#Rooks companions are intriguing | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

felassan · 3 months ago

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard | High-Level Combat Parts 1-4 writeup

This post also contains transcriptions of the text that was in the video.

This was a four-part video series which has also been edited into a single standalone video for convenience. The video features an elven Warrior Rook from the Grey Warden background and who has taken the Champion spec.

Story/plot, flavor stuff, and other cool stuff

The footage in the new gameplay video was edited to avoid major spoilers, but there is still new story information in there.

Weisshaupt Fortress, the headquarters of the Grey Warden order located in the Anderfels, is under attack and under siege from the Blighted elven god Ghilan'nain, her Archdemon, and darkspawn. The darkspawn are following Ghilan'nain's orders. Rook and the Veilguard must stop her. They set off to find their allies in Weisshaupt and soon meet resistance from the darkspawn. Lots of sacs of Blight corruption are growing on the buildings that make up the fortress. Blight sacs (or something that looks like them. the lil parachute things) fall on the fortress too like missiles. Ghil's face watches the siege from the stormy sky.

This quest is called "The Siege of Weisshaupt". The fact that Weisshaupt would come under attack from the weird darkspawn and a dragon in DA:TV actually first emerged as a detail during a leak a few years ago. Stages and objectives in this questline include "Get to the War Room (Move along the wall)", "Find the dragon trap (Move along the wall)", "Find the dragon trap (Defeat the darkspawn)" and "Get to the Library (Defeat the darkspawn)". I'd guess that said dragon trap in this instance is for Ghil's Archdemon, though it makes sense why the Wardens would even have such a thing as a dragon trap seeing as the Archdemons, when they rise, are in dragon form. Could it be anything like the setup that had confined Ataashi in Trespasser? Also, lore says that Weisshaupt is home to an extensive library.

As this is high-level combat gameplay, the implication could potentially be that this storybeat occurs during the mid-to-late game?

It seems that at times certain companions are required to be taken along on certain quests (iirc this was previously reported in an article somewhere too). For example, Davrin is required during The Siege of Weisshaupt, as it is a Grey Warden quest and he is the Grey Warden companion.

I think Warden Rook's surname is Thorne (Grey Warden symbol in the image). The Rook in the video has the first name "Esha".

Solas' Lyrium dagger isn't only a story thing/magic maguffin artifact that can tear the Veil. When Rook gets it, it appears to have a function/use in gameplay as well. Rook can attach 3 runes to it in different slots. These runes have various functions and effects e.g. Scorch.

The companions are described like this:

Bellara - "Veil Jumper"

Davrin - "Grey Warden"

Emmrich - "Mourn Watcher"

Harding - "Inquisition Agent" (Agent of the remnants?)

Lucanis - "Antivan Crow"

Neve - "Shadow Dragon"

Taash - "Lord of Fortune"

We see additional descriptions for some of them:

Davrin - "Sword-and-board monster hunter commands a griffon"

Lucanis - "Swift and precise assassin with a demonic aura"

Emmrich - "Nevarran professor of death summons spirits"

Harding - "Potion-slinging scout's arrows shock and shred"

(I love these lil descriptions btw, the way they're written is like poetry)

Along with his demonic aura, Lucanis (called "The Demon" per TN) has an ability called Abominate. Implications.. intriguing :D

Lucanis' abilities tend towards crowd control. Davrin can call Assan to attack in battle. He flies down like a meteor or comet and it's so cool. :)

The video includes a bit of flavor text for Grey Wardens from an ability description and a specialization description:

Ultimate Ability [of Grey Warden Rook, presumably] – Warden’s Fire Unleash a barrage of strikes with the burning strength that resides within every Grey Warden. [this does fire damage] Specialization – Champion The pinnacle of Grey Warden combat prowess. The Champion is a born leader who rallies their allies, turns their fervor into flame, and wields a shield as a deadly weapon.

(^ The fire damage and fire motif contained in the above makes sense as darkspawn are vulnerable to elemental fire damage. also, I think when Rook uses Warden's Fire, they blow a horn 'Gondor calls for aid' style, which is super cool.)

The video includes new lore in the form of item descriptions for various gear pieces. Each item appears to be associated with one of the factions, as it has that faction's sigil on its info box.

These guys are darkspawn ghouls. One type is called a Greater Ghoul. (Does that imply the existence of "Lesser Ghouls" or just "Ghouls"?) These are melee mobs. Another darkspawn enemy type is Greater Hurlock Spiker. Those are ranged mobs that throw the spikes from their backs. There are also regular Greater Hurlocks (I think those are these guys) and Greater Hurlock Blighters. The Blighters seem to have sacs of red Blight corruption on their backs, and you can see them throwing globs of this around, thereby spreading the Blight like their name suggests. it seems like these globs explode after impact like grenades or bombs. of course, all darkspawn spread Blight, but that's like an evolution of spreading.

The video features new music.

Enemies can be Sparta-kicked off ledges. Throw your shield like Captain America! (or at least its energy-shadow thing) This Rook has an ability called Titan Stomp.

Lucanis sometimes leaps around in a dramatic burst of crow feathers, kinda flying (it feels like) down from above like a bird of prey.

Thoughts, speculation

Gameplay looks super cool and fun oh shit!

If the plotbeats described above (Ghil, Archdemon, Weisshaupt siege etc) aren't considered by BioWare to be "major spoilers", it makes me wonder about the plotbeats and twists they aren't revealing that would be. yknow?

If Ghilan'nain has an Archdemon, might Elgar'nan also? We've seen different concept art pieces and scenes with two dragons in them, and we have long speculated about a 'Double Blight' of some kind. Two Elven Gods have risen; handily, prior to DA:TV beginning, two Old Gods/Archdemons remained (Razikale and Lusacan). In DA:TV teaser murals and art pieces, the concentric circles motif still had the two 'lit' hemispheres around the outside. If they both have one, which Old God is paired with which Evanuris? BUT. Saying that. alternate theory. how do we even know that her Archdemon is a real Archdemon? Corypheus in DA:I used red lyrium to transform a High dragon into an imitation of an archdemon, his red lyrium dragon. Thedosians initially presumed that this was a real Archdemon. if Cory can do it, why not Ghil and Elgar'nan? Ghil at least has clearly been messing with red lyrium given the red lyrium darkspawn.

I hope we get to visit Weisshaupt at some point before the siege takes place, I'd like to see it as it was and explore it a bit before that happens. 🥺 Weisshaupt in the game looks so like previous concept arts we saw of it (one, two), it's so cool to see all the art pieces come to game-life as assets in-game. also I love all the lil griffon assets around Weisshaupt, like the sleepy statue. and could this scene be the Weisshaupt War Room?

On Ghil's face in the storm: on DA Day 2023 BioWare said:

"To the far west, three Grey Wardens patrol the Anderfels. Tremors have been causing disturbances of late. Their cause is unknown. Upon the distant horizon, a storm of ominous intent brews and darkens the skies."

they were being literal ig about the storm of ominous intent darkening the skies! and then I guess the storm in this concept art of Weisshaupt is the Ghilstorm.

Why would Ghil attack Weisshaupt with darkspawn? I'm sure there's more to it underneath the surface, but from what we know so far, the elven gods are "corrupt"/"Blighted" and are "hellbent on Blighting the world". and if you want to spread a Blight, it makes sense that you would target.. the HQ of the world's main and only defense against the Blight. it's also not a surprise that she is doing so (I don't mean this in a disparaging way. I just mean 'stories put out clues and foreshadowing for the next plotbeats, and if you were following the clues as intended' etc) - we knew that the Anderfels had been experiencing unknown tremors lately and that a storm of ominous intent was brewing there. also, the new darkspawn are mutated and in TN the Wardens discovered in Hormak that Ghil had/has twelve (now eleven) secret underground monster pools in the Deep Roads that mutate darkspawn. lyrium was also involved in that instance, albeit yellow-green.

Ghil's attack on Weisshaupt also explains why in the Thedas Calls teaser trailer, it sounded like Weisshaupt was under attack and under imminent threat. (Ctrl+F "Weisshaupt" in this post for more on that). For example, the line "Grey Wardens don’t hide in our castle. I won’t ask good soldiers to turn tail and run." - this sounds like a dialogue line spoken by a senior Warden specifically during the Seige of Weisshaupt.

It also explains why in this Thedas Calls shot of Weisshaupt, Weisshaupt looks afflicted by red lyrium, there's a dark ominous storm vibe, and things look ruined/threatened. and it explains screenshots and scenes like this and why in the character reveal trailer Davrin was fighting red lyrium darkspawn in a Blighted dark area with griffon assets. (read the "Davrin" section here for more)

"They set off to find their allies in Weisshaupt and soon meet resistance from the darkspawn" - could this be Evka and Antoine? :)

I don't think we see any or many Wardens around in the sections of this quest that we see in this video. I definitely saw at least one dead one. what has befallen them? I hope some of them are surviving somewhere inside the fortress ;-; and where is the First Warden in all this? also, this must be awful for Davrin to see :< A Grey Warden witnessing the attack of your order's heart.

Fighting a darkspawn siege on the walls and roof of a famous fortress is giving me Battle of Denerim, Fort Drakon-DA:O-style vibes and memories. it's perfect :)

With Lucanis' demonic aura and Abominate ability, it's probably time to revisit the idea that there's something inchresting/spirit-demonny going on there. I'm curious to see the take on it this time around and how it differs to e.g. Wynne, Anders.

I love the way hair and capes flip around and move in battle!

^ Ghil's Archdemon, or "Archdemon"? At this point it also looks like.. sacs of Blighted corruption (or something) are falling from the sky down onto Weisshaupt/being launched at Weisshaupt by the darkspawn/Ghil as part of the seige!! jesus!!

