#i love bellara i have to romance her next maybe

[3gremlins]

i love bellara and her random ambient conversations so fucking much (especially with emmerich, like she loves asking him hopefully if vampires maybe exist and he actually entertains her as best he can. i think she was asking how you can be partially undead here XD).

[flowersforthemachines]

Ranking everyone's Hero of the Veilguard armours (because I have nothing better to do)

I realised I needed to gather my thought's on everyone's drip so here are my humble opinions (with numbers and pictures)

Disclaimer: I took this very seriously, but you probably shouldn't. This is based on my personal opinion, which, while undoubtedly correct, may not align with your own. And that's okay.

14 - Titan's Vengeance (Harding)

That is definitely an armour. One of the armours ever, perhaps!

While I understand that it's meant to evoke the image of the dwarves as we see them in DAVG, I simply do not vibe with this outfit. Like, at all. It got an honest chuckle out of me when I saw it in the game, but I would never put Harding through the torture of wearing it. Which is too bad because I'd pick her embracing the Titan's anger over its compassion any day. A pity the fashion doesn't keep up.

13 - Rivain's Legacy (Taash)

Putting my opinions on certain aspects of their questline aside ("yes, you can be non-binary, but we draw the line at being multicultural"), this outfit doesn't even seem to be based on Taash's model. Anyone who has seen their romance scene (I have <3) should be able to tell these are not their legs. Their gorgeous calves wouldn't fit into those metal things. Bioware should be ashamed.

12 - The Qun's Honour (Taash)

That outfit doesn't make a lot of sense to me personally. I can live with the fact that most companion outfits are reused assets, but why is the Lords of Fortune armour of all things meant to represent Taash pursuing Qunari culture? Did no one at the office stop to think how weird that was? Like for real.

11 - Grey Benefactor (Davrin)

This outfit belongs in the "He Would Not Fucking Wear That" category. It also commits the cardinal sin of making Davrin look smaller (in my eyes), which not even the essence of Mythal could help to find redemption for. A shame after a shame.

10 - Crow's Tenacity (Lucanis)

This outfit is... a lot. Why is there so much metal, aren't assassins supposed to be silent 'n sneaky n' stuff? What are those patterns? Is that a FUR COLLAR??? I fell in love with a man with a horrible fashion sense

9 - Crow's Poise (Lucanis)

Marginally better than its counterpart, this outfit still leaves me with a lot of questions. I won't ask what is up with the feathers (I get it. they are crows) but I still find feather pauldrons to be a crime of fashion.

If Harding's Titan armour brought me a chuckle, this caused a groan because it took me 70h~ to reach the end of Lucanis's questline on my first playthrough and my reward was THIS?

(why did I have to fall for that guy of all people)

8 - Archivist's Mail (Bellara)

This simply does not scream Bellara to me. Even her glove and the scarf aren't enough to make that armour look like something of her own. It's definitely missing the flair (bits and baubles!!!) from her other armours, which may not be a fashion crime, but is still deeply regrettable.

7 - Wild Benefactor (Davrin)

This is like. It's a bit better than his other one, okay. It even started growing on me over time, in a way I can't comprehend yet also can't deny. Maybe he would fucking wear that, I don't know.

6 - Investigator's Robes (Neve)

I was originally tempted to rank it higher because I liked its description mentioning that Neve wearing robes (which she normally doesn't do) is a statement. It's cool thematically.

But I shall not let Bioware gaslight me into forgetting that it's just a Shadow Dragons robe conveniently recoloured to suit that narrative. Try harder next time.

5 - Graven Vestments

It's nice (especially compared to some other armours), but not Emmrich-y enough in my opinion. It lacks the personality present in his starting outfit. Peepaw deserves something more special for overcoming the greatest fear of his life, wouldn't you think?

4 - Threader's Plates (Neve)

This armour gets bonus points because it actually took me a while to recognise it was a recoloured Defiant Plate. Neve really makes it her own!

Other than that, it looks good, but is it *great*? It is *meaningful*? Not really. It would also look cooler if Neve's hair was down (the same applies to any other hatless outfit).

3 - Lich's Vestige (Emmrich)

That outfit is just so fucking cool. The exposed ribcage? The high collar? Black and gold? Now that is Emmrich Volkarin. And I do have a special appreciation for companion armours being, you know, *unique* models.

However, while undoubtedly stylish, the armour leaves behind a question: was it worth it?...

2 - Inquisition Spotter (Harding)

I may be an Inquisition hater deep down (sorry), but this armour still prompted a lonely tear to run down my cheek when I first saw it. It's such a nice callback to the past in a game that's so different from all previous DAs that it melted my cold, cold heart.

I was especially touched by the embroidery representing the members of the Inquisition. Harding carries her memories of them wherever she goes!!! :)

1 - Reborn Leathers (Bellara)

Is this biased? Yes, of course, this is biased. Bellara is my favourite girl, everyone else stood no chance. Like, she literally has a crown on her head - who else deserved the first place, if not her?

Jokes aside, this outfit is everything I would expect from a reward for completing a companion's storyline - a completely new outfit that retains the spirit of the original design while bringing new elements to it.

Sometimes what you need to make a good experience better is to see your fave in a cool outfit. For this one, Bioware has my sincere thanks.

[kitterkat100]

My thoughts on Dragon Age: The Veilguard

So, I finished datv yesterday and now have time to sit and think about it. Now, obviously this is just my subjective opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. I am going to start with the good and go into the bad and then finish with more good (that teacher training coming in). Also, I learned how to do a read more for this.

I am going to start with the combat. I have made another post about this, but that was like 3 hours into my first playthrough. Veilguard has the best combat in the series. Usually Dragon Age games have combat that is a slog to get through, so much so that many people in the fandom say they don't play the games for combat but for the story. I have never been a fan of the real-time with tactical pause, I find it a little boring. I am not a big fan of turn-based, to begin with ( that is one of the reasons I still have not finished Baulder's Gate). In the past, if I wanted to play a good story game with fun combat, I would play Mass Effect. But I have fun just fighting enemies, if DAI's combat was this fun I would replay it more often.

Next the art direction. Now, I am no artist and I know next to nothing about anything. But I really like the art. I think the environments are beautiful. I like the character models. I know people were complaining about the models having small heads in the lead-up to the release, but I think it was because the game doesn't use heroic proportions. And you don't notice in-game at all, at least I didn't. Also the brought back some reused assets from the Inquisition, and some of the paintings that have been around since Origins.

Okay the companions. I might write a longer post for each companion later on. I am going in alphabetical order.

Bellara: I romanced her, and I love her so much. She has some strong Tali vibes with a strong dose of ADHD. I am a little sad that we did not even kiss until after the final battle, but I just read that as her being ace or demi (like me!).

Davrin: He is such a bro. I love him and Assan so much. His banter with Emmrich is so funny. The ending to his story line is a little weak, but I will talk about that in his own post.

Emmrich: I think Emmrich is one of the best companions in the whole series, flat out. I love this man, he going to be my next romance (Female Qunari Grey Warden).

Harding: Harding is great. I really liked all of the Titan stuff in her storyline. I did get her killed, so I am not sure what her ending is like. I did think her romance with Taash was cute.

Lucanis: I'm going to say it. I think Lucanis is the weakest of the companions, I don't dislike him. I don't if I missed a lot of content because I saved Minrathous instead of Treviso or if it was because his writer got canned during development. And what he did have felt bare bones. I thought we would be dealing with Spite a lot more. I will say his recruitment mission is a blast.

Neve: I played a Shadow Dragon so my character had a lot of in common with Neve. I like her, but I don't have any strong feelings towards her one or another. Her romance with Lucanis is a thing that happens. I might change my mind when I get around to romancing her.

Taash: I am cis, so take this with a grain of salt. But I think their storyline about being non-binary was oddly paced. I did like everything past that, I think it was much better paced. I do like them a lot. Also, they are really cute with Harding. I do wish there was more of a reaction to me getting Harding killed on Tearstone Island, but that is a writing complaint.

Speaking of the writing. It is really a mixed bag. Some of it is great and then some of it was giving slop comics from the mid-00s. The first several hours are story slog, some of that is because of all the lore dumps, and some of it is because it is oddly paced. The writing gets progressively better throughout the game. From the point of no return to the credits it is the strongest writing, maybe not in the whole series but definitely since the last third of DAI. That after-credit scene was a choice. I will probably talk about that more after I figure out how I feel about it. I think Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nan are the strongest villains since Loghain, it really helps that they are present throughout the game. There are definitely moments where you feel that Rook is HR, but not a lot, but enough that I understand why that made it into some reviews. I don't think it is any more quippy or Marvel-like than any other Dragon Age game, "Swooping is bad" comes to mind.

Finally, some random thoughts. I think this game really nailed the horror of the Blight, I can't get the image of Bellara wrapped in Blight tentacles during the final section out of my head.

I played a non-mage elf shadow dragon, and there was a lot of reactivity for the shadow dragon part, less the elf part. I know I missed a conversation with Tarquin about it, but still. It's like no one even noticed the pointy ears.

That's it for now. I might add more as think about it.

8/10, I had a blast.

[wardencallings]

Thoughts on a Harding betrayal based on a poll I ran last week. Spoilers for Veilguard below!

I think that for Harding to betray the party, a very specific set of conditions would have to be met. I don't see her betraying the party on a whim, nor for anything less than absolute certainty on her part that this is right. I also dont see her siding with the gods, so her betrayal would have to revolve around Solas, specifically killing him, which I think aligns well with her belonging to the OG Stop Solas group. I'm also going to say that this would require Harding to be romanced by Rook or for something to happen to Taash.

Here is the game progression I think would be necessary for Harding to snap:

1. Rook must be vehemently against Solas in all beginning dialogue choices. Even when Harding expresses how she feels pity for Solas, Rook must be unforgiving and rigid.

2. Paradoxically, Rook encourages the Inquisitor to consider forgiving Solas. This sets up the betrayal scene.

3. Have Harding embrace her anger. Rook makes it clear she has every right to be mad at Solas for what he did. Maybe afterward, add some party banter that demonstrates just how zeroed in on that anger she is. I could see a particularly interesting exchange between Bellara and Harding. The party members are a little apprehensive of Harding's anger, even maybe explicitly saying that they're worried about it consuming her.

4. Before the Ghilin'nain fight, Harding expresses fear of someone dying. In response, Rook tells her that she should trust herself to make the right decisions during the fight and, more so, to trust her ability with her bow -- "You always aim true, Lace."

5. Davrin is sent on the diversion mission and dies. This causes Harding to feel regretful that she didn't push harder to lead the distraction team. She becomes convinced that to prevent death, she must act rather than wait for permission. Also, she has to be alive to betray you, lol.

