#regardless of what datv tells me

[relidraws]

to everyone's great surprise, i did get to finish my canon world-state characters! just in time for veilguard woo!

[bloedewir]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

There's some post-game thoughts I can mark as spoiler ones. Read only if you finished the game.

I love the game. Really. The grand finale was magnificent, the main plot idea is painfully touching and I adore the heavy weight of sorrow I bear after I finished the game. The best kind of bittersweet grief of possible.

However it doesn't mean the game is flawless. There's some stuff I didn't get at all.

Why there's no option to ask Solas about the Forgotten Ones? Like, hello, you have an encyclopedia of elven lore in your head, can't you ask a few optional questions about weird ancient guy you've met during the journey? Nadas Dirthalen? (Or it's because da5 is going to be about new dwarven and/or qunari lore and Forgotten Ones/Executors?)

You also can't say anything about the murals.. which is kinda strange. Why didn't Rook comment those mind-blowing revelations? For Harding, at least?

Evanuris. Solas' story is beautifully written, Mythal' story was also revealed more than before (even if she's in all 4 games) so we get to know her better. But Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain? Fine, forget other evanuris.. but the spectacular duo? Spirits and demons are kinda the same, like two sides of a coin. Solas is Wisdom and Pride, Mythal is Benevolence and Retribution (as Morrigan said). Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are just.. bad? They're blighted and corrupted now but what about the past? Where's the duality of their personalities? No chance for redemption now because they don't want or need it, I get the idea, but the story itself? I wish there would be more about them. We do have something on Ghilan'nain tho, like: she created hallas but can't create them any longer and she has a full control over the Blight as if it's modeling clay (+ some Bellara' thoughts on a matter of "navigation" and "healing" and path Ghilan'nain chose for the People). But Elgar'nan? He likes tyranny. And he still had his hair. Uhm.. ┐⁠(⁠ ⁠∵⁠ ⁠)⁠┌

Romances. Can't say much because I didn't try all of them but Neve's and Lucanis'.. uhm. It doesn't feel like a written romance, y'know? Just a bonus lines so you doesn't have to feel lonely or whatever. Characters are on their own and don't have connection with Rook till the very end. There's no impact and Rook is, ironically, just an enjoyable side benefit™ but nothing more. Comparing to datv romance situation solavellan romance is hot as hell and full of content. And it says a lot.

Inquisitor. I do like how their absence was explained... yet Lavellan was robbed. I don't want to see a cringe Fade therapy session with Solas telling his tragic lovestory to a random stranger (Rook) and whining about just how much he misses his gorgeous wife (and I'm solavellan). But adding a few tiny details? The bare minimum: take the dai tarot card and place it on the wall in a music room. That already could've been much better. (mods mods mods 🤞🤞🤞).

Dialogue timing and triggers. I suspect dialogues are cool but I can't know for sure. In my first playthrough I didn't even know Davrin and Lucanis are not a big fans of each other before the Weisshaupt quest because I didn't hear it. DATV locations are much smaller than it was in DAI, so you just don't get the chance to hear those dialogues unless you find a trigger point and just stay there waiting to play all lines.

Some of that is not a tragedy and, theoretically, could be improved by magnificent people creating mods. But sometimes datv seems kinda unfinished like there's a missing puzzle pieces as if content was cut out with no replacement.

Despite some questionable moments and a bit of criticism I love this game regardless. It's dark and atmospheric, absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing. And analysis of Regret? Choices and consequences, acceptance, struggling, desperation, guilt..? The work Bioware did deserves to be highly appreciated. The final left me in tears, sobbing and grieving, and heartbroken - that's all I ever wanted of Dragon Age 💜

[rissi-chan]

SPOILERS for DATV Below the Cut!!!

You have been warned.

On my second playthrough of Veilguard now, and I noticed something that obviously went over my head the first time I played, and it has RUINED me.

At the end of Taash's personal quest, during the scene right after Rowan helps them translate the tablet and they're grieving their mother, they say something along the lines of:

Taash: "I already cried once. I should be done."

and Rook replies with:

Rook: "I don't think that's how it works."

Taash: "Like you know how it's supposed to work. You act like you've never lost anyone."

