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[Ieldra]

I have finished the game.

 

I will post a more detailed account tomorrow, but I wanted to write this while I'm still reeling from the impact of the ending sequence. So many revelations, so many questions answered, and some new ones that may carry me towards the next instalment in the series, if there will be one, which I hope. There is much to be said, some good, some bad, but for now I can say that for me, the story of Dragon Age Inquisition succeeded spectacularly in its most important aspect: it made me be a part of it, it drew me in, it made me feel with the characters and feel I had an impact, and all the time my Inquisitor felt at home in her story. The ending sequence, from the decision at the Temple of Mythal to the epilogue, was, with the exception of the confrontation with Corypheus himself, fantastically impressive as well as immensely satisfying, and the post-credits scene made me very curious about what comes next. 

 

That I now feel emotionally drained as well as satisfied means that whatever flaws this story may have - and I'll get to that once my critical faculties have reasserted themselvese - at its core and for me personally, it was a spectacular success. In fact, I don't recall feeling this way after finishing a Bioware game ever since the ending of Throne of Bhaal, with a little nod to DAO which came close.

[Ieldra]

Day 13, part 1: Hissing Wastes, more companion missions

 

A number of war table operations after Cullen's quest lead me to find a method to destroy Samson's armor. I don't know where I'll meet Samson, but it will probably be helpful. Also, I go to the Storm Coast with Iron Bull to try and gain an alliance with the qunari. Actually, I do not want any connection to the qunari but I feel I can't refuse the opportunity if it presents itself. However, I don't want to sacrifice the Chargers for that alliance so it fails and Iron Bull becomes an outcast from his own people. This outcome suits me well, and he doesn't appear to be all that unhappy about it either. No more qunari intelligence for the Inquisition though, that's unfortunate. 

 

Back at Skyhold, I speak to Leliana who wants my help to recover something Justinia left for her from a distant cloister. I still don't understand what happens there, exactly. When I tell Leliana she should let the past go after she opens the box, I meant EXACTLY THAT, dear writers. It was neither implied nor said that she should change her ways, yet that's what she thinks I meant. Also, it's implied that this was some kind of trap yet nothing even remotely threatening happens. I have no objection to Leliana being ruthless in her job, but killing this specific woman made no sense at all. For the first time - and fortunately the only time - in DAI I am reminded of ME3 with its persistent flaw of failing to anchor the drama in the story.

 

Now off to the Hissing Wastes, where I investigate Venatori activity. Wow, this map is huge. Also, the enemy density is low enough that I can use my mount without having to dismount every fifteen seconds to fight something. Nonetheless, I mostly walk around on foot because I don't want to miss anything - including companion banter. Unfortunately, the map is almost as empty content-wise as the landscape appears at first sight. The Venatori questline consists of finding notes in four Venatori camps scattered around the map, and I get the impression that there should be some follow-up on that but there isn't. It's as if this questline ends in the middle of things. However, I can attempt to find some artifacts in their stead by following the landmarks on the maps I find to the tomb of Fairel, a dwarven Paragon who emigrated to the surface and built a new home for his clan there. All long gone, sadly. This is the most interesting treasure hunt in the game, involving several landmarks (not the kind you can claim, just features of the landscape) you need to find, and some easy text puzzles you need to put into sequence, in order to recover the key fragments to the actual tomb. That is fun. I also kill another dragon. Oddly enough, even though I was only slightly overleveled, this one doesn't present nearly as much of a challenge as the one in the Emprise du Lion. Maybe I'm just becoming experienced.

 

In the end, even though I enjoyed exploring the map and really like the landscape and its features, I thought there would be a little more to this map. It almost feels as if more had been planned but never realized. Maybe there's some follow-up on the extra map notes you can find (not the ones you need for the Venatori quest) - I didn't recover all of them and didn't have the motivation to scour the map again - but this map's "main" quest was disappointing. 

 

Back at Skyhold, I ponder. I can now wrap up the remaining sidequests - the shards and the closed tomb in the Oasis, the Felandaris in the Hinterlands and two map-based treasure hunts in the Emerald Graves - but I really want to go on with the story. So I decide to take the field against Corypheus.

