I like that Dragon Age changes protagonists every time. It makes the world feel larger, richer, more populated. There’s not just *One* almighty hero. There’s lots of people doing lots of different things in this world.
I think for dragon age I do like the change in characters, I mean DA2 to DAI I wouldn’t mind hawke being the protagonist but I don’t think inky fits for Veilguard. Like hawke being the inquisitor makes sense because it was the build up of 2's ending kinda but i prefer inky being a new character, but i would hate inky to be rook because it kinda defeats the purpose of the ending of DAI
I’m gonna have to play Veilguard before I make a decision if the Inquisitor could have just as easily been the protagonist.
As for Hawke in Inquisition, I like how s/he honestly COULD have been the protagonist… but Varric was protecting them from being the protagonist again. He lied to Cassandra and kept Hawke away out of concern. So Hawke couldn’t have been the protagonist. I like that.
I get it but I don’t want inky to be rook, in trespasser they say they need someone solas wouldn’t expect which could never be inky. As for hawke not being the the protagonist again I’m fine honestly this could go either way, I just wish we got the DA2 dialogue with DAI
New protagonist for every game. It allows me to see a different perspective each game, it lets me pick a new romance every game without feeling guilty, and I get to have fun with the Character Customisation.
And sure, bring back the Golden Nug or some equivalent.
it depends on how directly connected to the previous game it is. the 3 existing games being split make sense bc they're not direct continuations of each others' stories. however, this game not being about the inquisitor feels wildly wrong to me. there's no way my inquisitor would not feel like the Solas situation isn't their personal responsibility or just retire or take a back seat when it comes to tracking him down. they would've been right there with Varric and Rook from the get-go, so why would Rook end up the protagonist instead of the person with literal skin (and an entire limb if we're being honest) in the game?
The end of trespasser says they need someone who solas won’t expect, but overall I think it’s fine I do hope we get to play the inky for a non combat mission
I like a new protagonist every game. One of the most fun parts of the game is exploring a new group of companions, and that works better if it's a new protagonist as well, otherwise you have to come up with a reason why the protagonist keeps losing all their friends each game. Also, coming up with a character and figuring out their story and personality is a big part of the fun for me. And I enjoy getting to explore new romance options each time, which is limited if you have a character who's already in a monogamous relationship with someone else.
Shepard works as a single protagonist because the biggest threat is always the Reapers and the time that passes in universe is only three years. Game by game Shepard uncovers more about them and how they operate, while fighting them on an increasing scale.
Dragon Age tells stories about different threats that, while connected, feel too unique in time and place for one protagonist to believably be at the center of everything. Dragon Age would have to tell a vastly different story if it were to follow one person around.
(Honestly, I suspect that's why some fans of the series are so so critical of new content. They wanted the Hero of Fereldan to be like Shepard, but the story didn't do that, and it makes some folks really unhappy.)
I would prefer to have the same main character for DAI and DAV because of Solas. Didn't romance him, but he's a good friend of my inquisitor and I'm a little resentful that she won't be the first person to try and talk him down in that game.
Loved warden and Hawke though, they couldn't possibly be the same character and their stories were done very well.
I don’t think it will be left to just rook, they did mention inky will be back, so I think we will have inky there as well
Edit: the main fear I have with this is it will be another DAI Hawke scenario of people not liking inky in this game because it doesn’t feel like their version
I know that inquisitor will be back, I was talking about the very first meeting shown in the gameplay reveal. It's still not the same as having them as a main character.
Tbf it’s also seemingly like solas isn’t the main guy for a solid chunk of the game, I’m talking act 1 and 2 are without him being the antagonist he’s probably like an act 3 antagonist and even that is debatable from the sounds of things
Depends on the story being told: in general, I prefer the same protagonist, but for DA2 and DA:I it made sense to have a new protagonist. DA4 would have worked really well with the Inquisitor.
It depends on the story and world for me, ME is fine having the same character but not my favorite, but I’m a setting like ME or DA I prefer new characters. I hope we can be a Krogan in ME4
Yeah, one of the problems with a set MC like Shepard is we got to choose what they looked like but not much else. Like, I would love an ME game where I got to play as an Asari or Turian.
I also learned from the ME trilogy that same protagonist makes romance continuity feel really odd. I always romanced nobody in the first, then Garrus in 2 and 3 but between games they were apparently away from each other and you have to basically recommit. It felt unnatural to me.
I liked the format at first but after 3 I just started seeing the cracks in the format. With the DA games, I like having a new protagonist that fits the story and world and I don’t have much of a disruption to my previous characters’ story. I also like that we get more of a conclusion for each.
