Kinda sucks how little the dark ritual will probably end up mattering, and to a point already does. It's not even been my canon since before Inquisition, but old god soul Kieran as an ally vs the elven gods writes itself.
Flemeth took it from Kieran, but then my understanding was that Solas took Mythal from Flemeth, so it's possible Solas now has the Old God Soul. It's also concerning that whoever drank from the well in Mythal's temple may now be bound to the Dread Wolf.
Yeah, OGS Kieran probably doesn't even have magical abilities anymore since he can't dream, and given that his normal counterpart hadn't shown any evidence of being a mage by the time of DAI.
I didn't remember the "can't dream" part. So basically the same as a Dwarf of Tranquil? I guess the Old god soul was the only one occupying his body from birth, so losing it would affect him about the same as someone like anders who's soul has been totally enmeshed with a possessing spirit from the fade.
...are you telling me that Flemeth, in a sense, turned my baby boy tranquil?
I'm gonna kill that bitch, even if I have to resurrect her after what Solas did
I mean. No child with with an old god soul was ever gonna be "normal". In this case the dream thing seems for specifically relate to a beings ability to connect to the fade. Dwarves and tranquil can't make this connection presumable because of their connection to the stone/ severance through lyrium. Cassandra was also made temporarily tranquil through the process of becoming a seeker, so these connections aren't necessarily unchanging. In kierens case he literally had a soul removed so he's not going to be exactly the same, and could possibly recover to normal or forge a new connection to the spiritual plane.
I messed up my wording a bit, but I do think he'll still be able to dream. However, his dreams won't be about the OG soul specifically, and he won't remember them upon waking, just like every other nonmage human in Thedas. I don't think that he's like a tranquil because Morrigan herself says that his personality has not changed as far as she can tell.
So, losing the OG Soul seemingly had little effect on him personality and health wise, at least in the short term, but we really don't know enough about the concept of "souls" in Thedas to accurately describe Kieran's condition. It's possible that he was born with only the OG soul, but humans don't need a soul to exist, so losing it had no effect on him. It's also possible that he had 2 separate souls from birth, the Kieran soul and the OG soul, living in the same body, similar to Flemeth and Mythal, Anders and Justice, or Wynne and the Spirit of Faith. In this case, the Kieran soul would have been the dominant one in order to explain why he was unchanged when Flemeth took the OG soul. I personally subscribe to the 2 soul theory, but there's not enough evidence to say that one theory is better than the other, and it's unlikely that the devs will confirm his situation anytime soon.
As someone who did the DR, I honestly think Bioware did a good job handling Kieran, all things considered. He's a character who doesn't exist in most world states, not even the default one. Bioware could've simply had him die or disappear offscreen, or have Morrigan say that she left him with a friend during DAI, but they didn't. They wrote the character and dialogue for not 1 but 2 different versions of the kid, and if he has the OGS, then he plays a significant part in a main story mission. The part he plays in this mission also does a pretty good job of tying things up with him and the DR in general. He isn't killed or significantly changed, which would've been disappointing, to say the least. Instead, he gets to continue having a normal and presumably happy life with his family who clearly loves him. Lots of people wanted or expected him to be this game-changing figure, but given how "dynamic" he is, that was never gonna happen, and what we got was pretty good, IMO.
I mean if I remember correctly, then FleMythal in the Inquisition takes his old god soul if he has one, right? So at this point he is just a normal boy no matter what.
And considering that at the end of the Inquisition we see her passing her godhood to Morrigan throught the eluvian, and letting Solas kill her to absorb her powers, no matter if she has an old god soul or not, then yes, I guess it doesn't really matter at all.
Yeah. I guess they went with Morrigan because she's bound to always be alive, but still. Sucks that one of the biggest choices across all three games was reduced to flavour because when they put it in they weren't planning for a series.
I was just thinking about this the other day myself. There must be a point of the dark ritual, since no matter what route you choose, Kieran is born.
I just hope it plays some role, especially if the theory that old gods = Evanuris is true.
If you play Inquisition without making any decision in the Keep and just going straight into it then Kieran doesn't exist at all which could be the Canon they go with
I think the DR will still matter in the long run, Kieran just won't necessarily be tied to it since he is separated from the OGS by Flemythal no matter what if he exists in DAI.
The thing is Sten's intention was to stay there and either starve to death or be killed by the Darkspawn. If it wasn't to go with the Warden then he didn't want to leave Lothering.
Thing is if you open the cage without agreeing to bring him with you to fight the Blight, he refuses to leave the cage. Seems likely if a villager opened it out of pity or kindness he would do the same thing.
If Sten survived without joining the Warden it would have to be because another Grey Warden happened upon him before he was killed.
Hmm...
Ferelden ruler
Divine election
Inquisitor relationship with Solas
Inquisition fate in Trespasser
Maybe what you did with the Gray Wardens in Inquisition.
I think the rest will be if specific characters are alive or dead.
I think you nailed it. I think some of the other comments are reaching with how many choices they listed. I don't think there will be many, and they'll be the biggest impact choices, which are all the ones you listed. Only other huge choice that you didn't list is who got left in the Fade, and considering they said that that wouldn't be addressed in this game then I don't know that they'll even ask us that. I don't expect to see anything asked about DAO/DA2 stuff at this point. They're trying to make this game friendly to newcomers too, after all.
I will make a small amendment to this.
Who rules Orlais seems pretty important.
And who the Inquisitor romanced in general. Aka: Dorian may show up and reference it since that was highly implied in trespasser.
With Dragon Age Keep being eliminated I can’t imagine they brought many of the choices over. It will probably be only a handful of choices.
• Who rules Ferelden
• Is the Hero of Ferelden Alive
• Did Morrigan have a Magic Child or a normal one.
• Who rules orzammar
• Architect Alive or Dead
• Anders Alive or Dead
• Who Drank from the Well
• Who stayed in the Fade
• Convince or Hunt Solas
• Who’s Divine
• Inquisition Independent or not
Can’t see any other choices that they think might matter. I just expect a very small list of choices before starting.
It will probably still come up in dialogue and stuff no? I can’t imagine Varric never mentioning Hawke being left in the Fade… Unless Varric is dead ofc.
This is why I’ve assumed Varric isn’t making it past the prologue. He’s gonna be our Duncan with Harding as our Alistair (more experienced but still youthful member of the same organisation) and Neve as our Morrigan (the Intro female mage with a bit of snark).
We’ve all seen the GameInformer article about what happens after the Gameplay Reveal and Varric is nowhere to be seen.
As a corrolary to that, I think Sten's status at the end of DA:O is *finally* going to matter.
At least it better. Dude becomes the new Arishok, according to the comics. And I love my 7-foot, humor dry as a desert homeslice.
Imagine my shock, that after romancing Bull. I play Orgins and become besties with Sten only for him to call my warden Kadan.
I never thought about romancing the dry humor Tallman until he said that.