Some random other posts of things like stuff I noticed: Davrin and Lucanis height comparison (who knows if it's to scale on that screen though), Summon Baby Button, Davrin and Lucanis icons, Lucanis' smirk, Davrin picture compilation, Emmrich and Harding on the party screen, darkspawn advance, useable trebuchet/dead Warden/giant ominous tube, aeries?/griffon lamp/+2 Heartwood

Item description lore

Each item appears to be associated with a faction, as it has that faction's sigil on its info box. For example, the Golden Casque helm is a Lord of Fortune item.

GEAR WIELDED BY ROOK "Golden Casque – rare heavy helm – [Lords of Fortune] Tall and plumed, this fine helmet is the color of gold – but much harder to dent. The Iron Cast – rare heavy armor – [Mourn Watch] This armor’s vividly sculpted musculature is a testament to Nevarra’s unrivalled knowledge of anatomy. Necropolis Defender – rare targe [a targe is a type of shield historically used by Scottish Highlanders] – [Mourn Watch] The elite guards who stand watch at the gates of the Grand Necropolis use these shields to guard against both the living and the dead. Spellbound Longsword – rare longsword – [Shadow Dragons] This enchanted longsword is bound with burning magic. Andraste’s Will – unique ring – [Shadow Dragons] Andraste was tied to a stake and burned while her earthly husband turned his armies aside and did nothing, for his heart had been devoured. Amaranthine Loop – uncommon ring – [Antivan Crows] Favored by Crows, the uniform rows of stones add balance and precision to every blow. Also some elegance. Heart of Andraste – uncommon amulet – [Lords of Fortune] A charm given to newly anointed Fathers of the Imperial Chantry, the cracked stone serves as a reminder of Andraste’s mortal heart." Rook was also wielding a big hammer and wearing a belt, the icon did not pass over their infoboxes during the video. GEAR WIELDED BY DAVRIN "Blight Killer – rare longsword – [Grey Wardens] An intimidating, one-of-a-kind sword cut from solid obsidian. It is perfectly balanced. Reforged Bulwark – uncommon heater (shield) – [Grey Wardens] Reclaimed from the ruins of an old Warden stronghold, this shield honors the sacrifices of Wardens past while defending their future." Davrin was also wielding his iconic/default armor and what looked like a dagger or shortsword. The icon did not pass over their infoboxes during the video.

Part 1

Text notes in this part:

"Combat Part 1: Prepare For Battle This is an introduction to high-level combat. Footage has been edited for brevity and to avoid major spoilers. Weisshaupt Fortress is under attack from Ghilan’nain and her Archdemon. Rook and the Veilguard must stop her. Let’s get your warrior ready for battle. Abilities & Runes - Assign abilities and an ultimate attack before jumping into battle. - Equip runes to enhance your power set and access unique abilities when activated. - Choose runes that boost a Warrior’s damage and help with crowd control. Skill Tree - Each combat class has an array of specializations to choose from. - Your Rook has chosen the Champion branch, which favors strong defensive skills. - Utilizing passive abilities like Heavy Armor Mastery will help boost defense if you are equipped with all heavy armor. - You’re going to be battling darkspawn, who are vulnerable to fire. Fiery Resolve will grant us “Flaming Weapons” for a duration when we parry an enemy attack. - We’ll be doing a deep dive on progression systems in the future. Inventory - For this build, you’ll want a full set of heavy armor to activate our Heavy Armor Mastery passive. - Rook is primarily using a Sword & Shield since it allows you to be more defensive. - If you prefer a more aggressive playstyle, two-handed weapons deal more damage, but have fewer defensive options. - The Spellbound Longsword deals high Stagger and can trigger powerful takedowns. - We’ll cover Stagger in Part of this series. - Rook has a fire-based, darkspawn-killer build. - This ring grants a bonus to the max number of burning stacks, which results in more damage over time. - This is just one type of build. Other examples include customizing to emphasize your Shield Toss or Takedowns. - Personalize yours to fit your preferred playstyle. - Selected companions can aid Rook by equipping complementary gear and passives. - This is a Grey Warden mission, so you should bring Davrin into battle with you. [Character selection screen] - In addition to Davrin, you decide to take Lucanis into battle based on his crowd control abilities."

This is what the character screen looks like. There are 'pages' for Map, Character, Companions, Skills and Library. (Library is for the codexes basically).

Gear-wise Rook can equip two different weapons (in this case they have a sword+shield and also a hammer in the 2h slot), helmet, an armor, and what looks like 1 belt/accessory, 1 necklace/accessory and 2 rings. Helmet has a 'hide helmet' toggle. Additionally, the Lyrium dagger has slots for 3 runes. There are also slots at the bottom for 3 abilities and 1 Ultimate Attack (I think). I think the Ultimate ability is based on Rook's background.

There looks like there's 3 different types of things we gather, plus another submenu if you press triangle to see the resources (heartwood etc). The one on the right looks like gold/coin. I wonder what the other two are?

This is what the equivalent pane for Davrin looks like in the Companions menu. Companions have less customizable gear slots than Rook.

This looks like the relationship meter. In this save, Davrin seems to be at relationship level 4 with Rook, a stage which is called "Comrade in Arms".

This is what the 'choose your team'/'gather your party' screen looks like. The companions' cards are these art pieces. At this point in this save, Neve is the only one with the Veilguard sigil above her card. Michael Gamble tweeted that this means "she is a hero of the Veilguard." [source] Maybe this means that her 'loyalty mission', or this game's equivalent thereof, has been completed so that Neve has been able to fully commit to the Veilguard?

Part 2

Text notes in this part:

“Combat Part 2: The Basics Now that Rook, Davrin & Lucanis have the right gear and skills, the team sets off to find their allies. Soon, they are met with resistance by the darkspawn, blighted creatures following Ghilan’nain’s orders. Assess The Battlefield - First, learn the enemy types to strategically exploit their weaknesses. Darkspawn are vulnerable to fire. - You will also see that they are resistant to Necrosis. - Enemies have a multitude of damage vulnerabilities and resistances. - Abilities which exploit weaknesses have a green outline. - Rook encounters a swarm of darkspawn ghouls who favor overwhelming melee. - The ghouls are joined by Hurlock spikers, ranged combatants who are also vulnerable to fire. - Time a Shield Block to parry an incoming attack, which provides an opportunity for a high-damage counterattack. - With this successful parry, the Fiery Resolve passive skill activates Flaming Weapons. Melee attacks will now do fire damage instead of physical. - Use the Kick ability to deal massive damage and knock enemies off ledges. - Shield Throw is an effective ranged attack that can destroy obstacles and quickly close the gap between you and an enemy. - Health pots are available throughout the world. Grab them to prepare for what’s ahead. - Use the Ability Wheel to pause the action, cast abilities, and direct your companions. - Some enemies have tougher additional protection that needs to be removed. A yellow bar indicates Armor Barrier. - Armor is resistant to most attacks. Heavy attacks are the most effective against it. - Here, the darkspawn horde begins to overwhelm. - You can cast Spectral Bulwark, which damages enemies who land melee hits. - This allows you to fearlessly get into the thick of battle. - Enemies have a lavender stagger bar that builds when you land hits. - While an enemy is Staggered, they take bonus damage, and you can deliver a powerful takedown."

Part 3

Text notes in this part:

“Combat Part 3: Buffs, Debuffs, & Crowd Control You’ve mastered your core abilities. Now it’s time to face down a variety of enemies, all at once. Spacing Strategy - This Rook is a Warrior, specializing in the Champion branch, which favors a defensive style of fighting. - Warriors are front-line fighters capable of devastating, up-close attacks. - Rook and their companions can also deploy different tools, such as area-of-effect attacks to uniquely manage various enemies. Buffs & Debuffs - Additionally, activate companion buffs and debuffs to apply status effects. - One example of a buff is Lucanis’ Adrenaline Rush ability which enhances Rook’s damage stats. - Davrin has Heroic Strike, which applies the overwhelmed debuff. This causes the target to take additional Stagger. Crowd Control - This build activates the Shield Volley Passive, which ricochets your shield 3 times if you hit it with a heavy attack. - Rook is getting attacked on all sides, so you command Lucanis to use Abominate to knock enemies down. Fighting At A Distance - Use abilities, like Davrin’s Death From Above, to deal damage from afar. - Or use your Grappling Spear to pull them close.”

Part 4

Text notes in this part:

“Combat Part 4: Primers, Detonators, & Ultimates As your fight progresses, use primers, detonators, and ultimates with strategic timing to turn the tide of battle. Primers & Detonators - Rook can create incredibly damaging combo detonations with the help of their companions. - Assess the situation, and determine which primers and detonators work best against each enemy type. - Command Davrin to Taunt to gather nearby enemies. - Activate the Crystallize rune to freeze the gathered group in place. - Lucanis can use Eviscerate to detonate the combo and strike the whole group. Ultimate Attacks - As the battle progresses, Rook can unleash a destructive ultimate attack. - Now that you’ve mastered these combat strategies and tactics, let’s see them all in action."

Abilities, passives etc

For these I focused mostly on the move’s name + its description. In some cases there's sort of two as there's the one from the Ability Wheel and the one from the Skill Tree.

ROOK Driving Kick – Focus all your strength and determination into one mighty kick. / Deals a very high amount of Stagger. Grappling Spear – Harpoon your targets with a strong throw and drag them in for a closer encounter. / Pulls your target towards you. Press [button] or [button] to perform a follow-up attack Spectral Bulwark – Hone your guard and protect yourself from enemies foolish enough to attack. Enemies who hit you with a melee attack take damage and very high […]. / While active, enemies who hit you with a melee attack take damage and very high Stagger. [Ultimate] Warden’s Fire – Unleash a barrage of strikes with the burning strength that resides within every Grey Warden. Applies Burning to enemies [Specialization] Champion – The pinnacle of Grey Warden combat prowess. The Champion is a born leader who rallies their allies, turns their fervor into flame, and wields a shield as a deadly weapon. [Greater Passive] Heavy Armor Mastery - +Defense while wearing a heavy helm and armor. You are now less likely to be disrupted when getting hit. [Greater Passive] Fiery Resolve – Gain Flaming Weapons on Perfect Defense. Flaming Weapons lasts 50% longer. Titan Stomp – Deals very high Stagger to nearby enemies. LUCANIS Adrenaline Rush – Grants enhanced damage Abominate – Deals high Barrier damage and applies Knocked down to enemies in the area Eviscerate – At half health of less, this deals bonus damage, increasing in effectiveness the closer the target is to death DAVRIN Death From Above – Deals high Stagger [summons Assan to attack] Heroic Strike – Deals high Stagger Battle Cry – Applies Taunted to enemies in the area

There were also names and info popups of different runes, e.g. Mend.

