I was very happy my Dalish Warrior could acknowledge her heritage without being bigoted for example.
My Dalish rogue let those humans in the woods go free. And it ended up causing trouble for the clan. Only good shemlen is a dead one, hm?
But yeah, the Dalish come in all stripes, just like anyone else.
I was very happy my Dalish Warrior could acknowledge her heritage without being bigoted for example.
Dalish heritage has nothing to do with being bigoted.
Some use it as an excuse to be however
Some use it as an excuse to be however
It seems I hit a nerve. 
How fun.
Just like Andrastian humans, then.
Andrastian humans don't believe they are the only real humans however...
As long as the Inquisitor can espress her dislike for the Dalish ways and be friendly with the city elf condition, I'm fine with a Dalish background.
in a way, it would be even better this way for me, at least. If I had a city elf background, I doubt I would have resisted the instict to create an Inquisitor version of my main Warden 
that doesn't mean I would not like a city elf background. it would have been my first choice. 
but I can live with Dalish.
Dalish Elves...? Only Dalish Elves?!
I go away for a few days and I return to this!!
I was so looking forward to my spunky, no nonsense, city-slicker Elven Rogue making a return... You really love breaking my heart.
Personally I've never really been much of a fan of the Dalish, something about them has always just rubbed me the wrong way, they always came across too anti-human and self centred and highly bigoted, now I know there are exceptions to every rule, but I can't think of anytime the Dalish have actually been put in a more positive light throughout the games, most of the time I've just wanted to grab them and give them a darn good shaking.
I did do a play through in DA:O as a Dalish once and I really couldn't connect with my character the same way I did with a City Elf. Perhaps because I just found it more interesting and easier to relate to a City Elf than to a Dalish, or maybe I'm just a fan of the underdog.
But putting my own personal views and disappointment aside, most of the board here seems pretty pro-Dalish, so perhaps it was the best outcome to favour overall.
Now, Bioware, if you can deliver on a damn good Dalish character and story you may just win me over and convert me to the Dalish way of life.
(Also, please tell me that face tattoos are optional.)
I see some people are disappointed about not being a City Elf?
Fair enough, and that's too bad if that's what you were looking forward to. I'd caution anyone who decides who and what their Inquisition PC is going to be prior to knowing anything about the story and their PC's place in it or even how our character generation is going to work. You're setting yourself up for disappointment, and that applies to more fronts than just elves.
Duly warned be thee says I.
I just don't think the game will let us actually disagree with the dalish philosophy and go counter to the heavily ethnocentric viewpoint. Or if we do, I fear it'll be in just minor posts that don't amount to anything and can't alter how we're perceived as by even our companions.
It's like, the city elves perspective and all possibilities involved with it, like being a devoted andrastian, or being a pragmatic con-artist, or even having a more revolutionist mindset, are all gone now, and all that's left is, well, the "Stay pure, Stay Green" elvish point of view. And that one of the only reasons I can think for that being, is that they really want to pound it in our heads that there are only 1 type of elf and one way to be an elf that matters in this game, and it's these ones.
And you base this assumption on what? Have you played the game? No, you haven't, so you shouldn't jump to conclusions.
I see some people are disappointed about not being a City Elf?
Fair enough, and that's too bad if that's what you were looking forward to. I'd caution anyone who decides who and what their Inquisition PC is going to be prior to knowing anything about the story and their PC's place in it or even how our character generation is going to work. You're setting yourself up for disappointment, and that applies to more fronts than just elves.
Duly warned be thee says I.
You can't expect people to not be excited about the game! I had inspirational pics saved for each of the inquisitors I wanted to create; I've had to discard them because of the voice in the trailer 
I'm pretty bummed about it, but it just means now I get to start over and try to create new characters! It's all part of being a fan, really.
I love the 'Show Bioware Posts' button. So cool.
Andrastian humans don't believe they are the only real humans however...
I'd caution anyone who decides who and what their Inquisition PC is going to be prior to knowing anything about the story and their PC's place in it or even how our character generation is going to work.
I'll grant that knowing how character creation works is helpful, but how can knowing anything about the story be important? We're not supposed to know anything about the story before we play the game - just the starting position. Whatever situation the PC is in at the start of the game matters, and it's something we should know when designing our characters, but I don't want to know anything else about the story until I play it, and by then I already have my character fully fleshed-out.
I should know basically everything about what my PC has done and experienced prior to the moment when I start controlling him directly, and I should know that before I make any decisions on his behalf (including what class to be), but I should know nothing at all about what will happen after that.
Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean about knowing anything about the story or the PC's place in it. If you're talking only about the starting point, then I agree with you.