6. A romanced Rook is stuck in the Fade prison, and Solas is released. I can imagine some codex entries here of unsent letters from Harding to her Ma, expressing regret that she did not shoot Solas when she could've. She writes of watching Davrin fall in her place and how guilty she feels. She laments the loss of the farm, the fate of her neighbors, and the fall of Ferelden, placing blame for it all on Solas. She wonders what he will take from her next. If Rook does not romance Harding, Taash is kidnapped instead of Bellara/Neve. This step is the biggest conduit to Harding's decision to kill Solas before he can threaten or imprison anyone she loves again. After all, without Solas attempting the ritual, the gods would've never been made free, Davrin would be alive, and Rook/Taash never separated from her.

7. A scene is added where Rook reveals to the party in more detail that Solas used blood magic on them to make them see Varric. I know this happens off-screen, but maybe zero in on Harding's reaction to this. Emphasize the disgust and anger.

8. In the final one-on-one talk with her before the fight with Elgar'nan, I'd think it'd be interesting for there to be one more chance to talk her down from her anger, but it'd require a Mythal-esque dialogue tree to accomplish. Anything less, and she's going to force the binding.

9. When at the confrontation with Solas, Rook tries to resolve things peacefully. Harding, overcome with grief for both Varric and Davrin, furious at her lover being threatened by Solas, and having fully embraced her anger, shoots Solas with her bow, leading to a fight sequence and leaving Rook with no choice but to bind him to the Veil violently. There is a callback here to Harding taking this shot, just like she should've before at Solas' ritual in Arlathan (or so she says).

All in all, I think Harding's betrayal here should revolve around the theme of the game: regret. Let me know what you think or if you have any ideas. I may write something revolving around this AU if there's interest :)

[dawnphoenixrises]

So I’ve been playing dragon age the veilgaurd for the first time rn and I’m really enjoying it! And it’s 2am so I can’t go rant about it to a person so here’s hoping you go

Spoilers for up to the end of the first act (I think?)

This is up to the end of the battle of weisshaupt!

Ok so starting off - When Varric got hurt after Solas ritual I was really worried he was dead but I’m so glad he’s not.

However he’s not a party member and honestly it seems like no one but Room actually interacts directly with him. Also I’d expect Harding at least to be worried that he’s still hurt. So I’m worried that he’s not actually real. I don’t know how it would work maybe Rooks brain is making him up so he can cope with leading this team. But I’m hoping I’m wrong

Also the first time I met Solas in my head I was so annoyed that the next time I tried to be extra nice so he’d help me. I am so sure that he’s going to betray me or something tho. I’m sure that he’s has alternative motives but at this point I have to trust him. I do kinda wish I could talked to him after watching his memories - i feel like it would be an interesting interaction.

The party members are quite cool

Harding is super cool and I love questing with her. I haven’t done too many of her side quests quite yet but I’m very excited to do more and learn more about her character. After I may even go back and play origins or inquisition.

Neve is also really cool. However I feel like even though I’ve done quite a few quests with her I know very little about who she is. This may be because she’s quite a secretive person but still. But I do love her interactions with other characters! I love her interactions with Bellara especially they both seem to enjoy exchanging theories about serials and other things and I love it!

Bellara- i absolutely love her. She gets so excited about different things and will talk about them. She’s smart and passionate and every interaction I have with her is absolutely amazing. I quite enjoy all of her interactions with the others and while it’s been a bit since I’ve done her quests they were a blast!

Lucanis- ok so my irl friend had showed me fanart they saw after I mentioned I played this game and asked me who he was cause so many were shipping him with Rook. So I was like oh I won’t romance him when I come across him I’ll romance the shadow dragon instead. So I tried to romance him and it was going well but then the stupid terviso or minrathous quest made me unable to continue with that. However I do think he is quite an interesting character. Not only with Spite and how that acts with him but how that keeps him up at night after he was unable to kill Ghilan’nain I’m interested to see how he acts. I haven’t got to talk with him yet.

Ok I’m only going to talk about the battle cause this is getting really long

So with the battle let me tell you I really wanted to knock out the first warden but because of my conversation with Solas I tried talking to him which worked but it kinda felt to easy to convince him after all the times I’ve tried.

When I heard Darvin say that he would have to sacrifice himself to kill the arch demon I was so shocked. I didn’t want that to happen but I also had to kill darkspawn. I’m glad that he didn’t even though I then had to fight the arch demon

That conversation after the fight though was so tense! Lucanis definitely blames himself and Darvin is definitely feeling the effects of the attack on the wardens. Things are going to be a mess when I play next and have to go talk to them but I’m excited to see how it all plays out.

Also the shadow dragons! (My rooks a shadow dragon) I love the different charecters within especially Tarquin and Viper. Having a conversation about Tarquins past and learning the Viper was hiding his identity for a reason was quite cool. I’m excited to go back and see what happens with them next

Anyways basically I really loved this first act and am excited to see what comes next! I haven’t been as hyper focused and enjoyed something in a while. It’s brought me joy cause I’m able to get my mind off this crazy week which has been very stressful. Anyways sorry for the long post just really enjoy this game!

[anti-eluvians]

First Veilguard playthrough thoughts! Spoilers obviously. I started writing things down about 24 hours in, most of which was exploring the maps and avoiding plot (as is tradition).

Overall I loved it. Obviously. One doesn't cry for twenty minutes over a world they don't care about. Or write however many words this post ends up about events that didn't affect them.

Post introduction- I'm really worried about Lace. She's taking everything too hard and I don't know if I can save her without romance.

Bellara is so cute and so smart, but basically Merrill if Merrill had been supported. That romance may appeal to me later but not on this run

So they really put something to steal on the very first aravel we can ever board. Really? Really???

After D'Meta's Crossing- the chat with Varric where he comforts us about the hardship of leading and says he met us during our faction's catalyst event. Doesn't that make him this game's Duncan? So all Rooks happened but only the one he was WITH got recruited? I love and hate that because we know what happened to Duncan.

Solas said the Blight we've dealt with since Origins is a tiny fraction, and that his rebellion drove the Evanuris to turn to it as a weapon. That sounds a LOT like the time Andruil went too deep "into the Void" and Mythal had to beat her ass to cleanse her. So WHO or WHAT is in the Void that actually created the Blight? Is it Titans?

If the lyrium ritual dagger is such pure lyrium dwarves wouldn't work it... is Rook gonna be okay carrying it around??? Clothing is not enough to protect someone from lyrium poisoning! Are we gonna start hearing the song and hallucinating like Origins Templars?? Honestly I would love that lol

I'm quite pleased that my pre-game take on Rook has panned out! My Rook chose to join Varric & Lace on their mission so she's not nearly as weighed down as my other three leads. Warden was forced to Join or die. Hawke was forced to flee and stumbled into infamy trying to protect their family. Inquisitor picked up the wrong rock and was shunted into their role as Herald/Inquisitor. Rook could have said no, but chose this path. Having had a choice is so freeing!

Reading that Lorelei (the Shadow Dragon vendor) was from Denerim is the second time I cried. Loghain sold her into slavery before the Warden could rescue her and I feel, weirdly, personally responsible for failing her.

I can't believe Lucanis is so charming and doesn't even try. I can take him out with anyone and they get along. Not sure yet if that's a HIM thing or Bioware avoiding the friction of Anders/Fenris and Vivienne/Blackwall.

So the Dalish and Veil Jumpers know that the Evanuris sucked actually. That is AMAZING for me because I've wanted my Lavellan to shout what she learned (from the Well of Sorrows and in Trespasser) from the rooftops. That it is now common knowledge means SOMEONE shared what the Inquisition knew! And I have no reason to think it can't be my girl at an Arlathvhen. Which is what I always wanted for her; spread the word, brace the world against whatever Solas did next.

My clever brilliant snarky sister pointed out that maybe there are seven Old Gods for Tevinter but nine Evanuris because Mythal and Solas weren't sealed and don't count. I had to stare at a wall for a while. And if they really are the same entities, which Archdemon was which Evanuris?? And also, we're out of dragons so what happens after? A question Solas snarked at Blackwall in 9:41, the ass.

They really got to built the Kirkwall they WANTED with Minrathous. Twisting winding streets so easy to get lost in. I wish DA2 had gotten the development time it deserved.

Griffons made me cry happy tears and jump up and down. Losing the griffons immediately had me in stunned silence. And now.... it's Amaranthine all over again. Virmire. This sucks haha

I looked up the consequences of "Minrathous or Treviso" because I had to stop and go to work in the morning & cannot wait another 10 hours having simply CHOSEN. Mostly I feel like I made the right choice but Neve may never forgive me and that hurts. Reddit is also saying that the faction shop in the abandoned city is GONE. Does that mean I failed Lorelei again?? That she's dead??? Or just won't sell to me anymore? I have to wait until I get home from work and I really don't want to know!

Update: they fucking executed her. By burning. I have never sought out fights with a Dragon Age faction before but I scoured Minrathous for Venatori. It felt like hunting Cerebus after the ME3 coup. I wanted blood and by god I took it.

In Arlathan forest after Davrin's mission I think I found the trail of the fourth Forbidden One. I had forgotten I even hoped they would be in the game!

The book club throughline is very cute and very sweet. I may even use it as the DAV group tag somehow. The cooking and domestic life stuff is heartwarming. Healing. I hope someone has written lovely canon-compliant fanfic for me to find after I finish the game.

The devs really went all out with the set dressing stories. Finding the corpse clutching an Evanuris relic made me put the controller down for a sec. And finding Keeper Hawen's skeleton made me outright cry.

I can't remember if Varric narrated in DA2, but I know he didn't narrate as much as they have him doing in this game. While it is fun listening to him write our story while we're still in it, it's also kind of disheartening to know how many people are stacked against us! Shut the fuck up Varric!

Gotta love the devs leaving little treats for players by key locations. Loot bags, ore, small chests-- like tempting a dog into a car with snacks lol

Tell me why the map that feels most "Dragon Age" is the worn down, miserable, dark, decrepit farm swamp. It feels like Lothering and I hated that place

I take it back I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE THE ECHOING WELL

After the Cobbled Swan meeting:

Wow okay wow okay so the South is OVERRUN with the new Blight and that's why Inquisitor isn't involved. That makes sense and I appreciate Bioware acknowledging there would need to be a Good Reason. that said I am still annoyed she has a prosthetic at all but also started shaking and crying immediately.

Still thinking about this. everywhere we've ever loved is burning. And despite trying to rally the South again the Inquisitor made time to save Lace's Ma? Shut up I'm emotional again. though I wonder how "evil inquisitor" players feel about that move... Also glad to see that APPARENTLY non-Well Morrigan and Well-Drinker-Inquisitors reached a truce in the last 10 years. I hated having any PC who distrusted Morrigan.

Regrets of the Dread Wolf:

Wow. There was so so SO much information stored in the Regret murals. So many theories confirmed. Solas was a wisdom spirit, ALL elves were spirits, the elves waged war and killed the Titans, Solas and Mythal were Very Close, the Black City was elven/the Chant is incorrect. I should be reeling but really I am just. Vibrating out of my skin. Seven years of wondering, vindicated. What I did NOT expect is for Solas's dagger to have caused the Blight by sundering Titans and their dreams/lyrium. We thought lyrium and blight could be connected but never quite to this extent. THAT has me reeling.