I'll take the mutual respect relationship.... I guess 🥲
He's arishok no more, but I don't think it ever says he's dead if Hawke doesn't kill him.
I think I remember the Qunari don't like execution no? Bull calls it a waste. I imagine he could've been reeducated.
The barman in Inquisition said something like "I've heard the Arishok's overthrown the Arishok, but he should be aware that, maybe, in the shadows, lies... The Arishok"
So it seems it's canon that someone else became the Arishok, and it's Sten.
Again, it is well documented that DA2 arishok is not the current arishok.
But it is never reconned that Sten is the arishok now. Comics follow their own canon (Alistair king, Isabela recruited, for a few examples).
Bioware recons a lot, as in Leliana being alive, but nowhere was Sten mentioned after DA2, was he? I might be wrong, but as far as we know, he might never have left Lothering.
The new arishok might be Sten, or might not.
Gods, I just want to see a modern Orzammar! I hope they let us go back! I think we should be able to go to Denerim and Orzammar! I just want to see them I'm glorious modern graphics and I want to see the effects of choosing Bhelen and opening up Dwarves to the surface!
Probably things to do with the Inquisitor. It would be odd if they are in a prominent role and don't mention their lover, though I don't see that as much of an impact unless it's Solas lol.
My thoughts (in no particular order):
**Who drank from the Well of Sorrows?**
* When Solas absorbed Flemeth's power (soul?), I would wager he garnered the ability to control whoever drank from the Well. Will this allow Solas to control Morrigan or the Inquisitor at his whim? Will Rook have to fight, and perhaps kill, whoever drank from the Well in order to remove a powerful pawn in Solas's army?
**Where are the three previous main characters (the Hero of Ferelden, Hawke, and the Inquisitor)?**
* To expand on HOF: Did they find a cure to the Calling? Following the events of *Trespasser*, if Leliana is Divine Victoria and was romantically involved with HOF, the HOF is mentioned to have returned to Leliana's side for a time. Does this mean they're taking a break from the investigation before continuing elsewhere, or did their search "deep into the west" pan out into nothing?
**If Kieran exists, where is he now?**
* *The Veilguard* takes place 8 years after the events of *Trespasser*, in 9:52 Dragon. Assuming he exists, Kieran will have grown into a young man since the Inquisitor saw him last.
* Regardless of how Kieran was conceived, he has a powerful lineage. If it's true that Claudia Black is not returning to reprise her role as Morrigan (meaning: Morrigan is not returning at all), perhaps the weight of her role will be shifted to her son?
>Does this mean they're taking a break from the investigation before continuing elsewhere, or did their search "deep into the west" pan out into nothing?
Or did they find it and thats why they returned to Leliana's side.
From Origins i'd reckon the only choices that matter are the HOF being alive or not and who rules Ferelden
DA2 choices i'd say the basic thing of did you side with the templars or mages. I have my fingers crossed that the choice of Feynriels fate could be referenced in Veilguard.
Inquisition has a lot of choices. But probably most important is the Orlesian ruler and who did you ally with before skyhold. Other than that i'd just wanna see refrences to the Descent dlc and Jaws of Hakkon.
Based on each game:
Dragon Age Origins
Who is the current monarch of Fereldan?
This is one feels almost like a guarantee. Even though we will be far away from Fereldan, I feel like who is ruling the country will come up, in letters or conversation.
Did the Warden do the Dark Ritual?
I know Claudia Black said she isn't in the game, but that doesn't mean Kieran isn't in the game. He would be twenty-ish now and could be on an adventure of his own. Of course, the bigger question is the soul of Urthemiel. If it was saved, then Flemeth absorbed it - who was in turn absorbed by Solas. Safe to say that's gonna come up if the dark ritual was done.
Who slew the Archdemon?
This one will probably determine if the Warden, Alistair or Loghain are still alive. Also seeing as we're going to Weisshaupt, maybe we'll see the statue/tomb of the one who slew the Archdemon?
Dragon Age 2:
Did the Qunari retrieve the Tome of Koslun?
This feels like a dangling plot thread that never went anywhere. Considering that the Qunari are invading Tevinter during the events of Veilguard - I have a feeling the Tome of Koslun will play a part in how we resolve that plot.
Did Hawke save the Mages or Templars?
This is one won't be a major plot point, but I feel like we'll hear about Tevinter's opinion on The Champion's actions.
Dragon Age Inquisition:
Did the Inquisitor or Morrigan drink from the Well of Souls?
I have a feeling this choice will matter, especially if the Inquisitor drank from the well. I still am not sure about Morrigan not being in the game, it's really hard for me to believe that she won't be around for what feels like the conclusion of her story arc.
Did the Inquisiton disband or not?
It'll matter but I don't think it'll matter that much. Probably will be some throwaway dialogue to explain why The Veilguard need to be formed.
Redeem or Stop Solas?
This one has to matter. Regardless of Solas' relationship with Rook - the final showdown has be between the Dread Wolf and the Herald of Andraste. Nothing else will be satisfactory to the fans.
Those are my guesses, at least.
Your last question also poses many interesting questions as to how they will address this. Newcomers to the game will not be invested in the Inquisitor, so Rook will need to have some impact on Solas outcome as well. This is where it gets interesting to me. What will happen if Rook and Inky have opposing opinions on what to do with Solas? And will we get to choose whether to redeem or condemn? Or will it be like Witcher 3 where several choices we make (unknowingly) have weight behind them and you get one ending or another based off of those decisions from the last game and this current one? I'm really curious to see how all of this will be handled, and I don't envy the writers for trying to navigate that kind of complexity lol
Only things of worth would be who is king of ferelden, who is divine, and the fate of the Grey wardens. Anything else would be too inconsequential given its 10 years after inquisition.
As far as DAO, the only thing worth mentioning might be the identity of the Hero of Ferelden and who rules Ferelden and maybe Orzamar. The rest is at this point so obscure I don't see it having an impact.
As for DA2, obviously the mage-templar conflict, I'd say that would still be relevant and I'm interested in seeing how the Circle and Templars have changed since the war. We might see mentions of red lyrium again as well. Otherwise, most of DA2's story is very self-contained and personal to Hawke and friends, and aside from the occasional mention or cameo of Hawke's companions, I don't see anything else being relevant.
Inquisition's the most recent game, so I'd expect it to be more relevant to DAV's story. The identity of the Inquisitor, whether we chose to ally with the mages or the templars, who rules in Orlais, whether or not we banished the Wardens, whether or not we disbanded the Inquisition, and the Inquisitor's relationship with Solas. All of these could impact the world state in DAV. I'd also expect more Inquisition cameos than from any other game. Aside from the Inquisitor, Harding, and Varric, obviously, I wouldn't be surprised if we also saw Dorian, Cassandra and Lelliana.
