7972 réponses à ce sujet

[Gilsa]

Without spoiling anything....

This is what we've wanted.

OMG

 

Been playing all day with breaks here and there. Haven't finished it, but hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooly stone, this IS what we've wanted. Most importantly, Cadash is acknowledged as a dwarf. We get dwarf-specific icons in our conversations. I'm extremely pleased.

[EggplantRed]

Haven't finished it yet but I've been playing almost 5 hours now (with a break every now and then).

I'm loving it!

 

Not sure if this is spoilery but just to be safe:

Spoiler

Companion dialogue wise, Iron Bull has said the most so far. Dorian and Cole had maybe one or two comments. Solas had none before I swapped him out for Dorian. Frost is pretty much useless, at least early on in the maps.

[themageguy]

Been playing all day with breaks here and there. Haven't finished it, but hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooly stone, this IS what we've wanted. Most importantly, Cadash is acknowledged as a dwarf. We get dwarf-specific icons in our conversations. I'm extremely pleased.

Hey you sound like you didn't think it would be

Omg this is just sooooo awesome I just wanna shout and shimmy !

Also....
Warning end DLC spoiler ahead

Spoiler

I noticed in other threads people have said dwarves can now be mages. I don't think the Magic the shaper seemed to cast was fade derivative magic like what an elf or human uses. To me, it seemed that she drew upon the Titans power instead. This is kind of like how a d&d cleric casts spells, by drawing upon his/her God/goddess power.
Also this may open up the possibility of allowing us to play a Mage class for a dwarf- only it would be a shaper and would probably involve stone spells and hopefully buffs.

[Gilsa]

Haven't finished it yet but I've been playing almost 5 hours now (with a break every now and then).

I'm loving it!

 

Not sure if this is spoilery but just to be safe:

Spoiler

Companion dialogue wise, Iron Bull has said the most so far. Dorian and Cole had maybe one or two comments. Solas had none before I swapped him out for Dorian. Frost is pretty much useless, at least early on in the maps.

 

My response to your spoiler (re: companions):

 

Spoiler

I took Varric, Blackwall, and Solas. Varric said the most to the point where I wondered if he was overriding the others due to the fact he was a dwarf. Blackwall had a couple obligatory Grey Warden/darkspawn comments. Solas said very, very little. I think something at the beginning and something at the end.

Good to know about IB. I wanted to take him and Cole next.

 

Hey you sound like you didn't think it would be

Omg this is just sooooo awesome I just wanna shout and shimmy !

Also....
Warning end DLC spoiler ahead

Spoiler

I noticed in other threads people have said dwarves can now be mages. I don't think the Magic the shaper seemed to cast was fade derivative magic like what an elf or human uses. To me, it seemed that she drew upon the Titans power instead. This is kind of like how a d&d cleric casts spells, by drawing upon his/her God/goddess power.
Also this may open up the possibility of allowing us to play a Mage class for a dwarf- only it would be a shaper and would probably involve stone spells and hopefully buffs.

 

I actually thought they'd do something like that since they've done the same for the main game, but I wanted to be sure to spell that out for people peeking in on the dwarf thread wondering what our reactions are to a dwarf DLC. I've read that the Dalish elf has the unfortunate bug of having to ask Morrigan about the dalish history at the Well of Sorrows and come across as ignorant, but fortunately that was not the case at all for Cadash.

[EggplantRed]

I've finished the main DLC story at 7 hours. I still haven't gotten into the side quests yet but I definitely will. I loved it and now I need moar! So much dwarf lore 

Picked up some nice schematics and other gear. Can't compare them to JoH drops though since I never played it.

 

Spoiler

A little disappointed there wasn't a new T4 material for the deep roads. Would have been nice if you could have collected lyrium infused materials or something that would have been specific to the area. 

Now for the story, so we were literally in the body of a Titan. You couldn't even see an endpoint when you looked off the bridge before descending down in the wellspring. And how many are there?

