Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition Posts: 2,559 Likes: 6,137
Post by AlleluiaElizabeth on May 9, 2022 23:33:11 GMT
I like callbacks but I do prefer they have at least some impact. Like “the event I’m experiencing right now is cus the inquisition took control of the forgotten oasis and opened its temple”, or something. Even if my inquisitor in the world state isn’t marked as doing it, I am ok with the canon assuming that side activities that could be done, were; if it results in an interesting quest line here. Not ok with them just picking a canon choice when we were given two or more options and I actively chose one tho. That’s different to me than whether or not I captured all three keeps this play through, if that makes sense. Like a choice has multiple outcomes, whereas a side quest with no variance can just be assumed to have been done at some point with no harm or foul imo.
"Kneel before the Lord Dragon, or you will be knelt." 21 Feb 2019 at 6:59am - It has not been forgotten. It will not be forgiven. We've now met seven times... Revenge is ice cream - Serza, April 2020 Also known as Mike, David, Scott or Bruce
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition Posts: 2,559 Likes: 6,137
Dark Horse Direct @darkhorsedirect Check out the boxes for our @dragonage Statuettes! Each also has a numbered base & certificate. Collect them all to restore peace to Thedas! bit.ly/3nvEd5k
Add all 3 statuettes to your cart & enter code DRAGONAGE15 at checkout for $15 off!
So I’ve been playing a lot on my PS4 lately and I haven’t seen anyone mention it, so psa: DAI GoTY editon is on sale for 7.99 till may 12. That’s USD. Dunno if PlayStation Store sales are cross regional.
Anyway, still primarily a pc player cus mods etc but if you want the console edition, here’s your heads up.
Also wondering if the timing of the sale means anything interesting but I dunno. Don’t think it’s the first time it’s been on sale, tho it’s definitely the lowest price I’ve seen personally. Could be trying to make it accessible for new players in prep for the next entry.
Also, WAR main ftw. Tho I am leveling DRG atm for the EW melee dps role quests.
And I was going on to anyone who would listen (and many more who wouldn’t) about how much Emet reminded me of Solas when Shadowbringers launched. So agree 1000000%. Feel like Ishikawa-san and her team must have played DAI at least a bit. The motivations being so similar, the name. I think Solus zos Galvus as a name predates DAI, but them choosing to make him the ascian with Solas’ motivation doesn’t. Also, he’s a supermage even among his peers, has a special connection to the source of Magic ie the life stream aka the underworld. His primary motivation is duty to his fallen people. Like it’s just too similar.
Don't know how sales and promotions work on PS, I'm thinking maybe Sony has to give some kind of accord? That media interviews tweet might actually help out the idea that maybe the sale isn't a coincidence right now.
I think Solus dates all the way back to ARR (don't know about 1.0 since I didn't play it). Also, solus in Latin means "alone" so, seeing as how the Garlean Empire is in part Roman Empire inspired with its legions and the names of the various soldier types, it makes sense for Emet to have this name, so the similarity to "Solas" is very likely just coincidence. However, I agree that there must be at least a degree of inspiration from Solas as a character because of his powers, connection to the underworld, the plan to bring back the world of his people and not seeing the people of the current eras as people but more as broken husks that need to be made whole again.
That said, I find Emet more compelling than Solas. I want to punch Solas in the face for what he's planning on doing but I feel sad for Emet. It's all because of the different approach to his character in the story and the personal connection. What happened to the world of the Ancients wasn't his fault and for all his power, he couldn't save his loved ones. As opposed to Solas, he saw his world come to ruin around his ears and lived for thousands of years in the aftermath. He is essentially alone (as opposed to so many ancient elves in DA still being around, even if in isolated places) with only 2 others of his kind, 1 of whom is just the embodiment of Zodiark's will, not really a person or friend anymore, and the other one is essentially mentally broken. Also Emet tried seeing the sundered world and people through new eyes, gave it a legitimate shot until tragedy broke him again. Solas did a thing, went to sleep, woke up not liking what he saw, and decided to reset everything to factory settings. Not inherently a bad approach, simply a different one than what we got with Emet, but I think it would have been better had we got more focus on his guilt and on him trying to piece together how he could have screwed over the world to the degree that he did. Get more insight into his thought process of how he comes to the conclusion that he needs to do something drastic to make amends for his horrible miscalculation from the past. Maybe we'll get this in DA4 since DAI was all about us not knowing he was Fen'Harel and only finding out about it in Trespasser.