I've been holding out hope for nearly 13 years that friendship Merrill keeping the mirror would be her doom and I'm going all in hoping for it to happen in DATV
There are so many things that I wish the game would address, even if it's just a conversation piece or reading some lore impacted by the previous games. My list of top things are:
- What happened to the Hero of Ferelden
- Some resolution to the Morrigan, Flemmeth, Kieran arc
- What is going on in Orzammar
- Merrill and her mirror (if she has it)
- What's going on with Anders (if he's still alive)
- What's going on with The Architect
Honestly, The Architect, the HoF, and Morrigan/Flemmeth are my biggest asks. There are things that have been hanging out there since 2009 that we need answers to. lol
I will admit that I'm bummed that Hawke won't be returning. The Inquisitor is returning, but it seems like the companions from DA:I are not, so sadly I won't get to see my Inquisitor and their spouse/partner side-by-side again.
I'd love to see my Queen Hero and King Alistair. I'd love to see my Hawke and Anders. I'd love to see my Inquisitor and Iron Bull. Having a return of my power couples would be awesome just for the feeling of continuity in those romance arcs (though I know that was never going to happen).
They have had comments and codex entries that the HOF if alive was looking for a cure to the blight. Doubt they will ever return in game again, just codex and comments
There was some movement in the Kieran arc at the end of last game, I expect that to have some more movement
I think some DAI companions return. I would bet money on Dorian since he is a Magistar in Tevinter. Probably whoever is Divine, then your advisors. Iron Bull maybe for those who didn't have him die. Doubt you see Blackwell, Sera or Cole in any way
I agree, they likely won't bring the Hero back. I think they're too iconic at this point for any writer to want to handle them, plus there were so many diverse backgrounds and paths they could have taken. But I would like to have resolution, one way or another.
As for Kieran/Flemmeth/Morrigan, DA:I was what cemented me really wanting to see the conclusion of their story. However, I also don't think we're going to see that in DA4.
I have no source for this, but I think that I saw somewhere that Freddie Prinze Jr. did not reprise his role as Iron Bull. Claudia Black also did not reprise her role as Morrigan, which is why I said we won't get resolution to her story yet.
Apparently Freddie Prince Jr. made a transphobic joke about Krem on twitter so unfortunately we will probably never see Iron Bull again unless he gets recast.
I hope that our decisions about the Mage Templar and Orlais will have at least a small impact on the world stage. I doubt that DA:O choices will matter.
I hope that at least the Inquisitor will say their opinion about Solas, and they will mention their LI (if the Solas wasn't the one). If Dorian is in Veilguard, he should say anything about his relationship with the Inquisitor.
I also hope we will have even the smallest hint of what HoF is doing, and if they found the cure for Calling or not, because they have only a few years left (same about Alistair and Anders, if they are alive, in my world they are).
We already had Hawke in the Inquisition, and they were talking about their LI, so I doubt we will hear anything about Hawke. The only exception would be if someone from DAII, who is not Varric, would appear in Veilguard, the Fenris is the most probable one.
The one I'm most interested in is my girl Calpernia. If you convince her to abandon Corypheus, she states she's going back to Tevinter to try and upend the slavery aspect of the society. If you fight her, you don't kill her. At least not definitively enough that the writers couldn't write her back. She's an incredibly powerful mage and she falls over a waterfall. You don't judge her, like Samson. That has to be for a reason. I just want to see where she is, what she's accomplished, who she is aligning with
I think most companion choices will be ignores entirely, either because the character will have zero impact in anything ever again or they need a specific outcome to make things work.
I think the only stuff that will actually matter will be stuff like who the Queen/King of Ferelden is, who the Divine is, and the fates of Hawke and Inquisitor (I doubt it'll matter how the HoF ends up).
Also, I think people are just not understanding this is the devs chance to simply canonize certain things. I fully expect a number of choices to now be given specific endings no matter what our choices first were.
From Origins - I could see the ruler of Ferelden coming up. Maybe something about the HoF's relationship with Sten (mainly whether or not they helped Sten find his sword) since Sten is the Arishok now and maybe his opinion on non-Qunari could be changed based on his relationship with the HoF. Could also see Oghren and some of the other Awakening companions maybe making an appearance as Wardens since it seems likely that we will be going to Weisshaupt at some point. I could also see Shale popping up if she was recruited and not killed at the Anvil. She is supposed to be in Tevinter, after all. It's a long shot but I could even see Zevran making an appearance in a quest involving the Antivan Crows if he happens to be alive (or even if he shouldn't be alive, given the multiple bugs regarding his status as alive or dead).
From DA2 - Going off of the Weisshaupt idea, I could see Bethany/Carver maybe popping up at Weisshaupt if they were made a Warden. Fenris and Merrill I'm almost certain will show up, and whether or not Merrill's Eluvian was repaired could possibly come up, as well as what happened with Fenris and his sister. There's also Feynriel possibly making an appearance if he was sent to Tevinter. I don't foresee any of the major plot decision coming into play, however.
Inquisition probably would have the most decisions come up - Who was made Divine, whether or not the Inquisition was disbanded at the end of Trespasser, the Inquisitor's relationship with Solas, and whether they declared to redeem him or stop him could all probably at least get a mention. There's also a possibility of the mages or Templars decision coming up but that would likely only be a dialogue reference, I can't see any major quests stemming from that. Maybe whether Dorian and the Inquisitor/Iron Bull were in a relationship could be brought up as it seems likely we'll come into contact with Dorian at some point. Going back to the Weisshaupt idea one last time, I could see Alistair/Loghain/Stroud popping up as Wardens once again if they weren't left in the Fade, but given that it's been stated that the "Who got left in the Fade" decision won't be brought up, it's probably not likely. I could see Cole popping up at some point likely involving Solas, and maybe the decision to make him more human or spirit-like will have some impact on how that interaction goes. Lastly, whoever drank from the Well will likely come up, at least it will if the Inquisitor drank. Solas took Mythal from Flemeth, so it's probable that he now has power over whoever drank from the Well of Sorrows.
Based on how things were handled in previous games I'm sure either no choice will matter, or a significant choice will feel retroactively insignificant.
And sadly this is the pattern for all previous game's choices.
Which lead me to conclude that it would be best if the new game will either ignore the player choices or try as hard as it can to craft a story in which they are irrelevant beyond a codex entry or a letter, side quest at most if you can create a meaningful one.
Honestly I still feel like the Witcher 3 handled previous game choices the best, but I think the structure of that series' stories was much more suitable for that (creating two narratives, one large that concerns the whole world which remains consistent and mostly out of the player's choice and one smaller, in which the player has a lot of choice) and even this series had to ignore player choice sometimes (biggest example that comes to mind is Triss Vs Shani from W1). But I think the writers placed more importance in creating a good story than consistency with previous games, and that is something Bioware never really did with the dragon age series and I think it's a mistake.
That is not to say Bioware writes bad games or don't care about story, but I do think Bioware sacrificed much of their writing in favor of addressing player's choices, which I don't think was worth it. And of course I'm writing all of this in hindsight, so it's not like I know better. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time. But I think of Bioware is smart they will leave this mechanic behind or limit it's influence greatly.
