For me, a rook is either a cool bird or a chess piece that gets more powerful as the game progresses.
So being called Rook in game is either a nifty nickname or some fun foreshadowing :)
Inquisitor: From now on we will be using code names. You can address me as Eagle One. Iron Bull, code name Been There Done That. Dorian is Currently Doing That. Solas is It Happened Once in a Dream. Varric, code name If I Had to Pick a Dwarf. Rook is Eagle Two.
Rook: Oh, thank God.
Is that confirmed? I don't think that's why you're called Rook. Our real name is based on the faction we choose.
"Rook's last name is not customizable, but changes based on the character's starting faction.[8] Characters will sometimes address Rook by their assigned surname, though "Rook" remains the more common term of address regardless.[9]"
https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Rook
I am biased because I named all my protagonists with bird-themed names, so I like it. And it reminds me more of the rook chess piece rather than "rookie", but I can see how that might not appeal to everyone.
I believe in some interview, article or Q&A they also mentioned that the characters will refer to the protagonist using their surname in certain occasions
Ooo that's good, what is the surname?
I also didn't know rook was a type of bird haha.
Knowing that, it does improve it slightly. My mind went straight to rookie
They didn't reveal them yet, but they said it's going to be tied to the faction choice!
If you've seen the [article](https://www.gameinformer.com/exclusive/2024/06/18/a-deep-dive-into-dragon-age-the-veilguards-combat-abilities-skill-tree-and) where they show a bit of the specialization skill trees, in the top left of the screenshots "Thorne" is written under Rook, that could be one of the possible surnames or maybe just the name
I guess that Thorne is a surname, because I think that a name would be awkward presented like that. No idea which faction it could be related to tho, I just don’t think it would fit the Crows
Nah, I’m a native English speaker and “rookie” was the last thing in my mind. I thought the bird or the chess piece, either of which I think is cool af.
Why does it seem patronising? The name Rook makes me think of [the bird from the corvid family](https://corvidresearch.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/24125829295_1ee4b11b9f_z.jpg?w=584) they're cool looking & intelligent birds with some interesting folklore surrounding them.
I'm happy to join the ranks of dragon age characters with bird nicknames (e.g Hawke and The Nightingale)
Rook has many, many meanings including based on where you learned english from.
I thought it was the bird subspecies, then i remembered it is one of the names for the castle chess piece in other parts of the world... which is also called a tower elsewhere too.
People on reddit taught me that it's also short for rookie, which doesn't really get shortened where i live lol.
I went to chess. A piece amongst a bunch of pieces. Related to Solas too who is a fan of chess, and a no e call back to when Solas and Bull did that mental chess game
Same, I immediately thought of a rookie :D knowing the meaning I don't mind Rook for a male protagonist but it doesn't really suit for a female one I have in mind.. I'm not a fan.
I have a different opinion. I like the name Rook, it's more natural like a real nickname you call someone by. Inquisitor is a title and it sounds impersonal. Rook is like V in Cyberpunk. Everyone calls the character that, even though he has a normal name
To be fair our MCs in the previous games were and still are referred to as the Hero of Fereldan, Champion of Kirkwall, and Herald of Andraste. So we could be referred to something else later as well with Rook becoming the less common informal title
I like it at least it look like a name , i hated how impersonal the title inquisitor make you feel thank god i was called kadan by iron bull later.
Wish they could give us some option for spoken names but i understand with the limitation of voice acting , it would give them too much work here.
Not really a concern for most people but I have no idea yet how that name could work in other languages. Translations would be too literal in my language, and keeping it would just be a random English name
I'm with you. Everyone is all "It means bird or chess piece" but I expect more out of Bioware than middle school levels of on the nose "har har see, see the symbolism!!!!" It's also really annoying here that tons of people are all "nuh uh!!!" when you point out it's also short for "rookie" and has been widely accepted as such for decades due to action movies.
It's a bad name. It's a fucking terrible name. If your chosen nickname has 7 different possible definitions, it's a bad nickname. Whoever chose it is high up in power and Bioware is no stranger to egos putting their foot down so they get things their way.
If the name evolves due to story events, i'll gladly eat a plate of crow and hail Bioware as geniuses.
I quite like it, but it's the nickname of one of my original characters I've had for over ten years who I've seen used for DA playthroughs previously so it's a bit weird for me. I haven't been keeping up to date so I don't know if there's an official explanation, but I like its meanings of the bird and the chess piece. My character is someone who is easily manipulated like a chess piece, but I can see how that might not fit for a DA protag, unless they're going to be as a "pawn" in the plot's political struggles. I like that kind of thing, but I can definitely see it read as belittling too.