So like. The Evanuris used Solas' dagger to end the Titan war, which also created the blight. They then went mad with that corrupted force (including Andruil and her Void swim) (Void = the emptiness left behind by the death of Titans?) and killed Mythal. Solas locked them, and all knowledge of the blight, away in slumber using their life force to power the prison. However the prison/veil also split magic and spirits from the material world, destroying the world order. Then the magisters siderial (one per locked-away Evanuris) accidentally let a pinprick of that power out, starting the First Blight. Do I... do I have it right.

Hold on (reviewing footage) the FIRST MEMORY we can view says Solas and Mythal met in secret because he had already split from the group. So is his rebellion NOT rooted in her murder?? Which is what he said in Trespasser??

the Regrets questline is destroying me. Morrigan ended up carrying Mythal anyway, after seeing her mother's ghost regret dying? After all I did to keep her as herself! Then that final word from Mythal that the elves of today can and will surpass Arlathan-- I started crying again. Leave me alone!!

Weisshaupt. Very emotional and too immersive for me to remember any thoughts. But I swear to god if Cabin In The Blight is Anders I will SCREAM.

Genuinely worried that Varric is a fade ghost and that's why no one ever visits him. That he died at the ritual and Rook is hallucinating.

You know the longer I think about it the more upset I am that Morrigan inherited Mythal. I spent the last 3 games trying to prevent what was, apparently, her inevitable fate. Why even give us the choice of the Well? Why offer the Dark Ritual at all? I'm used to going against canon (Warden Alistair) but this feels like a slap in the face to all my choices. All this along with essentially wiping southern Thedas off the map. So what was the point of our hero's effort? Just to, as Solas said in Trespasser, buy a few more years of peace?

Lace's fight with the Shade was such a great scene. I can't help but remember that she was present for the DAI Corypheus finale and saw him split the earth, lifting the Inquisitor's party into the sky. When she turned around to split Rook & Co from her own platform I gasped.

Emmrich wants to be a what

~~~

Took a 3 week break for the holidays, came back and started the loyalty missions. Sad I don't expect to see Cole or Sandal in the last act. This game broke Sandal's perfect score!

I also realized while gone that Lace was so angry at the start but seemed to settle down suddenly because the Shade split off. Her anger LITERALLY LEFT her body. And now she has dwarven/Titan magic. If we get another DA game I NEED it to be about the dwarves.

Poor Taash. Shathann (Sumalee Montano) knocked that final scene out of the park and I wept.

Loved the treasure hunt! And a new Compassion who talks like Cole and wants a big hat!! Cuuute

All these Chasind/Alamaari references got me emotional too. Makes me miss Jaws of Hakkon and Ferelden.

Wow the Warden puzzle in Sharksmouth is both so satisfying and so annoying! I love all the nods but hate that none of these statues are people from Last Flight. You know. The book about the Fourth Blight. That one.

On the other hand I got the Meredith unique item (mage flavor) so I can't stay mad loll

Okay! So! Wow! I would never guess that Taash's plot would be the one to highlight What Lies Across The Sea. frankly, I thought the executors would be on the same level as the snake men: namely, a joke that Bioware would never follow through on. And WHAT is all this NOISE about a STORM! Green clouds like Fade magic? The original Kossith settlers fled across the sea only to fall to the First Blight. The tablet says those blessed with dragon fire "see the unseen" so what is it about dragons (and archdemons) that means they can fight back? Is the Qun a sign that the Kossith left behind failed? So the Executors founded or inspired the Qun? This quest left with so many more questions I worry we'll never have answered.

Lost and Profane left me so upset I didn't write anything down. Seeing what became of Isseya was too terrible to feel good about saving the griffon babies. And then having to choose what happens to the griffons left me actually out loud sobbing for 15~ minutes. My sister sat with me until I calmed down. Yes I chose Arlathan but I feel like a traitor to my Warden and everyone who ever hoped to see a griffon again. And not being able to show Isseya Revas' feather because I decked the First Warden does not make me want to load an old save, it makes me angrier at the writing.

Bellara's mission hit less hard. I thought we would have to choose Cyrian's fate not... that. She really is Merrill The Second. So just like with Merrill I encouraged her to keep the item with lore of her ancestors. Also Anaris was looking for shelter from a storm. Bioware what are you up to

Still worried about fade ghost Varric. Are we keeping his soul from peace? IS there an afterlife for dwarves? Only if the Maker is real! Or is it all bad/slipshod writing because Mary Kirby was sacked before writing ACTUALLY wrapped???

I feel the need to point out that with the new rules introduced with Corypheus and enforced by Isseya, The Architect COULD TOTALLY COME BACK. UTHA WAS RIGHT THERE HE COULD ABSOLUTELY BODY HOP AND JUST BE CHILLING IN THE DEEP ROADS COME ON

Emmrich saved Manfred. My personal distaste for undead was less important than saving Emmrich's son (though we couldn't ask Fred's permission and that does bother me a bit).

~~~

Okay it is January 2025. My sister says I will likely finish the game this weekend. So here are my 'pre end of act 2 and/or third act' thoughts:

If Solas really killed Varric I may just take any chance to break the egg. I've had Varric way longer and he's been too important to too many of my heroes to go out like this.

IDK how to feel about the option to encourage my Inquisitor to actually get back with Solas. I had thought before playing DAV that she might DIE with him so if that's on the table I'm prepared for it. But they had her mention "give it all up for him" and uhh was that an option? Yes she loves him enough to die with him but does she love him enough to LIVE WITH him, and accept allllll his bullshit? I don't know. It'll depend how they present the choice, I guess.

I also said pre-release that if I could sacrifice Rook like we could sacrifice Warden in DAO that I would. That WAS before I romanced anyone so I don't know if I would go through with it given the chance. That's what save files are for I suppose?

My sister is being SO OMINOUS about act 3. She gives me the saddest looks but also says she loved the ending, I don't know what to think!!

I also built my Rook playlist on the idea of playing a Lawful Evil/Renegade Rook but the game has not allowed or led me in that direction. So now I'm considering going full renegade in act 3 as like a character breaking point... but my girl Mercar has held up far better than any of the other three did this far into their plots.

