10 Video Games That Secretly Get Harder Without You Realising

Dragon Age: Origins, like all great RPGs, gives you the tools needed to make the best experience possible, then sits back and lets you potentially screw up without stopping you.

The way it's supposed to go when you first reach Lothering is that you go to the tavern, pick up Leliana, and she, in turn, manages to convince the lady in charge of the local Chantry chapter to let Sten go free.

But if this is your first time, and you go in completely blind - like your humble scribe did way back when - you may not really know the steps to that process.

You may only notice Sten and try to free him without Leliana, inevitably being frustrated. You may not go into the tavern at all - certainly, nothing is pointing you in that direction. You might just grab your supplies and be on your way.

Thus Leliana and Sten will die horrible, brutal deaths at the hands of the Darkspawn as they move in to wipe Lothering off the map, costing you two pretty powerful party members. Dragon Age Origins will in no way stop you from doing this or chide you afterward.

It will, however, make the game much harder going forward, free of charge.