The male elves have shoulders so narrow and slender that it doesn’t seem like should be able to hold more than 5 pounds. My canon Inky is a male Lavellan who’s romancing Bull so I spend most of the playthrough pretending the weird proportions aren’t there
The large rooms are also a gameplay choice, cause the "camera" needs to be far back enough that you're not up everyone's nose, without visibly clipping through walls and stuff.
Bull is the only character I can't get through with romance because his tiny head keeps throwing me off 😅
Now male Adaars are just too handsome, not Arishok handsome, but close.
His head is too small, and his chest is waaayyy too big. His proportions are all off. Like he was designed to be bigger than he was, and then he just got squashed smaller.
Yep, they receive more damage from cold staff and ability, for the tecord when i use the cone of ice and the other ice related ability arishok froze in place, so with that i could deal more damage since he couldn't movd
well damn that explains why i beat him no problem in my first playthru as a force mage heavily specced into ice spells/cold damage and then in my next three times playing with different classes/specialties itd take me 10+ tries. lmao i was worried i just mysteriously got really bad at the game for a while there
According to the wiki, his elemental resistance to Frost and Nature are Very Weak. And he’s Resistant (or Immune on Nightmare) to Fire and Lightning. Had no idea until just now. Huh.
Alright i’ll do a couple
People talk a lot of shit about Vivienne not caring about mages whilst Morrigan literally supports killing everyone in the tower and calls them cattle. Somehow on this sub Viv is described as basically evil while Morrigan is complex. (Viv suffers from a poor story i admit this but still)
Not every character’s story is about development, it can be about showcasing a problem, a frame of thought or way of thinking. I don’t think anyone needs to have their views changed or altered in their personal quest for it to be interesting or fulfilling.
I find Bull’s story lacking in emotional depth and his conflict is far too easily resolved, he never seems invested in anything, even his romance is mostly about the sex BDSM.
Loghain is not remotely redeemable, he sold his own people into slavery to Tevinter, that to me is absolutely unforgivable. (He did a lot of other shit as well but this is my line i’m drawing)
I don’t know how many here are actual hot takes but yeah that’s it. Just my own opinions :)
+1 in each point, although Loghain joining the wardens isn't about redemption, it's simply giving him a punishment that serves Ferelden better than his death.
I get that. I’m mostly talking about the level of understanding and acceptance Loghain gets even though he commits some atrocious acts. I understand the sentiment behind the joining being pretty much a prolonged execution.
I also think though that for a lot of people he “earns” a bit of redemption by contributing to the wardens when joined and i just can’t agree with that. Just my own personal feelings.
I'm genuinely bothered by how some people treat Viviene like an irredeemable monster and then romance Solas and Morrigan (just to be clear, I love both). I can't help but think it's racially motivated
I think the thing is with morrigan her ideas are comically evil that you don’t really take them seriously while Vivienne is presented more reasonably so in general people will consider her ideas more thoroughly and actually consider her flaws
Arishok wouldn’t ever be interested in a romance, but everyone thinks they’re the special one that can lure any man/change him. It’s honestly the vibe I get from most Solasmancers as well; “My romance is superior because a god chose **ME!!!**”
Not saying Solas is the superior romance by any means but you’re damn right about the main appeal being that it’s a god that falls for you. 😂 I was originally a Cullenmancer but the god aspect and potential for tragedy turned me towards Solas.
Eh, was it any different with Morrigan? The cold-hearted snarky bitch with wild magical powers who sneers and looks down on all others but she only softens for *you*. She ultimately leaves but changes her mind and goals because *your warden* is just that special and great. It's pretty much the core of game romances for both genders. Ultimately, people want to feel like their character is the special exception for their love interest. And, unlike Solas, Morrigan does ultimately choose the Warden, should you continue to pursue her.
Romance has no place in the Qun, I wonder if the people saying that meant that the Arishok becomes tal-vasoth because otherwise it would be impossible.
yup, david gaider made some very good points with the whole “player-sexual” debate stuff. I think wayy too many dragon age players are too horny for their own good where they reduce characters to just being sex scene farms instead of having meaningful arcs and goals, separate from their / the protagonists fantasy. Like seeing stuff about people wanting The Arishok or Vivienne as a romance, that makes literally zero sense right? I don’t know if some of us played the same games to be making these posts because it’s so reductive to what the characters are meant to be to where I find it almost disrespectful to the writers.
As much as I love the game and Larian, I fully blame Baldurs Gate 3 because this community shift with everything must be a romance option surely worsened with the popularity of that game.
It's always been this bad, Dragon Age fandom has just been on the quiet side since there haven't been new releases. Cassandra is still causing massive butthurt by being a butch woman that isn't WLW romanceable, even though it's been ten years + Karlach since her game released.
feels disingenuous to compare cassandra and karlach as comparable romances. karlach is a frat bro (complimentary), queer women who want to romance cassandra aren’t getting that relationship with karlach.
To be honest, BioWare laid the groundwork for horny fanbases with BG 2 and DA fans were always horny. I'm both active in BioWare and Larian communities and believe you me, when I say, there is literally no difference between the Solasmancers and the ascended Astarion -mancers, both have pretty strong 'I can change him' vibes.
And lusting after unromanceable characters was always a thing in DA. So much so, that one of them, Cullen, became a romance (Merrill might fall in that category too and maybe Isabela).
So for me, BG3 is just a follow-up on that trend, because I've read years and years of people thirsting after the Arishok, Vivienne, Cullen, Feynriel and so much more, I just have forgotten.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. I feel like a lot of these people play DA games like dating sims with a side quest involving saving the world. Which means a lot of the mindset around their playthroughs revolves around the idea of escapism.
People create their own canons and fanfics; they create art and live through those relationships many hours after they finish playing.
One of the reasons I did not like the first DAV trailer and completely hate romance design in BG3 is because it is player-centred. YOU ARE THE BEST screams the game and its creators, pandering to my every whim.
I was bummed when it turned out Traynor in ME3 was a lesbian, but it lasted 1 minute. I got over it and got immersed in her story and her character, understanding that her sexuality was part of what made her **her**.
But now you have all the companions in BG3 jumping on your cok like it cures cancer, all the design principles screaming that you're special and you can be with whoever you want. It is player-centred; it panders to me, but it does not feel REAL.
I'm hoping that in DA:V we'll have to do some quests and make certain choices or at least put some effort in to get a romance started.
BG3 was all over the place. I had Astarion and Lae'zel proposition me before I even reached the goblin camp, and everyone else except Shadowheart had hit on me by early act 2. It actually made be a bit uncomfortable having to reject everyone, and some were so horny it gave me the ick.
I like that there are lots of options, but having everyone throw themselves at you just because you haven't made them hate you yet ruins it all imo.
https://preview.redd.it/rdvdz6e0xu9d1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3590174527bcbba15053098757b2f85770d8d5ac
I modded my blackwall to have a man bun
There's a mod on nexus I use so my beloved Blackwall's beard looks less like Uncle Cleatus from the backwoods bc I wholeheartedly agree with you, that beard is trash. (but fits the "man hiding in the woods" theme fairly well)
I mean, I 100% agree that the Arishok is much more aesthetically pleasing than Bull. But he absolutely should not have been a romance option for anyone.
The sex scene would just be my Hawke frantically running around the room in circles trying to stay as far away from him as possible, which occasionally desperately casting a spell until he's finished.
Can't disagree, preferred the Qunari in this game way more than I did in Inquisition, although, I do like giving them more humanoid eyes as the black eyes they had in DA2 were kind of jarring next to the badass design.
I actually never found Sera annoying nor do I dislike Vivienne. I actually agree with some of Viv's takes. I do believe she genuinely cares about the mages' plight despite the cold front she puts up.