[source]

#dragon age: the veilguard #dragon age the veilguard spoilers #dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #video games #long post #longpost #solas #caledonia's been everything #gpoy #dragon age: tevinter nights #edit: skills/passives etc blurbs added :)

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catyo90 · 4 months ago

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Romance Scenes I Imagine for Veilguard Companions

Davrin: Outside Rook sees him with his griffin Assan, training it and nurturing it, As they speak he reveals how he found and/or tamed her. Rook asks if how big Assan will get and plays fetch with her. Inbetween throws Rook and Davrin flirt with each other and the last throw causes Assan to jump on Davrin while Rook laughs and helps him up, with a small pause inbetween.

Taash: Like other qunari, trains hard and in need of practice asks Rook to join her for a sparing match, here the player may decide to let her win and go easy on her, or the opposite. Who ever loses laughs it off and the winner comments how cute the loser looks when they laugh, after the loser gets up and says they should do this again sometime. The winner hates to see them leave but loves watching them go.

Harding: In the nearby lounge, Rook asks about her past with the Inquisition, She tells how she was there in the final fight against Corypheus and how Solas was good/bad. (Depends on Inquistors view). She then shows them all the corresponding letters between her and the past companions, with some hidden mentions of past relationships when Rook asks if she ever was with anyone else. She claims that its a tale for another time. After that Rook asks to keep her company while she writes responses, where Harding smiles.

Lucanis: Rook finds him in the Library (early morning or late night.) overlooking old contracts on multiple mages and others in need of a quick end. He sits at a desk with a cup of coffee and kettle. Rook asks if he ever regrets taking a life, (answers depends on class) where he explains that contracts are like a game of Wicked Grace, some cheat the deck and win, others play honest and lose. He tries to change the subject, he seems tired where he sips his coffee and offers Rook a cup to enjoy with him.

Bellara: In the wave of a sudden inspiration to create, Rook finds her tinkering with fade magic, where a small minor explosion of colorful smoke surrounds the room, Bellara walks through now covered in rainbow hue, she snorts and laughs as she pulls Rook into the room showing a new update to her gauntlet. Rook impressed and scare-roused from her intrigue offers any help, (all classes as well get blasted with another cloud of color.) Bellara laughs at Rook and wipes away the stains on their face before punching Rooks arm laughing again at their wacky experiments and conclusion.

Emmerich: In the study Rook walks in on him using magic on Manfred, who makes puns about the situation and after noticing you gets distracted causing the spell to cause Manfred to fall into a pile of bones, Emmerich, slightly annoyed and now has to deal with putting him back together properly, basically volunteers you to help each time you pick up a bone, Manfred jokes claiming its in the wrong spot. While this happens Emmerich gets to know you better and says how your not entirely hopeless as Manfred cackles laughing with a arm around saying if he wants your attention he needs to be nicer.

Neve: Rook sees her in the main chamber of the base, smoking on her pipe with her hair down reading a particular book, Hard in Hightown. She claims how the way Varric writes is quite good but romanticized as the true art of finding the culprit is scientific, not emotional. (LIke Sherlock Holmes) How the art of deduction can change the life of everyone, but it can be messy at times as well. Where we see her cross her protetic leg under her other. She is unsure whether to show it or not. After all the incident was not light on the mind. Rook eases her mind in telling her that she doesn't have to talk about it until she is ready.

#enjoy #catyo90 #new #veilgaurd #davrin #lucanis dellamorte #taash #emmerich volkarin #bellara lutara #neve gallus #scout harding #headcanon #romance

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mollfie · 7 days ago

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I took notes while playing and I've tried to edit them into something that makes a shred of sense.

Things I like in Veilguard:

Banter can be interrupted, and they'll continue talking. If you repeatedly interrupt, they'll start over from the beginning later on.

The banter also actually made me laugh, especially with certain companion combos. Not always but more often than not.

The companions aren't stuck in their room. You know when someone wants to talk to you or has a cutscene, but you'll also see them hanging out with other companions or just checking out places around the Lighthouse. Makes them feel like actual people with their own stuff going on outside of Rook. But I do wish you could talk to them more. I like bothering my companions. I'm fine with them repeating themselves. Just let me smooch my love interest or chat with my friends and get random flavour text. Is that so much to ask?

I like the orb and smashing enemies in the face with it. I actually prefer it most of the time to using the staff.

Can wear casual clothes instead of armour with no repercussions. Finally, some cute outfits. But not cute enough. Need more. I also miss dying outfits in different colours and dressing up my team.

It's not my fav but it's fine:

I miss being able to smooch my love interest whenever I wanted to. Let me bother everyone more. The romances are fine but I expected more in comparison to previous games.

Everyone hangs out with each other or all together (eat together, bookclub etc) but is Rook even involved? The camping trip scene was so weird. Ferelden is overrun. Where are you going? Why would these two even want to? I could maybe believe Taash being interested because they're adventurous and might be hoping to see a dragon, but even then it's so weird.

Semi related to Taash's personal storyline, I did not appreciate having words put in my Rook's mouth re: her feelings about her gender and I have seen others saying that when they play as an enby Rook it's very "third gender" rather than having any sort of nuance. This is why I'm always hesitant when companies are so proud of being inclusive, it's often so clumsy.

References:

Mage/Templar war was in the South but no one mentions really mentions much about the South. Varric?? Morrigan?? Inquisitor?? There are some letters and a few lines about what's happening but not much. Who got to be Divine, again more of a Southern issue but you think it would come up when talking to Harding or Varric. Drinking from the Well of Sorrrows. Morrigan's son. King Alistair or Grey Warden. Hawke in the Fade. Varric, my man, are we not friends? Harding, you were there even if you were just a scout! Surely you got the hot goss hanging around outside the tavern at all hours.

Surely even people in Tevinter would be talking about how the Inquisitor's old spymaster became the Divine?? Harding sort of mentions it but no one else. The Inquisitor coming along to be like "oh it's a shitshow in the South right now that's why I'm not helping you or trying to find Solas" is so stupid.

The references you do get are fine but some feel strange because they're specific enough for a fan to get them but vague enough to feel pointless because they abandoned the Keep and tracking everyone's choices. I know it's complicated because we've all played the games in a variety of ways but they started it!

I wish we had seen more of the countries. I liked the places we saw and I really enjoyed exploring them, I would have liked to see more though which is a good thing in a way? I wasn't bored by the places we got, more than they were intriguing and I wished to go further. I would have liked to see more of Minrathos outside of Dock Town, for example.

Cameos:

Re: cameos. Dorian's model looks like he got bad cosmetic surgery and veneers. What did they do to you?? However, I also hate how Alistairs looks in Inquisition so maybe I just don't like when they try to update old characters? Morrigan looks fine, but her outfit is ugly. Isabela is fine. Varric and Harding look good.

Are we unable to have cameos of characters (or references), such as Merrill, because the team are blood magic flip-floppers? She knew so much about Eluvians, blood magic, Dalish nonsense etc. She would have been a fantastic edition to the team in Inquistion and in Veilguard but apparently I can't have anything nice.

Romances:

The romances are good but once I picked my person it was weird seeing how Lucanis switched to Neve almost instantly AND how their chemistry was so much better just through banter and listening to their chats. Almost like that's what the writers intended originally and then made Rook an option later? Davrin has a sweet romance and I have heard good things about Emmerich.

Companions:

Still think I should be able to have three people tag along. Yes, it makes them just talk to each other for banter but I liked having three people.

I wish they would bicker more. Some characters are supposed to not like each other (at least for a while) but they really could have leaned into that more. Be meaner. However, saying that some fans couldn't handle Vivienne...

My main issue with all the companions is that they're really good but don't get the chance to be great. I'm assuming because of development issues. Any decent writer would want to make the most of a character. You can see what they wanted to do and what they managed is good. I feel like the writers pulled their punches too much. They could have really leaned into some ideas and expanded on some aspects so much more but didn't. They all needed an extra ten minutes to fully bake.

Taash's personal stuff is fine. It's a little awkward in places but it's nowhere near as awful as people are making it out to be. It's no worse than anyone else's personal storyline or dialogue. A lot of the criticism is over-dramatic HOWEVER I do feel like their struggles were more with their upbringing as the daughter of a strict mother (who says herself that she was never supposed to have that sort of role within the Qun) in Rivain and those two identities cause conflict, and that was really overshadowed. A lot of Taash's struggles with gender make sense when you consider how gender roles function under the Qun (how their mother would have raised them) versus how they are in Rivaini society (what she was exposed to outside of the home). That's not to say they aren't nonbinary otherwise, just that the conflict could have been woven together better.

I also didn't really like the binary choices you were presented with - why do I, a stranger, get to tell any of these people what to do with their lives? I think Rook can have an opinion but there should be a third option for the character to make their own choice, perhaps based on their approval level with you or something to at least feign free will. This felt particularly insensitive when talking to Taash.

I also think some people are forgetting or deliberately ignoring that Taash is not the only lgbt or nonbinary character in the game or the series as a whole.

But, I do also think there are awkward moments (for all the characters too) where I understand what the team was going for but it doesn't quite land right. I would have actually liked a little more focus on what it's like being a qunari in Rivain etc.

