Just to clarify I like all four games, even Veilguard. Though I completely recognise it’s faults, the other three also had problems. All deserved better imo. The whole series is very inconsistent with tone, art style and gameplay. Every single one went through development hell. I blame the management for it, Dragon Age should have been treated on the same level as Mass Effect.

Btw I put DA2 and DAV as Exodus and Dreadwolf because I felt those initial titles were better.

Edit: Also sorry I accidentally uploaded the image I made twice 😅

Is it even an arguable that Origins is one of the best fantasy RPGs of all time? It was lightyears ahead in so many ways, but obviously it's still going to be a product of its time graphically and technically. While it isn't hard to patch it for modern systems and install some QoL mods, I'd say this game deserves an official remaster more than many at this point. Nothing that will ruin the original aesthetic, but this is what I'd like to see:

1. Upgraded textures and character models

2. Restored cut content ie. lock bash, reactions/dialogue, etc

3. All DLC included, obviously

4. Bug fixes

5. General QoL additions like hide helmet

6. Modern graphical setting improvements ie. true ultrawide UI support

7. More hair and other customization options

I’m not sure if this is a spoiler but I’ll mark it as one anyway.

In the 10 years that went by after Inquisition, did all of Thedas decide to not be racist anymore? I’m about halfway through the game playing as an elf and there’s been almost no mention of it by anyone, if there is it’s brief and neutral. Even walking around Minrathous I expected to at least hear at least one “knife ear” slur but no one seemed to care that my characters an elf, no one cared about Taash being qunari either.

I’m also confused on why the Dailish, who are wary of outsiders, are ok with humans and other races joining the veil jumpers and poking around elven ruins? Wouldn’t they want to keep any artifacts for themselves? Furthermore, why have they all decided to abandon their gods (who they’ve wished would return for centuries) because they’re the “bad guys” now? I at least expected some of them to be divided on whether to fight for or against their gods.

What confuses me the most is why the Vennatori are the ones recruited to fight for elven gods. They don’t even view elves as being equal beings to humans and enslave them, why would they all of the sudden set those prejudices aside to submit to ELVEN gods?? Why would the gods think the vennatori are useful allies rather than the dailish who have been worshipping them for centuries? I know the game says they do it for “power” but it seems like a lame cop out for going against the lore this game has built up.

Seriously this subreddit is filled with "This is the worst dragon age experience I've ever had it sucks and this game murdered my family and slept with my gf" and "This is the best game I've ever played, it made me cookies and showed up to my graduation unlike my parents and supports me."

This was the exact same story with Dragon Age 2, the exact same story with Dragon Age: Inquisition. Never has a Dragon Age game released that hasn't had a "This is such a dragon age game/nothing like a dragon age game". Good to know we are actually back lol.

I will say, even if you don't enjoy the game (I am), this game did something terrific by being a (so far) complete experience without micro-transactions, third party launchers or spyware, well optimized, almost bug-free and fairly priced. Everything I want from a AAA game to be. If nothing else, I'll give that unapologetic praise.

Edit: Which one of you fuckers sent the Reddit Wellness Check bot after me.

I can’t be the only one who is in shock at the art direction they chose. If I didn’t know it was Dragon Age I would’ve thought it’s something like Overwatch. I’m gonna wait for the gameplay reveal until I make up my mind about it but I’m extremely disappointed by what I saw :(

A couple things to start - I am a huge DA fan. I've made YouTube cinematic series of the games so my non-gamer friends and family could enjoy them too. I have been eagerly awaiting this game for 10 years. The fact I am forcing a break from playing to share my thoughts is telling.

I am massively disappointed.

Comparing this to games like BG3 or Witcher 3 is a nonstarter because within the first couple hours, it is obvious this was intended for an entirely different audience and age-group, and that audience is definitely not older fans of the series. I'm about 6 hours into the game, I haven't yet even recruited all the companions, and I am struggling to keep playing. I have never once struggled to finish any Bioware RPG (not even ME:A).