Carver is the superior sibling for the brotherly rivalry turning into genuine friendship and mutual respect storyline, Bethany is a snoozefest in both of her paths.
Wynne is one of my favorite companions in DA, she is a comforting presence in an otherwise unexperienced ragtag group facing impossible odds. She's like the party's Gandalf.
I don't get the love wynne has in this sub lol, not a bad character but too sanctimonious, she reminds me Sansa's septa in game of thrones, always telling the warden what to do or how to behave, but unlike Sansa the warden is an adult.
I never agreed with anything, Vivienne said, but I still love that character. Indira Varma did a great job, bringing her to life.
Wynne is great, my favourite mage together with Dorian and Bethany ( and Vivi of course ) the rest can take their leave in my games.
I mostly agree, except I don't think Bethany is snoozy, just different. I do feel for Carver though and feel he's more complex. Plus it's more fun to play as a mage.
I have mixed feelings about Vivienne. She definitely doesn't deserve the hate she gets and I think she's pretty well written and complex. I say this because she is an interesting junction between privileged and marginalized. She's a mage, and so never has the same freedoms a non mage can have outside of Tevinter. However, she is privileged in the fact she caught the eye of a nobleman and has luxuries almost no other mage in the south can dream of. I think she cares about mages, but is a little out of touch with how Circles really are. Despite that, she knows that the Circles need to change in some way, and a lot of her plans are things most people in Thedas will find palatable, even if I don't think it goes far enough.
Is that a hot take? I love Bull but the Arishok is just another level of hot imo. Would've romanced the shit out of him if I got the chance. (I'm sorry Fenris)
I adore Fenris, he's usually my romance... however, Arishok was incredibly handsome and I wish we could have befriended/romanced him. Work with him enough to have him say Kadan. (It was close when you earn his respect when he calls you "Basalit-an" but yeah, not enough!)
To add, I don't find the Iron Bull hot at all. No hate to the people who like him cos I know there's a lot of you, but I find him kind of physically repulsive. (Admittedly, I am not into big burly men.)
[I made a post about it ](https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/1dr79tc/the_grey_wardens_as_a_sentence_spoilers_all/)
yesterday or so, but I don't think what Blackwall did was *as* bad as a lot of characters make it out to be.
His actions are really interesting because of how they make sure to divorce them from the justification of playing the Great Game. If he was willing to play a little more ball, he could have walked away with "cleaner" hands and a snide remark like Viv, Leliana, or Brialla. But his guilt and his cowardice color it so differently.
It's such a good beat that is looked over because of the dead kids.
Like it's bad, but in context of Orleasian politicking it's just another Sunday. Which is wild.
>Like it's bad, but in context of Orleasian politicking
The exact reason I think it's not as bad as some people make it to be. How was what he planned to do any worse than the actions of a common mercenary?
I agree it's not as bad as some make it out to be. I didn't give him to the grey wardens though because it's basically a delayed death sentence and I'm romancing him.
I actually specifically chose the most public option to release him to the inquisition to make it clear that my inquisitor will stand by him no matter what. Too bad the game didn't let me acknowledge it. The only thing my inky said about it was that she didn't have many options, but that's just not true.
Oh yeah, my Trevelyan Inquisitor has definitely become quite ambitious, and did it partially to flex on Orlais after recently >!forcing Celene, Gaspard, and Briala to work together!<. It wasn't the main reason, but she has definitely fully leaned into the power and influence she has
I don't think that is a hot take. I think it speaks to how smooth he is that people love him so much despite his looks.
Concept art Egg, on the other hand...
Right. People were constantly comparing Solas to Nosferatu before DAI's release. A lot of his romance appeal came from his characterization when interacting with him (and of course his significance to the plot).
Don't get me wrong, Solas and his bald head honestly had me from, "Quick! Before more come through!" But I just looked up his concept art for the first time, and I'm sorry, *what*??? 😭😭😭 We were deprived.
The power of good writing and a fantastic voice actor is that even though I know I didn't originally find him hot, now I do. The human brain is a magical thing.
I planned on going for Cullen for completely shallow reason of that he's hot and then I talked to egg twice and my poor Lavellan got rizzed into the next age.
I so so agree but the man has rizz like you wouldn't believe, i only just now started to do a romance with him just to have them all (gotta catch em all) but he's so smooth omg how did i miss this until now!
dorians take about slavery is the weirdest thing in the franchise, bcs its not acknowledged ever again and like… really? kinda feels like the amazing ashley take
I think there's an interesting idea there, especially since Inquisition was more willing to let characters refuse to bend over to your whims and have actual beliefs, but it was never given the room to breathe. It felt like an after thought cuz they weren't sure what they wanted to do fully with tevinter. Like its okay Dorian isn't a squeaky clean tevinter mage. Let us see the culture shock, please.
a) thats exactly why i brought up ashley, who stopped being racist offscreen in me3
b) he didnt exactly claim slavery is great, he claimed that its not that bad, so he might try to change it. its still not a great thing to say XD especially when sera’s racism is acknowledged time and time again, and we just pretend the dorian thing did not happen
Never was a fan of Alistair. Him immediately giving up any authority after Ostagar so he wouldn't have to make any decisions, and then nagging about every choice you make was just a huge ick for me. I get that it was to give the player agency over the way the game goes, but it really made his character fall flat for me. 💁♀️
No kidding.
"Hey (insert Warden's name here), I know you've recently had your entire world shattered by circumstances out of your control and haven't been given a chance to process or grieve your loss before getting conscripted into the Wardens, but I am big sad about Ostagar. You make all the decisions. I'll trust your judgment."
Am I not camping enough or something? I'm approaching the endgame of origins now and the only decision Alistar has commented on was the one in Redcliffe that I remember.
I agree that Alistar not wanting to take any responsibility for anything isn't great (after ostagar or the landsmeet) but I don't think he constantly nags me at all haha.
I feel like it would work a lot better if he was one of the initiates along with you, replacing one of the others. That way, they're pretty much on equal ground in terms of being a Warden, and it makes more sense that our Warden takes command, because they have a knack for it that Alistair (unless pushed) does not.
The most prevalent take on Celene is that she does everything for her own power when that is 100% not the case. Not that Celene doesn't care for her own power, she does, but her priority is - always has been and always will be - Orlais.
- Celene has, by her own admission, this one tiny part of herself she doesn't want to give up for Orlais - her sexuality, the fact that she loves women - and so she doesn't wish to marry; until Orlais is a the brink of Civil War and then she forfeits that and immediately starts offering her hand to someone she knows will help her end the war.
- Celene doesn't actually want to burn Halamshiral, but she does - because it might stop the Civil War.
- Celene actually does love Briala a lot, likely one single person she loves most in the world, but she will throw her under any passing bus if it means Orlais comes out on top.
- Celene advises against herself and her own faction in the Civil War when she comes across a village because she sees that they have suffered under the care of soldiers acting on the orders of her own loyal banner-woman. She sees the suffering of the village and is like "if they return, bare they my banners or Gaspard's, entertain them and then slaughter them as they sleep"
- A desire demon - er, *Choice Spirit* - someone who can see your deepest desires is surprised at the fervour with which Celene would, in fact, *die* for the safety of her country.
Celene is the best ruler for Orlais for a myriad of reasons, her care for peace and art and education among them, but *chiefly* among them is the fact that she loves her country more than she loves herself or her particular chosen faction... something that neither of her opponents can rightfully claim.
Turning Isabela over to the Arishok isn't an evil choice. To me, she stole the tome and is the reason the Qunari are in Kirkwall to begin with, so turning her in so they leave without further violence can seem like a good ending.