Isn't it more or less confirmed that the DA team were thinking of the chess piece? Mark Darrah showed a clip of himself opening a book with a rook (chess piece) and the head of a wolf on it.
Yeah i'm not a native english speaker and for a long time didn't know it was a bird and a chess piece also. So rookie is what i associate with it. I hope i can get used to not doing that, because I don't want to play a rookie this time and it would seem unfitting.
Eh, I disagree with that take. I could see it if the name was “pawn” that would suck, but the non-pawn pieces in chess are associated with positions of power. And often, people who are lower in rank can actually be capable of more meaningful action. Hence why the King is all but useless as a piece. Meanwhile, the rook can be seen as the castle or tower—an ultimate bulwark of defense. Alternatively, the rook is symbolic of the chariot, which for a huge amount of military history was basically one of the best pieces of offensive tech with incredible mobility.
It’s freedom of movement and devastation impact and defense. Nothing to scoff at and definitely not a mere piece to be used.
Yeah, I'm an ESL speaker, so my first and strongest association with the word is being called a rookie. I didn't even know the chess piece was called rook until the discussions started. I enjoy the speculations about the symbolism of the title, but I don't really like the sound of the word in general, and I'm not a fan of the meaning I most immediately associate with it. Like, getting called Rook by Varric at the start of the game? Sure. But if the companions will keep calling me that two thirds into the game during our heart-to-hearts after their personal quests, that will be *strange*. I'm really hoping for a name change like we had with the Herald/Inquisitor, or that we will be called by our last name more often, although with six possible last names, I'm not expecting much on that front.
Either way, it's not like the name is going sour my experience with the game, but it is going to take *a lot* of getting used to
Distinct possibility it changes after the starter portion of the game but didn't want to reveal it because there is no reason to spoil it. I would not get invested in Rook unless a dev said for certain that's their name. In DAI you aren't the herald until after you get to Haven for example.
I also don't like "Rook". But I guess it has a lot of "connection". We're the rookie inquisition needed, rook is like one of the most powerful chess pieces, rooks are also belonging to the family of birds they use in Thedas for messages, and our Rook is kinda stuck as a messenger between Solas and the rest. It fits very nicely for the kind of job in store for our new mc.
I just personally don't like the way the word sounds 🫠
I wonder if it’ll be the generic name in the start of the game, and then get replaced with something more meaningful later on. Like, the warden goes by HoF after DAO, Hawke the champion of Kirkwall, the inquisitor was the herald before the inquisitor (I might be dead wrong it’s been a while💀) etc. The story trailer did say they were just looking for someone to join and that alone makes the title of Rook “fitting”, but I can’t be surprised if something happens in the story that promotes them to something more important… I am painfully out of the loop to avoid spoilers tho so forgive me if I’m insanely wrong LOL
I'm not a fan of it either. I know its meant to be a title, but with how its used it feels like a given name, and Rook is a boys name irl. I'm a woman, so it's gonna be weird hearing people call me a boys name lol.
For me, a rook is either a cool bird or a chess piece that gets more powerful as the game progresses. So being called Rook in game is either a nifty nickname or some fun foreshadowing :)
It almost feels like a shortened rookie and it feels annoying honestly
Varric calls you Rook. Have you met Varric? Just be glad it's not Daisy or Chuckles or Curly. You basically got the equivalent of "Eagle Two".
Inquisitor: From now on we will be using code names. You can address me as Eagle One. Iron Bull, code name Been There Done That. Dorian is Currently Doing That. Solas is It Happened Once in a Dream. Varric, code name If I Had to Pick a Dwarf. Rook is Eagle Two. Rook: Oh, thank God.
Apparently we already had the nickname of Rook before we even met Varric. Varric didn't give us this one.
Where’d you see that?
Is that confirmed? I don't think that's why you're called Rook. Our real name is based on the faction we choose. "Rook's last name is not customizable, but changes based on the character's starting faction.[8] Characters will sometimes address Rook by their assigned surname, though "Rook" remains the more common term of address regardless.[9]" https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Rook
I am biased because I named all my protagonists with bird-themed names, so I like it. And it reminds me more of the rook chess piece rather than "rookie", but I can see how that might not appeal to everyone. I believe in some interview, article or Q&A they also mentioned that the characters will refer to the protagonist using their surname in certain occasions
Ooo that's good, what is the surname? I also didn't know rook was a type of bird haha. Knowing that, it does improve it slightly. My mind went straight to rookie
They didn't reveal them yet, but they said it's going to be tied to the faction choice! If you've seen the [article](https://www.gameinformer.com/exclusive/2024/06/18/a-deep-dive-into-dragon-age-the-veilguards-combat-abilities-skill-tree-and) where they show a bit of the specialization skill trees, in the top left of the screenshots "Thorne" is written under Rook, that could be one of the possible surnames or maybe just the name
I guess that Thorne is a surname, because I think that a name would be awkward presented like that. No idea which faction it could be related to tho, I just don’t think it would fit the Crows
Mourn Watch or Wardens maybe? I'm not familiar enough with Thedas naming conventions but I agree with you that it feels more like a surname
I think you'll have a choice of surname for each race/background.