Emet is more personable and easier to feel sorry for, I feel, because he talks not only about how great it was for everyone to be immortal, to not know hatred, to live only for the betterment of the world and cooperate and innovate together, but he also talks about his friends and loved ones, he genuinely cared about people. Solas, unfortunately, doesn't talk about people too much, it's hard to feel that extremely human connection to what he lost. Besides Mythal and the Wisdom spirit in his personal quest, we don't really know who else he cared for in that world that is now gone. Who does he mourn for? Who does he miss? Him explaining the Fade is all well and good, but what about actual people? Both Emet and Solas have to die, but Emet hurts because I understand his tragedy, it's very human. At this moment, I don't feel any sadness if I have to kill Solas.
Wow, that turned out to be a rather long tirade, sorry. Them Emet feels.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust Life's a b***h and beer's a must
Pretty sure nobody but Grey Wardens knew specifically about Corypheus until well after the Fifth Blight and the Architect is likewise a surprise to everyone. Where did the kernel for the legend come form?
Urm, don't you meant "First" Blight. One of the odd things about the narrative concerning it is that no Magisters Sidereal appear to have been involved. Then after Dumat is defeated, suddenly Corypheus appears on the scene. So where was he for the previous 200 years? Mind you, I find it hard to believe the Blight lasted that long without the total annihilation or corruption of every living thing if the numbers of darkspawn were as great as we have been led to believe. If they could spread as fast as they did across Ferelden in the Fifth Blight or Antiva and the Freemarches in the Fourth Blight, then great swathes of the countryside should have been corrupted and people left with no source of food at the very least, even if they were able to shelter behind city walls. Yet if the numbers weren't massive, how did they virtually wipe out the dwarven civilisation? So it does seem likely that the Arch-demon kept returning underground, taking the majority of darkspawn with them, which is why the dwarves bore the brunt of it, but allowing the surface to recover somewhat between surges.
As for knowledge, of the ritual, it may well be that Hessarian made most of it up but the kernel of truth could lie in the part of the story where one of the acolytes has second thoughts about what they are attempting and heads north to warn the Archon. Likely there was some official report in the Tevinter archives to that effect, which Hessarian referenced when making his propaganda. The report may have said that the acolyte reported a rogue priest with delusions of becoming the High Priest of Dumat, having taken the title normally given to the leader of Dumat's priesthood, was using his entire household of servants in a blood magic ritual in order to try and open a way to the Golden City. The Archon was concerned enough to check out the claim by mentally entering the Fade, only to discover the city was no longer golden but black. There was no other evidence of what had happened but the Archon recorded a sense of foreboding that something bad was going to result from this. Then a period of time later, the Arch-demon appeared on the surface and the Archon made another entry where he wondered if this was connected with the action of the self-styled Corypheus and his allies. Around the same time, all the Old Gods fell silent, which their priesthood may have attributed to the action of Dumat, the god of silence. Some of the priesthood of Razikale even make a foray into the deep south to try and make contact with her. I am not clear exactly when this occurred but you would imagine with the First Blight having begun and the Imperium under considerable pressure, they wouldn't leave it that long before trying to contact their goddess for an explanation why she wasn't helping. Why they thought it more likely that they could contact her down in the Frostback Basin when they had failed in Minrathous is less clear but it seems that Tevinter were aware of the Avvar belief of certain places where contact was easier with the gods and the priesthood were desperate enough they were willing to try anything. A hundred years later the Grey Wardens were founded and they established the identity of the Arch-demon as Dumat.