Lucanis is supposed to be a big scary mage-killing demon-possessed assassin but once you recruit him he's practically shuffling about in his fuzzy slippers making coffee at 4am. I really like him but I can't help but wish they hadn't sanded down the edges. Having the Crows fight for the little guys is certainly a choice. I would have preferred them go down more of a "these Crows in this particular family think this way" so as not to undermine everything about Zevran.

Other thoughts:

It feels like the backgrounds don't really matter, they're not referenced much anyway. I was a veil jumper so you'd think Bellara would want to chat to me about that sort of thing more but no, not really. Same with race choices. It does come up but not as much as I had hoped. I also miss the tension between races, backgrounds etc. Why am I, a Dalish elf, wandering around Minrathos unchallenged?

Where's Meredith??? We had that final shot in the animated series but that's it???

What happened to Solas' agents and the uprising? I know years have passed but you'd think there's been more turmoil considering 1. the gods are real and 2. they suck

TL;DR

I had a great time playing, and it was really fun. I actually really enjoyed the finale and the game overall. But, I am concerned that this was essentially a soft reboot and so now what? What about everything we did before? What about all those other characters we cared about?

I also think I got lucky by choosing to have my Solavellan Inquisitor and romancing Davrin, just judging my chatter online.

I think if they didn't want those choices to matter then they should have had this game hav a protagonist who has no connection to Southern Thedas at all. No Varric or Harding. Have them being a literal nobody who doesn't know anything about what's going on outside of what they've directly experienced or it's very vague. They were affected by Solas' actions. They're an elf who was an agent until they realised what he was doing. Something. I just... if you don't want to make a game where choices matter then you shouldn't be working on Dragon Age. You should make something new. This was always Bioware's whole selling point and they've just tossed all that work to one side. Who made that decision?

Imagine if we'd been forced into being a specific character, similar to Hawke in DA2, and had to actually decide whether or not to support Solas as we learned about what he was actually intending to do? Imagine.

Origins still has the strongest writing. DA2 is still my favourite. But I do think Veilguard is a good sequel to Inquisiton. Unfortunately for Bioware, this is the fourth game in a series not the second. As a fourth game, there are some really weird choices. On it's own, it's a really good game. I'm still going to get my partner to play some of it to see what they think as an outsider who only knows about Dragon Age via my chit-chat and reblogging.

#dragon age the veilguard spoilers #datv spoilers #veilguard spoilers #dragon age #dragon age the veilguard #datv #dragon age critical

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rookinthecrownest · 2 days ago

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Discussion about romances + expectations under the cut (I'd put it as like..mildly critical, but also coming from a place of understanding?). As usual, will tag as such so you don't have to engage/read on if you don't wish to. I always invite open discussion, just keep it respectful (as I will endeavour to do so myself).

This is going to be a bit of a ramble, so I apologize if my thoughts are not clearly laid out like they should be.

I think I've found the reason why I (and maybe others), feel that the romances in Veilguard feel a bit... idk, hollow, at times (not BAD!!! just feeling like there could be MORE). And that's because of the trap of expectations. I may also be speaking completely for myself here.

Anyway, let's rewind to 2014.

Be me, 10 years ago. You're not really a gamer, but indulge in action RPG's casually.

See a commercial for this hot new game coming out called Dragon Age: Inquisition. Be intrigued by the character designs, but know nothing about the world. Come to find out it's part of a trilogy. So naturally, you buy the first two games and play through them before playing the third.

Be amazed, and completely hooked on the characters, the lore, the world, the darker elements and themes. It becomes your favourite game series of all time.

But you had no idea that you could romance any of the companions going into the experience. And man, does it fundamentally rewire your brain chemistry to fall in love with cRPG and get ridiculously attached to your Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor.

So, you romance Alistair first because he's funny as hell, and has a really interesting story/character arc. Then you romance Zevran, and love that too - he's charming and suave and awkward and funny. Then you go onto DA2 and romance Fenris and Anders, and each of those romances pack their own emotional gut punches. Then it's finally time for DAI, and predictably, you go for Solas (a veritable slow burn that spans TWO games), Cullen, and partially (I never finished those playthroughs lol) Blackwall and Dorian.

I had no idea you could romance companions going into these games. It was a pleasant surprise! It always felt like an important part of the story, while not overshadowing the main plot. There was enough material in the codexes, the cutscenes, and party banter to make each romance feel complete and whole and awesome and nuanced.

And then, like some of you I suspect, I read an article that touted Veilguard as "The Most Romantic Bioware Game Yet", and I thought - "Wow, if they're saying this then the romances must be something else", given the quality of the previous romances you've experienced in these games!

But you get to the game - and while you're having fun, it definitely leans more into the ARPG style where romances feel a bit more pushed to the side in order to tell a certain story than the traditional Bioware/Larian RPG experience you've come to love.

Which is fine! Again, once I stopped thinking of Veilguard as a classic Bioware CRPG, and more like GOW/The Witcher, I found I was able to appreciate it a lot more for what it is. Things have to Happen A Certain Way for the narrative to work, and that's not a bad thing. DA2 was similar - it was a harrowing, personal tragedy about the Hawke family and their struggle to survive in Kirkwall.

Just like DA2, there are aspects of Veilguard that make me glad things happened the way they did. I'm not mad that Rook has so much dialogue without a ton of player input and you can't 'be evil' - because the game doesn't make sense if you can. At its core, Veilguard's narrative is centered around Regret, after all - you can't have an evil protagonist running around because Solas' Regret prison would never work (evil people don't generally tend to regret their actions...)!

Now, if you're expecting a long-winded, fully researched academic breakdown of every romance I'm sorry but that ain't happening tonight lol. This is not based in any fact, this is all opinion.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but sometimes it feels like the romances in this game (and I say this with the biggest grain of salt as I've only done Emmrich and Lucanis' - and am going through Neve's now), are just missing....something, to take them from good to great.

I loved Emmrich's romance. I thought it was very well done. I think a lot of people would agree it's one of the stronger ones in the game - doubly so if you play as a Mourn Watch Rook (you get a TON of MW specific lines going this route, it's great). His side romance with Strife if you don't get together is very cute, I enjoyed it. But as superbly well done as it was, somehow, I wouldn't even put it in my top 4 Bioware romances.

With Lucanis' romance - whatever my hangups may be about how it was handled, certain parts of his romance were done excellently (even better than some of the previous Bioware romances, I'd say). You can read more about my thoughts on his romance here which is why I'm not going into detail about it. Unlike Emmrich's, I would put it in my top 4 because I fell in love with the character that much (both in the game but really, I've loved him since Tevinter Nights), and I've grown very attached to my first Rook and him as a pairing. I've seen others share a similar sentiment on here (and I hate to say it but I agree) - sometimes it feels like I fell in love with Rookanis despite the way it was handled, not because of it. I can't say that for many other romances. While it's been fun to think up a lot of HC/write fics/make art about those abandoned concept sketches and parts where I felt the game could have showed us more of their dynamic, I can't help but feel like his (and other) romances would have immensely benefited from even 1 or 2 extra small scenes to flesh it out a bit more if they weren't going to let us freely talk to our companions.

The issue with the romances might also have something to do with the pacing of the game itself. I think Act 2 is where the pacing goes a bit awry, before picking back up in Act 3 (which is great, I love it).

Sometimes I also felt that there was a little too much reliance on codex entries and party banter to tell the story of the romance rather than showing it explicitly through cutscenes. I think that's what makes the romances feel a bit truncated at times, compared to the previous entries? Some of the romance-specific party banter was so good, it probably deserved its own cutscene. But it's also highly dependent on the party you have, and it's easy to miss/not trigger. I remember absolutely living for the cutscenes in the first three entries and I can't explain why I feel like, subjectively speaking, Veilguard just has less romance content (this may not be objective reality - I haven't compared the amount of romance specific content head to head with other games).

I also couldn't tell you why I feel DA2 doesn't suffer the same problems as DATV in terms of romance interaction - because you can't freely talk to your companions in that game either. Yet somehow, it always felt like I was getting enough of them to not notice that. I do miss being able to chat my LI's ear off and ask them questions about their life/their views/etc. like I could in DAO and DAI. I think it's a shame we can't because the companions in DATV are SO interesting. I want to ask them all a billion questions about their lives/stories/etc even if they're not my love interest. The party banter in this game is immaculate but being able to talk to them individually about this stuff would've been SO nice. I feel that I've missed out on SO MUCH of these characters just because I didn't have two of them in my party at the same time!

Anyway, I need to wrap this up.

In closing, perhaps, if I hadn't read that article about how it was going to be Bioware's most romantic game ... maybe I wouldn't feel this way? I think it sent my expectations through the stratosphere, and that's no one's fault but my own. Not Bioware, not EA, mine.

I know that this game's development cycle was a unique sort of hell that the other games didn't suffer. To go from Joplin -> Morrison -> Veilguard. To have so many of the original staff leave the team when Joplin got scrapped. To have to pivot from Live Service and then back to single person RPG. More lay-offs. It's a miracle this game got made. I'm happy I can sit around thinking about it. And I hope its successful enough that we get DA5 so we can all sit around dissecting that in 5-10 yrs time.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the Veilguard romances for what they are. I'm enjoying them more I play and discover additional banter/codex/etc that I missed the first time around. Like any Bioware romance, there are spots where they hit their stride, and spots where they falter a bit. When they hit their stride they knock it out of the fucking park. But when they falter, you can really feel it. Romance is hard to write! And you'll never fully please everyone.

But a small part of me wishes I'd gone in blind, and checked my own expectations a bit.

Maybe you agree, maybe you don't. Tell me about it. What was your experience with the romances? Did you also read that article and get your expectations up?

I hope this makes sense.

Kind regards good fandom folks,

Keep the discussion respectful. And please don't use this post as an excuse to just blatantly hate on the game.

