Schmooples' Den! The DA News Discussion Thread

Aug 2, 2016 19:38:07 GMT midnight tea said:

A player who didn't read the book knows enough to make decisions. I know this because I began my adventure with DAI. And I may be the weirdo here, but I've found it enjoyable when I figured that the picture painted in the game ain't full and that my diligence paid off after I reached for additional material

That is usually what has happened with me in the past. I play the game, then find people talking on the boards about stuff I know wasn't in the game and then I discover more whether it is from books, comics or DLC. I find this irritating as people are saying that you would think differently if you knew certain information and so I feel that ought to be in game.

It annoyed me that you had to have the DLC Return to Ostagar to really have the full picture of what was going on between Cailan and Loghain when they were "arguing about the Queen" and really to appreciate why Loghain might feel the need betray him. Then if you read World of Thedas you discover how Drakon used the 2nd Blight to expand his empire through "helping" liberate people from the darkspawn and in the 3rd Blight both Orlais and Tevinter failed to return home from Nevara once it was over, forcing the inhabitants of Nevarra City and Hunters Fell having to subsequently fight for their independence. Now I agree that an elf or dwarf Warden might not necessarily be aware of this history but a human noble probably would. Also, it is likely that someone could have known this history and enlightened them.

So my initial runs of DAO I found it hard to justify one of my characters sparing Loghain as the basic game made him appear very much the obsessive tyrant making a grab for power. However, once I knew about the above information, it was possible to be more sympathetic to his mind-set, even if I thought that he didn't need to sacrifice so many soldiers just to get rid of the king. I have to admit that reading the sort of person Celene is in Masked Empire makes me realise that had she married Cailan it would not have boded well for the kingdom. It is presumably why she admired Anora and thus realised how easy it would be for her to control Ferelden once married to him.

Now with regard to DAI, I feel the information that should have been made available to the PC was the full reason why the elves rebelled in the first place and Celene's response, both initially and then after she was ordered to act by Justinia. Also what were the concessions that Celene had made to the elves that had the nobility so outraged. There should have been enough people aware of this that the PC could get the information on the grapevine. After all Leliana told us there was a rumour Celene and Briala had been lovers and she was well aware of what occurred with Celene and Justinia since she was the one to pass on the message. Leliana is the one who encourages you to let Celene die and put Briala in control but she never gives a real reason why you should do this (my first run I could not see how this would work). Meanwhile the PC might be forgiven for thinking Gaspard would be the better option because apart from warning about Briala and the elves looking "a bit dodgy" as the PC puts it, you do not really get how much contempt he has for elves. However, he does despise the game, so if your PC does too, they might well be tempted to side with him.

In fact, trying to play the game first time entirely on what I was given in game, rather than what I knew from having read the book, I was inclined to make the three of them work together, which was actually the most difficult outcome to achieve.

A side issue, why did they have Celene turn up in the Arbor Wilds in a dress?   They had Briala change into armour, so would it have been so difficult to do the same for Celene?   We know from the book that she is both trained as a bard and wore armour when she went into battle, so it was totally out of character for her to be in a dress.   It is a small detail that probably wouldn't bother most people but to me is important.