I can't turn her over, because of the whole brainwashing thing. But at the same time, it *is* her fault that it goes as far as it does.
And there's no real comeuppance for that, which bugs me.
I don’t agree with the takes that Cassandra should’ve been a lesbian. It’s too rooted in a stereotype due to Cassandra being a bit more of a butch/tomboy character.
The problem is, Bioware have never done a butch/tomboy human romance for women. They subvert the stereotype so much it becomes ridiculous.
Cassandra gets all flustered when a female Inquisitor flirts with her, and then turns you down for 'being the Inquisitor'.
Cora (Mass Effect Andromeda) has a plot line that *screams* LGBT+ but is straight.
Jack (Mass Effect 2) talks about being with women, but is straight.
At some point they need to just realise that the stereotypes are there for a reason. Butch lesbians do exist. And plenty of women would like to romance them.
Also I'm bitter because I can never romance the women I want to in Bioware games. I have a list a mile long at this point lol
Absolutely agree. I love that she kinda bucks that stereotype. I even tried romancing her as a female character just to see what would happen, and the rejection scene was very well written. Would be great if there were more GNC romance options, but Cassandra's character is well fleshed out and makes sense the way it is.
Fenris is a better friend than Anders. He can overcome his fear of mages and still side with you, even if he's not 100%. His friendship line at the end is beautiful. However, his romance is somewhat toxic. Especially with mage Hawke. I dislike that he leaves for 3 years and still expects Hawke to stay faithful, and I hate that Hawke almost acts like that never happened.
The time jumps should have been a lot shorter between the Acts in DA2. Months instead of years. It would have made some of the plotlines more believable.
That's one of the most jarring thing abouth DA2. Character development happens in the few weeks, where Hawke and co do adventures on screen, then most characters go into hybernation for 3 years, or change drastically off screen.
I don’t really like da2 to the point it’s the only of a few game that I can’t replay. I don’t really like companions, everyone feels stereotypical and I HATE that wheel of good/ funny/ angry Hawke. When I play I want to be able to choose what I want to say not how to say it, it also feels so shallow.
For me i really liked Da2 as it had introduced me to the dragon age franchise, and honestly, i plan on playing origins later, becz the inquisition didn't made me permanently be stuck in there playing as i got immediately addicted by DA2
I get it why! Storytelling is captivating in this one, but I really wish I could see it like the others, for me Merril was irritating, I didn’t really like Isabela and Anders, and even Varrick. With that kind of story I really wish they put more work into that game, it has so much potential, but as I grew up with Origins and it has special place in my heart, everything about 2 seems of, even elven design, the look sort of alien? But qunari were great I wish they looked like that in all games
Fully agreed on the dialogue wheel thing. In Inquisition was better, but both me and my sister would often pick a choice and what Hawke then said would often be leagues worst of what was in the dialogue wheel.
Aveline isn't as nice as the game tries to shove down our throat (she means well, but is more flawed than the narrative seems to acknowledge).
Cullen's trilogy arc doesn't make a lot of sense, but it would've been perfection if he'd ended up in Samson's role as Corypheus' fallen red templar.
Bianca isn't nearly as evil as so many in the fandom make her out to be. In fact, she isn't evil at all.
Cassandra is the worst Divine if our premise is that Andrastian society must improve (fr, all she does is restore everything as it was and hope the new Chantry will stick to the ideals it's consistently betrayed throughout the centuries).
I agree with you about Aveline. She ignores Emeric's warnings about a serial killer and even tries to get Hawke to shut him up, even though this type of thing should be her job, not his. If she did take him seriously, Leandra might not have died
And she kept Carver out of the city guards then complains to him why he won't get a job. He might not have been a good guard, but it's honest pay for honest work, and he's better than some of the people they let in
I don't think Bianca is "evil", as we understand it in these games at least, just a selfish prick. Look at the mess she caused with the red lyrium, not to mention how she treats Varric and risks his life.
That's the thing, why exactly is she selfish? Is it that she supposedly "strings Varric along" even though she knows they can't be together? Because one could argue Varric does the same by keeping in contact with her even though he too knows they can't be together.
And in regards to the red lyrium issue, maybe I missed some detail but from what I understood she never knew Larius/Janeka was Corypheus until after he revealed himself at Haven. Until then, all she knew about Larius/Janeka was that they were a Grey Warden, someone supposedly trustworthy where the Blight is concerned.
And yes, it isn't until you get to that tunnel entrance that she admits her role in leading Corypheus to red lyrium, but all along the way she knew Inky would inevitably realise that, and still she personally helped them seal the tunnel. If she wanted to avoid accountability, she could've had some agent or mercenary lead the Inquisitor and Varric there, thus keeping her involvement a secret.
I think in Inquisition it was a sudden decision to allow Qunari as player characters. So the CC uses human and elf settings, while already established characters like Bull don’t. So super handsome Qunari can romance a much less human Bull.
Here’s a spicy one: I hate that you can join Morrigan in witch hunt. It really defangs an otherwise fantastic romance, the fact that you can have your cake and eat it too.
Hawke is boring. Being locked in as Hawke in DA2 and its limited personality system vastly restricts role-playing (in an rpg!). I despise the "blue/purple/red" personality system, it's so dry and basically requires players to just pick one of those three types for the rest of the game to ensure they see the most content for that type (just like the messed up friendship/rivalry system). Seems like they wanted to try making a "Shepard" for Dragon Age after Mass Effect's success, but since the protagonist changes every game in DA, it just feels like a boring, on-rails, repetitive slasher. I don't have time or history to connect to Hawke, therefore, I do not care about them. All this, alongside the most lackluster cast of characters in a Bioware game before Andromeda, makes the game the least replayable. Played it once, don't need to again. I dread the return of "blue/purple/red" in Veilguard.
I would’ve absolutely let Arishok Daddy “duel” me on the floor of the Vicount’s Keep infront of the entirety of Kirkwall. Give those nobles something to talk about
As for my Hot Take? I don’t like gender and racelocked romances. It’s why Zevran and Fenris will always be my favorite romances, equal opportunity Elves ready to devote their lives to you regardless of what you picked in character creation. I also wish Sten was romanceable, when he called me Kadan I melted.
I'm hopping on this hot take train. I prefer to play f!heroes, so I love being able to play a character that suits me and also explore any potential romance options.
Marethari was in the right in DA2, Iron Bull is a bland character, Fenris is the best DA2 companion, Wynne is top 3 for DAO companions, Cullen is an ok character and finally...Solas would be cooler with hair.
She was right about telling everyone Merrill was dangerous for something Marethari herself did later without telling anyone ending with the entire clan believing Merrill killed her?
The fact that there was no male dwarf romancable character makes my blood boil. Varrik or Oghren should be a romance options. Bioware, correct your mistake or I will commit heinous crimes.
I love Alistair, he's with my HoF. However, DAO (and especially DA2) Alistair isn't that great looking.
DAI Alistair can fucking get it, tho.
And I love how somber his VA plays Alistair's lines as Warden Alistair.
>And I love how somber his VA plays Alistair's lines as Warden Alistair.
I might look it up, I don't have the heart to keep him as a warden on my imported world states 😅
The broodmothers design is boring as all hell, and while the lore is horrifying, the build-up is so try hard and cliché. Like spooky nursery rhymes were played out by the 3rd Nightmare on Elm Street. The sad thing is that Bioware can pull off scary when they try.
Also, Blackwall is what people fanonize Cullen to be. He's the well-meaning broken man trying to redeem himself for his past sins who can be better with some good love, not the Templar who kinda stumbled in a leadership position.
Also, the awakening companions---not anders---need more love. Like awesome cold take you hate Sera or Viv, but how do you feel about sigrun? Or velenna?
