52 replies to this topic

[superali21]

Hey so I'm curious, do you guys think that the overall story of dragon age 2 is better if Hawkes entire family dies, or if Carver/Bethany lives as a templar, mage, grey warden? 

[robertmarilyn]

I think the story is better if the siblings are alive because I will use the siblings when I'm allowed to and I enjoy the interaction they have with Hawke. Except for once, the sibling that lives is Carver and usually I will have him become a Gray Warden. Working on Hawke and Carver being friends in the end is hard but well worth it. Plus I get to hear Carver try to flirt with Merrill and successfully flirt with Isabella (esp as a Templar). There is some pretty funny stuff there.   

[Catilina]

I like my family members live, I think Hawke too...

I like templar Carver, but I like it also,  when Carver blames his brother because he bacame a grey warden... Carver always funny, just keep him alive!

[GoldenGail3]

Woah, you've got yourself a double post!

[Scarlett]

In my game, Bethany is alive (mages circle) and I'm really glad, especially because you see her again at the end of the game. I also like my character to have a sister and have interactions with her.

 

Having my Hawke's entire familly dead is just too much drama, I can't stand it so I will always save Bethany.

[mrs_anomaly]

I think Hawke deserves any bit of happiness I can give her! I always keep Carver alive. I find the warden path best for me. 1- He's a grown man and I'm not going to hold him back from making his own decision re: should he go to the deep roads because mom is upset about the risks. He's adorable in his petulance too. I have four children and two baby brothers IRL that are sometimes too self absorbed lol. I see the realness of their sibling struggle.

I dislike that Hawkes whole family gets offed :/

[Ferretinabun]

I'm a real stickler for making my canon as plausible as possible. 

 

- I can't deal with Hawke being a mage: far too many immersion-breaking 'hope-none-of-these-Templars-around-me-saw-me-lob-that-fireball' moments. So Carver's a goner.

 

- I don't like that the Grey Wardens would give Bethany the equivalent of compassionate leave to run personal errands for her to just pop up for Legacy, Mark of the Assassin and the final showdown of Act 3. She's supposed to have given up her old life and it breaks the thematic 'Oh woe, Bethany has been taken from us forever' vibe. Also, the timing of the last two is far too convenient anyway for me to swallow. So Warden Bethany's a no.

 

- You mileage may vary, but I prefer siding with the Templars. The whole Orsino-Harvester thing if you choose mages make no sense whatsoever, and Meredith's attitude towards you makes much more sense if you initially side with her, then spare the mages who appeal for mercy. But then I also feel Hawke is much less likely to go for the Annulment if his/her sister is one of the mages getting annulled. So yeah, Mage Bethany is a no for me, too.

 

TL:DR: I off Hawke's whole family. Not for fun; it's just the version of the story I have the fewest issues with.

[Catilina]

I think Hawke deserves any bit of happiness I can give her! I always keep Carver alive. I find the warden path best for me. 1- He's a grown man and I'm not going to hold him back from making his own decision re: should he go to the deep roads because mom is upset about the risks. He's adorable in his petulance too. I have four children and two baby brothers IRL that are sometimes too self absorbed lol. I see the realness of their sibling struggle.

I dislike that Hawkes whole family gets offed :/

I like both Carver: Templar and Warden too, but I prefer Templar Carver. 

1. The Templar Carver are healty, not tainted.

2. The Warden Carver are grown man? I dont know: he blames his brother because hi became Grey Warden...

3. To become Templar are his choice, not a coincidence. (Maybe not a wise choice, but his choice.) A real chance to make it become what he wants. 