So Hessarian took these various pieces of information and wove together his own exaggerated narrative that was then adopted as a true account of events. As I've pointed out in a previous post, the first hand narrative of Corypheus' slave clearly contradicts the version in the Canticle of Silence and since even the southern Divine could see through it as political propaganda to justify his blood bath of the Old God priesthood and the Altus which supported them, I'm inclined to take the majority of the Canticle with a pinch of salt as well. The only bit we know is definitely true is that Corypheus did break into the city in the Fade and in doing so released the Blight on the world because he admits as much. However, it was already within the city; they just discovered it.
I've just had another thought about the Magisters Sidereal and the Arch-demons which I will post over in the Crazy Theory thread for anyone that is interested.
Pretty sure nobody but Grey Wardens knew specifically about Corypheus until well after the Fifth Blight and the Architect is likewise a surprise to everyone. Where did the kernel for the legend come form?
Urm, don't you meant "First" Blight. One of the odd things about the narrative concerning it is that no Magisters Sidereal appear to have been involved. Then after Dumat is defeated, suddenly Corypheus appears on the scene. So where was he for the previous 200 years? Mind you, I find it hard to believe the Blight lasted that long without the total annihilation or corruption of every living thing if the numbers of darkspawn were as great as we have been led to believe. If they could spread as fast as they did across Ferelden in the Fifth Blight or Antiva and the Freemarches in the Fourth Blight, then great swathes of the countryside should have been corrupted and people left with no source of food at the very least, even if they were able to shelter behind city walls. Yet if the numbers weren't massive, how did they virtually wipe out the dwarven civilisation? So it does seem likely that the Arch-demon kept returning underground, taking the majority of darkspawn with them, which is why the dwarves bore the brunt of it, but allowing the surface to recover somewhat between surges.
As for knowledge, of the ritual, it may well be that Hessarian made most of it up but the kernel of truth could lie in the part of the story where one of the acolytes has second thoughts about what they are attempting and heads north to warn the Archon. Likely there was some official report in the Tevinter archives to that effect, which Hessarian referenced when making his propaganda. The report may have said that the acolyte reported a rogue priest with delusions of becoming the High Priest of Dumat, having taken the title normally given to the leader of Dumat's priesthood, was using his entire household of servants in a blood magic ritual in order to try and open a way to the Golden City. The Archon was concerned enough to check out the claim by mentally entering the Fade, only to discover the city was no longer golden but black. There was no other evidence of what had happened but the Archon recorded a sense of foreboding that something bad was going to result from this. Then a period of time later, the Arch-demon appeared on the surface and the Archon made another entry where he wondered if this was connected with the action of the self-styled Corypheus and his allies. Around the same time, all the Old Gods fell silent, which their priesthood may have attributed to the action of Dumat, the god of silence. Some of the priesthood of Razikale even make a foray into the deep south to try and make contact with her. I am not clear exactly when this occurred but you would imagine with the First Blight having begun and the Imperium under considerable pressure, they wouldn't leave it that long before trying to contact their goddess for an explanation why she wasn't helping. Why they thought it more likely that they could contact her down in the Frostback Basin when they had failed in Minrathous is less clear but it seems that Tevinter were aware of the Avvar belief of certain places where contact was easier with the gods and the priesthood were desperate enough they were willing to try anything. A hundred years later the Grey Wardens were founded and they established the identity of the Arch-demon as Dumat.
So Hessarian took these various pieces of information and wove together his own exaggerated narrative that was then adopted as a true account of events. As I've pointed out in a previous post, the first hand narrative of Corypheus' slave clearly contradicts the version in the Canticle of Silence and since even the southern Divine could see through it as political propaganda to justify his blood bath of the Old God priesthood and the Altus which supported them, I'm inclined to take the majority of the Canticle with a pinch of salt as well. The only bit we know is definitely true is that Corypheus did break into the city in the Fade and in doing so released the Blight on the world because he admits as much. However, it was already within the city; they just discovered it.
