#i love bellara i have to romance her next maybe

[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.

[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).

[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.)

[dors-ee]

Veilguard spoilers. Again lots of details. Lots to say too so a long read. (I finished the game).

SO. I finished. And I am having mixed feelings. Lots of what I said still stand about the disappointment with unexplored things like the titans and the blight. The forgotten ones etc.

also... mixed feelings about the veil staying up. It could have been very interesting to see it falls and now it poses the question... what's next?

There's in the codex something about pple being unable to explore outside of thedas. There's also the Qunaaris and the devouring storm and devour also appearing with the elves and like there are things to explore so idk. Maybe that.

And things in the whole final part of the game, from the island to the end, where... pretty good. Like I'll give them that, it was freaking good. The last confrontation of Rook vs Elgar'nan thoooooo. (Also well I picked Helping get Solas redeemed, so that on me. But the last him and Rook with this choice was a bit meh. Maybe the other choices are better. Guess I'll never know cause I'm not gonna pick something else. But yeah big build up Rook Elgar'Nan and it wasn't that exploited for me in the end.)

BUT as I said as a whole it still feels a bit... empty. Things land flat a little, I did feel emotions but also not... idk. I thing it should have been longer, have a bit more with the characters, the relationships, the build up. It should have had more build up. Have more with the whole solas thing like him confronting things too.

Because his sudden change at the last moment? Kind of comes out of nowhere -for him. We the player know more and all. But him in context.-. Even Mythal got more development than him with the whole conversation and Morrigan. And like yes we Rook got his memories and all but... idk.

Some stuff weren't explored. And actually in general with the game I have this feeling of things not explored, not deeply enough. Lots feel like good ideas that weren't well executed. A bit too polished, too superficial. Too fast too.

As I said I felt emotions but not thaaat deep. Or tbh I felt more for some NPC... (Antoine and Evka!❤).

I think just a bit longer for things to really grow, whether it's that feeling of the gods being monsters, more talks with Solas maybe really speaking of him using people and his memories I don't know.

I don't know. Like really. I am really having mixed emotions here. I loved this final part but also not. Like the rest of the game there's a feeling of lacking. Of surface and superficiality... of rushing a bit maybe?

And as much as I could get planting seeds for maybe future games, with the necropolis, etc. The whole titan and blight... that it wasn't exploited??? I thought the game would shift to that, to idk give them their dreams again or do something. And maybe not that, maybe it wss asking for too much. But the alternative was... nothing.

Not... just kill the gods. And yes it was magistral to have us pick which character does what... and at times who will die or not. (I killed Harding without meaning too :(. and I used Bellara for the door, being kidnapped by Elgar'nan. I was romancing Neve, no way was I sacrificing her.)

but talking of romance... I will I think do a one or two more playthroughs, to try a few others choices (one of them with a dwarf, see if it gives more for the titans and blight) including romances but also... idk. They also feel pretty superficial. And short. Too short. I can't help but compare from what I saw of the previous games the romances for ie. How lacking veilguard's is compared to DA2 and Inquisition, there. (haven't watched about the first game.).

So idk. Maybe it bc I built up my expectations, or played a bit too fast -not even that fast objectively compared to other people-... But I can't shake this unease and feeling discontented .... unsatisfied. Conflicted.

I also don't want to imagine the pple that played all the games and waited. are you satisfied? Maybe it does make everything feel like idk there's more payoff. On certain things for sure.

But on others? Building up all through the three games, getting in the universe, the lore the story, the blight, the gods...

for that resolution? That for Varric? and like the reveal and the fade moment were magistral... but still. The blight being the titans was again, so great. reveals on the elf, great too.

Like the ideas were GREAT. But then... idk. How it finishes... Imagining all this build up witj the elf lore ... and idk. It falls flat. Again.

I find myself asking again "so uh that's it? That's only that?". Like yeah I think they needed and wanted to bring closure, and technically the ideas were great again. But how it was executed... leaves me conflicated.

Some of the scenes were good it wasn't all bad. I liked when they spoke around the table after solas' memories and the banters.

And the facing off of Harding/Titan if rook is an elf... chilling. Damn. What she says, how she says it... (I picked embrace the anger). The voice acting was so great in the whole game! Loved my Rook!

But also yeah. Idk. The story needed an end and maybe that's why I feel like that. Because it's done. Because all the exciting interesting stuff is... done. Closure. There's a definite end and explanation.

I think for the bloghf and titan this is why I keep bringing it up. It has an end and nothing will be done now. I mean, the veil is in place, so it won't be unleashed, no dreams given back to the titans... I suppose this chapter is closed then? No more elven gods so no more blight titans thing. And I am... disappointed and sad because I wanted more and wanted this great idea to be explored. And nor all just come down to Harding ... needing to learm to be angry. Which don't get me wrong is a great quest. I loved her development but was so disappinted the whole titan thing ended being just that. But yeah. It's done, over, finished.