4. Sharper dialogues.

5. Conflict at the final decision.

 

It also depends on what is the nature of Hawke's (for example): 

1. Understanding and more patient Hawke (friendship romance with Fenris as pro-mage), he has not left home his little brother. (Warden Carver)

2. Self-confident, impatient Hawke (rivalry romance with Fenris as pro-mage), natural that he has  left home the whiny little brother. (Templar Carver)

3. Impatient and protective Hawke (friendship romance with Anders, ofc pro-mage), also natural, that he has left home the whiny little brother. (Templar Carver)

[vertigomez]

I like it if Carver lives and becomes a Grey Warden. There's still a mourning period, really, and a sense of loss because Hawke has no idea if Carver will survive the Joining, and even if he does he will hardly ever see his family, his life will be in constant danger, and there's the Taint to consider. But Warden Carver is happy, fulfilled, and has a sense of purpose. He feels like his own man and can put his hard-earned skills to good use, and overcomes his crippling insecurity.

So, it's nice that at least one member of the Hawke family has a happy ending... for a given value of happy.

I can never decide what to do with Bethany. By the time DAI rolls around, Bethany may be free of the Circle and living at the Hawke estate, enjoying her life as an ordinary woman - something she always wanted. But I'm not sure what she would do after that. Get married, maybe? Tutor child mages..? On the other hand, Warden Bethany undergoes a lot of character development, giving her more of a backbone and a sense of purpose (even if it's an angreh darkspawn slaughtering purpose). Her opportunity for an "ordinary life" goes out the window - though the way she reacts to Sebastian's flirting, I think it's clear that she hasn't lost all hope yet.

Either way, I prefer it when at least one sibling is left alive. It's nice to compare the path of their life compared to Hawke's, and I always mourn the one who died on the escape from Lothering.

[Iakus]

Bethany surviving and joining the Circle is the only thing that could motivate my Hawke to giving a rat's @ss about the conflict.

[sjsharp2011]

I think the story is better if the siblings are alive because I will use the siblings when I'm allowed to and I enjoy the interaction they have with Hawke. Except for once, the sibling that lives is Carver and usually I will have him become a Gray Warden. Working on Hawke and Carver being friends in the end is hard but well worth it. Plus I get to hear Carver try to flirt with Merrill and successfully flirt with Isabella (esp as a Templar). There is some pretty funny stuff there.   

yeah I think the swtory is better if you keep your sibling alive and have done this in the majority of my playthroughs. Although in my current one I have let my sibling die but that's more to mix things up a bit. Leandra's not dead yet in mine as I'm still in Act 2 on my current run and only just completed the 2 DLC's Mark of the Assassin and Legacy so I've only really got the remaining tasks of Acts 2 and 3 to do.

[Sifr]

I like it if Carver lives and becomes a Grey Warden. There's still a mourning period, really, and a sense of loss because Hawke has no idea if Carver will survive the Joining, and even if he does he will hardly ever see his family, his life will be in constant danger, and there's the Taint to consider. But Warden Carver is happy, fulfilled, and has a sense of purpose. He feels like his own man and can put his hard-earned skills to good use, and overcomes his crippling insecurity.

 

If you bring Carver along in Legacy during Act 1, he idly wishes he could join the Wardens. Bringing Warden!Carver along in Act 2-3 seems far more happier with his life, has matured and takes himself less seriously, compared to Templar!Carver, who still has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

 

Bringing Anders along as well has him remark that he always figured Carver as the type who'd be able to find meaning and purpose in Warden life, compared to someone like him who was never really cut out for it.

 

But yeah, Carver as a Warden seems the better outcome for him, at least in my view.

[SmilesJA]

In my game canon, Bethany is the only surviving family member.

[vertigomez]

I forgot one gem from Warden!Bethany. In DAI,

Spoiler

her conscription ale is called Princess P***.

[Qun00]

Hawke is a tragic hero and I prefer to keep it that way. Like Varric says, if a character just had a nice afternoon nobody would care.

[Almila_Lavellan]

I always have Carver become a Grey Warden because he gets happier and doesn't blame my Hawke much like Bethany.   I remembered now that I can't stand GW Bethany. Going on and on about being "half dead" thanks to my Hawke... 

