#it reminds me of the da2 romances where hawke is just like you don't get it and they are right

[antiqua-lugar]

sorry that fandom poll got to me and aside from being eternally sad that me:a will not get a sequel, i will never be over how great the reyes vidal romance is.

like he and ryder met once for a mission but that one conversation where they talk Kadara politics and flirt hard apparently was enough to go Yes, I Met The One, everyone around them is going "oh gods no" and it fucking works. they go through all the most dramatic movie plot twists - the evil ex! the date that actually was a heist! kiss as a distraction! local smuggler with a heart of gold is actually the secret leader of a whole planet - and then they settle in the most chill, comfy long distance relationship because the pathfinder and the charlatan are the only people who understand each other as being people and leaders and completely unhinged people. reyes is like "from now on I want to be honest with you" and ryder is like "when you gotta lie you gotta lie" and then they just carry on like that. reyes has known ryder for like a few months at best but love is real so he immediately writes ryder down as the charlatan's consort and everyone on kadara just has to live with it.

like it's not even a "I can fix him" kind of romance, all companions are like "Are you sure?" and Ryder is like "Yeah? He's fine". and he is

[thedinanshiral]

The time is nigh.

We´re nearly there. we got news this week.

Say goodbye to "Dreadwolf"

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is now Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and while the name change isn't horrible, insiders poking at it merely hours before BW got to reveal it was particularly annoying. Insiders are good to expose issues, harrassment and other bad practices in the industry, not spoiling game details barely a moment before official news! While we were all waiting for the Summer Games Fest on Friday, "insiders" spoiled the game would have a name change. Soon after BioWare confirmed this with a blog post, but i'll take a moment here to say this is a game many of us have been painfully waiting for ages, there's unimaginable anxiety and expectations involved on all sides and just when we're right around the corner some people popped up to stir a pot that doesn't need any more stirring, considering the dev history of this game i'm sure many people read these insiders' "i know something you don't tee hee" posts and streams and feared the worst, again. Completely unnecessary. Fortunately the news were rather inocuous but what insiders did at such a last moment was still annoying. They did the equivalent of telling an excited kid at Christmas that they got socks right before they got a chance to open their present, at least it feels like that.

Moving from that, many people feel the name could drop that "the" and be just Dragon Age: Veilguard. It'd follow the pattern of DA games having three-words titles (Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition), and personally i think it rolls off the tongue way better without "the" in the middle too. This name change brought with it the acronym issue, and a sad goodbye to all the DA:D jokes. Now people are deciding if it should be DA:V, DAtV, DAVG. Former DA dev and writer David Gaider has already expressed his wish we all just don't go for DAVG, one presumes because it's too close to his own name. DAD jokes are quickly being replaced by Dragon Age TV and Dave ones, and others about DAD going to get cigarrettes and never coming back. I'm already fond of DAV or simply Veilguard.

The name change is already applied to platforms like Stream and console stores, where it's been possible to add the unreleased game to the wishlist since the latest trailer from last year. This one is from the PS5 store:

As BW explains in their blog post, the name change follows a need to change the focus due to this story's particulars. Yes, Solas is an antagonist, a big bad wolf, he's the Dread Wolf! BUT he's not the only threat we'll face this time, there are others, possibly bigger and more urgent matters to deal with. The Veil is quite the protagonist in this game, seems it's the last barrier between Thedas and utter annihilation, and as BW says, "the Veil needs guarding". DAO had the Grey Wardens, DA2 had Hawke & friends, DAI had the Inquisition, and now DAV has the Veilguard, a group of individuals from various backgrounds tasked with guarding the Veil. Pretty straightforward.

Gameplay details

BW has so far revealed we'll meet 7 new companions from a variety of factions and backgrounds, that we could romance any of them and that got everyone excited.. but we can only take 2 at a time to join the party, and combat will include a wheel menu to pause and strategize. This detail has people anticipating combat this time around will be much more like Mass Effect, with only MC and two party members the player might not control but send commands to instead, while some think BG3 and its success may have influenced some decisions as well.

This comparison reminded me of Mass Effect Andromeda, a highly criticized game many threw under a bus quickly and undeservedly (yes, undeservedly) . While it had its flaws it was a good game and its combat was possibly the best ME combat to date, and i think BW may have taken that for DAV. The one redeeiming grace from their last released game before DAV could have very well served as a base for it.