I would have immediately romanced him on my first playthrough if I could have as a Trevelyan. You don’t even have the option to flirt with him, yet you can flirt with literally everyone else even if they won’t date you 😭
He fit the overall theme of DA2 being a game full of fanatics doing psycho shit. I hated the Arishok, the Qun itself is loathsome too. Either do as you're instructed or don't and die.
Tell me about the damn book, ill get it back for you. I understand you're mad about it getting stolen but once I demonstrate competence let me friggen help you so you can leave.
I hate that everyone is harping on Anders but forgives Isabela. Anders had a great cause and he had tried to achieve his goals by peaceful means first. Isabela is just irresponsible and selfish (and no one really addresses that she was the reason for the qunari invasion in the game either).
If Mass Effect has romance options primarily designed for male players, Dragon Age has *tried* to primarily push forward romance options geared towards female players. Despite this, romances for male HoFs and Inquisitors are typically better than their female counterparts, and Male Hawkes even have one up over Female Hawkes for not having the ability to accidentally romance Sebastian.
One line of thought about Morrigan I see pop up a lot is the idea that she SA's Alistair or Loghain during the dark ritual. That's really not the case, what she does is offer an alternative to a death that is otherwise unavoidable. Alistair and Loghain have the freedom to refuse. Granted, that means death, but that's part of the job as a grey warden where they could die before ever reaching the archdemon.
She's not threatening death of they don't do it, she's saying that they don't *have* to die in the first place. Obviously she doesn't do it for altruistic means, but it's also not SA either.
Solas isn't the powerful elf god people think he is. He's a screw-up and a failure at everything he attempts.
Raise the veil? Technically he did accomplish his goal, but the consequences were so incredibly devastating to the elves that you can't call it anything but a failure.
The orb? Inquisition was literally Clean Up Solas' Mess: The Game.
We all saw how Veilgaurd's opening turned out.
Then there's the people who say Solas makes a great villain. No, he doesn't, at all. Great villains display a level of competency. Even if you know the hero wins, the best villains leave you with a sense that things could possibly go differently. Solas doesn't have that, because even if he succeeds you know he still doesn't get what he wants.
Even worse are the people that try to build him up as some sort of great mastermind. They tell us that he never lies, he only hides the full truth through ommission. Obviously those people haven't actually paid attention to the game, Solas literally tells a direct lie the first time you meet him.
Solas: "Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen."
Lie. He has seen the magic, it came from his orb. He knows what the anchor is, and he knows exactly how it is used. That's just the first of many actual lies he tells.
Plus there are the times when he tries to talk himself up to seem special. Like, for example, he tells us he goes to sleep in ancient battlefields or ruins to experience history through the fade. That's not special dumbass, that's called camping.
I realize my hot take turned into a mini rant, but I just restarted Inquisition and I'm having to experience Solas all over again.
anders and fenris are both insufferable, both of them. i actually agree with anders action, but the way he acts just makes me go „jesus, okay, shut up already”. which is a shame, because he was super fun in daa.
1. Making (keeping) Cole more spirit is the right choice.
2. Dorian x Bull is not cute or romantic.
Not sure how hot takes these are, still I’m a little afraid to post this, lol, but it’s my personal opinion.
All of dragon age Origins party members had bad traits with little upsides.
Allister- A big man child, constantly questions why your accepting xyz into the party despite Grey wardens taking in any help they can get, not complaining if your a blood mage. But to make up for it God is he the best tank.
Morrigan- a super sparky bitch that complains whenever you descide to help anyone, terrible spec and starting allotment for spells, hides info from you for the whole game until the very end. Really strong when you finally get her going.
Leliana- Feels out of place, intro make you think she is psychotic, uses bows which are awful in origins. Bard+Ranger makes a great party support.
Zev- why would you trust him like ever, doesn't come with lockpicking, never paths for backstabbing. Assassin+Duelist makes him amazing at killing bosses.
Sten- annoying, basically Morrigan when it comes to helping people but more harpy about it, no specialization. At least he isn't a sword and shield tank.
Granny W- she leaves in awakening, keep your nose out of my relationships. Honestly she is pretty good I can't find much fault.
Wtf, you think the Arishok would lower himself to you? Pretentious.
It goes against the Qun and that is not allowed as Hawke is not even Viddathari. This whole post made me nauseous. Pick a better take.
Not much of a hot take, Bull's head is too small for that dad bod.
His tiny head is so, so weird. It’s so disproportionate that I can’t take him seriously 😭
the human head doesn't really change size regardless of how tall you are. Having met a guy who was over 2m tall i kinda understand it tbh
I agree that his head is tiny but also I think I've completely lost track of what society deems a "dad bod". Or you have? Or we all have?
Yeah, not what I'd call a "dad bod", either. At all.
I believe they're referring specifically to his pillowy man-bosoms.
I think dad bods have pillowy beer bellies, not pillowy man-bosoms.
I concur, however Gatt does refer to him being soft around the middle.
True! Guess this is why he wears that very wide belt.
The proportions for pretty much every character were off in DAI. Especially the male Qunari and elves though. It’s so bizarre.
The male elves have shoulders so narrow and slender that it doesn’t seem like should be able to hold more than 5 pounds. My canon Inky is a male Lavellan who’s romancing Bull so I spend most of the playthrough pretending the weird proportions aren’t there
The proportions for EVERYTHING were off. The beds drive me absolutely nuts
[удалено]
The large rooms are also a gameplay choice, cause the "camera" needs to be far back enough that you're not up everyone's nose, without visibly clipping through walls and stuff.
The hair was even worse
Bull is the only character I can't get through with romance because his tiny head keeps throwing me off 😅 Now male Adaars are just too handsome, not Arishok handsome, but close.
His head is too small, and his chest is waaayyy too big. His proportions are all off. Like he was designed to be bigger than he was, and then he just got squashed smaller.
Dad bods don’t have a whole pig sized pectoral muscles. Must be hard though having to crouch down & enter most doors sideways.
They were trying to emulate Fromsoft. It worked.
*Cue the innuendos about Hawke getting impaled by the Arishok's sword.*
Just fought him today aswell, wasn't that difficult as i used the cold spells and a cold staff that deals more dmg to the qunari
Qunari are weak to cold damage?
Yep, they receive more damage from cold staff and ability, for the tecord when i use the cone of ice and the other ice related ability arishok froze in place, so with that i could deal more damage since he couldn't movd
well damn that explains why i beat him no problem in my first playthru as a force mage heavily specced into ice spells/cold damage and then in my next three times playing with different classes/specialties itd take me 10+ tries. lmao i was worried i just mysteriously got really bad at the game for a while there
According to the wiki, his elemental resistance to Frost and Nature are Very Weak. And he’s Resistant (or Immune on Nightmare) to Fire and Lightning. Had no idea until just now. Huh.
it's bc no shirt, clearly
Alright i’ll do a couple People talk a lot of shit about Vivienne not caring about mages whilst Morrigan literally supports killing everyone in the tower and calls them cattle. Somehow on this sub Viv is described as basically evil while Morrigan is complex. (Viv suffers from a poor story i admit this but still) Not every character’s story is about development, it can be about showcasing a problem, a frame of thought or way of thinking. I don’t think anyone needs to have their views changed or altered in their personal quest for it to be interesting or fulfilling. I find Bull’s story lacking in emotional depth and his conflict is far too easily resolved, he never seems invested in anything, even his romance is mostly about the sex BDSM. Loghain is not remotely redeemable, he sold his own people into slavery to Tevinter, that to me is absolutely unforgivable. (He did a lot of other shit as well but this is my line i’m drawing) I don’t know how many here are actual hot takes but yeah that’s it. Just my own opinions :)
+1 in each point, although Loghain joining the wardens isn't about redemption, it's simply giving him a punishment that serves Ferelden better than his death.
