Dragon Age: Origins

Took me a few times, but I figured it out. Yes, you must enthrall the 6 characters mentioned above all in one playthrough. How I was able to do it was by running to each character as quickly as possible and enthralling them.

Obviously since you can only have 3 thralls at a time, my suggestion is to do it in the following order:

Genlock
Hurlock
Ogre
Shriek
Hurlock Emissary
Blight Wolf


The last 2 will not become available until the Alienage (at the beginning) and the Palace (once you release the trapped Ogre).

What I did was, through simply killing everyone in sight, got the approval rating for the Genlock and Hurlock nearly to 100% prior to moving onto the Marketplace. Once in the marketplace I had to kill off something in order to gain control on the Shriek, so I killed the Ogre (not suggested if you are doing the other Secret achievement, as you have to keep that Ogre alive...but if you've already done that part, kill him as you'll get another one back later). Running through the Marketplace as soon as the Genlock and Hurlock were at 100% approval I used Execute Thrall and keep only the thralls active that I was still working on approval ratings for.

To be on the safe side, prior to executing any thrall I would save the game, then I would give the thrall a gift to make sure they were indeed 100%. If the meter does not prompt a +# response, then he was indeed at 100%. At that point I LOAD my previous save (thusly keeping the gift) and then Execute Enthrall that character.

I kept on this process until I was able to release the Ogre and Blight Wolf. At that point my Emissary was nearly full as well. I went through the level and just before I got to Sten, I had at least 5 gifts. I was able to give the Emissary 1 to max him out, then I gave the remaining gifts to the Ogre and Blight Wolf. At that point my achievement popped.


So if you keep an eye out of the health of your thralls (remember that if they die and you enthrall them again, their approval is reset), but as soon as they get to 100% just use the Execute Thrall command. Only enthrall the characters that you still need (a lot of times you may only have 1 to 2 characters enthralled).


By saving your gifts until the absolute latest point it should be easy to cap the final 2 characters or so. The reason I did this prior to Sten, is his battle is one heck of a fight, and I kept losing the Wolf or the Ogre.

That reminds me, save often (feel free to create a few saves just in case you mess up), and if you are unable to heal someone and they die, just reload the old save point and go through it again.


Like I said, this took me a few playthroughs until I finally got the hang of it.


EDIT (Credit to Dingo Salad):
Oh, just playing through this, and here's a note to make it easier. Just before the fight with Sten, you can walk halfway up the stairs to spawn the encounter, and then walk back down again to the door right behind you. Dwarves continue to come out of that door in a steady trickle, and killing them nets you rep, so you can sit here and grind until you're positive you have max rep with all of your thralls.
Posted by Dingo Salad on 13 Jul 10 17:50:19

This achievement requires you to max out the approval of all thrall types : Ogre, Genlock, Hurlock, Hurlock Emissary, Shriek and Blight Wolf. (Note: this DOES NOT include the Genlock Sapper or Hurlock Archer).

To help you out there are 6 gifts giving 20 approval each and there are multiple spots in the Palace District that spawn unlimited dwarves, to increase your chances of gaining approval try to make sure that the killing blow is done by the thrall which you wish to improve.

This is an attempt to combine information from multiple write-ups, and lay it out in roughly the sequence in which actions would be taken, in the hope that this "collected" version will be helpful to others.

It should be possible to acquire both "Enthralling" and "Ogre's keeper" during the same play-through.

As stated by others, one only needs max approval from 6 different types of darkspawn thralls:

Genlock
Hurlock
Ogre
Shriek
Hurlock Emissary
Blight Wolf

(As mentioned previously, this list does not include either Hurlock Archer or Sapper.)

As others have mentioned, the most straightforward method of gaining thrall approval is to be aggressive in combat. Stay in the thick of things, and you'll see the approval ratings climb.

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Save often. This cannot be over-emphasized. I would recommend saving every few minutes, using a new save each time. Thus if one save was made just before a battle where things went badly wrong, without adequate time to prevent the thrall you needed to preserve from dying, then you can easily reload a prior save. (Or else have 5 rotating saves, over-writing the oldest one every few minutes.)

