I am now imagining young drunk Solas at a God party getting weird.
"HAHA HEY GUYS! GUUUYYYSSS!! I'M PEEING MAGIC! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Dirthamen giving him a high five while June is just like "omg men".
Then all the other gods are like "Shutup June".
LULLLLLLZZ. Another reason why I'm proud to have (what I think is) June's Vallaslin! Biggest Rick-Roll EVER.
So I know some people were discussing the Old Gods and such, and I found it interesting how 7 of the elven pantheon members are locked away, and there are 7 Old God dragons.
Just some random food for thought. Aren't there some theories that the Elves started the Blight as well? Hmm.
Solas people!! I have neglected you but I need your help!
One of my friends is a very talented artist and I commissioned him to draw my Quiz with Solas but I want him to wear the outfit on his romance tarot card!! Is there an outfit ingame that looks like that?
So I know some people were discussing the Old Gods and such, and I found it interesting how 7 of the elven pantheon members are locked away, and there are 7 Old God dragons.
Just some random food for thought. Aren't there some theories that the Elves started the Blight as well? Hmm.
Yep! There's quite a few of us who have speculated they might be one in the same. The only evidence against it is that Solas says they're not. But, there's every possibility that Solas is either unaware, or they've become so far detached from what they once were that he won't deem to call them as such.
It does seem like a fairly huge coincidence if they are unrelated. Particularly now that we know that the elven gods favored dragon forms and even considered it a crime for a non-god to assume the form.
I'm actually ok with the huge maps and everything. A couple like Hinterlands and Hissing Wastes are GIANT and sometimes a pain to run around in, but ultimately I like the feel of actually being able to explore areas without being too railroaded like the previous games. Instead of picking a location on the map and going to a dungeon, you actually get to have a sense of what Ferelden and Orlais are like as countries. It's staggering how different the ruins, landscape, and clutter are different for each of the very different cultures that live there.
It gives me a better sense of immersion if I can see the land that the Inquisition is fighting for. There are lots of stories and snippets of lore that were introduced in the previous two games, but you can't actually run around the Frostbacks and SEE the cliffs and peaks that make them worth writing about. You just get to go up a little path to the gates of Orzammar.
DAO felt pretty big since there were lots of side areas and places to go, but the areas themselves were pretty small maps made for specific purposes. DA2 felt even smaller since all you had were lots of reused areas and only 2 major places to go (Kirkwall and Sundermount). DAI has lots of areas to explore, and they are all unique. They all have a different feel. They all can tie in to the Inquisition developing a presence as the Inquisitor builds their power to try and find ways to hold against Coryphetus, and restore order that the past year or two ultimately shredded via war.
While I do like exploring places just to find nuggets of ancient elf lore, I think the unfortunate thing is that it makes the main storyline just wilt.
Why am I going to all these places? If they all had lead-ins like the Hinterlands or Crestwood, I would be more okay with it, but there's no reason to go to some of the maps, especially if you take your advisors seriously that there really is danger looming overhead.
Not to mention that in my latest playthrough I've not even visited Adamant Fortress yet and I'm level 16 with about 140 power points. Yeah, the main storyline just feels like a flaccid balloon at this point.
But yeah, this is way OT and has been rehashed in other threads. Sorry!
Solas people!! I have neglected you but I need your help!
One of my friends is a very talented artist and I commissioned him to draw my Quiz with Solas but I want him to wear the outfit on his romance tarot card!! Is there an outfit ingame that looks like that?
I think it looks close to Battlemage Mail. Battlemage something, since it has the fur over the shoulder thing, and is most similar in design.
FYI June is male, but otherwise I highly approve.
I stand by what i said!
I wonder why people are more interested in some characters over others in the first place. The moment Patrick described Solas as average, introverted, and highly intelligent, I developed a strong first impression and thought i'd love him immediately, but that didn't happen. Appreciating his character has been a slow development, but i am enjoying it, since this means i am still interested in the character Patrick wrote and actually more invested in the lore than before. Him openly explaining the care he put into writing Solas encourages me to look into the content more than i have done. I am pleased that they added the romance and If i were the writer i wouldn't want any less, especially if it meant making things 'sadder', which also means, making for a much more meaningful story.
Concerning Levallan, I personally don't see why she would be someone Solas would ever like, or one any of the characters would care for, and that made interpreting him during the first play through difficult. The game's characters say she is great and important, but I don't see it. I didn't really care for her, and this was the case until Solas left. Having her heart wounded actually solidified the character i wanted to play.