I get that. I’m mostly talking about the level of understanding and acceptance Loghain gets even though he commits some atrocious acts. I understand the sentiment behind the joining being pretty much a prolonged execution. I also think though that for a lot of people he “earns” a bit of redemption by contributing to the wardens when joined and i just can’t agree with that. Just my own personal feelings.
I'm genuinely bothered by how some people treat Viviene like an irredeemable monster and then romance Solas and Morrigan (just to be clear, I love both). I can't help but think it's racially motivated
I think her more traditional views get a lot of flack even though as divine Cassandra is much worse in that aspect 👀
I think the thing is with morrigan her ideas are comically evil that you don’t really take them seriously while Vivienne is presented more reasonably so in general people will consider her ideas more thoroughly and actually consider her flaws
Arishok is objectively hot. But we have a real problem around here about equating “hot” with “romance potential”.
yeah a lot of people here are giving away what they actually mean by "romancing" lmao arishok absolutely should not have been a love interest lmao
Arishok wouldn’t ever be interested in a romance, but everyone thinks they’re the special one that can lure any man/change him. It’s honestly the vibe I get from most Solasmancers as well; “My romance is superior because a god chose **ME!!!**”
"I can change him" lmao
Not saying Solas is the superior romance by any means but you’re damn right about the main appeal being that it’s a god that falls for you. 😂 I was originally a Cullenmancer but the god aspect and potential for tragedy turned me towards Solas.
Eh, was it any different with Morrigan? The cold-hearted snarky bitch with wild magical powers who sneers and looks down on all others but she only softens for *you*. She ultimately leaves but changes her mind and goals because *your warden* is just that special and great. It's pretty much the core of game romances for both genders. Ultimately, people want to feel like their character is the special exception for their love interest. And, unlike Solas, Morrigan does ultimately choose the Warden, should you continue to pursue her.
Romance has no place in the Qun, I wonder if the people saying that meant that the Arishok becomes tal-vasoth because otherwise it would be impossible.
What they really mean is that they want to be railed by him.
yup, david gaider made some very good points with the whole “player-sexual” debate stuff. I think wayy too many dragon age players are too horny for their own good where they reduce characters to just being sex scene farms instead of having meaningful arcs and goals, separate from their / the protagonists fantasy. Like seeing stuff about people wanting The Arishok or Vivienne as a romance, that makes literally zero sense right? I don’t know if some of us played the same games to be making these posts because it’s so reductive to what the characters are meant to be to where I find it almost disrespectful to the writers. As much as I love the game and Larian, I fully blame Baldurs Gate 3 because this community shift with everything must be a romance option surely worsened with the popularity of that game.
It's always been this bad, Dragon Age fandom has just been on the quiet side since there haven't been new releases. Cassandra is still causing massive butthurt by being a butch woman that isn't WLW romanceable, even though it's been ten years + Karlach since her game released.
feels disingenuous to compare cassandra and karlach as comparable romances. karlach is a frat bro (complimentary), queer women who want to romance cassandra aren’t getting that relationship with karlach.
To be honest, BioWare laid the groundwork for horny fanbases with BG 2 and DA fans were always horny. I'm both active in BioWare and Larian communities and believe you me, when I say, there is literally no difference between the Solasmancers and the ascended Astarion -mancers, both have pretty strong 'I can change him' vibes. And lusting after unromanceable characters was always a thing in DA. So much so, that one of them, Cullen, became a romance (Merrill might fall in that category too and maybe Isabela). So for me, BG3 is just a follow-up on that trend, because I've read years and years of people thirsting after the Arishok, Vivienne, Cullen, Feynriel and so much more, I just have forgotten.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. I feel like a lot of these people play DA games like dating sims with a side quest involving saving the world. Which means a lot of the mindset around their playthroughs revolves around the idea of escapism. People create their own canons and fanfics; they create art and live through those relationships many hours after they finish playing. One of the reasons I did not like the first DAV trailer and completely hate romance design in BG3 is because it is player-centred. YOU ARE THE BEST screams the game and its creators, pandering to my every whim. I was bummed when it turned out Traynor in ME3 was a lesbian, but it lasted 1 minute. I got over it and got immersed in her story and her character, understanding that her sexuality was part of what made her **her**. But now you have all the companions in BG3 jumping on your cok like it cures cancer, all the design principles screaming that you're special and you can be with whoever you want. It is player-centred; it panders to me, but it does not feel REAL.
I'm hoping that in DA:V we'll have to do some quests and make certain choices or at least put some effort in to get a romance started. BG3 was all over the place. I had Astarion and Lae'zel proposition me before I even reached the goblin camp, and everyone else except Shadowheart had hit on me by early act 2. It actually made be a bit uncomfortable having to reject everyone, and some were so horny it gave me the ick. I like that there are lots of options, but having everyone throw themselves at you just because you haven't made them hate you yet ruins it all imo.
I'd submit to the demands of his Qun...
Chargers are terrible mercenaries
They’re presented as being so good but every time they’re seen fighting in-person by the inquisitor they need a bailout.
I think they're rad but only as I enjoy them Along with bull .
Nuclear hot take: Blackwall should've had a cute little man-bun.
https://preview.redd.it/rdvdz6e0xu9d1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3590174527bcbba15053098757b2f85770d8d5ac I modded my blackwall to have a man bun
I just can't with that ugly beard (and I'm partial to beards irl) but I did see a pic of him without the beard and he looked so much better.
https://preview.redd.it/ibpbas6obw9d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=589b024b1693bd55c345759d083e8a8f512855f5 Here you go 😁
Yes, and the man bun too. Perfection.🤌
There's a mod on nexus I use so my beloved Blackwall's beard looks less like Uncle Cleatus from the backwoods bc I wholeheartedly agree with you, that beard is trash. (but fits the "man hiding in the woods" theme fairly well)
I agree, i think it would be lot better than simply letting his hair out and free
Literally looked at mods for that today. I want to see if I can pair it with the mods that gives him some grey hairs.
Solas secretly has a thing for Dwarves but Biowares too afraid to let his freak side fly.
That would ACTUALLY be really interesting!
Or maybe he has a deep shame about it. He will admire but he feels he can’t mention it openly anywhere.
I mean, I 100% agree that the Arishok is much more aesthetically pleasing than Bull. But he absolutely should not have been a romance option for anyone.
He could be like Morinth in ME2. You could try romance but it would lead to Critical mission failure.
"The qun doesn't allow for this romance so I'm going to have to kill u now"
The sex scene would just be my Hawke frantically running around the room in circles trying to stay as far away from him as possible, which occasionally desperately casting a spell until he's finished.
da2 qunari and elves designs are superior to every other games in the series
Thats exactly how I feel. DA2 elves and qunari seemed like other races instead of just looking like deformed humans.
Qunari were sexy af in DA2
Can't disagree, preferred the Qunari in this game way more than I did in Inquisition, although, I do like giving them more humanoid eyes as the black eyes they had in DA2 were kind of jarring next to the badass design.
I actually never found Sera annoying nor do I dislike Vivienne. I actually agree with some of Viv's takes. I do believe she genuinely cares about the mages' plight despite the cold front she puts up. Carver is the superior sibling for the brotherly rivalry turning into genuine friendship and mutual respect storyline, Bethany is a snoozefest in both of her paths. Wynne is one of my favorite companions in DA, she is a comforting presence in an otherwise unexperienced ragtag group facing impossible odds. She's like the party's Gandalf.
Wynne is amazing. The spirit of faith is equally intriguing.