[Cespar]

Ok. I haven't read anything in this thread, but can you guys post pictures of your character in armor from the DLC?

[ComedicSociopathy]

Just finished Descent and it sure was something. 

 

Spoiler

The confirmation that the Titans and Stone actually exist was interesting and the introduction of a dwarf mage was fantastic. Disappointed that no possible connection between the the Titans and the Creators was never even mentioned, but I suppose that might be in the last DLC or DA 4.

 

The ending also bothered me a little. I mean, Valta becomes the first dwarf mage but then immediately decides to stay in the Wellspring and do vague possibly important stuff instead of revealing herself to Orzammar. Come on. If your going to change the Status Quo you might as well have its repercussions impact the setting and the its people.

 

[Gilsa]

Ok. I haven't read anything in this thread, but can you guys post pictures of your character in armor from the DLC?

 

Dwarf female warrior with the 2H weapon and 1H + shield (purple weapon drops and the crafted version are the same graphic).

 

Spoiler

 

 

I took screenshots of all the tier 4 crafted stuff so you can see the stats.

 

Spoiler

[Cespar]

Dwarf female warrior with the 2H weapon and 1H + shield (purple weapon drops and the crafted version are the same graphic).

 

Spoiler

 

 

I took screenshots of all the tier 4 crafted stuff so you can see the stats.

 

Spoiler

Thank you, Gilsa  . You're the real MVP! Back to hiding  !

[90s Kai]

Holy crap! I just finished the DLC and I have so many questions! But the first and foremost one... Why was that boss battle so insanely hard? I mean, maybe it's just me but my God! I died about 10 times!

[Andreas Amell]

Okay. I still haven't played the Descent yet, but what I've peeked on online supports a story I wanted for Kal Hirol's post-Awakening history. 

 

After the attack on Amarathine, it was learned the darkspawns new armor was forged in Kal Hirol. House Helmi declared they must reclaim it, for all their sakes, and for dwarven pride. The campaign to re-occupy Kal Hirol relied on securing a path through the Deep Roads. The King of Orzammar (whether it be Bhelen or Pyrrol) came up with a strategy of having two armies attack from both ends and fight until they meet in the middle. As Kal Hirol was already cleansed of darkspawn in 'Awakening' he made the bold move to send an army over the surface, secure it, and prepare to mobilize. 

 

However, the forces in Kal Hirol were insufficient to hold the city and send march out to clear the Deep Roads. It can be argued it was the smaller force because many did not agree with marching over the surface. The Hero of Ferelden decided to help, securing additional support from Denerim and the Grey Wardens in Orlais. Grey Warden Commander Clarel, who was disappointed in missing out in the Fifth Blight, eagerly sent a legion to help. But this angered many of the nobles back in the Assembly. A day after Orzammar deployed its forces from Caridin's Cross, the Assembly held a session demanding a halt to the campaign to argue the need of surfacer forces. However, this caused great confusion as the forces in Kal Hirol were ordred to remain in waiting. The King grew frustrated but helpless to sway opponents. The commander of the Orzammar-side forces grew angry when he was told to draw back to Caridin's Cross, and returned to Assembly to argue against the deadlock. 

 

Unfortunately, events quickly deteriorated. With the commander of the Orzammar-side forces back at the capital, some of those left in charge wished to secure a rediscovered lyrium vein along the Roads. They broke up the forces and caused more disarray. It was only a matter of time before they drew the attention of the darkspawn. Meanwhile, at Kal Hirol, many commanders grew impatient and fearful. While they managed to secure Kal Hirol, scouts were sent ahead. News of the Assembly deadlock reached them many days later, and scouts returned with reports of increased darkspawn movement near their intended path. Commander Clarel, not wishing to repeat the mistakes of the Fifth Blight, demanded they deploy immediately. Unfortunately, the dwarven commander of Kal Hirol's occupying forces held fast to Orzammar's orders. 