Knowing who writes the Randy Dowager has me in stitches and also agony

~~~

Well. Finished the game January 12. So much happened in the last four hours of gameplay that I really haven't processed it yet. Let's start with: I hate being right about Varric. Loved the prison quest, hated everything that happened. And how long were we gone? Days at least, weeks more likely, but the damage to Minrathous could happen in moments if Elgar'nan wanted it to. Viper is so strong and noble and definitely dying soon. Take the Joining you ass!

The Juggernaut(s) looked so much like Meredith's final form I got angry at her all over again.

So the Evanuris are gone and there will be no more blights. That's.... huge. The Evanuris were real and also the Tevene dragon gods. So the only religion left with a leg to stand on is Andrastianism. I do noooot want to meet the Maker. If the Maker is real then Varric can be with my Hawke. Don't turn that into another spirit thing.

And the void that sucked up Lusacan's body. Was that The Void where Andruil found the blight? Where does it go? Why did it take the dragon? He would have been a good source for more Joining materials, which are now a finite resource. The end of Grey Wardens, Dragon Age's staple faction, is in sight. That plus only having 50 years left to the "dragon" age really worries me for the future of this franchise. We cannot keep skipping a decade ahead.

Absolution ending Solas is just... wandering free? That is the OPPOSITE of what I want but having seen the other options, it is certainly the one I prefer. Finding out he CAN call himself a god (fight end) did fuck me up. And hearing DAI music followed by Lost Elf made me cry again. My Lavellan going with him feels less terrible if they can still visit her family and friends. And help people. However she IS still mortal so there's still a tragic end coming. This also means every headcannon and drabble I have are entirely plausible...! ...?

And what was with that stinger?? The Veilguard Remains Vigilant. Sure but do we get DLC? A book? Comics? A DLC?? The thought also occurs that a "storm that drinks the sky" sounds like the black hole that ate Lusacan. So are we veering into space metaphors/magic now? And is the consistent mention of Andruil hinting that she or the Void WILL return?

Wait was that slide about Arlathan saying the Golden City had returned? I read it as the Elves had a chance to make their own nation again, but the phrasing is actually very different isn't it... oh my. That would be cause for an Exalted March when word gets out.

That the Well of Sorrows song (any Inquisition song really) made me gasp every time it played highlights how flat this score is. I can mentally listen to Lost Elf or Dawn Will Come at will. But the only noteworthy DAV song was the menu theme and that's disappointing. Lorne Balfe and Hanz Zimmer have both done AMAZING work: what happened? I want to want to listen to this album, but I can't think of any specific song. Sometimes Arlathan sounded Mass Effect. Sometimes Minrathous sounded Anthem. I hope data miners will find and share the unreleased tracks, but I WISH the score had more emotion.

As much as this game hurt me, and as much as the world state choices let me down, it DID give me more Fade missions than all other games combined. I would love it for that alone.

And finally, quality of life improvements I wanted:

Beacons labeled on the map (so I know where the hell I'm going)

Previewing clothing & weapons (so I know what I want or don't)

Any explanation of the Valuables/faction points system (so I know not to sell everything to Veil Jumpers!!)

Enemies as red dots on the mini map. This seems self explanatory. I had to check with my party if there was another enemy nearby.

And an interrupt system. There were several cutscenes I would have liked to interact with via interrupt, especially at the end. This is less QoL and more something I said out loud several times.

[satanstrousers]

A (mostly) Spoiler Free Veilguard Review! I did my best to avoid too many specifics, but also Read More for people who want to know nothing at all.

First, thoughts on all the companions:

Harding - Kind of a surprise to see when she was announced but I really liked her! They built out her story in a really fun way, I romanced her as a dwarf and her story is perfect for that.

Neve - Someone really cooked with the concept of Neve Gallus, but she as a character didn't really grow on me until the last act. Also her hat is stupid in a way that I just can't get over.

Bellara - I'm not gonna lie, I almost forgot to include her on this list. She's incredibly sweet, but I found myself falling asleep during her story. Super basic, super boring, but I saw that based on some decisions she can really grow in the last act, so maybe a second playthrough will have me see her in a kinder light.

Lucanis - What if we took Ezio Auditore and made him an awkward short king wife guy with a special interest in knives and coffee? Super fun, but I did traumatize him a little early on. :/

Emmrich - Undefeated. Far and away the best character Dragon Age has ever come up with and it's not even close. Manfred sweep.

Davrin - Listen, I love Griffons as much as the next guy, but Davrin was not an instant favorite. They rely a lot on Assan to carry his story at the beginning slow-play a lot of the sweeter parts until halfway, and even after I think there was way more that they could've explored with him (unfortunately a pretty consistent theme with DA characters). I did enjoy him in the second half, but I did him dirty, so I'm hoping the next time is a little better.

Taash - Genuinely would be the favorite if Emmrich wasn't around. Two character beats that have a common theme of accepting yourself, I thought it was very beautifully done and something I'm sure many people playing will relate to. Taash is like opposite-Karlach personality-wise and I mean that in the most affectionate way to both characters.

Ok spoiler free Plot:

Solas is a motherfucker in ways previously thought unachievable by one man, and the game knows it.

Seriously though, the best part of this game is Solas. Truly I can't remember the last time a video game made me hate someone as much as I hate Solas, and this game knows it. If you hated this dude in the first game, and you felt like things went a little unresolved, Veilguard has got you covered. If you hate him, you'll get to show it, and if you love him........ Well I hope you guys have a very happy life together far away from us.

Overall the story is... Fine? Its basically 70 hours of waiting to tell a couple gods to go fuck themselves. There's a lot of really fun moments and beats, but the connective tissue is the same as its always been in Bioware games.

Overall, combat and UI is a definite improvement over Inquisition but god I should hope so after 10 years. Dialog is pretty impressive and definitely made me feel by the end that the members of the Veilguard were actually friends. The pacing.... Is terrible. You're either doing nonsense side missions and fighting the same enemy 100 times, or blasting through the story at breakneck speed. They managed to do a pretty good job with returning characters, but if you're not HEAVILY invested in the series the moments where *insert character from previous game* appears feel like they're waiting for an applause break.

Final Review:

8/10 if you're a longtime Dragon Age fan

6/10 if you're just jumping in (which is insane this series is fully inaccessible if you haven't at least played Inquisition.)

[peterbazooca]

In honor of DA Day I am finally remembering to have Opinions!

Finished my first run maybe a week ago, tried to keep myself as unspoiled as possible (and only failed a little). I didn't know the direct consequences of a lot of the choices D: I also hadn't fully decided on a few factors for my first Rook (specialization/romance).

As such, I ended up with Mira Mercar, an elven rogue who had a minor crush on Lucanis before Davrin came along and stole her heart. Thought I was going to go Duelist with her but she ended up as a Veil Ranger, which was tons of fun to play. Unfortunately, not knowing the quencies, I chose Davrin to lead the second team during the fight against ghilan'nain, and lost both him and Assan. In addition, got Bellara kidnapped and blighted, and foolishly (there are RP reasons!) sent Emmerich to lead the charge on the ground (the RP reasons are both Mira and I are idiots), and lost him, too. RIP the two best dads in Thedas. My bad, bros.

Overall, though the writing definitely has weak points (Taash could have been so amazing with more time/attention/care put into their story), and I do feel the game in general could have used more time in development, ironically, I am enjoying it. Combat feels amazing, and though we don't get to have as many conversations with them as I'd like, I love the companions. Things are simplified, everyone is a little too nice, and I can't be a true asshole, but I enjoy Rook as a protagonist and the journey felt satisfying. Though I'm not here for those secret ending implications.

Also, getting to see my two special boys Dorian and Lavellan side by side during the final battle had me a lot more emotional than I was anticipating.

I get the criticism (some, not all), but it hasn't stopped my enjoyment of experiencing another story in Thedas. One run down, many more to go. Next up is Elian de Riva, probable bastard of the King of Antiva (he's got no clue, Viago has a his suspicions). A snarky Spellblade who is fed up with Solas's bullshit and didn't expect to fall for the First Talon's grandson (oop). Viago may kill him when he finds out.

[amidst-wonderland]

dragon age: the veilguard | thoughts

spoilers below! (summary of three playthroughs, but really two meshed together - crow/lof!female!elf!rook & mournwatch!male!human!rook)

rook is so pretty! (my mum was like, "bit narcissistic, don't you think?")

oh the hair physics are so good.

think there’s a glitch on the human inquisition cc cause it’s making the eyelashes and eyebrows the same colour.

strife’s va sounds like bruce greenwood so i can’t unhear batman.

i feel like some of the va’s are hit or miss, some of them are so dry is bordering on flat, particularly neve, who slips into some american? even though she’s english.

can’t believe rook can be a gordie, right bioware, head up past the border next time!

we meet again cor vincent and chloe.

gimmie back the griffins!

i dunno what to make of neve to be honest.

i’m gonna go back and update my thoughts on this after i’ve beaten the game, so unlike my other ones, because i’m going in blind in terms of characterisations cause i already knew everyone in p3, ff15, spidey and rebirth.

checking out the cauldron with the elf squad.

i’m kinda gutted there’s not all lot of calls to the fact rook is an elf in-terms of grievances with npc’s. more seem to find issue with her previous occupation than that of her own gods tearing down the world and you only get internal conversations with bellara.

not enough spite for my liking. his first scene was so intriguing, like we don’t really know what draws him to rook, especially when lucanis can end up with neve but he still likes rook.

i don’t know if anyone else says anything, but it’s nice to know neve approves of rook’s relationship choices (i think taash does?)

gotta say, i think all the characters have grown on me but davrin, emmerich and bellara especially.

it really bothers me there’s no specific lines about rook being an elf trying to save lace from her magical rage, considering her channelled speech. there is, it’s just really long winded because you don’t get it until one of the solas regret debriefs which was 10-15+ hrs later for me.

“i’m a mage! i’m a mage!” yeah, y’know who else is? rook! and the only people to mention it is lace and taash.

i don’t care about the “dog-ification” of mythical creatures, assan is my baby and you get to hug him!

wow, i though cyberpunk had dire clothing options. my favourite is rook’s default.

too many english characters not saying “arse”.

is it just me or was taash’s non-binary story not handled well? it was so hand fisted and that isabela scene was so awkwardly done.

taash has the best and worst emotional range, but it think that’s more down to the voice direction and writing.

mage rook plays like a significantly more aggressive aerith.

well played bioware ya got me (rip)

#elfsquadkillsthedreadwolf (honestly, this feels right. the elf heroes, taking on an elf tyrant to take down the elevan gods and i’m a little annoyed they don’t toy with rook about the fact she is an elf enough).

yes, i stupidly got harding killed and neve captured but, bellara is my healer with a hardened neve and i googled what happened if davrin got killed and i couldn’t let my baby assan go like that, as poetic as it is.

it’s weird seeing “fucking” in the choice, i’ve only heard two drops of it, maybe two. lucanis, then i think taash might have.

okay… so, #superelfsquadkillselgar’nan.

i love playing a pint-sized lass taking on the world, considering i never really get to.

those cut lucanis scenes are my thirteenth reason. like seriously?! first river now lucanis?! it’s so blatantly obvious that scene pre minrathous isn’t their first kiss and i’m willing to bet it’s not their first bang either. like imagine cutting a character’s romance arc so bad that the player character has their first kiss offscreen. my guess is, the scene back at the lighthouse we got was your debrief scene later in the game and it was supposed to be the gondola scene at the villa because the jump cut is far to jarring and doesn’t fit what lucanis actually says, which to paraphrase is, “peace out, i’m gonna go fuck my girlfriend.”

rook joking her, belle and darvin are elf spirits is pretty funny

elgar’nan says “you will regret that” and all i could hear was was bandit heeler unicorse’s “you will live to regret that.”

there’s a part of me thinking that it’s more fitting for bellara to take the fall instead of neve with everything the elves have been put through via the gods and the fact the gods are taken down by their own people in the end. then again, she might be dead cause i’ve not seen that route.

my rook has put neve through the ringer and she’s completely my collateral damage. like babe, i’m sorry but i can’t break up the elf squad, bellara is my healer (a collateral in itself) and i didn’t want locked out of lucanis.