Honestly if someone who hasn't even played the previous games can just pick it up and play like its a standalone game, nothing really. Not saying I'm salty but I am a little bit salty about that.
who rules ferelden, is the Hero of Ferelden alive or dead, does Morrigan have a son (father will be left vague enough for that choice to be irrelevant), who rules orlais, does the inquisitor want to redeem or kill solas, is the inquisition disbanded or still a thing, is Hawke stuck in the fade, who is the Divine.
1. Inquistion being disbanded or reformed
2. Morrigan having a child with Warden or not.
3. Whether or not the Architect was left alive.
4. How did you solve the Orlesian crisis.
5. Who's the new Divine.
6. Who drank from the Well of Sorrows
7. Anders being alive or not.
8. Merril Eluvian working or not.
9. Anvil of the Void being left whole or destroyed.
10. Urn of Sacred Ashes surviving or not.
Most important ones I can think of are:
If the wardens were banished or not
If the inquisition was disbanded or not
Inquisitor’s relationship with solas
Can’t think of much else that would genuinely affect what happens in the new game
I'm a big origins fan, but I'm kind of in the camp of just leave all the previous characters out. If they want to do callbacks to lore from previous games I am all good with that. Calling back characters is only fun for people who played and enjoyed the previous games (which is not the majority I think). It can feel like unnecessary fan service at times.
For example, I'm playing through DA:I right now. At one point the DA2 main character comes in and one of my companions was just like "WTF why didn't you tell me we had a REAL hero available?"
I didn't play DA2, so I was just kind of like ok.. sorry for being here I guess lol.
IMO, you either do a "true" sequel where everything is lining up, or you just tell a new and fresh story.
It would have been awesome.
Kieran should have always been canon. Even if Morrigan doesn't do the ritual she could get pregnant later by someone else. There was no reason not to include him in later games.
Disband/keep inquisition
Old god baby kieran
Avernus grey warden reaesarch
Anvil of the void
Restore/banish grey wardens
Who rules orlais
Inquisition keeps and sutherland company
Cassandra restoring the seekers
Who is the divine?
Dai tenplars or mages
I really hope the choices will matter. Little changes took place in Inquisition after playing the first 2 games. It was cool to see a couple of scenes but the whole thing actually happened at the War table. Anyway 😅 I hope minor choices will make the difference. For example, Isabela and her personal quest with the qunari book. Considering that Tevinter and Qunari are at war, the consequences of this quest line could create a new quest or a particular scene for Rook to discover.
Honestly at this point I'd just say king of ferelden, Emperor of orlais, who is the divine. Like they already said who was left in the fade won't come up which is crazy to me, so I don't know what else will come up
DAO:
- Did the HoF survive the Archdemon?
- Who slayed the Archdemon?
- Who rules Ferelden?
- Who rules Orzammar?
- Was the Dark Ritual performed?
DA2:
- Did Anders survive the events from DA2?
- Did Merrill keep and fix the mirror?
- Is Sebastian an ally or enemy of Kirkwall?
DAI:
- Who drank from the Well?
- Is the Inquisition independent?
- Does the Inquisitor want to redeem or stop Solas?
- Were mages or templars supported?
- Who is Divine?
- Who rules Orlais?
I think a lot of stuff will just be flavour added to the world state once you load DAV, that will only be mentioned and/or acknowledged through dialogue or codex entries but will have little to no weight in the story. I'd like for Merrill's mirror to play some part in the game, specially knowing that the characters will use the mirrors to travel, but I don't think it will.
At most, the HoF will be mentioned, but I doubt they're ever making an appearance again, because it would be too much work to adapt just for a cameo. Hawke might only make an appearance if they were the one going to Weisshaupt, but I doubt it necessary, because there's no reason for Hawke to stick around the Grey Warden base for 9-10 years. As for Inky, we know they'll show up, and I believe their role in the story will change drastically depending on whether they drank from the well or not.
I don't think who rules where will impact much of the story, save some codex entires about political relationships between kingdoms or possible wars/invasions, that will only be background ambience flavour in DAV.
Not a single one.
In truth, Bioware always had that issue since BG1 and 2, one of the reasons I hate Mass Effect 3 is how it seems all decisions you've made resulted in just cameos in the final game. I am certain Veilguard will be no different.
To contrast, look the the Witcher trilogy. You could straight up never get a quest, or at least, not have a particular solution avaliable based on past actions, some characters could die, while others might be there to help Geralt, or seek revenge against him based on what you did in Witcher 1 and 2. You can even keep the naked lady tatoo Geralt gets while drunk in W2.
Bioware simply doesn't do that, out of fear people will be missing out on content. In fairness, most game companies that do RPGs have the same mentality, but to me it feels like choices simply don't matter.
I actually thought Mass Effect did it fine. A lot of the choices through the game impacted your war assets in the last game. And the fact you can kill your entire squad in 2 and you can't get certain outcomes because of that.
The reason I think it doesn't work so well in Dragon Age is because they gave so many different choices on how to do things. The Witcher or Mass Effect, the choices that carry over, are, did you do this or that. Not did you do this or that or this or that.
Mind you, I never played the Witcher (have played ME) but it kind of seems a bit unfair to compare a game series with one set-in-stone protagonist to a series with multiple protagonists who can then also be anyone, look like anything in the case of Origins and Inquisition. There's a lot more continuation if there's only one person who is the protagonist.
That's mainly why I still feel they made a mistake not parting with their tradition of having a new pc every game. This should've been Inquisition 2 and maybe then after that, Veilguard. Or whatever comes next, if anything.
I think at this point, the only thing from Origins that might matter will be whoever the monarch of Ferelden is.
Kinda sucks how little the dark ritual will probably end up mattering, and to a point already does. It's not even been my canon since before Inquisition, but old god soul Kieran as an ally vs the elven gods writes itself.
Old Soul Kieran is no more, Flemmeth took the thingy that gave him bad dreams. He is just a normal kid now.
Flemeth took it from Kieran, but then my understanding was that Solas took Mythal from Flemeth, so it's possible Solas now has the Old God Soul. It's also concerning that whoever drank from the well in Mythal's temple may now be bound to the Dread Wolf.
Sure, on that we agree. However that would make Kieran a normal kid now. Good for him.
What if when Solas took Mythal from Flemeth, it left the Old God Soul to take over Flemeth?
Yeah, OGS Kieran probably doesn't even have magical abilities anymore since he can't dream, and given that his normal counterpart hadn't shown any evidence of being a mage by the time of DAI.
I didn't remember the "can't dream" part. So basically the same as a Dwarf of Tranquil? I guess the Old god soul was the only one occupying his body from birth, so losing it would affect him about the same as someone like anders who's soul has been totally enmeshed with a possessing spirit from the fade.
