That's right. Every fan of Dragon Age wants the Hero of Ferelden to return in the next game, and yes that includes you. This is a fact that I will prove objectively.
No, this isn't another "Bring Back the Hero" thread, and no I am not going to apply the "No True Scotsman" fallacy.
Notice I'm not posting this in the suggestions forum. This topic is to get a point across to the fans, not to BioWare. My intention is to convince YOU that the Hero's return is the only viable option, and one that you WANT to take place. It's just that many fans aren't aware of this... yet.
Other threads have proven how the Hero can return in the next game or expansion, but this thread proves WHY the Hero must return and why you want this to be so.
The Hero is too important now
The Hero's story is now too big and too crucial to the current events for the Hero to sit this next one out. The cure for the taint, Flemeth, Mythal's compulsion, Morrigan, the Grey Warden order, the remaining old god souls, the eluvians, any remaining darkspawn magisters, the remaining rifts, and possibly even the nature of red lyrium.
Those are just the plots that tie to EVERY living Hero. Now break this down into each Origin. Human noble has Highever, and possibly Denerim if the Hero is King or Queen. That means all the same issues that the other monarch has to deal with, and that includes relations with Orlais. Mage Heroes have the situation with the mages, templars, and Chantry. Elves have the story dealing with the Elven Pantheon, especially a Dalish Hero, who would also have the other Dalish clans to interact with. The dwarves have Orzammar and possibly Kal'Sharok to contend with. Now include the possible romances, such as with Morrigan or with Leliana (Victoria?). Now include the possibility of the Hero being the father of Kieran.
The Inquisition as an organization can only do so much. At some point it comes down to select individuals who set out in small parties to effect real change in the world and solve its problems up close and hands on.
Few others measure up
In the case of an expansion, the Inquisitor will need a new companion or two. Even if Leliana becomes Divine, allowing Cass and Vivi to stick around, and even if The Iron Bull becomes Tal Vashoth and Blackwall stays on board, there are people who will definitely leave eventually. Aside from the obvious example, Varric also leaves, as does Dorian. And really the only characters who will always stick around no matter what are Sera and Cole, and they can be dismissed or turned away during the game.
Now you might say that any expansion could just introduce new characters like Awakening did for the most part. But in this case they would have to explain how these new characters are on the same general level as the Inquisitor. With the Hero, no explanation is needed. We all know the Hero is on the level, and possibly even superior in combat skill to the Inquisitor. It's an easy and perfect fit.
Another point to consider here is how any new character would fit the storyline. Why are these new characters joining up with the Inquisitor and what do they bring to the table? Again, it's clear to see what the Hero offers. The cure to the taint, or at least a really good plan on how to obtain it, as well as knowledge about Flemeth, Morrigan, and the eluvian. Maybe the scrying ritual will even come up. Or hey, how about that Circle tower you remember having a talking psychic statue in its basement? Yeah, the Hero can get access to it. Need someone to help close rifts? The Hero did that a decade ago in the Blackmarsh and all without an anchor might I add. Need someone who has a lot of pull with the Wardens? Who better than the Warden-Commander of Ferelden? Need to go into the Fade? The Hero has been there at least twice.
Now I'm sure any expansion will still need to have some new characters to replace any that left the party at the end of Inquisition, and BioWare will have to think up reasons as to why these powerful characters didn't show themselves until now, but at least with the Hero the reason has already been revealed to us.
Your Hero has already returned
That's right. For all the grumbling about not wanting the Hero to return because "head canon", the fact of the matter is that Inquisition has already decided that your Hero returns to the world stage in order to search for a cure to the taint. Any romance you had, any throne you sat on, any family you started, all on hold. Whether you like it or not, Inquisition took control of your Hero and made it possible for the Inquisitor to make contact. At present, the Keep does not have a tile to indicate whether you followed through on that or not, so it's possible that this will be one of those forced decisions, as was the case with Awakening, Golems, or Witch Hunt. And I may be mistaken, but I think Inquisition does at least force the chore table mission "Contact the Hero of Ferelden" to appear, even if you don't complete it. So while you may be able to take a pass on contacting the Hero, it does at least show that the Hero's location is far west and that either Morrigan or Leliana can get ahold of the Hero if needed, and so can the Inquisition.