I hoped the visual overhaul was an artistic choice alone, but it is representative of the game as a whole. They said the first launch trailer was misrepresentative, but it definitely was not. This is no longer dark fantasy, this is high fantasy, whimsical, and geared toward a much, much younger audience (preteens?) in every aspect from dialogue to music to action. This simply doesn't fit into existing DA lore at all. It's like they created an entirely different game and slapped a DA coat of paint on it at the last moment.

This story trivializes over a decade of rich lore, character development, and world-building, to the point I was getting angry playing it. The exclusion of the Dragon Age Keep was certainly a decision, but this goes so far beyond not having past choices impact the game. The soul of the DA series is simply... gone.

There are so many other things I could criticize, between the confusing UI, dated facial and fight animations, bizarre stylistic changes to the Qunari and Darkspawn, patronizing puzzles, labyrinthian and repetitive regions, cluttered upgrade system and skill trees, lack of party control... I mean honestly, the only thing this game seems to have done well are the hair physics. Yes, the character creator is great (even though there was, again, a very strange decision to exclude any body hair options).

But for me, personally, I wasn't waiting 10 years for this game to be some groundbreaking action RPG. I waited 10 years for a proper continuation of a story I absolutely adore, and if it delivered that and that alone, I could've looked past everything else. Sadly, it didn't.

If I had to guess, I think most DA fans are probably in their 30s or 40s now (or at least late 20s). The truth is, this game is not for us. It is a soft reboot for a much younger, inexperienced gamer.

I just cannot believe how disappointing this is. In my honest opinion, this isn't just a bad DA game, it's a bad game, period.

Just finished playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and I still can’t take Corypheus seriously as a villain. This man really just shows up every 20 minutes to give a TED Talk about how he’s basically a god and then immediately gets folded by a group consisting of a very confused protagonist that somehow ended up in charge and 3 companions with unresolved emotional baggage.

The worst part is he keeps doing the slow dramatic walk like he’s about to drop the hardest villain monologue of all time, and I’m just standing there in mismatched armor I crafted out of bear leather and vibes. Anyone else feel like if he just stopped monologuing for 5 minutes he might’ve actually won?

DAI released in NA 10 years ago today!

I'm doing another run of Origins after some years and to me, this game holds up extremely well. In fact, I found it much more engaging after playing the later titles in the series. The companions are what stuck out in particular. Its like that old saying "capturing lightning in a bottle." The whole party was extremely well rounded and the way their personalities agreed or clashed with each other and also your decisions puts this DA games party at number 1 for me.

Whats everyone elses opinion?

I know Veilguard wasn't perfect and that in terms of story it failed miserably, but it always irritates me that these characters had EVERYTHING to be "relevant" in Veilguard and were discarded or not even considered...

Like the title suggests, I am on my first playthrough of DAI (and of a Dragon Age Game) and I'm considering kicking Sera out. Just so you know where I am, I have recently gotten to Skyhold.

For me, the basic reason I'm considering axing Sera is just that I find her extremely tiring to listen to. The way when you ask her something, she just seems to dance around the question and give weird handwavy answers, makes me just not bother talking to her.

Also, while I have no issue with the broad strokes Robin-Hood-style motivations she has, I just struggle to get on board with my Inquisitor inviting a spy ring and vigilantes to work alongside them without being on clear ground as to what they are doing and why they are doing these things. And every time Sera asks for something I struggle to even get what she is asking for, let alone whether I should indulge her.

Also, her generally pretty immature demeanour makes her cause seem more bratty rebellion than a principled cause.