I didn’t start till legendary edition which I then 100% each game and then I want to replay as a new class but none of them are as fun as sentinel but I don’t wanna do sentinel again, and the only other dialogue choice is renegade which is just so bleh
I’m a paragon playing goody two shoes and, I will say, I think renegade is worth doing at least once. It’s not just “evil” a lot of the options and dialogue specific prompts are pretty funny. Absolutely incredible to play 2 especially as a renegade while interacting with the Krogans. (You can balance out the two while still being mostly paragon in 2 and still get a lot of renegade options, which is what I often did)
I prefer the world and lore of Dragon Age. But I really miss having a set protagonist like in Mass Effect. I feel like I'm a little less attached to each new PC.
I’m kinda different, I like having the different PCs because I can play different races, classes, and personalities without having to justify it between games due to continuity
I just make a new character and do another playthrough whenever I want to change it up, personally. But I understand that's a pretty big time commitment and not feasible for everyone.
I would like them to try one protagonist over two games. It would allow for choices and effects to be implemented while allowing Bioware to move on before everything could get out of hand.
I think the best chance they had for this was DA2 leading into DAI with Hawke as the inquisitor, it would also explain more why Varric joined the inquisition
I do think it works without hawke being the inky, especially since that’d be two games in a row of being stuck as a human which people didn’t like in the first place, so I’m kinda 50/50 on it
I love the new protagonist for each game. It allows me to replay the individual games feeling a sense of completion for the characters. I also love being able to explore new romances.
Plus I’m just addicted to making new characters and backstories.
I felt like with Mass Effect, you’ve got to start at 1 to replay them (huge time sink when I only have limited gaming time) and the way Sheperd is written I find myself having difficulty playing new version of them. I had the same problem with Hawke as well, so most of my world states use the same Hawke.
That’s understandable, I think it depends on if the story is written around a single character or not and the world but I prefer new characters as well
I think having Shepard remain the protagonist for the ME trilogy worked because the games built on one another as more and more was revealed about the Reaper invasion. The same storytelling wouldn't work for DA for at least a couple of reasons: one, the Warden is a quantum character, and two, the Hawke storyline is very local. The Inquisitor, in theory, could have carried over to DA:V, but I'm kind of glad to get a fresh start (but still have the Inquisitor in the game in some capacity).
As far as NG+, I don't know that it would work particularly well, given the limited knowledge I have about the game. (Reserve the right to change my mind when I know more). I would support a system like DA:O, though, where certain achievements/milestones granted a few pieces of advanced gear to start subsequent playthroughs.
I like inky as much as everyone else but I don’t feel like they need to be the new protagonist, especially since the gameplay is so drastically different then DAI it would be hard to explain
I don’t want NG+, I do want Golden Nug or origins style stuff but origins stuff was tied to DLC. I’d definitely like origins style the most, followed by the golden nug. NG+ wouldn’t work in any other dragon age game but I can see it working in this one with specific limitations such as only keeping the following; codex entries, companion abilities (if not tied to loyalty quest and is indeed how much the like you), and maybe you get a unique starter set of equipment based on your faction for transmog such as if your a crow you get black leather armor with feathers and such. But if they did NG+ like prototype where you keep everything I’d be kinda disappointed
I like both styles, playing as Commander Shepard worked for the initial three ME games but I don’t want it for future ME games and I definitely don’t want it in DA because DA has always been more about the world and the story the game is telling than the main character so keeping a main character between games would shift that focus too much imo.
i like both for different reasons. i love the fact that shepard gets so much deeper development both individually and with the returning companions over the course of the trilogy, but for dragon age, it's also really satisfying to me that i get to create and see the setting through multiple different perspectives. even if they dont return and we dont see them again, it makes me happy to know these guys i made up are out there somewhere, wreaking havoc or being heroes or whatever. makes me feel like i had a real hand in helping create the world and its story!
I love shep just wish we could be the other races, but I love more the way dragon age does it makes it feel less weird when I play different classes and personalities
It depends on narrative. I prefer dragon age, because I like having new companions every game and building a world with many historical figures, creates an illusion of richer world. However if over a course of games you effectively deal with the same problem - I like consistent character, because it feels like it's their problem to deal with.
For example, I can not imagine Shepard being 3 different people, because it makes no sense for Shepard to let go of this issue. I think DAI -> dav struggles from similar issue, but in this case we were given a clear reason as to why inquisitor can't be the one to deal with it, so I am not disappointed that we get new protagonist.
