196 réponses à ce sujet

[Vilegrim]

So if a mage becomes a serial killer he is innocent of well serial killing.
Never a mages fault never can't have them taking responsibility for their actions

If they have been deliberatly driven mad, then no, their is a reason people who are judged legally insane are not held legally responsible, they are still detained, for treatment, and may never be judged safe to release because they remain insane, but they are not held responsible for their actions as the where unfit to judge conseqeunces or morality of what they do.

[Junkka]

Junkka - For some reason my ability to quote doesn't function at the moment!

 

Actually more than Solas will be disappointed you're conscripting the mages.  Cole will disapprove, Varric will disapprove, Dorian will disapprove and Blackwall will disapprove if you conscript the mages.

 

Varric will only approve if you supported the Templars in a default origins story or in your chosen background through the keep.

 

So basically it's 50/50 approval/disapprove regardless of your decision.  Gameplay wise, it doesn't matter.  Personal lore wise, it's all personal preference.

 

I personally always take them as allies because I don't personally feel good making a decision that forces anyone into anything.  Yes, the mages made their choice, but in the end it was a choice, I feel, made out of desperation.  On the flipside, not all Templars are bad.

It turns out the messages didn't load properly when I played. In my recent run, I realized you are right. Varrc, Blackwall, Dorian and Cole were more sympathetic towards mages. Still, I found it really annoying when NPCs in the hold kept complaining about having to work with mages. 

 

Both templar and mage quest are interesting. Running around the keep in templar quest is bit annoying, but you really see some interesting stuff when you are in the fade. I think the main reason most people go with mages in the first run is because when you are in the capital, the lord seeker will scoff at you whreas (fake)Fiona will invite you. 

[Dieb]

As the game plays out, I am never chosing the mages again.

 

Don't get me wrong, I would have never even considered siding with the Templars if not for just seeing more content, but now that I did, everything is more interesting. It almost seems like a joke comparing the leader of the Red Templars with the leader of the Venatori. I didn't even consider that guy a major character in my first playthrough.

 

Spoiler

"Oh, it's that funny junkie loser human trafficker from Kirkwall and he's angry for getting fired, what a background story to lead the army of the future god of the world." doesn't quite compare to "Talented sorceress oppressed by slavery making a pact with the devil and becomes apprentice of demigod ancient magister to start rebellion and free her people" in my book.

 

Once more, I don't understand why BioWare went out of their way to keep players from making that choice neutrally with the way both parties are introduced respectively; especially since it shows they put way more effort into the entire Templar -or rather, Venatori- branch of events.

 

The Red Templars strike me too much as a desperate attempt to get a second enemy faction into the game; like Cerberus, they are just too many not to seem ridiculous.

[Ending]

I've sided with mages twice and templars once (play through sake)

 

I just have a question, what if you did one of these quests, chosen a choice for example Free Mages and you haven't recruited Sera. Does this mean her approval rating stays neutral or will it automatically disapprove as soon as you recruit her? 

[Catche Jagger]

It turns out the messages didn't load properly when I played. In my recent run, I realized you are right. Varrc, Blackwall, Dorian and Cole were more sympathetic towards mages. Still, I found it really annoying when NPCs in the hold kept complaining about having to work with mages.

Both templar and mage quest are interesting. Running around the keep in templar quest is bit annoying, but you really see some interesting stuff when you are in the fade. I think the main reason most people go with mages in the first run is because when you are in the capital, the lord seeker will scoff at you whreas (fake)Fiona will invite you.

Just a little FYI, according to the guide, Varric's sympathy for the mages is based on Hawke's actions in DA2. However, he always approves of making the Templars allies.

[PsychoBlonde]

I've seen the aftermath of both, and greatly favored allying with the Templars. I'm a Mage going for a sort of lawful-good-ish playthrough.  

 

 

I really disliked either ending with the mages, despite leaning more towards them in the start. They just make you look absolutely horrible. They're not worth it, and the choice ultimately doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things; so don't worry too much about it.