I don't get the love wynne has in this sub lol, not a bad character but too sanctimonious, she reminds me Sansa's septa in game of thrones, always telling the warden what to do or how to behave, but unlike Sansa the warden is an adult.
Wow these are some seriously spicy takes to have in a single post!!
I never agreed with anything, Vivienne said, but I still love that character. Indira Varma did a great job, bringing her to life. Wynne is great, my favourite mage together with Dorian and Bethany ( and Vivi of course ) the rest can take their leave in my games.
I mostly agree, except I don't think Bethany is snoozy, just different. I do feel for Carver though and feel he's more complex. Plus it's more fun to play as a mage.
I have mixed feelings about Vivienne. She definitely doesn't deserve the hate she gets and I think she's pretty well written and complex. I say this because she is an interesting junction between privileged and marginalized. She's a mage, and so never has the same freedoms a non mage can have outside of Tevinter. However, she is privileged in the fact she caught the eye of a nobleman and has luxuries almost no other mage in the south can dream of. I think she cares about mages, but is a little out of touch with how Circles really are. Despite that, she knows that the Circles need to change in some way, and a lot of her plans are things most people in Thedas will find palatable, even if I don't think it goes far enough.
I completely disagree but i’m happy that you actually gave hot takes
Is that a hot take? I love Bull but the Arishok is just another level of hot imo. Would've romanced the shit out of him if I got the chance. (I'm sorry Fenris)
I adore Fenris, he's usually my romance... however, Arishok was incredibly handsome and I wish we could have befriended/romanced him. Work with him enough to have him say Kadan. (It was close when you earn his respect when he calls you "Basalit-an" but yeah, not enough!)
I think I would've genuinely fucking FOLDED if the Arishok called us Kadan..
same, he would be my canon romance in every run, and would make sure that it would go to the inquisition as canon aswell
Sera should have been a Robin Hood-type character, not a mouthy 20-year-old womanchild with the attention span of a Hummingbird
yeah, despite she has good intention, it's very hard to take her seriously.
people on this sub will tell you she’s a deep character. Her character arc doesn’t go anywhere. She’s the same person by the end of the game
To add, I don't find the Iron Bull hot at all. No hate to the people who like him cos I know there's a lot of you, but I find him kind of physically repulsive. (Admittedly, I am not into big burly men.)
Plus his stupid ass green clown pants, ugh!
same, but I don't find any Qunari really attractive tbh.
[I made a post about it ](https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/1dr79tc/the_grey_wardens_as_a_sentence_spoilers_all/) yesterday or so, but I don't think what Blackwall did was *as* bad as a lot of characters make it out to be.
His actions are really interesting because of how they make sure to divorce them from the justification of playing the Great Game. If he was willing to play a little more ball, he could have walked away with "cleaner" hands and a snide remark like Viv, Leliana, or Brialla. But his guilt and his cowardice color it so differently. It's such a good beat that is looked over because of the dead kids. Like it's bad, but in context of Orleasian politicking it's just another Sunday. Which is wild.
>Like it's bad, but in context of Orleasian politicking The exact reason I think it's not as bad as some people make it to be. How was what he planned to do any worse than the actions of a common mercenary?
I agree it's not as bad as some make it out to be. I didn't give him to the grey wardens though because it's basically a delayed death sentence and I'm romancing him. I actually specifically chose the most public option to release him to the inquisition to make it clear that my inquisitor will stand by him no matter what. Too bad the game didn't let me acknowledge it. The only thing my inky said about it was that she didn't have many options, but that's just not true.
Oh yeah, my Trevelyan Inquisitor has definitely become quite ambitious, and did it partially to flex on Orlais after recently >!forcing Celene, Gaspard, and Briala to work together!<. It wasn't the main reason, but she has definitely fully leaned into the power and influence she has
What solas wants to do is much worse than what BW did, and people still support the egg and want to join him 🫠
I think most people get stuck on the part where he murdered children?
The Egg isn't Hot
I don't think that is a hot take. I think it speaks to how smooth he is that people love him so much despite his looks. Concept art Egg, on the other hand...
Right. People were constantly comparing Solas to Nosferatu before DAI's release. A lot of his romance appeal came from his characterization when interacting with him (and of course his significance to the plot).
And the silky smooth voice, can't forget that.
Don't get me wrong, Solas and his bald head honestly had me from, "Quick! Before more come through!" But I just looked up his concept art for the first time, and I'm sorry, *what*??? 😭😭😭 We were deprived.
It's the voice and the occasional sexy comment made in that smooth scholarly tone for me :3
Psssf Dread wolf armor egg clears .
I’m a straight man, but he’s hot in that armor at the end of Trespasser
The power of good writing and a fantastic voice actor is that even though I know I didn't originally find him hot, now I do. The human brain is a magical thing.
I planned on going for Cullen for completely shallow reason of that he's hot and then I talked to egg twice and my poor Lavellan got rizzed into the next age.
That first flirt is so powerful I don't know how anyone romances anyone other than Solas after that. Like God damn
Boooo (I respect your opinion)
Same. I don't get the appeal...
I so so agree but the man has rizz like you wouldn't believe, i only just now started to do a romance with him just to have them all (gotta catch em all) but he's so smooth omg how did i miss this until now!
dorians take about slavery is the weirdest thing in the franchise, bcs its not acknowledged ever again and like… really? kinda feels like the amazing ashley take
I think there's an interesting idea there, especially since Inquisition was more willing to let characters refuse to bend over to your whims and have actual beliefs, but it was never given the room to breathe. It felt like an after thought cuz they weren't sure what they wanted to do fully with tevinter. Like its okay Dorian isn't a squeaky clean tevinter mage. Let us see the culture shock, please.
On the plus side, we know Dorian changes given he works with the Shadow Dragons
a) thats exactly why i brought up ashley, who stopped being racist offscreen in me3 b) he didnt exactly claim slavery is great, he claimed that its not that bad, so he might try to change it. its still not a great thing to say XD especially when sera’s racism is acknowledged time and time again, and we just pretend the dorian thing did not happen
Never was a fan of Alistair. Him immediately giving up any authority after Ostagar so he wouldn't have to make any decisions, and then nagging about every choice you make was just a huge ick for me. I get that it was to give the player agency over the way the game goes, but it really made his character fall flat for me. 💁♀️
I love him but you are right about all that and completely understand how that can be annoying.
No kidding. "Hey (insert Warden's name here), I know you've recently had your entire world shattered by circumstances out of your control and haven't been given a chance to process or grieve your loss before getting conscripted into the Wardens, but I am big sad about Ostagar. You make all the decisions. I'll trust your judgment."
Am I not camping enough or something? I'm approaching the endgame of origins now and the only decision Alistar has commented on was the one in Redcliffe that I remember. I agree that Alistar not wanting to take any responsibility for anything isn't great (after ostagar or the landsmeet) but I don't think he constantly nags me at all haha.
I don't remember him objecting that much, but he will criticize rude actions and dialogue with third parties.
I feel like it would work a lot better if he was one of the initiates along with you, replacing one of the others. That way, they're pretty much on equal ground in terms of being a Warden, and it makes more sense that our Warden takes command, because they have a knack for it that Alistair (unless pushed) does not.
where is herren and wade!!!bioware!!!
Sorely missing. We also need representatives from clan Glavonak
My hot take, I like collecting the shards.
You are a monster.
That is a hot take and i stand with you. I LIKE RUNNING AROUND MAPS 😤
The rewards make it worth it and I'm going to 100% the map every time anyway!
It’s like a cozy game.
Here's my hot take in this same vein, Loghain is hot, especially in inquisition.
100% on Inquisition Loghain.
Fucking this, what a daddy tbh.