I can see that writing characters you care for is not simple. Which makes me want to ask, how did you all see the relationship between the Levallan and Solas? and what about Levallan herself, as her own character?
I like the overarching plot, but the inquisitor falls short as a meaningful character to me.
I had a hard time figuring out what kind of character my Inqusitior would be, and I wonder if it's because this is the first game in the franchise without any sort of build-up to the main arc. In Origins you have the origin stories, and even after that there's a brief time where you wander around before becoming a Warden and accepting the role of THE Hero. In DA2 pretty much the whole first year is Hawke running around being a refugee and trying not to let their family starve: they only become a "hero" in the second and third parts. The Inquisitor is given their role immediately. There's no part where we get to learn how they would act before they're given the responsibility of saving the world. Thus there isn't really a way for us to see the progression of the Inquisitior, since the Big Change in their lives happens before we even start the game.
Anyway, so I've headcanoned her past/history (spoilers for length).
As for what Solas sees in her...I think exactly what he says: She's wise, she thinks not just of her own fate but of the fate of the people. She tries to learn more about everything, and then internalizes that new knowledge instead of dismissing it out of habit. Plus she cares about him, and sees him for "himself" rather than as "just" the Dread Wolf, or "just" a deity, or "just" a flat-ear. I imagine he's pretty used to people putting him in a box, and Lavellan doesn't. That in and of itself is probably special.
Yeah...beats me...unless he doesn't recognize Solas in his diminished form, and most of his godly essence has dissipated. Or something. It also intrigues me that Cole refers to people repeatedly as not being "real," and Solas says that Seeker (magic-negating) abilities declare the world "real," as if the physical world is the construct, and not the Fade.
That's especially interesting when you take into account Cole's comments about the Inquisitor being "real", and how it changes everything, but it can't.
Yep! There's quite a few of us who have speculated they might be one in the same. The only evidence against it is that Solas says they're not. But, there's every possibility that Solas is either unaware, or they've become so far detached from what they once were that he won't deem to call them as such.
It does seem like a fairly huge coincidence if they are unrelated. Particularly now that we know that the elven gods favored dragon forms and even considered it a crime for a non-god to assume the form.
Ohohoh! Very interesting. That is certainly an evidence against it, but those possibilities are equally likely as well. It's just a coincidence that I kind of "hmmm"'d over. And that is true, I'm just starting out to form the theory along with the bits and pieces I skimmed over from yesterday and I missed that connection!
What about the theories in which the Elves started the Blight? I've seen those around in the thread but my eyes just kind of glazed over.
I wonder why people are more interested in some characters over others in the first place. The moment Patrick described Solas as average, introverted, and highly intelligent, I developed a strong first impression and thought i'd love him immediately, but that didn't happen. Appreciating his character has been a slow development, but i am enjoying it, since this means i am still interested in the character Patrick wrote and actually more invested in the lore than before. Him openly explaining the care he put into writing Solas encourages me to look into the content more than i have done. I am pleased that they added the romance and If i were the writer i wouldn't want any less, especially if it meant making things 'sadder', which also means, making for a much more meaningful story.
Concerning Levallan, I personally don't see why she would be someone Solas would ever like, or one any of the characters would care for, and that made interpreting him during the first play through difficult. The game's characters say she is great and important, but I don't see it. I didn't really care for her, and this was the case until Solas left. Having her heart wounded actually solidified the character i wanted to play.
I can see that writing characters you care for is not simple. Which makes me want to ask, how did you all see the relationship between the Levallan and Solas? and what about Levallan herself, as her own character?
I like the overarching plot, but the inquisitor falls short as a meaningful character to me.
Hmm, well, I would say it's her subtly and non black and white way of thinking (which is demonstrated if you manage to get high approval with him). In particular, with the way he takes her specifically to a place where the "veil is thin" for the final romance scene, I thought they both shared a mutual understanding and bond over the idea that the veil ought to come down. Not the way it was currently happening, because everything went wrong, but in another world maybe. Maybe he never expected to find a modern elf who thought that way.
Yep! There's quite a few of us who have speculated they might be one in the same. The only evidence against it is that Solas says they're not. But, there's every possibility that Solas is either unaware, or they've become so far detached from what they once were that he won't deem to call them as such.
It does seem like a fairly huge coincidence if they are unrelated. Particularly now that we know that the elven gods favored dragon forms and even considered it a crime for a non-god to assume the form.