I think we can already take a reasonable guess at least as to where Corypheus was during all this time. We know that basically the Architect was always out there and running around for the centuries between the pre First Blight and where he resurfaced in the Fifth. With no real memory of who he was or where he came from or his connection to anything which the players have had to pretty much piece together as a likely theory which is very likely especially with the existance of Corypheus. So Cory was liable to still be 'out there' in the background running around likely with just some idea of who he was but maybe not. Maybe he was even just a normal Darkspawn under the thrall of Dumat so why he didn't appear or was known? IDK have to play DA 2 again...but either way right around that time and when things were settling the Wardens became fully aware of him and his abilities and imprisoned him. (Though correct me if I am wrong but I seem to remember how Legacy mentioned how the Wardens were somewhat aware of him even during the First Blight?)
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Maybe he was even just a normal Darkspawn under the thrall of Dumat so why he didn't appear or was known? IDK have to play DA 2 again...but either way right around that time and when things were settling the Wardens became fully aware of him and his abilities and imprisoned him. (Though correct me if I am wrong but I seem to remember how Legacy mentioned how the Wardens were somewhat aware of him even during the First Blight?)
I've covered some of this on the Crazy Theory thread. According to WoT timeline, the intelligent darkspawn were only discovered after the death of Dumat and the majority of darkspawn had retreated back underground. The Grey Wardens know his name but seem unaware of the significance of it. This makes sense if you consider what I have outlined above and that Hessarian was the person who made the world aware of the connection between the Arch-demon Dumat and the Old God priesthood who entered the Black City. At the time the Grey Wardens became aware of him, they only knew he seemed to have a reverence for Dumat and that the corpse of the Arch-demon might be used to entrap him but don't seem to be aware of why this might be. It does seem odd to me that Corypheus hadn't featured during the previous 200 years of the First Blight, even if only as a thrall of the Arch-demon, although I suppose it is possible that since several life times of ordinary people had passed before Dumat was defeated that may be they just hadn't made the connection between the strange emissary of one generation and the next. Whether he was in circulation or not, I think there may be a connection between the active involvement of an awakened Arch-demon with the world and the absence of an intelligent darkspawn circulating at the same time. Both Corypheus and the Architect may have been enthralled either awake or unconscious by their respective Arch-demon and this is why they can only start acting independently again once it is dead.
Jesse Anderson @darokaz You got the pro mic going and everything!
Crystal McCord@mrscmccord Had to invest in one when @macwalterslives signed me up for media interviews!
...
Media interviews!?
Twit activity is typical of Bio attempting to stir interest during the pre-launch phase of a game. Look no further than DA:I, MEA and Anthem. I remember the devs were quite active during "this phase" of the above game development. I take this as a confirmation that DA4 will be launched "soon".
Of real interest to me is the expected DA4 teaser video. Here, I wonder if Bio will gives us a scene(s) "full of content" (see Anthem Hub) and the actual game "full of emptiness" (see Anthem's Hub). I'm still unclear when Bio says "in game" in their videos.
Nevertheless, I'm expecting "wonders" as this game is developed for next gen hardware.
(◔‿◔)
_____________________
Morpheus: "know what happened happened and that it could not have happened in any other way".
So I’ve been playing a lot on my PS4 lately and I haven’t seen anyone mention it, so psa: DAI GoTY editon is on sale for 7.99 till may 12. That’s USD. Dunno if PlayStation Store sales are cross regional.
Anyway, still primarily a pc player cus mods etc but if you want the console edition, here’s your heads up.
Also wondering if the timing of the sale means anything interesting but I dunno. Don’t think it’s the first time it’s been on sale, tho it’s definitely the lowest price I’ve seen personally. Could be trying to make it accessible for new players in prep for the next entry.
Also, WAR main ftw. Tho I am leveling DRG atm for the EW melee dps role quests.
And I was going on to anyone who would listen (and many more who wouldn’t) about how much Emet reminded me of Solas when Shadowbringers launched. So agree 1000000%. Feel like Ishikawa-san and her team must have played DAI at least a bit. The motivations being so similar, the name. I think Solus zos Galvus as a name predates DAI, but them choosing to make him the ascian with Solas’ motivation doesn’t. Also, he’s a supermage even among his peers, has a special connection to the source of Magic ie the life stream aka the underworld. His primary motivation is duty to his fallen people. Like it’s just too similar.
