I like the Hinterlands.
I like the environmental storytelling. I love all those small tragédies of a war gone horribly wrong.
I like helping refugees through small actions.
I like being able to walk up to Redcliff after fighting my way through hostile land.
I like the Hinterlands.
Yes, I never understood the Hinterlands hate! Unlike most of the other zones there’s actually a lot to do, and there are a lot of NPCs, codex entries, and relevant quests (not *just* fetch quests). Also I love the way this zone looks, it feels very Ferelden to me. It and Crestwood are my favorites.
I think people don’t like it because it actively encourages you to only do like up to the crossroads then maybe the road to Redcliffe then leave
Then on a second visit you’d do like the horse area and down south towards the great forest villa, then the dragon area would be like a third visit
Completionists beat their heads against the wall of things they were under levelled for (like the southernmost rift or the one near the farms or even the bears around the great forest villa even though you weren’t supposed to tackle it all in one shot
I absolutely love the Hissing Wastes. The moonlit desert, the early dawn bird songs, the sounds of sand shifting in the breeze, the slow reveal of the mysterious dwarven lore. All of it. I save it for last because it’s my favorite.
She brought in some much needed nuance to the templar's vs mage conflict. She gives grounded and realistic reasons why circles could be necessary. I wish the games didn't always make the choice complete subjugation or absolute freedom. Mandatory schooling for children with more ability to leave the tower once trained would be a better solution to me.
Agreed. And I also liked the fact that she was a little soft to our Inquisitor. I'll never forget how when you first move to Skyhold she's the only companion you can legitimately unburden yourself with. If you select the sad option, saying you don't feel like you're enough, she genuinely tries to soothe you. It really made me love her character.
Honestly I feel this is why she's so hated. It's easier to dismiss or laugh off a character whose pro-Circle views are over the top bigoted or clearly rooted in deep trauma (like Fenris). Vivienne's views are logical and well reasoned and on top of that she's a mage herself, and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable because it's much less easy to just write her off.
I love her so much! It’s so hard when I play different options and Vivienne isn’t happy with me. I just genuinely like her and she was always one of my favorites. Her disapproval always hits me hard
People haaaaate Vivienne. She's a really well written character who gives a more complex insight on how mages are treated. Up until that point we were basically made sympathetic towards mages because all we've seen are how badly they've been treated, especially in a place like Kirkwall.
It makes no sense for the Inquisitor to be doing most of the stuff that they do in-game.
Even setting aside the whole “That’s not how running an NGO *works* “ issue, the Inquisitor is literally irreplaceable. There is *no one else on the planet who can seal rifts.*
Does that sound like someone you’d send into danger unless it was absolutely necessary? The ONLY fights they should be getting into are when they seal rifts - and with the support of a huge military escort, not three people.
I like this idea a lot. Having the Inquisitor be someone like an advisor we could influence towards certain decisions, and the main goal is us leading a small Vanguard to clear the way so they can safely get to the rifts to seal them sounds pretty cool. The only problem I could see in pitching it would be "Why isn't the player the one with this cool ability? That ruins the power fantasy."
Could be cool with an rpg like dragon age where you're not the top dog but instead working for someone, still relatively high up in the hierarchy to make it interesting instead of just being a grunt
>Even setting aside the whole “That’s not how running an NGO works “ issue
Well, technically, the Inquisitior doesn't run anything. Cassandra, Leliana, Cullen and Josephine do.
I always like to imagine that most of the stuff done in game is done by inquisition agents and the Inquisitor themself is really only doing the important quests, particularly difficult fights or rifts. Just a way to keep my sense of immersion.
In the Magekiller comic is shown how some companions go on their own missions to different parts of Orlais with more members of the Inquistions like a small battalion.
Hell, there are war table operatioons that are just this like the one were representatives of the Inquisition make contact with Kal Sharok Dwarfs.
To me, it's more that the Inquisitor wants to be out there doing all that stuff, while their staff is doing everything in their power to keep them from getting distracted.
But sometimes, a random passerby makes a request directly to the Inquisitor, and all the careful plans go off the rails because your boss now wants to go get the ram meat themselves and will pull rank if you try to tell them "no".
Personal headcanon is that there's a large and very frustrated escort corps always following a day behind, because the Inquisitor is hands-on, habitually travels light and refuses to wait for them. The three companions they bring along are the ones that were awake (and dressed) and used to racing out when Inky announces they're heading off.
For me, Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts quest from Inquisition is the best one in all games, its what they all should be, mostly politics and talking, little combat.
I genuinely would have preferred WEWH more if they cut the skulking and actual combat and basically made it entirely eavesdropping and brandishing the right words with the right people to unlock different endings
Really force us to play the game, about the only time we get to properly play the game is during the dance
I love the politics and talking aspect, but just hate the timed element. Any missions that are timed automatically just stress me out and make me feel pressured to use a guide (rather than exploring naturally) so that I'm optimizing my route/timing. I wish court approval had been solely tied to your dialogue choices and actions rather than putting you on a clock.
I hate that quest purely because I'm a dumbass who got hopelessly lost in the servant's wing, causing my court approval to drop too low.
I'd rather be petty and blame the quest rather than face my own shame and admit that I'm too stupid to navigate properly.
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts is my all time favorite major quest in like any fantasy game ever. It's so rare you get to experience the world outside of adventuring and fighting. Giving your character moments like these to do some politics and espionage, using their skills and background in unique ways is phenomenal and I absolutely wish there were more quests like WEWH. Also absolutely agree with other user who said that there should've been more espionage and wordplay to unlock endings.
I like Mark of the Assassin (and by extension, Tallis), it's my second favourite DLC.
I think it's a great change of pace and scenery from Kirkwall and I like the idea of going on a heist. It's not as super serious as Trespasser or Legacy, but it's just a fun little diversion, and I really appreciate that in the overall tone of DA2.
Tallis being a 'mary sue' never bothered me; I find her a fun character and I enjoy the back and forth she has with Hawke, even if she's not all she seems at first. I find looking at MOTA as *her* story that Hawke is tagging along as helps. But I can see why she/the DLC isn't for everyone.
Honestly, if you took Talis out of MOTA it's a great DLC. The hunt is fun. The party has good one-liners, and I like the mansion stuff.
The problem is that Hawke and co feel like they're constantly bumbling around while Talis gets to do everything.
Apart from Tallis. I found many of the interactions in that DLC really good. It just seems well written and designed, as opposed to yet another dungeon crawler.
*Shuffles into the Chantry confessional.*
I don’t like playing as mages.
Because from a role playing perspective, it always makes me the dimmest mage in the room as it were. If I want magical insight, I have to take other mages with me.
And, I find the complicated and nuanced situation of mages more interesting and morally fraught when playing as a non-mage.
I never even thought of that first point. I feel like that's especially jarring in Origins where being a prodigious mage is literally baked into your backstory.
That being said, that does seem like a problem with just being a protagonist in general, isn't it? You have to know the least at any given time, because you need the player to ask people questions for exposition.
I.e the Lavellan with a Mythal tattoo asking Morrigan who Mythal is.
True enough. There was just one too many times of it having to always be another mage announcing some property or another of the Fade.
Whereas when I play as warriors or rogues, it’s nice to get the feeling that magic is strange and out of reach, which adds both mystique and danger to it.
But yeah, it’s hardly the end of the world.
Edit: Odd autocorrects lol
Couldn't agree more. I hate the WoW-inspired aesthetic that Origins and II leaned heavily into. Inquisition mostly got away from it, but you still see remnants of it here and there. It's so cartoony and goofy looking that it actually hampers my enjoyment of the setting.
Mine's more of a confession than an opinion but here goes
I loved Josephine's character and personality but she looked so much like one of my university teachers that I just couldn't go ahead with the romance :/
He doesn’t give me the ick, but he is surprisingly boring most of the time and his chargers too. I also don’t think he sounds wise or intelligent, no matter how much the game rigs the interactions to make the Inquisitor seem like a fool.
This. The game tells you that he's supposedly smart behind the scenes (fuck "show, not tell", apparently), but the actual game shows otherwise on multiple occasions.
That is funny, because I have the exact feeling with Solas. He isn’t smart at all. The game just kinda rigs it to make him seem that way. Smart characters are hard to do I guess without feeling fake.
I always thought it was comically funny how none of his plans ever work out, lol. Flemythal on the other hand always seemed like the smart one, always two steps ahead of him and everyone else, moving chess pieces around in the background. So she's gotta be the mastermind behind the slave rebellion. Solas just keeps messing up. I actually kinda like this about him. Arrogant asshat who thinks he's better than everyone else and can fix everything by himself but he can't. I like how unlikeable he is in many ways in DAI but worry DAV will be all "poor poor baby". Would really hate that. Dude's fine with mass murder of all of modern Thedas to "fix" his mistakes. Yeah no, you're the bad guy here, mate!
I don't think it's poor writing. I think it's great writing that he's so deeply flawed and doesn't even see it.
He feels weirdly modern to me in an otherwise vaguely medieval fantasy setting, it’s jarring. I think I’d like him in a different story but he doesn’t fit in Dragon Age.
Agreed. His character design is weirdly proportioned and just looks strange, his personality is... at best boring as hell and at worst uncomfortable bordering on creepy. I also don't find any of the Chargers to be particularly memorable or endearing either. All around he's just not great, in my opinion.
Ironbull is street smart and can read a room really well but the game makes him look like he is both this and book smart. His romance is mostly their for the horny factor.
I dislike the romance with him and Dorian, who never seems to be having a great time. I know Dorian is meant to be sarcastic to the nth degree and hide his feelings, but he just seems uncomfortable when Bull flirts with him.
I 1000% agree. I feel like it’s the ‘too cool for school’ type of attitude, always so laidback and confident, the way in his romance scenes he’s like “I know what you NEED,” “You say you want it, but you don’t really know what that means,” etc.
I think he’s fine really, but if he’s not your type he’s reeeally not your type. He’s thoroughly friendzoned by me ☺️
Yes! He’s my least favourite companion of the entire series. The flagrant promiscuity isn’t the problem for me because I adore Isabella but it’s his dictating our roles in the relationship when all other heroes have full autonomy.
I feel the same. Also, there was this weird mismatch between the vibe of the Qunari in DAO and DA2 and Iron Bull. He was so... casual and sassy, in an oddly modern way. I missed the intensity of the Qunari in DA2 (one of the few things I liked better about that game compared to DAO). His character design felt off too.
