I'm about to play DAO for the first time but upon starting with a new char I saw that I already got a lot of items in my inventory. I don't like this because it makes things more complicated (stat bonus that I don't even know what they mean yet), potentially making a beginning char op and I like to gain items by playing, thank you very much.

I want to disable all DLCs, including the campaign ones (awakening etc.) to get the vanilla experience. Should I do this or should I leave some of them on for quality of life improvements (maybe they add better inventory management or something, idk)?

I was thinking of disabling them all, finishing origins and then enabling them in chronological order as they were released...

Except for the pure items DLC, most is implemented into the map like it is in Baldurs Gate and other titles. Just another place to go to.

You will get additional companions and adventures with DLC.

It is also not levelled by character level, but every item has strength or other requirements. You should not be able to use the armour from the start with a very low level.

I never use the Dragon-Armour myself because it doesn't look good to me :)

IMO, this is the right way to go. Almost none of the DLC is well integrated.

The bonus items are particularly bad. In many Origins, you are are supposed to be VERY poor, yet you are carrying around a kings ransom is expensive high end loot.

Even most of the added adventures are nothing more than excuses to give you more powerful weapons, and are poorly integrated into the campaign. It seems like little more than Pay to Win than anything substantial added to the campaign.

I played all 6 origins without anything else enabled and then played human noble to the end.

Then I enabled all the DLC and played through again. It gets even more glaring in some origins beyond poverty. You are supposed to be stripped of gear in some areas. You are supposed to survive on your wits until you can find some gear, but all the bonus gear stays. Showing there was no real though given to integrating these items.

Without the DLC's there isn't enough money in the game to buy all the best gear and you had to decide this or that.
With the DLC's you start the game very wealthy and more powerful (expensive) items are thrown at you.
So it is the economy of the game that is most effected, making it easier even without all the OP gear.

Yes. In practice it is both. You get OP gear at low level. You will probably keep some that suits your characters, and sell the rest for wealth to be buy even more gear.

Disabling Awekaning won't do much, cause it's a separate camaign. You can transport your character there, but it does not towards Origins, I belive.
About items alone - yes, I myself turned them off without even looking. I can understand that we have a memento from our origin <like amulet or something simillar>, but not a goddamn armory. And the amout of items is purerly stupid, in my opinion.
But about new locations... I would say to keep them on. It's your chocie what to do with that gear <I didn't check it yet, so I don't know how powerful that stuff is> and regardles - you can, more less, get's some nice stuff if you know where to look <Moloch armor set, iirc for example>. But disi said - new locations to visit, companion... I wouldn't say this is bad stuff. Only this 'starting armory' is not worth it, in my opinion.

You can also just wait until you finish to enable Awakenings, so there is no need to single that out.

Also the extra areas, will give you more powerful items AND boost your levels. A double hit of reducing the challenge of the game.

Play it vanilla the first time, and simplest way to do that, is just disable everything. You will then be playing the game as it was designed, with the challenge level that was intended.

All the tacked on stuff was never properly integrated, you will get gear, money and levels that makes the game an easy walkover.

If you are an RPG fan, chances are you are going to do more than one play through. You really should give one play through as vanilla, and it makes more sense on your first play through.

First, Awakening is an expansion pack; it's not "DLC" in the traditional sense of an in-game addition. It's meant to be played after the main DAO campaign, using the same character, and continues the main character's story. Leaving it enabled or not has absolutely zero effect on the DAO campaign.

The rest of the DLC can be divided into three types:

1. Item packs: these are things like the Memory Band, Blood Dragon Armor, etc. If enabled, these are items you typically start the game with. None are massively overpowered, but I agree it's silly if you are, say, a poor City Elf that now has an arsenal of armor and weapons at your disposal from the outset.

2. In-game adventures: these include things like the Stone Prisoner, Warden's Keep, and Return to Ostagar. They add extra quests to the main campaign. The Stone Prisoner also adds a new NPC companion that is well integrated into the main story, and is the only way to get said companion. Allegedly that NPC was originally intended to be included in the main game, not as DLC. I suggest leaving the Stone Prisoner enabled if you do nothing else. Leaving all three enabled is not going to overpower your character.

3. Standalone adventures: Witch Hunt, Golems of Amgarrak, Leliana's Song, and the Darkspawn Chronicles. These are all separate from the main campaign. LS is a prequel for one of the NPC companions. WH and GoA are set after DAO and are at least nominally intended to be played with the same character. DC is a totally different timeline in which you play as a darkspawn. These DLC otherwise have no effect on DAO: until you complete them, that is. At that point, each new game you start will grant you special items, usually one from each DLC. Unlike the item packs, these very much are overpowered, particularly relative to your normal starting gear.

If you're seeking a vanilla experience, I suggest disabling the item packs, leaving SP (and possibly WK and RtO) enabled, and don't play any of the follow-on stories until you have finished DAO.