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City Gates

If one is working on Ogre's Keeper, then (obviously) keep the Ogre no matter what else happens. As mentioned in other write-ups, it's best to enthrall the Ogre - before - all the city guards and archers attacking him are dead. Run for the ogre as soon as the "Save the Ogre" quest becomes available, and enthrall him immediately. Then save him.

(This will work even if you did not successfully preserve the Ogre on prior play-throughs. The "glitch," apparently, may not be a bug ... but instead a matter of not enthralling the Ogre early enough. Thanks to "the games masta" for pointing this out. I tried it, and it worked. )

Enthrall any others which seem convenient, and deal with anything the dragon brings to your attention.

Defeat all the city defenders which you can find. When the area is fully cleared, loot everything in sight. There should be two gifts, one of them on the Arl's body.

Market District

There are a shortage of Shrieks, so it's probably best to keep the one from the Market District. The dragon wants you to enthrall it anyhow, so don't waste the opportunity!

If needed, execute any thrall (which is not the Ogre) to make space for the Shriek. To make it easy on yourself, perhaps choose the one with the lowest approval rating (unless that's the Ogre, in which case... second lowest). You might have the luck to maximize the surviving miscellaneous thrall's approval rating before it must be executed to make space for the Hurlock Emissary. If that happens, it could save you some time later.

Again, clear the area followed by looting everything in sight (there are some weapon and armor upgrades, gifts, and Wynne has a ring which could be useful).

Elven Alienage

When you see a Hurlock Emissary in the Alienage, if you have three thralls then execute the one which is neither the Ogre nor the Shriek. Enthrall the Hurlock Emissary. (I've not seen a Hurlock Emissary available anywhere else, and you'll want him for his heals anyhow... Ogre won't recover from taking health potions, but he will recover with the Emissary's healing.)

Recommendation: if in pursuit of "Ogre's Keeper," tweak the Hurlock Emissary's tactics, so that he will heal Ogre if Ogre's health drops under 50%.

You will want to keep all three of these thralls alive.

Deal with anything the dragon instructs, and clear this area also. Loot.

Save the game just before leaving the Alienage. Your group of thralls at that point should contain an Ogre, a Shriek, and a Hurlock Emissary. (Don't overwrite this save.)

Palace District

The Palace District has two places where one can get an endless supply of dwarf soldiers, which spawn by a doorway two at a time. Remember how thralls like to see you attack stuff? Here's your big chance (x2) to show off in front of them!

The first of those doors is reached - before - you release the Ogre. This convenient location permits you to maximize both of your remaining thralls (ideally, the Shriek and the Hurlock Emissary) -- while the Ogre remains trapped and unharmed.

If you have not already maximized those two, this door is your opportunity to do so. There are numerous Hurlocks and Genlocks around, so it's easy to add either one as a temporary third thrall, and begin maximizing his approval while you're at it.

(As another writer mentioned, it is possible to verify when a thrall's approval rating has been maximized: first, save the game. Then, give any of the gifts to the thrall with possibly-maximum-approval. If there is no approval change when a gift is given, then that thrall is maximized. Load the game you just saved, and you can execute the maximized thrall to make room for another ... without losing the gift you used to verify that its approval was maxed out.)

The first "endless supply of dwarf soldiers" doorway is between where you enter the palace district and the place where the ogre is trapped. When the cut scene ends, immediately turn right and hug the wall to your right, killing all enemies in your path. The doorway you want will be to your right, in a cobblestone-covered area, almost immediately after you pass a well. It's slightly before you reach a ballista (which will be on your left). The ballista will be stationed just outside the fence which traps the ogre. The door is the first of two white ones which have vertical and horizontal metal bands, making each appear covered with squares.

Dwarf soldiers pass through the door one or two at a time, and are easily overcome.

You can max out approval for a few thrall types there. I strongly encourage keeping the Hurlock Emissary, for his ability to heal Ogre, if you're pursuing "Ogre's Keeper." That leaves two spots for other (disposable) thralls.