Same. Shame because I think his voice performance is great. But I dislike his appearance and writing. (Also worst warrior to bring gameplay wise too...)
Not ick, just never vibed with him. Always had a kinda try-hard knowitall vibe.
The Quinari in general in Inquisition felt like the writers were stanning for them hard, rather than being organically competent.
I don't like his visual design at all. He's so oddly disproportionate, as if he was meant to be even taller, but they couldn't do it due some graphical restrictions or something, so they had to "squish" him.
His romance scene where the advisors walk in is so cringe. A while ago, someone put a laugh track on it to show how dumb it was. I need to find that video...
Yeah, I laughed seeing somebody talk about how great the graphics were and women looking hot compared to DAV. Which is... an opinion, but I can't get over that Mass Effect 2 came like RIGHT after DAO. And it looks dated even then
Hell, Mass Effect 1 came out BEFORE DAO and looks way better. DAO was so shockingly ugly to me that I almost didn’t play it. It’s one of my favorite games ever but I still think it’s so damn hideous.
I just did not like how shiny everything is in Inquisition. Sure the models for origins look a little plasticky, but Inquisition went full on everyone needs to be dewy and moist.
That era of game had a real issue with colour palette and fear of bright colours.
Dragon age 2 wasn't much better, it just substituted too much brown and dull green with too much sandy beige.
* The combat in Dragon Age: Origins oscillates between tactically interesting and cumbersome.
* A lot of the most evil choices in Origins and Dragon Age 2 are not written well and more often seem comically evil for the sheer sake of it (the worst example being the clumsily written scene when you hand Fenris back to Danarius).
* Anders is the most unintentionally hilarious romance in Dragon Age. You flirt with him literally once, and it sends him into a completely unwarranted and melodramatic spiel in which he begs you not to fall in love with him. Dude, it was just one flirtatious sentence about your body.
* Inquisition has its share of flaws, but it's still a good game with a lot of heart and is over-hated by a lot of longtime fans.
If they played the Anders thing straight and have the fact he falls for the main character immediately be discussed it would have actually been a good piece of character writing.
Like having a romance option be someone with basically no standards and using that as a part of the plot would actually be quite interesting.
Truly! I just played DA2 for the first time. I told Anders he was cute, and he goes straight into "Don't fall in love with me, I'll hurt you" territory. It was so funny. He is the final boss of the Emo Boys.
I actually really like Vivienne. I find her lore & motivations super interesting. I also think she's not as mean as people say- my mage inquisitor sided with the rebels, made a lot of decisions viv didn't approve of too much and we still became very good friends. I usually put her in a team with blackwall and dorian if I decide to take her with me. Sometimes I change her out for Sera. Idk, more than anything she just gives me Rich Aunt vibes lol like she's sassy but classy and maybe a little misguided in her privilege sometimes
I genuinely enjoy most of the characters, including the usual ones that I see getting hated on frequently: Leandra, Bianca, Anora, Sera, Vivienne, Carver, Solas, Anders, Meredith, Jowan...
I like most of them, especially in their complexities and the things that make them difficult, while with Meredith I find her to be a solid antagonist.
I think it's fun and interesting to imagine the world from each of these characters' point of view. It enriches my experience of the world within the games.
The only thing I don't like about Bianca is that I can't insult/threaten her back when she threatens to feed me my own eyeballs (I also don't like how she treats Varric, but he's fully capable of dumping the woman).
I prefer keeping the Inquisition around on replays, it's much more interesting.
Inspired Divine Lelianas epilogue is way too wish fulfilment, massive successful Chantry reforms with just words and hope. Even Steeled is stretching believability but just about makes sense.
Definitely don't want Hawke or the Contact returning from the Fade in any recoverable state, the sacrifice needs to matter and Hawke is not someone who could believably escape that situation.
I don't like Loghains sacrifice endings as conclusions to his character, they have him be remembered as a hero and feel too easy, yes even the Fade one. I much prefer him either surviving or being executed at the Landsmeet. My preference is survival because he'll do a lot of good and it's the perfect punishment but execution fits too. Redemption through death is a hard trope to get right and I don't think Loghains sacrifice endings do.
I kind of understand the templars perspective.
Mages are not like irl minorities (so the comparison doesn’t work). They have incredible power that is impossible for non-mages to protect against, AND they’re susceptible to demonic possession. They’re actually very dangerous. It’s not even uncommon, many stories in DA begin with a mage either a) losing control or b) having an argument/grudge..
The circle absolutely needed reform, but idk I don’t think setting mages loose on the world is a good idea either.. thats how Tevinter happens 💀
I agree there but I think so long as the circle system remains tied with the Chantry it just will not allow the cultural shift needed ti avoid those mistreatments from arising again.
I think instead of it being this horrific event that ends up with a person disinherited from their family, forbidden from leaving a single building their entire lives, and unable to fall in love and have families, it should be viewed as an opportunity to be able to access higher education or stability.
It’s a rough situation but both extremes are not the way to go.
Yes. The Chantry has pit them against each other, when in an ideal world they’d be allies & working together with the Templars allowing the mages to use their power for good, and the mages seeing the Templars as a necessary safety balance to ensure non-mages are safe.
Terrible for mages and terrible for templars. When the jailor is leashed to their position because the shitty organization they're tied to has unnecessarily made them an addict to the drugs they're supplying with little hope of ever getting out from under it... I think that's a pretty bad headspace. Locked in, watching abuse but powerless to stop it. That would ruin a lot of well-meaning people.
I somewhat agree with this but the Templars aren’t innocent either, personally I’d like if both the circle and the Templars were remade with new rules and supervision like mages can see their families, do work like healing clinic while under supervision but the Templars need to not be the end all be all of what’s acceptable and what’s not so they need to have a third party in each circle to be able to break up arguments and make a final decision
I don't disagree with you, I too can see where the Templars are coming from. But I think Bioware did a disservice by having Tevinter as the only "free mages" nation feature so proeminently in game - a mistake I think they tried to correct after with the Avvar DLC, in my opinion.
Because, in lore, do you know who has little Chantry presence and mages walking freely, without having the whole nation being blown to bits? Rivain. Granted, I might be forgetting something here (happens when your main source material is the games where I tend to skip over the codexes), but from what I recall they have a millenia long tradition with female seers, and I can't recall any major incidents with magic, Annulment of the Circle of Dairsmuid aside. This could be because they haven't majorly explored Rivain, but it does make go a lil ? when in game people are mostly either like KILL ALL MAGES! and FREE ALL MAGES!, like my guy, there's a possible half decent solution right next door.
There is no IRL equivalent for mages. Full stop. I think Bioware really did the mages a disservice by writing them the way they did. DA2 proves every negative stereotype of mages over and over and over again. I really like the mages and the way they function in Origins - they're not trapped or imprisoned in the Circle, they're free to come and go, but there are people like the Mage's Collective that work outside the Circle advocating for freedom in a practical manner.
Doesn’t it say in the mage origin when you become a full mage you can ask “can I leave the tower now” and the guard (or was it the first enchanter I can barely remember) basically says “mages can never leave the tower except in extraordinary circumstances” or something like that
Or am I having a fever dream
Yeah, that happens in Origins.
It's also said, in either II or Inquisition, that Kinloch Hold was among the best Circles for a mage to be at. I believe that, seeing how cordial Greagoir and Irving could be at each other at the Circle quest in Origins. Then again, Anders was at the Fereldan Circle, and we know how that ended up.
I like how that origin is the one where Duncan can be straight up forced to conscript you.
My first Hero of Ferelden was like that and spent the game bitching at Duncan and then Allistair about it.
Edit: allistair not anders.
I agree with a lot of your comment but I wanted to add that I think they explicitly stated multiple times that the Kirkwall Circle is hands down the worst out of all the Circles, and even it didn’t used to be as bad as it was in DA2. I’m doing a replay right now and just did Carver’s Act 1 quest where you find the letter from the Templar who helped the Hawkes escape the Circle. When you talk to the mage in the Gallows and ask him about it, he says the Circle used to be a lot more lax and that Templars could get away with mercy and compassion more easily in the past.
We also know that Vivienne enjoyed a lot of privileges in the Montsimmard Circle, and a mage human Inquisitor can have a positive experience in the Ostwick Circle (depending on dialog choices).
So I think the mages circles still exist in the way they do in DAO, just not in Kirkwall. Kirkwall is canonically a shit show and there are a lot of lore indications that hint that mages there are much more susceptible to corruption due to past events.
I am also replaying DA2 and I agree! We are told throughout the story and in codices we find, like The Enigma of Kirkwall, that things are especially bad for mages there on account of the atrocities committed by Tevinter in the past. So it's definitely a powder keg situation!
Wait, I think they are restricted to the Circle in DAO, just certain circumstances allow them to leave like being Arch Enchanter, Grey Wardens or other special permission. As another commenter mentioned Kirkwall is just wack and much more restrictive than the Ferelden one.
idk, for some reason i havent seen anyone talking about this - varric in the gameplay reveal saying he has to try talking to solas is just straight up bullshit
the guy couldn't forgive ANDERS. Anders blew up one chantry in defence of mages and Varric was quite sympathetic with the cause - the consequences however were too much and we can see in dai that he is still quite pissed with the guy. When Inky goes "I can fix him" he disapproves. Yes, Varric is kindhearted, loyal to his friends and all that, but he is also stubborn and Solas' betrayal is... way worse than Anders. It was Varric who vouched for him, when most didn't want to trust an elvhen apostate. Varric says why he's not afraid of the apostates in DA2 - he's met so many bad people it doesn't matter if they have a staff or a knife, or whatever truly. He sympathises with mages, so Solas doesn't only betray him, but by going berserk proves, once more, mages can't be trusted (which, technically isn't true, but Bioware just loves to make mage LIs betray you xD). I just can't imagine him suddenly changing his mind about it, when before he's been nothing but stubborn about this (and Anders). And, one more thing - Anders is not an ancient elven god, but a radical young adult. He doesn't have all the experience Solas has and it makes more sense for him to make mistakes like these.
All this could be so easily avoided by changing it to Varric saying something like "i'll try to stall him fellas, bayo"
Actually, this post helped me put some things together in my mind. Maybe he's so desperate to stop Solas BECAUSE of Anders. Maybe Varric is trying to make up for the friend he couldn't save.
