GameBanshee Forums

Is there anyway to save both the keep and the city?

The only way to partially do so is to fully upgrade the keep and go save the city.
The keep will be lost, but all followers will survive and it will be rebuilt a few years later.

make sure you complete the quests to clear out the tunnels beneath the keep as well

Actually, the keep itself can be saved along with the city.
As stated it requires full upgrades of walls and troops.

The epilogue can state that *the Horde* breaks upon the walls of the keep. This phrasing may be slightly confusing, but it indicates the Darkspawn are defeated even though few defenders survive.

By the end of Awakwnings you should have long accepted that the whole Drangon Age programme was to force you to make a whole heap of un-balanceable 50/50 choices for which there is no perfect answer.

As others have said, you can get good end-credit news of how well the keep held up but you can't physically fight in both battles and be the total hero. Just as you can't mediate a coalition for the dwarfs, side with the mages and keep templer favour, have both Logain and Alister in the party... etc, etc, etc, etc ad-infinitum.

One of the reasons I liked Awakenings so much was the end-credit information. It gave me a nice sense of accomplishment that I had chosen pretty much the best path possible throughout the game and therefore a genuine sense of achievement (as oppose to just a badge saying I'd achieved something).

Just pay the Dwarf to upgrade the keep and give him some men to protect the ore deposits and let him seal up the deep roads and you should be ok.

Edit: also bringing ingredients back for the other dwarf and ore for the blacksmith also adds points to getting this end credit.