The orb that started it all is an ancient elven artifact, which changes the implications of the game once discovered.
Skyhold, your base of operations for the entire second half of the game, is an ancient elven building, which you know from the get-go.
Half the places you visit are all steeped in elven significance and history--Shyhold again, the Exalted Plains, the Emerald Graves, Emprise du Lion, Halamshiral, the Arbor Wilds, and at least two ancient elven ruins.
The entire finale is steeped in elven significance. The Arbor Wilds, the Temple of Mythal, an encounter with ancient elves, the Well of Sorrows, meeting Mythal herself, getting one of Mythal's dragons to help you for the final battle (either Morrigan shapeshifted or another dragon found at one of Mythal's lesser temples), stopping Corypheus from using said ancient elven orb from destroying the fabric of reality once and for all.
One of your companions turns out to be an ancient elven god. (Or so elven lore remembers him as.)
While the first 90% of Trespasser focuses on the Qunari invasion, the last stretch reveals that the mastermind behind the attacks is the Egg Man himself, and the reason the Qunari and the Egg Man got the best of you is because most of your elven staff are either Qunari or Fen'Harel spies, and last significant stretch of the DLC involves revelations about not only the elves' history, but their future. (Since the Qunari and Fen'Harel are both rearing for renewed attacks and they both have elven spies at their disposal.)
For once the entire game is not personally hand-tailored for and by the human player. For once we have a game where non-human players have some bragging rights, and you human fans still try to take that away. (God forbid a non-human player can get excited about how much content the game lets us enjoy our playthrough, instead of only content that lets you brag about how objectively superior your human playthough is.)
Yes, as I said, the Orb is elven. And it's being wielded by a former human who was part of the greatest human empire in history which fell due to his actions and is now a shadow of what it was, with it being held at bay by another human empire. The religion he was the high priest of also fell due to his actions and the religion that supplanted it even within his homeland is almost entirely human, with the occasional elf who abandoned their original culture. The orb is just a tool.
Skyhold has been built on by dozens of different groups. The original fortress was elven and it's greatest significance was during elven times, but over the ages it has become more human then elven. there is very little of it's original architecture remaining. You have to cart an Eluvian there from Orlais.
Most of the places you list were significant to the elves and are significant to humans. The Exalted Plains were dalish territory but they are the human controlled location where the civil war for control of the second greatest human empire is raging. The Emerald Graves were dalish territory. But now they are the human controlled location where a group of human refugees have banded together under the leadership of an unacknowledged human noble in order to resist the human agents of a once human monster. The Emprise Du Lion is even further from it's elven roots. There is less content related to elves there then the other two areas and while it was once dalish territory it is human territory where a human business and land owner sold land to human agents of a once human monster so that they could imprison humans and use them to create a dangerous resource under the leadership of a demon. Halamshiral was once Dalish territory. But it is the human run location where the peace talks to decide the fate of the second greatest human empire are taking place, where a human agent of a once human monster attempts to seize power. The most elf centric results possible are having an elf sleep with the person who is in charge or having an elf blackmail the person who is in charge.
The Arbour Wilds and Cradle of Sulevin are the only places that remain truly elven, with the Temple of Silence and the knights crypt having been invaded by humans before the Inquisition gets there.
Yes, the finale is steeped in elven significance. Like how the other 85% of the game is steeped in human significance. Even then, I had to sit there as a human lectured my elven mage character about elven history, culture and magic.
One of your companions is an ancient elven god. If you count important members of the Inquisition, you will find far more with connections to humanity then you will elves. Charter is the only other important member of the Inquisition with a strong connection to elves and even then it is purely racial.
Yes, elven stuff becomes important in the last 10% of Trespasser. Which means it wasn't in the first 90%. Human politics, human religion and the alien culture that threatens human lands was the focus. While the elven stuff was once more just tools and background decoration.
The game is still, on the whole, dealing with human culture. Human politics, human religion, human kingdoms. Elven stuff isn't important until the last 10 or 15% of the game. Again, we don't spend half the game being called the Herald of Mythal. We don't get unique options when judging people as a result of being a devout member of the elvish faith. Or dwarvish. Only human. For every Elf only set of armour, there are three human only ones.
Would you mind pointing out how, exactly, I am a "human fan"? Where I bragged about human being "objectively superior"? Both of those statements are wildly untrue.
If I have a racial preference in Inquisition it is for qunari. And if you think elves have historically been badly served content wise you really need to have a qunari playthrough or three.
I think that anyone who insists there is an "objectively superior" or "best" PC needs to be tarred and feathered. There is no best and anyone who insist there is is a fool. if you like I can try to dig up posts where I have said more or less exactly that in the past. Having preferences is perfectly valid. I have my own favourites, my own picks for what I think works best with inquisitions content.
But insisting that elves offer the "best" experience when most content connects more strongly to humanity is daft. Both because it is an attempt to diminish other players experiences, which is not okay, and because it conflicts sharply with the evidence.
EDIT: Having said all of that, I want to go out of my way to make clear that I don't think the majority of content connecting more with a human character in any way diminishes an elven character or those who play them. Nor do I think it is a good thing or even okay. If options are presented they should be given roughly equal importance and weight. Elves are underserved compared to humans, dwarves compared to elves and qunari can only glare enviously at all three.
I just don't think there is much point tricking myself about how much elf content there is.
When Stolen Throne first got written, Dalish were rare and people doubted they even existed. Now they're everywhere, dictating to people. And yet Velanna and Merrill whine about how they lack any modern legends or stories.
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Make ALL the dick choices!