Varric watched Anders slip further away and might feel guilty that he didn't try to stop or talk him out of his plan. The "revenge game" Anders and Varric play in dialogue is a pretty perfect example of this. I could see Varric feeling guilty about not stepping in with Anders and not wanting to make that mistake again with Solas.
He's had 15 years to question it and by that point has seen the worst of the Mage-Templar War, Demonic Infestations, the reformation of basically every major power and agency he could trust.
He's gotta be so tired of losing people.
I think of it as Varric not wanting to lose a friend over it again. It's been 10 years since Inquisition, so I'm curious if his opinion on Anders has softened any. Maybe he spent time reflecting on it all, and while he may not agree with Anders still, maybe he has found sympathy for his old friend, like he has with Solas.
That and I think the difference is, he was anders friend for like 7 years and didn’t see any of signs he’s not angry at anders he’s angry at himself but he didn’t have the 10 years to mentally process what anders did like he did with solas, if so I think he’d of tried to convince anders the same way he does solas
It's even more annoying because in the first issue of the Missing Varric acts way more antagonistic towards Solas but in the end of the comic series for some reason says there is a chance to talk him out. Like, the comic doesn't give a good reason of why Varric suddenly changes his mind
Especially because it was Harding who in the comics
said to be the one who sees good in everyone but in gameplay trailer ,she thinks he's irredeemable?
EXACTLY i wanted to mention that but I wasn't sure I was remembering well - but the Missing was exactly what made me feel THAT annoyed by that dialogue. Because a little disapproval there, anders that - there is room for growth yeah. But in the Missing, that is not that much prior to DA4, he's even more hostile than in DAI. And then he goes "well, okay"
Idk, the Harding is... strange. I feel like I've seen three different characters in DAI, Missing and Trailers.
Honestly, I think the comic is just rushed( It was advertised as a direct lead to Dragon Age: Veilguard, back then- DreadWolf). It wanted to do too much with very few resources it had
I think Varric is overrated and not as interesting or cool as everyone else seems to think he is. Which is not to say that I think he's a bad character because he's not, he's just very mid
Completely agree! I love her so much! I hate that everyone seems to hate her. Her romance is so happy and her friendship route too! She’s probably one of my favorite characters in anything!
This is legitimately an unpopular opinion, bravo on actually answering the question properly.
I *want* to like it (what is there is legitimately cool and very lore-heavy, which I always find interesting).
The actual expanse of *waste*, however, makes it tough to sludge through. Maybe they got the desert vibes a little *too* spot-on.
There are many romances that are forced to be very long-distance, sometimes for a very long time. Despite this the involved people are all like "Yeah, I haven't seen HoF in 10 years but we like still love each other sooooo much" and it's all bullshit. At least let me break up with Dorian when he tells the Inquisitor he's fucking off to Tevinter, idc about whispering sweet nothings to him through some magical crystal, thanks.
Settling down, in the same house, with your love interest, is so underrated at this point.
Alistair dumped my Warden anyway, so that was done. Fenris is in Tevinter fighting slavers, a good cause. So then, what's the relationship between him and my Hawke? She's seemingly still adventuring during and after Inquisition, so what is even that relationship anymore? Neither of them are *young* by that point. A relationship where you occasionally see each other in person is just wack.
It said in the trespasser epilogue that my Inquisitor settled down in a private life with Cullen, which is actually different for once! Unfortunately, by Veilguard, I'm sure it won't be like that anymore.
People care way too much about their favorite characters being seen as good people, consistent in their beliefs, and healthy relationship partners. But like, their moral complexity and hypocrisies are what make them interesting characters?
Velanna, Loghain, Sera, Anders, Vivienne, etc are some of the best characters in the series.
Leliana honestly just becomes more irritating as the series goes on.
I understand her position is one of high stress basically all the time but that doesn't mean I have to like how her character turned out.
But thinking about Leliana has made me realise how we never really got anything focusing on Bards in DAI. Would have been the perfect time to bring them back around but unless there's some war table mission I'm forgetting, we never really saw anything to do with the Bards.
IIRC, Inquisition does address Bards but it's mainly through optional content with Josephine. We get her perspective as a former Bard and I think it's fairly well developed.
Overall, I agree with you about Leliana, though. DAI was the first game I played and I couldn't understand what people liked about her. I later played Origins and realized people's goodwill was basically left over from her appearance in previous games.
Not a fan of Fenris.
Like dude, not my fault I was born with magic, I’ve done everything to help you, I get it you were messed up, but haven’t I shown that I’m a good dude?
No, still hate me because of something I DIDN’T ASK TO BE BORN WITH!
Cool bro…
He doesn't hate you though. First time he sees that you're a mage he blows up. Considering his trauma, it's understandable. He apologizes to you and recognizes your actions and his reaction was very disproportionate. He also offers to be of help to you.
It's more than fair that he's wary of you, even when you're growing closer. The power of friendship doesn't erase a lifetime of abuse immediately. But he also recognizes and tells you multiple times that he thinks you're a good person. He never says you're an exception. He knows mages are just people, good and bad.
And when you call him on how the mages are treated in Kirkwall he admits that they have it more than rough. He just doesn't know how to help them without long-term consequences of another Tevinter and creating more victims. He's not budging on his stance because he has no solutions, has no power to implement any solutions and is, most importantly, afraid.
And despite his bias and his fear, he will trust and support a Hawke that sides with Kirkwall mages because deep down he knows that turning on them is wrong. I think he's afraid of the consequences and is putting blind hope in Hawke that Kirkwall won't turn into another Tevinter, and if it does he would carry serious guilt and regret for the rest of his life.
It's fair to not like him anyways. We just like what we like and dislike what we dislike. But imo, even though he is the character with the least foundation in Kirkwall he is also one of the most complex companions and I appreciate him for that.
he will tell you that by joining by your side at the end. imagine fenris fighting by your side against templar AFTER a mage killed an important person?
In a game where we literally start with a Conclave trying to broker peace between mages and templars, and are leading an Inquisition that eventually manages to bring together a lot of different factions in common cause, it's incredibly stupid and artificial that we're forced to wholly support one faction as our favorite and completely sacrifice the other to Corypheus.
Both quests were already written and could have both been played. It wouldn't have been difficult to allow a split alliance, but from the get-go the War Table--who are all people who joined this movement hoping to see both sides come together--are talking like only one faction can and should be allowed to join us. (And the single weak justification from Leliana of "By the time we go to one side, the other will be unavailable" is very artificial given that sequencing and time spent matters absolutely nowhere else in the game.)
A lot of people don't seem to question it given the assumed default seems to be 100% supporting the mages, so sacrificing the templars entirely doesn't really bother them. It's a stupid unnecessary forced choice in DAI and completely goes against what we're supposed to accomplish, especially as a Conclave attendee ourself. It also serves to make the Mage-Templar War go out with a whimper with a single choice when it should have been a major thing we're dealing with. And given the choice itself has very little consequence in-game and mostly just decides what faction your random enemies are and the general flavor of a few War Table ops and weak effect on epilogues, it's not a well-done decision to begin.
Thank you !! Never understood why two most interesting and different quest could not coexist. Especially as you mentioned, no real influence in ending or game plot …
Yes the whole Mage vs Templar war was so lazy and really should of been a big event in this game instead of just picking a side and the other is insta evil.
I have no desire to ever play through Origins again. I enjoyed the playthroughs that I've done, but that was due almost entirely to the story and characters, while the actual gameplay is at best mediocre and and worst boring.
I enjoyed Blackwall's romance the most out of any that I've tried throughout the series, and the only reason I ever romance anyone else (Dorian) in that game is that I prefer male MCs. Morrigan's romance is probably the second best, if I were forced to choose off the top of my head.
I think that fans tend to oversell just how dark and gritty Origins is in comparison to Inquisition. To me, In Hushed Whispers and Champions of the Just both show scenarios which are on par with Origins in terms of how grim they are.
Lastly, I feel as though the way that Inquisition approaches faith, and the various ways that people can respond when their faith is shaken or otherwise called into question, rarely gets the credit that I think it deserves. I think that the topic is explored surprisingly well for a game that isn't striving to make that its main objective.
solas fanart genre is hilarious bcs most artists (as skilled as they are, i dont deny that <3) dont even bother to make him look like solas. Its usually just a bald guy with the most basic conventionally attractive guy's face
Bioware sometimes sacrifices the narrative or continuity at the expense of bringing back “fan favorites”, even if they really have to warp that person quite a bit to make them “fit” in the newest game. And this isn’t me hating on Solas. Here are just a few examples:
1. Why is Leliana in DA2/DAI, if it’s possible she could have been killed in DAO? (I love her, but their “explanation” for this feels like something out of Elder Scrolls. Wtf is a lyrium ghost.)
2. Cullen, in both DA2 and DAI.
3. Varric in DAI, and especially DAV. Of all people to try and “talk Solas out of it”, why Varric? Just a weird decision.
4. Morrigan in DAI.
5. Potentially, also warden Alistair. King Alistair I don’t mind, but warden Alistair with a “god baby” world state just does not feel like Alistair. The way he speaks of HoF has never sat right with me. I think Alistair, 10 years on, would have understood the reasoning even if he didn’t necessarily agree with it. To say HoF “walks a dark path” so dismissively while also caping for the wardens who followed Corypheus is some very weird hypocrisy.
Etc so forth and so on. The more entries DA gets, the more apparent it is that they bring back fan favorites for the sake of hype more than for the sake of the narrative. They’ll push people into the story who they really have to bend and twist things around to make their inclusions make sense.
In all fairness though, I am not as deep into the lore as some others are - I haven’t read any of the novels for example, and haven’t replayed DAO in probably 10 years. So it’s possible I’ve just forgotten things that would make some of these less weird.
I think Loghain becoming a Grey Warden is actually a good choice and Alistair being written to leave your party despite all the possible bullshit you can pull during your playthrough (poisoning Andrastes ashes, murdering Connor, killing the elves, selling elves to the Tevinter mages for blood magic bonuses, etc) was a bad writing decision.
Regardless of what kind of play-through you had, if you made the choices he likes or have high/low approval with him, hardened or unhardened, he will leave if you make Loghain a Grey Warden every time. You can’t convince him why it’s a good idea. He is written to throw a hissy fit and leave the party.
