#The idiots in order: solas; Varric and inky

[extravagantliar]

I posted on my personal about choosing to not tell people anything about what you find out in relation to the Chantry is oppression and yes I know I’ve said it wouldn’t change anything if you said something, however having that choice is a privilege and doing nothing with that information means a diaspora of elves and people of all kinds from all over remain under a broken and oppressive system. Sure is religion on the forefront of their minds after the sky is ripped open again for the second time in a decade by the same three idiots? No. But religion and faith is a cornerstone of how people overall recover, we take lots of things out of the dark but faith mainly follows. And they will be built back up into a regime that oppresses people. Sure I wouldn’t listen to VeilSquad if they wandered into my office, but doing nothing is oppression.

[crescent--moons]

Sooo I finished Veilguard a week ago already but have been replaying and stewing on all the feels. I'm at the point where I need to dump some of my personal thoughts and feelings in no particular order and in a list format because that's just how my brain works lol

(Putting them under the cut for spoilers)

- I will protect Bellara at all costs (her personal quest is so important to me)

- Crows and Shadow Dragons factions are peak

- Seeing my Inky again gave me so much nostalgia I almost cried

- The chemistry between Lucanis x Shadow Dragon Rook x Neve is immaculate (bonding over "our day job is killing Venatori" is hilarious and everything I wanted)

- The dynamic between Lucanis x Crow Rook x Viago x Teia has my whole entire heart

- "Illario you idiot" is an understatement

- Taash and Lucanis banter made me laugh so hard I busted a lung I fear

- Emmrich and Manfred are absolutely delightful

- The gasps I gasped when Zara called Illario Amatus and Manfred spoke his first word

- Spite. Is. My favourite.

- The realization that Varric was dead all along shattered my heart

- The character creator is great (wishing for more hair options though)

- Rivain's combat music slaps

- Solas needs both a good scramble and a big hug

- Crow Rook 🤝 Viago "The Crows rule Antiva and Treviso will be free" (I love them)

- All the lore reveals gave both my Rook and I an existential crisis

- The game could have used a bit more faction recognition in certain scenes/dialogs but alas

- The level design is so good and the environments are gorgeous

- Spellblade and Evoker are so much fun

- The animations in certain cutscenes are so well done I was in awe

- I ugly cried for 1 whole hour after I finished the game (worth it)

- Davrin and Lucanis bickering half the time is the dynamic I didn't know I needed

- Harding and Taash are so cute together

- Seeing Dorian (again) and Maevaris (for the first time) in game was awesome

- Evka and Antoine are adorable

- Spending time petting cats and dogs in Minrathous and Treviso instead of getting on with quests is the DA experience I was looking for

- Lucanis Dellamorte has bewitched me body and soul (his story arc and romance was tailored made for me istg)

- I'm just so incredibly happy to finally have a new Dragon Age game after 10 years of painful waiting

[misculenica]

DA: Dreadwolf Thoughts & Trespasser Choice - and speculation of quests/choices

I've had a lot of spacing out time on my hands since I've been sick the past week (feeling better, dw)

I've been thinking a lot about that final choice with Solas in the Trespasser dlc; attempt to redeem solas, or, attempt to stop solas.

And that's a real headscratcher, isn't it? Because... That's the last interaction you have with the lord of eggs. Like... Why would this even be a choice to make, beyond dialogue/emotional fluffing for some kind of 'conclusion' that isn't even a conclusion to the narrative? It's a beginning, if anything. But Inky isn't going to be involved at all anymore, given the next protagonist in DW will be new.

So why the choice, and why is it framed like a serious game-changer choice? (not a dialogue wheel, a this or this kind of choice, like conscripting or allying with the mages/templars)

So I did some more thinking, and got somewhere ;)

Your (Inky's) choice to try and redeem solas or to try to stop/kill him will impact the narrative of Dreadwolf, and how missions will play out.

Inky (and what remains of the most trusted members of the inquisition - as stated in the comics; varric, charter and harding -correct me if I'm wrong); will be working towards an alternative to bringing down the veil or will be taking a more 'anything you can do i can do better' kind of role with solas, if redeem was chosen.