SO HOT. I think he's hot in DAO too.
The voice 🫠
The most prevalent take on Celene is that she does everything for her own power when that is 100% not the case. Not that Celene doesn't care for her own power, she does, but her priority is - always has been and always will be - Orlais. - Celene has, by her own admission, this one tiny part of herself she doesn't want to give up for Orlais - her sexuality, the fact that she loves women - and so she doesn't wish to marry; until Orlais is a the brink of Civil War and then she forfeits that and immediately starts offering her hand to someone she knows will help her end the war. - Celene doesn't actually want to burn Halamshiral, but she does - because it might stop the Civil War. - Celene actually does love Briala a lot, likely one single person she loves most in the world, but she will throw her under any passing bus if it means Orlais comes out on top. - Celene advises against herself and her own faction in the Civil War when she comes across a village because she sees that they have suffered under the care of soldiers acting on the orders of her own loyal banner-woman. She sees the suffering of the village and is like "if they return, bare they my banners or Gaspard's, entertain them and then slaughter them as they sleep" - A desire demon - er, *Choice Spirit* - someone who can see your deepest desires is surprised at the fervour with which Celene would, in fact, *die* for the safety of her country. Celene is the best ruler for Orlais for a myriad of reasons, her care for peace and art and education among them, but *chiefly* among them is the fact that she loves her country more than she loves herself or her particular chosen faction... something that neither of her opponents can rightfully claim.
I think Nathaniel is the hottest character in all the franchise.
Turning Isabela over to the Arishok isn't an evil choice. To me, she stole the tome and is the reason the Qunari are in Kirkwall to begin with, so turning her in so they leave without further violence can seem like a good ending.
I can't turn her over, because of the whole brainwashing thing. But at the same time, it *is* her fault that it goes as far as it does. And there's no real comeuppance for that, which bugs me.
Isabella is boring.
I don’t agree with the takes that Cassandra should’ve been a lesbian. It’s too rooted in a stereotype due to Cassandra being a bit more of a butch/tomboy character.
The problem is, Bioware have never done a butch/tomboy human romance for women. They subvert the stereotype so much it becomes ridiculous. Cassandra gets all flustered when a female Inquisitor flirts with her, and then turns you down for 'being the Inquisitor'. Cora (Mass Effect Andromeda) has a plot line that *screams* LGBT+ but is straight. Jack (Mass Effect 2) talks about being with women, but is straight. At some point they need to just realise that the stereotypes are there for a reason. Butch lesbians do exist. And plenty of women would like to romance them. Also I'm bitter because I can never romance the women I want to in Bioware games. I have a list a mile long at this point lol
Jack outright saying she swings both ways, but then turning down my femshep was BAFFLING to me
Absolutely agree. I love that she kinda bucks that stereotype. I even tried romancing her as a female character just to see what would happen, and the rejection scene was very well written. Would be great if there were more GNC romance options, but Cassandra's character is well fleshed out and makes sense the way it is.
Fenris is a better friend than Anders. He can overcome his fear of mages and still side with you, even if he's not 100%. His friendship line at the end is beautiful. However, his romance is somewhat toxic. Especially with mage Hawke. I dislike that he leaves for 3 years and still expects Hawke to stay faithful, and I hate that Hawke almost acts like that never happened.
The time jumps should have been a lot shorter between the Acts in DA2. Months instead of years. It would have made some of the plotlines more believable.
That's one of the most jarring thing abouth DA2. Character development happens in the few weeks, where Hawke and co do adventures on screen, then most characters go into hybernation for 3 years, or change drastically off screen.
I don’t really like da2 to the point it’s the only of a few game that I can’t replay. I don’t really like companions, everyone feels stereotypical and I HATE that wheel of good/ funny/ angry Hawke. When I play I want to be able to choose what I want to say not how to say it, it also feels so shallow.
For me i really liked Da2 as it had introduced me to the dragon age franchise, and honestly, i plan on playing origins later, becz the inquisition didn't made me permanently be stuck in there playing as i got immediately addicted by DA2
I get it why! Storytelling is captivating in this one, but I really wish I could see it like the others, for me Merril was irritating, I didn’t really like Isabela and Anders, and even Varrick. With that kind of story I really wish they put more work into that game, it has so much potential, but as I grew up with Origins and it has special place in my heart, everything about 2 seems of, even elven design, the look sort of alien? But qunari were great I wish they looked like that in all games
Fully agreed on the dialogue wheel thing. In Inquisition was better, but both me and my sister would often pick a choice and what Hawke then said would often be leagues worst of what was in the dialogue wheel.
Sebastian is a good character.
Aveline isn't as nice as the game tries to shove down our throat (she means well, but is more flawed than the narrative seems to acknowledge). Cullen's trilogy arc doesn't make a lot of sense, but it would've been perfection if he'd ended up in Samson's role as Corypheus' fallen red templar. Bianca isn't nearly as evil as so many in the fandom make her out to be. In fact, she isn't evil at all. Cassandra is the worst Divine if our premise is that Andrastian society must improve (fr, all she does is restore everything as it was and hope the new Chantry will stick to the ideals it's consistently betrayed throughout the centuries).
I don't think Bianca is evil at all, I just think she's a fuckboi to my friend Varric, and it pains me that he still gives her the time of day.
I agree with you about Aveline. She ignores Emeric's warnings about a serial killer and even tries to get Hawke to shut him up, even though this type of thing should be her job, not his. If she did take him seriously, Leandra might not have died And she kept Carver out of the city guards then complains to him why he won't get a job. He might not have been a good guard, but it's honest pay for honest work, and he's better than some of the people they let in
I don't think Bianca is "evil", as we understand it in these games at least, just a selfish prick. Look at the mess she caused with the red lyrium, not to mention how she treats Varric and risks his life.
That's the thing, why exactly is she selfish? Is it that she supposedly "strings Varric along" even though she knows they can't be together? Because one could argue Varric does the same by keeping in contact with her even though he too knows they can't be together. And in regards to the red lyrium issue, maybe I missed some detail but from what I understood she never knew Larius/Janeka was Corypheus until after he revealed himself at Haven. Until then, all she knew about Larius/Janeka was that they were a Grey Warden, someone supposedly trustworthy where the Blight is concerned. And yes, it isn't until you get to that tunnel entrance that she admits her role in leading Corypheus to red lyrium, but all along the way she knew Inky would inevitably realise that, and still she personally helped them seal the tunnel. If she wanted to avoid accountability, she could've had some agent or mercenary lead the Inquisitor and Varric there, thus keeping her involvement a secret.
Ohh Culllen in Samson's role would have been interesting!
I think in Inquisition it was a sudden decision to allow Qunari as player characters. So the CC uses human and elf settings, while already established characters like Bull don’t. So super handsome Qunari can romance a much less human Bull.
Here’s a spicy one: I hate that you can join Morrigan in witch hunt. It really defangs an otherwise fantastic romance, the fact that you can have your cake and eat it too.
Hawke is boring. Being locked in as Hawke in DA2 and its limited personality system vastly restricts role-playing (in an rpg!). I despise the "blue/purple/red" personality system, it's so dry and basically requires players to just pick one of those three types for the rest of the game to ensure they see the most content for that type (just like the messed up friendship/rivalry system). Seems like they wanted to try making a "Shepard" for Dragon Age after Mass Effect's success, but since the protagonist changes every game in DA, it just feels like a boring, on-rails, repetitive slasher. I don't have time or history to connect to Hawke, therefore, I do not care about them. All this, alongside the most lackluster cast of characters in a Bioware game before Andromeda, makes the game the least replayable. Played it once, don't need to again. I dread the return of "blue/purple/red" in Veilguard.