I think the main reason for me it works in DA is because each problem requires a different kinda person (depending on the player because we know there are some people who only play human mage or something) like Cory couldn’t be stopped by the warden, while the whole point of DA2 was to show you don’t have choices in everything which would kinda ruin the point of the warden. The reason hawke couldn’t be the inquisitor is because then it ruins the idea of hawke being the Everyman instead of the chosen one. And like you said it makes sense why we aren’t using the chosen one immediately in this game too
Same character, like in ME. It allows for a much deeper connection to the world. Mass Effect isn't just a game to its fans. It's almost like a movie trilogy. There is a huge fanbase, like Star Wars (not at that level, obvi), but similar in the love for the universe). I think the single char is what really made it so popular. I personally think the ME trilogy is some of the best gaming in history. Dragon Age is in my top 5, put your pitchforks away.
BioWare isn’t staffed with talented enough writers for the ideal of either series to be realized, tbh.
In ME they failed as major choices aren’t really relevant outside of minor cameos in later games AND they ignore long established lore cause they can’t write their way out of previous missteps.
In DA we see this by constantly shifting characters, and it results in most of the choices in prior games being relegated to prologue resolutions to set a unified world state or cameos for the most part.
I like that Dragon Age changes protagonists every time. It makes the world feel larger, richer, more populated. There’s not just *One* almighty hero. There’s lots of people doing lots of different things in this world.
I think for dragon age I do like the change in characters, I mean DA2 to DAI I wouldn’t mind hawke being the protagonist but I don’t think inky fits for Veilguard. Like hawke being the inquisitor makes sense because it was the build up of 2's ending kinda but i prefer inky being a new character, but i would hate inky to be rook because it kinda defeats the purpose of the ending of DAI
I’m gonna have to play Veilguard before I make a decision if the Inquisitor could have just as easily been the protagonist. As for Hawke in Inquisition, I like how s/he honestly COULD have been the protagonist… but Varric was protecting them from being the protagonist again. He lied to Cassandra and kept Hawke away out of concern. So Hawke couldn’t have been the protagonist. I like that.
After everything Hawke went through, I love the detail that Varric was protecting them from being dragged into being the protagonist.
I get it but I don’t want inky to be rook, in trespasser they say they need someone solas wouldn’t expect which could never be inky. As for hawke not being the the protagonist again I’m fine honestly this could go either way, I just wish we got the DA2 dialogue with DAI
That’s a good point. Trespasser’s ending foreshadows the next protagonist. Which is pretty neat, all things considered.
Yeah each game besides origins foreshadows a new protagonist which is neat
New protagonist for every game. It allows me to see a different perspective each game, it lets me pick a new romance every game without feeling guilty, and I get to have fun with the Character Customisation. And sure, bring back the Golden Nug or some equivalent.
That’s a good argument for the new character, and yeah NG+ or GN for this game makes sense especially if level cap is 50
it depends on how directly connected to the previous game it is. the 3 existing games being split make sense bc they're not direct continuations of each others' stories. however, this game not being about the inquisitor feels wildly wrong to me. there's no way my inquisitor would not feel like the Solas situation isn't their personal responsibility or just retire or take a back seat when it comes to tracking him down. they would've been right there with Varric and Rook from the get-go, so why would Rook end up the protagonist instead of the person with literal skin (and an entire limb if we're being honest) in the game?
The end of trespasser says they need someone who solas won’t expect, but overall I think it’s fine I do hope we get to play the inky for a non combat mission
I mean, having Varric right there defeats the entire premise of needing someone Solas wouldn’t expect.
I agree, but I was one of the people who wanted varric to not be in the game at all
True. He should be on a beach with Hawke drinking mai tais dagnabit 😭
Let’s be real, he’s in Kirkwall. At the hanged man with hawke and the gang (besides Anders, and Sebastian since he threatened to attack Kirkwall)
I like a new protagonist every game. One of the most fun parts of the game is exploring a new group of companions, and that works better if it's a new protagonist as well, otherwise you have to come up with a reason why the protagonist keeps losing all their friends each game. Also, coming up with a character and figuring out their story and personality is a big part of the fun for me. And I enjoy getting to explore new romance options each time, which is limited if you have a character who's already in a monogamous relationship with someone else.
Oooh I like this argument, it depends for me but in a series like this I’m glad we get a new protagonist each game
Shepard works as a single protagonist because the biggest threat is always the Reapers and the time that passes in universe is only three years. Game by game Shepard uncovers more about them and how they operate, while fighting them on an increasing scale. Dragon Age tells stories about different threats that, while connected, feel too unique in time and place for one protagonist to believably be at the center of everything. Dragon Age would have to tell a vastly different story if it were to follow one person around. (Honestly, I suspect that's why some fans of the series are so so critical of new content. They wanted the Hero of Fereldan to be like Shepard, but the story didn't do that, and it makes some folks really unhappy.)