On the items:

I played all the origin stories both ways. The gear significantly imbalances all of them IMO, and your arsenal seems out of place, for all of them. In each origin there is some element of the typical starting RPG scrounging experience, where you are really feeling a bit vulnerable, and really looking to upgrade your gear. That is gone if you start with full item pack. Not only that, but you will play for a long time to find item upgrades, so it interferes with the feeling of progression. Chances are your next upgrades will simply come from selling expensive items you don't need, and buying yet more powerful gear that fits. Heck you will probably play half the game on OP starting gear, or OP purchased gear from the wealth they bring.

On the experience point boost from playing all the add ins:

Yes it is significant. You will hit areas after them at higher levels than you would in a normal game making it that much easier.

Yes, the stone prisoner, is the best integrated because it was finished in conjunction with the game, so you could include that one without causing significant issue, but you could just as well leave it out without harm. The NPC you get is IMO, one of the most annoying to travel with.

But IMO what really matters here, is are you only going to play the game once?

If you are only playing once, never likely to play again, then I would include the other adventures "The Stone Prisoner", "Return To Ostagar", and "Wardens Keep". I would still disable items.

If you are the type of person who will play more than once (I finished it 4 times), then turning it ALL off for the first play, costs you nothing and arguably, has the best overall story consistency, and best over all game balance.

Not only that but if you only enable the extra content on your second play-through, it gives you new things to see on your next play-through.

If you are going to play multiple times, play the first one clean. But if you are only likely to play once, then yes, pick and chose carefully about which extras to include.

I didn't feel they are overpowered.
Can someone give an example?

Of this list:
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Downloadable_content_(Origins)
We used:
Bregan's Bow
Bulwark of the True King
Pearl of the Anointed
Helm of the Deep
The Lucky Stone

None of which felt overpowered by the time we found them.

The gifts alone are worth it (absolute overpowered!) ;)
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Feastday_Gifts_and_Pranks
And if for example Morrigan uses her Alistair Vodoo doll he suffers a penalty on stats afterwards.

The level cap is 25 in DAO and 35 in Awakening. You will not reach the level 25 cap in DAO without having the in-game DLC enabled unless you are using third party mods that add quests.

When I originally played DAO, I had the retail disk with none of the DLC (which I did not think was worth the extra cost or the hassle of online activation). I believe I finished the game around level 23. The extra level or two you get from having the DLC does not ruin or unbalance the game play in any way in my opinion.

Note that I play on Nightmare difficulty as well, although I didn't do that for my first play through, so that also colors my opinion of what feels balanced to me.

Not OP by the "time" you found them?

You don't have to find them. They are in your inventory the moment you start the game.

Bregans Bow is a Tier 5 bow (should start with Tier 1), with great bonuses. Probably the BEST shortbow in the game, and it just pops into the inventory of a new character. It doesn't get much more OP than that.

You didn't mention "The Edge". This is also one of the best daggers in the game, you could use it right until end game. It's Tier 6, when you should start with Tier 1. Not only more damage from much higher tier, but it adds significant bonus attack and damage to every attack, including the weapons in your other hand. Massively OP weapon for a new character.

There is no question, that the DLC gear has absolutely no sensible place with new characters.

On top of this you get books and gear to boost your attributes significantly above a normal starting character.

Dragon Age DLC is more like silly pay-to-win gear, than anything a starting character should have. It is quite literally giving game end gear, to new characters.

Grr, I don't have Dragon Age Origins installed anymore, but could swear it wasn't in the inventory at the start. That Blood Dragon Armour is and I always felt it odd myself.
Most of those uniques are purchasable at random vendors for a huge amount of gold, you have 10 and they cost 144. Like the Quartermaster in the Circle or from Bodahn Feddic in the camp.

Back to the bow. You need 24 dex, that is min. Lvl 3 with every point spent into dex as a human rogue. The massive armours require 52 strength and a human warrior starts with 15.

p.s. yes, they are obviously easier to get. But they are not superiour to other equipment you find.
I am not a person who 'beats' games though, I try to play and enjoy them. If you enjoy games by having challenge after challenge, micromange everything or die and grind the whole time scraps to get any good equipment, then I would disable it.

Well, I still have it installed and your memory is wrong.

They are in your inventory from level 1. Along with Grimoire and other attribute gear to easily be able to use the Bow straight from 1st level. I just created a new character and did it.

Even if you couldn't use it till level 3 it would still be OP.

This should be Mid-End game gear, not level 3 and certainly not Level 1 where you get it.

And you mention expensive gear that you can buy, but the DLC will likely give you a half dozen pieces of gear, that isn't for your class, that you can sell, and buy more suitable gear ASAP.

You do need more strength to use the DLC warrior armor (38) but that just makes it a candidate for selling for more money for gear you can use sooner.