Issues with DLC downloads for Dragon Age: Origins reported

Posted Nov 4th 2009 8:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Expansions, RPG, Dragon Age: Origins

While BioWare's just released RPG Dragon Age: Origins is getting great reviews on its own, the same cannot be said of how the game has handled its promised downloadable content. People who bought the game were promised three bits of DLC for the game's release; a new quest, a new character for your party and a new suit of armor. But the process of obtaining said downloads has proven frustrating for at least some owners of the game.

The main issue is that players have to have an account for BioWare's new social networking web site and a separate account for the game's publisher Electronic Arts. Many owners of the game have reported via various message boards that they have encountered issues getting their DLC download codes to work with these accounts with some even having issues signing in with the accounts themselves. A message board post on BioWare's social site has some unofficial workarounds and troubleshooting solutions for these issues. However it's pretty clear that BioWare and EA are making lots of people upset with the number of hoops they need to go through to get the downloadable content they paid for.

Gallery: Dragon Age Origins Screenshots

Tags: bioware, dragon-age-origins, dragon-age-origins-dlc, ea, electronic-arts

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Well that's pretty depressing. I got the DDE off of Steam, and, besides having to restart the game once or twice, the game noted (and downloaded) the DLC that comes with the game.Posted at 10:35PM on Nov 4th 2009 by thatguyrom

Yeah, I'm a victim of this. Spent a half hour trying to get the new Social Network account created even though I already had an EA account and a Bioware Forums account. Once I got that done, I registered my codes which said they were successful. But my profile was empty. So then I registered my game which worked but still no DLC. I'm not going to take to the streets with a torch and pitchfork or anything, it's just some armor and a bracelet or something but it's very sad to see it handled in such a convoluted way. They gave no thought to the user experience when they made the decision to use these systems. And having to pay with BioWare bucks or whatever for future DLC is just flabbergasting.

The game looks way rad though. Can't wait to jump in for more.

...bysmittyPosted at 11:45AM on Nov 5th 2009 by bysmitty

The issue has to do with some activation service in windows not being installed properly. Apparently "daupdatersvc.service.exe", found in the game directory, has to be manually installed into windows and constantly running, or the DLC will not download, install, and authorize.

Unfortunately, it will not auto start when the game does after installation, so you have to manually start it and shut it down before and after playing. I'm sure an official patch should fix this, but there's the work around in the mean time.Posted at 11:01AM on Nov 5th 2009 by Spallit

I'm having this issue currently.

Took forever to get the Promo box on the BW social site to verify the codes I was given were authentic which was frustrating.

2 days into verifying and the DLC continues to have issues downloading (continually the downloads fail), installing and then finally showing up as active. I've only successfully gained access to the ring DLC and am still waiting on both the Deluxe Edition DLC and Pre-Order DLC to be installed.

Still, the DLC issue aside, the game is incredible. It's like playing in an epic movie. So many incredible touches to the game that make it incredibly immersive. If I have to wait on some DLC, I can stand it since its had no real impact on the experience of the game so far.

Posted at 6:22PM on Nov 5th 2009 by Brandon

Well, I'm beginning to feel that these "hoops" for DLC are just a sinister DRM replacement. I thought I would be able to download and backup the DLC packs, but no, you must have an account.

So what happens when they stop supporting the game? They are blocking second-hand sales too. You can transfer the game once, but not the DLC packs.

I do feel like I am being set up for a big disappointment in a year or so when some Executive gets greedy and / or pulls the plug. This is how EA has operated in the past.Posted at 12:26AM on Nov 8th 2009 by Paul Tinsley

If you still can't get the DLC to install after starting the "Dragon Age: Origins - Content Updater" service, then try running daupdater.exe from the game's directory. Find and select the downloaded content, then just hit install! Solved all my DLC problems.Posted at 1:04AM on Dec 26th 2009 by Rycr