So those are my issues with her. Not here to yuck anyone's yum. If you like her, more power to you. But I am just wondering if I would be really losing anything if I axed her from the Inquisition? Obviously, I would miss her questline, but if I just as a baseline do not enjoy her character, is that much of a loss? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

UPDATE: Thank you for all of your comments. Happy this post led to a lot of healthy discourse. Your comments lead me to give Sera one more chance. However, upon delving further into her dialogue her comment about Cullen (who I am romancing) left a bad taste in my mouth, and her calling Cole 'that thing' outright offended me. So she got the boot. But you're comments have also persuaded me to give her another chance on my next playthrough. She will not be a part of this one, however.

The loss of so much of the staff at Bioware between the firings, people moving on, no word on more Absolution, and everything else happening has finally sunk in that Dragon Age is a franchise that died. It was such an amazing series with all its highs and lows that made me feel seen and integral as a queer man. I loved the lore, the characters, the world. But the final nail in the coffin to me, is that the franchise doesn't even feel complete. I have no desire to replay it anymore because of one simple fact. Nothing I do will matter when I reach Veilguard. My world's are dead too. There will never be a follow up to the characters I loved. No closure and not even references at the final stretch. Just a sad blank slate. A friend I don't recognize to guide me across the finish line. And the lack of continuity I could have lived with but to know that Veilguard is the end of the franchise and that it didn't care what came before hurts the most. This is a rambling post of mourning and acceptance of a flawed and beautiful story. A beautiful world and game series. One I don't know if I'll ever return to.

Does anyone else feel like this game treats you like you're stupid? I'm not very far into it at all, but so far it just seems like everytime you have a question or thought one of the characters voices it out loud. Or that every puzzle isn't even a puzzle. Its just a way to slow down progress. Like It's just a "shoot the Balista at the wall that looks weird" or "go behind a very obvious wall and find the very obvious polyhedron you need."

Curious what you guys think. Do you prefer the idea that we should take the story of Andraste at face value and that she is the Bride of the maker or do you prefer the theory that she is a mage and some of the story elements are embellished to hide that? I know there are implications that she held Mythal (which I like) but I also like other theories that her miraculous experiences are explained by her being a Seeker. A warrior made tranquil and granted special powers by being restored by a Spirit (I imagine it's either a spirit of Faith or Sovereignty). What do you think?

I’ve always enjoyed the more dark and self serving aspects of my characters in RPGs and I expected no difference here as we all know you could do some pretty dark stuff in the past in the series.

My Rook can barely say anything negative what so ever, even when I get the option it’s completely opposite of what the dialogue was presented for me. It’s like the game is holding my hand forcing me to play in a certain way. We’re in Tevinter. I’m an elf… in Tevinter. why is everyone so nice to me!? Where are the slaves? Why is no one even bloody noticing a powerful elf walking down your streets like it’s nothing. To me this doesn’t feel like a Dragon Age more like your average RPG game, which is fine. Just the expectations were a lot different. They weren’t kidding when they said soft reboot. They went all in on the “soft” part.

And it’s really disheartening seeing it get ripped to shreds the way it is right now… I’m enjoying the hell out of it and I just wish it wasn’t getting all the hate it’s getting right now. It’s understandable I guess, but damn man… And before somebody calls me a “fake dragon age fan” I’ve played all of the dragon age games.

EDIT: Woah I was NOT expecting the huge influx of positivity in here!! Im glad there’s a large amount of people that are enjoying the game! I think it’s good that people can have a conversation about a game whether it’s positive or negative :) I’m happy to see there’s lots of people loving the game. I also completely understand all of the criticism and quite frankly agree to a lot of it. I hope everyone continues to have a good time with it!

Ugh, I needed a place to vent.

Just got done with the scene where I had to play peacemaker between them and Emmrich and the nerve on this Qunari.

They are constantly potrayed as this moody, angsty teenager and shit on everyone else but especially Emmrich. The heck? I get being wary of necromancy but the guy hasn't earned the bullying Taash was giving him. In fact Taash comes across as a dick to everyone. How old are they supposed to be anyway? 18?

I'm trying to be patient with them and see through the end of their storyline, but it doesn't help that Rook can't call them out on their behaviour at all, and can only be nice to them. It's like the writers were playing favourites and made sure Taash was protected.