Like I really don't know, those are raw emotions. And I haven't played the previous games.

Also I guess fanfiction is there for the holes and unexplored. And I suppose we'll see if there's a next game.

Also : yes they were stupid enough to show parts of the actual ending in the trailer.

oh yeah more build up with Elgar'Nan would have been nice. Ghilan'nain got a lot. Elgar'Nan less. we are told he is awful, told again and again but not shown thaaat much.

Also why did Ghilain'nain end up like that? who knows.

I come back to some thoughts I've been having. How many shows, books, games, etc. do we have where we think "great ideas, great potential, not great execution"?

plenty. And I am tired of it tbh. Maybe we need to expect less... or give more time?

I know that despite the 10 years, veilguard didn't actually develop over 10 years.

Idk. Hades 2 they took their time and it's fucking great. Things have impact, there's pay off, it doesn't feel superficial. It builds up, buts by bits, like the pacing is good -for now-.

I liked veilguard and I will replay it. But do I consider it a good game? I'm very conflicted. Disappointed. I will let it and my thoughts sit for a while, I also need to decide for my next Rook haha. Factions, race, all mage if not dwarfs that I can say. (I want a mounr watched, wanted a dwarf, for the idea of the baby found in a crypt nut dwarf can't be mage so will need to also make an elf mage mourn watcher. Which ok, but I also had an idea for an elf mage shadow dragon. and 4 Rooks... yeah nah, idk if I'll be able to replay the game that much. I also need to try the other choice in Treviso/Minrathous. (yeah, Neve, romance, so helped Minrathous.)

It's still a cool game. It's still enjoyable to play in itself. I will give it that. For me it's kind of a miss in terms of story and lore. But it's still enjoyable to play.

But I keep thinking of the not exploted things... The blight changing not explored, what it means, why the song is changing. I remember the qurst with this and the ending and I was like wtf? It's just a big blight eruption? I thought it was going to be linked to the titans or something.... and argh. Yeah I can't let it go. I need to take a step back. Such a good idea, not well executed.... or not executed at all.

But as we are on the grey warden topic, I think them too, they were built up over the games and all and I think... some stuff with them fall very flat too. Maybe? Like great ideas to explore, again, but not that well executed.

I think i am just repeating myself haha. Feels empty lacking and superficial in terms of story, romances, characters, etc. And feels really too.... pretty at rime. Too polished. Not that I liked gnarly and all, but... again. Comparing.

I'll end my rambles here haha. Will go back to read solavellan fanfics (or write...? I wanna explore Solas fucking mind.) and I will lift the tags filter in a few days I think. See what other people thought and if my feelings are shared or not and everyone is so very happy with it.

(I did have the thought that by being someone not that into video games maaaaybe I just can't appreciate depth in video games. But then, bc I was aware of that, I compared to other DA games as I mentioned, just videos, not even playing myself. And yeah. Still stand by my thoughts and feelings...

But maybe by stepping back and digesting I'll change my mind. Maybe I am being ridiculous here and seasoned players or pple used to video games might laughs at my feelings and opinions. Myself I'll find me ridiculous for it... We'll see.

I do miss my Rook already... Might replay with her, just.... change a few things.

edit : ok apparently there's a secret ending?? With something that I thiiink might be the same "????" that speak creepy shit when you kill the dragon in the Necropolis (and my theory is maaybe linked to the echo)?. Nice. Still stand by everything else, but nice and ... kind of confirmed it'd be for a future game then? I wasn't stupid to think there was more to that?

BUT THE BLIGHT AND TITANS THEEEEEEN?

[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

[manystarredface]

Rambling Thoughts on the end of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, spoilers below

I think it's hysterical that Solas had to be convinced NOT to tear open the Veil by two ex-girlfriends and a kid he backstabbed TWICE. I would have liked a harsher tone a little bit from Lavellan, but that doesn't play into 1) the themes of Regret and Forgiveness of the game and 2) Solas likely wouldn't have heard her if she'd been harsh about the whole thing. I liked their ending.

I loved the way they played more into the cunning aspect of Solas in DATV rather than the knowledgeable aspect from DAI. I romanced him in my only true playthrough of DAI (i don't think i ever finished the other runs), so while he was a little cheeky and did lie about the big stuff or omitted it, I don't remember any out-and-out manipulations or word play in DAI that were at all like in DATV.