-Rookie

#datv critical #bioware critical #datv #lucanis dellamorte #neve gallus #emmrich volkarin #rook #as always i'd love to know your opinions #if you feel the same #if you feel differently #if differently #just keep it respectful #rookie rambles #datv spoilers

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a-darling-thing · 10 hours ago

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Things I would have liked to see more of in Lucanis' storyline:

A little more time exploring his family dynamics and childhood being trained up in the Crows.

More exploration around how he and Spite were brought together. There are hints on it if you read all the notes in the ossuary, but I wanted more. There's so much fanfic fuel here!!

More chances for Rook to interact with Spite. Like I feel that once you get to the end romance scene Spite, Lucanis and Rook are all on the same page, but it felt a bit like it just happened, and I would have liked to have seen more of Spite and Rook getting to know one another also. I mean Lucanis/Spite is a package deal, so...

Sort of tying point one and two together, I would have loved a scene where Lucanis talks to Rook in more detail about what was done to him at the ossuary, and to have Spite come and go in the middle of that conversation to give his input. We are often shown how much Spite wants to be allowed to talk to Rook but Lucanis rarely allows it. I felt like there were things Spite wanted Rook to know. Also, A LOT was implied re: the torture, both physical and psychological that was used to fuse Lucanis/Spite, but I would have liked to have had it be more explicit, because I feel it wasn't implied strongly enough. I'm intrigued by the concept of triggering and maintaining, in your subject, the emotion tied to the demon you are trying to fuse with them.

I also kind of feel that if they had been a little more clear on the levels of trauma Lucanis had experienced in that year in the ossuary, and had gone a little more deeply into his childhood family background (we are told his childhood training with his grandmother was quite intense and included corporal punishment), it would have also made his emotional distance from Rook in the beginning make more sense. I still can't tell if that was purposeful (like this dude has been through a crap load of trauma and hasn't dealt with all that did to him, and how that is tied to the manifestation of Spite and how it is tied to him and so allowing himself to connect/let go in intimate relationships is hard) or just sloppy writing. But then I feel that way about a lot of the writing in the game, in general, so...

Also, I get that given how much time they allotted to companion storylines, there likely would never have been the time to really do all this justice, but I would have liked a little more, at least. I felt like a lot of things happened that just sort of left me wondering why and what more was behind it, you know. And I took Lucanis along as a companion on almost every quest, so I got to hear a lot of his dialogue.

#da:tv #datv #datv spoilers #lucanis #lucanis dellamorte #I have issues with the writing across the board in this game #and lucanis' story isn't event the most glaring issue #but i love that boy #so I'm just whinging about that #thank god there's fanfic

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raezlove · 12 days ago

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard

I finished it after 90 hours over the last week. I did all quests and side content available to me and was pretty thorough with notes and momentos. I was hooked from the start, definitely saw why the writing got criticized during the middle, and then was continually surprised by the end sequence.

For me this was a solid 7/10 game if looking at it from a linear story game rather than a branching rpg.

Thoughts below. Some spoilers.

Starting with some general categories then moving on to larger issues I had.

I’d say the majority of the voice actor performances were really good. There were moments throughout where they weren’t great but that was combined from the very cringe/generic writing. But when the characters needed the emotion for a moving scene, I felt it. Even characters I, at the time didn’t care for or were biased against, the voice actor’s performance made me hurt for them.

Companion cast had some gems as well as some underwhelming members. For me I was taken by Lucanis, Emmrich, Neve, and Davrin as characters. They still weren’t spared from poor lines throughout though. Bellara came around for me by the end as I had initially been biased hearing she was incredibly annoying but I also didn’t have her in my party very often for gameplay reasons. Taash and Harding I also rarely took out for gameplay reasons nor did they pull me in as companion characters.

Companion arc quest lines I enjoyed them all well enough but I liked Davrin and Harding’s the best for world and lore building,though I admit the actual quests for Harding felt lacking to me. The map locations also didn’t feel utilized as they were only ever seen those couple times. Bellara’s quest was also interesting for lore but other than the ending, which was not unexpected, felt mundane to me. Lucanis’s and Emmrich’s were decent arcs though they didn’t feel like anything groundbreaking, it just helped that I had already found their characters compelling. Neve’s was very underwhelming to me which was disappointing because I initially was quite intrigued by Neve. Taash’s was done as well as they could’ve with the direction they decided paired with their safe writing. I mean no disrespect for them wanting to include a gender queer story but something about this didn’t land. I saw someone else say it but the modern lingo in this fantasy setting made it seem out of place just for the sake of it. I don’t know how they could’ve implemented that aspect of Taash better but their writing and performance came across too stiff at times. ((This is not an issue of including lgbt characters, rather how they are written and if they are pushed to be defined solely by that one sole aspect of their identity))

Art design and world direction was never an issue for me even from the trailers (except for that first one where I thought I was watching a live service mobile trailer). I don’t mind brighter exaggerated designs or flashy colors. Nothing stood out but nothing was bad either, it was just an average design to me. As mentioned above though there were specific locations I felt were underutilized and sometimes felt included just to make the map seem bigger. I liked the character designs but outfit choices were definitely not my favorite and I wished they had an all black outfit for Rook but that’s just an irrelevant personal wish.

The callbacks to Inquisition were something I was incredibly curious to how they would handle and was looking forward to. For transparency, my original Inquisitor romanced Solas and refused to give up on him so I was holding out for my Solavellan heart to be fixed or at least something that dulled the ache. The Inquisitor appearances were about what I expected. Lavellan shows up a couple times, sends some letters, then shows up for the finale. I did get my Solavellan ending and while selfishly I wish it could’ve been more, I think it was adequate (though that kiss animation left something to be desired). It felt like an appropriate end for my Lavellan who was so sad and beaten down for so long after losing someone she loved with her entire being and after having the weight of so many people looking to her for guidance for the last decade when she never asked for the responsibility in the first place. She finally got to save her person and leave the world’s problems to someone else. As for Dorian, I’m not sure if he shows up/is mentioned more if you saved Minrathos but his appearances kind of felt unnecessary. I loved him in Inquisition but he didn’t feel properly utilized in the Minrathos story lines I saw. He could’ve just been a name in letters and he would’ve had the same impact.

Main Story was a trip. Overall I found it intriguing and compelling, though sometimes it dragged or some missions were boring. I enjoyed Ghilan’nain and Elgar’nan as villains though Ghilan’nain was more interesting with her molding the blight. Elgar’nan was compelling as a direct comparison to Solas with their pride and arrogance. Their dragons were cool though I really wondered how we were supposed to fight Elgar’nan’s dragon after seeing its size. The end solution did make my jaw drop but also made me chuckle after because I can’t imagine how else they would’ve had the player fight that. Again, I’m biased as I loved Solas as a character for all his complexities and flaws so I enjoyed any of his scenes and appearances. I especially enjoyed the story’s direction in terms of regrets and guilt. Prison sequence was a highlight to be sure. I will also say I really wasn’t expecting them to commit to main companion cast consequences at the end considering how safe they had played it to that point.

Gameplay was a welcome improvement to me over Inquisition. I played Inquisition for the first time about 3 years ago as a mage but I played it again in the last year as a rogue. Both times I played on easy difficulty because I found combat such a nuisance. I am biased as I prefer combat systems more in the realm of Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild so this fit in with that if a bit busier. I played my Rook as a mage and I tended to use the ability wheel rather than the shortcuts because I needed the time to process and think about what I wanted to do, also the fact I kept switching companions and their abilities depending on the situation I couldn’t remember what abilities were mapped to what buttons. Dodge and parry didn’t feel the best, although I admit that could be fully on me (especially parry). For parry it constantly felt like there was a delay in pressing it though it could very well have been made worse depending on which tv my Xbox was connected to. My issue with dodge was the fact that after a double it basically left you halted with no momentum. Again, very possible it’s just a me thing and I need to “get good” but for how much certain encounters were chaotic enough to be constantly dodging it did become annoying especially if you get hit once and then get caught repeatedly. On normal difficulty as a mage, fights usually felt fair and doable with some more challenging than others depending on wave size or vulnerability paired with specific companions. There was only one fight in a miscellaneous side quest for a haunting that I got too annoyed with and even after trying multiple companion pairings I lowered the difficulty to just get it over with because I couldn’t be bothered. For a random side quest with no real story or likely payoff it didn’t feel worth it.

Now for the largest problem I had with this game: it’s gall to call it an RPG. I don’t expect or need Balder’s Gate level in every RPG game. But this didn’t feel like it even met the level of RPG that Inquisition offered. Whether it was world choices or companion choices very few things felt consequential. For the world, I can only think of 2 or 3 choices that I felt would have any change on the world one of which is literally just a 50/50 of which city is getting destroyed. And of course for the others you never saw or heard and real consequences or reactions aside from initially following the decision. There was nothing that made me second guess myself like deciding to forgive or banish the wardens like in Inquisition, who drinks from the well, the inquisitions fate. And for companion arcs, the choices all felt underwhelming and more a direct effect on gameplay/rewards than any story ramifications. There was never a moment that felt like it mattered to the companion story or their future interactions with me or others. Nothing that felt like it mattered like making Bull choose between his friends and the Qun, encouraging/dissuading Cullen from taking Lyrium, or having a hand in choosing the new Divine. A common thought I had throughout this game was it seemed really hard to get a “so and so disapproves”. There seemed to be more instances in Inquisition where decisions would inevitably be both approved and disapproved by various characters so it was never going to be a case of pleasing everyone. I remember seeing the disapprove notification maybe three times in Veilguard. The critique of the dialogue wheel is also very valid. There is no real choice as all options typically lead to the same outcome just with a different line. You can’t even really be mean or an asshole from what I could tell. Options were sincere, joking/less serious, and stern. None of this I think would’ve mattered as much if it weren’t for the fact this was advertised as a choice based RPG when that just isn’t the case and going in with those expectations is bound for disappointment.