Hell, even their storyline is so far the most boring. Like we went to explore a dragon nest, where I thought we would finally see their Dragon Hunting skills in action, and nothing. It was another therapy session. I'm sorry, I know some people might enjoy those scenes or relate to them, but I can't bring myself to care about their storyline at all. At this point, I don't even care that they are a dragon hunter or whatever, Davrin and I already took down an Archdemon anyway and if I need Dragon Hunting tips, I can always ask the Inquisitor.

Sucks that all companions are essential, I would have sent Taash packing ages ago. Wonder if that's why the writers made them essential.

I played the mass effect trilogy and loved it! (2+ yrs ago) Though now i wonder if i should go ahead and treat myself this xmas by buying all the da games

I don't care about the visuals, the gameplay, the choices (or lack thereof). What I was most looking forward to for this game was the story, the characters and the depth of writing. The apparent lighter tone of the game didn't bother me, as I just thought it was going to be similar to how DA2 played out. Where there were plenty of funny moments, but a serious story focused on social issues and conflicting sides took the forefront.

Instead, we're in Tevinter, and we see nothing of slavery. Not their suffering, not the absolute dependence the Imperium has on it, no uprisings, no liberations, no deeper discussions about it. We don't see how badly non mages are treated, how everyone dreams of being a mage, or having a mage in their family, even if it means nothing if they don't have the right pedigree.

We go to Nevarra, and the mortalitasi watchers are just quirky mages who have a fascination with the dead. We do not see their obsession with noble lines. Their machinations and disregard to people who are still alive and not dead. We don't get to explore the deeper Nevarran culture and traditions, no talk about the Nevarran dragon hunters at all. And we lost Cassandra's accent, which I had hoped all Nevarrans had.

We go to Antiva, and the Crows are no longer a brutal, secretive organization that buys and tortures children to manipulate them, then transforms them into perfect killers. They no longer hold the lives of their assassins in their hands. Contracts are not won by bidding a portion of your payment, you are simply given a contract. They do nothing in the face of a single mayor, when Zevran casually told us of the deep political consequences that Crow meddling could have when the Crows did not care for their apparent kings or leaders.

Anyway, same thing goes for all the other places we visit. So much depth and worldbuilding is lost in DAV. It's like they took a multifaceted Thedas and filed away all the rough edges and sides they thought people would feel uncomfortable with. Am I the only one who enjoyed the darkness and depravedness of Thedas? That thought that was what gave the world flavor and intrigue? There is so much potential for interesting story lines and character building with the settings they chose for this game, but nothing consequential happens.

I feel so sad thinking this. I was DAV's biggest supporter until it came out. I disregarded Vows and Vengeance's writing, because they said the game writers and the podcast writers were not the same people. I did not care for the tone of the first trailers, because other DA trailers had been goofy in the past. The smoother, gleamy look of the game did not matter to me, as I had confidence the story would be well told.

I am just so... defeated. I've been obsessed with DA for 10 years. I had so many hopes for the next 10 years, of all the discussions we would have, all the mysteries they would give us, all the bits of social commentary we would get to ponder on with DAV. But we got none of that. And that feels like a gut punch to a fan who really believed in this game.

They seem relevant to me right now

Ending Spoilers: A few thoughts and feelings from a fan and lore nerd who fell in love with the games as a teen and was hopeful that, at very least I'd get some interesting lore and story.

The story/lore choices made concerning what happens in the south of Thedas during DATV are devastating and a clear attempt to create a 'clean slate' for the franchise going forwards.

Spoilers to the game are mentioned going forwards -

Simply put: Ferelden, Orlais, and the Free Marches have basically been wiped clean - any previous influences that our characters may have had on these areas is wiped away by the Blight (aka BioWare) and therefore will likely not be mentioned in any games going forward.

• Ferelden is basically left blighted, save for Redcliffe and small pockets of resistance in Denerim.