To speed things up, it may be helpful to first recruit some of the extra darkspawn which you do not intend to use for approval maximization, and execute them. Then they won't be obstacles to the thralls you want to impress.

Boring and redundant as it is, I recommend staying by that door and preserving your Hurlock Emissary while you maximize the approval for the Emissary, Shriek, Genlock & Hurlock. If one of those types already reached max approval before being executed to make room for the Emissary, then there's no need to impress that thrall type again.

I amused myself, a little, by running a lap around the ballista between dwarves.

Fighting some of the endless dwarves appearing at that first "doorway" near the Ogre, as described above, appears to have an added benefit: it seems to prevent the bug which causes the previously-grouped Ogre's approval rating to evaporate.

Except for the Emissary, as soon as another thrall type reaches maximum approval rating (and is verified), then you can execute that thrall to make room for a different type. Your Shriek is most likely to receive the first maximum approval, and also the first execution. (If you like that thrall type, there's another which can be acquired shortly after the second "endless supply" door mentioned in this guide).

When you have attained max approval from Hurlock Emissary, Shriek (probably deceased), Genlock & Hurlock, it's time to begin moving around toward the far side of the portcullis where the Ogre is trapped. (There's a chest by the fence containing the Ogre, on a nearby side without a ballista, which contains a mage cowl that will fit on the Hurlock Emissary.)

Defeat every opponent as you travel to the other side of the portcullis to free the Ogre. There's a named dwarf who has a gift when you loot him. Aside from the mage hat and the gift, I didn't notice anything else outstanding, but I may have overlooked something.

As soon as you pull the levers to open the portcullis trapping the Ogre(s), save the game. Don't over-write that save.

There may be two Ogres: one by the portcullis, and another which walks into the fenced area (from the left) as you open the portcullis. The Ogre who originally stood by the portcullis should be the one you want, especially if you're working on "Ogre's Keeper." If you're only working on "Enthralling," it won't matter as much if you accidentally enthrall the other one instead (it will only take longer to gain full approval from a neutral Ogre, instead of going forward with an Ogre who is already somewhat favorably impressed by you).

Immediately after enthralling the Ogre -- check its approval rating. If it's totally neutral, you probably enthralled the wrong ogre. Now aren't you glad you saved the game only a moment ago?

After satisfying yourself that you've enthralled the correct Ogre, look around. There is a blight wolf nearby, perhaps lingering in the fenced-off area where the ogre was trapped. Keep the Emissary and Ogre, and execute the other thrall (if you haven't already). Then enthrall the blight wolf.

Have Ogre hurl a boulder at the gate, as the dragon commands. Straight up those stairs is the second "endless supply of dwarf soldiers" doorway. Don't go to either the left or the right, but instead simply go straight. Continue defeating dwarves until the Ogre and Blight Wolf both reach maximum approval.

To speed things up, you could give the Blight Wolf some of the gifts you have found. You may want at least one gift to verify when it reaches maximum approval, or else hold back a few gifts to boost a new thrall's abilities (if you're planning to play this DLC to its end, and don't want the blight wolf during the finale).

If you have notifications turned on, you'll see the "Enthralling" achievement message on your screen.

At this point, unless pursuing Ogre's Keeper (or finishing the DLC, since you're already so close), you're done. If you do need or want to continue, this is the time to make any adjustments needed in your group of thralls. Thralls with higher approval ratings will be stronger, just as is true for party members in the main game. So if you execute the blight wolf in favor of a different thrall type, this is where gifts will be the most helpful.

Fortress

If you're also pursuing Ogre's Keeper, go on to the fortress and watch Ogre's health as you battle. Remember that potions won't heal him, only the Hurlock Emissary can.

It appears as if the primary target in that battle is Alistair. Defeating others won't end the game, but defeating him will (apparently regardless of the status of others). So if you're nervous about Ogre's health, try to find Alistair and conquer him soonest.

Hopefully, if no bugs interfered, you'll get the "Ogre's Keeper" achievement also.

Congratulations!