The quote is "There is nothing written in the lore connecting the Old Gods to my people."
Lmao!Someone needs to make a comic out of this. XDI am now imagining young drunk Solas at a God party getting weird.
"HAHA HEY GUYS! GUUUYYYSSS!! I'M PEEING MAGIC! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Dirthamen giving him a high five while June is just like "omg men".
Then all the other gods are like "Shutup June".
While I do like exploring places just to find nuggets of ancient elf lore, I think the unfortunate thing is that it makes the main storyline just wilt.
Why am I going to all these places? If they all had lead-ins like the Hinterlands or Crestwood, I would be more okay with it, but there's no reason to go to some of the maps, especially if you take your advisors seriously that there really is danger looming overhead.
Not to mention that in my latest playthrough I've not even visited Adamant Fortress yet and I'm level 16 with about 140 power points. Yeah, the main storyline just feels like a flaccid balloon at this point.
But yeah, this is way OT and has been rehashed in other threads. Sorry!
True. You could probably safely avoid the Fallow Mire, or the one desert map that just has "large Venatori groups gathering." Others have some nice leads though, like Emprise with the Red Templar mining. That's clearly dangerous, and cutting off supply of red lyrium would be a clear win.
I think the point is to give options. No, the Inquisition doesn't have to do everything, but people would still be disappointed if Bioware only made the more "clear cut" maps available. Easy stuff like Fallow Mire and Storm Coast are beginning maps because you're not supposed to have a lot of influence. Gotta go somewhere to find resources, and if you can find your missing soldiers, great.
That being said, I do agree that the power/influence gained ratio is a little overwhelming. There is no shortage for power ever and it seems like everything you do gets +X Power. I get that it's supposed to be a failsafe against people just cruising the main story, but the costs ought to be higher to explore places, or there should be more things to spend your influence on.
What about the theories in which the Elves started the Blight? I've seen those around in the thread but my eyes just kind of glazed over.
The elves might not have started the blight, but they may have been the first to discover red lyrium. There's also some dwarf lore about it, but unfortunately I'm not as well versed in dwarf lore.
The main evidence supporting elves and the blight/red lyrium is:
- Andruil's story. She would go into the void and hunt, and return each time infected with a madness. She built armor to protect herself from the crazy rays, and wore it so long that everyone forgot her face. But it didn't stop the madness. Eventually, Mythal had to purge the memory of the void from her head to get her to stop.
- The similarities between Arlathan and the Black City. It has been speculated that they are one in the same.
- The red lyrium in the fade sings of beings that are trapped, longing to be free. Cole later uses similar words to describe the people that Solas trapped. [Presumably, the elven gods.]
- The elven gods became corrupt and violent. Although this did not need the blight or red lyrium to happen.
- The whispers in Mythal's well, when played backwards, reference 'the calling'.
I believe that is all the direct connections. May have forgotten one or two things.
The quote is "There is nothing written in the lore connecting the Old Gods to my people."
Spoiler
Hah! Very good point. I did not actually remember his wording.
The elves might not have started the blight, but they may have been the first to discover red lyrium. There's also some dwarf lore about it, but unfortunately I'm not as well versed in dwarf lore.
The main evidence supporting elves and the blight/red lyrium is:
- Andruil's story. She would go into the void and hunt, and return each time infected with a madness. She built armor to protect herself from the crazy rays, and wore it so long that everyone forgot her face. But it didn't stop the madness. Eventually, Mythal had to purge the memory of the void from her head to get her to stop.
- The similarities between Arlathan and the Black City. It has been speculated that they are one in the same.
- The red lyrium in the fade sings of beings that are trapped, longing to be free. Cole later uses similar words to describe the people that Solas trapped. [Presumably, the elven gods.]
- The elven gods became corrupt and violent. Although this did not need the blight or red lyrium to happen.
- The whispers in Mythal's well, when played backwards, reference 'the calling'.
I believe that is all the direct connections. May have forgotten one or two things.
WOAAAAAAAH.
This is....this is good. I like this.
I really like this, oop.
Well, I don't want to get too far off topic discussing Anders, but I just meant that if you chose to complete the romance and stay with him (whether your Hawke approved or not), other people's negative reactions to him in DAI shouldn't have been surprising or unexpected. Anders outright tells Hawke they will be hated, and they are. That's part of the price you're accepting.
The quote is "There is nothing written in the lore connecting the Old Gods to my people."