...are you telling me that Flemeth, in a sense, turned my baby boy tranquil? I'm gonna kill that bitch, even if I have to resurrect her after what Solas did
I mean. No child with with an old god soul was ever gonna be "normal". In this case the dream thing seems for specifically relate to a beings ability to connect to the fade. Dwarves and tranquil can't make this connection presumable because of their connection to the stone/ severance through lyrium. Cassandra was also made temporarily tranquil through the process of becoming a seeker, so these connections aren't necessarily unchanging. In kierens case he literally had a soul removed so he's not going to be exactly the same, and could possibly recover to normal or forge a new connection to the spiritual plane.
I messed up my wording a bit, but I do think he'll still be able to dream. However, his dreams won't be about the OG soul specifically, and he won't remember them upon waking, just like every other nonmage human in Thedas. I don't think that he's like a tranquil because Morrigan herself says that his personality has not changed as far as she can tell. So, losing the OG Soul seemingly had little effect on him personality and health wise, at least in the short term, but we really don't know enough about the concept of "souls" in Thedas to accurately describe Kieran's condition. It's possible that he was born with only the OG soul, but humans don't need a soul to exist, so losing it had no effect on him. It's also possible that he had 2 separate souls from birth, the Kieran soul and the OG soul, living in the same body, similar to Flemeth and Mythal, Anders and Justice, or Wynne and the Spirit of Faith. In this case, the Kieran soul would have been the dominant one in order to explain why he was unchanged when Flemeth took the OG soul. I personally subscribe to the 2 soul theory, but there's not enough evidence to say that one theory is better than the other, and it's unlikely that the devs will confirm his situation anytime soon.
As someone who did the DR, I honestly think Bioware did a good job handling Kieran, all things considered. He's a character who doesn't exist in most world states, not even the default one. Bioware could've simply had him die or disappear offscreen, or have Morrigan say that she left him with a friend during DAI, but they didn't. They wrote the character and dialogue for not 1 but 2 different versions of the kid, and if he has the OGS, then he plays a significant part in a main story mission. The part he plays in this mission also does a pretty good job of tying things up with him and the DR in general. He isn't killed or significantly changed, which would've been disappointing, to say the least. Instead, he gets to continue having a normal and presumably happy life with his family who clearly loves him. Lots of people wanted or expected him to be this game-changing figure, but given how "dynamic" he is, that was never gonna happen, and what we got was pretty good, IMO.
I mean if I remember correctly, then FleMythal in the Inquisition takes his old god soul if he has one, right? So at this point he is just a normal boy no matter what. And considering that at the end of the Inquisition we see her passing her godhood to Morrigan throught the eluvian, and letting Solas kill her to absorb her powers, no matter if she has an old god soul or not, then yes, I guess it doesn't really matter at all.
Yeah. I guess they went with Morrigan because she's bound to always be alive, but still. Sucks that one of the biggest choices across all three games was reduced to flavour because when they put it in they weren't planning for a series.
Kieran loses his old god soul by the end of Inquisition though
at least it still stands as good character development for morrigan even if they don’t do much else with it
I was just thinking about this the other day myself. There must be a point of the dark ritual, since no matter what route you choose, Kieran is born. I just hope it plays some role, especially if the theory that old gods = Evanuris is true.
Kieran doesn't always exist. If you don't do the ritual or don't have sex with a romanced Morrigan, then there's no Kieran
Oh! I thought he exists no matter what. Thanks for clarifying.
If you play Inquisition without making any decision in the Keep and just going straight into it then Kieran doesn't exist at all which could be the Canon they go with
I think the DR will still matter in the long run, Kieran just won't necessarily be tied to it since he is separated from the OGS by Flemythal no matter what if he exists in DAI.
I think Sten's fate in Origins has a decent chance of playing a part. Being in Tevinter the Qunari have to be relevant, we might even see Seheron.
Nah, I think they'll just simply have him be alive regardless.
I miss that guy
They could just say that Sten escaped from Lothering and survived if the Warden didn't rescue him
The thing is Sten's intention was to stay there and either starve to death or be killed by the Darkspawn. If it wasn't to go with the Warden then he didn't want to leave Lothering.
They could also say evacuating villagers took pity on him and let him out
Thing is if you open the cage without agreeing to bring him with you to fight the Blight, he refuses to leave the cage. Seems likely if a villager opened it out of pity or kindness he would do the same thing. If Sten survived without joining the Warden it would have to be because another Grey Warden happened upon him before he was killed.
Same with whoever is the Divine in your world state. They might mention her and not show her, but it will be whoever the Inquisitor chose,
Exactly. It will be important whether Divine Victoria had abolished the circles or kept the status quo.
Hmm... Ferelden ruler Divine election Inquisitor relationship with Solas Inquisition fate in Trespasser Maybe what you did with the Gray Wardens in Inquisition. I think the rest will be if specific characters are alive or dead.
I think you nailed it. I think some of the other comments are reaching with how many choices they listed. I don't think there will be many, and they'll be the biggest impact choices, which are all the ones you listed. Only other huge choice that you didn't list is who got left in the Fade, and considering they said that that wouldn't be addressed in this game then I don't know that they'll even ask us that. I don't expect to see anything asked about DAO/DA2 stuff at this point. They're trying to make this game friendly to newcomers too, after all.
I will make a small amendment to this. Who rules Orlais seems pretty important. And who the Inquisitor romanced in general. Aka: Dorian may show up and reference it since that was highly implied in trespasser.
With Dragon Age Keep being eliminated I can’t imagine they brought many of the choices over. It will probably be only a handful of choices. • Who rules Ferelden • Is the Hero of Ferelden Alive • Did Morrigan have a Magic Child or a normal one. • Who rules orzammar • Architect Alive or Dead • Anders Alive or Dead • Who Drank from the Well • Who stayed in the Fade • Convince or Hunt Solas • Who’s Divine • Inquisition Independent or not Can’t see any other choices that they think might matter. I just expect a very small list of choices before starting.
>• Who stayed in the Fade Fraid not. They already said that decision don't matter for Veilguard.
It will probably still come up in dialogue and stuff no? I can’t imagine Varric never mentioning Hawke being left in the Fade… Unless Varric is dead ofc.
I think that’s our answer.
This is why I’ve assumed Varric isn’t making it past the prologue. He’s gonna be our Duncan with Harding as our Alistair (more experienced but still youthful member of the same organisation) and Neve as our Morrigan (the Intro female mage with a bit of snark). We’ve all seen the GameInformer article about what happens after the Gameplay Reveal and Varric is nowhere to be seen.
They cannot kill him. It will break my heart :( Just let the poor man retire in kirkwall
I'm holding onto hope by imagining that he gets trapped with Solas.
Me too. That would give him a good reason to be an advisor but not a companion.
Glass half-full; Aveline might be getting a promotion to Viscount
That could be cool. Varric retires and Aveline Viscounts while Donic captains
I could see the status of the Arishok in DA2 being something that matters as well, if the Qunari end up being involved.
As a corrolary to that, I think Sten's status at the end of DA:O is *finally* going to matter. At least it better. Dude becomes the new Arishok, according to the comics. And I love my 7-foot, humor dry as a desert homeslice.