As a last issue it had to do with romance. I liked Lucanis. I like him as a character and I like the voice actor’s delivery. There were lines of his that made me giggle and smile. But the overall writing of the romance and their moments sometimes came across as awkward with the subpar writing. There also wasn’t the same charm I got from Inquisition when at the base. Part of that comes from the lack of actual interactions of being able to talk with your companions in the lighthouse. I hate to keep comparing it but in Inquisition you could still talk to the characters even if they had no new dialogue. In that, you’d have the moments where Solas would call you vhenan or speak Elven or like in my second with Cullen you always had the stealing away for a kiss option. It just felt warmer in a way where in The Veilguard I would get a random one off line when I stood in front of Lucanis and, while some of them were sweet, the lack of player input and interaction caused more disconnect.

So overall as a game I think it’s a good buy assuming you go in with the right framing of what you’re going to be getting. A competent story, some interesting characters, good performance, good gameplay marred by a good helping of juvenile safe writing and lack of choice.

#raereviews #dragon age the veilguard #dragon age #the veilguard #datv #datv spoilers #the veilguard spoilers #video games #veilguard spoilers #da: the veilguard #Veilguard

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ellstersmash · 19 days ago

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Veilguard loves & hates:

Love It:

the banter!!

overall the armor is very cool looking

don't really have to take a balanced party (but detonations help A Lot)

enjoyable mix of linear quests and exploration

at least some puzzles

more qunari lore that isn't "qun bad chantry normal"

GORGEOUS locations fr. like under the sea? you kiddin???

a lot of the quest location and actual quest designs were intriguing and engaging

the soundtrack on the quests was better than the main theme, in most cases

only experienced one bug (on PS5) so far and it was fixed with a reload

THE HAIR!! love that I can change it often—and I DO because there are so many cool options!

honestly the whole CC is very excellent

im in love with all my friends 🥴 and my friends love each other!! much more successful found-family vibes than Inquisition; more akin to DA2

so much talk about food and using food to come together and show love!!! big fan of that

I CAN PET AND HUG ASSAN (and will. all day.)

I do wish I could hug or interact with my romanced companion....but the overall romance and amount of references to it were acceptable. more than enough to get me daydreaming about my Rook and Taash 🥰

Rook's idle animations near the edge of something make me smile

the final battle (like the whole set of quests) felt appropriately dramatic and significant

my completionism paid off :}

the emotional stakes!! I cried like a baby more than once.

DREAD WOOF \o/

the ending (the one I got this round anyway) felt relatively satisfying, even though **

Hate It:

no lighting swap for the Inquisitor CC

no warning before the first major decision point/point of no return. never had my coffee date :(

no armor/outfit dye mechanic, and my god some of the color combos are.. certainly choices

no crafting system

very few legitimately casual outfit options

the main theme sounds like Harry Potter to me

so few meaningful callbacks to past games and choices... it felt impersonal and disconnected from previous game experiences

the way certain areas are walled off (either exploration areas during quests or vice versa) by some nebulous white haze is lazy

I love a DIY home base in my viddy games, but the decor mode is basically pointless. like that's time that could've been better spent elsewhere (like maybe improving the above point??)

loading a save drops you at a respawn beacon, so I'm always forgetting what undiscovered location I was gonna explore next

combat can be fun but is often an exhausting mash of swipe-and-dodge, since unless you use a companion's Taunt skill, every enemy will prioritize Rook for no reason, minus a few swings at the companions here and there (in Adventure mode)

no dedicated Open Map or Open Journal buttons

can't talk to solas whenever I want :(

the evanuris altars are boring. at least the fen'harel ones have some challenge to them, even if it's not a very difficult one

Davrin's talk about the Dalish is.. idk. mixed bag (update: I like his arc though, and Bellara provides another great perspective!)

the Crows are a good and benevolent organization now?? I thought Caterina abused Lucanis? I need to reread his story but it really felt like the writers didn't.

humorous dialogue options are rarely actually funny

dialogue trees don't flow very well, especially if you take one of "more information" options. they need better transitions

too much mythal 😤

**the ending left me with quite a few unanswered questions AND made my Lavellan look a whole-ass fool (I will be headcanoning otherwise, because I am a whole-ass fool)

#ellster speaks #dragon age #dragon age the veilguard #dav spoilers #though i tried to keep it general and avoid actual spoilers #dragon age critical #bioware critical #(just in case someone expected to see an empty hate list below the cut?)#will update as other people's reactions remind me of things #since i did not in fact update as i went 😅

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princess-aeducan · 5 months ago

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard Gameplay Reveal Thoughts

Okay for one thing, I am so happy to be making this post. Going from people voicing doubts about the game coming out at all to a Fall 2024 release window is so exciting. 10 years and it’s finally almost here.

-The game is absolutely gorgeous. I love the design of Minrathous, I love how gobsmackingly different it is from Ferelden. Dorian’s complaints from Inquisition all make sense now, and it’s fascinating to see a place that is not repressive of magic- the fact that it resembles sci-fi levels of tech but is all powered by magic is sooo fun and interesting to me. I also think it’ll be an interesting contrast to the more classic fantasy style locations we see at the ritual site and throughout the screenshots the developers have posted. It makes the world feel so much bigger, diverse, and more fleshed out.

-Unpopular opinion and I totally respect why others dislike it as it does look quite different, I’m actually looking forward to the combat. It honestly just looks more fun to me, as I tend to favor a more action/real time style anyway. That being said, I do dislike the 3 person party change for banter reasons and do think that’ll make it feel significantly less like classic Dragon Age. I feel like I’ll get used to it pretty fast, but it is a disappointment. Controlling companions isn’t mandatory for me but it was always nice to be able to try out all the classes, so that’s a loss as well, although one I’m less bothered by.

-I like the way the characters look, but do understand it could take a little bit of adjustment. Harding got a massive glow up, she looks gorgeous. So excited she’s a companion, and that we’ll have our first romanceable dwarf! Not a huge fan of the way Solas looks in this style, but I don’t feel particularly upset about it anyway. Not sure what it is. Varric looks great, but like many others, missing his ginger hair. All in all, less drastic changes to returning characters than we’ve seen in previous titles, I will never be over how much they butchered Alistair in Inquisition. I love the designs and vibes of the new companions, Neve is a fashion icon and sooo fits in with what Dorian has set up for us to expect from Tevinter. I can’t wait to meet Davrin in particular, because god I miss Grey Wardens.

-On that point: Factions have me maybe the most excited. I cannot wait to be a Grey Warden again, I’d been holding out hope! I liked that the faction was referenced in the gameplay reveal as well, and hope it’ll change small things throughout the game, at least through dialogue. Also will have to play as an Antivan Crow at some point. A bit sad this won’t include a playable prologue like Origins, but since DA2 and DAI I wasn’t expecting it. Just always something I’ll miss.

-A red flag for me is how little Rook was prompted to make dialogue choices. I hope that because this is simply the prologue and therefore focused on binary plot progression, that this will be different in more dialogue-driven sections, but it’s something to look out for and be wary of. I’m okay with Rook speaking on their own occasionally, but if that continues, I hope it’s at least like Hawke where there’s some variation based on personality.

-Also yes, excited about the return of the purple Hawke icon! The dialogue wheel in Inquisition felt more bland to me than in DA2, so if the wheel is what we’re stuck with, I’d rather it lean more to its DA2 execution.

-On narrative: I cannot BELIEVE the game just jumps into “let’s confront Solas RIGHT NOW!” I was not expecting so much plot from the gameplay reveal. I am very intrigued by what’s coming next with the evanuris, and what it will mean for Solas’ role in the story. I’m kind of obsessed with the fact that it begins with Rook fucking things up worse, I think that will be magnificent to explore for roleplay and the repercussions for Thedas will be massive. I know there were concerns about tone, but this gives me hope that we’ll have the fucked up shit Dragon Age is known for. “Just some guy who makes things worse” is a great start for a protagonist, and reminds me of DA2 in some respects.

-My brainrot is horrendous. I have so many more thoughts all of the time, but tried to just center on the gameplay reveal so I don’t yap forever. But always feel free to send asks, and expect more posts as we get closer and closer!

#dragon age #dragon age 4 #dragon age the veilguard #datv #dav #da4 #BioWare

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reliquiaen · 5 months ago

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Thoughts about the Veilguard gameplay:

Would have liked to see some companion combat. It mentioned that the command system was locked at that point in the story, but I would’ve appreciated seeing how it works. Can you give orders like ‘go there’ and ‘focus that guy’? Can you set them up with tactics like in Origins? (I miss the tactics menu.)

I noticed Neve got in close a couple of times to do some melee shenanigans, is that a Neve-specific quirk or are we getting some more in depth sexy close quarters mage stuff?

Rook had a limited arrow pool which is fine, I have no issue with that. What I’m wondering is if rogues as a class will have less reliance on the bow? Or will it be possible to spec further into that? How does it work for Varric and Harding who are archer based? Will there be a dedicated archer class? Can I play bow and arrow main weapon is my question.

I would’ve liked to see more of the magic system. What kinda spells and spell classes will we have this time around? Neve seems very ice-centric, which is neat, but can I cast fireball? Chain lightning? Can I spec someone into the dedicated spirit healer? Is shapeshifting coming back? What about blood magic? We’re in Tevinter please give me blood magic.

What ARE the classes going to be and how will the system work? Is it locked in from the start? Do we have a bit more flexibility with it? Can I respec skill points? Are there class masteries?

How does equipping weapons work? Can you have a main loadout and swap to a secondary loadout like in Origins? Do weapons come in sets, or can I mix and match this sword with this offhand weapon? Am I locked to certain weapons? Are there any cross class things going on? That rogue Rook we saw, is that bow an ability or a weapon he can swap out? How does it work?

How does companion levelling work? Can I spec Harding into daggers? Like how in Origins you could take a perfectly good dagger-wielding rogue in Zevran and say ‘here’s a bow, shoot stuff’ can I do that again? Or are classes more locked down?

