Gathering a Gaggle of Compaions

Okay, we've covered the Haven map and the Prologue. Here is where it gets rather tricky. You have four more companions that you can (tis optional) to recruit before you really get into the nitty gritty of the story-line. Upon the completion of Haven (where we last left off) the war council decides to send you to the Hinterlands (now remember from DA:Origins this is where Redcliff is.) You have to select the option to travel there from the war-table and after a small convo with Scout Harding you can go explore the map of the Hinterlands (arguably the BIGGEST map of the ENTIRE game.)

Before you get side-tracked though. Fight through some templars and mages to find Mother Giselle down by the crossroads and have the conversation with her.

Mother Giselle

Now you have the option of 42 quests and a ton of space to explore. 0.o <- my face when I first did the playthrough. Holy crap! That is a whole ****-ton of quests in one area. (Totally just censored myself there. Woo!) Like I have said before I do not claim to be the best or most amazing at this game. I just know my stuff.

To make life easier I go up to the let and a small hill to find Corporal Vale and find out everything from him (literally I exhaust every possible talking option.) I then meander around the crossroads area and talk to everyone who might have a quest there. When this is over I make my way into the Witchwood area of the map to find the Mage Stronghold. It looks like this:

Defeat the mages inside. Voila you now have 2 power to put towards your goal of 8. (4 for Val Royeaux and 4 to unlock the Storm Coast.) Now you are going to have to book it to where the Templars are holding out. Seriously a big pain since its on a different side of the map. Turn around and go past Fort Conner and keep going to the right till you reach a broken wood bridge. Now turn left. You'll find a small hill. Go that way and up the hill to find the Templars. It looks like this:

Going up the hill you'll encounter two templars right off the bat; both of which have shields. This is where a rogue (either you or Varric at this point) comes in handy. They get damage bonuses for flanking attacks. (Woo!!) Once they are defeated continue up the path and get all those baddies up there. (+2 power) Upon completion go back down the way you came from and across the broken wooden bridge. Stick to the left side once across and eventually you'll go up a hill and get to an open area (after the large hill disappears). This is the farmlands. Establish a camp by the side of a pond and then go speak to Horse-master Dennett. 

He'll tell you that if you want horses that you're going to have to do tasks for him and to speak with two people milling about the house (one is the garden just outside the house he is in <- his wife; the other is in an armory thing at the bottom of the hill leading up to the house.) BUT he'll give you a horse. Now you don't have to walk everywhere. Woo!! After you're done exploring where he is (there is some loot and a bottle hiding away for the Bottles on the Wall quest; click in your left stick peeps!) Go down to the corral where your horse is waiting next to Dennets daughter Sienna. She has a series of three races that she puts you through (optional). After getting your horse go back to Haven. (Yay another cut-scene convo thing!) It is time to venture to Val Royeaux.

You once again have to select Val Royeaux from the war-table to go there (as you do with any new place you want to go to.) When arriving there you'll immediately go into a cut-scene with a scout. After that is over you'll walk in a straight line for like ten feet (once you get into the crowd by the statues of the lions) another cut-scene triggers with the head of the Templar order. After this disturbing change of events go to your left. An arrow will fly at you from nowhere. Look at what the message says and then go to the dock area to find a red handkerchief, then to the cafe to find the next and finally use the fast travel station to go up one level and find another on a balcony. Before you leave this map however make sure you talk to the courier that is waiting for you with a message from a Madame de Fer. 

Now you can leave the map (unless you want to explore <-there's a lot of shops here.) Go to the mini-maps that have now opened up on your world map. One holds Sera the crass-elf-archer and then other holds Vivenne the first enchanter of Orlais. (Otherwise known as Madame de Fer.) Recruit them if you wish. 

Sera

Vivenne

Go back to Haven once you are done and after a cut-scene with the council (chose the bottom left corner option of you need to chose soon to gain approval with Cassandra)  Leliana will pull you aside and tell you of her worry that the Wardens have disappeared. Once all the cut-scenes are done go just outside the Chantry to find Krem waiting for you with a message from Iron Bull, Captain of Bulls Chargers. (He is one of my personal favorite characters and a really good fighter so I highly recommend getting the Chargers) He (Krem) will tell you that they're waiting for you to see how they fight on the Storm Coast (time for a new area again!) Go inside once the conversation is over and open up the Storm Coast (costs 4 power). Right down the hill from where you first are is Bull and his chargers. Go recruit them if you wish, if not go back to the Hinterlands because you have one more person to get. 

Iron Bull

Krem

Okay (whew long post, my poor fingers) the last person you have left to grab is Blackwall the warden. Leliana didn't know exactly where he was on the Hinterlands map, but I do! Go back to the crossroads and travel up by where Corporal Vale is, but continue up the mountain path. Up here establish another camp and then continue back up the path to the left. You have now reached Lake Luthis( I really don't know if I spelled that right -_-) Go across the lake (but don't walk in the water because you can die that way if it gets too deep) Off to the right there is a house with SURPRISE one of your last companions; Blackwall. You trigger a cut-scene and some fighting once you get there but when that is all said and done a small conversation with the Warden himself will let you either recruit him or you have the option to say no. (I like to recruit everyone and he is a good tank.) With that ends your recruitment of companions. (The other two just kind of come to you. That is later on down the road however.) 

Blackwall