First of all, sad to know that the expansion won't be made. It fills me with sorrow, but these things don't work out sometimes, so that's the last thing I'll say here. Second, thank you greatly for deciding to share with the community. It means a lot to us. Now, onto hopefully constructive feedback.
I am one of those few, those happy few, who loved DA2, despite its flaws. And it had rather glaring flaws that really crippled the experience and prevented it from being what it could have been. The DLC were a massive improvement in the areas that were weak, but it says something when you're having to tactically time playing the DLC in your playthroughs so the main campaign doesn't get too tedious.
Positives:
- Hawke. Hawke was the first time in a game that I've experienced the player character managed to be both my character and a character. The voice, facial and body animations, and dialogue choices all contributed to the feeling that she was a person in the story, rather than just a player avatar. I know this is a contentious point with some, but I don't play games to be myself, and the way DA2 let me shape Hawke's motives while still being able to enjoy her interactions with the other characters was a balance I haven't experienced, though Shepard in ME3 comes close (but not in the previous titles). The Dominant Tone system really helped with this, and I found it very easy to role-play Hawke's shifting moods without either being penalised (ala ME2's Paragon/Renegade system) or being taken out of character. I only play female Hawke, who I've heard is better for this than male Hawke (who has more differentiation between tones).
- The Companions. The companions in DA2 are probably some of the most nuanced and human characters I've encountered in a videogame, and I love them all. Writing team: keep writing brilliant characters, whoever they happen to be. Also, major kudos on portraying non-heteronormative sexualities, so keep doing that. One thing I definitely want to see more of is the way they interacted with each other, built up friendships and rivalries, even romantic relationships or at least romantic feelings. Keep writing people, and you will not go wrong. Secial mention goes to Aveline, because she is awesome, and Isabela, because she is awesome in a totally different way. Iconic appearances are good, but have more variety and the ability to switch between them. And not just reskins, design 2-3 unique outfits, like Merril and her romance costume.
- The Story. I actually give a lot of (maybe too much) credit for the story DA2 tried to tell, rather than the story it ended up telling. By that I mean I enjoyed the more human, personal, political story it attempted, where there wasn't an overarching villain to be defeated, it was just a bunch of people in various dire situations trying to make the world a better place, except maybe Quentin, who was just insane. I feel this is the story DA2 tried to tell. It failed, however, primarily due to the fact everyone goes crazy, and the fact that the Idol disappeared for 3/4 of the narrative only to radically undermine the motivations and character of the arguably core antagonist (from a certain perspective, you could argue that the primary anatagonist was in fact Anders). I'll talk more about this under the negatives. If I had to sum up the things I liked about the story, they were: Lack of a clear antagonist, more personal focus,
- Friendship/Rivalry. This was a fantastic step in the right direction with regards to the character relationships. Keep it, maybe differentiate it a bit more or expand on it in terms of differences of interaction.
The Combat and Epic Boss Fights ™. I
loved the DA2 combat. Could it be a bit slower to help with realism?
Maybe. But I like the stylised look as it is. One thing I loved was the
unique boss encounters, notably the Ancient Rock Wraith, Meredith, and
Corypheus and Duke Prosper from the DLC. These unique encounters really
help with tension and I like the unique mechanics they have. These are
great, please build them more. Also, when you have epic optional bosses,
please make them unique. Don't have Hybris and Xebenkeck looking just
like normal demons. Give them style and impact. Obviously, the repetetive waves was annoyign and immersion-breaking, but the tam improved on this in the DLC, so I won't dwell on it longer.
The Negative:
- Recycled areas. Obviously. And as much as you can rationalise it with Varric's lazy storytelling, it just doesn't cut it. The DLC was a great step forward with this, but it really harmed the experience of the core game because it felt like you'd done 3 replays by the end of your first playthrough. Part of DAO, and even Awakening, that was great was the variety in areas that helped to set the mood. This was largely lacking in DA2, and what there was was brief (Deep Roads, Sundermount, for example).