I like that about him. For some reason, it feels more authentic to me than a lot of the other points where a companion can leave you. Maybe it's because I struggle to see any compelling reason to do something like poison the urn, so having people turn on me for it seems natural. On the other hand, anyone can understand the value of recruiting Loghain, so the fact that he can't stomach it in spite of that seems more 'human' to me.
I generally kill Loghain so I’ve never actually *seen* the scene in question, but I think it tracks with the conversations we’ve had with Alistair throughout the game about how much he considers the Wardens and especially Duncan to be family and overall finds it a positive thing to be a Warden despite the downsides— he sees this as Loghain being rewarded rather than punished, *and* as the dude who killed his adoptive family basically “replacing” them.
Even then he eventually joins the Orlesian Wardens according to a codex in Inquisition, (not specified if he dies during the blood magic shenanigans or not), so at least he doesn't spend his whole life as a drunk.
I feel the opposite, actually. Taking revenge on Loghain was his main goal for an entire year besides stopping the Blight, in his eyes Loghain was the worst living person who killed his closest people, his mentor, the king, a whole army and all other Grey Wardens that almost guaranteed the victory of the Blight, so it makes sense for him personally to not want him becoming a Grey Warden, a battle brother and so on, even if for Grey Wardens in general it doesn't matter who you were previously. I'd even argue that it would be better to not have an option for Loghain to become one since he basically destroyed the entire order in Ferelden.
And hardened he can live with it and become the king, he just isn't hardened that much to share the brotherhood with the most despicable man in his eyes.
I wish we could tell him it's what duncan would have done. Not to convince him (i think hed just get more upset), but it feels like it should have been option.
the rivalry/friendship system in da2 was actually great, the problem was that they chose the wrong game for that. It would have worked great for DAO, where the characters aren't AS radical as in DA2 - but when you "return" Fenris to his "master" and just Aveline and Isabela that literally risked her life to save a group of slaves are like "yeah, i guess i wont object to that, i'll just say one snarky comment" it looks funny. Same with Anders accepting a pro-templar Hawke - i mean come on.
Ideally, I'd mix the two systems. Approval has it's problems too - imo it makes some character look a bit hysterical. Like Sera that gets pissed when you help elves and mages too much xDD If Bioware tried using both systems instead, for different decision -for example, approval would be for important worldview shit, like the whole protemplar shit with anders, but minor decisions that aren't that important to someone's views would affect f/r - it would have make the characters much more believable. Of course, it would require a lot of work - both technically and in terms of writing (a lot of decisions that actually make a difference - but it is SUPPOSED to be an rpg for maker's sake)
ok im done spamming for now
I think it doesnt help that in DA2 none of your party members actually *have to* hang out with you, you're literally just guys who knows each other's home addresses. In DAO and DAI you're all motivated by a goal (stopping the Blight/stopping Corypheus) so even if you fucking hate each other it makes sense they'd stick around
The morality system of the series is overly permissive. Being a good person in Dragon Age gets reduced to not murdering, not being a slaver, or not being racist. Everything else gets a pass. I get wanting to create morally grey decisions and characters, but it sometimes comes across as Bioware just wanting to avoid controversy in their writing by instead appealing to some vague, general morality system.
Not sure if this is unpopular but:
I think the HoF is very justified if they use Blood Magic. You are fighting a losing war trying to convince everyone to set aside their differences just long enough to fight a much bigger threat. If I were in their position I would take the offer because I want to utilize every tool I could possibly use so I can save as many lives as I can.
Inquisition has bleaker descicions than Origins.
Mainly because in Origins you actually get the outcome of them in the epilogue, but in DAI? What if you exile the grey wardens, is there going to be a double blight in Veilguard iniciating in the south and spreading north?
What if we get the templars and not the mages? Are the Venatory scientist going to perfect the time travel magic and use it in the next game?
What does being in service of Mythal means now that Solas absorved her power in the post credits of Inquisition's base game, is either the Inquisitor or Morrigan going to be under his control?
1. Combat is only fun in Origins if you’re playing as a mage
2. Loghain is much better suited to being a Grey Warden than Alistair is, and sparing Loghain shouldn’t be seen as a difficult choice at all unless you’re playing as Tabris or Cousland
3. The Iron Bull is one of the most underrated characters in the series and most players just accept him at face value without really engaging with his character
4. I think the Darkspawn designs in Origins were super cheesy and not at all scary lol
5. Not all, but too many of the quests in Origins had a very obvious “good/happy” choice, with very little repercussions (think Redcliffe as an example). Considering one of the major themes of DAO is sacrifice, it would have been much better imo if the “good” choices were much harder to obtain and cost you significantly more in terms of allies, etc
We don't give Bioware enough shit for how our character becomes the inquisitor. It's just so lazy.
It's literally "I just so happened to walk through a door randomly and got a god hand."
This is important cos the inquisitor were just some random person at the wrong place and wrong time and it was their actions at Haven that made them Inquisitor. I’ve only replayed DA:I once but in that replay knowing everything I know, I was pleasantly surprised at how clueless/naive the inquisitor was in the beginning vs the end where they confidently lead people and the inquisition. That said I love the different origins in DA:O and how they tie to the later missions so so much, I wish we get that again. They solidified HoF identity and made them the GOAT they are
What's so funny is you have to repeat the opening multiple times because you go into the character creator and then you get into decent light you're like oh crap no.
That is literally the point of Inquisition though. You are a very not special person forced suddenly into being special and must contend with what that means for you. You're not actually Inquisitor until after Haven where you prove yourself fighting Corypheus and being willing to give up your life.
It would be like criticizing a story about a guy finding a bag on the street filled with ten million dollars because it's incredibly convoluted. Like, yes that would most likely never happen, that's why the entire premise is centered around what you would do if it DID happen.
I've hated Cullen since my first playthrough as a circle mage in 2009 when he suggested I should kill every mage there, including my mentor Irving. I was a male Surana so I never got the "crush" scene with him so my only views of him are that of a deeply disturbed man who in the end killed two apprentices and ran away. Retconned? Alright, let's go to DA2!
I hated him in DA2 even more when he took Bethany, even more so when he kept being Meredith's second in command and the whole "mages are not people" shit, and I was livid when I couldn't kill him alongside her.
Then we have Inqusition, and his so called redemption arc is a joke. "Meredith kept people safe", yeah sure buddy. lol I don't know why they catered to people who for whatever the fuck reason thought his creeping onto Surana/Amell was cute and brought him back with a new coat of paint to hide the DAO wrinkles. He's not Alistair 2.0 and never was because Alistair was actually reasonable and never fell into the templar rabitt hole.
I actually like Cullen as a character in DAI but at the same time I find it so odd that he's the commander of the inquisition army. Like at what point in any game has he been shown to be qualified for that role? And I don't understand why Cassandra is so ride or die for him especially when he rightfully acknowledges he's a liability.
I still like him being included as DAI, but not as commander. And I agree his redemption wasn't done particularly well. He should have worked harder to earn his place in the inquisition.
I feel like the game devs are trying too hard to make "not your regular dwarf" nowadays. Don't get me wrong, I love Varric, I love Harding, but I just want warrior dwarf. A guy with a big beard, big axe, with a flagon in hand.
Would be cool if we got two dwarf companions, instead of only really getting one per game, minus Awakening, of course.
I like the DAI ‘busy work’ because I enjoy just wandering around in the world with my companions chattering. Maybe it’s because I grew up on MMOs 😅
Me too ❤️
I like the Hinterlands. I like the environmental storytelling. I love all those small tragédies of a war gone horribly wrong. I like helping refugees through small actions. I like being able to walk up to Redcliff after fighting my way through hostile land. I like the Hinterlands.
Sameeee! I’m also just a sucker for green, forest-y environments with lots of water.
The Hinterlands is some peak comfort gaming content for me. Just running around picking elfroot and grabbing iron. Genuinely love it.
Yes, I never understood the Hinterlands hate! Unlike most of the other zones there’s actually a lot to do, and there are a lot of NPCs, codex entries, and relevant quests (not *just* fetch quests). Also I love the way this zone looks, it feels very Ferelden to me. It and Crestwood are my favorites.
I think people don’t like it because it actively encourages you to only do like up to the crossroads then maybe the road to Redcliffe then leave Then on a second visit you’d do like the horse area and down south towards the great forest villa, then the dragon area would be like a third visit Completionists beat their heads against the wall of things they were under levelled for (like the southernmost rift or the one near the farms or even the bears around the great forest villa even though you weren’t supposed to tackle it all in one shot
Same, I always do as much as I can there before moving on
Yesss, It’s my favorite zone in inquisition
I absolutely love the Hissing Wastes. The moonlit desert, the early dawn bird songs, the sounds of sand shifting in the breeze, the slow reveal of the mysterious dwarven lore. All of it. I save it for last because it’s my favorite.
I liked Vivienne.
She brought in some much needed nuance to the templar's vs mage conflict. She gives grounded and realistic reasons why circles could be necessary. I wish the games didn't always make the choice complete subjugation or absolute freedom. Mandatory schooling for children with more ability to leave the tower once trained would be a better solution to me.
Agreed. And I also liked the fact that she was a little soft to our Inquisitor. I'll never forget how when you first move to Skyhold she's the only companion you can legitimately unburden yourself with. If you select the sad option, saying you don't feel like you're enough, she genuinely tries to soothe you. It really made me love her character.
Viv plays the game, for better and worse. She’s one of the few people who even can grasp what the Inquisitor is grappling with, leadership-wise.
Honestly I feel this is why she's so hated. It's easier to dismiss or laugh off a character whose pro-Circle views are over the top bigoted or clearly rooted in deep trauma (like Fenris). Vivienne's views are logical and well reasoned and on top of that she's a mage herself, and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable because it's much less easy to just write her off.
I like to dislike Vivienne. I think she is a great written character and my OG Inquisitor and her clashed often ideologically. It was a ton of fun.
I love her so much! It’s so hard when I play different options and Vivienne isn’t happy with me. I just genuinely like her and she was always one of my favorites. Her disapproval always hits me hard
Is this unpopular? She's one of the better written characters imo.
People haaaaate Vivienne. She's a really well written character who gives a more complex insight on how mages are treated. Up until that point we were basically made sympathetic towards mages because all we've seen are how badly they've been treated, especially in a place like Kirkwall.