If stop was chosen, it will be much more 'kill any of his agents/bring them in', basically a lot more aggressively trying to stop him because he's getting close to doing it.

I can explain, but I will need to go back to Trespasser.

For clarification, what tipped me off to this idea was the specific dialogue from the dlc:

Now that's some interesting wording, huh?

"Try to convince Solas to change his plan"

And here's the varying dialogue for approval/romance etc

High Approval:

Romance:

"Solas, our love (is the) way (to) endure/unto death" (literal translation; "solas, our love (is the) way unto death/(to) endurance" (bless my solasmancer heart, the literal translation is kind of a nod to solas' greatest fear and how lavellan is trying to comfort him by saying essentially how he won't die alone because she's with him to the end/loves him beyond the constraints of life, and then this poor miserable bastard responds the only way he knows how)

(fuck you patrick thank you *cries* this is the most goodbye i've ever felt)

Low Approval:

You don't choose anything... Solas just kinda... Snatches your arm and tells you to piss off in the most Solas way possible.

Romance/High Approval

Now, allow me to rant about this dialogue.

The implication of the redeem lines are more telling than the 'stop him' ones, partially because it's very "you're being an idiot so your ass is grass"

But let me address the high approval lines:

"You don't need to destroy this world. I'll prove it to you."

I feel like this implies a lot for what comes next. But what could you mean by that? We're going to try and convince him there's an alternative. And my mind's racing for what that could mean for the plot of Dreadwolf, and what alternative could the Inquisition be seeking.

Here's what I'm thinking;

Dreadwolf's overarching narrative will be the same; prevent Solas from doing his thing.

However!

Based on this final choice with Solas, the language of the quests could change/what you're told about the Inquisitor will change.

For example; you're going out on the same quests, but the quests could be worded differently, or priorities change. Like... Sabotage/kill an agent of Fen'Harel but lose information vs steal information from an agent but let them go, or, beat agents to x objective vs neutralize agents seeking objective x

I think the game will allow us to go rogue on these decisions, however. I think Inky will be at the top of the order, giving orders down, but we as the player can choose to do what we want (naturally), depending on how we or our character feel about things. But the Inky's orders will be different based on that redeem or stop at the Trespasser choice. However, the missions/quests -for the most part- will be the same, only wording/language/priorities will change.

But I do feel like if you choose 'redeem' and go down a path of 'we need to be compassionate/understanding/prove Solas wrong - the game will very much punish us for it - it'll definitely get a lot of innocents killed.

If you choose to 'stop' him, you'll probably be given more aggressive/no nonsense objectives, and it'll probably bring the heat down on you more, but I feel like the game will encourage you to do this - innocents will die, too, but you'll get to blame Solas more.

Overall, bioware games tend to hammer home that 1. regardless of your choices, bad things will happen, 2. 'the ends justify the means' always leads to a persons downfall/blowing up in their face - leads to something far worse, 3. the road to evil is pathed with good intentions.

But I think the game will play into you as the player, and Rook, choosing to act with their own agency, even though they'll be working by the Inquisition's will - and this will impact Solas, and the rest of the plot and it's themes. Like imagine Solas bringing up the fact that a rebellious Rook acts with their own moral compass instead of doing what the 'hero' wants.

Which way will the droplet fall?

Unpredictability seems to be a thing for Solas and his plans, and it'd be interesting to see it brought up in Dreadwolf - especially as a theme and narrative device.

You can make plans, try your best, but ultimately, you have no idea what a person can/will do, nor how events will turn out (especially when you're attempted an act of god) - yes I'm comparing Dragon Age to Jurassic Park, and we better get a dragon roaring epically with a banner falling in front of it after it randomly saves us from darkspawn {I'm kidding, but damn that'd be cool) "Don't worry... That's the good kind of rumble!" - Bellara

Solas: You cannot stop me.

Rook: No... But they can ;) -->

I'm still going to stick with my theory that we're going to have to obtain the alliance with some powerful being to combat Solas, and I'll be damned if I don't get to pet a dragon in the next game.