That sounds like he would really like to avoid the subject, and would highly prefer it if they didn't start making connections and doing research to find out if there IS a connection. Solas tends to be rather precise in his wording on subjects that he doesn't want to give too much information on.
I can see that writing characters you care for is not simple. Which makes me want to ask, how did you all see the relationship between the Levallan and Solas? and what about Levallan herself, as her own character?
I like the overarching plot, but the inquisitor falls short as a meaningful character to me.
Heh, I had the opposite reaction to you. Solas's romance kinda made me fall in love with my own character alongside him. Of course, this will be variable because you can play her multiple ways. But the way I played her, she was serious about her duty to the Inquisition, but also wry and funny among her friends. I specifically talked about her wrt the romance in my last post, so I'll just quote myself:
I love the way Lavellan acts during the romance (or, well, at least the way that I RPed her). Confident, loving, and always reaching out to him. The "take all the time you need" option after the first kiss was wonderful. And the way she steps in after Solas has to help his spirit friend die, and says "I heard what she said, and she's right". Just the way AWR voiced that line broke my heart in the best possible way; compassionate and worried and understanding. I can really see how he fell so in love with her. But she's also a person, a person who loves him just as much as he loves her. And who is confused and upset and possibly self-recriminating after that final romance scene. The Inquisitor just felt so much more real to me after that.
From my Inquisitor's perspective, the first half of the game was a time of great confusion. She wasn't really sure what her role was in the Inquisition, since she didn't believe herself to be the Herald of Andraste, and was not okay with the idea of being a figurehead. But she also wanted to help people, and her role as Keeper's First had prepared her for taking responsibility. And then there was Solas, who seemed to be so knowledgeable and sure of himself. She found talking to him strangely comforting, because he didn't sugarcoat things. Then came In Hushed Whispers, where she saw what would happen if she failed. In the future, Solas gave his life to give her the chance to make things right. And when she got back to the present, those feelings of guilt and gratitude and protectiveness stayed. Basically, the whole game up to getting Skyhold was one long process of her falling in love with him.
In the second half of the game, the situation is reversed. Now the Inquisitor has a purpose, and knows what she wants. It's Solas that keeps getting punched in the gut. First by the realization that he has feelings for Lavellan, which he knows is a very bad idea, and yet he can't stop himself. Then by the death of his friend. Remember what Solas says in the balcony scene? Her understanding and thoughtfulness is what drew him to her. He sees her trying so hard to use her power, the power he accidentally gave her, in order to make the world a better place. She's doing what he always wanted to do, and she seems to be succeeding. Out of everyone who could have gotten the power of the anchor, it was her, a person who has the integrity, the will, and the intelligence to possibly "change everything."
I think his appreciation for her understanding has a more personal meaning, too. He sees her openmindedness and thinks, "Maybe I've finally found someone I can confide in." Every time she matches his rhythm, gets on his wavelength, he approves. He wants so badly for someone to understand him. And everything Lavellan does reinforces that she could be the one; when she agrees to help him save his friend, when she helps him even though his friend looks like the same kind of monster she's been fighting all along, when she comforts him in his grief and says that he doesn't need to be alone anymore. She, the person he's been admiring from a distance, is offering him what he wants more than anything.
What I love about this romance is that it's not a one-sided thing. Both of them want this so much it hurts. And it's a relationship that spans the entire game.
I'm actually ok with the huge maps and everything. A couple like Hinterlands and Hissing Wastes are GIANT and sometimes a pain to run around in, but ultimately I like the feel of actually being able to explore areas without being too railroaded like the previous games. Instead of picking a location on the map and going to a dungeon, you actually get to have a sense of what Ferelden and Orlais are like as countries. It's staggering how different the ruins, landscape, and clutter are different for each of the very different cultures that live there.
It gives me a better sense of immersion if I can see the land that the Inquisition is fighting for. There are lots of stories and snippets of lore that were introduced in the previous two games, but you can't actually run around the Frostbacks and SEE the cliffs and peaks that make them worth writing about. You just get to go up a little path to the gates of Orzammar.
DAO felt pretty big since there were lots of side areas and places to go, but the areas themselves were pretty small maps made for specific purposes. DA2 felt even smaller since all you had were lots of reused areas and only 2 major places to go (Kirkwall and Sundermount). DAI has lots of areas to explore, and they are all unique. They all have a different feel. They all can tie in to the Inquisition developing a presence as the Inquisitor builds their power to try and find ways to hold against Coryphetus, and restore order that the past year or two ultimately shredded via war.