 

I was the other way around with this--I couldn't tolerate doing the Templar side.  I tried, but I just found it boring, annoying, and unpleasant.

 

But I was looking at it more from the point of view of "Is it more important to get Alexius out of Redcliffe or to turf the Templars out of Therinfall Redoubt?" and I had to go with Alexius.  I viewed it much less as "I'm siding with these mages even though they've done something dumb!" as I did "these mages have managed to create a much bigger problem that MUST be fixed PRONTO."

 

That, and if you're romancing Cullen you get more interaction with him if you do the Mage side of things. 

[keesio74]

From a pure RPG POV, helping the Mages makes most sense if you visited Redcliffe and noticed all the weird crap going on (vs the Templars, who just seem like a bunch of pricks hiding in their fort). The sense of urgency is on the Mages.

 

Also the mage quest has more ties to DA:O (Alistar/Anora, Teagen, Connor, etc). So you get a bit of nostalgia with the mages. I actually felt bad for Connor the most when i didn't help the mages (I worked so hard to save his ass in DA:O)

 

I did Templar only because I spoiled some of the plot and found out they can be redeemed. I also felt having an organized army of trained Templars helping the Inquisition is a powerful asset.

 

I regret not doing the Mage quest now. Not because I don't like the Templar arc. But because of the reasons I mentioned above.

[SwobyJ]

From a pure RPG POV, helping the Mages makes most sense if you visited Redcliffe and noticed all the weird crap going on (vs the Templars, who just seem like a bunch of pricks hiding in their fort). The sense of urgency is on the Mages.

 

Also the mage quest has more ties to DA:O (Alistar/Anora, Teagen, Connor, etc). So you get a bit of nostalgia with the mages. I actually felt bad for Connor the most when i didn't help the mages (I worked so hard to save his ass in DA:O)

 

I did Templar only because I spoiled some of the plot and found out they can be redeemed. I also felt having an organized army of trained Templars helping the Inquisition is a powerful asset.

 

I regret not doing the Mage quest now. Not because I don't like the Templar arc. But because of the reasons I mentioned above.

 

You can easily RP that once you found out that Tevinter was involved, you GTFO of there and went for the Templars that just seemed messed up, but not, well, Tevinter.

 

Mage Path has more DAO nostalgia too, which non-DAO players may not have.

[mopotter]

I've done both, and I liked both stories.  My Qunari rogue went with the templars.  She didn't trust mages, though she got along with them.

My elf mage sided with the mages because she felt mages should be free.

 

I have a couple of others I'm working with, a mage who was happy in the circle who will go to the templars and a human rogue who thinks the lord seeker is a big jerk and wouldn't go to him for love or money and then a few who haven't decided yet.  Yes, yes, I have more than one character started.

[berelinde]

I've sided with mages twice and templars once (play through sake)

 

I just have a question, what if you did one of these quests, chosen a choice for example Free Mages and you haven't recruited Sera. Does this mean her approval rating stays neutral or will it automatically disapprove as soon as you recruit her? 

According to the guide, you gain/lose approval retroactively, but I'm not sure. I've got an archer character who's getting close to In Hushed Whispers. I'll do IHW, recruit Sera, and see what happens to her approval.

 

I enjoy both In Hushed Whispers and Champions of the Just and for the first time in a DA game, I don't feel like a monster for siding with the templars, but whichever side I chose, they join as allies. Blackwall's "No one fights well for their captors" makes a lot of sense to me.

 

I also like how both sides show you a constituent behaving badly. In the Gull and Lantern, you meet Linnea, who seems to embody everything that people distrust about mages. When you go to Val Royeaux, you watch one of the Lord Seeker's lackeys brutally club a revered mother. And you meet more "representative" members of the faction, too. Even at first glance, Ser Barris seems like a model templar, and there's another mage in the Gull and Lantern who really doesn't like how things have panned out. He was content in the Circle, enjoying three meals a day and access to a good education. Alright, Ser Barris is overqualified for the exemplary random templar position, but he's also got to balance out the Lord Seeker, who seems to be about one dye job away from going full Meredith.