I WISH my Rook could have laughed in his face when she waltzed into the cutscene with him in Minrathous!! XD

I thought that manipulation of Rook was fantastic and a good character moment. I also loved that he very specifically swore that the veil would not be opened by his hand and then gave us the Final Quest "you're the only one who can save us" bullshit by saying "the final blow must be dealt by you." I wish Rook could have laughed in a "this fucking guy!" way when Bellara revealed the consequences of killing Elgarnan.

Because then, yeah, Solas may have been a little truthful when saying "shit Rook, I made a mistake, I can't defeat him as I am" because he really is going into the fight with NOTHING and NO ONE and he probably realized "ah, I do not have the support I once had in the first fight, this was a bad call," BUT I think he was mostly just manipulating Rook again. He wanted to set her up as the fall guy so he could say "I didn't really betray you. I told you that it wouldn't be by my hand and it wasn't."

The game did a great job of making it feel like I'd chosen "the" combination of characteristics for my Rook. She was an elvhen Mourn Watcher, so she was connected to the issue through her heritage and her job/skills. I'd be interested in trying a different combination to see if it fits just as well (based on some posts I've seen, it sounds like they do a pretty good job of it).

There was one post that pointed out how wild all the Fade Physical Walking was and I'm going to chock that up to us only being in Ferelden in DAO where it's established to be a bad thing and the kingdom mostly being hyper conservative when it comes to magic. I'd be interested to know if the Mourn Watchers move regularly between the Fade and back, given their jobs.

I worry a little bit about the future game, given the power creep of the whole series. We're at God Level enemies who destroyed most of Southern Thedas with the Blight and took out a LOT of northern Thedas with the Blight, too. The road to recovery may mean the formation of new kingdoms, I'd imagine, especially since Denerim was overrun completely and, I think, so was Redcliffe, which were the primary spots of power. Orlais might make its way out of the apocalypse, but I don't see how Ferelden does.

My next play through is going to have Solas redeemed again and my Lavellan show up again, but I'm going to swap around who lives and who dies in the Harding side of things. I'm glad she passed on some of what she knew to the Kal-Sharok dwarves. :( I didn't expect her to get wiped out like that, but maybe she returned to the stone and we haven't seen the complete last of her in some form or another?

[kirkwall-idiot]

A bit of backstory about Sulahn because why not.

He is 26/27 and was born in clan Revasthen, a small dalish clan in Antiva that lives near the border with Rivain. His mother, Belath, was the clan's First and his father, Haranel, was a hunter who also liked to sing and often did so during the clan's festivities. While Belath was pregnant Haranel was badly wounded by human bandits that picked a fight with his group during a hunt and died before they could make it back to the camp, when months later her son was born Belath named him Sulahn (song) in honor of his father's love for music.

Sulahn had a pretty standard life in the clan and after he manifested magical abilities was taught how to use his magic by his mother and the clan's Keeper but he knew he was not going to be the next First on account of the fact the there were other older clan members who could use magic and on account of him being a pretty weak mage. He always showed interest in the history of his people and in particular of the ancient treasures of the Elvhen empire hating the fact that while humans despised the elfs they were more than happy to take pieces of their history for themself.

For that reason after he got his vallaslin Sulahn decided to leave the clan in order to steal from the nobles of Antiva and Rivain any elven artifact that he learned was in their possession. During one of this jobs in Rivain he met a woman who was robbing the same auction house as him, Rouge Laidir the person who introduced him to the Lords of fortune taking him under her wing and gave him the nickname "Shanks". Because of Sulahn's unwillingness to use his clan's name (motivated by the fact that he didn't want his clan to be attacked in case he got caught) other people just started to use Rouge's last name for him and since the nickname he got from her stuck he eventually started going by Shanks Laidir.

So this guy litteraly has three names: his given name, Sulahn, that in my headcanon he reveals to Bellara, Davrin and eventually Lucanis who are the only ones outside of his clan who call him that; his first nickname, Shanks, that will be what Taash and Isabella (since she is supposed to be a Lord of fortune) call him, he and Taash have met a couple of times and Isabella is a friend of Rouge; his second nickname, Rook, that everyone else uses because Varric started calling him that and everyone followed him.

I think that the only people that Sulahn would reveal his clan's name to are Bellara and Davrin. Maybe Lucanis too after the romance is completed if it all goes well.

For the names of his parents I took them from the list of dalish names that @dalishious made some years ago and their meanings are "much love" (Belath) and "fearless" (Haranal). For the clan's name I mashed toghter the words for freedom (revas) and noble struggle (hellathen) that I found on the wiki so the translation would be "struggle for freedom" which I think it's cool.

Sulahn "Shanks" "Rook" Laidir

And Vir'al Lavellan 10 years later