Dragon Age Inquisition - Your choices

[Amaror]

The first Witcher game (aka the best one) came out two years before DA:O. They somehow did not overshadow each other. Probably because as I said - Dragon Age never was that much of dark fantasy in the first place. It was the good old epic about saving the world (or the city, in one case), just with a lot of blood thrown it and a dark-ish aesthetic.

I mean, seriously. What's so dark about DA apart from designs and tons of tomato juice? "Oh there's a lot of racism going on"? Well, I guess that means that every game set on Faerun is also dark fantasy, considering the relations between orcs, drow and everyone else? You do remember that in both Baldurs Gate games you recruited Viconia DeVir (who would give Morrigan a run in the evil ***** contest) as people tried to kill her just for being a drow? Realpolitik and intrigue? Welcome to muh Neverwinter! People dying left and right? Most of good old Infinity engine RPGs had permadeath for the characters if their health kissed zero and yeah, NPCs also died a lot along the story. Oh yeah, right, they were not cinematic about it.

I honestly think that fancy noblebright adventuring is mostly something people make up from hearing a lot about classic RPGs but never playing them. Pretty much none of the popular WRPG games has been Dragonlance-level noblebright. Might & Magic series, Wizardry, Ultima, Arx Fatalis, Geneforge, the Infinity Engine plethora - they all had a ton of a lot darker things than Dragon Age, so yeah, we're not really the cool kids on the block now.

What you're right about is - it's not important if the Dragon Age is light or dark fantasy at this point, as first and foremost it is BORING fantasy.

I never said light fantasy was the standart for crpg roleplaying games. I believe most of these were at least darker. Light Fantasy however was and kindof is the standart for most other fantasy. From books to movies its most often light fantasy with a bunch of heroes saving the day.
And your also right that origins isn't really THAT dark, but it got a lot of parts of it that i would call "dark". Mostly it's characters doing evil things for understandable reasons. Loghain did evil things, but if you thought yourself in his position his paranoia towards orlais and generally just his actions were somewhat understandable. It was the same with that keeper elf. At least from what i saw of inquisition it has none of that. It has all the goody guys on one side and all the unquestionably bad evil monster guys on the other. There were no interesting characters with flaws and problems.

 

[The Purple Grape]

Wading headfirst into this but her goes, I wouldn't consider either Game of Thrones or The Witcher series to be 'dark'. I would call them 'gritty' not a good thing in my book. For something to be actually 'dark' it needs to get into the abstract. Beings or things that are so far removed from a mortal's limited view on the world. There is no attempt to make them understandable as they function and think in a way so different there is no way mortals could understand.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I never said light fantasy was the standart for crpg roleplaying games. I believe most of these were at least darker. Light Fantasy however was and kindof is the standart for most other fantasy. From books to movies its most often light fantasy with a bunch of heroes saving the day.

I think there's a false dichotomy here between "Light" and "Dark" fantasy. Dragon Age actually aims at the latter and misses...not because it isn't "dark" enough...it has plenty of murder and rape and prejudice and political upheaval, etc, etc, etc. It misses because it's frequently ineptly written and presented. Bioware have never been grand storytelling architects, and this is never clearer than with their Dragon Age franchise. Mass Effect was no magnum opus of narrative quality either (and boy did they ever drive that point home with a flourish at the end), but it had consistent characterization and game play and that made it easy to get attached to regardless. DA has never benefited from that. It's all over the fucking map, and that just makes all the narrative flaws stand out like sore thumbs. The series as a whole is now DA2 writ large...some good parts here and there, but a persistent lack of coherency, quality control and thematic consistency ends up sinking it.

It got along okay on the premise that "Sure it's rubbish, but we're light on quality narrative driven CRPGs and it's the best we've got", but now Witcher is a thing and Dragon Age is looking particularly shabby and shitty when stood alongside it.

 

[The Madman]

Wading headfirst into this but her goes, I wouldn't consider either Game of Thrones or The Witcher series to be 'dark'. I would call them 'gritty' not a good thing in my book. For something to be actually 'dark' it needs to get into the abstract. Beings or things that are so far removed from a mortal's limited view on the world. There is no attempt to make them understandable as they function and think in a way so different there is no way mortals could understand.

The term for that is Lovecraftian fiction, and it's an entirely different style of writing and storytelling than dark fantasy. Probably the closest thing to a Lovecraftian fantasy series would be the old Conan novels by Robert E. Howard, and that's because he actually talked with and was friends with Lovecraft himself.

Game of Thrones most certainly is dark fantasy, though I'm not so sure I'd put Witcher in that category. For all its racism and violence one pervasive theme of the Witcher franchise tends to be lighthearted humour as well as a tendency to take fun jabs at popular mythology. That's how the series began even; a sort of parody of common stories ala Beauty and the Beast or Sleeping Beauty.

That's actually part of why I really like the Witcher series. It's rarely afraid to make light of itself and even in the darkest moments still has a sense of hope and optimism that most popular 'dark' fantasy tends to lack.