 

Among the dwarven warriors in Kal Hirol's army, many of them had taken part in the Proving fights during the Hero of Ferelden's visit. They realized too much was at stake and relieved their commander of his 'duty'. After a heavy drinking binge, they left him behind while they marched off. A day after a few skirmishes, they managed to reach the Orzammar forces. Darkspawn hordes had surrounded the troops that coveted the lyrium deposits. Cut off from the main force, they were desperately entrenched. With the aide of the Grey Wardens and Denerim's soldiers, they rushed to their rescue. 

 

The battle was harsh and long. Among the warriors was Baizyl Harrowmont. He managed to find the Bemot husband of his secret love, Revelka Aeducan. Unfortunately, Revelka's husband suffered fatal injuries and died fighitng alongside his rival. With sorrowful duty, Baizyl personally returned his body to Orzammar. Many Grey Wardens died sacrificing themselves. But ultimately, they all managed to secure the roads to Kal Hirol.

 

Victory would grow bitter at the capital. The commander of the Kal Hirol forces demanded the mutinous warriors be cast out. Amusingly, he could not determine which dwarves got him drunk. But in a show of solidarity, Baizyl Harrowmont, Wojeck Ivo, Seweryn, Gwiddon, and Hanashan all challenged their commander to a Proving Battle to prove who was right. Their victory was quick as it was controversial, for afterwards the Shaperate announced the Grey Wardens and Ferelden forces would not be recognized in the campaign's history. In another show of solidarity for their comrades in arms, they announced they would stay in Kal Hirol as its protectors. To this day, many of those veterans resent the criticism against Commander Clarel for the events at Adamant fortress. Kal Hirol would honor the Grey Wardens' help by supplying any smithing needs. But Orzammar's army would suffer division over how the campaign was handled. Many warriors decide to work under a noble house instead, ignoring any call for army deployment. This makes the Legion of the Dead the largest force in the empire. In the days to come, they would establish a strong presence in three areas. They keep a small legion back at the Deep Trenches. The newly reclaimed Ortan Thaig has the second largest detachment. Kal Hirol enjoys the biggest presence.

 

The place would quickly be restored as a major source of production and development. Farmers of Amaranthine would establish strong links because they supply the majority of their food. Gwyn, the surface dwarf from Redcliffe Village, is hired to oversee trade relations on Ferelden's behalf. He and many others would reside in Knotwood Hills, which is rebuilt to act as a joint trading hub. Many good days would follow until the attack at Haven. A small group of red templars and Venatori attack the lyrium caravans coming out of Kal Hirol. Soldiers from Knotwood and Kal Hirol quickly manage to put them down. But Orzammar reacts by closing off all dwarven entrances from the surface. Lyrium trade becomes extremely guarded, angering many on both sides. But Amaranthine's farmers would riot because they are left with unsold harvests. Lord Eddelbrek and Gwyn are among those caught in the middle with little authority to budge Orzammar. 

[draken-heart]

Dwarf female warrior with the 2H weapon and 1H + shield (purple weapon drops and the crafted version are the same graphic).

 

Spoiler

 

 

I took screenshots of all the tier 4 crafted stuff so you can see the stats.

 

Spoiler

 

Dat defender armor...

[themageguy]

The Defenders are so much more awesome than the elven Sentinels

[themageguy]

I wonder about Dwarven Templars now.

I wonder if they don't suffer the negative effects like a human does, rather it makes them stronger.

[Merela]

Dwarf female warrior with the 2H weapon and 1H + shield (purple weapon drops and the crafted version are the same graphic).

 

Spoiler

 

 

I took screenshots of all the tier 4 crafted stuff so you can see the stats.

 

Spoiler

 

I'm in love with those weapons and armors. And the DLC is now available on the European PSN. I just bought it, I'll play as soon as I'll be back from work!

[Sifr]

Just finished Descent and it sure was something. 