i just know spite said something vile to lucanis about rook and that’s why he didn’t kiss her.

i don’t love the implications that neve and lucanis end up together (and it’s fine if you do) but on both a story level and meta it’s contradictory and kinda insulting. neve’s romance isn’t locked if you don’t go with her, but it’s not the same vice-versa, not to mention it makes his feelings for rook feel a little disingenuous and that it was just spite who liked rook, when he implies that he’s not keen on neve. lucanis is willing to forgive neve but not rook especially with attempting to throw treviso under the bus (which, fair enough) and he’s willing to look past that? also, once again whilst yes, it’s a “straight romance” it’s primarily female players getting shafted, again. plus i get it’s his personality but they two still flirt until you lock-in with lucanis. like my babe rook who is serving more face than anyone on this team will not play second fiddle.

also, you get more content if you go as a crow which makes sense and it wouldn’t bother me so much if the game made up for it in other ways, lucanis is a mage killer and yet there’s no comment on it. even on the elf thing, there could’ve been a comment from any of them, particularly lucanis (if you wanna do it in a flirty way), his grandmother or teia that the crows like recruiting elf’s to disarm human targets because they find them attractive.

the lines you get about and from viago are hilarious as a crow, rook is his liability baby. i would have paid to see the look on his face when he found out about rook and lucanis

the fact that the treviso missions are kinda brushed over as a “battle for the cowl” thing, baring in mind, lucanis doesn’t seem too fussed about being first really bothers me. the crows are a dark faction, illario and lucanis went through child abuse at the hands of their grandmother as child soldiers and none of that is handled.

seeing the sketches of the cut content confirms it could’ve been a lot tonally darker.

the venetori are truly the most gullible cult. like you pissed off your bosses because you killed an elevan creation, how did you think that would go?!

pissed the only scottish accents i’ve heard are venetori.

we literally did shrooms with davrin.

i killed manfred and i regret it. emmrich said a line about “honouring the dead” and i was like fair, but then i thought about it more and… i don’t like the implications of emmrich running from death and i think you’re giving in to his flaws. also, finally a matt mercer voice i couldn’t recognise.

it’s the fact rook calls out to harding in the fade and it’s neve that’s with her, it’s all coming full circle.

i accidentally made my inquisitor really small and i knew i wanted to get the true ending so all i could think in the final battle was, “rook’s already tiny compared to solas and my inquisitor is even smaller, how is that kiss gonna work?!” but it was actually fine.

“varric is-“ and there it is. solas’ angle on rook. i’d argue solas toying with rook about varric is what he assume would be her undoing but it ended up being the catalyst to his downfall.

gameplay-wise, incredibly fun. the third act is the strongest if i’m honest but, it would be helpful is rook wasn’t the ai’s only target.

i was running about for so long trying to wonder what i had missed in the heart of corruption. turns out i had opened the champion blight wall in the converged city but not gone down to beat it.

beat the game in 50hrs, had almost all factions at 3 stars (except the wardens and shadow dragons) and got solas to do the right thing.

strife and emmerich?! omfg that’s amazing, could call rook a tactical matchmaker.

i’m not seeing enough people talk about this but that fact lucanis got on his knees for rook. a crow, the first talon, a dellamorte… like it was so fucking sweet, and the wings! spite doesn’t get involved my ass.

if you romance lucanis, that final fight with ghilan'nain is with an added layer of stress but it’s the fact rook get grabbed before getting him out and other than rook (and harding / davrin) he was the closest to ghilan’nain and they know.

most of lucanis’ lines are just him saying rook in a different tone.

evka really grew on me. i honestly thought her and antoine were one and done appearances just to link you to davrin but i was pleasantly surprised they follow you through to endgame.

ghilan'nain only calls out bellara and davrin for being elves coming to get her and rook’s just there like “and i’m what?”

considering the distain solas, elgar’nan and ghilan’nain have for the elves of today it’s so good to be with the elf squad.

i think i’ve finally got solas shtick down. it’s that he can do wrong, do right but cannot take accountability.

i love the fact the team squad can start with four women (two, potentially three woc and a dwarf) bet the grifters were real pissed. then a bisexual assassin who’s a big softie.

yeah, taash basically says to lucanis, “ya’ll should bone with the wings.” i stand by the fact taash is most definitely autistic and it’s amazing.

people seem to forget da is modern fantasy, and not medieval. non-binary is not “out of place” any more than lucanis saying elevator to davrin (literally a captain america reference) and minrathous has magical neon signs.

rook literally says to davrin, “…and we’ll head to treviso.” even though you don’t have to take him.

okay, there’s two non-venetori scottish npc and what the fuck is that one in minrathous' accent?

rook not having a default ‘rook’ casual wear is kinda annoying. i hate how your outfit has to look like the factions.

does the human rook honour the dead in english?

“i also used to wet the bed, want me to start up that again.” / “i’d rather you didn’t.”

spite missing manfred is so cute

the lucanis and davrin soup poison conversation is hilarious.

saw a tiktok talking about how we could’ve played as the inquisitor during the three weeks rook was gone, helping to build back the team and honestly that would’ve been perfect. rook is their glue and after loosing three people the are not okay. so, based on who i had left you could see glimpses on them coping, taash finally turning emmerich to help with their grief, finding bellara in neve’s room or it getting a little dicey between davrin and lucanis, who to me, probably take rook’s disappearance the hardest (outside of romance), with the romance angle it’s so much worse for they two and their natural dispositions butting heads in a “i have to let her go or it will kill me.” vs. “it’ll kill me if i do.” plus, it adds so much more to the solavellan ending with her being there and it could be her idea to make the fake dagger.

dying at rook translating isabella’s elven mishap.

the way she announces spite is like, “the incredible demon spite!” then is like, “oh and lucanis is here too, i guess.”

lucanis is a girl dad, the way he is with mila and has had enough of “girl dinner”.

“she’s a cloud! how do i kill a cloud with a dagger?!”

(bellara to emmerich on elves as spirits) “i asked davrin about it and he just shrugged!” / “pfft. he would.” (rook seemed ambivalent in her answer).

davrin has the most compelling arc, like i did not expect that to go the way it would and the warden’s without a shadow of a doubt don’t deserve those griffins back.

there’s a part of me that feels sorry ghilan’nain she’s as much a victim as she is villain. seeing the venetori hurt that halla confirms it. similarly with her archdemon. she is their protector, creator. elgar’nan groomed her and i stand by it. i don’t forgive nor absolve but contextually i can see this damage is not all her own volition.

everything varric says comes into so much question, especially the talk just before fighting the two dragons in the wetlands. even if rook fights him on it, solas makes it clear the team must be willing to die for the cause, for her. then, back at the lighthouse, what does varric press her to do? help her team get past their issues. also this might not be intentional but sometimes varric but you can hear solas’ accent (which, the va seems to be leaning more into his welsh accent for solas).

on accents, rook saying “fix up your gear” and “we’re in dock town proper.” in the thickest gordie accent is incredible. i was half expecting her to finish the latter sentence with “like”. this woman’s giving “i’ve got paper-cuts on top of fucking paper-cuts.”

emmerich’s transmog has glitched out on the most horrific outfit.

i’m actually really pissed off that rook isn’t in the ‘ossuary’ with spite. like i get the devs were real excited about neve and lucanis but it just feels like a kick in the teeth.

“is this elf your servant?” there’s two elves pal. then bellara does back it up with the fact they respect “human mages.”

elgar’nan’s planning to sacrifice elves for, some would argue retribution. lucanis do you really think this is the best time to have your first domestic with your elven missus?! (no but him yelling at rook, the gate and the lock is hilarious).

i just know lucanis is a loving, low-key handsy drunk and rook putting him to bed after drinking with davrin would’ve been so cute!

rook and harding are having a heart to heart and rook is apologetic about the titans, then davrin talks about how solas doesn’t feel guilty because he did it. then it cuts to lucanis is this weird meta way who just says “mierda’ after a pause like he remembers the camera has cut to him.

vorgoth’s “rook” and a wave is so funny.

“till taash teaches him how to swear…”

almost thought spite was going to look to the camera and to “bleugh!” at rook and lucanis.

i just know rook finally let go the breath she’d holding when she heard lucanis shout for her after the ghilan’nain fight.

still can’t believe the inquisitior’s va is alt from cyberpunk.

“mortal threats are a dull blade.” goes so hard, and honestly at the gloom howler’s core you can understand and sympathise how her anger and hurt manifested.

crow!rook not being able to have the same grace as neve for not saving minrathous is kinda icky. like, yeah you’re angry about your home but also mine was also being attacked.

the way evka is constantly making faces at rook during weisshaupt’s boardroom like, “oh my christ, you are not helping.” then when rook runs off to the dragon trap, she looks at antoine like, “is she for real?”

“tell me about you and lucanis.” omfg, lavellan! morrigan stalking rook’s love life was not on my bingo card.

can we talk about the fact that lucanis technically doesn’t actually, succeed at anything he was recruited for? he missed the first time, harding / davrin provided a distraction the second and teia saves his ass the third. rook you’ve bagged a man that is perpetually failing upwards.

next run is gonna be a male rook, or another female rook but i wanna see bellara and davrin's romances next cause both times i did lucanis, because i wanted to see if being a crow makes a difference, it doesn't. it's more teia and viago scenes that change.

veilguard insists on, "solas's" instehad of "solas'" and its throwing me off.

bare with me, but someone on tiktok pointed out that despite the cut content, lucanis and rook feel the most ‘canon’ to the overarching theme and that in love, rook is a foil for solas. rook has everything he wanted and lucanis is everything he wanted to be for mythal and lavellan, similarly with zara and illario who took advantage of the envy demon. it’s why he chooses to fuck with rook about lucanis specifically because he constantly talks about the sacrifices rook has to make for love, despite never doing it himself out of fear. rook doesn’t have that, she drops the ball and scarified a member of her team to ensure lucanis’ safety and loses the upper hand in the fight, she stands by him even when the team don’t risking their trust in their shared goal, which exactly what solas is afraid of. unlike solas, lucanis lets rook in, he doesn’t want spite near her and he’s scared but he takes that risk, and again, every bit of love he’s had has been transactional - like solas and mythal - and it takes him so long to accept that rook’s isn’t, he lets go of his fear that he might loose her. hell, taking all of that and everything she’s been through with lucanis and pushes the lesson learned onto lavellan. solas knows everything lucanis and rook have been through and uses the consistent fear she has to break her, the same way it would him. he didn’t really make the sacrifice to leave lavellan just mitigated it, which lavellan points out. his fear that her love would stop him or that she would turn against the real him. on that ghilan’nain fight, lucanis could’ve dropped the dagger and saved harding, but he didn’t because it was at the cost of rook’s life and the one thing she had asked from him.

currently making an edit for my rook but why the fuck does she smile like taerae? 😭😭😭

the way you find out that lucanis and rook are already doing it from a conversation between lucanis and taash and a codex from lucanis.

i’m still so pissed off at the neve and lucanis have re-used scenes from lucanis and rook! like nothing about their romance feels inherently special. you don’t even have a conversation about spite on an intimate level (and neve and lucanis literally do!). from the concept art, it looked like it happened but lucanis really needed a scene were spite got genuine out of hand with rook and they work through it. nothing on lucanis knowing rook’s footsteps in the romance route?!

michelle gomez is playing ghilan’nain?!

i hate lucanis’ cartoony pirate boots.

this, is what rook is wearing casually as far as i’m concerned. top | skirt | boots | necklace

feeding into the whole, elves are more likely to have twins. liv and lucanis have two twin girls then a boy.

the snort i let out when i got to the final romance scene, like woah babe, they are out. i keep thinking because of the new art-style they’d be a bit more conservative but no. good for you rook, as a former member of the itty bitty tittie committee.

i know viago and teia ripped lucanis a new one when they found out about rook getting trapped in fade.

fyi, teia knew. that, “jealous?” was so heavy handed.

my rook: olivia “liv” de riva. (i consider my second run as my ‘canon’ run.)