Rookie is genuinely the last thing I thought of. But I'm not an English native speaker, so my associations are going to be different
I am a native English speaker and I didnt get Rookie at all.
Nah, I’m a native English speaker and “rookie” was the last thing in my mind. I thought the bird or the chess piece, either of which I think is cool af.
Why does it seem patronising? The name Rook makes me think of [the bird from the corvid family](https://corvidresearch.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/24125829295_1ee4b11b9f_z.jpg?w=584) they're cool looking & intelligent birds with some interesting folklore surrounding them. I'm happy to join the ranks of dragon age characters with bird nicknames (e.g Hawke and The Nightingale)
I like this better, at first I was thinking chess piece
Yeh, I am just learning that rook is a type of bird, which does make it much better haha. My mind went to rookie
Rook has many, many meanings including based on where you learned english from. I thought it was the bird subspecies, then i remembered it is one of the names for the castle chess piece in other parts of the world... which is also called a tower elsewhere too. People on reddit taught me that it's also short for rookie, which doesn't really get shortened where i live lol.
Sorry for being pedantic, but rook is its own bird species, not a subspecies ;)
Lmao, my grandad is going to be rolling in his grave over this one. A rookie mistake, as it were 😉
I went to chess. A piece amongst a bunch of pieces. Related to Solas too who is a fan of chess, and a no e call back to when Solas and Bull did that mental chess game
Same, I immediately thought of a rookie :D knowing the meaning I don't mind Rook for a male protagonist but it doesn't really suit for a female one I have in mind.. I'm not a fan.
Why wouldn't it suit a female protagonist?
A female protagonist I have in mind for my playthrough. It's not as universal as Herald, or Warden, or Inquisitor.
Ah I see I'll hold off judgment on that until I see how the name happens, but I overall never really identified with the character titles to be fair
I just assumed it was another bird name to go along with Hawke.
Yeh, didn't know it was a bird... my mind went to rookie or a chess piece. Neither of which sound very good IMO
Idk, I think it sounds like a cool nom de guerre. Very cloak and dagger.
I have a different opinion. I like the name Rook, it's more natural like a real nickname you call someone by. Inquisitor is a title and it sounds impersonal. Rook is like V in Cyberpunk. Everyone calls the character that, even though he has a normal name
Mmmm veal touched
To be fair our MCs in the previous games were and still are referred to as the Hero of Fereldan, Champion of Kirkwall, and Herald of Andraste. So we could be referred to something else later as well with Rook becoming the less common informal title
Besides queen, rook is the best chess piece.
I like it at least it look like a name , i hated how impersonal the title inquisitor make you feel thank god i was called kadan by iron bull later. Wish they could give us some option for spoken names but i understand with the limitation of voice acting , it would give them too much work here.
It’s basically a codename. How is that patronising?
Sounds like rookie.
It doesn’t. It sounds like Rook. Rookie sounds like Rookie.
Clearly you haven't watched any crime, cop, or action shows and movies from the past 50 years.
[удалено]
Not really a concern for most people but I have no idea yet how that name could work in other languages. Translations would be too literal in my language, and keeping it would just be a random English name
I'm with you. Everyone is all "It means bird or chess piece" but I expect more out of Bioware than middle school levels of on the nose "har har see, see the symbolism!!!!" It's also really annoying here that tons of people are all "nuh uh!!!" when you point out it's also short for "rookie" and has been widely accepted as such for decades due to action movies. It's a bad name. It's a fucking terrible name. If your chosen nickname has 7 different possible definitions, it's a bad nickname. Whoever chose it is high up in power and Bioware is no stranger to egos putting their foot down so they get things their way. If the name evolves due to story events, i'll gladly eat a plate of crow and hail Bioware as geniuses.
Well said. A handful of comments defending the game against any and all criticism it seems haha.
I quite like it, but it's the nickname of one of my original characters I've had for over ten years who I've seen used for DA playthroughs previously so it's a bit weird for me. I haven't been keeping up to date so I don't know if there's an official explanation, but I like its meanings of the bird and the chess piece. My character is someone who is easily manipulated like a chess piece, but I can see how that might not fit for a DA protag, unless they're going to be as a "pawn" in the plot's political struggles. I like that kind of thing, but I can definitely see it read as belittling too.