As for the different factions our companions may come from, it has all been teased before in concept art and side media, namely the Tevinter Nights anthology where we were introduced to entirely new factions as well as shown old ones more in depth. Antivan Crows, Mortalitasi, Lords of Fortune to name possibly the most anticipated ones. And we know the action this time will move all over Thedas, exciting new locales like Antiva, Rivain, Tevinter, the Anderfells, Arlathan Forest..

Lore trove!

On top of all these exciting news, just think of the lore, THE LORE. If Solas is not the main threat, if as BW says there are other gods we'll have to deal with as the Veilguard, who are they? Are we finally getting a double Blight? Are those other gods the last two remaining Old Gods OR is it the remaining Evanuris pushing from the other side of the Veil? Just how many fronts will our party be fighting on to save the world? And what ancient mysteries will come to light as we explore northern Thedas? In The Missing comics we learned there are areas of Arlathan forest that are twisted in time and space, paths too dangerous to traverse where spirits may take control of you, and gods know what else is there, what long forgotten horrors are waiting in the shadows of a history very few may remember. Could one of our new companions be an ancient elf? Many questions and the imagination is flying so high and far ..

But i'd like to focus on a small detail. Remember this? The little red book. It's where my avatar comes from! Here's a bit more on that. I remember back then i quickly edited it trying to get a clearer image

The tower on the cover first reminded me back then of the figurines seen on the map in Inquisition, then the protagonist of what we now know is Veilguard was said to be named Rook (possibly a codename), so there it is. The Warden, Hawke, the Inquisitor and now (the) Rook. A chess piece in the Dread Wolf's board. I think that's what the mystery red book's cover is hinting at. So when i read we'll be getting 7 companions my mind went straight to chess. This game will be about strategy, moving the right pieces the right way, specially if we'll be fighting on multiple fronts. The protagonist Rook and 7 companions.

Also reminded me of Solas' banter with the Iron Bull where they were playing a chess match mentally on the go. Here's a great recap of it. I don't understand chess, never really got to fully learn it, but i appreciate its symbolic value and of course, this will be a race of wits.

Solas, the other gods, the politics, the manipulations and revelations, everything Thedas has to offer is getting closer by the minute. Today it's the Xbox Showcase, in a couple of hours, we're all counting on some kind of reveal after the SGF gave us nothing. I hope for a cinematic trailer and introduction of companions, maybe if i could be so greedy even a release date or the possibility to pre-order, or a date for it. If not, we still have Tuesday 11th for a confirmed and announced by BW 15 minutes long gameplay reveal.

A gameplay reveal, fiften minutes!! It's real, it's happening, we're going home.

[blondie-inky-esaldir]

Unpopular opinion

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a great game.

Origins and DA2 are great as well, especially in their time. But I love Dragon Age: Inquisition for its open world and I actually enjoy the sub quests.

For Dragon Age Origins, I do think it has the best written plot. I also like the scheme of gathering allies. It reminded me slightly of this other game, Suikoden V, where I had to gather all 100 allies, some of which were optional and didn't even really add to the story. But I need to gather them all to get the best ending for the game. But I digress. As for Dragon Age 2, I like the relationship mechanics of the game of having 'rivalry' points and 'friendship' points, which is an interesting approach to the high vs low approval thing. It's interesting how you can still romance them even with rivalry points being high. Not that I'd ever go for a rival romance with Anders, or anyone for that matter.

Going back to Inquisition, I actually like that we can really control the Inquisitor's backstory since there's some lacking to the back story compared to the Warden for Dragon Age Origins. I like that there's no strict canon to follow and you can decide your own headcanon for them.

Finding shards and guessing the puzzles in the Astrarium was also fun. I also think all the companions are interesting. I don't like Viviene that much, or more like… I like her least of all. But I do like some parts of her personality. Particularly, I like the difference of her treatment to you when she has a high approval vs low approval after getting to Skyhold.

For the specializations, they're fun to do in the gameplay. For Mage, I love the Knight-Enchanter spec. For Rogues, I always go for 'the Tempest.' For warriors, I only tried Reaver to get interesting dialogues from the Iron Bull romance. However, my favorite is 'Champion.'

Since Corypheus is a returning enemy, I don't quite care that he was kinda downplayed. For me, he's not really the 'big boss.' As the Inquisitor didn't suffer anything personal for him, aside from getting the mark. I mean, it's not like Corypheus killed someone special to the Inquisitor or such.