[Ieldra]

Day 13, part 2: The Finale, part 1

 

(I should mention that I don't exactly remember where exactly Corypheus appears in person in this sequence, since in hindsight it doesn't make sense that he can't get into the temple but we fight Red Templars later. It was some time before we enter the well because we discussed how the Well can help countering his ability to switch bodies, but we also fight Red Templars immediately before entering the room with the well)

 

I discuss the battle plans with my advisors, and decide that Leliana's spies should harry the opposition and delay the enemy army's progress until our own forces arrive. The cutscenes appropriately show a number of sabotage operations. When I arrive, my army proceeds to hold off the Red Templars while I and my team advance to Mythal's temple. There is some fighting as I go out of my way to help my own forces before I go forward. There are some easy puzzles to solve - a form of ritual - in order to enter the temple. and we see Corypheus appear in person and kill the elven defenders. These elves look odd and carry unfamiliar equipment. As Corpyheus attempts to break a magical ward, he is apparently killed, but only a short time later he reappears in the body of one of the Red Templars and transforms the body into his own before retreating on his dragon. He has an archdemon's capability to transfer his consciousness into other Blighted bodies. We need to counter that ability, and Morrigan, who has accompanied us here, says that the Well of Sorrows may contain the knowledge how to do that. Morrigan says it may also be what Corypheus is after, rather than the eluvian, or maybe in addition to it. We hurry deeper into the temple.

 

After fighting a number of Red Templars who have made it into the temple, we face a decision. We can directly follow Samson, or take a roundabout path by doing some rituals and avoid more fighting. I decide to do the latter, which means doing some more easy stepping sequence puzzles. I like this kind, they require me to stop and think, changing the pace of playing, but their solution is easy enough that progress remains fluid.

 

As we go forward, we are confronted by the guardian of this temple, who turns out to be an ancient elf re-awakened from magical slumber, member of an old order who guards the temple to be awakened in the case of danger. He says he won't let us use the well, but will help us to keep Corypheus away if we agree to leave thereafter and never return. I agree, since while I am curious about the well, our main task is to deny it to Corypheus. Morrigan, however, does not agree, and shapechanges into a raven to fly further into the temple. Meanwhile, we follow a guide provided to us by the guardian and reach the antechamber of the Well of Sorrows, where we encounter Samson and his templars in front of another magically warded gate, and as expected, I get the opportunity to destroy his armor because of some sidequests I did earlier, and the fight is comparably easy.

 

As we open the next door, we see Morrigan flying in the direction of the well, and follow. We meet at the well itself, and since we did show respect to Mythal, the guardian does not attack but explains what drinking from the well will mean: the one who drinks will gain ancient knowledge, but be bound to the will of Mythal. My Inquisitor really wants that knowledge, but she's also against gods and thinks the world doesn't need them. She's not going to drink. Morrigan scoffs and says that a non-existent deity can hardly enslave her, but she senses the well is unexpectedly hungry, and - I think this is a special "magic knowledge" option - I can recognize that this is really a geas put upon the one who drinks, driven by the collective consciousness of the priests in the well. I try to convince everyone that nobody should drink from the well, but in the end it's either Morrigan or me, and since Morrigan volunteers, there's not much I can do.

 

Morrigan has now absorbed the knowledge of the well, and since what Corypheus wanted is no longer here, we can return to Skyhold. There is a convenient eluvian here we can use for that. Fortunately, for behind us, Corypheus has finally broken the last gate, and we escape by a few seonds. Morrigan closes the eluvian behind us and Corypheus can't follow.

 

Before I go on, I should mention that there are several things that don't appear to make sense in this sequence. I'll have to replay it at some time to see if this is correct. I was a little overwhelmed by the intensity at the time, as well as the revelations. For instance, the guardian revealed that Arlathan was destroyed by a war among the elves, and Tevinter only conquered the remains. Dorian was quite surprised about that. There's also some incongruity about what Corypheus can and can't do at some point, but it's not significant enough to adversely affect the experience.

 

I should also mention the the roleplaying dimension of the decision at the well. I don't know how important this will be further along Thedas' timeline, but for this Inquisitor it was an extremely meaningful choice, involving two things about which she has strong convictions: the desirability of knowledge, regardless of the source, and an aversion against gods. It will be the same with my next Inquisitor, only since she's an elf and believes in what Mythal represents, she'll probably use the well herself, not expecting exactly how real Mythal will soon prove to be.

[Ieldra]

Day 13, part 3: The Finale, part 2

 

Back at Skyhold, Morrigan wants to speak with me. When I arrive at the eluvian, I meet Leliana who says Morrigan has gone through. I follow and arrive to find myself in the Fade. It is revealed that Kieran, Morrigan's and the Warden's old-god-ensouled child, has gone missing in the Fade, and Morrigan's looking for him. Further along the path, we finally find Kieran in the company of....Flemeth. Time for more revelations....