 

Spoiler

The confirmation that the Titans and Stone actually exist was interesting and the introduction of a dwarf mage was fantastic. Disappointed that no possible connection between the the Titans and the Creators was never even mentioned, but I suppose that might be in the last DLC or DA 4.

 

The ending also bothered me a little. I mean, Valta becomes the first dwarf mage but then immediately decides to stay in the Wellspring and do vague possibly important stuff instead of revealing herself to Orzammar. Come on. If your going to change the Status Quo you might as well have its repercussions impact the setting and the its people.

 

 

Spoiler

Well, Valta is the first confirmed dwarf mage... anyone else really starting to suspect that before Bodahn found him - wandering around in another unexplored section of the Deep Roads - Sandal might have had some similar kind of experience with a Titan?

 

Sandal getting "touched by Vorlons Titans" and getting a similar power-up, would definitely explain a lot.

[Gilsa]

I went back and did all the missions and collection stuff and apart from a few missing gears (pfft), I'm 99.9999% done. Here are my reactions to the DLC (and one screenshot):

 

Spoiler

OMG, this DLC blew me away. I was expecting a straight up mission like WEWH or Adamant, but not this massive dungeon crawl crammed with loot, story awesomeness, and references peppered in here and there. It felt similar to the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC (for Mass Effect). It had both the action, the story, and the companion(s) expressing an interest in the Inquisitor. (I got asked what it was like to kill a dragon on the surface, which totally made sense. Back in Origins, I would save the dwarf army for the archdemon fight because if they had to leave their homes to honor the treaty, I was gonna give them the best fight of their lives. Kardol and Aeducan on that roof! And that reference to Kardol!!! Thanks for remembering Kardol, whoever wrote that.)

 

1. Plenty of RP reasons to investigate the earthquakes. No more of "but that's the HoF/Grey Warden's job" boo hooing. They covered this well.

2. I loved that Cadash was treated as a fellow dwarf and not random_Inquisitor425. This really bothered me as a returning Paragon in Golems of Amgarrak, but history did not repeat itself here. YEAH.

3. Dwarven armors!!! YAY!!! Dwarven weapons with dwarven names!! YAY!!!

4. Cadash exile being discussed. C'mon, how awesome was that?

5. TITANS! Keiran, your fifteen minutes are now over.

6. Gorgeous scenery. Constant sense of awe the deeper we went. I'm sorry we can't go back to the bottom level to re-explore it after the fact.

7. They really did their homework with the dwarves that are near and dear to the fandom. Even if they couldn't make cameos, they were remembered in those mugs (Bodahn and Sandal, Kardol, etc).

8. Pleased that the current king of Orzammar was referenced several times.

9. The dwarven companions were great. Extremely likeable. I knew something was up because they were too likeable. =p

10. I could be reading too much into this, but I laughed at that subtle elf joke in the beginning. "Shrieks. It had to be shrieks." I know this game has a heavy focus on elves and for very good reason, but it was nice to have a break from that and have our moment in the sun (so to speak). Solas said very, very little in my game which was fine with me. =p

 

The only downside to this DLC is that we didn't get a dwarven throne out of it. I cleared every thing in that place hoping it'd at least be a quest reward. Got my hopes up super high with that special nug cave and that cutscene (you'll know what I mean when you see it). Alas. Everything else was so awesome that the lack of a throne is easily forgiven.

 

Last, but not least: Holy bronto, look at these guys. They could be twins.

 

tl;dr LOVED IT.

 

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Here are my thoughts on the lore revelations in the DLC. Holy wall of text Batman !

 

Spoiler

 

1) I do not think that the magic Shaper Valta seemed to cast was magic that is derived from the fade or blood or blight like what an Elf or Human or Qunari or Darkspawn uses. It is my opinion that what Valta did was to draw upon the power of the Lyrium and the Titans. Think of it as a Dungeons and Dragons Cleric casting spells by drawing on the power of a particular god or goddess. As such, even though it opens the possibility of playing as a Dwarf mage, we would probably be only playing as someone with a strong stone sense, such as another Shaper and would probably only involve buffs and stone spells like Shale. Remember in Dragon Age Origins how Shale had an entire tree devoted to buffs whose abilities are blue in color ?