[PsychoBlonde]

From a pure RPG POV, helping the Mages makes most sense if you visited Redcliffe and noticed all the weird crap going on (vs the Templars, who just seem like a bunch of pricks hiding in their fort). The sense of urgency is on the Mages.

 

I think from a pure role-playing POV, it makes zero sense whatsoever that you can't try to recruit both of them.  Not necessarily SUCCEED, mind you, but at least TRY.

[HallaGoddess]

The biggest reason for me siding with Mages would probably be the note found in the Hunter's hut in the Hinterlands- of course there's other factors as well- anyways, the note was basically a diary entry written by the hunter where he stumbled across a group of Templars attempting to extort money from innocent refugees with violence, a bunch of Mages came and then a fight occurred and I'm fuzzy on what else happened but what stuck out to me was the fact that the Templars tried to rape one of the injured victims.

 

In Thedas, Templars wield authority and power over the Mages, I think years of treating Mages as less than human, with little to no rights due to a circumstance of birth, has eventually corrupted them beyond imagination. Think about it: years of being told that these people that you're charged to watch over are wild and dangerous, always be told to be vigilant and suspicious of them- eventually you'll forget that these people are human. Your authority and power over them will eventually go to your head, you'll think 'these filthy savages don't deserve kindness' and you'll start treating them like slaves, as entertainment, as handy little toys you can rape because come on, why wouldn't you use them? If they try to blab, say you never did it, your Templar buddies will side with you and if these mages become too annoying, maybe convince the Knight Commander to issue them the Right of Tranquility to shut them up- just frame them of using blood magic. 

 

Now think about the Mages: Years locked in a tower, told you'd never be able to leave, told that you can never marry or have children and if you DO have children, your child will be taken from you as if you're a wild beast incapable of caring for your own child. Not all Circle Towers are equal by the way, and I find it hard to imagine that many circle towers are as easygoing as the Ferelden or Ostwick circle- many mages are like those in Kirkwall, abused and under the constant threat of the Right of Tranquility- it was blatantly told that the Knight Commander in Kirkwall handed out the Right of Tranquility like it was candy.

 

I think if I were born with magic and I suffered for it for years and years, it would eventually turn me desperate for freedom. While I don't condone the use of blood magic in Kirkwall or anywhere in Thedas for that matter, I can understand why: If you're constantly silently accused of being a blood mage, and if a revolt was occurring, and you think blood magic may be able to give you the power to obtain your freedom, since you're being accused of being a blood mage anyways why not use this ability? While in Dragon Age: Inquisition it's shown that not one side is innocent in this war, I feel that Mages are the lesser of two evils because if they were never oppressed, there would have been no war, Kirkwall's Chantry would not have exploded, etc. Yeah, Fiona was stupid for siding with Tevinter but when you can find no allies and when you're terrified of being forced back into your cage, it's understandable that you'd turn to those who are willing to help you. While I'm sure not every Templar is a power abusing scum bag, Templars are not oppressed, (of course you could argue that they are slightly oppressed due to the lyrium leash the Chantry has them on, but that's not true oppression because they had the ability to CHOOSE to be a Templar, and while it's sad that they're like chained dogs, I feel less sympathy because they still have their human rights) therefore if I were to think in a 'Masses before the few individuals' I'd say helping the Mages is a worthier goal for the Inquisition. Which is why while I regret losing Ser Barris, I would still never side with the Templars.

 

But then again, DAI is a game and you should always try the other questline cause they're super different from each other and both are really fun, I really enjoyed having Envy in my head in one of my Anti-Mage playthroughs ehe, so I would recommend trying both quests?

[Xerxes52]

I prefer the Templar mission. The segment where Envy is trying to figure out the Inquisitor was great, I liked it more than getting stuck in a time warp and going to the future. Also Ser Barris is a better character than Fiona imo (at least in the games, haven't read the books). And finally, Calpernia is a better lieutenant to Corypheus than Samson I think.