 

It turns out that Flemeth is actually Mythal, or more correctly carries Mythal within her and is inseparable from her, I take it in a similar way to how Anders was inseparable from Vengeance in the end. She explains that things happened that way because Mythal looked for a vessel that could enact justice for her murder. So Mythal was murdered at some time. Unfortunately, I can't ask who did it. Flemeth/Mythal now needs Kieran for some unknown purpose, but Morrigan isn't prepared to give him up, even for the promise that Flemeth/Mythal will leave her alone after that, saying she'll not be a Mother like Flemeth was. Flemeth then proceeds to take the old god soul from Kieran and releases him. She also says that souls can't (or shouldn't, I can't remember exactly) be forced on unwilling hosts in response to Morrigan's accusation that Flemeth wants to take over her body, but that may also apply to Kieran. About whether Flemeth/Mythal intends to take control of Morrigan now, she asks why she would want to do that. In appears that there is at least no immediate danger of Morrigan getting mentally enslaved, which is a relief.

 

OK...this is quite a bit of revelations to take in. While her status as a deity may be called into question, Mythal is actually real and she's a powerful spirit. So...what about the other elven gods? And what do they want, what are Flemeth/Mythal's plans. Maelyn Trevelyan is immensely curious about all that, and of course rather relieved she dodged the bullet at the Well of Sorrows, but for now there are more pressing concerns. Back at Skyhold, we all meet to discuss how to attack Corypheus. Morrigan reveals that the dragon is part of him and must be killed first in order to make Corypheus killable. She also says she can neutralize the dragon while Maelyn's team deals with the magister. The war council is interrupted by  thunder and green light. Corypheus isn't content to wait for our attack, but comes himself to end his rival. He's also created a new giant Fade breach over the destroyed Temple of Sacred Ashes, willing to let it encompass the world rather than stepping back and letting his rival win. This comes across as making no sense at all, a wilful increasing of the stakes with little to ground it in, and it only serves to cheapen Corypheus as an antagonist, who so far has been moderately plausible. There are some good moments in the confrontation, for instance when I answer his desire for ascendance to godhood with "I don't believe in gods", but on the whole this is really "hero meets cheesy villain" territory, including that stereotypical line about the Maker not existing and that's why everyone should follow the real god, namely himself. Pfft.

 

The following fight isn't exactly super-hard, but annoyingly time-consuming as we first fight Corypheus while Morrigan - who learned from the well to shapeshift into a dragon - fights Corypheus red lyrium dragon, then after Morrigan falls (injured but alive, as someone on my team is fast to point out) we have to kill the wounded red lyrium dragon, and finally face Corypheus again, in each stage having to deal with hit points akin to those of a medium dragon.  The site where the fighting takes place also doesn't make sense. Corypheus pulled up rock platforms and remnants of the old temple up into the sky. If he can do that, why didn't he destroy Skyhold? From the imagery, one almost gets the impression that it was intended to be Skyhold he destroyed at some point but they didn't go through with it. If so, I'm glad that they didn't but would still ask what's so attractive about the idea in the first place. Maybe I'm paranoid but I get the impression that if ME3 hadn't happened and its ending not been so poorly received, this would've been Skyhold and our Inquisitor would be either dead or their fate left open to interpretation. Anyway, this fight is one big gameplay contrivance. It's surprising that it actually manages to feel like a part of the story nonetheless.

 

As it is, the outcome is rather more pleasant than the images conjured up by my paranoid imagination - that's what ME3 did to me, Bioware. We kill Corypheus and end the threat, and Solas appears to inspect the elven artifact Corypheus used as raw material for the anchor - which is now destroyed. I wonder which purpose these artifacts originally served. That's a question that will have to be addressed either in DLC or in future games.

 

Now, the Inquisition has a huge victory party in Skyhold's main hall. I am pleasantly reminded of DAO. I can speak with my advisors and companions about their plans for the future. In an earlier conversation, I have supported Leliana as the new Divine, with some misgivings, and most of the others have plans as well, but will stay for now (else we wouldn't be able to continue playing). When I'm done talking, I can retreat to my quarters with Josephine, which will start the epilogue sequence. I get an Orlais uneasily united under Celene's rule, mages who govern themselves and have earned immense goodwill, for now, and a ruthless Leliana with bloody hands as the Divine. Ok, that all makes sense. I also get a slide about the Inquisition being more or less a militaristic power, which makes no sense since I tried to focus on Secrets as primary method and Connections as secondary in my war table operations, and only used Forces where it clearly made most sense or someone else wasn't available for the mission. It also doesn't match my roleplaying. I'll have to see what went wrong here.