just for a little background on liv, she’s the daughter of a cityelf!mage!warden and zevran, who was taken by the crows when they’d gotten a general idea of his location, raided their home and only to find their five-year-old, and a family friend looking after her. she was “dumped” in antiva only to be taken in by an older elven crow and put through their training in those following years. viago gave her the nickname, “rook” and she’s been going by it longer than she ever did olivia. to put it lightly, olivia is very much her mother’s daughter and the crows didn’t love that. i know zevran’s heart fucking breaks when he sees his little “olive” dressed in a crow’s attire aiming a blade at him. (i’m messing with the timeline because i don’t like the idea of lucanis dating someone that young, so olivia is twenty-eight/nine and not around twenty.) zevran and the warden have been trying to track down their daughter from hiding and after the game ends rook goes looking for them, with teia, viago (and to some extent) lucanis trying to talk her out of it knowing what she might find, especially as the attack was ordered by caterina. rook almost gives in until, a certain apostate puts a spanner in the works. though very much in her own, morrigan way because it can never be too easy. (this woman’s shit was thoroughly rocked in arlathan).

started a new playthrough as male!human!mournwatch!rook and seeing him sitting in the chair liv used to sit in is so funny because she was barely taller than its back and he’s a head above it.

i’m still debating whether to romance neve or bellara as this rook (ward) because on the one hand, rook and neve look good together and sapphic’s galore with bellara, but also i just really wanna play through bellara’s romance and just happen to be a male!rook. this is a me thing where i’m like, “this is too heteronormative” but also, being a “straight” couple doesn’t take away from their bisexuality, just like it doesn’t take away from mine, regardless of who i’m dating. and as much as i want to romance harding, taash deals with enough shit in this game, they at the very least should get the girl.

listen, if her short king first talon wasn’t around liv would be salivating over this man.

i’d probably say in-terms of friendship, olivia is closest with davrin, bellara and harding. for ward, it’s taash, davrin, neve and probably emmrich but i wouldn’t class that as friendship, more respect and having a shared background.

i forgot the vibe when meeting the crows is so different if you aren’t a crow. like if you save treviso, rook shouting in relief for viago hits so much harder if they’re a de riva. it’s giving, “help is on the way dear!” from viago coming to save his liability’s ass.

the utter disgust lucanis has for tea is hilarious.

i picked minrathous this time and the guilt is already killing me, but i’m trying to switch it up a little in-terms of party, so i don’t need to prioritise lucanis in gameplay nor approval and i didn’t expect to be back in the opening sections sector (plus also, i cannot be arsed with minrathous becoming a maze again) i just want lucanis to know that in an alternative universe there is a half-pint crow that would die for him. to be honest, in-terms of role-playing, i do think ward would pick minrathous. he’s closer to neve than olivia ever was (especially when it comes to comparing their individual relationships with lucanis), he’s a human mage and has no personal connection to either city just a devotion being a venetori hater and whilst olivia has mixed feelings about the crows (the poor girl didn’t exactly volunteer willingly) going off the crows actual depiction (and not freedom fighter bs) he isn’t their biggest fan.

ward’s core party: taash, emmrich and back-burner, neve and davrin.

liv’s core party: lucanis, bellara and davrin on the back-burner (because the #elfsquad means everything to me but my girl also needs to have one eye on the fight and the other on her bf).

everyone around him knows that in another life, ward was a grey warden, and yes, the pun is always fully intended. the meta of this, is that he originally was a grey warden but i was curious about the mourn watch backstory so i’m going to play dwarven grey warden next.

babe’s getting ptsd from being back here.

the difference in ghilan’nain delivery when she demands the dagger from rook is… something. treviso is very, “give, it.” whilst minrathous feels like, “would you pwetty pwease give us the dagger we want.”

i wanna cry, i don’t wanna face lucanis. no my poor baby he’s mad at me!

well, viago’s always some form of mad with either rook. take it from olivia “don’t die or viago will kill me” de riva.

jacobus is a little shit, didn’t like him even when he liked olivia and i certainly don’t like him now.

it’s so funny to go from the short stacks that are harding, olivia and lucanis to the tall trio, that is taash, emmerich and ward.

i know i keep laughing about the height thing but it’s truly commendable how well veilguard implements it like no other game i’ve scene. it’s not back-to-back cuts of a character looking down at another and only having them in-frame, not to mention this includes the player-character and no just pre-scripted movements between npcs. also, height in general can say so much about communication, boundaries and tone. the pantry scene being an excellent example. whilst the scene is great with all the races, if you pick an elf vs. qunari it’s going to be tonally different in the dynamic. to paraphrase a tiktoker, “you’ll get a good scene, but you won’t get that booktok moment.”

i love hearing about the inquisition from harding.

the camera got all weird and i got a screen full of emmerich’s staff and full on shat myself. 😭

i kept calling rook, “tav” and now i keep calling v, “rook”. what the fuck is up with my wiring.

i think if i were to rank the individual arcs, it’d be: davrin, bellara // harding, emmerich and taash // lucanis and neve. lucanis and neve, outside of lucanis’ cut content don’t really grow. they don’t learn anything, to an extent neve learns that she can ask others for help and lucanis’ growth is fully based around spite and not really anything crow related, which feels like a collateral.

not to get too on the nose about it but lucanis can end up with an elven crow, which feels incredibly loaded. baring in mind, he was twenty-six during inquisition and very much alive during zevran’s time with the warden. he’s around thirteen at the start of origins. rook is somewhere between 20-35 and just based off crow canon, and how it’s likely elf!rook ended up with them (especially because none of the rook’s have an antivan accent and was canonically an orphan), it means caterina oversaw that.

i guess the trade-off for having less content is the fact that you get to have isabela, a legacy character as a direct contact in your faction.

changed my mind, ward is gonna romance neve and i’ve got a new elf!greywarden!rook that i’m running through and i’ll save one route for bellara, one route for davrin. wanted to go very pixie and whimsical on this, so whilst she’s got olivia’s facial structure, she’s a blonde, has the clearest skin known to man with pink eyes and has pearly white tattoos (why can’t white tattoos look that cool irl? the little bits of white in mine are so dull).

ha! davrin called solas “baldy”.

the gasp i let out when davrin kissed aurore! omfg (i’m dying! my happy little warden family) 😭

as someone who is, you can’t tell me taash isn’t autistic (whether intentional or not). the way they speak is so direct and blunt which a lot of people presume is anger, both players and npc’s but at the end of the day taash is being honest. not dancing around anything, especially when it comes to their ‘special interest’ - dragons naturally. i’ve felt the notion grow more and more as i played through the game but after watching the post-fangscorcher cutscene it’s clear as day. taash recognising that they get frustrated when things aren’t done a certain way, such as routine (like having a specific dish on a specific day) and it’s not inherently self-centred it’s just that in their brain it makes sense. it’s an established pattern, that’s been established with their mother. which is what i struggle with the most when it comes to communication. honestly, the more and more i play this game the more i adore taash, and see so much of myself in them when it comes to temperament. assuming taash is around 19-22, it makes me so sad that, that was my experience as i didn’t realise i was autistic until i was twenty-two and i’d been so high masking that i was essentially living a double-life. so yeah, you wanna know what i’m like at my core? if taash and bellara were one person.

i don’t know if this is common, even just in britain (might be a scottish thing) but i like to imagine that a gingerwart tea just tastes like a garlic-y, gingery, mushroom bovril. which is pretty common to drink here during the winter. usually at the football but my mum and that take it to go hill walking.

[merlindaw]

The next Chapter of Rook To Crow One is up!

The effects of Arlathan still linger as Rook searches for where the gods will hold their ritual.

Lucanis nursed his hangover with a cup of coffee leaning against the railing overlooking the living room. They had their meeting set for tonight with Viago for now the team could enjoy the peace. Bellara had some contraption taken apart on the table and was explaining it to Neve and Rook. Rook kept throwing glances up to him and smiling. It made his heart light to see. Lucanis couldn’t believe she looked at him like that. The way her eyes softened and the dimple that appeared when she smiled.

“Lucanis,” Emmrich said, appearing next to him, “I meant to say thank you for your advice.”

“What advice?”

“About Strife. It turns out he actually collects knives.” Emmrich said with a secret smile. Lucanis stared at him stunned.

“You mean that actually worked?”

“Yes, but I still worry.”

“Why?”

“While it’s true we share the thrill of discovery but is it enough?” Emmrich said, his hand tightening around his staff. Lucanis was surprised to see the necromancer so genuinely worried.

“You actually like being around each other.” Lucanis emphasised. “That’s already better than any of my cousins' romances.”

“Illario didn’t strike me as much of a romantic, no.” Emmrich said with a nod. He didn’t know the half of it. For Illario it was all about the chase, filtering and bantering and eventually tumbling into a bed, but after that his cousin lost all interest. Lucanis didn’t think Illario had ever had a fling that lasted longer than a month. “What of your own relationships?”

“All one of them?” Lucanis said, looking back down at Rook. “I’ll let you know.” She looked up at him and smiled again. “I don’t know what she sees in me but, I’m happy. Just being around her.”

“To find true affection and companionship is a marvelous thing.” Emmrich said with a wistful sigh. “People go their whole lives looking for it.” Emmrich rested a hand on Lucanis’ shoulder.

“It is a precious thing. Savor every moment you have.” Emmrich said before heading back to his room. Lucanis watched Rook the way she kept sweeping her hair behind her ear as Bellara explained the artifact how her lips pursed as she focused. It was so strange for him. When he looked at Rook he could see a future with her. He wanted a future with her. Lucanis had never really wanted for his future before. His life had been laid out before him for so long that he had never thought there were other options. He wanted to give Rook everything. Lucanis wanted to romance her and woo her. Give her the romance she deserved. But that wasn't possible right now, not with two blighted gods to kill. Till then he would savor every moment he had with her. Though that wouldn't stop him from planning for the future. Once all this was over he planned on taking her back to Treviso a night of dinner and dancing then they would return to Villa Dellamorte and he would spend the night worshipping her till the sun rose. Then they would go to the summer villa. He wanted her to see the lakes he loved so much and it would be good to get away from everything for a time. Just the two of them. The Crows could give him that much. Then maybe in a few years a ring and a chantry, if she would have him.

[butterflydm]

magic in thedas (more DAV posting)

There's a... idk, if you would call it a joke or a meme or a serious meta. Maybe depends on the person talking about it. But there's a... a trend, let's say, about how there's always an "apostate mage" in your dragon age party who has their own agenda that is not moved by yours, sometimes termed a betrayal, though I think that's more a matter of perspective. Morrigan, Anders, and Solas all have their own potentially world-changing plans that are (mostly) unchanged by what the protagonist chooses to do -- the methods and attitude are the largest effect that your protagonist has on them.

I don't get the sense that any of our mages in DAV are like that, not where I am in the story, and maybe that's partly because in a game that isn't shaped around the southern chantry, the phrase "apostate mage" lacks the bite that it has in the south. There isn't that separation.

Progress continues as I work on my companion's quests.

I got some more Taash & Harding flirting, which I always enjoy:

I did Bellara's personal quest next. I was afraid her brother would die, and he did, but at least we didn't have to kill him. He realized what a mistake he'd made and did what he could to fix it. Small victories. The funeral that Bellara created for him out of the knowledge she got out of the archive spirit was also really nice.

There is a lot of sadness and loss in the companion quests so far. Harding facing the grief and anger of the Titans (and herself); Taash losing their mom; Emmrich needing to let Manfred go if he wanted to pursue lichdom; and now Bellara losing her brother.

But it also really highlights not only how Rook is there for each of them, but how they're there for each other too. I really feel the love between all of them.

