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[timebean]

I just finished the Jaws of Hakkon DLC and I absolutely loved it!!! 

 

I bought all DLC and wanted to replay the whole game with them included.  About 30 hours in, I was yawning through the game...I just couldn't bring myself to do it ALL again (I have 3 complete playthroughs already).  So I loaded up an old charcater to pre-Temple of Mythal and did Descent and Jaw. 

 

I almost stopped after Descent...it was just...a little blah for me. I just...didn't care about it.  But as soon as I saw the Frostback Basin, i was hooked.  Crestwood was always my favorite location, and the Frostback basin was reminiscent but way prettier!

 

It was great to see a new group of people explored.  The Avaar were so cool!  I loved the auger and the hold-beast and the funeral ceremonies and the hunter...all well done!!

 

In particular, I really love the way the Avaar get married.  The female ties a series of complciated knots and the man has to untie them before the marrigae chant ends.  The number of knots untied = the number of years they sare officially married.  Loved it!!  What a beautiful and unique tradition...and a fun play on "tying the knot"!  Does anyone know if this is based off of a real world marrigae ritual? 

 

I love little details like this.  I remeber in DAO, thinking that Ferelden wedding ceremonys would lilkey involve Andraste's fire or something like that.  But there was never a wedding scene or codex about it.  In DAI, I was disspoainted by the noble wedding I attended in Val Royeaux...it looked just like a modern wedding, complete with a white dress. What a waste!  I wish they would have added some Thedas-centric theme to the wedding!

 

Seems trivial, but how we wed and how we treat our dead and little things like that are defining aspects of different cultures. Those little tidbits, if done well = immmersion!  Those little details make stories great. 

 

And Ameridan's story was really emotional to me. So well done!  The codex from his templar companion's journal gave me major feels, escpecailly when you realize he is starting to take lyrium!

 

So, my question for the board is...did you like JoH?  If so, why or why not? What details stood out to you as good or bad?  Any little things that bothered you or made it great for you?

 

Apologies if this duplicates another thread...I haven't been on here in a while!

[Merlin217]

Agreed. For me, Frostback Basin is the most enchanting area in DAI, precisely because of the reasons u have given.

 

Ameridan's story really mirrors the protagonists of all DA games -- 'History forgot so much of who he was, they never knew he died saving everyone. ' That's what happened to the Grey Wardens, and that's what will happen to our heroes: saving the world only to be forgotten by those they save. This is probably why we relate to Ameridan so much. 

[Carmen_Willow]

Jaws of Hakkon was the best of the two DLC. I wrote a fan-fic in which my heroine (not a player character by the way) has an Orlesian mother and an Avaar father ( a farrier), so when she marries Nathaniel, they do a traditional Andrastian ceremony in the Chantry followed by the Avaar custom in the Hanged Man. She makes sure to tie very loose knots and chose a very long song so that she and Nate have many years together.  I loved the reference to it - it brought up good memories of writing that story.

 

I loved Ameridan's story - I wish we'd had a little more time with him. So far, my two favorite DLC's have been Jaws of Hakkon and Legacy.

 

Descent could have told us so much more about the decline of the Dwarves but didn't. Awakenings did a better job of lore building. So sad that Descent didn't give us much about this new variable in the Dragon Age mystery.

[timebean]

Jaws of Hakkon was the best of the two DLC. I wrote a fan-fic in which my heroine (not a player character by the way) has an Orlesian mother and an Avaar father ( a farrier), so when she marries Nathaniel, they do a traditional Andrastian ceremony in the Chantry followed by the Avaar custom in the Hanged Man. She makes sure to tie very loose knots and chose a very long song so that she and Nate have many years together.  I loved the reference to it - it brought up good memories of writing that story.

 

I loved Ameridan's story - I wish we'd had a little more time with him. So far, my two favorite DLC's have been Jaws of Hakkon and Legacy.

 

Descent could have told us so much more about the decline of the Dwarves but didn't. Awakenings did a better job of lore building. So sad that Descent didn't give us much about this new variable in the Dragon Age mystery.

You should post the link!

[ZhengAn]

The reasons you mentioned above, and also TREEHOUSES . But the spiders in that map is super annoying. Most annoying and disgusting species of spider I have met across all thedas.