Sorry for continuing this off-topic discussion.
i think where a lot of the back-lash and negativity stems from is that we're used to being hand-held to a point in BioWare games. Yes we get to choose in which order we take on the story. But largely what it has been is, pick up all of the quests, go to the map with the quest you want to do, scour every inch (if you're a completionist) so you don't miss anything. Then when the quests are done, move onto the next story area. For the most part you rarely return to any of these places once the story has moved on from it. We have choice in what order we tackle it, but it's really quite linear. And every side quest is tied directly to the area you're going to, and it feels like it's more main story relevant. DAI kind of lets you explore and quest anywhere you want, at all times. And since so much isn't required, in a sense, it gives the illusion of not being important to the plot.
But this is a RPG. The side stuff is only as important to the story as you make it. I don't need the game to tell me "hey fix Crestwood cuz if you don't it might have ramifications later!". I fix Crestwood because I want to. I think the mistake a lot of us make is doing content we don't care about just because it's there, and we're so used to "if I don't do X then I might not get the ending I want because of assets etc". BioWare is letting us decide for ourselves what's important, what we enjoy, and how much of it we want to do. I am someone that has a hard time not doing all of the things, even if it's playthrough #9. Previous games though I always felt like I had to because a lot of the time it had a tangible effect on something if I skipped it. I like that in DAI I do things because I want to experience the content, not because I feel like I am ruining my ending if I don't.
I like the direction the franchise is going in. That doesn't mean there aren't things I didn't like. Sometimes the game is too big. While I loooooooved the main story, I wish there was more. For the most part I think this was a successful experiment. I like that the Dragon Age team isn't afraid to take risks and change how they tell their story. I hope the next game has a better balance between hoooge world and main story/character development.
Attempt to make this more on topic:
I hope they change their minds on expansions. Not to be greedy and demanding, but I would be so happy with a Solas focused large DLC. No not for the romance. (that's an enjoyable side benefit) I love his character whether I romance him or not. This is the first time a DA game has let you still play post-ending, and I just can't bring myself to because I love dragging Solas everywhere, and now I can't.
How awesome would a Solas DLC be where you venture into old ruins for clues. Eventually finding his temple (if he has one). Or somehow following him into the fade for a confrontation? I think that would be a lot of fun.
I'm actually ok with the huge maps and everything. A couple like Hinterlands and Hissing Wastes are GIANT and sometimes a pain to run around in, but ultimately I like the feel of actually being able to explore areas without being too railroaded like the previous games. Instead of picking a location on the map and going to a dungeon, you actually get to have a sense of what Ferelden and Orlais are like as countries. It's staggering how different the ruins, landscape, and clutter are different for each of the very different cultures that live there.
It gives me a better sense of immersion if I can see the land that the Inquisition is fighting for. There are lots of stories and snippets of lore that were introduced in the previous two games, but you can't actually run around the Frostbacks and SEE the cliffs and peaks that make them worth writing about. You just get to go up a little path to the gates of Orzammar.
DAO felt pretty big since there were lots of side areas and places to go, but the areas themselves were pretty small maps made for specific purposes. DA2 felt even smaller since all you had were lots of reused areas and only 2 major places to go (Kirkwall and Sundermount). DAI has lots of areas to explore, and they are all unique. They all have a different feel. They all can tie in to the Inquisition developing a presence as the Inquisitor builds their power to try and find ways to hold against Coryphetus, and restore order that the past year or two ultimately shredded via war.
Yeah, I'm on the Wolf Hunt DLC train, but I also really want some new big maps. I don't see them as mutually exclusive things, lol. You can have story dungeons in a map (which seems to be the idea for DLC going forward as far as I've read). And I love the exploring, and finding stuff. Kinda hoping Solas went to hide in Serault's weird forest. Which, interestingly enough, is described as being as far west as civilization in Thedas gets...and everyone is going west these days for some reason....
The quote is "There is nothing written in the lore connecting the Old Gods to my people."
Spoiler
I find myself over analyzing the way he structures his sentences. And I wonder too if PW just wrote it that way on purpose just so that we'd have this reaction! 
What a bugger.
Raise your hand if you think June was the dork everyone hated in the God Group, but they always invited him anyway because he was still their friend.
Poor June. Perhaps it is telling that the Dalish essentially forgot about him, and reworked him into the god of crafts. I wonder what he was originally the patron of.
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