[Catilina]

I always have Carver become a Grey Warden because he gets happier and doesn't blame my Hawke much like Bethany.   I remembered now that I can't stand GW Bethany. Going on and on about being "half dead" thanks to my Hawke... 

The only one way to Carver was not blame Hawke: if he became Templar. But yes, Carver happier as Grey Warden, than Bethany.

[Lord of War]

It does depend on where they end up. I'd rather see Bethany and Carver dead than in the Circle or as a Templar, but I think becoming Wardens helps them grow in interesting ways.

[Catilina]

It does depend on where they end up. I'd rather see Bethany and Carver dead than in the Circle or as a Templar, but I think becoming Wardens helps them grow in interesting ways.

...

...

... why? 

 

Carver happy as templar, and Bethany also happy as circle mage... and Carver can see the themplar's dark side, if he are part of the order. And: Hawke have a sister/brother... It's clearly good thing.

[Lord of War]

...

...

... why? 

 

Carver happy as templar, and Bethany also happy as circle mage... and Carver can see the themplar's dark side, if he are part of the order. And: Hawke have a sister/brother... It's clearly good thing.

 

The Kirkwall Circle is a horrific institution, you know that. Being a mage there is being sentenced to hell on earth, and leaving Bethany to suffer there is completely unacceptable. True, she is treated better than most of the other inmates, but only as Meredith's hostage. And by the end of her incarceration, Bethany does see the light if you've sided with the mages, and says the rebellion was justified.

 

As for Carver, he should really know better. He's seen what the Templars have done, and decides to join them anyway, perpetuating the injustice and tyranny of the Order. He betrays the memory of his sister and his father, along with his still living sibling. He'd be better off dead, so would any other Templar.

[Catilina]

The Kirkwall Circle is a horrific institution, you know that. Being a mage there is being sentenced to hell on earth, and leaving Bethany to suffer there is completely unacceptable. True, she is treated better than most of the other inmates, but only as Meredith's hostage. And by the end of her incarceration, Bethany does see the light if you've sided with the mages, and says the rebellion was justified.

 

As for Carver, he should really know better. He's seen what the Templars have done, and decides to join them anyway, perpetuating the injustice and tyranny of the Order. He betrays the memory of his sister and his father, along with his still living sibling. He'd be better off dead, so would any other Templar.

Death is not better. Bullshit.

Malcolm have a templar friend. Not all templar are pure evil! If Carver want to be templar, this is his choice, he know, what he want. and  he never will betray his brother/sister.

Kirkwall's Circle are terrible, this is fact. But better than death. From the circle you can escape, from the death not (but perhaps Quentin might help ...)

[Lord of War]

Death is not better. Bullshit.

Malcolm have a templar friend. Not all templar are pure evil! If Carver want to be templar, this is his choice, he know, what he want. and  he never will betray his brother/sister.

Kirkwall's Circle are terrible, this is fact. But better than death. From the circle you can escape, from the death not (but perhaps Quentin might help ...)

 

I'd rather see them as Quentin's zombies than as Chantry slaves too.

[Catilina]

I'd rather see them as Quentin's zombies than as Chantry slaves too.

Healthy concept...

[kimgoold]

GW Carver 100% of my DA2 games. Bethany is just to sacrine for me she irritates the h#ll out of me. Carver just seems more mature and happy as a person when he's made a GW. And lets not forget cousin Charade who's a Red Jenny. 

[Catilina]

GW Carver 100% of my DA2 games. Bethany is just to sacrine for me she irritates the h#ll out of me. Carver just seems more mature and happy as a person when he's made a GW. And lets not forget cousin Charade who's a Red Jenny. 

Growing up do not have to hurry. Healthy brother better than tainted, I think.  My vote still to Templar Carver, but yes: GW Carver also good, and he feel himself helpful, while as Templar he somewhat disappointed (vid. Family letters).

Oops! I always forget Charade, yes, she is a nice person! A real gift to the grumpy-d!ck Uncle Gamlen. Maybe she make him better.