[vbibbi]

I liked that there were two ostensible separate zone quest lines, discovering Ameridan's history and befriending the Avvar. And then they merged together into the final main quest line for the area. I wish all of the zones had had as interesting and detailed main quest line in their zone.

 

I also liked that a good number of the side quests were more interesting than most of the vanilla game. The possessed scout in particular was one of the saddest and most memorable of the entire game.

 

I wish the rifts and shards weren't just the same as the base game, though I know a lot of players liked the high level rifts for materials. I liked the lack of rifts in Descent and the collectibles in Trespasser not being added to the quest log.

[Carmen_Willow]

You should post the link!

https://www.fanficti.../7280812/1/Seer

 

If that doesn't work look up Author>Carmen Willow on fanfiction.net.  The story's title is "Seer."

 

Please forgive the inept editing. It was the first thing I'd written in a very long time, but it got me writing fiction again. Now I publish Historical and Contemporary stuff on Kindle.

[almasy87]

I'll say one thing only:

The Inquisitor's puns about Storvacker and Cass' disgusted noise   

[Ardent Blossom]

When JoH came out people complained that it was short and that it added little to the story. I listened to these fools and saved my money until it was on sale. I was pleasantly surprised by this DLC. I enjoyed it much more than I did most of the DLC for say Mass Effect 3.

 

The environments are stunning. I love the banyan trees, the waterfalls, the glowing things in the darkness... Oddly enough my favorite little nugget from JoH was the pay off for finding the shards. Geldauran's Claim...a lore-a-licious codex worth the extra work!

 

I also loved that JoH spawned the theory that every major figure in Dragon Age history is really an ELF.

[sjsharp2011]

When JoH came out people complained that it was short and that it added little to the story. I listened to these fools and saved my money until it was on sale. I was pleasantly surprised by this DLC. I enjoyed it much more than I did most of the DLC for say Mass Effect 3.

 

The environments are stunning. I love the banyan trees, the waterfalls, the glowing things in the darkness... Oddly enough my favorite little nugget from JoH was the pay off for finding the shards. Geldauran's Claim...a lore-a-licious codex worth the extra work!

 

I also loved that JoH spawned the theory that every major figure in Dragon Age history is really an ELF.

makes it even more poignant if your playng an elf yourself then too dosen't it? Have to admit though I really do enjoy playing elves on DAI

[vbibbi]

When JoH came out people complained that it was short and that it added little to the story. I listened to these fools and saved my money until it was on sale. I was pleasantly surprised by this DLC. I enjoyed it much more than I did most of the DLC for say Mass Effect 3.

 

The environments are stunning. I love the banyan trees, the waterfalls, the glowing things in the darkness... Oddly enough my favorite little nugget from JoH was the pay off for finding the shards. Geldauran's Claim...a lore-a-licious codex worth the extra work!

 

I also loved that JoH spawned the theory that every major figure in Dragon Age history is really an ELF.

I think my biggest reaction from JOH is that it demonstrated how the zones of the base game should have been. It doesn't contribute to the overall Cory story (thank god for that) but it does have a tighter narrative and more developed characters within the zone. If the other zones of the game had been like this, I would have loved the game so much more.

[timebean]

I think my biggest reaction from JOH is that it demonstrated how the zones of the base game should have been. It doesn't contribute to the overall Cory story (thank god for that) but it does have a tighter narrative and more developed characters within the zone. If the other zones of the game had been like this, I would have loved the game so much more.

Agreed!  I think JoH was sucessful becuase it had actual chracters that helped define it as a unique zone.  I remember thinking the Hissing Wastes and the Western Appraoch were lovely, but all I did was chase Ventori.  It would have been so much better if there were Bedouin-type folk living there for me to interact with.  My very own fremen, or something like that!  It would have made the zones more interesting.  

[vbibbi]

Agreed!  I think JoH was sucessful becuase it had actual chracters that helped define it as a unique zone.  I remember thinking the Hissing Wastes and the Western Appraoch were lovely, but all I did was chase Ventori.  It would have been so much better if there were Bedouin-type folk living there for me to interact with.  My very own fremen, or something like that!  It would have made the zones more interesting.  