It felt more like the Inquisitor had to stop the breach and get things back to normal because literally no one else can do it but them. If you compare them to the other PCs… Well, the Warden had to but they weren't the only ones who could slay the Archdemon. The plot just put them there, but there were also other Grey Wardens. That's why the game provided the option to have Alistair or Loghain make the sacrifice. Hawke is the Champion of Kirkwall, but in the first place, he's also just some guy just trying to survive and help their family (and failing, sadly. Sometimes, it's cathartic play an douche route Hawke so my heart won't break so much for them.)

Anyway, I'm rambling. I just really love this game.

[v-arbellanaris]

Not to nitpick on a personal rant, or revive your previous annoyance, but you've mentioned that Anders refers to Hawke as "one bright light in Kirkwall", instead of "one bright light in [his life]", but it was actually both! Former being a response to Hawke agreeing to get Ser Alrik's ass (unromanced) and the later is from Questioning Beliefs from Act III (romanced). 1/2

It my native language, "the light of one's life" is a very popular pet name, when conveyed by a single word, that translates to "[my] sun". It's also considered to be one of the most endearing ones. I've never seen someone find it repulsive before, leave alone if that someone is your partner of 3 years (unless they simply just hate pet names). I'm bringing up this random funfact because I feel somewhat guilty for this entire fandom stir, as it was my ask that OP was responding to 😔😔😔. 2/2

OH YOU'RE RIGHT!!! thanks for the correction! i forgot about that particular instance in act 3; it's been a while since my da2 pts, im currently redoing an origins run for Mood for my wip lol

hopefully this doesnt stir more stuff bc im content to let it lie now (like im annoyed but ive already blocked op so whatever), but i'll place the next bits after a cut just in case

for context: when he calls you the one bright light in his life in act 3, it's after the quest, justice, where he's setting things up for act 3's finale. specifically, that quest starts with him giving his valuables away to varric -- a clear indication of his suicidality/expectation that he's going to die by the end of this. he tells you, on the friendship romance route, you are the most important thing in my life, but some things are more important than my life. the entire speech is him trying to explain himself in a roundabout way, so that when things play out, you don't blame yourself for his actions or for not stopping him, so that you don't think you didn't matter to him at all/never mattered, because you did. he tells you, "you are the one bright light in my life. never blame yourself for what will happen." after like. four years together. seven years of knowing each other. he thinks he's going to die -- and in some pts, DOES die -- and he tries to make sure you know that you were really, truly loved, that he meant everything he said to you about caring for you, that this relationship mattered to him. like... every time that quest plays, i have to pause and take a breather or else i'm going to cry. lit just thinking about it makes my heart hurt.

i genuinely can't see how it's manipulative, or toxic? is it just me??? this is literally his goodbye to you, unless you spare him in the end and he goes with you to the gallows. this is what he wants his last words to be to you; a reminder that he loves you and that you shouldn't blame yourself for his actions.

i have similar petnames in my mother tongue, too. and i agree re: it being the most loving term of endearment. (u should also. Drop the term of endearment. if u want. so we can collectively adopt it for a/nders.) but the way OP phrased it doesn't seem to indicate any issues with petnames but rather the fact he said it at all which is really...

it's just really... aggravating? weird? idk? to me that this person cherry-picked it as "he calls you the one bright light in his life which is soooo toxic"

........ like. the implication here is that it's toxic because he's depressed? and depressed, suicidal people who tell you that you're the only thing keeping them going is some kind of.. terrible, awful manipulation tactic and not a desperate cry for IMMEDIATE help? as though he's holding his mental state over you, threatening you with it in order to get compliance or something? like if this is the friendship romance route, it's so weird that the apparent critique here is that anders... expects you to care about him/and cares about you? they just like. ignored the entire context around both times. even in my first blind da2 pt (my first romance was bela), when i got to that scene, i IMMEDIATELY felt concern on his behalf not alarm that he was somehow manipulating me?