[Legion of 1337]

Everyone is evaluating this in terms of "better characters", "Samson vs Calpernia", "more Cole vs More Dorian", blah blah blah.

 

Those aren't good roleplaying reasons.

 

Think about it:

 

Venatori Magister with an army of mages who can manipulate time in Ferelden's most defensible fortress.

 

The Red Templar threat isn't even comparable. I don't care how much of a Templar cheerleader you are, any self-respecting Templar would take one look at Alexius in Redcliffe and feel duty-bound to stop him.

[Googleness]

mission wise, plot wise, sense wise, cool factor wise....

 

Templars are better all around.

 

Also you get to have the "Black Templars" of the Inquisition as core of your army. nothing is more bad ass than that.

[MisterJB]

 

I don't see what was so wrong with the mages allying with Tevinter. As Fiona said, they were losing the war, so they desperately needed help. What was bad, is that Alexius was working for Corypheus, so Fiona and her rebels effectively became involved in the subjugation of Thedas to a false/wannabe god. If it was just any random Tevinter magister, I don't think it would be looked at so harshly. The mages also didn't really do anything, as far as I know. So, they allied with Tevinter... so what? I don't think it ever stated what the implications of the alliance were. Wasn't Alexius just providing more mages in the war efforts or something? You meet Alexius in the tavern, then go to the Chantry to meet Dorian, then go to Redcliffe Castle and get sent into the future, then come back to the past. Getting mad at Fiona for her stupidity is much more understandable if you side with the Templars. The templars are turning into abominations, and following the orders of a demon impersonating their leader. You fight a whole bunch of Templars then get sent into the Fade, and meet Cole and the Envy Demon and find out it's behind all of this.

One of the reasons people fear mages is because they fear they will use their powers to bring about the return of Tevinter, placing mages above normal people.

Then what do the rebel mages do? Stab the one king willing to aid them in the back, side with Tevinter, deliver a portion of Ferelden to their hands and the Tevinter imediatelly set about institutionalizing mage supremacy such as when they evicted anyone without magic from Redcliff Castle.

So, that is what is wrong siding with Tevinter.

 

Another reason people fear mages is because they believe mages see themselves as superior and won't have any interest in policing crimes commited by mages against normal people. Hence why they'd rather have the Templars watching over them.

In the Hinterlands, groups of mage supremacists were burning Fereldens for giggles and Fiona just washed her hands off it, effectively leaving it to the Inquisition to do what was supposed to be her job.

 

It's like the rebellion deliberately set about proving the Chantry and Templars right.
 

[Kakistos_]

In my opinion the Mage alliance quest 'In Hushed Whispers' offers a vastly superior story compared to 'Champions of the Just'. I mean, just think about it, what sounds more interesting? Going to kill some new kind of Demon? Like we haven't done that before. Or going to the effing future?! In 'Champions of the Just' all you get a new type of Demon and a warped dream experience which incredibly similar to various other Fade related quests in previous games.

 

With the exception of Cole, 'Champions of the Just' offers nothing new to the story. 'In Hushed Whispers' on the other hand offers HUGE amounts of fan service as you start off my being introduced to Grand Enchanter Fiona, a main character of two different Dragon Age novels, the only Grey Warden known to be freed from the taint and Alistair's mother. You can also meet an older Conner Guerrin, who you will remember was a central character in the plot surrounding Red Cliff in DA:O and he returns later in the quest.

 

During the War-Table conversation on how to enter the castle Leliana informs everyone of the hidden passage meant for the noble family, the very same passage that is used to enter the castle in DA:O. And she would know about it, she was there. This quest also introduces the concept of Time Magic as you actually get to travel through time and experience Redcliff Castle again, an important location from DA:O. Not only do you get to see the castle again you get to see, in person, the consequences should you fail.