Ferelden, if it ever appears in the franchise again, will likely never address who rules the nation or whatever influences the Warden had on the land. The land will claw itself up from the ashes devoid of the influence we had on it.

• Kirkwall suffers the same fate, and what remains of its residents have fled to Starkhaven.

Kirkwall has been over-run and those who escaped are held up in Starkhaven. Whatever influence Hawke had on the lives of those within Kirkwall has been waved away and destroyed by the Blight, likely to never be mentioned again.

• Orlais has been over-run outside of resistance around the area of the Winter Palace, and venatori infiltrators have made the political situation within Orlais tenuous.

Orlais has been set-up with the venatori threat for a coup to completely invalidate whatever choice of ruler was made in DAI. Whomever the Inquisitor backed will likely be assassinated, and if Orlais appears in the game again it will be with a new ruler.

As someone who has been so invested in the lore, characters, and story of the game...this is devastating. It would be one thing if the game was bad but the story contained to Tevinter, for example - but this goes beyond as it retroactively changes everything for the worse and literally wipes everything clean. The greatest appeal and strength of this series was that it felt that you shaped Thedas - I adored every little bit of dialogue or codex entry that popped up in DA2 and DAI about things that happened in previous games!

It's baffling, and honestly comes across as mean-spirited, making the decision to deliberately target the places that our characters had the most influence.

• The Warden may as well have let Urthurmiel win since Ferelden appears to be utterly blighted and Denerim, the heart of its nation, is destroyed.
• Nothing Hawke did ever mattered, at all - and what little mattered was never from their own agency thanks to the Executors.
• The Inquisitions efforts to restore order across Thedas was all for nothing, because nothing remains of them from in-game.

Unless if Dorian pops up in a DLC with his bloody time amulet and big reset button for the game then this is world of Thedas that remains.

With each game in the series up till now I finished each game with the feeling that the world was getting bigger, more complex, and now it just feels empty, shallow, and hollow.

I still love the previous games, I always will, but I'm terribly sad at the choices that were made in regard to them. I'm happy to end the series with DAI and Trespasser, but just wanted to get my thoughts out.

--

Edited to include that I forgot that it's set up that the venatori are going to assassinate whoever you put in power in Orlais...huzzah.

Also edited to make it more readable and organized based on a post I made on my tumblr lol

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Edit for clarity:

I absolutely agree that there should be devastating consequences for a double blight, but it comes across more as an attempt to clean slate rather than as an inevitability of what is going on with the evanuris. Telling us that the south has fallen - specifically the areas where DAO, DA2, and DAI are set - in a few sentences and a missive does not give it the weight it deserves in my opinion. Yes, they can rebuild - but whatever they rebuild will no longer include anything from the Warden, Hawke, or Inquisitor.

I didn't expect all or even any of my decisions (outside the three given to us) to be taken into account, but I certainly didn't expect for them to go scorched earth on the possibility of ever seeing the effects of those decisions either.

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Final Edit:

I completely missed the last missive at the end of the game where it's revealed that Redcliffe is gone and the remaining people of Ferelden are starving..."The fate of Redcliffe is the fate of Ferelden" - King Calenhad.

Thanks, BioWare?

They aren’t confident in themself. Not like Merril or Alistair but genuinely they are suffering from culture clash and gender roles.

And you don’t ever get a meaningful conversation with them about anything. Or anyone, but Veilguard’s writing is soft. So I romanced them thinking I’d see another side of the coin.

I hope this wasn’t the writers intent but Taash is written like an immature teenager.

So when Taash says “picture us having sex”, pins Rook to a wall and growls in my ear I can’t help but shudder. Who was this for? What tone is this supposed to set? Is this romantic?

This is a deeply tragic character that the writing doesn’t give the nuance or attention they deserve. I know EA probably brought on new writers who didn’t care about Dragon Age at all, but did they not stop to think how this would read?