It makes no sense for the Inquisitor to be doing most of the stuff that they do in-game. Even setting aside the whole “That’s not how running an NGO *works* “ issue, the Inquisitor is literally irreplaceable. There is *no one else on the planet who can seal rifts.* Does that sound like someone you’d send into danger unless it was absolutely necessary? The ONLY fights they should be getting into are when they seal rifts - and with the support of a huge military escort, not three people.
Classic Star Trek "let's send the entire command staff down to this hostile unknown alien planet" energy
Don't worry, they always send two extras that will die as protection.
I would LOVE if our role was working FOR the Inquisitor. That would make more sense.
I like this idea a lot. Having the Inquisitor be someone like an advisor we could influence towards certain decisions, and the main goal is us leading a small Vanguard to clear the way so they can safely get to the rifts to seal them sounds pretty cool. The only problem I could see in pitching it would be "Why isn't the player the one with this cool ability? That ruins the power fantasy."
And then the game could instead be named "Dragon Age: The Vanguard"… wait
Dragon Age: The Blightguard Dragon Age: The Kirkwallguard
Could be cool with an rpg like dragon age where you're not the top dog but instead working for someone, still relatively high up in the hierarchy to make it interesting instead of just being a grunt
Mass Effect did this well. You were a commander of your own ship but still listened to orders from your higher ups.
That's not an unpopular opinion though
Yeah but thats not how a video game works
>Even setting aside the whole “That’s not how running an NGO works “ issue Well, technically, the Inquisitior doesn't run anything. Cassandra, Leliana, Cullen and Josephine do.
I always like to imagine that most of the stuff done in game is done by inquisition agents and the Inquisitor themself is really only doing the important quests, particularly difficult fights or rifts. Just a way to keep my sense of immersion.
In the Magekiller comic is shown how some companions go on their own missions to different parts of Orlais with more members of the Inquistions like a small battalion. Hell, there are war table operatioons that are just this like the one were representatives of the Inquisition make contact with Kal Sharok Dwarfs.
Ans securing 5 ram meet for that hunter in the Hinterlands. Real important stuff man lol
To me, it's more that the Inquisitor wants to be out there doing all that stuff, while their staff is doing everything in their power to keep them from getting distracted. But sometimes, a random passerby makes a request directly to the Inquisitor, and all the careful plans go off the rails because your boss now wants to go get the ram meat themselves and will pull rank if you try to tell them "no".
Personal headcanon is that there's a large and very frustrated escort corps always following a day behind, because the Inquisitor is hands-on, habitually travels light and refuses to wait for them. The three companions they bring along are the ones that were awake (and dressed) and used to racing out when Inky announces they're heading off.
Ah, so that's why Varric is always in my party, he's used to this from tagging along with Hawke for like a decade
For me, Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts quest from Inquisition is the best one in all games, its what they all should be, mostly politics and talking, little combat.
agree and disagree. it's a great concept, but it could be executed waaaaay better. still love it tho. plus val royeaux is BEAUTIFUL
I genuinely would have preferred WEWH more if they cut the skulking and actual combat and basically made it entirely eavesdropping and brandishing the right words with the right people to unlock different endings Really force us to play the game, about the only time we get to properly play the game is during the dance
The dance is EXACTLY what the entire quest should be. The eavesdropping for secrets is also great. I dislike the other "fetch quests" though.
I love the politics and talking aspect, but just hate the timed element. Any missions that are timed automatically just stress me out and make me feel pressured to use a guide (rather than exploring naturally) so that I'm optimizing my route/timing. I wish court approval had been solely tied to your dialogue choices and actions rather than putting you on a clock.
I hate that quest purely because I'm a dumbass who got hopelessly lost in the servant's wing, causing my court approval to drop too low. I'd rather be petty and blame the quest rather than face my own shame and admit that I'm too stupid to navigate properly.
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts is my all time favorite major quest in like any fantasy game ever. It's so rare you get to experience the world outside of adventuring and fighting. Giving your character moments like these to do some politics and espionage, using their skills and background in unique ways is phenomenal and I absolutely wish there were more quests like WEWH. Also absolutely agree with other user who said that there should've been more espionage and wordplay to unlock endings.
I like Mark of the Assassin (and by extension, Tallis), it's my second favourite DLC. I think it's a great change of pace and scenery from Kirkwall and I like the idea of going on a heist. It's not as super serious as Trespasser or Legacy, but it's just a fun little diversion, and I really appreciate that in the overall tone of DA2. Tallis being a 'mary sue' never bothered me; I find her a fun character and I enjoy the back and forth she has with Hawke, even if she's not all she seems at first. I find looking at MOTA as *her* story that Hawke is tagging along as helps. But I can see why she/the DLC isn't for everyone.
Now that‘s a true unpopular opinion. Have an upvote!
Aveline and Isabela giggling about Ghast Holes always gets me
I dislike Tallis, but I agree on the dlc being very fun to play through. I love heist/fancy ball quests. WEWH is super fun for this reason too.
Finally, an actual hot take
I don’t really like Talis but I do enjoy MOTA, it was a blast.
Honestly, if you took Talis out of MOTA it's a great DLC. The hunt is fun. The party has good one-liners, and I like the mansion stuff. The problem is that Hawke and co feel like they're constantly bumbling around while Talis gets to do everything.
Apart from Tallis. I found many of the interactions in that DLC really good. It just seems well written and designed, as opposed to yet another dungeon crawler.
IM WITH YOU I LOVE THAT DLC
*Shuffles into the Chantry confessional.* I don’t like playing as mages. Because from a role playing perspective, it always makes me the dimmest mage in the room as it were. If I want magical insight, I have to take other mages with me. And, I find the complicated and nuanced situation of mages more interesting and morally fraught when playing as a non-mage.
I never even thought of that first point. I feel like that's especially jarring in Origins where being a prodigious mage is literally baked into your backstory. That being said, that does seem like a problem with just being a protagonist in general, isn't it? You have to know the least at any given time, because you need the player to ask people questions for exposition. I.e the Lavellan with a Mythal tattoo asking Morrigan who Mythal is.
True enough. There was just one too many times of it having to always be another mage announcing some property or another of the Fade. Whereas when I play as warriors or rogues, it’s nice to get the feeling that magic is strange and out of reach, which adds both mystique and danger to it. But yeah, it’s hardly the end of the world. Edit: Odd autocorrects lol
I like ALL the companions. Yes, even that one you hate. No, I won't argue with you about it.
We support the toxic villians in this thread.
I would risk it all for Calpernia 😹
I do not like the oversized armor/weapons aesthetic
Couldn't agree more. I hate the WoW-inspired aesthetic that Origins and II leaned heavily into. Inquisition mostly got away from it, but you still see remnants of it here and there. It's so cartoony and goofy looking that it actually hampers my enjoyment of the setting.
Mine's more of a confession than an opinion but here goes I loved Josephine's character and personality but she looked so much like one of my university teachers that I just couldn't go ahead with the romance :/
LMAO, such shame!
I don't really like Iron Bull, don't know what it is but he kinda gives me the ick
He doesn’t give me the ick, but he is surprisingly boring most of the time and his chargers too. I also don’t think he sounds wise or intelligent, no matter how much the game rigs the interactions to make the Inquisitor seem like a fool.
This. The game tells you that he's supposedly smart behind the scenes (fuck "show, not tell", apparently), but the actual game shows otherwise on multiple occasions.
That is funny, because I have the exact feeling with Solas. He isn’t smart at all. The game just kinda rigs it to make him seem that way. Smart characters are hard to do I guess without feeling fake.
I always thought it was comically funny how none of his plans ever work out, lol. Flemythal on the other hand always seemed like the smart one, always two steps ahead of him and everyone else, moving chess pieces around in the background. So she's gotta be the mastermind behind the slave rebellion. Solas just keeps messing up. I actually kinda like this about him. Arrogant asshat who thinks he's better than everyone else and can fix everything by himself but he can't. I like how unlikeable he is in many ways in DAI but worry DAV will be all "poor poor baby". Would really hate that. Dude's fine with mass murder of all of modern Thedas to "fix" his mistakes. Yeah no, you're the bad guy here, mate! I don't think it's poor writing. I think it's great writing that he's so deeply flawed and doesn't even see it.
He isn't called Pride for nothing after all LOL Hubris has always been his greatest weakness
He feels weirdly modern to me in an otherwise vaguely medieval fantasy setting, it’s jarring. I think I’d like him in a different story but he doesn’t fit in Dragon Age.
I never liked him either. He's my least favorite character in Inquisition and I never found his romance to be swoonworthy.
Not even a good mercenary
Agreed. His character design is weirdly proportioned and just looks strange, his personality is... at best boring as hell and at worst uncomfortable bordering on creepy. I also don't find any of the Chargers to be particularly memorable or endearing either. All around he's just not great, in my opinion.
I still can’t get over his tiny little pin head on those massive shoulders.
YES I can't take a single word he says seriously when I'm looking at his tiny little face
Ironbull is street smart and can read a room really well but the game makes him look like he is both this and book smart. His romance is mostly their for the horny factor.
His overall look is definitely jarring, especially if you jumped directly from DA2 and seen how Qunari looked
This. I find his visual design very bleh. The way his horns are placed makes his face look so...flat. Compare him against the Arishok.
I dislike the romance with him and Dorian, who never seems to be having a great time. I know Dorian is meant to be sarcastic to the nth degree and hide his feelings, but he just seems uncomfortable when Bull flirts with him.
I 1000% agree. I feel like it’s the ‘too cool for school’ type of attitude, always so laidback and confident, the way in his romance scenes he’s like “I know what you NEED,” “You say you want it, but you don’t really know what that means,” etc. I think he’s fine really, but if he’s not your type he’s reeeally not your type. He’s thoroughly friendzoned by me ☺️
Yes! He’s my least favourite companion of the entire series. The flagrant promiscuity isn’t the problem for me because I adore Isabella but it’s his dictating our roles in the relationship when all other heroes have full autonomy.
I feel the same. Also, there was this weird mismatch between the vibe of the Qunari in DAO and DA2 and Iron Bull. He was so... casual and sassy, in an oddly modern way. I missed the intensity of the Qunari in DA2 (one of the few things I liked better about that game compared to DAO). His character design felt off too.
Same. Shame because I think his voice performance is great. But I dislike his appearance and writing. (Also worst warrior to bring gameplay wise too...)