Idk if the european prices are that low too rn, but once it was on sale for €19.99 (I got it for the PS4 too, but only played it on PC so far )
how do you like the WAR changes? (I loove that Overpower isn't a cone anymore) I've been leveling GNB and SCH for the role quests.
So I’ve been playing a lot on my PS4 lately and I haven’t seen anyone mention it, so psa: DAI GoTY editon is on sale for 7.99 till may 12. That’s USD. Dunno if PlayStation Store sales are cross regional.
Anyway, still primarily a pc player cus mods etc but if you want the console edition, here’s your heads up.
Also wondering if the timing of the sale means anything interesting but I dunno. Don’t think it’s the first time it’s been on sale, tho it’s definitely the lowest price I’ve seen personally. Could be trying to make it accessible for new players in prep for the next entry.
Also, WAR main ftw. Tho I am leveling DRG atm for the EW melee dps role quests.
And I was going on to anyone who would listen (and many more who wouldn’t) about how much Emet reminded me of Solas when Shadowbringers launched. So agree 1000000%. Feel like Ishikawa-san and her team must have played DAI at least a bit. The motivations being so similar, the name. I think Solus zos Galvus as a name predates DAI, but them choosing to make him the ascian with Solas’ motivation doesn’t. Also, he’s a supermage even among his peers, has a special connection to the source of Magic ie the life stream aka the underworld. His primary motivation is duty to his fallen people. Like it’s just too similar.
Don't know how sales and promotions work on PS, I'm thinking maybe Sony has to give some kind of accord? That media interviews tweet might actually help out the idea that maybe the sale isn't a coincidence right now.
I think Solus dates all the way back to ARR (don't know about 1.0 since I didn't play it). Also, solus in Latin means "alone" so, seeing as how the Garlean Empire is in part Roman Empire inspired with its legions and the names of the various soldier types, it makes sense for Emet to have this name, so the similarity to "Solas" is very likely just coincidence. However, I agree that there must be at least a degree of inspiration from Solas as a character because of his powers, connection to the underworld, the plan to bring back the world of his people and not seeing the people of the current eras as people but more as broken husks that need to be made whole again.
That said, I find Emet more compelling than Solas. I want to punch Solas in the face for what he's planning on doing but I feel sad for Emet. It's all because of the different approach to his character in the story and the personal connection. What happened to the world of the Ancients wasn't his fault and for all his power, he couldn't save his loved ones. As opposed to Solas, he saw his world come to ruin around his ears and lived for thousands of years in the aftermath. He is essentially alone (as opposed to so many ancient elves in DA still being around, even if in isolated places) with only 2 others of his kind, 1 of whom is just the embodiment of Zodiark's will, not really a person or friend anymore, and the other one is essentially mentally broken. Also Emet tried seeing the sundered world and people through new eyes, gave it a legitimate shot until tragedy broke him again. Solas did a thing, went to sleep, woke up not liking what he saw, and decided to reset everything to factory settings. Not inherently a bad approach, simply a different one than what we got with Emet, but I think it would have been better had we got more focus on his guilt and on him trying to piece together how he could have screwed over the world to the degree that he did. Get more insight into his thought process of how he comes to the conclusion that he needs to do something drastic to make amends for his horrible miscalculation from the past. Maybe we'll get this in DA4 since DAI was all about us not knowing he was Fen'Harel and only finding out about it in Trespasser.
Emet is more personable and easier to feel sorry for, I feel, because he talks not only about how great it was for everyone to be immortal, to not know hatred, to live only for the betterment of the world and cooperate and innovate together, but he also talks about his friends and loved ones, he genuinely cared about people. Solas, unfortunately, doesn't talk about people too much, it's hard to feel that extremely human connection to what he lost. Besides Mythal and the Wisdom spirit in his personal quest, we don't really know who else he cared for in that world that is now gone. Who does he mourn for? Who does he miss? Him explaining the Fade is all well and good, but what about actual people? Both Emet and Solas have to die, but Emet hurts because I understand his tragedy, it's very human. At this moment, I don't feel any sadness if I have to kill Solas.