 

That's *still* not the end though. After the credits run, I see a scene where Flemeth and Solas meet. She calls him "Dread Wolf" and "old friend". Oops. Another elven god is real. Some reference is made to him having been asleep for a long time, which is why he didn't have the power to activate the orb, and thus tried to trick Corypheus into activating it for him. Well, that went well. Even gods aren't immune to stupidity it appears. He then approaches her and they embrace. Solas/Fen'Harel says he's sorry because "I should pay the price". Flemeth/Mythal replies she's sorry, too. Then Flemeth collapses, dead, and Solas gently lowers her to the ground. He looks up, his eyes shining blue. He has absorbed...something. But whose soul is dominant in this new entity? Something to ponder until some piece of DLC tells us, or until the next game. 

 

I am now returned to Skyhold, where I could play on, do some remaining sidequests or kill more dragons. Even if I wanted that, however, I would've needed to leave the game. The Finale - that was such a tour-de-force that I must sort things through in my mind. There is much to ponder. For now, I feel emotionally drained and satisfied, and in spite of my dislike of the actual Corypheus encounter, the Finale of Dragon Age Inquision worked spectacularly well for me. My Inquisitor feels at home in her story and in her beautiful in-world home, the conflict that made her Inquisitor has ended but she has founded a power that rivals a nation and won't go away any time soon, as she intended all along since realizing the potential. Barring only death, every ending is a beginning.  

[Ieldra]

Finally, to formally end this account, here's a picture of my Inquisitor, Lady Maelyn Trevelyan, in her crafted dragon armor. I've come to like her quite a bit. It's rare that a first character in a roleplaying game connects so well with me, but DAI has succeeded there as well. I will play her again to refine her story, but first an elf and a qunari require my attention.

 

 

I may post comments I forgot to mention as I usually wrote the parts of this account the day after I played it, but for now this story is ended.

[Al Foley]

Very nice thoughts and it filled in a few holes for me.  

[Ieldra]

Very nice thoughts and it filled in a few holes for me.  

Thanks. I found the story elements rather compelling, even though the main antagonist, while being grounded well in the lore, isn't exactly the most interesting type.
 

[Ieldra]

Here a few stats for those interested in the matter:

 

The game logged 136 hours, which is significantly more than I really played since the game timer continues counting if you are on the options screen, which I often was to do other things like posting here but didn't want to restart the game. I estimate real time spent with the game would be around 110-120 hours.

 

I explored all maps, found all map regions but one (Exalted Plains - I have no idea where another complete map region could hide on that map), claimed all landmarks but two (dragons sitting on them), did all the astrarium puzzles, collected all the shards and did all the sidequests except two in the Hinterlands (horse racing and planting Felandaris), two in the Oasis (the locked tomb and the shards - I have them all but was impatient to finish the game) and two in the Emerald Graves (map puzzles), not counting the endlessly repeatable requisition quests. I also found all collections of notes, glyphs etc. except the one in the Hissing Wastes and followed up the information therein to claim the treasures. Nice classic treasure hunts btw.. Too bad they will never be as much fun again in subsequent playthroughs. The one thing I'm not nearly close to completing are the mosaics. I have completed none, and ironically the most complete one is the one from the Hissing Wastes, where I have 9 of 10 fragments. Oh, and I also don't have all the thrones.

 

I also think I did all the war table operations not locked out by main plot decisions. I cheated with the timer on the last two because I didn't want to wait another three hours to finish the game. Wouldn't have been necessary though, since apparently they continue through the ending. 

[jstme]

Grats on completing (and enjoying) the game. 136 hours... Awesome. Though i am near finishing it myself and clocked only about 80 hours,so must have missed almost half the game,apparently.

[VinceP1974]

I thoroughly enjoyed your narrative and observations.  It took me quite a while to read it all, but it was a joy to do so.  I played as a male elf mage, who sided with the Templars and who did not believe in the Maker but accepted everyone else's need to put their faith in him.  So I never asserted my firm opinion that he's made up and pretty much responded ambivalently whenever put on the spot to make a statement about faith.  I thought Bioware did a great job in providing ways to navigate that issue and not be a jerk to the people of Thedas.  I loved the feeling of crisis especially in the first part of the game.  And hving read Asunder and the Masked Empire... I felt thoroughly rewarded for having read them.  I can't imagine playing the game and not have the background information the books provided.

 

My first game went well over 200 hours. I'm on my second one now.

[Ieldra]

My first game went well over 200 hours. I'm on my second one now.

How did you manage to play 200 hours in just two weeks?

[VinceP1974]

I took a week off work (vacation time)

[Kajuana]

200 hours in 2 weeks... And to say working 40 hours a week is tough!

 

Great write-up! Need more of these contributions to the forums.

[Ieldra]

I'll continue to post random observations here, even though I finished the playthrough this thread was made to document.