For me, I didn't put it together until after playing the game, but then I realized that there are barely any NPCs to interact with for more than a quest issuance and resolution. That's in the game, not just in each zone. Frederic is the only person we can talk to in Western Approach, Skywatcher is the only person in Fallow Mire. I don't think there's anyone in Storm Coast. This is a lot of what made the world feel so empty and dead.

[timebean]

https://www.fanficti.../7280812/1/Seer

 

If that doesn't work look up Author>Carmen Willow on fanfiction.net.  The story's title is "Seer."

 

Please forgive the inept editing. It was the first thing I'd written in a very long time, but it got me writing fiction again. Now I publish Historical and Contemporary stuff on Kindle.

Ha!  No worries if it is rough.  I write pure drivel, but it is fun!

[paramitch]

I loved Jaws of Hakkon. My only minor complaint was that I got very tired of the verticality of the landscape and especially when it came to dead ends. I don't mind challenges but there were times I would spend 45 minutes simply trying to get up to a specific part of the map (something that was also incredibly maddening in the Oasis as well). But that's minor.

 

Meanwhile, like others, I really enjoyed the Avar. I especially loved the Ameridan storyline -- it really moved me in the end and it was really well-done and thought-provoking.

 

And my absolute favorite part: Sentencing Storvacker! I played a wisecracking female elf who tended to crack jokes whenever things were most serious (Cassandra had already rolled her eyes at "Yes, the Inquisitor was HILARIOUS, that's what they'll say..."), and when she punned on not wanting their lives to be "unBEARable," I laughed out loud at Cassandra's total disgust (best of all, you know she is actually laughing inside whether she admits it or not).

 

I also thought the voice acting was just terrific there. My Inquisitor sternly sentencing the bear to become part of the Inquisition as punishment was just so funny, as was the bear's dismayed reaction and the leader's embarrassment ("Our Master of the Hunt will never let me hear the end of this...").

 

It was a great DLC. Also, bonus points because for whatever reason, I was finally getting a lot of party banter there. 

[Respite]

I would be a very happy man if Thane Svarah Sun-Hair were a part of DA4. I don't care how contrived it would be, but she was one of the most compelling NPCs in DA:I, and I want more of her. Backstory, a Leliana's Song-style DLC, hell, even one of Maryden's songs. Just more Avvar, and specifically more of her.

[Ieldra]

So, my question for the board is...did you like JoH?  If so, why or why not? What details stood out to you as good or bad?  Any little things that bothered you or made it great for you?

I liked it very much. In my opinion, Frostback Basin is the best map of the game, and its "main questline" the best sidequest. I love the relevations about Ameridan. He was an elven mage who had a spirit companion, and his lover was a Dreamer! Take that, Chantry orthodoxy!

I also agree with the previous poster that Svarah Sun-Hair was a compelling NPC. Of the may people I met, she was one of the very few I felt honored to have as a friend. I would love to see her again.

[vbibbi]

I liked it very much. In my opinion, Frostback Basin is the best map of the game, and its "main questline" the best sidequest. I love the relevations about Ameridan. He was an elven mage who had a spirit companion, and his lover was a Dreamer! Take that, Chantry orthodoxy!

I also agree with the previous poster that Svarah Sun-Hair was a compelling NPC. Of the may people I met, she was one of the very few I felt honored to have as a friend. I would love to see her again.

I wish we had learned more about the spirit companion. That struck me as very interesting but vaguely defined. I assume not a possession like Wynne or Anders, as there is no trace of possession when we finally meet him. So what other form would it take? More like a wisp?

[Iakus]

If every zone was like Frostback Basin, content-wise, DAI would have been GAME OF THE FREAKING DECADE!

[Carmen_Willow]

I think my biggest reaction from JOH is that it demonstrated how the zones of the base game should have been. It doesn't contribute to the overall Cory story (thank god for that) but it does have a tighter narrative and more developed characters within the zone. If the other zones of the game had been like this, I would have loved the game so much more.

Exactly. The area had a story of its own to tell. Let's hope that Bioware refines this idea and uses it in future games.