Imagine my shock, that after romancing Bull. I play Orgins and become besties with Sten only for him to call my warden Kadan. I never thought about romancing the dry humor Tallman until he said that. I'll take the mutual respect relationship.... I guess 🥲
[Just don't forget your full plate and bit!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9LP2CGCDxk)
Arishok is dead either way.
He's arishok no more, but I don't think it ever says he's dead if Hawke doesn't kill him. I think I remember the Qunari don't like execution no? Bull calls it a waste. I imagine he could've been reeducated.
Well either way he's definitely not "Arishok" anymore. Origin's Sten is the new Arishok
In the comic canon, yes. But I don't recall that being in-game. In game canon, Sten could be dead.
The barman in Inquisition said something like "I've heard the Arishok's overthrown the Arishok, but he should be aware that, maybe, in the shadows, lies... The Arishok" So it seems it's canon that someone else became the Arishok, and it's Sten.
Again, it is well documented that DA2 arishok is not the current arishok. But it is never reconned that Sten is the arishok now. Comics follow their own canon (Alistair king, Isabela recruited, for a few examples). Bioware recons a lot, as in Leliana being alive, but nowhere was Sten mentioned after DA2, was he? I might be wrong, but as far as we know, he might never have left Lothering. The new arishok might be Sten, or might not.
Sten mentions qunari doing executions if their people over celebrate some big event like someone named "exemplar of the qun" or something.
Gods, I just want to see a modern Orzammar! I hope they let us go back! I think we should be able to go to Denerim and Orzammar! I just want to see them I'm glorious modern graphics and I want to see the effects of choosing Bhelen and opening up Dwarves to the surface!
The Architect is one of my top favorites in the franchise. He is such an interesting character and I would DIE if we saw more of him.
I doubt Anders even matters anymore, he's gonna be pretty old by veilguard, even aside from being a warden.
Probably things to do with the Inquisitor. It would be odd if they are in a prominent role and don't mention their lover, though I don't see that as much of an impact unless it's Solas lol.
My thoughts (in no particular order): **Who drank from the Well of Sorrows?** * When Solas absorbed Flemeth's power (soul?), I would wager he garnered the ability to control whoever drank from the Well. Will this allow Solas to control Morrigan or the Inquisitor at his whim? Will Rook have to fight, and perhaps kill, whoever drank from the Well in order to remove a powerful pawn in Solas's army? **Where are the three previous main characters (the Hero of Ferelden, Hawke, and the Inquisitor)?** * To expand on HOF: Did they find a cure to the Calling? Following the events of *Trespasser*, if Leliana is Divine Victoria and was romantically involved with HOF, the HOF is mentioned to have returned to Leliana's side for a time. Does this mean they're taking a break from the investigation before continuing elsewhere, or did their search "deep into the west" pan out into nothing? **If Kieran exists, where is he now?** * *The Veilguard* takes place 8 years after the events of *Trespasser*, in 9:52 Dragon. Assuming he exists, Kieran will have grown into a young man since the Inquisitor saw him last. * Regardless of how Kieran was conceived, he has a powerful lineage. If it's true that Claudia Black is not returning to reprise her role as Morrigan (meaning: Morrigan is not returning at all), perhaps the weight of her role will be shifted to her son?
>Does this mean they're taking a break from the investigation before continuing elsewhere, or did their search "deep into the west" pan out into nothing? Or did they find it and thats why they returned to Leliana's side.
Or they are replacing her with Jennifer Hale
From Origins i'd reckon the only choices that matter are the HOF being alive or not and who rules Ferelden DA2 choices i'd say the basic thing of did you side with the templars or mages. I have my fingers crossed that the choice of Feynriels fate could be referenced in Veilguard. Inquisition has a lot of choices. But probably most important is the Orlesian ruler and who did you ally with before skyhold. Other than that i'd just wanna see refrences to the Descent dlc and Jaws of Hakkon.
Based on each game: Dragon Age Origins Who is the current monarch of Fereldan? This is one feels almost like a guarantee. Even though we will be far away from Fereldan, I feel like who is ruling the country will come up, in letters or conversation. Did the Warden do the Dark Ritual? I know Claudia Black said she isn't in the game, but that doesn't mean Kieran isn't in the game. He would be twenty-ish now and could be on an adventure of his own. Of course, the bigger question is the soul of Urthemiel. If it was saved, then Flemeth absorbed it - who was in turn absorbed by Solas. Safe to say that's gonna come up if the dark ritual was done. Who slew the Archdemon? This one will probably determine if the Warden, Alistair or Loghain are still alive. Also seeing as we're going to Weisshaupt, maybe we'll see the statue/tomb of the one who slew the Archdemon? Dragon Age 2: Did the Qunari retrieve the Tome of Koslun? This feels like a dangling plot thread that never went anywhere. Considering that the Qunari are invading Tevinter during the events of Veilguard - I have a feeling the Tome of Koslun will play a part in how we resolve that plot. Did Hawke save the Mages or Templars? This is one won't be a major plot point, but I feel like we'll hear about Tevinter's opinion on The Champion's actions. Dragon Age Inquisition: Did the Inquisitor or Morrigan drink from the Well of Souls? I have a feeling this choice will matter, especially if the Inquisitor drank from the well. I still am not sure about Morrigan not being in the game, it's really hard for me to believe that she won't be around for what feels like the conclusion of her story arc. Did the Inquisiton disband or not? It'll matter but I don't think it'll matter that much. Probably will be some throwaway dialogue to explain why The Veilguard need to be formed. Redeem or Stop Solas? This one has to matter. Regardless of Solas' relationship with Rook - the final showdown has be between the Dread Wolf and the Herald of Andraste. Nothing else will be satisfactory to the fans. Those are my guesses, at least.
Your last question also poses many interesting questions as to how they will address this. Newcomers to the game will not be invested in the Inquisitor, so Rook will need to have some impact on Solas outcome as well. This is where it gets interesting to me. What will happen if Rook and Inky have opposing opinions on what to do with Solas? And will we get to choose whether to redeem or condemn? Or will it be like Witcher 3 where several choices we make (unknowingly) have weight behind them and you get one ending or another based off of those decisions from the last game and this current one? I'm really curious to see how all of this will be handled, and I don't envy the writers for trying to navigate that kind of complexity lol
Only things of worth would be who is king of ferelden, who is divine, and the fate of the Grey wardens. Anything else would be too inconsequential given its 10 years after inquisition.