 

Seeing and living the fallout is by far a stronger and more visceral experience than seeing the maybe-future that the Envy Demon wants to happen. Envy can not see the future, there was in no way a guarantee that it would have succeeded. I find it hard to believe that Envy would have made it past Vivienne and Solas without being recognized as a Demon. We also learn that Envy WANTS to kill Empress Celene. During In Hushed Whispers we find out that Corypheus ACTUALLY succeeds in doing so and witness parts of his Demon army in person and hear details from companions who lived it.

 

What is perhaps, in my opinion, the most heart wrenching part of In Hushed Whispers is Dark Future Leliana. Seeing the results of her torture and her, well, dark disposition. It was one of the first Inquisition promos featuring Leliana's torture that got me really excited for the game. Leliana's sacrifice was THE most heart pounding/Sad/Epic moment in the series for me. There is NOTHING that compares in Champions of the Just and few other quests for that matter. Leliana and your Companion's sacrifice really drives home severity of the threat you are facing and the desperation aspect needed for immersion.

 

There is also the sympathetic antagonist that you actually feel for. Gereon Alexius. As it turns out, Alexius isn't just the typical "EVIL TEVINTER MAGISTER", he is a father doing what he has to do to save his son. His actions are unquestionably reprehensible but I'm sure that there are plenty of parents who would do the same if they thought they could save their child.

 

And finally during the end of the quest there is the Ferelden Monarch cameo. You get to see the woman and/or man you had a hand in putting on the throne in DA:O in action and if that man happens to be Alistair you get to see him unknowingly reunite with his mother, Grand Enchanter Fiona. In Hushed Whispers is quite simply an amazing quest with various points of interest from start to finish. Champions of the Just pales in comparison. If you want a story filled with emotional, nostalgic and action packed content to enrich your Inquisition experience then In Hushed Whispers is really the only option.

[andy6915]

In my opinion the Mage alliance quest 'In Hushed Whispers' offers a vastly superior story compared to 'Champions of the Just'. I mean, just think about it, what sounds more interesting? Going to kill some new kind of Demon? Like we haven't done that before. Or going to the effing future?! In 'Champions of the Just' all you get a new type of Demon and a warped dream experience which incredibly similar to various other Fade related quests in previous games.

 

With the exception of Cole, 'Champions of the Just' offers nothing new to the story. 'In Hushed Whispers' on the other hand offers HUGE amounts of fan service as you start off my being introduced to Grand Enchanter Fiona, a main character of two different Dragon Age novels, the only Grey Warden known to be freed from the taint and Alistair's mother. You can also meet an older Conner Guerrin, who you will remember was a central character in the plot surrounding Red Cliff in DA:O and he returns later in the quest.

 

During the War-Table conversation on how to enter the castle Leliana informs everyone of the hidden passage meant for the noble family, the very same passage that is used to enter the castle in DA:O. And she would know about it, she was there. This quest also introduces the concept of Time Magic as you actually get to travel through time and experience Redcliff Castle again, an important location from DA:O. Not only do you get to see the castle again you get to see, in person, the consequences should you fail.

 

Seeing and living the fallout is by far a stronger and more visceral experience than seeing the maybe-future that the Envy Demon wants to happen. Envy can not see the future, there was in no way a guarantee that it would have succeeded. I find it hard to believe that Envy would have made it past Vivienne and Solas without being recognized as a Demon. We also learn that Envy WANTS to kill Empress Celene. During In Hushed Whispers we find out that Corypheus ACTUALLY succeeds in doing so and witness parts of his Demon army in person and hear details from companions who lived it.

 

What is perhaps, in my opinion, the most heart wrenching part of In Hushed Whispers is Dark Future Leliana. Seeing the results of her torture and her, well, dark disposition. It was one of the first Inquisition promos featuring Leliana's torture that got me really excited for the game. Leliana's sacrifice was THE most heart pounding/Sad/Epic moment in the series for me. There is NOTHING that compares in Champions of the Just and few other quests for that matter. Leliana and your Companion's sacrifice really drives home severity of the threat you are facing and the desperation aspect needed for immersion.