 

[tyriless]

Title says it all. What major choices did you make in the latest DA game? Who did you romance, if any? Did you exile the Grey Wardens or let them stay? Did you side with the mages or templars? Etc.

Thanks for the thread, by the way.

My Choices:
I romanced Cassandra, partially because I liked the challenge. I played a mage that sided with mages, and refused to exile the Wardens. Every choice I made pissed her off, and it made me wish could have rival romanced her like I could with Fenris in Dragon Age 2. Never-the-less, I loved her hard edged handsome face, with a jaw-line that could jackhammer a rail road spike and eyebrows that could whip a mule. Her VA always surprised and amused me, especially during the Swords and Shields scene. I have to say, even though I had chose to romance Cassandra long before that, I fell for her hard in that moment.

Of course, I had to fuck it all up and choose her to be the Divine. Sigh, it's something my wife teases me about all the time (though I tease her about having to leave Hawke in the Fade > ). The reason for that was simple: she was the best option. Vivienne is too conservative and I had hardened Leliana too much at that point. If our Spymaster became Divine she would be an absolute terror. My Inquisitor would have nightmares about clergy and other political opponents being found dead in there beds with sliced throats, or poisoned at the dinner table. Seriously, I've read enough history to know what a person like her would do in a position of power. So, alas, I think that romance has ended.

In the main story, I started out by going to visit the Mages. Being a mage myself, I had vested interest in their well being and was so disappointed when I found out how stupid Enchanter Fiona could be. Siding with the Venatori and exiling the Arl of Redcliffe from his own Keep: it was almost too much. Had I the option to imprison her and free the rest of the mages I would have. Unfortunately, they all share the same fate as her and some of them clearly thought the deal with the Tevinter was a very bad one, so I gave them all a second chance.

Afterward, when Skyhold was established a stronghold, I went to deal with the Wardens at Adamant. Again, I was really disappointed with the Wardens. The temptation for exile was high, but I remembered what a Warden Exile had done for Ferelden and I didn't want to repeat that mistake again, so I spared them and it turns out that choice worked out ok.

With the Empress's ball, I wound up allowing Celene to stay in power. Had I been a better at that section of the game or enjoyed it more, I would of closed the rift with her and her elven lover. To be honest, it's my least favorite section of the game, and it's kept me from completing another play-through.

All in all, my circle of friends, my wife, and I really enjoyed the game. I would rank it on par with the first Dragon Age, which I thought had a better story, but just terrible and ridiculously slow combat. The only Bioware game I think as a clear superior would be Mass Effect 2.


*Reads several comments* Awh, the casual cruelty of the internet. Takes me back to the old comic book shop where the greatest crime was actually enjoying something and expressing that enjoyment, unless it was dark and edgy, of course.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Awh, the casual cruelty of the internet. Takes me back to the old comic book shop where the greatest crime was actually enjoying something and expressing that enjoyment, unless it was dark and edgy, of course.

You realize that in a single breath you just perpetuated the very thing you were complaining about?

Just let people like what they like and dislike what they dislike. Neither is a crime. And criticizing a video game shouldn't really constitute "cruelty" on any rational scale.

 

[Saetha]

("Hey, people liked our romances, didn't they? That's like the whole reason they played it!")

I'm not really on board with your entire argument here, but this, at least, might be more true than you realize.

I walked into a "Don't do romances in the next Mass Effect" thread a few weeks ago, and there were a whole slew of people saying that BioWare has to include romances because that's the entire reason they play the game, and without them they'd probably stop playing. Like romances are the entire damn point and the only thing worth talking about.

Like I said, the Dragon Age fandom is largely insufferable.

 

[IOwnTheSpire]

Awh, the casual cruelty of the internet. Takes me back to the old comic book shop where the greatest crime was actually enjoying something and expressing that enjoyment, unless it was dark and edgy, of course.

You realize that in a single breath you just perpetuated the very thing you were complaining about?

Just let people like what they like and dislike what they dislike. Neither is a crime. And criticizing a video game shouldn't really constitute "cruelty" on any rational scale.

The problem with this thread is that it's supposed to be about discussing the story choices people made in DAI, but instead people who didn't like the game have derailed the thread and want to express their dislike, even though there are other places for them to do that; it's certainly not here.

 

[tyriless]

Awh, the casual cruelty of the internet. Takes me back to the old comic book shop where the greatest crime was actually enjoying something and expressing that enjoyment, unless it was dark and edgy, of course.

You realize that in a single breath you just perpetuated the very thing you were complaining about?

Just let people like what they like and dislike what they dislike. Neither is a crime. And criticizing a video game shouldn't really constitute "cruelty" on any rational scale.

Never said it was crime. You're taking the inflamed rhetoric to the next level while condemning mine. I said it was cruel, but I will take a step back, and say it was rude and the reason why: the op wanted to know the choices that players made in the game.