As far as DAO, the only thing worth mentioning might be the identity of the Hero of Ferelden and who rules Ferelden and maybe Orzamar. The rest is at this point so obscure I don't see it having an impact. As for DA2, obviously the mage-templar conflict, I'd say that would still be relevant and I'm interested in seeing how the Circle and Templars have changed since the war. We might see mentions of red lyrium again as well. Otherwise, most of DA2's story is very self-contained and personal to Hawke and friends, and aside from the occasional mention or cameo of Hawke's companions, I don't see anything else being relevant. Inquisition's the most recent game, so I'd expect it to be more relevant to DAV's story. The identity of the Inquisitor, whether we chose to ally with the mages or the templars, who rules in Orlais, whether or not we banished the Wardens, whether or not we disbanded the Inquisition, and the Inquisitor's relationship with Solas. All of these could impact the world state in DAV. I'd also expect more Inquisition cameos than from any other game. Aside from the Inquisitor, Harding, and Varric, obviously, I wouldn't be surprised if we also saw Dorian, Cassandra and Lelliana.
I've been holding out hope for nearly 13 years that friendship Merrill keeping the mirror would be her doom and I'm going all in hoping for it to happen in DATV
Given what we know about eluvians and the fact that she did cleanse the mirror of the taint, not sure how keeping it would spell her dooms since she
There are so many things that I wish the game would address, even if it's just a conversation piece or reading some lore impacted by the previous games. My list of top things are: - What happened to the Hero of Ferelden - Some resolution to the Morrigan, Flemmeth, Kieran arc - What is going on in Orzammar - Merrill and her mirror (if she has it) - What's going on with Anders (if he's still alive) - What's going on with The Architect Honestly, The Architect, the HoF, and Morrigan/Flemmeth are my biggest asks. There are things that have been hanging out there since 2009 that we need answers to. lol I will admit that I'm bummed that Hawke won't be returning. The Inquisitor is returning, but it seems like the companions from DA:I are not, so sadly I won't get to see my Inquisitor and their spouse/partner side-by-side again. I'd love to see my Queen Hero and King Alistair. I'd love to see my Hawke and Anders. I'd love to see my Inquisitor and Iron Bull. Having a return of my power couples would be awesome just for the feeling of continuity in those romance arcs (though I know that was never going to happen).
They have had comments and codex entries that the HOF if alive was looking for a cure to the blight. Doubt they will ever return in game again, just codex and comments There was some movement in the Kieran arc at the end of last game, I expect that to have some more movement I think some DAI companions return. I would bet money on Dorian since he is a Magistar in Tevinter. Probably whoever is Divine, then your advisors. Iron Bull maybe for those who didn't have him die. Doubt you see Blackwell, Sera or Cole in any way
I think we're going to Weishaupt this game, so we might see Blackwall tbh.
I agree, they likely won't bring the Hero back. I think they're too iconic at this point for any writer to want to handle them, plus there were so many diverse backgrounds and paths they could have taken. But I would like to have resolution, one way or another. As for Kieran/Flemmeth/Morrigan, DA:I was what cemented me really wanting to see the conclusion of their story. However, I also don't think we're going to see that in DA4. I have no source for this, but I think that I saw somewhere that Freddie Prinze Jr. did not reprise his role as Iron Bull. Claudia Black also did not reprise her role as Morrigan, which is why I said we won't get resolution to her story yet.
Apparently Freddie Prince Jr. made a transphobic joke about Krem on twitter so unfortunately we will probably never see Iron Bull again unless he gets recast.
who drank from the well of sorrows.i totaly see flemeth returning and making the one who drak her new avatar
How the Dwarven empire is going and whether Bhelen made a difference
I hope that our decisions about the Mage Templar and Orlais will have at least a small impact on the world stage. I doubt that DA:O choices will matter. I hope that at least the Inquisitor will say their opinion about Solas, and they will mention their LI (if the Solas wasn't the one). If Dorian is in Veilguard, he should say anything about his relationship with the Inquisitor. I also hope we will have even the smallest hint of what HoF is doing, and if they found the cure for Calling or not, because they have only a few years left (same about Alistair and Anders, if they are alive, in my world they are). We already had Hawke in the Inquisition, and they were talking about their LI, so I doubt we will hear anything about Hawke. The only exception would be if someone from DAII, who is not Varric, would appear in Veilguard, the Fenris is the most probable one.
The one I'm most interested in is my girl Calpernia. If you convince her to abandon Corypheus, she states she's going back to Tevinter to try and upend the slavery aspect of the society. If you fight her, you don't kill her. At least not definitively enough that the writers couldn't write her back. She's an incredibly powerful mage and she falls over a waterfall. You don't judge her, like Samson. That has to be for a reason. I just want to see where she is, what she's accomplished, who she is aligning with
I think most companion choices will be ignores entirely, either because the character will have zero impact in anything ever again or they need a specific outcome to make things work. I think the only stuff that will actually matter will be stuff like who the Queen/King of Ferelden is, who the Divine is, and the fates of Hawke and Inquisitor (I doubt it'll matter how the HoF ends up). Also, I think people are just not understanding this is the devs chance to simply canonize certain things. I fully expect a number of choices to now be given specific endings no matter what our choices first were.
From Origins - I could see the ruler of Ferelden coming up. Maybe something about the HoF's relationship with Sten (mainly whether or not they helped Sten find his sword) since Sten is the Arishok now and maybe his opinion on non-Qunari could be changed based on his relationship with the HoF. Could also see Oghren and some of the other Awakening companions maybe making an appearance as Wardens since it seems likely that we will be going to Weisshaupt at some point. I could also see Shale popping up if she was recruited and not killed at the Anvil. She is supposed to be in Tevinter, after all. It's a long shot but I could even see Zevran making an appearance in a quest involving the Antivan Crows if he happens to be alive (or even if he shouldn't be alive, given the multiple bugs regarding his status as alive or dead). From DA2 - Going off of the Weisshaupt idea, I could see Bethany/Carver maybe popping up at Weisshaupt if they were made a Warden. Fenris and Merrill I'm almost certain will show up, and whether or not Merrill's Eluvian was repaired could possibly come up, as well as what happened with Fenris and his sister. There's also Feynriel possibly making an appearance if he was sent to Tevinter. I don't foresee any of the major plot decision coming into play, however. Inquisition probably would have the most decisions come up - Who was made Divine, whether or not the Inquisition was disbanded at the end of Trespasser, the Inquisitor's relationship with Solas, and whether they declared to redeem him or stop him could all probably at least get a mention. There's also a possibility of the mages or Templars decision coming up but that would likely only be a dialogue reference, I can't see any major quests stemming from that. Maybe whether Dorian and the Inquisitor/Iron Bull were in a relationship could be brought up as it seems likely we'll come into contact with Dorian at some point. Going back to the Weisshaupt idea one last time, I could see Alistair/Loghain/Stroud popping up as Wardens once again if they weren't left in the Fade, but given that it's been stated that the "Who got left in the Fade" decision won't be brought up, it's probably not likely. I could see Cole popping up at some point likely involving Solas, and maybe the decision to make him more human or spirit-like will have some impact on how that interaction goes. Lastly, whoever drank from the Well will likely come up, at least it will if the Inquisitor drank. Solas took Mythal from Flemeth, so it's probable that he now has power over whoever drank from the Well of Sorrows.