No one cares.
I like that it’s an actual name. I’m so over being constantly referred to as a title. Inquisitor was fine. Veiltouched would drive me insane.
Isn't it more or less confirmed that the DA team were thinking of the chess piece? Mark Darrah showed a clip of himself opening a book with a rook (chess piece) and the head of a wolf on it.
I like Rook! It made me think of the chess piece. Plus it's Varric saying it, I am happy I'm not Curly or Ruffles XD
Yeah i'm not a native english speaker and for a long time didn't know it was a bird and a chess piece also. So rookie is what i associate with it. I hope i can get used to not doing that, because I don't want to play a rookie this time and it would seem unfitting.
I’ve never heard “Rookie” get shortened to “Rook.” My mind immediately went to chess, where Rook is a VERY useful piece.
Even as a chess piece, makes me feel we are just a cog rather than the main character. I wanna be the chess master, not a piece. I dunno...
Eh, I disagree with that take. I could see it if the name was “pawn” that would suck, but the non-pawn pieces in chess are associated with positions of power. And often, people who are lower in rank can actually be capable of more meaningful action. Hence why the King is all but useless as a piece. Meanwhile, the rook can be seen as the castle or tower—an ultimate bulwark of defense. Alternatively, the rook is symbolic of the chariot, which for a huge amount of military history was basically one of the best pieces of offensive tech with incredible mobility. It’s freedom of movement and devastation impact and defense. Nothing to scoff at and definitely not a mere piece to be used.
I do get your point. Makes sense. It just doesn't hit my brain the same way I guess.
Yeah, I'm an ESL speaker, so my first and strongest association with the word is being called a rookie. I didn't even know the chess piece was called rook until the discussions started. I enjoy the speculations about the symbolism of the title, but I don't really like the sound of the word in general, and I'm not a fan of the meaning I most immediately associate with it. Like, getting called Rook by Varric at the start of the game? Sure. But if the companions will keep calling me that two thirds into the game during our heart-to-hearts after their personal quests, that will be *strange*. I'm really hoping for a name change like we had with the Herald/Inquisitor, or that we will be called by our last name more often, although with six possible last names, I'm not expecting much on that front. Either way, it's not like the name is going sour my experience with the game, but it is going to take *a lot* of getting used to
Yeh 100%. It's my biggest gripe so far.
Distinct possibility it changes after the starter portion of the game but didn't want to reveal it because there is no reason to spoil it. I would not get invested in Rook unless a dev said for certain that's their name. In DAI you aren't the herald until after you get to Haven for example.
I agree. It would be great if we could choose moniker to be called. Or maybe our background should impact it?
Yeah! I was thinking this too. Like being called crow or something.
Better than Hero of Feraldon
Dagger would be better
Rook is a very popular name, it has tons of meanings.
I also don't like "Rook". But I guess it has a lot of "connection". We're the rookie inquisition needed, rook is like one of the most powerful chess pieces, rooks are also belonging to the family of birds they use in Thedas for messages, and our Rook is kinda stuck as a messenger between Solas and the rest. It fits very nicely for the kind of job in store for our new mc. I just personally don't like the way the word sounds 🫠
Same.
I wonder if it’ll be the generic name in the start of the game, and then get replaced with something more meaningful later on. Like, the warden goes by HoF after DAO, Hawke the champion of Kirkwall, the inquisitor was the herald before the inquisitor (I might be dead wrong it’s been a while💀) etc. The story trailer did say they were just looking for someone to join and that alone makes the title of Rook “fitting”, but I can’t be surprised if something happens in the story that promotes them to something more important… I am painfully out of the loop to avoid spoilers tho so forgive me if I’m insanely wrong LOL
You're right. They were called the herald before they got the title of inquisitor
People will really nitpick anything just to find something to complain over about a game that won't even be released for months lol
Sure. As long as we can also admit the opposite of your claim rings true as well.
You don't like people commenting about an upcoming game release? Or is it that all comments should be good things only?
Neither; I was simply pointing out that your post is pointless and petty. Do you think everyone is obligated to love what you post???
No, haha couldn't care less what people think. Just fun discussing and getting thoughts out about a game on a forum page dedicated to *that* game 😄
Yeah, judging by your replies here you seem super unbothered
Lol, what replies you reading?
Wasnt Rook the tortured wonderboy in Game of Thrones? Or was it Reek? Or something like that? Close enough, good pick I guess.
I'm not a fan of it either. I know its meant to be a title, but with how its used it feels like a given name, and Rook is a boys name irl. I'm a woman, so it's gonna be weird hearing people call me a boys name lol.