 

There is also the sympathetic antagonist that you actually feel for. Gereon Alexius. As it turns out, Alexius isn't just the typical "EVIL TEVINTER MAGISTER", he is a father doing what he has to do to save his son. His actions are unquestionably reprehensible but I'm sure that there are plenty of parents who would do the same if they thought they could save their child.

 

And finally during the end of the quest there is the Ferelden Monarch cameo. You get to see the woman and/or man you had a hand in putting on the throne in DA:O in action and if that man happens to be Alistair you get to see him unknowingly reunite with his mother, Grand Enchanter Fiona. In Hushed Whispers is quite simply an amazing quest with various points of interest from start to finish. Champions of the Just pales in comparison. If you want a story filled with emotional, nostalgic and action packed content to enrich your Inquisition experience then In Hushed Whispers is really the only option.

 

I absolutely agree. In Hushed Whispers is definitely the better quest for someone who's played both DAO and DA2 before DAI, all around. I suspect Hushed Whispers was written for long time fans, and Champions of the Just was written for newbies who were introduced to DA through DAI.

[Cz-99]

There is no better or worse option. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar and possible nug-humper.

 

Me personally, I found the mage questline to be more interesting overall. Went with mages the first time around 'cause my character was a mage, but also because I figured they might be more useful in general. Also played the Templar side on a second playthrough, and the only thing that it did better was Cole's intro (Dorian's being better in the mages' quest) and the Templar castle was better looking and more interesting than Redcliffe castle.

 

Neither one really impacts the gameplay all that much, and both factions of enemies get boring after a while anyway (at least to me) - so it all comes down to which flavor you want added to your story. The choice would have more meaning if we knew for sure that it would impact the next game in a significant way. As it stands however, it ain't such a big deal.

[nightscrawl]

so there is no item or so that i cant pick up later when i choose not the mages (for example)?

 

for the story i'm on both sides but i dont want to miss any interesting item when i choose the "wrong" faction. you know what i mean? :]

 

If all you're concerned about is loot, you can look on the DA wiki to see the mission-specific quest rewards.

 

In Hushed Whispers / Champions of the Just

 

 

[edit]

And... dammit I just replied to a thread from when the game came out. SIGH...

[Heimdall]

YMMV

 

But I found that In Hushed Whispers did much more for the overall story than Champions of the Just.

 

• I know some people really hate time travel as a plot device on principle, but I thought it was well handled.  For one, we got to see the consequence of failure, which is a great roleplaying opportunity for Inquisitors.  Also, Time Travel itself is only possible because of the Breach, another direct tie to the critical threat, and closing the Breach means it can't be abused for convoluted storylines in the future.

 

• It does more to flesh out Dorian's story than Champions of the Just fleshes out Cole's.  It helps delve into his personal stake in the fight against the Venatori and his life in Tevinter.  Cole's part in Therinfal just isn't comparable, you don't learn much more than he later tells you, that he went there so the Templars could kill him if he started killing again.

 

• There's no doubt that the Envy demon's attempt to mind rape the inquisitor is an interesting section, but the demon is just like most others of its kind: singleminded and shallow.  There are exceptions, and it varies by the idea they represent, but demons embodying a single emotion are by definition one dimensional.  Gereon Alexius on the other hand is a much deeper antagonist, probably one of the better handled characters in inquisition as a whole.

 

• Samson has actually grown on me as an antagonist.  It's interesting to consider that Calpernia and Samson as representing two halves of Corypheus' character.  Calpurnia is the overlooked servant that deserves to rise and restore the rightful power of her homeland, the glory of Tevinter returned to its rightful place.  Samson is the betrayed worshipper, strung along and then abandoned to be left to rot.  He even says as much when you get him to Skyhold, he gave red lyrium to the Templars and led them to Corypheus in an attempt to fill the hole the Chantry left in them, even with something abominable.  Thinking about him in this light has helped me appreciate just how much of Corypheus' motivation is pain, loss, and desperation (Once you strip away the more noble-minded delusions that Calpernia represents)

 

• Related to the above, I felt that keeping Samson in the picture kept red lyrium more relevant to the story overall, which is more consistent with the way its treated as a critical supply for Corypheus.