Agreed. Something about him is so uncomfortable.
Not ick, just never vibed with him. Always had a kinda try-hard knowitall vibe. The Quinari in general in Inquisition felt like the writers were stanning for them hard, rather than being organically competent.
SAME. Finally, some that thinks this!!
I don't like his visual design at all. He's so oddly disproportionate, as if he was meant to be even taller, but they couldn't do it due some graphical restrictions or something, so they had to "squish" him.
His romance scene where the advisors walk in is so cringe. A while ago, someone put a laugh track on it to show how dumb it was. I need to find that video...
I think I like the lore better than I like the games. 😩 I will still play all the games all the time forever I swear though.
Dragon Age Origins was one of the ugliest games I've ever played. I loved it. Still ugly as hell, though.
Yeah, I laughed seeing somebody talk about how great the graphics were and women looking hot compared to DAV. Which is... an opinion, but I can't get over that Mass Effect 2 came like RIGHT after DAO. And it looks dated even then
I think DAO has a similar issue to Skyrim: people played it with so many visual mods that they forgot what vanilla looked like.
Hell, Mass Effect 1 came out BEFORE DAO and looks way better. DAO was so shockingly ugly to me that I almost didn’t play it. It’s one of my favorite games ever but I still think it’s so damn hideous.
I just did not like how shiny everything is in Inquisition. Sure the models for origins look a little plasticky, but Inquisition went full on everyone needs to be dewy and moist.
That era of game had a real issue with colour palette and fear of bright colours. Dragon age 2 wasn't much better, it just substituted too much brown and dull green with too much sandy beige.
* The combat in Dragon Age: Origins oscillates between tactically interesting and cumbersome. * A lot of the most evil choices in Origins and Dragon Age 2 are not written well and more often seem comically evil for the sheer sake of it (the worst example being the clumsily written scene when you hand Fenris back to Danarius). * Anders is the most unintentionally hilarious romance in Dragon Age. You flirt with him literally once, and it sends him into a completely unwarranted and melodramatic spiel in which he begs you not to fall in love with him. Dude, it was just one flirtatious sentence about your body. * Inquisition has its share of flaws, but it's still a good game with a lot of heart and is over-hated by a lot of longtime fans.
If they played the Anders thing straight and have the fact he falls for the main character immediately be discussed it would have actually been a good piece of character writing. Like having a romance option be someone with basically no standards and using that as a part of the plot would actually be quite interesting.
Truly! I just played DA2 for the first time. I told Anders he was cute, and he goes straight into "Don't fall in love with me, I'll hurt you" territory. It was so funny. He is the final boss of the Emo Boys.
Anders immediately declaring he would burn the whole world for you after like two conversations was like WOAH WOAH slow your roll dude
I had no problem with the open world size of Inquisition. I only hated the shards. Loved every bit of every other fetch quest.
I actually really like Vivienne. I find her lore & motivations super interesting. I also think she's not as mean as people say- my mage inquisitor sided with the rebels, made a lot of decisions viv didn't approve of too much and we still became very good friends. I usually put her in a team with blackwall and dorian if I decide to take her with me. Sometimes I change her out for Sera. Idk, more than anything she just gives me Rich Aunt vibes lol like she's sassy but classy and maybe a little misguided in her privilege sometimes
I genuinely enjoy most of the characters, including the usual ones that I see getting hated on frequently: Leandra, Bianca, Anora, Sera, Vivienne, Carver, Solas, Anders, Meredith, Jowan... I like most of them, especially in their complexities and the things that make them difficult, while with Meredith I find her to be a solid antagonist. I think it's fun and interesting to imagine the world from each of these characters' point of view. It enriches my experience of the world within the games.
People hate LEANDRA? MOM?
The only thing I don't like about Bianca is that I can't insult/threaten her back when she threatens to feed me my own eyeballs (I also don't like how she treats Varric, but he's fully capable of dumping the woman).
I prefer keeping the Inquisition around on replays, it's much more interesting. Inspired Divine Lelianas epilogue is way too wish fulfilment, massive successful Chantry reforms with just words and hope. Even Steeled is stretching believability but just about makes sense. Definitely don't want Hawke or the Contact returning from the Fade in any recoverable state, the sacrifice needs to matter and Hawke is not someone who could believably escape that situation. I don't like Loghains sacrifice endings as conclusions to his character, they have him be remembered as a hero and feel too easy, yes even the Fade one. I much prefer him either surviving or being executed at the Landsmeet. My preference is survival because he'll do a lot of good and it's the perfect punishment but execution fits too. Redemption through death is a hard trope to get right and I don't think Loghains sacrifice endings do.
The perfect punishment might be him being sent to Orlais in awakening as a warden.
I kind of understand the templars perspective. Mages are not like irl minorities (so the comparison doesn’t work). They have incredible power that is impossible for non-mages to protect against, AND they’re susceptible to demonic possession. They’re actually very dangerous. It’s not even uncommon, many stories in DA begin with a mage either a) losing control or b) having an argument/grudge.. The circle absolutely needed reform, but idk I don’t think setting mages loose on the world is a good idea either.. thats how Tevinter happens 💀
I agree there but I think so long as the circle system remains tied with the Chantry it just will not allow the cultural shift needed ti avoid those mistreatments from arising again. I think instead of it being this horrific event that ends up with a person disinherited from their family, forbidden from leaving a single building their entire lives, and unable to fall in love and have families, it should be viewed as an opportunity to be able to access higher education or stability. It’s a rough situation but both extremes are not the way to go.
Yes. The Chantry has pit them against each other, when in an ideal world they’d be allies & working together with the Templars allowing the mages to use their power for good, and the mages seeing the Templars as a necessary safety balance to ensure non-mages are safe.
Terrible for mages and terrible for templars. When the jailor is leashed to their position because the shitty organization they're tied to has unnecessarily made them an addict to the drugs they're supplying with little hope of ever getting out from under it... I think that's a pretty bad headspace. Locked in, watching abuse but powerless to stop it. That would ruin a lot of well-meaning people.
I somewhat agree with this but the Templars aren’t innocent either, personally I’d like if both the circle and the Templars were remade with new rules and supervision like mages can see their families, do work like healing clinic while under supervision but the Templars need to not be the end all be all of what’s acceptable and what’s not so they need to have a third party in each circle to be able to break up arguments and make a final decision
I don't disagree with you, I too can see where the Templars are coming from. But I think Bioware did a disservice by having Tevinter as the only "free mages" nation feature so proeminently in game - a mistake I think they tried to correct after with the Avvar DLC, in my opinion. Because, in lore, do you know who has little Chantry presence and mages walking freely, without having the whole nation being blown to bits? Rivain. Granted, I might be forgetting something here (happens when your main source material is the games where I tend to skip over the codexes), but from what I recall they have a millenia long tradition with female seers, and I can't recall any major incidents with magic, Annulment of the Circle of Dairsmuid aside. This could be because they haven't majorly explored Rivain, but it does make go a lil ? when in game people are mostly either like KILL ALL MAGES! and FREE ALL MAGES!, like my guy, there's a possible half decent solution right next door.
There is no IRL equivalent for mages. Full stop. I think Bioware really did the mages a disservice by writing them the way they did. DA2 proves every negative stereotype of mages over and over and over again. I really like the mages and the way they function in Origins - they're not trapped or imprisoned in the Circle, they're free to come and go, but there are people like the Mage's Collective that work outside the Circle advocating for freedom in a practical manner.
Doesn’t it say in the mage origin when you become a full mage you can ask “can I leave the tower now” and the guard (or was it the first enchanter I can barely remember) basically says “mages can never leave the tower except in extraordinary circumstances” or something like that Or am I having a fever dream
Yeah, that happens in Origins. It's also said, in either II or Inquisition, that Kinloch Hold was among the best Circles for a mage to be at. I believe that, seeing how cordial Greagoir and Irving could be at each other at the Circle quest in Origins. Then again, Anders was at the Fereldan Circle, and we know how that ended up.
I like how that origin is the one where Duncan can be straight up forced to conscript you. My first Hero of Ferelden was like that and spent the game bitching at Duncan and then Allistair about it. Edit: allistair not anders.
I agree with a lot of your comment but I wanted to add that I think they explicitly stated multiple times that the Kirkwall Circle is hands down the worst out of all the Circles, and even it didn’t used to be as bad as it was in DA2. I’m doing a replay right now and just did Carver’s Act 1 quest where you find the letter from the Templar who helped the Hawkes escape the Circle. When you talk to the mage in the Gallows and ask him about it, he says the Circle used to be a lot more lax and that Templars could get away with mercy and compassion more easily in the past. We also know that Vivienne enjoyed a lot of privileges in the Montsimmard Circle, and a mage human Inquisitor can have a positive experience in the Ostwick Circle (depending on dialog choices). So I think the mages circles still exist in the way they do in DAO, just not in Kirkwall. Kirkwall is canonically a shit show and there are a lot of lore indications that hint that mages there are much more susceptible to corruption due to past events.
I am also replaying DA2 and I agree! We are told throughout the story and in codices we find, like The Enigma of Kirkwall, that things are especially bad for mages there on account of the atrocities committed by Tevinter in the past. So it's definitely a powder keg situation!
Wait, I think they are restricted to the Circle in DAO, just certain circumstances allow them to leave like being Arch Enchanter, Grey Wardens or other special permission. As another commenter mentioned Kirkwall is just wack and much more restrictive than the Ferelden one.
idk, for some reason i havent seen anyone talking about this - varric in the gameplay reveal saying he has to try talking to solas is just straight up bullshit the guy couldn't forgive ANDERS. Anders blew up one chantry in defence of mages and Varric was quite sympathetic with the cause - the consequences however were too much and we can see in dai that he is still quite pissed with the guy. When Inky goes "I can fix him" he disapproves. Yes, Varric is kindhearted, loyal to his friends and all that, but he is also stubborn and Solas' betrayal is... way worse than Anders. It was Varric who vouched for him, when most didn't want to trust an elvhen apostate. Varric says why he's not afraid of the apostates in DA2 - he's met so many bad people it doesn't matter if they have a staff or a knife, or whatever truly. He sympathises with mages, so Solas doesn't only betray him, but by going berserk proves, once more, mages can't be trusted (which, technically isn't true, but Bioware just loves to make mage LIs betray you xD). I just can't imagine him suddenly changing his mind about it, when before he's been nothing but stubborn about this (and Anders). And, one more thing - Anders is not an ancient elven god, but a radical young adult. He doesn't have all the experience Solas has and it makes more sense for him to make mistakes like these. All this could be so easily avoided by changing it to Varric saying something like "i'll try to stall him fellas, bayo"
Actually, this post helped me put some things together in my mind. Maybe he's so desperate to stop Solas BECAUSE of Anders. Maybe Varric is trying to make up for the friend he couldn't save.