Which, was already kind of "Ouch" the first playthrough.

But NOW. KNOWING what happened to Varric. Knowing that EVERYONE ELSE in the Lighthouse is probably aware that Varric is dead and never tells Rook . . . that makes the wording SO MUCH WORSE.

"you ACT like you've never lost anyone."

Because they HAVE. But they don't ACT like it.

Is Taash aware of the events surrounding Varric at this point? Unclear. But, regardless, this line of dialogue hurts SO MUCH more with the potential implication that Taash DOES know about Varric and thinks that Rook's seemingly nonchalant attitude about his death is genuine.

When, in reality, THEY HAVE NO IDEA.

I can't. Had to exit the game and sit in my feels for a second after this one.

[martyrmarked]

some thoughts on the inquisitor & the inquisition in datv from someone who has played 50% of the game

the inquisitor being the one to more or less rally the south just feels like the inquisition 2.0 and while i understand it (someone has to write to rook and say yikes orlais is fucked), i just don't really like it because it feels like it nukes the choice of either continuing the inquisition or choosing to disband it at the exalted council. i have my own canon for sidri around all of these choices, but even aside from that it felt thematically rich and an important choice (it is THE final choice of inquisition).

inquisition tells a lot of stories but one of the primary stories is that organizations that were created with "good" intentions can be and usually are corrupted by power & fear. we see this with the wardens, we see this with the seekers, good lord the templars, and leliana and cassandra both talk about their desire to reform the chantry through different viewpoints. the inquisitor can try to have the inquisition be different but by the time of trespasser the inquisition has been so thoroughly infiltrated by solas' agents that the qunari think the inquisition has been working for the dread wolf!!

the inquisition can't be different, because all organizations with that much power are eventually doomed to be corrupted in different ways, regardless of how desperately the inquisitor wants it to be different. given that, the idea that the inquisitor can choose to disband and lay aside that power, to recognize the inquisition has completed its original purpose, is just a marvelous one and one that really meant a lot me in my first playthrough.

i have extremely limited knowledge of the comics but what i do know of and have read up to datv regarding the inquisition was already "eh" from me, but datv just truly seems to more or less nuke what i thought was an astonishingly thematic choice by having the ghost of the inquisition and inquisitor return.

[konnie-shitpost]

i've written some fake banters with my inquisitor because i'm actively going insane before datv release and i need to do something. here they are!

cole & lavellan

Cole: Laila. Dannet. Arianni. Loren. Kendrick.   Lavellan: What?  Cole: You keep repeating their names so you don’t forget.   Cole: But it’s not your fault. Corypheus killed them, not you.   Lavellan: I know that.  Cole: Not fully. If I had done more, if I had found them earlier, if they hadn’t followed me...  Cole: Forgive yourself, and forgive them for believing in you. The blame is his.  Lavellan: I... will try to, Cole.  

Lavellan: Cole, about the other day...  Lavellan: Thank you. You wanted to comfort me.   Cole: You were hurt. I heal hurts.   Lavellan: Yes... But did you have to say it all out loud?  Cole: How should I say it otherwise? Can you feel my emotions too?  Lavellan: No, sorry, I phrased it incorrectly. I’ve meant, can’t you say such things when we’re alone?   Cole: Why?  Lavellan: Because it’s personal.  Cole: They are your friends. They can help too if they know you’re hurt.  Dorian (if in party): Tell her, Cole.  Lavellan: I guess I can’t argue with that, yes?  Cole: You like his hands. His grip on the staff is strong and skillful. You wonder if it’d feel the same on you.  Lavellan: I- Cole, it’s not a hurt!  Cole: No, but it’s similar. A longing.  Lavellan: And how are my friends supposed to help me with that? 

If Solas is in party:   Solas: I can come up with a few ideas.  Lavellan: Oh! well... Giggles.   Cole: See. I’ve helped.  

Otherwise:  Cole: It’s not something to hide. He would like to hear that.   Lavellan: He would?  Cole: Yes.  Lavellan: Well, if you say so... I’ll keep that in mind.  

