The Blanketfort (crying and throwing up) - The Official Solas Thread [Spoilers]

10 years in the making isn't quite right, since they basically rebooted production half-way through and ditched the original "Joplin" plan.

When you think about it, the story of Solas and Solavellan actually develops over 11-12 years. Solas awakens from uthenera in 9.40 Dragon, and meets Lavellan in 9.41.

There is an important distinction between the creative process and production, with one belonging in the writers room while the other is all encompassing. The latter refers to moments of crisis such as the displacement of resources in Bioware to prioritize Anthem while DA4 was in early production or the shift from live service to single player half-way through.

I'd wager only DA2 was quite as messy. DAO was the first game, so a lot of changes had more to do with creating the franchise itself.

Regarding the writing process,  it is true that you still might identify some key plot points that likely are remnants of old directives such as the origin of the elves or the history between Mythal and the titans. Even so, I find it impossible not to wonder what the final product would have been if we still had Mary Kirby, Mike Laidlaw and David Gaider. Of course their absence had an impact in the main vision.

A glaring detour from the original course was the departure from the build up done in post-Inquisition works like The Missing and Tevinter Nights, which obviously were heading towards a more Dread Wolf centric story. It is a shame we didn't get to see the game we were promised when Solas revealed his plan in Trespasser.

We likely would have seen more of the elven rebels who gathered to follow Fen'Harel, as it is hinted at in the artwork for DA4.

Going back to the "what are spirits, are spirits and souls related, etc." I actually remembered something from the Inquisition:

Cole: You don't need to envy me, Solas. You can find happiness in your own way.
Solas: I apologize for disturbing you, Cole. I am not a spirit, and sometimes it is hard to remember such simple truths.

The ones in your active party once you go to Minrathous in act 3.

It is a little bit of a detour from just cutting through the enemies, but there are 2 specific locations where you can trigger banters Solas has with both companions in your party (and this banter being different depending on choices and companion quest completion).

I remember seeing a video showing where exactly those locations are, but it was a while ago - if I won't find it, I'll try and screenshot them later.

Oooh so that's why all the footage I saw had similar backgrounds... There's only a couple elligible locations 🔍

it's a blast combing the wiki for all the lines involving cole (again)

Thanks, yeah, searching brought me this Cole quote from DAI: "Voice ringing with fullness from both worlds, guiding me to the shining places. He calls himself Pride." I'd forgotten that one.