 

2) I think that the Titans are like giant earth walking creatures that supported Thedas and shaped it. They had Lyrium for blood and inside these large creatures, we had Dwarves who lived in the Titans, drinking Lyrium and living their lives. Because of this, some of the Dwarves or many of them became like the Sha-Brytol, immortal but soulless, just living to protect the Titan and to drink Lyrium. I also think that the Ancient Elves hunted the Titans for its Lyrium and to free the Dwarves who lived in it.

 

There is a Codex in the Arbor Wilds: http://dragonage.wik...d_Elven_Writing . Here are its contents:

 

There are whispers from the Well of Sorrows.  It's impossible to understand the entire text, but certain parts suddenly reveal a shadow of their original meaning.

 

"In this place we prepare to hunt the pillars of the earth. Their workers scurry, witless, soulless. This death will be a mercy. We will make the earth blossom with their passing."

 

For one moment there is a vivid image of two overlapping spheres; unknown flowers bloom inside their centers. Then it fades.

 

So you see that the Titans are linked to the Ancient Elves. This leads me to believe that sites such as Temple of Sacred Ashes, which was a huge Lyrium deposit, was in fact a place where the Ancient Elves slew a Titan and its blood, Lyrium, spilled around and "bloomed the earth." Then they built some building over it and we know this because we see the Temple of Sacred Ashes having a symbol of Mythal at its foundations. Parts of it was probably destroyed and later Humans came along and built the Temple of Sacred Ashes there. The Warden stumbles on it years later and Oghren remarks how the Temple has a high concentration of Lyrium deposits. Later, Corypheus comes along and tries to use Blight Magic to unlock Fen'Harel's orb which caused the explosion of the Conclave and the corruption of the Lyrium deposits. Or corruption of the Titan's blood.

 

This could also be why Solas has very little to say about what happened in the Descent DLC. He once mentioned to Varric in a banter : "Dwarves are the severed arm of a once mighty hero, lying in a pool of blood. Undirected. Whatever skill of arms it had, gone forever. Although it might twitch to give the appearance of life, it will never dream." So The Egg knows about the Titans and knows that his brethren hunted them in the past. More importantly, he could not say any of this without giving his identity away because Dwarves do not dream so he can't use the "In the Fade" excuses. You could see though that he was very eager to investigate what was going on with the earthquakes. Perhaps too eager ?

 

3) The third thing we have is how Compulsion seems to be a really big theme in Dragon Age. Darkspawn and compelled by the power of the Taint to seek out Old Gods and corrupt them into Archdemons. Ancient Elves who were branded or marked with a geas or with lyrium tattoos were compelled to serve their masters. If you recall, Fenris mentions that he killed the Fog Warriors whom he lived with just because his master said so. The Qunari hear something in the High Dragons and without strict upbringing, become very violent. Corypheus is compelled to search for the Black City and enter it at all cost. Now we have Dwarves who can hear the singing of the Stone and who are compelled to serve the Titans in some way once they drank Lyrium, which is the Titans blood. 

 

The fact that Dwarves are compelled somehow, either willingly or against their will to work for the Titans if they get exposed to the Lyrium is fascinating. On the one hand, it might be that the Sha-Brytol drank the Lyrium to sustain themselves or because it was like a drug to them and in return, they are compelled to defend the Titan against anyone, even to the point of killing other Dwarves. Rest in peace, Renn. On the other hand, we have someone like Shaper Valta who gets affected by pure Lyrium, survives it and still retains her sanity.