Cole: It’s names again.   Cole: You knew all names in Haven, and it meant that you all were a little bit like clan, and you were their First again. Сole: You helped them, and they knew you, so you became Ishali and not the Herald.  Cole: But now there is too much of them. You can’t know all, and they barely know you. You’re afraid that they will get you wrong.  Cole: Does it matter?  Lavellan: Yes, to me. I want to be me.   Cole: But they don’t change you. You remain you, and they are just wrong.  Lavellan: I’m not sure if it’s that simple. 

Lavellan: How does your body feel, Cole? Is it strange to have one? Spirits are usually shapeless, as far as I know.   Cole: I’m not sure. Sometimes. I used to fall often.  Cole: And not all armour feels right. It’s itchy, or too tight, or not enough.  Lavellan: We can get you some clothes specifically tailored for your tastes and needs.    Cole: That sounds nice.  

Lavellan: Cole, are you alright?  Cole: I am me. Why?  Lavellan: I know not everyone is happy to see you there. You should tell me if someone hurts you.  Cole: I don’t understand. I heal hurts. I am not being hurt.   Lavellan: Are you okay with the way Sera treats you? Vivienne?   Sera (if in party): This bloody thing gets inside my mind and I am the bad one here?  Vivienne (if in party): It's a demon, dear. I treat it as such.  Cole: They are afraid, and their fear makes it hard to help. I try to find different ways inside, but I haven’t found the one that works yet.   Lavellan: Some people don’t deserve your help.  Cole: Some. They do. 

Lavellan: How is it in the Fade? You’ve been there physically; it should be different from going there in dreams.  Cole: I don’t sleep.   Lavellan: Oh, right. Can you say something regardless?  Cole: The Fade is light, always changing, moving. Your world is heavier, stuck in place, but it’s good sometimes, to feel the ground not running away from you.   Lavellan: Is that why demons seek to cross the Veil?  Cole: They need to feel something real, only then they can break it.  

[pimenita]

I finished DATV so here are my thoughts:

First a bit of context: I became a dragon age fan around ten years ago, after playing Fable and looking for games that had a similar feel (and my 2 GB RAM PC could run) I knew DA Inquisition was out but there was no way my PC could take it, so I got Origins and holy shit… my 2010 PC could barely handle it too. When I tell you that the game craawwwled, that the best I could squeeze out of my computer was a stutter and that every quest must have taken me at least 3 times the normal amount of time they should have taken.

Dragon Age Origins is still one of my favorite games of all time, and as someone who joined the party very late, I'll admit experiencing that month of waiting for DATV was very exciting. After completing the game, I'll say the enthusiasm hasn't died down but not because the game is amazing, it's because DATV worked for me: it gave me what I wanted while avoiding most (most!) of the pitfalls of working on the 4th installment of a series that is close to being 20 years old.

We all know how turbulent the development of DATV was and how close to being cancelled for real it got. Is nothing better than the game we got? Not to me, I enjoyed it, I had fun, I'm still playing it (on my 2nd playthrough right now)

What saved DATV for me is what saves most everything for me: the characters. Some had good arcs, some had great arcs, and some were… there. But I never felt like they were a drag to be around. I like how they interact with each other, I love that nobody is calling anybody a slut or crazy (finally) because I get conflict, believe me, it's always fun to have your little guys wanting to kick one another's ass, but there was something so insidious in the way some conversations would go (Aveline and Isabela, just about every chat with Sera) that had me thinking it was more than just two characters tearing into each other. It was like the writer's barely disguised actual beliefs, if you know what I mean.

That being said, I know I'm not the only one that felt like some chats were too hamfisted, too on the nose—someone called the game Dragon Age: Friendship is Magic and I'm still laughing. I've seen the idea of "therapy speak" being used in books in ways that break immersion and I couldn't help feeling like some interactions the companions had were clear examples of this. What makes it weirder in my opinion is that the guys at bioware know how to write compelling conflict that makes sense and has a satisfying resolution. Let's take for example Lucanis' and Davrin's spat after the team fails to kill Ghilan'nain: they throw barbs at each other, then when they cool off they realize they were being asses, so they talk it out and make peace. Like adults, like a hardened assassin and warrior would. It adds to the conflict, it adds to the story, and it informs us of the type of people they are. Then there's Emmrich and Harding discussing a camping trip and waiting for my Rook to pick a side, and I'm like: dude you're both old enough to compromise? Also why do I care what you do with your time when we aren't fighting gods? Appalling stuff. Scrap it, think about better banter.