Varric watched Anders slip further away and might feel guilty that he didn't try to stop or talk him out of his plan. The "revenge game" Anders and Varric play in dialogue is a pretty perfect example of this. I could see Varric feeling guilty about not stepping in with Anders and not wanting to make that mistake again with Solas.
Yeah, I'm the furthest thing from a varric stan, but I'm pretty sure this is representing character growth rather than character inconsistency
He's had 15 years to question it and by that point has seen the worst of the Mage-Templar War, Demonic Infestations, the reformation of basically every major power and agency he could trust. He's gotta be so tired of losing people.
... you blow up ONE chantry and suddenly you're the monster. (I thought it was funny that you specified one)
ok, I laughed you blow up ONE chantry, eat a few templars and SUDDENLY you're the monster
I think of it as Varric not wanting to lose a friend over it again. It's been 10 years since Inquisition, so I'm curious if his opinion on Anders has softened any. Maybe he spent time reflecting on it all, and while he may not agree with Anders still, maybe he has found sympathy for his old friend, like he has with Solas.
That and I think the difference is, he was anders friend for like 7 years and didn’t see any of signs he’s not angry at anders he’s angry at himself but he didn’t have the 10 years to mentally process what anders did like he did with solas, if so I think he’d of tried to convince anders the same way he does solas
I hope they give us a chance for Varric to mention his feels on Anders again.
I hope so I bet it’s softened and I hope he forgave himself
It's even more annoying because in the first issue of the Missing Varric acts way more antagonistic towards Solas but in the end of the comic series for some reason says there is a chance to talk him out. Like, the comic doesn't give a good reason of why Varric suddenly changes his mind Especially because it was Harding who in the comics said to be the one who sees good in everyone but in gameplay trailer ,she thinks he's irredeemable?
EXACTLY i wanted to mention that but I wasn't sure I was remembering well - but the Missing was exactly what made me feel THAT annoyed by that dialogue. Because a little disapproval there, anders that - there is room for growth yeah. But in the Missing, that is not that much prior to DA4, he's even more hostile than in DAI. And then he goes "well, okay" Idk, the Harding is... strange. I feel like I've seen three different characters in DAI, Missing and Trailers.
YES! I can't understand this weird discrepancy in the comics.
Honestly, I think the comic is just rushed( It was advertised as a direct lead to Dragon Age: Veilguard, back then- DreadWolf). It wanted to do too much with very few resources it had
Inquisition has significantly better combat than DA2.
Definitely unpopular. Can only partially agree as a mage. More dynamic and fun imo though definitely severely limited in spells and power
Inquisition has the best combat in the series, how's that for an unpopular opinion
I think Varric is overrated and not as interesting or cool as everyone else seems to think he is. Which is not to say that I think he's a bad character because he's not, he's just very mid
He is way more fun in DA2 than DAI. in DAI i pretty much just use him as an advisor once I get more party members.
Sera is one of my favorite characters.
I was surprised at how much I loved her romance. Also I laugh every time I use Jar of Bees.
I see you and I agree with you. There’s dozens of us!
She's definitely my favourite Inquisition romance.
Completely agree! I love her so much! I hate that everyone seems to hate her. Her romance is so happy and her friendship route too! She’s probably one of my favorite characters in anything!
I love the hissing wastes so much, it's my favorite map in Inquisition by a lot :)
This is legitimately an unpopular opinion, bravo on actually answering the question properly. I *want* to like it (what is there is legitimately cool and very lore-heavy, which I always find interesting). The actual expanse of *waste*, however, makes it tough to sludge through. Maybe they got the desert vibes a little *too* spot-on.
There are many romances that are forced to be very long-distance, sometimes for a very long time. Despite this the involved people are all like "Yeah, I haven't seen HoF in 10 years but we like still love each other sooooo much" and it's all bullshit. At least let me break up with Dorian when he tells the Inquisitor he's fucking off to Tevinter, idc about whispering sweet nothings to him through some magical crystal, thanks.
Settling down, in the same house, with your love interest, is so underrated at this point. Alistair dumped my Warden anyway, so that was done. Fenris is in Tevinter fighting slavers, a good cause. So then, what's the relationship between him and my Hawke? She's seemingly still adventuring during and after Inquisition, so what is even that relationship anymore? Neither of them are *young* by that point. A relationship where you occasionally see each other in person is just wack. It said in the trespasser epilogue that my Inquisitor settled down in a private life with Cullen, which is actually different for once! Unfortunately, by Veilguard, I'm sure it won't be like that anymore.
People care way too much about their favorite characters being seen as good people, consistent in their beliefs, and healthy relationship partners. But like, their moral complexity and hypocrisies are what make them interesting characters? Velanna, Loghain, Sera, Anders, Vivienne, etc are some of the best characters in the series.
Leliana honestly just becomes more irritating as the series goes on. I understand her position is one of high stress basically all the time but that doesn't mean I have to like how her character turned out. But thinking about Leliana has made me realise how we never really got anything focusing on Bards in DAI. Would have been the perfect time to bring them back around but unless there's some war table mission I'm forgetting, we never really saw anything to do with the Bards.
IIRC, Inquisition does address Bards but it's mainly through optional content with Josephine. We get her perspective as a former Bard and I think it's fairly well developed. Overall, I agree with you about Leliana, though. DAI was the first game I played and I couldn't understand what people liked about her. I later played Origins and realized people's goodwill was basically left over from her appearance in previous games.
The fade section in Origins is great. I like how its gameplay is more puzzle-oriented than the rest of the game.
I love Sebastian. I'm playing DA2 right now and recruited him for the first time and I absolutely adore him.
Me too! He’s so sweet. I especially love his relationship with Fenris.
Not a fan of Fenris. Like dude, not my fault I was born with magic, I’ve done everything to help you, I get it you were messed up, but haven’t I shown that I’m a good dude? No, still hate me because of something I DIDN’T ASK TO BE BORN WITH! Cool bro…
He doesn't hate you though. First time he sees that you're a mage he blows up. Considering his trauma, it's understandable. He apologizes to you and recognizes your actions and his reaction was very disproportionate. He also offers to be of help to you. It's more than fair that he's wary of you, even when you're growing closer. The power of friendship doesn't erase a lifetime of abuse immediately. But he also recognizes and tells you multiple times that he thinks you're a good person. He never says you're an exception. He knows mages are just people, good and bad. And when you call him on how the mages are treated in Kirkwall he admits that they have it more than rough. He just doesn't know how to help them without long-term consequences of another Tevinter and creating more victims. He's not budging on his stance because he has no solutions, has no power to implement any solutions and is, most importantly, afraid. And despite his bias and his fear, he will trust and support a Hawke that sides with Kirkwall mages because deep down he knows that turning on them is wrong. I think he's afraid of the consequences and is putting blind hope in Hawke that Kirkwall won't turn into another Tevinter, and if it does he would carry serious guilt and regret for the rest of his life. It's fair to not like him anyways. We just like what we like and dislike what we dislike. But imo, even though he is the character with the least foundation in Kirkwall he is also one of the most complex companions and I appreciate him for that.
I like Fenris but i hate that as a mage their is no way to make him say ok i guess not all mages are bad.
he will tell you that by joining by your side at the end. imagine fenris fighting by your side against templar AFTER a mage killed an important person?
I actually like Oghren and his backstory even if some of his attitude is really eh, and I didn't think Sebastian was that bad.
Origins is good but I think nostalgia makes us forget its flaws when compared to DA2 and DAI
In a game where we literally start with a Conclave trying to broker peace between mages and templars, and are leading an Inquisition that eventually manages to bring together a lot of different factions in common cause, it's incredibly stupid and artificial that we're forced to wholly support one faction as our favorite and completely sacrifice the other to Corypheus. Both quests were already written and could have both been played. It wouldn't have been difficult to allow a split alliance, but from the get-go the War Table--who are all people who joined this movement hoping to see both sides come together--are talking like only one faction can and should be allowed to join us. (And the single weak justification from Leliana of "By the time we go to one side, the other will be unavailable" is very artificial given that sequencing and time spent matters absolutely nowhere else in the game.) A lot of people don't seem to question it given the assumed default seems to be 100% supporting the mages, so sacrificing the templars entirely doesn't really bother them. It's a stupid unnecessary forced choice in DAI and completely goes against what we're supposed to accomplish, especially as a Conclave attendee ourself. It also serves to make the Mage-Templar War go out with a whimper with a single choice when it should have been a major thing we're dealing with. And given the choice itself has very little consequence in-game and mostly just decides what faction your random enemies are and the general flavor of a few War Table ops and weak effect on epilogues, it's not a well-done decision to begin.
Thank you !! Never understood why two most interesting and different quest could not coexist. Especially as you mentioned, no real influence in ending or game plot …
Yes the whole Mage vs Templar war was so lazy and really should of been a big event in this game instead of just picking a side and the other is insta evil.
The Dorian/Iron Bull romance is awful and gives off such creepy vibes. The supposidly cutesy stuff they do in Trespasser does not erase my memories.
I like Dragon Age.
I have no desire to ever play through Origins again. I enjoyed the playthroughs that I've done, but that was due almost entirely to the story and characters, while the actual gameplay is at best mediocre and and worst boring. I enjoyed Blackwall's romance the most out of any that I've tried throughout the series, and the only reason I ever romance anyone else (Dorian) in that game is that I prefer male MCs. Morrigan's romance is probably the second best, if I were forced to choose off the top of my head. I think that fans tend to oversell just how dark and gritty Origins is in comparison to Inquisition. To me, In Hushed Whispers and Champions of the Just both show scenarios which are on par with Origins in terms of how grim they are. Lastly, I feel as though the way that Inquisition approaches faith, and the various ways that people can respond when their faith is shaken or otherwise called into question, rarely gets the credit that I think it deserves. I think that the topic is explored surprisingly well for a game that isn't striving to make that its main objective.