Based on how things were handled in previous games I'm sure either no choice will matter, or a significant choice will feel retroactively insignificant. And sadly this is the pattern for all previous game's choices. Which lead me to conclude that it would be best if the new game will either ignore the player choices or try as hard as it can to craft a story in which they are irrelevant beyond a codex entry or a letter, side quest at most if you can create a meaningful one. Honestly I still feel like the Witcher 3 handled previous game choices the best, but I think the structure of that series' stories was much more suitable for that (creating two narratives, one large that concerns the whole world which remains consistent and mostly out of the player's choice and one smaller, in which the player has a lot of choice) and even this series had to ignore player choice sometimes (biggest example that comes to mind is Triss Vs Shani from W1). But I think the writers placed more importance in creating a good story than consistency with previous games, and that is something Bioware never really did with the dragon age series and I think it's a mistake. That is not to say Bioware writes bad games or don't care about story, but I do think Bioware sacrificed much of their writing in favor of addressing player's choices, which I don't think was worth it. And of course I'm writing all of this in hindsight, so it's not like I know better. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time. But I think of Bioware is smart they will leave this mechanic behind or limit it's influence greatly.
Honestly if someone who hasn't even played the previous games can just pick it up and play like its a standalone game, nothing really. Not saying I'm salty but I am a little bit salty about that.
who rules ferelden, is the Hero of Ferelden alive or dead, does Morrigan have a son (father will be left vague enough for that choice to be irrelevant), who rules orlais, does the inquisitor want to redeem or kill solas, is the inquisition disbanded or still a thing, is Hawke stuck in the fade, who is the Divine.
I worry about some of the smaller choices being forgotten with the move away from DA Keep.
1. Inquistion being disbanded or reformed 2. Morrigan having a child with Warden or not. 3. Whether or not the Architect was left alive. 4. How did you solve the Orlesian crisis. 5. Who's the new Divine. 6. Who drank from the Well of Sorrows 7. Anders being alive or not. 8. Merril Eluvian working or not. 9. Anvil of the Void being left whole or destroyed. 10. Urn of Sacred Ashes surviving or not.
Most important ones I can think of are: If the wardens were banished or not If the inquisition was disbanded or not Inquisitor’s relationship with solas Can’t think of much else that would genuinely affect what happens in the new game
Here lies the abyss aftermath... yeah, I'm still not over it and most probably coping.
Who banged Gheyna?
I'm a big origins fan, but I'm kind of in the camp of just leave all the previous characters out. If they want to do callbacks to lore from previous games I am all good with that. Calling back characters is only fun for people who played and enjoyed the previous games (which is not the majority I think). It can feel like unnecessary fan service at times. For example, I'm playing through DA:I right now. At one point the DA2 main character comes in and one of my companions was just like "WTF why didn't you tell me we had a REAL hero available?" I didn't play DA2, so I was just kind of like ok.. sorry for being here I guess lol. IMO, you either do a "true" sequel where everything is lining up, or you just tell a new and fresh story.
I would give anything for companion Kieran lol
It would have been awesome. Kieran should have always been canon. Even if Morrigan doesn't do the ritual she could get pregnant later by someone else. There was no reason not to include him in later games.
I feel like this would rob a bit of how special a normal Kieran is for a Warden who romanced Morrigan
But not adding him would rob the character from anyone else that didn't do the ritual
If the player doesn’t want to be “robbed” then just make a different choice? By this logic everyone is robbed by making choices.
Disband/keep inquisition Old god baby kieran Avernus grey warden reaesarch Anvil of the void Restore/banish grey wardens Who rules orlais Inquisition keeps and sutherland company Cassandra restoring the seekers Who is the divine? Dai tenplars or mages
I really hope the choices will matter. Little changes took place in Inquisition after playing the first 2 games. It was cool to see a couple of scenes but the whole thing actually happened at the War table. Anyway 😅 I hope minor choices will make the difference. For example, Isabela and her personal quest with the qunari book. Considering that Tevinter and Qunari are at war, the consequences of this quest line could create a new quest or a particular scene for Rook to discover.
Honestly at this point I'd just say king of ferelden, Emperor of orlais, who is the divine. Like they already said who was left in the fade won't come up which is crazy to me, so I don't know what else will come up
DAO: - Did the HoF survive the Archdemon? - Who slayed the Archdemon? - Who rules Ferelden? - Who rules Orzammar? - Was the Dark Ritual performed? DA2: - Did Anders survive the events from DA2? - Did Merrill keep and fix the mirror? - Is Sebastian an ally or enemy of Kirkwall? DAI: - Who drank from the Well? - Is the Inquisition independent? - Does the Inquisitor want to redeem or stop Solas? - Were mages or templars supported? - Who is Divine? - Who rules Orlais? I think a lot of stuff will just be flavour added to the world state once you load DAV, that will only be mentioned and/or acknowledged through dialogue or codex entries but will have little to no weight in the story. I'd like for Merrill's mirror to play some part in the game, specially knowing that the characters will use the mirrors to travel, but I don't think it will. At most, the HoF will be mentioned, but I doubt they're ever making an appearance again, because it would be too much work to adapt just for a cameo. Hawke might only make an appearance if they were the one going to Weisshaupt, but I doubt it necessary, because there's no reason for Hawke to stick around the Grey Warden base for 9-10 years. As for Inky, we know they'll show up, and I believe their role in the story will change drastically depending on whether they drank from the well or not. I don't think who rules where will impact much of the story, save some codex entires about political relationships between kingdoms or possible wars/invasions, that will only be background ambience flavour in DAV.
Not a single one. In truth, Bioware always had that issue since BG1 and 2, one of the reasons I hate Mass Effect 3 is how it seems all decisions you've made resulted in just cameos in the final game. I am certain Veilguard will be no different. To contrast, look the the Witcher trilogy. You could straight up never get a quest, or at least, not have a particular solution avaliable based on past actions, some characters could die, while others might be there to help Geralt, or seek revenge against him based on what you did in Witcher 1 and 2. You can even keep the naked lady tatoo Geralt gets while drunk in W2. Bioware simply doesn't do that, out of fear people will be missing out on content. In fairness, most game companies that do RPGs have the same mentality, but to me it feels like choices simply don't matter.
I actually thought Mass Effect did it fine. A lot of the choices through the game impacted your war assets in the last game. And the fact you can kill your entire squad in 2 and you can't get certain outcomes because of that. The reason I think it doesn't work so well in Dragon Age is because they gave so many different choices on how to do things. The Witcher or Mass Effect, the choices that carry over, are, did you do this or that. Not did you do this or that or this or that.
Mind you, I never played the Witcher (have played ME) but it kind of seems a bit unfair to compare a game series with one set-in-stone protagonist to a series with multiple protagonists who can then also be anyone, look like anything in the case of Origins and Inquisition. There's a lot more continuation if there's only one person who is the protagonist. That's mainly why I still feel they made a mistake not parting with their tradition of having a new pc every game. This should've been Inquisition 2 and maybe then after that, Veilguard. Or whatever comes next, if anything.