Will I be able to see companion health bars (and other statuses) when they’re in my party?

Intrigued by the ‘which companion you take will have consequences’ bit too. ‘Harding will go with you into greater danger’, does that mean… what? Permanent injuries? Relationship status changes? Unique dialogue? If you take a companion into a situation they don’t want will they leave the group? Do companions have the chance for perma death???

Is that dialogue system similar to DA2 and will it have some of the same effect on ambient dialogue?

I don’t think we’ve ever had a romanceable dwarf? Do we get two this time? Harding and Varric? Please??

Is Rook locked to human? I don’t want that. After we finally got to be Qunari in Inquisition, please don’t give us less options now.

The two shapes that rise up behind Solas at the end have some vague resemblance to the Architect and Corypheus, any chance they are some more of the Magisters? Could we get some more lore about the Black City? Especially considering all the differing opinions about whether the Maker lived there or the Old Elven Gods or whatever. Would be nice if it really does have something to do with the taint because I am STILL WAITING to find out if my Warden and the Architect figured something out, and we left someone in the Fade in Inquisition… now is the time okay. Bring it all home.

I know there’s that thing going on about how they want only names and faces Solas doesn’t know, but like… if the Fade is being torn asunder… will Hawke/Alistair/Other Guy make a return? Have the Veiljumpers found them? If there is something about the calling (which I’m hoping given we have a new Warden), will our DAO Warden be making a reappearance? Is this gonna be like… all the old PCs joining the new one to Ultrazord punch Solas in the face?

Elluvian appearance: I know Tevinter is Just Like That but please??? News about Merrill???

Just in general, how many of my faves will be brought back and done dirty this time? I need to know so I can brace myself.

#personal #games #dragon age #dragon age the veilguard #da4 #datv #i have many questions #some of this i know won't be revealed at all before launch #and some of it is probably not even gonna be addressed in game #but like #i have Thoughts you know

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loweffortopinions · 7 days ago

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So...

Did anyone else skip companion quests because they were boring as hell—I mean, just to up the stakes for the final battle? Just me?

Man, the drama, DELICIOUS. Best part of the game for me. And I’m being serious here—I finally felt real agency when some companions started dropping off. I had to manufacture it, but hey, I got some in the end. Side note: This is what you get for dumping my ass Lucanis. You break my heart, I break yours. And for the record, I do a better job of being possessed by spite than you ever did. Amateur.

Now that I think about it...

I find the idea of Spite stepping in to help Rook get "revenge" over being dumped way more engaging than anything Spite actually does in the game.

Let’s play around with that idea:

Spite clearly likes Rook. That much is obvious. So why not play that up a bit? Let the player and Lucanis react to it—whether with indifference, discomfort, intrigue… Add in a sense of real danger. Despite conflicting feelings, Lucanis and Rook fall for each other. But then, after certain choices are made, Lucanis dumps Rook. Heartbreak ensues. Then Lucanis has the audacity to fall for Neve and rub it in Rook’s face. (Okay, it wasn’t technically intentional, but the way those scenes triggered for my Rook? Ouch.)

Spite being a petty chaos gremlin, sees Rook’s sadness and channels its inner spite. Cue vendetta against Lucanis and Neve.

Towards the end, Spite ensures Neve doesn’t make it through the final fight OR Spite does something awful towards Lucanis, the Crows or Neve earlier in the story. Something that could cause Lucanis to completely loose himself to possession—unless you intervene. Thus you get a final choice to have either Lucanis or Spite as a companion for the rest of the game. Fun!

Now everyone is sad. No one wins—except maybe Spite. And then, in true Grey Warden fashion, my Rook goes to die in the Deep Roads. The End.

#Dragon Age #veilguard #Companions #Headcannon #Spite #Neve #datv #veilguard critical #lucanis dellamorte

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paridoxpower · 6 days ago

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Dragon Age the Veilguard Review

Personal thoughts and opinions about the game DAtV.

A solid 8.5/10 game, it'd be a nine or higher if not for certain things.

Below the cut are spoilers, but what I like about it, what needs working on/what I felt meh about, and what I didn't like.

What I liked

Character creation: easy to use, hard to master. More on this in the meh/work on section

Graphics: Very pretty game

New demon look: I was hesitant about this, but the more I played, the more it grew on me. However, I never saw the new Rage Demon look since that thing moves so freaking fast!!

New Blight look: it's gross, and I love it

Dialogue Interruption: if companion dialogue gets interrupted, they continue it?? Unprompted!!? Love it. The only time it doesn't seem to work is when you have a story related interruption, which I suppose makes sense. I want all games to have this now

Armor Appearance: love the fact that you can change the look of armor

Explaining terms: think it's helpful, but mainly for non-DA experienced players I think

Pet animals: you can pet cats, and some dogs. What more can I say

Consequence results: It's interesting the game tells you the consequences of your actions (because you did xyz, now ABC won't help). Does it need to be said...eh. But I think it's helpful and I kind of like it

Maps: I love the fact that the maps are smaller than Inquisition, yet still big enough to not get bored, such as some in DA2

The ending: I actually really enjoyed the ending. I'm a hard one to please when it comes to game endings, but I really liked this one. And I can't wait to see what the different versions of the ending are. I'm intrigued by the 'poisoned fruit' teaser.

Meh/ What needs improvement

Character creation: Like I said earlier, it's easy to use, but very hard to master. If it were a mix between Inquisition's character creation and what it has, I think it'd be easier to use. Or if it had more presets that you can start with. I have mixed feels about the 3 face morphing thing, but I think that's because it's hard to master.

Pacing/Explanation: I think the game moves too fast and with little explanation about some things. Like the entire time, I don't think anyone outright said that the elven gods were the reason there were 5 previous blights (edit-they kind of did towards the end). Context clues and knowledge of the previous game help, and I suppose I shouldn't complain that they aren't catering to people who haven't played the 3 previous games, but I would've appreciated some acknowledgement about that and other things.

Rook's Therapy words: Please don't @ me for this, but I think Rook is a little too therapist in their speech. Sometimes it didn't feel like a real conversation. I appreciated what was said, but maybe it could've been said differently

Animations: There are some weird animations. My Rook seemed to smile as a default when talking, which I don't know is a result of my options in creation or dialogue, but some dialogue doesn't need smiling. Also, I romanced Emmerich with a short Rook. During the 2nd date, at the end, it was a little clunky. Was that because of the height difference? No idea, but that could've been smoothed out. I have mixed feelings about Rook's hand-shake when talking

Boss Fights and Dodging: I felt like I spent most boss fights just dodging. Not because I couldn't take on the boss, but because they constantly attacked, and their attacks were large. It got very frustrating that I couldn't even shoot off an arrow because I was running from a charging beast.

Enemy Fighting Priority: This is in addition to the above. My Rook was constantly being attacked. As in, there is a field of bad guys, and they are ignoring the companions and coming after Rook. Is this because Rook is considered the strongest by the AI, or is that how the game is set? No idea. But when I fought the undead dragon and there is a field of undead chasing me and a dragon, while my companions aren't even being chased by one, it becomes very annoying, very fast. It kind of links into the above complaint with the dodging. And the companions that have the taunt, it doesn't last long enough to help.

Mementos and Valuables: I'm not sure if this was mentioned anywhere in the game. I personally don't remember seeing an explanation, but if there was, then I suppose disregard this one. But I don't understand why you can buy useless valuables from merchants. I guess it's so you can resell at a higher price? But I just don't get it. Mementos. I understand you get them to upgrade the Caretaker, but otherwise, I don't get them either.

Map: I feel like the map/minimap needs work. Sometimes the layout is a little confusing and not all things are labeled (like the market it Trevso). And the fact that you can't place a marker yourself is annoying

Decorating Rook's room: Cute idea, felt kind of pointless

Darkspawn look: I didn't like the look of the darkspawn in this one. It's kind of explained that they're different/changed because of the circumstances. I'm still a fan of the first game's version.

Talking to Companions: Why. Can't. We. Ask. Our. Companions. Questions???? Sure, you can talk and ask questions sometimes, but why can't we ask simple questions, like in past games? Lucanis, how is it being a Crow? Emmrich, what's with that shadow dude at the Necropolis? Etc, etc. I feel like it would've helped to understand our companions more and the world they come from. And the fact that sometimes we have to learn about our companions by overhearing their convos with others? Ugh.

Tie in with other properties: I love this, actually. But that's because I read the books. I feel like if you didn't read the books, and since this game doesn't explain a lot, you might be confused about some things.

Gift giving: It's cute. But could've been worked on

Approval vs Bond: I'm not sure if this was explained anywhere, but was there an explanation if there was a difference between Approval and Bond?

Varric and Rook's bond: It's kind of implied that Rook and Varric have a mentor-student relationship of some kind. I wish they would've shown this a bit more. It's mentioned they've been traveling together for a while, but when Rook learned Varric had died, I don't think it hit like it should have for Rook. Maybe a future pre-game DLC would be nice or something like that.