 

I think what we are seeing here is parallel to what you see in Humans. Only some Humans can be mages, not all. Accordingly, I think that only some Dwarves can be magical and can draw power from pure Lyrium and the Titians. Not all of them can. Shaper Valta is one such person. Sandal is perhaps someone who got exposed to too much pure Lyrium by a Titan ? Or perhaps the Old God soul thing is more suitable for him ? This leads me to believe that the records on the existence of the Titans were deliberately erased by someone from Orzammar's Memories. This is because only a few can truly draw power from the Titan and the rest who do so become soulless and witless, slaves to the Titans' will.

 

4) This is the second time in recorded history that the Titans were agitated and were awakened. We have the one right now, due to the Breach. Before this, I think they were agitated, awakened and wrecked a few Lyrium mines because the ancient Tevinter magisters breached the Fade and screwed up big time. Somehow the Titans and the Fade are linked. Perhaps the Titans with its Lyrium blood draws its power from the Fade and the Dwarves draw their power from the Titans, typically by consuming pure Lyrium. In this sense, perhaps the Titans are intermediaries that allow Dwarves to perform magic.

 

Does this mean the Red Lyrium we see comes from a corrupted Titan ? A Titan perhaps corrupted by the ancient magisters or by Andruil and her Void shenangians or by the Forgotten Ones who live in the Void ? A Blighted Titan. I sure don't want to meet those any time soon.

 

5) Notice that the Titan only marked Valta as their children. It did not pick anyone else. Varric was not chosen. Cadash was not chosen. Only Valta was. Perhaps this is due to her strong stone sense or perhaps there is a hierarchy of stone sense which translate to a hierarchy of how the Dwarves were linked to the Titans. Could this be the foundation of the Dwarven caste system in ancient times ? The most noble castes are the ones who are most connected to the Titans and were not driven insane whereas the Casteless were the ones who the Titans do not identify as their children.

 

6) The DLC gave too much of  Legacy vibes. Is it just me or is Bioware setting up Valta and the Titans to be the antagonists in Dragon Age 4 ? We know from dialogue that Valta has her disagreements with Dwarven society. We know her life was negatively impacted because of it. We also saw her behaving very strangely after being struck by pure Lyrium blast.

 

 

That's all I got for now.

[Fandango]

Downloading now....whooooop!

[themageguy]

Here are my thoughts on the lore revelations in the DLC. Holy wall of text Batman !

Spoiler

1) I do not think that the magic Shaper Valta seemed to cast was magic that is derived from the fade or blood or blight like what an Elf or Human or Qunari or Darkspawn uses. It is my opinion that what Valta did was to draw upon the power of the Lyrium and the Titans. Think of it as a Dungeons and Dragons Cleric casting spells by drawing on the power of a particular god or goddess. As such, even though it opens the possibility of playing as a Dwarf mage, we would probably be only playing as someone with a strong stone sense, such as another Shaper and would probably only involve buffs and stone spells like Shale. Remember in Dragon Age Origins how Shale had an entire tree devoted to buffs whose abilities are blue in color ?

2) I think that the Titans are like giant earth walking creatures that supported Thedas and shaped it. They had Lyrium for blood and inside these large creatures, we had Dwarves who lived in the Titans, drinking Lyrium and living their lives. Because of this, some of the Dwarves or many of them became like the Sha-Brytol, immortal but soulless, just living to protect the Titan and to drink Lyrium. I also think that the Ancient Elves hunted the Titans for its Lyrium and to free the Dwarves who lived in it.

There is a Codex in the Arbor Wilds: http://dragonage.wik...d_Elven_Writing . Here are its contents:

There are whispers from the Well of Sorrows. It's impossible to understand the entire text, but certain parts suddenly reveal a shadow of their original meaning.

"In this place we prepare to hunt the pillars of the earth. Their workers scurry, witless, soulless. This death will be a mercy. We will make the earth blossom with their passing."

For one moment there is a vivid image of two overlapping spheres; unknown flowers bloom inside their centers. Then it fades.