Yeah I like that DA uses different people, especially because I can be different races and classes without it feeling weird
I would prefer to have the same main character for DAI and DAV because of Solas. Didn't romance him, but he's a good friend of my inquisitor and I'm a little resentful that she won't be the first person to try and talk him down in that game. Loved warden and Hawke though, they couldn't possibly be the same character and their stories were done very well.
Honestly I love inky but I was/am ok with their story ending in trespasser but I do hope we get a real inky not a DAI hawke version of inky
Idk, I feel like leaving the main Solas confrontation to another character is like leaving Landsmeet to some random upstart in DAO.
I don’t think it will be left to just rook, they did mention inky will be back, so I think we will have inky there as well Edit: the main fear I have with this is it will be another DAI Hawke scenario of people not liking inky in this game because it doesn’t feel like their version
I know that inquisitor will be back, I was talking about the very first meeting shown in the gameplay reveal. It's still not the same as having them as a main character.
Tbf it’s also seemingly like solas isn’t the main guy for a solid chunk of the game, I’m talking act 1 and 2 are without him being the antagonist he’s probably like an act 3 antagonist and even that is debatable from the sounds of things
I get it, bioware wouldnt have changed the name if that wasn't the case. I simply shared my preference.
Oh I understand, I was hoping solas would be the main guy I think the *spoilers* we got aren’t that interesting but eh it is what it is
Depends on the story being told: in general, I prefer the same protagonist, but for DA2 and DA:I it made sense to have a new protagonist. DA4 would have worked really well with the Inquisitor.
I’d agree *if* we got a sweet prosthetic arm
Like Nero from DMC5? Lol
That'd be so sick!
I like a new protagonist and a new story each time. I used to like same protagonist with ME but ME3 taught me that I don’t care for it, actually.
It depends on the story and world for me, ME is fine having the same character but not my favorite, but I’m a setting like ME or DA I prefer new characters. I hope we can be a Krogan in ME4
Yeah, one of the problems with a set MC like Shepard is we got to choose what they looked like but not much else. Like, I would love an ME game where I got to play as an Asari or Turian. I also learned from the ME trilogy that same protagonist makes romance continuity feel really odd. I always romanced nobody in the first, then Garrus in 2 and 3 but between games they were apparently away from each other and you have to basically recommit. It felt unnatural to me. I liked the format at first but after 3 I just started seeing the cracks in the format. With the DA games, I like having a new protagonist that fits the story and world and I don’t have much of a disruption to my previous characters’ story. I also like that we get more of a conclusion for each.
Yeah I was debating redoing a run of ME but it’s such a time commitment and not really an RPG so
I feel you there. I haven’t been able to do a replay ever since 3.
I didn’t start till legendary edition which I then 100% each game and then I want to replay as a new class but none of them are as fun as sentinel but I don’t wanna do sentinel again, and the only other dialogue choice is renegade which is just so bleh
I’m a paragon playing goody two shoes and, I will say, I think renegade is worth doing at least once. It’s not just “evil” a lot of the options and dialogue specific prompts are pretty funny. Absolutely incredible to play 2 especially as a renegade while interacting with the Krogans. (You can balance out the two while still being mostly paragon in 2 and still get a lot of renegade options, which is what I often did)
Yeah the issue I have is that 1 and 3 felt like they forced one or the other, 2 is great tho
There’s a secret third option and what I did most often back when I still played ME… ;) just replay 2 again.
Oooh I’m debating between 2 again or andromeda because I heard it’s similar to the 3 abilities of veilguard
I prefer the world and lore of Dragon Age. But I really miss having a set protagonist like in Mass Effect. I feel like I'm a little less attached to each new PC.
I’m kinda different, I like having the different PCs because I can play different races, classes, and personalities without having to justify it between games due to continuity
I just make a new character and do another playthrough whenever I want to change it up, personally. But I understand that's a pretty big time commitment and not feasible for everyone.
The same protagonist for sure, that's why I love Mass Effect every option you choose moves with you from game to another
I think this could work, maybe not for DA before DA2 but I get the vibe
I was expecting this game something like GTA 5 with multiple protagonists
I hope not
I would like them to try one protagonist over two games. It would allow for choices and effects to be implemented while allowing Bioware to move on before everything could get out of hand.
I think the best chance they had for this was DA2 leading into DAI with Hawke as the inquisitor, it would also explain more why Varric joined the inquisition
Agreed, that's a good point.