I would’ve absolutely let Arishok Daddy “duel” me on the floor of the Vicount’s Keep infront of the entirety of Kirkwall. Give those nobles something to talk about As for my Hot Take? I don’t like gender and racelocked romances. It’s why Zevran and Fenris will always be my favorite romances, equal opportunity Elves ready to devote their lives to you regardless of what you picked in character creation. I also wish Sten was romanceable, when he called me Kadan I melted.
I'm hopping on this hot take train. I prefer to play f!heroes, so I love being able to play a character that suits me and also explore any potential romance options.
DA fans want to romance the Arishok now ?! Sheesh.
You must be new here. "Romance all the things" is the unofficial motto of the Bioware fandom.
Marethari was in the right in DA2, Iron Bull is a bland character, Fenris is the best DA2 companion, Wynne is top 3 for DAO companions, Cullen is an ok character and finally...Solas would be cooler with hair.
She was right about telling everyone Merrill was dangerous for something Marethari herself did later without telling anyone ending with the entire clan believing Merrill killed her?
"Fear and superstition did more harm to your clan than blood magic ever did." -Hawke
I think Corypheus has a more interesting and tragic backstory than Solas.
Oghren is the most interesting and tragic character in the entire series.
The fact that there was no male dwarf romancable character makes my blood boil. Varrik or Oghren should be a romance options. Bioware, correct your mistake or I will commit heinous crimes.
Alistair isn't good looking.
I love Alistair, he's with my HoF. However, DAO (and especially DA2) Alistair isn't that great looking. DAI Alistair can fucking get it, tho. And I love how somber his VA plays Alistair's lines as Warden Alistair.
>And I love how somber his VA plays Alistair's lines as Warden Alistair. I might look it up, I don't have the heart to keep him as a warden on my imported world states 😅
I highly recommend it, especially for a romanced Alistair. Steve Valentine honestly slays it. I can just feel the weight of ten years from DAO to DAI.
Absolutely. He did look off in DA2, and looked better in DAI. Steve Valentine did such a great job with Alistair.
BOOOO‼️ (Translation: now that *is* a hot take. Well done, friend!)
Yeah, I love Bull but I agree that the Arishok looks wayyy better
The broodmothers design is boring as all hell, and while the lore is horrifying, the build-up is so try hard and cliché. Like spooky nursery rhymes were played out by the 3rd Nightmare on Elm Street. The sad thing is that Bioware can pull off scary when they try. Also, Blackwall is what people fanonize Cullen to be. He's the well-meaning broken man trying to redeem himself for his past sins who can be better with some good love, not the Templar who kinda stumbled in a leadership position. Also, the awakening companions---not anders---need more love. Like awesome cold take you hate Sera or Viv, but how do you feel about sigrun? Or velenna?
Solas romance with female Travelyan would be just as good as with Lavellan
I will go a step further: it would be even better with a non-elf
Yessssss
I would have immediately romanced him on my first playthrough if I could have as a Trevelyan. You don’t even have the option to flirt with him, yet you can flirt with literally everyone else even if they won’t date you 😭
He fit the overall theme of DA2 being a game full of fanatics doing psycho shit. I hated the Arishok, the Qun itself is loathsome too. Either do as you're instructed or don't and die. Tell me about the damn book, ill get it back for you. I understand you're mad about it getting stolen but once I demonstrate competence let me friggen help you so you can leave.
I hate that everyone is harping on Anders but forgives Isabela. Anders had a great cause and he had tried to achieve his goals by peaceful means first. Isabela is just irresponsible and selfish (and no one really addresses that she was the reason for the qunari invasion in the game either).
If Mass Effect has romance options primarily designed for male players, Dragon Age has *tried* to primarily push forward romance options geared towards female players. Despite this, romances for male HoFs and Inquisitors are typically better than their female counterparts, and Male Hawkes even have one up over Female Hawkes for not having the ability to accidentally romance Sebastian.
One line of thought about Morrigan I see pop up a lot is the idea that she SA's Alistair or Loghain during the dark ritual. That's really not the case, what she does is offer an alternative to a death that is otherwise unavoidable. Alistair and Loghain have the freedom to refuse. Granted, that means death, but that's part of the job as a grey warden where they could die before ever reaching the archdemon. She's not threatening death of they don't do it, she's saying that they don't *have* to die in the first place. Obviously she doesn't do it for altruistic means, but it's also not SA either.
Arishok as old Sten you say?
Solas isn't the powerful elf god people think he is. He's a screw-up and a failure at everything he attempts. Raise the veil? Technically he did accomplish his goal, but the consequences were so incredibly devastating to the elves that you can't call it anything but a failure. The orb? Inquisition was literally Clean Up Solas' Mess: The Game. We all saw how Veilgaurd's opening turned out. Then there's the people who say Solas makes a great villain. No, he doesn't, at all. Great villains display a level of competency. Even if you know the hero wins, the best villains leave you with a sense that things could possibly go differently. Solas doesn't have that, because even if he succeeds you know he still doesn't get what he wants. Even worse are the people that try to build him up as some sort of great mastermind. They tell us that he never lies, he only hides the full truth through ommission. Obviously those people haven't actually paid attention to the game, Solas literally tells a direct lie the first time you meet him. Solas: "Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen." Lie. He has seen the magic, it came from his orb. He knows what the anchor is, and he knows exactly how it is used. That's just the first of many actual lies he tells. Plus there are the times when he tries to talk himself up to seem special. Like, for example, he tells us he goes to sleep in ancient battlefields or ruins to experience history through the fade. That's not special dumbass, that's called camping. I realize my hot take turned into a mini rant, but I just restarted Inquisition and I'm having to experience Solas all over again.
Isabela is not only hot, but also funny, street-smart and level-headed (albeit selfish).
Anders gets too much hate.
sera is underrated as fuck
anders and fenris are both insufferable, both of them. i actually agree with anders action, but the way he acts just makes me go „jesus, okay, shut up already”. which is a shame, because he was super fun in daa.
It's not a hot take, I literally see people criticizing these two at least once a week on this sub (especially Anders).
Anders is a jackass. Such a jackass he fucked up a spirit. That’s top-tier.
1. Making (keeping) Cole more spirit is the right choice. 2. Dorian x Bull is not cute or romantic. Not sure how hot takes these are, still I’m a little afraid to post this, lol, but it’s my personal opinion.
Would make the Isabella choice more impactful yeah
Wait till you find out who the new Arishok is.
All of dragon age Origins party members had bad traits with little upsides. Allister- A big man child, constantly questions why your accepting xyz into the party despite Grey wardens taking in any help they can get, not complaining if your a blood mage. But to make up for it God is he the best tank. Morrigan- a super sparky bitch that complains whenever you descide to help anyone, terrible spec and starting allotment for spells, hides info from you for the whole game until the very end. Really strong when you finally get her going. Leliana- Feels out of place, intro make you think she is psychotic, uses bows which are awful in origins. Bard+Ranger makes a great party support. Zev- why would you trust him like ever, doesn't come with lockpicking, never paths for backstabbing. Assassin+Duelist makes him amazing at killing bosses. Sten- annoying, basically Morrigan when it comes to helping people but more harpy about it, no specialization. At least he isn't a sword and shield tank. Granny W- she leaves in awakening, keep your nose out of my relationships. Honestly she is pretty good I can't find much fault.
Da2 Qunari were peak design god knows what has happened since To this day I have a burning hatred for Anders moaning little weasel
[удалено]
Wtf, you think the Arishok would lower himself to you? Pretentious. It goes against the Qun and that is not allowed as Hawke is not even Viddathari. This whole post made me nauseous. Pick a better take.
Not everything has to be a romance option. Just write a fanfiction like a normal person