 

On the story: it does consist of surprisingly few substantial main plot missions. Basically, you have the mage or templar mission (the two leading up to that are done in five minutes), the Orlesian Court, Adamant Fortress and Arbor Wilds. It does not feel quite as short as that list suggests because many sidequests tie into the main story, but the ending is rather sudden. After you played "Wicked Minds and Wicked Hearts" and "Here Lies the Abyss", you don't feel like you're approaching the end, and that most companion missions take place at this time doesn't really help. It feels as if a substantial part of the story had been cut.

[Estelindis]

Loved reading your diary, Ieldra.  My roleplaying choices for my primary Inquisitor were different from yours, but I loved the way you explained them so clearly, so that I can feel I really see where you're coming from.  I agree that, while the paraphrasing was sometimes unfortunate, on the whole Bioware gave us a great set of tools for RPing our characters.

 

I never found the schematic for that armour in your final screenshot.  I'll have to remedy that!  

[Ieldra]

Loved reading your diary, Ieldra.  My roleplaying choices for my primary Inquisitor were different from yours, but I loved the way you explained them so clearly, so that I can feel I really see where you're coming from.  I agree that, while the paraphrasing was sometimes unfortunate, on the whole Bioware gave us a great set of tools for RPing our characters.

 

I never found the schematic for that armour in your final screenshot.  I'll have to remedy that!  

That's a Deluxe Edition exclusive, "Light Armor of the Dragon". You get the L1 version automatically at the start of the game, and the schematics for the L3 version after you visit the Orlesian court.

[teh DRUMPf!!]

 Cool beans, Ieldra; I'm following.

[Estelindis]

That's a Deluxe Edition exclusive, "Light Armor of the Dragon". You get the L1 version automatically at the start of the game, and the schematics for the L3 version after you visit the Orlesian court.

Ah shucks, guess I'm out of luck then.    Thanks for telling me!

[Ieldra]

I have embarked on a second playthrough. I'll not document it as detailed as the first one, but there are comments I feel need posting.

 

This is Lilaeya Lavellan:

 

You don't see it here, but the female elf model is...disconcerting. I guess they were going for "lanky", but the result is more akin to "end-stage anorexic". It looks seriously unhealthy and I'm glad I have Deluxe Edition exclusive dragon armor to cover up the worst of it. Standard armors adapt to the model, and in this case that's not good. I already dread Skyhold when I can't walk about in my own home in my dragon armor any more, to say nothing of the many cutscenes there.

 

Also, the uselessless of the Deluxe Edition exclusive Staff of the Dragon is hilarious. You get the schematic for the L3 version later in the story, and that version is useful, but the L1 version which you get as the finished item when you arrive at Haven is a 36 dps fire staff. Well, collect some iron in Haven and loot the chests for the schematic of the Apostate Staff, then go to the Hinterlands and kill 6-8 L4 standard templars - should take you around 10 minutes at most since they're rather common aorund the starting camp, and you get them for the first story mission anyway - and loot their lambswool, and you can craft a 47 dps lightning staff. Really, I get that the extra items aren't made to be super-powerful but rather stylish, but I'd expect this weapon to last a little longer than the first three low-level encounters in the game.

 

Why didn't I notice this in my first game? Well, I didn't have access to these items then because DAI wasn't yet officially out in my region.

[Ieldra]

ROFL. I can't believe I didn't find "the" hat in my first playthrough. I was in the cave and didn't loot the chest. They actually call it the "Hat of the Inquisitor". Nice!

[Al Foley]

I want that hat for my female Rogue...

[Ieldra]

I want that hat for my female Rogue...

I can tell yo where I found it if you want, but it may be random.

[Ieldra]

One more observation about roleplaying: at the cult in the SE part of the Hinterlands, the writer of the scenes there apparently wasn't aware that we're supposed to be able to play a non-religious or differently religious person, for the only options we get except goodbye have you speaking like a Chantry priest, or as if you believed you were the Herald of Andraste. Really, even if I have to accommodate the cultists' mindset somewhat in order to win them over as agents, "The Inquisition needs people who believe as strongly as you" as the only option is not acceptable, and what you get to say to Speaker Anais as the only option is quite as bad.

 

As far as I recall, it's the only place where that happens, but it's very annoying. I'll have to disown that scene.

[Al Foley]

I can tell yo where I found it if you want, but it may be random.

Hit me

[Ieldra]

Hit me

It's in one of the caves in the SE quarter of the Hinterlands. Unfortunately, there are five caves there, and I don't recall exactly which one it was. I think it was in one of the two you reach if you go SSE from the astrarium, either in the one a short distance away or the one in the far SE corner with the lyrium vein.