3: This exploit still works, just after completing the quest for the first time you must talk to her twice and the option to give her more traps will appear.


 * However, as of 4/24/10 this exploit works on patch 1.03 and 1.04. You have to start the conversation a second time after giving her the first bunch of traps.

Avoid Some Denerim Encounters ("go to camp")
This is a minor exploit, or possibly a feature, which can help the PC avoid Denerim random encounters. After opening the Denerim city map to leave a location outside the Market, select the world map and go directly to the party campsite to avoid any immediate Denerim random encounters. This appears to work even for "non random" random encounters such as the Mercenaries attack after they've been convinced to leave the Pearl -- however, this does not prevent the encounters from happening at all but simply postpones the opportunity for an encounter.

Unlimited Experience Glitch (Mountain Top)
As you Enter onto the Mountain Top area from either the Ruined Temple or The Gauntlet, each party member gains 750exp. All that is required is to transition onto the mountain top area so:
 * Enter the Mountain Top, gain 750xp.
 * Turn around and exit to Ruined Temple or The Gauntlet.


 * Repeat as desired

This only works if you did not defile the Ashes.

Note: You must have completed the Gauntlet first. Does seem to work even if you defile the ashes (PC version). Confirmed, Patch 1.03. Confirmed Patched on 360 as of Patch 1.04. Doesnt Work for Patch 1.05 PS3 PS

Skip Road Encounters
Sometimes, while traveling from place to place, darkspawn and other enemies may interrupt, which can be rather time-consuming. To skip these, simply go to the party camp. Then, go to the desired destination directly, without interruptions.

-This only works when returning to your previous destination.

this is almost certainly not a bug, or even a feature, as this only stops encounters between the camp and the location the camp has been made in. encounters only happen during travel, and this 'glitch' relies on a lack of travel

Mugging
A quick way for beginner players to get some nice armor and weapons is to simply take them from Temporary Party Members. Most, if not all, origin stories will have a temporary party companion who, after the origins, will never join you again. Simply go to the inventory and unequip all of their items. Weapons, armor, accessories, even clothing can be taken without refusal or any notice at all from the companion. Doing so produces no negative effects. Even if your origin story does not have a temporary companion, during the Tower of Ishal quest you're given two temporary party members (as long as you don't already have Dog in your party, in which case you only get a circle mage), both of which can be stripped prior to lighting the signal fire. Note: It is not recommended you use this trick on normal companions, unless they are about to leave or betray you (For example, defiling the ashes will make Wynne leave for good, along with all the equipment she has; thus it is recommended you "mug" her  before  defiling the ashes.)

Note: None of the above is necessary unless the companion "leaves" (i.e. is not killed). You will receive all weapons and armor from temporary party members after the Origin is over, and if you have to kill one of your normal companions you will be able to loot them, receiving all the gear you have given them. (Verified)

Free Attribute Points
In the PC version, it is possible to get free character attribute points (statistics) during a level up. To do this, first allocate all 3 points to an attribute you do not need. Now select "Reset". The attributes will all return to their original values, with 3 points available, however, you can now deduct 3 more points from the attribute that you previously modified, giving you 6 available points to spend (although no net gain of points yet). Allocate all 6 points to the attribute, select "Reset", and now you will be able to deduct 6 additional points from that attribute. Repeat this process, and when you can deduct more points than the attribute contains, the attribute will stop at zero (or -1 or -2, depending on the character), but the number of available points will continue to increase as you attempt to remove points from the attribute. Now each time you repeat the process, you will net 3 additional attribute points to spend. Note: You do not have to remove the points from the attribute until the end (Just allocate, reset, allocate, reset, etc, until you are satisfied, then press the down arrow repeatedly until the number of available points stops increasing). Then allocate the points to other attributes.

Free Attribute Points In The Fade
In the PC version, in the fade : lost in dreams, you can spam the attribute upgrading pools by clicking fast on them. Doing so, it is possible to get more than one skill point each time. When it works, you should see many times the indication saying you won a skill point. Using a macro to right click fast,and clicking pause key fast you can end with maxed statistics (99 points).

Stealth without using stealth
Many stationary enemies can be simply avoided instead of fought if the character walks sharply along the very edge of whatever corridor/alley/roadway the enemies are standing on (somewhat like avoiding tripwire traps). Enemies will not detect the player and thus will not engage in combat. This is useful for example if one wishes to purchase the Knight Commander's Plate at an early level like 7 or 8, as otherwise the group of mercenaries standing near the bridge will attack the player on sight and can prove to be quite a challenging fight. The same mechanism works for the thugs at the entrance in Dust Town, bandits in the alleys of Denerim, and so on.

After avoiding enemies with this maneuver, normally approaching them afterwards will sometimes reveal that they are completely unaware of the player's presence, acting as non interactive neutral NPCs. This effect lasts until the player furthers himself enough from the enemies so that they disappear from sight, and return, after which they will behave normally and attack the player on sight unless the above exploit is used.

Out of area bounds
Using the same mechanism described above, when attacked or simply cornered by NPCs near a certain area's gameplay bounds, it is possible to fade/slip through the bounds and be freely allowed to roam that whole area like a ghost, though this is quite difficult to achieve out of combat.

Equipping Items that are out of Stat Range
It you have a character that is close reaching a required stat requirement (such as needing 20 strength to equip Drakeskin light armor) if is possible to equip the items by artificially raising your stats with items that boost stats, like the Helm of Honnleath. Just equip the stat boosting item and then proceed to equip the items that you wanted, after you are done you can remove the stat boosting item with no consequence. It is also possible to use a stat boosting item to equip for the same slot, so you can use the Helm of Honnleath to equip another helmet.

Origins' to Awakening DLC Item Bug
When using an imported character, some of the DLC (promotional & Warden's Keep) items will not be transferred (excluding Memory Band, Return to Ostagar and The Stone Prisoner ( PC only)). However, if you have these items equipped on your character, even though the items themselves disappear, their bonuses and fatigue modifications will be merged into the character's base attributes. (You can end up having character with 30% or more starting fatigue, or +25% Cold Damage & Resistance while naked). This is especially handy if you acquired the DLC items from Dragon Age: Journeys.