After Emmich did his lich ritual, when he told everyone about it afterwards... it was sweet, and charming, how they took it in stride. I mean, this is the team that literally lives in the Fade! So they're pretty used to weird. But it also really speaks to how much I believe that they care about each other. There have been a lot of little side conversations that have shown growing connections between lots of different pairs of people -- not just the romance between Harding and Taash, but Neve and Lucanis talk a lot, and Darvin and Taash are doing exercises together, and they just... they hang out with each other. They have a cooking rotation!

It really is a contrast to some of the past teams, though, which were sometimes more marked by their venomous barbs than by empathy and compassion. DA2 was particularly pointed in this regard at times, with it sometimes feeling like Hawke was the only thing holding the friend group together (that said, Isabela mentioned to us recently that Kirkwall taught her what love & family is, so that's sweet).

There was also a really nice wrap-up outing for Harding, where we went back to see Stalgard and met his sister Durra, and Harding shared her connection with the Titans with them. Very emotional. Harding really got a chance to process her feelings about the Titans, and about the future for the dwarves as separate from the Titans.

After that, I went to Treviso to knock out things there -- first I had to get the location of the ritual site (turns out that our lead was the Butcher - the leader of the Antaam, who had realized he was acting as a pawn of the gods and he gave into the whispers of the gods and lost himself in order to give us the location. And that really did fit for me with some stuff we've gotten from Qunari in positions like that before -- I'm thinking of the Arishok who was in Kirkwall. There's a rigid sense of honor that sometimes ends up being helpful for their enemies).

Then we finished up Lucanis's Hero of the Veilguard quest, which ended up being very heartwarming and kinda a nice contrast after some of the heartbreaking ones I've done recently. I don't know if it would have gone differently if I'd had Spite & Lucanis decide to focus on revenge against Illario as opposed to saving Caterina, but it was the least bittersweet of the personal quests so far -- we were able to save Caterina, and the confrontation with Illario ended up with Lucanis getting affirmed as the First Talon in front of the Crows.

(this whole sequence also reminded me that Lucanis is, like, really really wealthy! Like, damn, Rook has a rich boyfriend)

I really do like how much more sympathetic DAV is towards demons & spirits -- this definitely started earlier, in DAI, but even in DAI, there were a lot of hardcore Chantry NPCs who disliked the idea of sympathy towards spirits.

I think Varric being the person brought forward as the point-man (who recruited Rook) really is the spine of a lot of that, because Varric has gone through it with spirits and demons and explored all kinds of emotions. Varric's sympathy towards Cole feels like that's the sort of approach that the game as a whole has brought to spirits in general in DAV. A different sort of sympathy than Solas felt -- Varric explicitly very much did not understand all the magical underpinnings of what Cole was, and cared deeply about him anyway.

Which, I really do feel, and I've felt this more as I've gone through the game -- being a person that Varric would recruit felt like it really defined the edges and angles of who Rook can be as a person. You have to be the sort of person that Varric is willing to trust to be their second-in-command -- the Varric who experienced DAI, who genuinely believed in the Inquisitor and who had long conversations with Solas and Cole. That's not the same person as the Varric who recruited Hawke for the Deep Roads expedition. He was looking for a different kind of person in Rook than he was looking for in Hawke, back in the day.

Of course, I've also really focused on the possibility of redemption as a character, because it felt really fitting for a Gray Warden (and that was really kickstarted early, with the ability to send the Mayor of the blighted town to the Gray Wardens). So every time one of those big choices has come up, that's the side that this Rook has been on -- including things like encouraging Lucanis & Spite to focus on saving Caterina instead of avenging themselves against Illario. So I do wonder if that ending would have been darker if my Rook were darker. I also wonder if this storyline would have been darker if I'd chosen to save Minrathous instead of Treviso -- I definitely want to do a replay of the game as a Shadow Dragon so that I'll pick Minrathous (any other Rook makes it harder to justify, because Treviso just comes across as more vulnerable due to Minrathous having such a high concentration of powerful mages) and see what potential changes might be there. I'm guessing it has a 'ruined' map that needs to be rediscovered the same way that I needed to do for Minrathous in this run-through.

Also, this moment made me yearn for the ability to romance both Lucanis and Davrin at the same time:

(Davrin is the only person who could have wooed my Rook away from Lucanis)

But I've reached the point in the game where I'm almost putting off playing more than I could because I like the world so much and don't want it to end, which is very silly and contradictory of me, but something I've definitely been known to do in the past, lol. It's especially silly and contradictory because I would love to read other people's thoughts on the game but don't want to be spoiled about the events of the endgame.

I've cleared out the crossroads and fully explored the Lighthouse, and now I only have two companions left to take to Hero status (Neve and Davrin). I took care of the blighted dragon in the crossroads and was able to max out the Caretaker's workshop, and I'm getting pretty close to maxing out all the factions (only the Dragons left).

Next step is to take care of everything in the Wetlands and finish up Davrin's personal quest (and hopefully save Assan's family!). Then I meet with the Inquisitor again, and take care of any outstanding issues in Minrathous (including Neve's personal quest).

If we get a DA5, I'm guessing it'll be about the Devouring Storm that the Qunari ran away from (when they crossed the sea to reach Par Vollen) - Ghilia'nan recently mentioned bad dreams about masked eyes across the sea.

[jedeirri]

Right, I feel like writing a bit of a retrospective.

Dragon age veilguard is a fun and good game. It is also less than the sum of it's parts.

Some unsorted bits I liked:

All the companions were very strong, well written characters. I love how they interact with each other at the lighthouse, and how their relationships develop over the course of the game. Standout companion quests were Taash and Emmerich. I really liked the level design, and thought the gameplay was fun (though I personally prefer the strategy heavy method of earlier games), and I highly approve of the decision to get rid of things like inventory management. From the perspective of an action game I couldn't think of many improvements actually.

All the sidequest are really good - no fetch quests! And they all add to the world, and are highly rewarding. The main story is pretty good as well, not Shakespeare, but I liked it, and despite how few decisions from previous games were considered, the decisions carried over had monumental impact on the story, so I'm actually ok with this choice.

this leads me into the things I liked less, and into spoiler territory

I loved the character of Bellara, and I romanced her, and I'm happy with this choice, but her companion quest was so generic it genuinely makes me sad. She deserves better than this.

Another thing I didn't like (which many others have already said) was how little impact Rooks identity had on the story. I intentionally made them as Dalish as possible, in hopes to get more connection to the plot, but not only seemed other characters to not really register them as elven unless they pointed it out, but also when I tried to bring companions with backgrounds relevant to the quests, it didn't really seem to matter. In a way, it might have been easier to make rook a specific person, like Hawke.

I was also really hoping that the choices I made in the end of the companion quests would have an impact on the story, but that didn't really happen.

Lastly, and I know this is one of the most common criticisms of this game, but the romance was... weird, and I heard that this was true for the others too. Like Bellara asked me if we were dating after I flirted with her a few times, and I said yes and she said yay! And then the dialogue ended, and like three quests later she's like are you sure we're dating, and I'm like yeah and she hugs me awkwardly, and I can't talk to her for the next three days. And then the final romance scene was really sweet (though I almost missed it! I got her kidnapped and went back and refought Ghila'nain so I'd have a chance at the only good love scene) all I'm saying is she deserved better (and I did too)

Also yes I know everyone says this but sometimes all of rook's dialogue choices are identical. Why have a choice at all.

anyway, I'm done nitpicking. let's get to where I hope this goes next:

So I liked Dragon Age 4: More Dragon Age, and I hope they will soon make a Dragon Age 5: Even More Dragon Age.

I would like said game to include more player choices than this one, but maybe not as many as previous games. I think I'd like cameos of all the (surviving) companions, and their quest outcomes to matter for this. I'd like to see the political implications of all this - this game did have a woeful lack of this, and I'm looking forward to bioware overcompensating in the next run. And I'd like it to be set in a part of Thedas that Sucks. Maybe with fewer choices but more fallout thereof.

Final verdict: yeah would recommend. Good game. Don't expect it to be something it isn't.

Also, isn't it fucked up that you can kill both Assan and Manfred?

[andeverythingelsejustkindaexists]

veilguard is okay. I feel like I was expecting a lot more but tbh, it's not a bad game. And I will defend it against non dragon age fans any day lmao. There's good and bad. Going on only about the bad makes it so these games just keep getting more and more friendly and family centric.

Anyways I suggest playing it with the mindset that the past ten years in Thedas have been like a fade/magic revolution, basically. There's a lot of lax in certain lore and whilst it goes unnoticed to new/casual players, people like me are rather annoyed. So that "ten years is a long time" concept helps rationalize some things. Other things just can't be lmao. The elves are my biggest issue. No spoilers (maybe spoilers) but I do believe the way they treat the elves in this game is literally erasure of their history. You see no slaves in Tevinter and the Dalish are just like :) time to kill our gods :). Your character can even be a former slave and just not really care about all that happened.

THIS IS SPOILERS: (Also one of your companions feel like the elves need to take responsibility for their gods ((she is an elf)) because of all the damage they've done, but seems to like, not compute that the ancient elves enslaved them too? They did not discriminate. Like that's the slaves Solas freed. They were her people. I get that her whole character is like, needing to take responsibility, but at the same time, this feels like a push of too much. Sometimes traits don't need to be that exaggerated to get a point across. She is not responsible for this. Putting this on her kinda takes away from her whole arch. It makes her seem like she just has a general problem with taking on other's issues and not trying responsibility for her brother's death.)

But the companions are great. Love them. I think I enjoy them as a whole more than Inquisition because they are well rounded. Everyone has a full story. Even if it is a little cheesy. The chats can be super cheesy lmao. And the voice acting for some characters, especially side characters, not always great. But DAVRIN UGH I LOVE HIM SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD. He's like amazing. I am not romancing him this first playthrough but I will next. I have to. I love him so much!!! His voice actor, amazing. One of the best, honestly. It's very remincent of old school dragon age when I talk to him. Lucanis is similar! Bellara as well. Manfred's skeleton noises are very appealing too. Love him.

[druckkugelschreiber]

I hate it when flat out nice answers and kind answers are the flirty options in games

Like telling Bellara she can ramble at me all day long is true and I say that full of god damn platonic love. Let me support my friends! Let me help her autistic trauma which I too have!

Asking Lucanis „should you really be alone now?“ After Spite is messing with him should definitely not be seen as flirty but as supportive. Not to mention the next option of telling him he‘s brave. Like I get it we only have so many options in a video game but half the dialogue wheel is empty!

As opposed to telling Neve you wanted to make a better first impression. That one was a good flirty line!

I think it‘s also about timing tbh which with Romance games do sometimes struggle with. This is like not even a full critique more me worrying of wanting to be a good friend and coming on to strong which in BioWare games is a legitimate fear. Also as a writer myself I know I could do better or maybe it‘s cause I’m ace and see things differently. Probably both

[metalgearsolidexclamationpoint]

Veilguard Thoughts

As usual, my PC was a female human rogue who consistently takes the snarky option. She was a Lord of Fortune, though her build was Veil Jumper because I'm a bow man at heart. She chose to save Treviso from the dragon attack (the logic being that a bunch of the greatest mages in the world could stop Minrathous from being destroyed, although she didn't anticipate those mages would then just destroy the city themselves). She romanced Davrin, which had uhhhh depressing follow-on consequences. Everyone made Hero of the Veilguard with these outcomes:

Bellara kept the Nadas Dirthalen

Davrin sent the griffons to Arlathan

Emmrich became a lich

Harding accepted the Stone into her heart (?) I forget what the choice was. Okay I looked it up and it was the compassion choice.

Lucanis didn't kill Ilario… okay looked this up too and it looks like neither option are to kill him. I think I chose to imprison him, which actually seems like the less compassionate choice.