- Kirkwall/The Setting. Considering we spend 7 years in Kirkwall, the entire city is simply a disappointment. The architecture is beautiful, and the city looks great, but it isn't a city. It isn't alive. I actually think that Kirkwall could have benefitted greatly from a more 'open world' approach, allowing Hawke & co. to run up that great stairway to Hightown, explore the tunnels of Darktown, filled with miasma and chokedamp. Basically, if you have a story based all around a single city, that city has to be a character. It has to live and breathe, particularly when the protagonist spends such an extensive length of time there. Here are some suggestions I would make if I were re-designing DA2:
- First, split the game up into more shorter acts more evenly spread. Maybe have five acts instead of three, or as many as six or seven. 1 year to six month time skips are better in terms of character inaction.
- Base each act around a specific event/crisis that makes a physical or atmospheric difference to the presentation. Think of the Carnivale in Assassin's Creed II, with people walking around in masks, games and stalls and a great ambiance. One of DA2's acts could have been based around a similar event, maybe a tournament or festival, or a great noble banquet in Hightown, where we could maybe have experienced some circle mages who were performing, ala your father Malcolm. This could give you covert insight into the Gallows, maybe with you helping/hindering an escape attempt. This ties it into the overarching narrative while also offering setting and context.
- Make the setting make sense. Don't have blatantly non-tranquil mages in the gallows courtyard selling wares when the entire setting is telling you how they are locked up. It's just incongruous. Have them there in act 1, and then have the stalls diminish as the game goes on, even if the entire area just becomes a pointless wasteland in terms of content. It helps atmosphere. Also, don't have them selling mage goods at all. It makes no sense. Have a member of the mage underground have a stall in Darktown, in some tiny, tucked-away place that makes it seem like they're hiding.
- The Story. DA2 tried and failed to be a well-told story about political intrigue and human failings. This doesn't mean the team should not try again, however the main narrative is lacking in a number of respects. Here are some of them.
- Don't kill off characters at the start of the story purely for emotional impact when we haven't learned to care for them yet, seeing as it then has no impact at all. I'm talking specifically about Bethany and Carver, here, obviously, whose loss was onyl really impactful if you started a new game and had some memories of the one who died from your previous playthrough. Starting in Lothering (Mage) or Ostagar (Warrior/Rogue) would have solved this, since you would have gotten to know Bethany or Carver prior to their deaths. Alternatively having both survive and then having one die in Act 1 in a kind of ME1-style Virmiresque situation, without the nuke.
- The Idol. Its role in the narrative is fairly crucial, but it is never explained and it is absent for most of the story. Either cut it entirely, or flesh it out more. Keep this in mind for future plot-centric items in 'The Next Thing ™'.
- Meredith. She is only fleshed out if you side with her. Her dialogue about her sister is completely absent in a pro-mage playthrough. This is pretty poor, since it greatly humanises her and she has little enough screentime as it is. Additionally, for the little characterisation she got, the Idol performed a massive character assassination, reducing a potentially complex antagonist to 'LOL Magic Insanity', which is both cliche and offensive. Similarly, Orsino. Like Meredith he was underdeveloped and needed more screentime. Also fighting him made no sense on a pro-mage playthrough. I know that the fight was added because someone felt the need for another boss fight. This is not a good direction to work with. One thing I applaud ME3's ending for is its lack of a final boss, because it didn't fit the mood. If boss fight doesn't fit the mood and is shoehorned in, the players will know. Just don't do it.
Non-Combat Skills, or the extreme lack of them. I liked the alteration of the Persuasion mechanic away froma fixed score to a personality type, but the others should have stayed. Bring back the skills from DAO, with NPCs (or players with high ranks) creating the one-of-a-kind unique artefacts like the Dragonscale set, the Heartwood Bow/Shield, or Vigilance.
I'll probably think of more later, but I need to head out now so here is my present feedback.
Seriously, looking forward to whatever your next project is. May I like my new hero as much as I like Hawke.
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It Better less quests but more interesting. 
You don't HAVE to do this, yet you do. Thank you!