Choices you made: Would've been nice to see the choices you made all together in a list at the end or something. Especially since they didn't use the Dragon Age Keep. It's going to make replaying a little harder for me lol

What I Didn't Like

Battle Mechanics: I don't like it. I played on PC. It felt like I should've been playing with a controller the entire time. So I suppose if you played on a console, it worked for you. But I also missed being able to control your companions. To me, that's one of the key things that makes a DA game. I hated the combos that you had to do to achieve your own moves. The companion combos? This was okay, but it felt like it discouraged certain companion pairings. In the other games, you could kind of give everyone a little of everything (if you wanted) so you could mix everyone and not miss out. Battle Mechanics wise, this did not feel like a DA game. It reminded me of the more recent Assassin's Creed games (like Origins and Odyssey), which I also did not like, haha. Edit: I'll admit, by the end of the game, I got better at this, but it's still not my favorite game play of the series

Varric's 'Next Time on DAtV': Why is this here. I'm going to keep playing the game, and now your little teaser ruins the surprise of the quest. For example, Taash and their mother vs Hawke and their mom. Varric outright tell's us something bad is going to happen to Taash's mom. Imagine if they did that to Hawke's mom. After the last quest, Varric said, 'next time, the victim will be closer to home' and then it shows Leandra screaming and bloody. Like....the surprise of that quest would be ruined instantly. I hated this. I don't know if they were afraid of people wouldn't want to keep playing so they wanted to tease or wanted to justify Varric being there, but I didn't like it

Spawn points: I hate. Hate. Hate this. DAtV. Bioware. If I save in a specific spot, there is a 99% chance I want to spawn in that same spot. Maybe I saved there because I wanted to remind myself to check out the building I'm right in front of or turn in a quest. But no. The stupid spawn spots. The only good thing is that there are more fast travel points.

No big previous decisions: Like. The biggest red flag. I suppose you can get away with saying all your decisions were in the South, so nothing really changes in the North. But what about the Well of Sorrows?? If you're going to have Morrigan and the Inquisitor, why not have that decision? This is just a big red flag to me

Missing a companion while traveling: I miss having 3 people. I'll die on that hill

#dragon age the veilguard #dragon age #dragon age veilguard #bioware #game review #personal game review

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ashenlavellan · 9 days ago

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DA:Veilguard Development Questions - Lucretia Elena Mercar - BEWARE OF SPOILERS

Felt like answering these questions after randomly scrolling and @brownsolas' post showed up on my feed with these questions!

Where in Thedas is Rook from?

Lucretia was born and raised in Tevinter - her biological father, who is an unnamed Magister, is Tevene. Her mother was initially a traveling minstrel, before being captured from slave-traders and escaped nearly three years after [9:23 Dragon]. She is from Starkhaven.

What is Rook's alignment?

Lucretia is chaotic good; it's obvious during the confrontation within Weisshaupt as she takes control from the First Warden by decking him in the face. However, this had saved the lives of many Wardens and saved them from senseless deaths.

What is their race and subclass?

She is an elf and her class/sub-class is a mage and she's proficient as an evoker.

If Rook was a companion, where could they be found?

Lucretia would have been found within Dock Town due to her ties with the Shadow Dragons and how she's a useful member with her endurance and background - having been adopted into a militaristic family.

What emotion did they usually express in conversations?

She's best described as a "glass half-full" type of person, which was quite unusual considering her background and who she usually associates with in the Shadow Dragons.

[It's been described as quite refreshing, but has also been a double-edged sword for her.]

What companion(s) are they platonically close with?

Lucretia's closest (platonic) relationship would have to be tied between Bellara and Harding - she thoroughly enjoys talking about inventions and arcana topics with Bellara, but she loves spending time with Harding and listening to the stories of the Inquisition.

What companion are they romantically involved with?

She fell hard for the sleep-deprived Crow that is posted up within the pantry of the Lighthouse - Lucanis Dellamorte. [She's also accepting of the fact of the demon, Spite, who also inhabits his body.]

Lucretia, however, is initially hesitant to express her interest in him due to the fact that he's been held in captivity for an entire year and doesn't want to pressure him.

Who are they suspicious of?

Honestly, she was extremely suspicious of Illario Dellamorte - Lucanis' cousin, who had taken over during his disappearance. She kept these thoughts to herself until events occurred where his allegiance was questioned.

She purposely kept it to herself because she didn't think she had the right to voice her opinions on matters that involved Lucanis' family. Especially when they were growing close...

Does Rook get along with their chosen faction?

Lucretia has worked once or twice with the Viper before the events of Veilguard and has her utmost respect since they conversed outside of heists and missions - she's also worked once or twice with Tarquin, but not enough to form a full-blown opinion. She was acquainted with a few others, as well as a few of the Threads.

She had only heard of Neve beforehand; she knew that the mage was efficient and reliable, considering that she knew that Neve Gallus was a detective who wasn't easily swayed with someone's bullshit.

Is Rook proficient with playing any instruments?

As the child of a former minstrel, Lucretia had been taught to play quite a few instruments, but only expressed intrigue when it came to learning how to play the piano. However, it wasn't enough for Lucretia to want to pursue it - it's a mere hobby and very few people have heard her play.

Weapon of choice?

Lucretia was taught close-quarters combat with daggers before her magic manifested, so she's most comfortable with fighting close-quarters with a mage-knife and an orb. However, if she needs to keep distance from certain targets, then she'll use her staff.

What is Rook's orientation?

Lucretia is demi-bisexual; she's only explored relationships with those she's close with beforehand and has expressed interest in both men and women.

What is Rook's thoughts on killing? Necessary evil or take pleasure in it?

For most of her life, Lucretia has killed members of the Venatori and hardly has an issue with taking their lives since they're wretched beings who took the lives of others. She expresses remorse, however, if it's any innocent bystanders that get caught in the cross-fire.

What hobbies does Rook have?

Lucretia takes great delight in reading novels, preferably romance and fantasy novels - she had read Varric's novels prior to meeting him; she was fourteen yrs. old when the copies of "Tale of the Champion" had been published in 9:37 Dragon. Then, she was twenty-one yrs. old when she read the "Tales of the Inquisition's Agents" in 9:44 Dragon.

What NPCs did they like? Dislike?

She enjoys spending time and getting to work alongside Teia and Viago after meeting them in Treviso - their obvious interest in each other thoroughly amuses her as well. She absolutely adores Evka and Antoine - she loves speaking with them and working with them as well!

She was quite irritated with how easily the First Warden got on her nerves and destroyed her sense of calm with his antagonistic attitude towards her. She expresses subtle disinterest in Illario, however, since she feels as if something is off with him once Lucanis has returned.

Do they have a favorite creature throughout all of Thedas?

It's griffons - Assan, specifically. Duh.

Do they enjoy life as an adventurer?

Absolutely. If it weren't for the events of the Veilguard, she would have never had the opportunity to travel outside of the borders of Tevinter! In fact, she got to visit the country she always wished to go to - Antiva! [She absolutely adores Treviso!]

What would Rook be doing if they hadn't been recruited by Varric?

If things went as they did and the companions involved were still present, without her involvement, Lucretia would have offered all of her strength to them and would take down Venatori agents and spies throughout Minrathous. She would report her findings directly to Neve, if she was working alongside Varric.

After all, she's still a Shadow Dragon.

How do you think Rook will meet their end?

Lucretia is aware that life as a Shadow Dragon could mean any day could be their last and she's come to terms with that - however, this changes quite a bit once her and Lucanis become involved. All she can do is hope that she can live for as long as possible, so long as she's at Lucanis' side.

If anything, Lucretia would likely meet her demise should Lucanis' life be viciously taken before her - especially if she's a witness to his death. She nearly succumbed to her helplessness and sorrow when she thought Lucanis lost his life during their assault on Ghilan'nain.

Would Rook side with Solas, or be against him?

Honestly, she would be torn - she'd want to fight alongside him outside of the Fade against Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan, but she's strongly against dooming the world by tearing down the Veil.

She can see why Inquisitor Juniper Lavellan-Rutherford wishes to save her dearest friend from himself and from subjecting all of Thedas to something so terrifying.

What is Rook's favorite ability?

She mostly uses chain-lightning against heavily-armored targets, but she'll also use frozen nova if any rogues try to sneak up on her. This makes them prime targets for her allies as they're frozen in place.

What languages is Rook fluent with?

Lucretia learned the common-trade language due to her formal education that she received from her adoptive family, the Mercar's, but had also taught her Tevene as well.

However, she's learning Antivan on a more... intimate level, thanks to Lucanis.

What will they do after the crisis?

Lucretia is hopeful to reunite with her family and to make sure that they're alright - she hopes that her mother not only meets, but approves of her relationship with Lucanis. She's not sure what else she hopes for afterwards, as long as she can remain at Lucanis' side...

Does Rook believe in the afterlife?

Yes. She sincerely hopes that those she's lost, whether a fellow Shadow Dragon or a slave she attempted to save, are at peace in the afterlife and have found happiness.

She doesn't necessarily believe in any religion in particular, however. Just that there has to be some form of an afterlife.

What specialization best represents Rook?

Evoker, all the way. Lucretia's proficiency with elemental magic is astronomical and the way she can handle electricity and frost is quite deadly. However, she leans more towards the former as Neve Gallus is much more skilled in the latter than she is.

What animal best represents Rook?

Although not her favorite animal, acquaintances have best described her to be like a tiger; she's confident in her abilities/strengths, and she is very swift when it comes to solving problems around her.

However, her favorite animal is actually halla - there was a hand-drawn sketch of what one looked like when she was a child and she described it to be the most ethereal creature she had ever seen.

What was their life like before the events of the Veilguard?

Lucretia was used to spending her days either resting within her apartment, using sending crystals to speak with her cousins (Anastasia and Irene), or she'd busy herself with taking down Venatori slavers and rescuing slaves. It became like a routine for Lucretia...

If a different faction were chosen, which one would Rook be in?

Out of all of the factions, besides Shadow Dragons, she might have joined the Antivan Crows if she could use her skills to take down corrupt politicians, mages, and other figure-heads. However, she'd probably be a little resistant with certain contracts when she could practically do what she wants within the Shadow Dragons since there are targets everywhere in Minrathous.

What's your favorite thing about Rook?

Honestly, it may come across as shallow - her appearance. With most of my beloved characters, each of them went through a small phase where I made minor adjustments to their appearances.... but Lucretia?

My hands immediately weaved the image hidden within my mind as to how I pictured my beloved Rook - then, suddenly, Lucretia Elena Mercar was born! ^.^

#lucretia elena mercar #rook lucretia elena mercar #dragon age the veilguard #dragon age spoilers #rookanis #lucanis dellamorte

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