So you see that the Titans are linked to the Ancient Elves. This leads me to believe that sites such as Temple of Sacred Ashes, which was a huge Lyrium deposit, was in fact a place where the Ancient Elves slew a Titan and its blood, Lyrium, spilled around and "bloomed the earth." Then they built some building over it and we know this because we see the Temple of Sacred Ashes having a symbol of Mythal at its foundations. Parts of it was probably destroyed and later Humans came along and built the Temple of Sacred Ashes there. The Warden stumbles on it years later and Oghren remarks how the Temple has a high concentration of Lyrium deposits. Later, Corypheus comes along and tries to use Blight Magic to unlock Fen'Harel's orb which caused the explosion of the Conclave and the corruption of the Lyrium deposits. Or corruption of the Titan's blood.

This could also be why Solas has very little to say about what happened in the Descent DLC. He once mentioned to Varric in a banter : "Dwarves are the severed arm of a once mighty hero, lying in a pool of blood. Undirected. Whatever skill of arms it had, gone forever. Although it might twitch to give the appearance of life, it will never dream." So The Egg knows about the Titans and knows that his brethren hunted them in the past. More importantly, he could not say any of this without giving his identity away because Dwarves do not dream so he can't use the "In the Fade" excuses. You could see though that he was very eager to investigate what was going on with the earthquakes. Perhaps too eager ?

3) The third thing we have is how Compulsion seems to be a really big theme in Dragon Age. Darkspawn and compelled by the power of the Taint to seek out Old Gods and corrupt them into Archdemons. Ancient Elves who were branded or marked with a geas or with lyrium tattoos were compelled to serve their masters. If you recall, Fenris mentions that he killed the Fog Warriors whom he lived with just because his master said so. The Qunari hear something in the High Dragons and without strict upbringing, become very violent. Corypheus is compelled to search for the Black City and enter it at all cost. Now we have Dwarves who can hear the singing of the Stone and who are compelled to serve the Titans in some way once they drank Lyrium, which is the Titans blood.

The fact that Dwarves are compelled somehow, either willingly or against their will to work for the Titans if they get exposed to the Lyrium is fascinating. On the one hand, it might be that the Sha-Brytol drank the Lyrium to sustain themselves or because it was like a drug to them and in return, they are compelled to defend the Titan against anyone, even to the point of killing other Dwarves. Rest in peace, Renn. On the other hand, we have someone like Shaper Valta who gets affected by pure Lyrium, survives it and still retains her sanity.

I think what we are seeing here is parallel to what you see in Humans. Only some Humans can be mages, not all. Accordingly, I think that only some Dwarves can be magical and can draw power from pure Lyrium and the Titians. Not all of them can. Shaper Valta is one such person. Sandal is perhaps someone who got exposed to too much pure Lyrium by a Titan ? Or perhaps the Old God soul thing is more suitable for him ? This leads me to believe that the records on the existence of the Titans were deliberately erased by someone from Orzammar's Memories. This is because only a few can truly draw power from the Titan and the rest who do so become soulless and witless, slaves to the Titans' will.

4) This is the second time in recorded history that the Titans were agitated and were awakened. We have the one right now, due to the Breach. Before this, I think they were agitated, awakened and wrecked a few Lyrium mines because the ancient Tevinter magisters breached the Fade and screwed up big time. Somehow the Titans and the Fade are linked. Perhaps the Titans with its Lyrium blood draws its power from the Fade and the Dwarves draw their power from the Titans, typically by consuming pure Lyrium. In this sense, perhaps the Titans are intermediaries that allow Dwarves to perform magic.

Does this mean the Red Lyrium we see comes from a corrupted Titan ? A Titan perhaps corrupted by the ancient magisters or by Andruil and her Void shenangians or by the Forgotten Ones who live in the Void ? A Blighted Titan. I sure don't want to meet those any time soon.

5) Notice that the Titan only marked Valta as their children. It did not pick anyone else. Varric was not chosen. Cadash was not chosen. Only Valta was. Perhaps this is due to her strong stone sense or perhaps there is a hierarchy of stone sense which translate to a hierarchy of how the Dwarves were linked to the Titans. Could this be the foundation of the Dwarven caste system in ancient times ? The most noble castes are the ones who are most connected to the Titans and were not driven insane whereas the Casteless were the ones who the Titans do not identify as their children.