And what will the Hero do now? What will the Hero do after the cure is found? Ride off into the sunset? No. The Hero will use the cure accordingly, and that will likely involve whatever mischief the Grey Wardens are up to at Weisshaupt.
So, since the Hero has returned already and will likely be used in further storylines, wouldn't you rather have some control over what your Hero does and for what reasons?
Keep your options open
Let's put all this gameplay and storyline talk aside for a second and recognize the simple truth. Fans made a big deal about bringing the Hero back when Inquisition was first announced and BioWare asked what we would like to see in the next game. Lo and behold, we got our Hero back in some measure. The call for the Hero's return is even greater than it was before, and this call will only get louder now that the Hero has been given a quest that quite frankly seems a lot more interesting than most Inquisition quests. And face it, with all the remakes that are being produced nowadays, it's clear that people want things they are familiar with. For BioWare, this represents a safe, easy profit.
So it basically comes down to this. Get on board, or get left in the dust. If all you do is say you don't want the Hero to be in the next installment, BioWare will ignore you in favor of all the fans who want the Hero back, since this is the direction they're going with it anyway. What everyone here will benefit from is having you back in the discussion and submitting your feedback and suggestions on how to best implement the Hero's return. As has been suggested elsewhere, an option to not have the Hero in the game, but rather sit it out by player choice, could be an option for players who just want to let the Hero retire with dignity. To add on this suggestion, another option is to let the players choose how the Hero bows out. In this case YOU would actually get to decide where the Hero goes, who with, and why. The Hero's story ends on YOUR terms in this case.
That's why I write, keep your options open. The fact of the matter is that you want the Hero to return, even if it's just to decide how the Hero stays out of the way from now on.
It's like Varric says, if your favorite character in a book were to have an easy life, you'd stop reading. So the best way to end the Hero's story? Demand the Hero's return along with the option to decide the Hero's fate yourself. Or would you rather have BioWare choose it for you? Think about it, and imagine how well your head canon will hold up against that prospect. There will always be fans who will demand the Hero's story be covered, and BioWare will always cave in to those demands and write a story to placate these fans.
Who knows, maybe the option to choose how the Hero retires will be the only feature BioWare uses. Or maybe they return the Hero with everything the fans want, and the story will fit perfectly with everyone's head canons.
What was the main complaint against Hawke in DA2? That the Champion didn't really feel like our character. This complaint was amplified in Inquisition, where many fans complain that Hawke was made to say things that these players considered out of character. What were the complaints against the Inquisitor? That most of the interesting missions on the chore table could not be done directly by the Inquisitor. Most of these sentiments were based off of prior experience with how well Origins handled these issues. Well, the remedy for both is found in the Hero. Our character, taking on interesting missions.
Those who say they don't want the Hero back also complain about how their Hero was roped in to the cure quest. They say to let the Hero's story end on whatever note that was suggested in DA:O/A. But the only way to do that is to have the power put back in your hands, and then choose that ending yourself. For this, you need the Hero back. So whether you're aware of it or not, you do want the Hero back even if it's to end the Hero's story once and for all.
A noble end
Lastly, I want to appeal to your sense of honor. Even in world states where the Hero made the Ultimate Sacrifice, seeing the Hero respected for this would add a great deal of nostalgia and emotion to the game. It's said that something is happening with the Wardens at Weisshaupt. Going to Weisshaupt to investigate seems like the obvious choice. Who is buried there next to Garahel? The Ultimate Sacrifice Hero.
Imagine walking up to a tomb dedicated to the Fifth Blight. Inside, a massive chamber, with statues of Duncan and Riordan at the entrance. Paintings all around commemorating Ostagar and to some extent Cailan. Sculptures, artwork, and tapestries telling the story of who the Hero recruited and what the Hero did to save Ferelden from the blight as well as itself. And at the center, a coffin carved right into the stone, the banner of the Hero flying overhead. Cousland heraldry? Aducan? Amell? That would all be based on who your Hero was, but only if your Hero returns in some capacity. In this case, through the imported world state as a dead Hero lying in the sealed tomb at Weisshaupt. Maybe there's a statue of the Hero there as well.
So that's all I have for now. I think this is more than enough to prove my points. Please post your comments and tell me what you think of this.
Retour en haut
Now you want me to say what I think after you already told me what I think even though that isn't what I think?