Maybe I just don't get the appeal of the City Elf origin because I didn't quite get the appeal of it back in Origins. Alienage life sucks! Cramped living spaces, poverty, squalor, alcoholism, potentially being raped and/or murdered with abandon... this is what you want as a history? The only bit of appeal I get is, according to the Codex entry on Alienage Culture:
"They say that Val Royeaux has ten thousand elves living in a space no bigger than Denerim's market. Their walls are supposedly so high that daylight doesn't reach the vhenadahl until midday."
And the only reason I find that mildly appealing is the expectation that the Colossal Titan will show up and kick in the door.
... Protagonists aren't typically bound by the rules in general because by their nature of being protagonists, they tend to rise above.
All of our PCs are special snowflakes. /nod
That is actually one issue that I have with any sort of RPG. Even though Hawke was a badass in her own right, it was also refreshing that she was a total loser when it comes to actually solving problems.
But in a single-player game it isn't so bad. One of the worst examples came when I was playing SWTOR. If you play a Jedi you're told that your master hasn't taken a padwan in a really long time, but he sees something special in you an so forth. It was really jarring to be running around and seeing some other player run out of the cave as I'm running in on some uber quest, knowing that he is also the first padwan that Master so-and-so has had in many years. The MMO environment kinda of killed the story for me with that game. The same issue is present in WoW as well, but in general the focus has always been more on the NPCs than the PCs; we're just the foot soldiers that support the big guys.
Many Andrastian humans see elves as less than people (as Duncan admits) and most view non-Andrastians as heathens. If you're going to vilify all the Dalish because of a few, you may as well condemn all of Thedas now.
It's more like the Dalish are no better than the humans they loathe.
It's more like the Dalish are no better than the humans they loathe.
That's the point in the DA universe...Grey morality.Both groups have their faults and good points,neither is completely right or wrong.
That's the point in the DA universe...Grey morality.Both groups have their faults and good points,neither is completely right or wrong.
Thus you can see why their self-righteousness irks me...
Still Merril,the Keeper,Arthas,Lanaya,Arriane and Cammen are nice so not all Dalish are bad at least.
A doss a cynicism and limiting my expectations of what the C.C. will contain and how reactive and open to self-determination being left then stellar to keep from being disappointed. Though I fully admit my initial reaction was fuelled by the unexpected revelation of all the elves being part of the faction I don't like and that I am in the far minority as far as people on this decision.
But at least you aren't alone.
Thus you can see why their self-righteousness irks me...
Still Merril,the Keeper,Arthas,Lanaya,Arriane and Cammen are nice so not all Dalish are bad at least.
Seriously,I salute the writers for making a group like the Dalish grey,there was a definitely a risk in making them look like the absolute victims of the situation.
After all much like the city elves,it's wouldn't be pleasant to be at their shoes either(even if they don't wear shoes... )Still there are many positive qualities one can find in the Dalish. In the end of the day after learning more about the Dalish warden's background you one can see that neither the city elves are complete saints either.
Seriously,I salute the writers for making a group like the Dalish grey,there was a definitely a risk in making them look like the absolute victims of the situation.
After all much like the city elves,it's wouldn't be pleasant to be at their shoes either(even if they don't wear shoes...
I think first impressions are a big part of it too my first Warden was a City Elf and Mithra being a ****** and saying flat ears are no better than their shemlem masters pissed me off and soured my view of the Dalish and having that story teller be an ass to your pc as well didn't help.
I think first impressions are a big part of it too my first Warden was a City Elf and Mithra being a ****** and saying flat ears are no better than their shemlem masters pissed me off and soured my view of the Dalish and having that story teller be an ass to your pc as well didn't help.
I don't recall getting that sort of reaction with my City Elf or my Circle Elf Wardens, huh. I actually had a pretty positive impression of Mithra in particular. But City Elves have similar views about elves who live outside the alienage and also refer to those elves as "flat ears". That's part of why I don't really understand people who have a view that City Elves are the "good elves" and Dalish Elves are the "bad elves". They can both be very insular. Some City Elves will go out of their way to harass outsiders, and some Dalish are extremely hostile. (And not without a fair amount of good reason, I might add.) Obviously that isn't always true in both cases.
I don't recall getting that sort of reaction with my City Elf or my Circle Elf Wardens, huh. I actually had a pretty positive impression of Mithra in particular. But City Elves have similar views about elves who live outside the alienage and also refer to those elves as "flat ears". That's part of why I don't really understand people who have a view that City Elves are the "good elves" and Dalish Elves are the "bad elves". They can both be very insular. Some City Elves will go out of their way to harass outsiders, and some Dalish are extremely hostile. (And not without a fair amount of good reason, I might add.) Obviously that isn't always true in both cases.
Hmm perhaps I'm remembering it wrong then but regardless a human player might have had a similar reaction to Shianni hence first impressions affecting our views.
Retour en haut