Wow, that turned out to be a rather long tirade, sorry. Them Emet feels.
I agree that Emet is more likeable then Solas. I think the difference is, as you just said, is that Emet tells a lot about himself and who he misses, while Solas does not disclose much about himself outside of liking the Fade, Spirits and "How the World Used to be" . I'm guessing he fears he could grow too attached to the current World (even if he says that he doesn't see the current inhabitants of Thedas as "people"), or that if he tells more about himself, he might tell too much and jeopardize his own plans. (IIRC he nearly says too much during the scene where he removes Lavellan's vallaslin) In that regard Solas reminds me of Hermes. Hermes also didn't tell his friends of his own worries (instead burdened Meteion and her sisters with finding the Answer ) and when he got found out, he errased everyone's (and his own) memories because "No no no, I need to see this through, even if it's bad! D:" *hits both Solas and Hermes with a rolled up newspaper*
Greed is neither good, nor bad. Everybody wants something they don't have
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition PSN: InquisitorBunny Prime Posts: 430 Prime Likes: 1114 Posts: 2,645 Likes: 10,065
I myself think there never was a golden city, I think it was always blackened... or at the very least it was blackened long before the magisters ever entered.
"He is the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on... He has got huge, sharp -- eh -- he can leap about -- look at the bones!"
I myself think there never was a golden city, I think it was always blackened... or at the very least it was blackened long before the magisters ever entered.
We know that it at least appeared golden at one time. But if the city was always corrupted, was that a lure?
I myself think there never was a golden city, I think it was always blackened... or at the very least it was blackened long before the magisters ever entered.
There was definitely a Golden City. Or at least one that looked gold from the outside. Magisters and other visitors to the Fade from that time period confirmed it.
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
I myself think there never was a golden city, I think it was always blackened... or at the very least it was blackened long before the magisters ever entered.
There was definitely a Golden City. Or at least one that looked gold from the outside. Magisters and other visitors to the Fade from that time period confirmed it.
The big question is WHAT blackened it?
what if it was an illusion?
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There was definitely a Golden City. Or at least one that looked gold from the outside. Magisters and other visitors to the Fade from that time period confirmed it.
The big question is WHAT blackened it?
what if it was an illusion?
That was my feeling as well. Perhaps an illusion of what it looked like before it was blighted, but used as a way to lure the magisters into the Black City.
There was definitely a Golden City. Or at least one that looked gold from the outside. Magisters and other visitors to the Fade from that time period confirmed it.
The big question is WHAT blackened it?
what if it was an illusion?
Then when did the illusion go up? There had been human and elven mages visiting the Fade for thousands of years. There were no records of it being blackened before.
Then when did the illusion go up? There had been human and elven mages visiting the Fade for thousands of years. There were no records of it being blackened before.
Maybe it was ALWAYS an illusion. Maybe the Golden City was ALWAYS a trap.
You're asking questions about the foundations of this reality that we do not yet have the answers to.
Then when did the illusion go up? There had been human and elven mages visiting the Fade for thousands of years. There were no records of it being blackened before.
Maybe it was ALWAYS an illusion. Maybe the Golden City was ALWAYS a trap.
You're asking questions about the foundations of this reality that we do not yet have the answers to.
Then when did the illusion go up? There had been human and elven mages visiting the Fade for thousands of years. There were no records of it being blackened before.
Maybe it was ALWAYS an illusion. Maybe the Golden City was ALWAYS a trap.
You're asking questions about the foundations of this reality that we do not yet have the answers to.
Part if me doubts that we’ll get answers on it, since BioWare did say that they’re never going to answer whether the Maker exists or not. Having the Black City never being golden would pretty much be confirmation he isn’t. But then lately BioWare has been going against religion so wouldn’t be surprised if they do answer it.