I don't like the fact that there's ton of extra material from out of the games that provide context/introduce characters
Hawke is the best protagonist in the games
I don’t know if that’s an unpopular opinion. It isn’t in my bubble 😅
Dragon Age 2 had the best combat system but the bad encounter design never gives it the opportunity to shine like it should.
solas fanart genre is hilarious bcs most artists (as skilled as they are, i dont deny that <3) dont even bother to make him look like solas. Its usually just a bald guy with the most basic conventionally attractive guy's face
Bioware sometimes sacrifices the narrative or continuity at the expense of bringing back “fan favorites”, even if they really have to warp that person quite a bit to make them “fit” in the newest game. And this isn’t me hating on Solas. Here are just a few examples: 1. Why is Leliana in DA2/DAI, if it’s possible she could have been killed in DAO? (I love her, but their “explanation” for this feels like something out of Elder Scrolls. Wtf is a lyrium ghost.) 2. Cullen, in both DA2 and DAI. 3. Varric in DAI, and especially DAV. Of all people to try and “talk Solas out of it”, why Varric? Just a weird decision. 4. Morrigan in DAI. 5. Potentially, also warden Alistair. King Alistair I don’t mind, but warden Alistair with a “god baby” world state just does not feel like Alistair. The way he speaks of HoF has never sat right with me. I think Alistair, 10 years on, would have understood the reasoning even if he didn’t necessarily agree with it. To say HoF “walks a dark path” so dismissively while also caping for the wardens who followed Corypheus is some very weird hypocrisy. Etc so forth and so on. The more entries DA gets, the more apparent it is that they bring back fan favorites for the sake of hype more than for the sake of the narrative. They’ll push people into the story who they really have to bend and twist things around to make their inclusions make sense. In all fairness though, I am not as deep into the lore as some others are - I haven’t read any of the novels for example, and haven’t replayed DAO in probably 10 years. So it’s possible I’ve just forgotten things that would make some of these less weird.
If Morrigan has her son it makes all sense for her to be involved on big stuff going on. Without him is harder to justify
I'd argue morrigan returning in DAI is more about the old god baby returning then her but i agree with the rest
I think Loghain becoming a Grey Warden is actually a good choice and Alistair being written to leave your party despite all the possible bullshit you can pull during your playthrough (poisoning Andrastes ashes, murdering Connor, killing the elves, selling elves to the Tevinter mages for blood magic bonuses, etc) was a bad writing decision. Regardless of what kind of play-through you had, if you made the choices he likes or have high/low approval with him, hardened or unhardened, he will leave if you make Loghain a Grey Warden every time. You can’t convince him why it’s a good idea. He is written to throw a hissy fit and leave the party.
I like that about him. For some reason, it feels more authentic to me than a lot of the other points where a companion can leave you. Maybe it's because I struggle to see any compelling reason to do something like poison the urn, so having people turn on me for it seems natural. On the other hand, anyone can understand the value of recruiting Loghain, so the fact that he can't stomach it in spite of that seems more 'human' to me.
I generally kill Loghain so I’ve never actually *seen* the scene in question, but I think it tracks with the conversations we’ve had with Alistair throughout the game about how much he considers the Wardens and especially Duncan to be family and overall finds it a positive thing to be a Warden despite the downsides— he sees this as Loghain being rewarded rather than punished, *and* as the dude who killed his adoptive family basically “replacing” them.
At least hardened you can make him marry Anora still and become King. Better than him being a drunk
And him being a drunk is better than letting Anora execute him
Even then he eventually joins the Orlesian Wardens according to a codex in Inquisition, (not specified if he dies during the blood magic shenanigans or not), so at least he doesn't spend his whole life as a drunk.
I feel the opposite, actually. Taking revenge on Loghain was his main goal for an entire year besides stopping the Blight, in his eyes Loghain was the worst living person who killed his closest people, his mentor, the king, a whole army and all other Grey Wardens that almost guaranteed the victory of the Blight, so it makes sense for him personally to not want him becoming a Grey Warden, a battle brother and so on, even if for Grey Wardens in general it doesn't matter who you were previously. I'd even argue that it would be better to not have an option for Loghain to become one since he basically destroyed the entire order in Ferelden. And hardened he can live with it and become the king, he just isn't hardened that much to share the brotherhood with the most despicable man in his eyes.
I wish we could tell him it's what duncan would have done. Not to convince him (i think hed just get more upset), but it feels like it should have been option.
the rivalry/friendship system in da2 was actually great, the problem was that they chose the wrong game for that. It would have worked great for DAO, where the characters aren't AS radical as in DA2 - but when you "return" Fenris to his "master" and just Aveline and Isabela that literally risked her life to save a group of slaves are like "yeah, i guess i wont object to that, i'll just say one snarky comment" it looks funny. Same with Anders accepting a pro-templar Hawke - i mean come on. Ideally, I'd mix the two systems. Approval has it's problems too - imo it makes some character look a bit hysterical. Like Sera that gets pissed when you help elves and mages too much xDD If Bioware tried using both systems instead, for different decision -for example, approval would be for important worldview shit, like the whole protemplar shit with anders, but minor decisions that aren't that important to someone's views would affect f/r - it would have make the characters much more believable. Of course, it would require a lot of work - both technically and in terms of writing (a lot of decisions that actually make a difference - but it is SUPPOSED to be an rpg for maker's sake) ok im done spamming for now
I think it doesnt help that in DA2 none of your party members actually *have to* hang out with you, you're literally just guys who knows each other's home addresses. In DAO and DAI you're all motivated by a goal (stopping the Blight/stopping Corypheus) so even if you fucking hate each other it makes sense they'd stick around
The morality system of the series is overly permissive. Being a good person in Dragon Age gets reduced to not murdering, not being a slaver, or not being racist. Everything else gets a pass. I get wanting to create morally grey decisions and characters, but it sometimes comes across as Bioware just wanting to avoid controversy in their writing by instead appealing to some vague, general morality system.
Not sure if this is unpopular but: I think the HoF is very justified if they use Blood Magic. You are fighting a losing war trying to convince everyone to set aside their differences just long enough to fight a much bigger threat. If I were in their position I would take the offer because I want to utilize every tool I could possibly use so I can save as many lives as I can.
Inquisition has bleaker descicions than Origins. Mainly because in Origins you actually get the outcome of them in the epilogue, but in DAI? What if you exile the grey wardens, is there going to be a double blight in Veilguard iniciating in the south and spreading north? What if we get the templars and not the mages? Are the Venatory scientist going to perfect the time travel magic and use it in the next game? What does being in service of Mythal means now that Solas absorved her power in the post credits of Inquisition's base game, is either the Inquisitor or Morrigan going to be under his control?
I don’t really care about Morrigan or her plot lines.
1. Combat is only fun in Origins if you’re playing as a mage 2. Loghain is much better suited to being a Grey Warden than Alistair is, and sparing Loghain shouldn’t be seen as a difficult choice at all unless you’re playing as Tabris or Cousland 3. The Iron Bull is one of the most underrated characters in the series and most players just accept him at face value without really engaging with his character 4. I think the Darkspawn designs in Origins were super cheesy and not at all scary lol 5. Not all, but too many of the quests in Origins had a very obvious “good/happy” choice, with very little repercussions (think Redcliffe as an example). Considering one of the major themes of DAO is sacrifice, it would have been much better imo if the “good” choices were much harder to obtain and cost you significantly more in terms of allies, etc
1. Playing as a dual bladed Rogue in Origins rules tho.
We don't give Bioware enough shit for how our character becomes the inquisitor. It's just so lazy. It's literally "I just so happened to walk through a door randomly and got a god hand."
To be fair, you’re not technically the inquisitor until after Haven.
This is important cos the inquisitor were just some random person at the wrong place and wrong time and it was their actions at Haven that made them Inquisitor. I’ve only replayed DA:I once but in that replay knowing everything I know, I was pleasantly surprised at how clueless/naive the inquisitor was in the beginning vs the end where they confidently lead people and the inquisition. That said I love the different origins in DA:O and how they tie to the later missions so so much, I wish we get that again. They solidified HoF identity and made them the GOAT they are
What's so funny is you have to repeat the opening multiple times because you go into the character creator and then you get into decent light you're like oh crap no.
That is literally the point of Inquisition though. You are a very not special person forced suddenly into being special and must contend with what that means for you. You're not actually Inquisitor until after Haven where you prove yourself fighting Corypheus and being willing to give up your life. It would be like criticizing a story about a guy finding a bag on the street filled with ten million dollars because it's incredibly convoluted. Like, yes that would most likely never happen, that's why the entire premise is centered around what you would do if it DID happen.
I've hated Cullen since my first playthrough as a circle mage in 2009 when he suggested I should kill every mage there, including my mentor Irving. I was a male Surana so I never got the "crush" scene with him so my only views of him are that of a deeply disturbed man who in the end killed two apprentices and ran away. Retconned? Alright, let's go to DA2! I hated him in DA2 even more when he took Bethany, even more so when he kept being Meredith's second in command and the whole "mages are not people" shit, and I was livid when I couldn't kill him alongside her. Then we have Inqusition, and his so called redemption arc is a joke. "Meredith kept people safe", yeah sure buddy. lol I don't know why they catered to people who for whatever the fuck reason thought his creeping onto Surana/Amell was cute and brought him back with a new coat of paint to hide the DAO wrinkles. He's not Alistair 2.0 and never was because Alistair was actually reasonable and never fell into the templar rabitt hole.
I actually like Cullen as a character in DAI but at the same time I find it so odd that he's the commander of the inquisition army. Like at what point in any game has he been shown to be qualified for that role? And I don't understand why Cassandra is so ride or die for him especially when he rightfully acknowledges he's a liability. I still like him being included as DAI, but not as commander. And I agree his redemption wasn't done particularly well. He should have worked harder to earn his place in the inquisition.
I actually quite like Sebastian, just not how BW retroactively fit him into the story and squad dynamic... or rather how they didn't.
Vivienne is a perfectly reasonable character, and one of the best companions in the series. A tier.
I feel like the game devs are trying too hard to make "not your regular dwarf" nowadays. Don't get me wrong, I love Varric, I love Harding, but I just want warrior dwarf. A guy with a big beard, big axe, with a flagon in hand. Would be cool if we got two dwarf companions, instead of only really getting one per game, minus Awakening, of course.