Neve is the protector of her city (I thought I got a choice between protector/hope but maybe not since she was hardened?)

Taash became more Rivaini

I also recreated my lady archer rogue from Inquisitor, so there was kind of a funny moment when both Rook and Inquisitor confronted Solas standing next to each other and they looked like sisters. Actually, I think Rook really looks like my Warden. I have a huge sprawling lore for my characters and their choices and how they intersect, but the way THIS matters is that at some point Isabela, the closest thing Rook has to a boss, says something like "you look just like a girl I slept with once. It was me, her, the spymaster of the Inquisition, and the King of Ferelden," and Rook doesn't know if she's fucking with her or not.

Because everyone was a Hero and I got all factions up to 3200 (including the Shadow Dragons, by buying a ton of valuables from other shops and reselling them to the wisp in the Crossroads) and the game extremely telegraphs who you should send to do what, there were no issues with the endgame.

Except, of course, that narratively it makes the most sense that Rook should send the person she trusts more than anyone -- her lover, the father of her baby griffon -- to set fire to the Antaam fortress. I actually think that (again, narratively) this works. Still heart-breaking. I really loved how the game fakes you out by both his and Neve's character screen say "Fallen Hero" when you look at them, even though Neve comes back. And later Neve is all blighted and creepy on her character screen. (Obviously I chose Neve rather than Bellara for that particular kamikaze mission). (Turns out this is dependent on that character being a Hero.)

It seems the game anticipates that you will have your romanced character in your party as much as possible, thus the party banter halfway through Tearstone Island where your lover apologizes for the fight you had right before the quest began. And like, I get it, but I'm fighting a ton of darkspawn. I'm not gonna bring Lucanis, even if I did romance him (unless I'm playing on Casual or something). I did bring Emmrich when I romanced him, and the stupid Deepstalker fight out of nowhere halfway through the bloody mission took forever (I was also a Mourn Watch-specced Warrior because narratively I was in love with Emmrich, so my attacks were all Nectrotic as well. In my nightmare playthrough I have had to shed some RP pretensions and spec purely on effectiveness...).

I was curious as to what happens if you choose the wrong person -- "pick someone who is good with magic or strong at protecting others" well that's everyone except Lucanis, hard to fuck that up -- but it turns out they just die. So double curious, if I choose the wrong one for every option, can I have fewer than 2 companions in my fight against Elgar'nan? Not that that was a particularly hard battle. I even had a fully powered Felassan's rune and used it once just because I was curious. My Redouble rune for instant full momentum was still my favorite. ->Yes, they can die, and in fact if you have low faction strength/no Heroes, you can get an ending where your companions in the Elgar'nan battle turn to stone and you have to bind yourself to Solas in the Fade to solve everything. IDK how you could get to the endgame with NO faction strength or Heroes and actually be strong enough to play the endgame unless you're on casual.

->Ooooorrrrr you're on Nightmare and sick to death of long-ass battles of attrition shooting magic from afar and give a big middle finger to everyone's personal quests and any city quest that you know ends with a dumb frustrating battle.

I got the best ending by accident, i.e. because I did every single bloody side quest and had Mythal's essence, all Heroes, all Factions at full power, etc. (ALL STUPID OPTIONAL DRAGON FIGHTS!!!!!)

I guess I like that you can get every trophy in one playthrough. I think it would be cool if there were branching trophies for saving Treviso/Dock Town or Hero choices, but that would seem a lot like make-work (and mitigated by reloading saves). I actually ended up getting all but 3 trophies just in the course of my play (thanks to my slightly completionist tendencies). The only ones I missed were the Warden flowers (I found 2 on my own), finding the third mysterious circle (I found 2 on my own… I did the hard part by beating the awful fucking dragons), and jumping from the balcony in the Lighthouse. No Nightmare trophy? I made it through DA2 and DAI on Nightmare!! But this game also doesn't seem to reward hands-on party management the way O/2/I did. And I don't think I successfully defended once. ->I did a subsequent play as a Warrior on Underdog difficulty, and my familiarity with the game mechanics meant it actually felt easier than the original Adventurer play. And I figured out how to defend. So I might do a Nightmare difficulty for my own entertainment.

->I ended up starting a Nightmare difficult as a Mage, because why not learn a whole new gameplay style at the same time?

Varric's death: Just as I was thinking I wasn't as emotionally attached to this game as I was the previous DAs, they hit me with this. And I wailed, wept, rent my clothes, howled, &c. &c. Then, naturally, I got angry. I got angry at Rook. Rook has no RIGHT to Varric. Rook spent one on-screen mission and some unknown but relatively short amount of time with Varric (a year?). I spent DA2 and DAI with him!! Isabela, Dorian, and the Inquisitor know him better! Though I guess they have had time to process this that I, Fox, have not.

And NO ONE ever mentioned or wondered or gossiped about how Rook talked about Varric like he was still alive and she had just talked to him and Varric said such and such… did everyone stand around uncomfortably looking at their shoes like "oh she has suffered a real Break from Reality" or did they just chalk it up to the way she also spoke with Solas in the Fade/in her mind/…?

There was also a moment in the beginning of the endgame where someone reports that the Venatori have taken over the Magisterium and killed every magister who isn't Venatori, and I started crying because while I was pretty sure Maevaris had been kicked out, Dorian retained his seat. And I started yelling "I'm gonna need proof positive that Dorian is still alive" and thank the Maker they delivered because I could not have taken that. (And then he became the Archon!)

Speaking of the Maker… how does the whole of Thedas being ravaged by elven gods not, like, totally undermine Andrastianism? Like, the elven gods have been definitively proven as real. At one point in the final battle Elgar'nan says something like I made all of you… does that mean Elgar'nan is the Maker? Or did he only Make the elves, in which case the Maker is still in play for humans? But if the elven gods can make life shitty for people who aren't elves, does it even matter? And Elgar'nan obviously never took Andraste as a bride. Yes, I realize I am way way way too deep into the Lore now. ->Harding does have a moment in a Regrets of the Dread Wolf (or as I like to call it, Miss Solas Regrets…) where she wonders about how the Maker fits into this, and if all this elven lore has been proven true (if misinterpreted), where does that leave the Maker? Does he actually exist? But that's a just a chance for Rook to say she is an Andrastian/doesn't believe/doesn't care etc. Meanwhile the Maker was everywhere in the previous entries.

I don't want to get too into the discontinuity/lack of integration with previously established lore, like mage rights, elf rights, Exalted Marches, Andrastianism, and so on that are never touched on beyond random codex entries (the Crow memento that says they have a contract to oppose future Marches in perpetuity made me emotional). This game really felt like a step down in terms of the world-building. I know DA is the butt of a lot of jokes about READ THE LORE BIBLE but I love the lore!! Every teeny reference to the lore delighted me!

Off the top of my head: -the griffon rocking chair with initials TR carved into it -the aforementioned contract for the Crows to prevent Marches -the letter from Cullen to the Inquisitor that had puppy bite marks in it (Inq romanced Cullen) (I did an alternate world play with my Warrior Raymond Trevelyan where he romanced Dorian and it was even sappier… I had always imagined they broke up in the intervening time between Trespasser and now just because it was too difficult to maintain a relationship between Tevinter and the South, and Dorian was preoccupied with the Lucerni. And instead Dorian wrote him an insanely romantic love letter. Way more romantic than I expected from Dorian "port in a storm" Pavus.) -Kirkwall Acting Viscount Aveline Vallen -swords called Arainai's Talon and Meredith's Legacy (reminded me of Certainty from DAI, which had one of my favorite item descriptions) -mention that House Arainai being disbanded after how badly they failed to fulfill the contract to kill the Warden in DAO (reminded me of this post)

-I promise I will stop Zevran posting but this horny armor and description of my beloved Crow was also too much to bear -joining chalice recovered from Ostagar at the beginning of the Fifth Blight (in a position of pride at the Weisshaupt library)

Obviously I liked it. I liked it so much I'm gonna fail an economics class this quarter because I can't stop playing long enough to study.

[jasontheoctopus]

Extra Veilguard thoughts on second playthru: (contains spoilers, it's been a couple months, but under a readmore in case you're still avoiding)

Dwarf warrior as mentioned in previous post; that Paragon armor that makes your character look like a super thick muscle tank felt perfect for the vibes

Small level design thing: I really enjoyed both times how the final crawl up the Archon's palace reminded me in some great ways of the final Mass Effect 1 Citadel mission.

Harding taking down that big mech / automaton construct thing in at the start of the final quest is so bad ass ( i mention this, because her coming out of the rubble after defeating it, that shot also reminded me of ME1 when you find out Shepard wasn't crushed by Sovereign )

Ended up romancing Bellara this time, because a couple banters/offhanded comments from her really struck me differently on this playthru (also I swear I got different ones, maybe because I took different companions on some of the missions? )

The Neve/Lucanis romance that happens was okay. I think I'd missed something with Lucanis the first time. (possibly due to Treviso getting blighted in the first playthru, I picked Minrathous this time to see how that changes things) There was a dream sequence thing with Spite or something where they work out their differences? also there seemed to be more banter in the Lighthouse between him + some of the other companions talking about it. Idk, I still prefer my Rook getting to romance Neve, but I at least don't think that Neve and Lucanis make each other worse.

Picked Grey Warden background this time and I loved the extra dialogue with Davrin, Evka and Antoine, and the other Wardens in the game as well as some of the other interesting things it unlocks.

Still picked Bellara to break the ward in the second to last mission, so she ends up getting kidnapped and blighted, so I might have missed the full romance scene, but what I still got was so sweet?? And wow, Bellara gets some badass scenes!

I wish we didn't have to choose between Harding and Davrin, but in a good way because I really enjoy both of them and I feel genuinely sad with either choice. That feels correct.

I actually kindof love how much more this game made me dislike Solas? I haven't felt this great about getting to finally serve someone some consequences in a Bioware game in a minute.

Morrigan showing up felt a little fourth wall acknowlegding, but also she got to be a bad ass and it was a fun time

Thoughts on my next playthru that I won't stick to:

Need to make a Mage this time

I do genuinely enjoy Taash and Harding together, but sortof want to romance one of them next time. Also; still very much want to romance Neve again, and Bellara's was surprisingly sweet. Also, might watch someone else's let's play of amab!Rook/Emmrich because I feel like I got to know him a lot better with my Rook spending more time with Bellara somehow? Their banters were really cute.

Really enjoying the actual gameplay of this game. People who said it feels more like a fantasy Mass Effect game to play were right, and that's probably what has me still making new playthrus.

I do wish Bioware was allowed to do multiple sex scenes like Larian; but I get that EA Games would never let them. It's cool, I hope that will just inspire me to write some smut of my own which could be cool.

General thoughts:

I don't know if it's going to go down as a "game of all time" for me or anything, but it's been very enjoyable and fun to play, and that's honestly all I'm looking for.

Leaves a lot of unanswered questions, sure there's plenty of "but that's not how they said stuff worked before" bits but I think that's unavoidable with projects spanning so many years and worked on by so many different writers. Idk, nothing jumped out at me as super horrible.

I know a lot of people complained about the companions getting along to well, but with the couple years I've had it was actually so calming to just have them talk about their issues and work thru them or "agree to disagree" or whatever.

Also not disappointed that there's not an option for a more "true evil" aligned playthru, because I don't enjoy that. I'm sure some folks were really let down, but I played the game I wanted here.

Big studios are clunky; they have to put out a product that appeals to as many people as possible because their budgets are so sky high. I'm also a Blizzard apologist (well maybe not that far, but I still play and enjoy a lot of their games even with knowing how problematic they are) so feel free to nay-say; but the point is that I think the team working on the game managed to put out something quite enjoyable given what seemed from the outside like a disjointed development schedule.

Also in line with the "I enjoyed people not fighting" I'd prefer not to fight on this post. Got enough fighting coming up about real life things, just want to talk about things I enjoyed.