Then there's the huge elephant in the room: why is Thedas so sanitized? Is this the result of new writers not knowing enough about previous games?—it could be, they don't even know who Zevran is.

Or is it executive meddling?—maybe, there's a screenshot going around of the writers on bluesky (I think) where they vaguepost about critics of the game being right and how they (bioware team) fought against stuff that was included regardless. So, who knows.

On this front I will only reiterate that I'm glad Zev didn't show up. I already side-eyed Isabela (and also Taash) for her ideas about "treasure hunters" (read: pirates) and how they are actually good guys if you think about it (please, don't think about it too hard). Which, fine, let's say they really believe this, the same way the Crows believe they are freedom fighters or another vaguely Latin American coded thing; I understand that people entrenched in a system can truly believe what they're selling, but where's the other side of the coin? Where's the chats about the hurt they inflict on others to achieve what they want? The Crows have that one guy that ends up being a corrupt politician, and the Lords of Fortune… well, they are there.

Dragon Age is such a centrist series that I have heard just about everything about it. That it loves elves, that it hates elves, that it's pro-mage, that it's pro-templar. And it's because it has so many different factions that defend their ideologies that you can't say for sure what the writer's feelings are on the subject (and also because it's centrist, both sides are wrong bull most of the time). I swear I love Dragon Age; it's only because I care that I point out this stuff.

But that's the thing, I'm ok with both-sides-are-wrong fiction if it means it won't be a black and white take full of good guys telling me how good they are, while the bad guys twirl their mustaches evilly. And, unfortunately and except for a few cases (Solas) I feel like DATV dropped the ball here. Actually, I'm also fine with bad guys going full camp (Hezenkoss is one of the best parts of the game) just, you know, it has to be intentional, otherwise it feels like bad writing.

tl;dr DATV has very high highs, and very low lows, and I would've loved a more polished game, but I enjoy what we got and I will keep replaying it because of the companions and because it's a fun little game… most of the time at least.

[antivan-leather-boot]

Remember when we all freaked out over only getting to import three choices from dai to datv? I definitely did.

[random thoughts on this, may contain mild spoilers regarding how the game treats past games but I've really tried to not give anything concrete. Though if you've really stayed away from any information about the game then ig this is a bit spoilery so maybe skip? ]

But honestly, my two cents now is that they handled the entire thing really well. The little nods and acknowledgements we get, especially through Harding (but also Morrigan!... And well, obviously Inky) are satisfying and cohesive enough. Maybe some people might take issue that they're too open and/or broad, but I am really into how they've done it. Given the context and who Rook is (aka. nobody who would need or have all the info from what we did in dai), I think the openness of the dialogue lines is evocative enough for nice player nostalgia, and flexible enough for most of us to picture the story drawing from our own headcanons.

I can easily believe that there is no reason for Morrigan, a private person to begin with, to tell Rook whether she has a son or not.

I can understand why we don't need to know exactly who the Divine is given the circumstances we're under, and the fact that we're handling the story from Northern, rather than Southern, Thedas. It's enough for me to know it's someone from the inquisition still - I can fill in my own blanks.

Hell, I can even forgive the well of sorrows not being that big of a deal, ultimately. Plus, it kind of works in my worldstate, and Rook doesn't need the details anyway. [minor spoiler, the grin I grinned when Harding referred to it as a 'big pond']

There's a couple of things that do irk me a bit, a few personal disappointments, or things I wish we could've gotten that we didn't. But this would've happened for most people anyway, regardless of how they handled it.

That being said, I'm satisfied with the balance they found with acknowledging the player has been in on the story right from the beginning (dao) and focusing on enhancing the present story and driving it forward.

Though, I will admit, a part of me will never get over the lack of closure I have with Hawke... Still, I can overlook it, because I see how it wouldn't have really fit this particular story.

I think the initial sense of betrayal I felt at having my choices not really matter was smoothed over by realizing that they still can and do matter in how I read the story we've been given. And I'm liking the story so far a lot, so I'm choosing joy and glee every time something gets mentioned that links me to past games.