 

• Then there's the Ferelden monarch cameo, which helps keep the game feeling connected to its predecessors.  That's always nice and Champions of the Just is notably lacking in this.  For book fans, you also get more interaction with Fiona (Though why anyone would want more of her is beyond me...)

As for roleplaying reasons, well, the Lord Seeker just told the Inquisition to f*ck off and Fiona extended an invitation to negotiate.  Add to that that Redcliffe is half the distance and directly between Haven and Therinfal...  Well, there isn't a whole lot of reason not to hear her out on the way even if you intend to visit the Templars, unless you just don't trust mages.  Once you find out about Alexius and his time magic, it becomes much harder to justify walking away and leaving such a threat behind.

[Snowy-Ninja]

Personally I prefer allying with the Templars.

 

Yes I prefer the mission "In hushed whispers" but beyond that I found the mages less appealing allies then the Templars. The time travel was a bit silly but it gives you great insight into what "could" happen should you fail and it really gives you a sense of urgency and made Cory a frightening prospect. (to bad that sense of urgency and dread was lost during the story line)

 

During my first play through I sided with the mages, I sided with the mages during DA:O and DA2 so it seemed the natural choice and to be honest I didn't like the mages. I didn't like Fiona or finding out she was Alistair's mothers and used to be a grey warden she just seemed like a perfect little angel who could do nothing wrong and it was us cleaning up her mess, she was not that helpful and just stood in Skyhold doing nothing and offering nothing. I didn't particularly care for Samson nor did I find him that interesting and the red templars are a more annoying then anything else. I also found it a little more dangerous because you know red templars were just growing red lyrium everywhere unlike when you side with the templars and its just Venatori and their odd little camp's / skull shrines. 

 

The templars just seem more practical as a choice. I preferred Ser Barris over Fiona as he's actually useful and you can promote him (that kind of interaction was missing with Fiona i think we were just expected to like her because she was once a warden and Alistair's mother) plus their war table missions just seemed more interesting (at least to me). I found the Venatori and Calpernia much more interesting and during her bit at Dumat's temple it really gives you a better insight into cory's mind, it does slightly give him more character which is lost on the mage side because Samson destorys the temple of Dumat. Plus there is a certain sense of "something" during the templar alliance version of Dumats shrine, it feels like it used to be some place important. 

 

As for the ending of the game, I just like the idea of the Templars becoming the new Seekers but also I like the idea of them sticking with the Inquisition. Makes the Inquisition much more powerful and keeps them out of the hands of the Chantry. 

[thesuperdarkone2]

I think from a pure role-playing POV, it makes zero sense whatsoever that you can't try to recruit both of them.  Not necessarily SUCCEED, mind you, but at least TRY.

Actually you can suggest trying to recruit the Templars to recruit the mages during the IHW briefing but your advisors tell you the venatori are planning to attack something soon and that by he time you get the Templars, the mages will be long gone

[TK514]

Everyone is evaluating this in terms of "better characters", "Samson vs Calpernia", "more Cole vs More Dorian", blah blah blah.

 

Those aren't good roleplaying reasons.

 

Think about it:

 

Venatori Magister with an army of mages who can manipulate time in Ferelden's most defensible fortress.

 

The Red Templar threat isn't even comparable. I don't care how much of a Templar cheerleader you are, any self-respecting Templar would take one look at Alexius in Redcliffe and feel duty-bound to stop him.

 

Which is exactly why you can justify getting the Templars first.  Securing Anti-Mage warriors to fight the mages.

[draken-heart]

Honestly, if they went deeper into time magic other than "it affected redcliff, go with it" then hand waive it off, it COULD work. Other than that, Neither quest is really bad per se. The Templars just do not seem like it was that important.4

 

Here is how I would break the decision down:

• Side with Templars if: Templar, Champion, Knight Enchanter, Rift Mage, Assassin, Artificer.
• Side with Mages if: Champion, Reaver, Rift Mage, Necromancer, Artificer, Tempest.