6) The DLC gave too much of Legacy vibes. Is it just me or is Bioware setting up Valta and the Titans to be the antagonists in Dragon Age 4 ? We know from dialogue that Valta has her disagreements with Dwarven society. We know her life was negatively impacted because of it. We also saw her behaving very strangely after being struck by pure Lyrium blast.

That's all I got for now.

I agree with you about the Shaper.

[EggplantRed]

Ummmm...

Spoiler

Did anyone else open this gate that held the slew of deepstalkers?!?!!? It scared the heck out of me just now!

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Spoiler

As for Valta, I think we will hear from her again, but in what capacity is hard to say. If you go to the expedition table after the final battle, the final new expedition mission says that the soldiers and legionnaires heard a cry coming from far inside the Deep Roads and it sounded like no darkspawn or beast they had ever heard before, and they worried it was from Valta and she needed help. You then send troops down to investigate but the path to the Wellspring has been seamlessly covered by rock that they couldn't damage with their picks, and Renn's body had been dug up and was missing.

 

I was very psyched to read those dwarven texts from before the First Blight. They hinted at the darkspawn's origins even more, gave a story from one of the first encounters the dwarves have with them, and teased with an old encounter with a probable magister (a female magister, maybe Razikale's?).

[SilentK]

Been playing all day with breaks here and there. Haven't finished it, but hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooly stone, this IS what we've wanted. Most importantly, Cadash is acknowledged as a dwarf. We get dwarf-specific icons in our conversations. I'm extremely pleased.

Whee!!

 

I am so so happy. Running out of the thread now because I don't want to spoil myself. Thank you for posting, got my hype-level up =)

[themageguy]

Spoiler

As for Valta, I think we will hear from her again, but in what capacity is hard to say. If you go to the expedition table after the final battle, the final new expedition mission says that the soldiers and legionnaires heard a cry coming from far inside the Deep Roads and it sounded like no darkspawn or beast they had ever heard before, and they worried it was from Valta and she needed help. You then send troops down to investigate but the path to the Wellspring has been seamlessly covered by rock that they couldn't damage with their picks, and Renn's body had been dug up and was missing.

I was very psyched to read those dwarven texts from before the First Blight. They hinted at the darkspawn's origins even more, gave a story from one of the first encounters the dwarves have with them, and teased with an old encounter with a probable magister (a female magister, maybe Razikale's?).

I hope that....

Spoiler

...was just her being upset over Renns death

[Andraste_Reborn]

Finished the main story, although I haven't finished all the side quests yet. Great new dwarf characters, and the lore is AMAAAAAAAZING. I may have actually burst out laughing at a complaint in another thread that 'nothing important' was revealed. Ahahaha.
 

Spoiler

Lyirum is Titan blood! Titans are bigger than we could possibly have imagined! Ancient-possibly-immortal dwarves are guarding them! Valta can do dwarf magic! AAAAAAHHHH! And that's without even getting into the stuff about the war with the 'scaled ones.' Between that at the lizard people painted on things in the Emerald Graves, I'm starting to think that the qunari are the Kossith who became less like lizard people rather than more.

 
Apart from the obvious reveals, I was also pleased to learn about the reason House Cadash were exiled ...
 

Spoiler

... because it sounds like they were thrown out of Orzammar because they wanted to know what happened to Shayle. She had a family that kept looking for her and lost their caste status and home because of it .

 

I was also thrilled with how well it reacted to a dwarf protagonist - no equivalent of an elfquisitor asking who Mythal is here . My only complaint is that it was pretty short - I finished the main story in about five hours, although I still have some side quests to finish. (Stupid unmarked object hunts ...) On the whole, though, I'm thrilled. At last: MOAR DWARF!