Some folks did express that they didn't like the DA:I, but they at least responded with what the OP was asking for and that's perfectly fine. It's the ones were shutting down the conversation, not responding to the OPs request, while taking an opportunity to take a few licks at a game that can be better expressed elsewhere. I suppose he could have asked to keep the thread positive, but I'd prefer if every thread didn't come with a disclaimer or two, and folks just respected a post's intent without having to be asked to.

So yes, some (not all) poster on here are being rude and deserved to be called on it.

 

[Padwolf]

Righto, lets get cracking. I play a lot of dragon age ok? don't judge me like that! :'(

All Female.
First Playthrough: Human Rogue
Second Playthrough: Dalish Rogue
Third Playthrough: Human Mage

Romance-
1st: Iron Bull. I couldn't help myself. I found him funny, and I liked the romance a lot. I liked the personal quest for it. It was sweet.
2nd: Solas. Had to go for it, and it was incredibly sweet, tragic, but sweet. Plus I loved how it tied into the story and the lore and I can't wait to see what they are going to do with it in the future.
3rd: Cullen. He has that whole prince charming thing going on with a little drama to it. I couldn't help but squeal with the romance scenes, just too damn cute. Also I waited 3 games for this option! I loved it.

Decisions - Templars and Mages
1st: Mages. While I agree with Vivienne that magic should not be left unchecked, I do believe that templars have been well out of order for a while, and some of them abuse their powers horridly. Plus the quest is incredibly interesting.
2nd: Templars. As I said, unchcecked magic dangerous. The circle does need to be restored but not to the horrid way that some circles were before.
3rd: Mages. I just love the quest

Grey Wardens -
1st: Exiled. They dun goofed.
2nd: Let them stay. While there are blights and darkspawn the grey wardens will always be needed. I feel sad that their lives are cut so short.
3rd: Let them stay.

Orlais-
1st: Let the empress die and had Gaspard and Briala work together. I just felt that the two of them were a decent combination and if the empress stayed alive there would still be chaos in orlais.
2nd: Let the empress live
3rd: Let the empress live. Because why not? Would be someone very much in debt to the Inquisition afterall.

The Fade-
1st: Sacrifice Shroud.
2nd: Shroud.
3rd: Shroud again. Look, I like my Hawke. A lot. Also I don't want to upset Varric. And I'm scared that if she's dead one day Fenris will show up in a DLC and kill my Inquisitor. I just can't do that to Fenris. In Origins my playthrough is always Alistair as King. I just can't seem to romance anyone else in Origins and I love the thought that he is King and my Warden is Queen. Adorable couple. Though if it were a choice between Alistair and Hawke I'd sacrifice Hawke. I just can't let Alistair die. #alistair4life

Divine-
1st: Leliana. She wanted to help the elves. Also she is a de-hardened Leliana. I thought I would be doing the right thing.
2nd: Cassandra. I love Cassandra, such a great character and I knew she'd make a great Divine. Hell, she's earned it.
3rd: Cassandra again.

The Well-
Morrigan drinks from it in all of my playthroughs. Hell no I ain't touching that shit. When I realised what it meant, I did feel a little bad about it. Serving her mother would be the last thing Morrigan would ever want. But at the same time, I feel like Morrigan is quite safe. Well, as safe as she could be with a mother like that.

Cole-
Made Cole more human in all of them. It's what he wants, and I agree with Varric. He acts human. He talks human. I'm gonna let him be a human.

 

[Randoman01]

I wonder, Should I get this game?

 

[tyriless]

I wonder, Should I get this game?

That is really a hard question to answer. The game is controversial and for good reason. The characters, setting, and the combat are very good, as is the main quest chain, but the sidequests are just terrible. The designers definitely went with quantity over quality with that. If you can get past the fact that the quest mechanics are lot like an MMO you will able to enjoy a great setting and it's characters.

 

[Jerast]

Male Dalish Elf, Knight Enchanter.

Hardened Leliana
Told Sera to fuck off
Recruited Templars because at this point it's impossible to actually side with the mages with a serious face.
Saved Solas Spirit friend
Made Cole more like a spirit
Let the Grey Wardens stay
Sacrificed Stroud cause "literally who"
Saved the Chargers (I do not trust the Qunari, and I do not trust bull as a Qunari)
Kept Celene alive and had her make good with the elf.
Took the wells power for myself
Made brutal Leliana the divine

Romanced: Josephine.

 

[Jerast]

I wonder, Should I get this game?

Honestly unless you're a fan, no.

Put it this way.

I loved Dragon Age Origins
I kinda liked Dragon Age 2
Dragon age Inquisition is really really boring and the world feels dead, but I need to see where the story is going to end.

I hated the Witcher 1
I hated the Witcher 2
Witcher 3 is one of the very few games I find exceptional.

Take that as you will. I felt Inquisition was really bad, but as I said, I'm already too deep in the Dragon Age world to back out now.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

I forgot until this very moment that I owned the game and hadn't gotten out of the opening area.

...I should probably play it at some point.

Did they fix the shitty PC port since launch?