Did Focusing on Elves/Elven protagonist impacted your liking Inquisition?

Yeah he does but I think he also tells you that he wasn't born in Orzammar like Bartrand was as his family had already been exiled by the time he was born so had spent all his life on the surface. he only went down into the Deep Roads when taking part in expeditions and stayed away from them otherwise. Generally he stayed on the surface and out of trouble if and when he could. That was until he met Hawke when he ended up in every sort of trouble he could think of and then some he'd never imagine.

But, the qunari PC is NOT a "real" Qunari. There is the qunari race, and there is the Qunari society (which is comprised of qunari race, as well as other races). I am not at all surprised by Iron Bull's scorn of a Vashoth PC. He is a member of the Qun and it makes total sense for him to have that view. I can totally imagine that Bull would see the Vashoth PC, especially if they greet him in Qunlat (if the player takes that option) as some sort of pretender, a fake, who is trying to form an association with him, a member of the Qun, where they have no such basis of familiarity.

In contrast, dwarves really only have two things to be discriminatory about: caste and surface dwelling (which is related to caste, since you lose your caste by going to the surface). Varric was born on the surface, so he doesn't have any of those prejudices. Likewise with any of the dwarves you meet in the DAI base game. I can't speak to the Descent dwarves since I still haven't played that. However, I'll also say that, even in DAO we met dwarves who cared little for those distinctions, like Oghren, who doesn't give a shit about much of anything related to his culture, or that one guy in Tapster's Tavern who sympathized with the plight of the casteless.


[edit] It's also important to remember that in DAI Iron Bull is our primary representative of the Qunari, until we meet Gaat, and our only qunari (race). In contrast, there are other dwarven NPCs beyond Varric, and there are other elven NPCs, including Dalish ones, beyond Solas. Bull is the only character that is the sole representative of his people, racially and culturally.

When I say culturally dwarf, I meant he doesn't consider himself an Orzammar dwarf. Traditional dwarf would be the better word to use. Despite growing up in a family that used to be Orzammar, he didn't care about their old status and is entirely a surface dwarf like Cadash.  

Yes, and that exactly what I am commenting on. The very first encounter with a racial counterpart for both the Qunari and the Elf results in those very discussions that "let me break it down for you" how you are really not "good enough". My Qunari can't go and extoll virtues of the free Qunari for example when Bull looks him up and down, spits on the ground and tells him: "Boy, you are no Qunari." I cannot tell him that actually, I am the REAL Qunari, or that blood is blood, and it does not matter that our religion is different (and he certainly does not say that). And, yeah, it makes killing him all the more satisfying though Inquisitor does not get to say: "Oh, no, I am no bas. I am a Qunari, and you are dead."

Same thing happens with elf, if not so bluntly put, with Solas eventually coming around to admit you are okay as an elf.

The dwarves (as in Varric) seem to avoid the topic of choices that their race may make, but overall welcome PC of their race as much as the PC of every other race, without the very special prejudice that Quanri and Elves (as represented by Bull and Solas) reserve for the Inquisitor's background within their race.

In other words, on both an elf and a Qunari, I was made fell that I needed an option to say: "FU Solas/Bull! I am just fine with my race and what I am, and proud of it, thank you very much," but on the dwarf I don't think you are put in the situation to feel that way.

What he actually does is ask you if he has misjudged the Dalish and his reaction to your answer is revealing:

If the Dalish could raise someone with a spirit like yours... have I misjudged them?
◾Yes.
◾Honestly, not really.
◾No. I am who I am. - Slightly Approves

You will notice that when you are effectively agreeing that you are an exception then he approves because you have reinforced his world view. He does a lot of that sort of thing. His approvals and disapprovals are often more revealing than what he actually says.

I would agree. However, if you select the third option, Solas will still attempt to give the Dalish credit:

Solas: "Yes, you are wise to give yourself that due, although the Dalish, in their fashion, may still have guided you."

I hate that balcony scene. It was one of the reasons, I stopped playing my Solasmance and made a new Lavellan, who will romance anyone but Solas.
I find it strange, because I like his little tales, where he is telling about memories, he saw in the fade, with rebellious Qunari, sensible dwarves, brave humans... so he saw, that there are other shining examples of the inquisitors race (whatever it is, also I don't remember a tale involving elves, but the rest is covered) and he still thinks, inqui is the exception from his world view. It's a bit short sighted for such an old creature...


To answer @carefulls original question, I do like the involvment of elven culture in DAI, I don't like everything (the 3-mages-rule came a bit out of the blue for me), but most of it. I'm a hugh fan of the Dalish and I do like, that they don't come out of the story smelling of roses. They have their skeletons in the closet like any other race, which make them more believable.

But I do like to play the outsider once in a while too - for that, I have my little Cadashs - it's nice sometimes, not to have to care about church, elven culture, Qunari troubles, so it is either being super involved (human noble or elf) or not involved at all apart from the glowing hand and making friends (Cadash).

But I have to say, I like the wartable mission of Lavellan, apart from the potential catastrophic ending, the most of all inqui wartable missions. The keeper of clan Lavellan is one cool lady, I love her from just reading her letters.

Technically, shouldn't your Inquisitor be saying "I am a real kossith"? Of course, this is the fault of the qunari, since they're the ones who started muddling up the distinction between the race and the followers of the Qun.

Not really. The only time Kossith is at all dragged to light is specifically for the IB to insult the Qunari Inquisitor. It is an obscure term not used by anyone at all to refer to the race. The character spreadsheet says Qunari. It’s like telling a Russian immigrant that because they are not a member of the communist party and do not live within the borders of Russia, they are not Russian, really, they are Radimich or Krivich.

There is a huge number of perfectly good-aligned BioWare characters that would kill the kneeling enemy in vengeance unless PC intervenes. You can’t even stop Alistair. There is a difference between this scenario and the intention to wholesale burn everyone because they are cattle.

Edit: not even cattle. More like locust or other parasites.