and most of the post is like that. just... cherry-picking random things and blowing them out of proportion/making it out to be something he's not. like the entire post was just... shitting on an/ders for being a romance option? like. if you hate all the romantic aspects of the andersmance, you literally have four whole other options for a romance -- and we already know exactly who op prefers because they can't seem to stop themselves from constantly comparing the two romances, or rather, specifically, using the apparent "toxicity" of h/anders to prop up fe/nhawke -- like. go romance someone else then lol

also. i dont think you should feel guilty for anything. its kinda obv from OP's post that they'd had this in their mind for a long while (even tho it's not a fresh take by any stretch of the imagination) bc i saw other posts on my dash that i rolled my eyes at from them w similar phrasing for how they believed h/anders was toxic [in comparison to f/enhawke] & the implication that h/anders was somehow inherently inferior to f/enhawke as a ship. so. ultimately, disappointed but not surprised. this was likely inevitable the moment their blog gained traction by interacting w proa/nders blogs & content lol

[ocean-in-my-rebel-soul]

Here are my main playthroughs:

Wardens:

Ilya Surana:

Anders. If she isn't with Zev and Ali in their power throuple, she's with Anders from DAA to DA2, regardless of when he leaves for Kirkwall (he can still romance Hawke/others, but she'll be waiting for if he returns). I envision that he's already kinda her platonic/emotional soulmate. I mean she, Jowan, and Anders were basically a three-for-one deal at the circle; where one was, the others weren't far behind. They all promised each other that they would make it out of the circle alive, and if any of them were successful, they'd come back and bust everyone else out. In her canon timeline, she fulfills her promise by putting Jowan out of his misery at Redcliffe and by conscripting Anders in DAA.

I feel like she might initially be attracted to Solas, but I'm not sure she'd do anything with that. She would appreciate his deep understanding of magic and the Fade, especially if she went full possession like she does in her canon. But his single-minded focus on magic and the Fade would, in time, remind her of those she knew in the circle and she'd just get wigged out.

Rhiona Cousland:

Probably Cullen, tbh. She's looking for similar values of patriotism, faith, fidelity, etc. Basically she wants a mabari, but in boyfriend form. She would definitely appreciate his military strengths, though they would greatly disagree on the Chantry and their interpretations of faith.

Hm, I don't think she'd date anyone from DA2. Maybe Isabela? But not as a romance; unfortunately she was raised noble and you can't kill that bougie-ness and entitlement that comes with that, so I doubt it'd be romantic, more a physical thing that fizzles out when they realize they don't have much in common other than attraction.

Hawkes:

Rian Hawke:

Alistair or Morrigan, probably. She contains multitudes. The snarky mage thing really gets her going, and alistair is just so wonderful and earnest and genuine! Morri and Rian would be like a moody cat and a sincere dog who just wants to love her. Rian spent her whole life protecting Bethy and Malcolm, so finding another mage and pulling the guard dog card would be right up her alley. Alistair would be a kindred spirit, I think. They're traumatized in different ways, but they both use deflection and humor to cope.

I feel like she would be drawn to Bull initially on a platonic level, but once they get to know each other and gain each other's respect, a physical and maybe romantic chemistry would grow. She greatly respects people who are good at what they do, people who do the work. I think Bull or Sera would be good fits. Sera! Oh man, Sera would pick up on Rian's mischievous side. They'd fall in love while kicking in some Orlesian shitlord's windows.

Garrett Hawke:

Either Zev or Alistair, maybe Leliana. He'd be attracted to the sheer competence that Ali and Zev bring to their professions, even if he's kinda nervous about Zev (would still fuck him, though). He'd appreciate Alistair's earnest sincerity and would love to help him unwind, and he'd love Zev's sense of humor. Garrett has some history with Leliana from Lothering, where he had an ill-advised crush on her. If she'd been from anywhere else but the chantry, he would have sought her out; with her being not really chantry in Origins, he'd feel much better, especially if this were a straight-up Hawke as Warden scenario traveling with mages.

Oh he'd love the shit outta Iron Bull and Dorian, and would make mad puppy eyes at both of them. He likes burly men and smartass, deadly intelligent mages. (Even better if he can be in a sandwich, he loves that.)

Elara Lavellan

I don't really know who she'd resonate with in Origins. She'd appreciate Sten on some levels, maybe him. He'd be a giant compared to her, lol. I don't know that she'd romance anyone else. Maybe Alistair? Maybe he'd ninja-mance her like he did me!

Merrill. Merrill, Merrill, Merrill. She'd love her. I really wanna write this now. She'd love the comfort of sharing various Dalish traditions and seeing how they differ between clans. Elara would respect Merrill immensely and would help her achieve her goals.

Which DA2 and Inquisition companions would your Warden romance?

Which Origins and Inquisition companions would your Hawke romance?

Which Origins and DA2 companions would your Inquisitor romance?