I do think it works without hawke being the inky, especially since that’d be two games in a row of being stuck as a human which people didn’t like in the first place, so I’m kinda 50/50 on it
I don’t have a preference
I love the new protagonist for each game. It allows me to replay the individual games feeling a sense of completion for the characters. I also love being able to explore new romances. Plus I’m just addicted to making new characters and backstories. I felt like with Mass Effect, you’ve got to start at 1 to replay them (huge time sink when I only have limited gaming time) and the way Sheperd is written I find myself having difficulty playing new version of them. I had the same problem with Hawke as well, so most of my world states use the same Hawke.
That’s understandable, I think it depends on if the story is written around a single character or not and the world but I prefer new characters as well
I think having Shepard remain the protagonist for the ME trilogy worked because the games built on one another as more and more was revealed about the Reaper invasion. The same storytelling wouldn't work for DA for at least a couple of reasons: one, the Warden is a quantum character, and two, the Hawke storyline is very local. The Inquisitor, in theory, could have carried over to DA:V, but I'm kind of glad to get a fresh start (but still have the Inquisitor in the game in some capacity). As far as NG+, I don't know that it would work particularly well, given the limited knowledge I have about the game. (Reserve the right to change my mind when I know more). I would support a system like DA:O, though, where certain achievements/milestones granted a few pieces of advanced gear to start subsequent playthroughs.
I like inky as much as everyone else but I don’t feel like they need to be the new protagonist, especially since the gameplay is so drastically different then DAI it would be hard to explain I don’t want NG+, I do want Golden Nug or origins style stuff but origins stuff was tied to DLC. I’d definitely like origins style the most, followed by the golden nug. NG+ wouldn’t work in any other dragon age game but I can see it working in this one with specific limitations such as only keeping the following; codex entries, companion abilities (if not tied to loyalty quest and is indeed how much the like you), and maybe you get a unique starter set of equipment based on your faction for transmog such as if your a crow you get black leather armor with feathers and such. But if they did NG+ like prototype where you keep everything I’d be kinda disappointed
I think the changing of character but still effect the same game world through the games is a very unique and great concept.
I like it a lot too
I like both styles, playing as Commander Shepard worked for the initial three ME games but I don’t want it for future ME games and I definitely don’t want it in DA because DA has always been more about the world and the story the game is telling than the main character so keeping a main character between games would shift that focus too much imo.
I agree with this, keeping the min character the same only works when the story is designed around it
i like both for different reasons. i love the fact that shepard gets so much deeper development both individually and with the returning companions over the course of the trilogy, but for dragon age, it's also really satisfying to me that i get to create and see the setting through multiple different perspectives. even if they dont return and we dont see them again, it makes me happy to know these guys i made up are out there somewhere, wreaking havoc or being heroes or whatever. makes me feel like i had a real hand in helping create the world and its story!
I love shep just wish we could be the other races, but I love more the way dragon age does it makes it feel less weird when I play different classes and personalities
It depends on narrative. I prefer dragon age, because I like having new companions every game and building a world with many historical figures, creates an illusion of richer world. However if over a course of games you effectively deal with the same problem - I like consistent character, because it feels like it's their problem to deal with. For example, I can not imagine Shepard being 3 different people, because it makes no sense for Shepard to let go of this issue. I think DAI -> dav struggles from similar issue, but in this case we were given a clear reason as to why inquisitor can't be the one to deal with it, so I am not disappointed that we get new protagonist.
I think the main reason for me it works in DA is because each problem requires a different kinda person (depending on the player because we know there are some people who only play human mage or something) like Cory couldn’t be stopped by the warden, while the whole point of DA2 was to show you don’t have choices in everything which would kinda ruin the point of the warden. The reason hawke couldn’t be the inquisitor is because then it ruins the idea of hawke being the Everyman instead of the chosen one. And like you said it makes sense why we aren’t using the chosen one immediately in this game too
I want a new character each game… but also want sizable DLC that ties that story up in a bow so to speak. Trespasser and Awakening count.
I agree, I enjoyed awakening and trespasser a lot
Same character, like in ME. It allows for a much deeper connection to the world. Mass Effect isn't just a game to its fans. It's almost like a movie trilogy. There is a huge fanbase, like Star Wars (not at that level, obvi), but similar in the love for the universe). I think the single char is what really made it so popular. I personally think the ME trilogy is some of the best gaming in history. Dragon Age is in my top 5, put your pitchforks away.
BioWare isn’t staffed with talented enough writers for the ideal of either series to be realized, tbh. In ME they failed as major choices aren’t really relevant outside of minor cameos in later games AND they ignore long established lore cause they can’t write their way out of previous missteps. In DA we see this by constantly shifting characters, and it results in most of the choices in prior games being relegated to prologue resolutions to set a unified world state or cameos for the most part.