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Post by nikkolas on Aug 12, 2016 7:58:15 GMT
Loghain, Meredith, Calpernia, Samson, Corypheus - all have some humanizing qualities, have some intriguing motivations, but in the end you still barely interact with them.
Then there was the Arishok, a prominent presence in most of Dragon Age II. Amazing voice-acting, amazing writing, the ability to earn his respect and even "assist" him if youso chose - he and the Qun are the perfect foil to DA2's setting. They preach order, discipline and selflessness and who can argue with the merits of all those things when confronted with the cesspool of chaos and corruption that is Kirkwall? I ended up getting the "A Worthy Rival" trophy completely by accident because I just happened to agree with him so much. Even if you don't agree with him, the ability to just talk, to hear him out, to have him argue his philosophy and beliefs, made him work so much better than the others who all come down to power-mad tyrants who go more or less unchallenged because how can you challenge someone who is mad? You can really see why he not only has followers from his homeland but converts, too. On the other hand, who the hell knows why anyone followed Corypheus unless they were just really angry and hopeless like Samson.
Dragon Age II really sold me on the Qun in so many ways, to the extent I've abandoned the Mage-Templar debate and am eagerly awaiting DA4 where I can hopefully aid the Qunari in fighting Tevinter.
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Post by Reznore on Aug 12, 2016 13:20:26 GMT
I approve of this thread! I'm a big fan of the Arishok , I thought he was impressive and the first time I played I was always a bit scared to talk with him.I was playing mageHawke so I thought this might have caused some issue.
I don't agree with the Qun but there's some stuff they believe in I agree with. I liked the fact that deep down I knew it was going to clash eventually but in the meantime you could have a talk with him, you can say "this , and this went wrong and your qunari got killed sorry" and as long as you're telling him the truth, he doesn't like what happened but he respects Hawke honesty.
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Post by davesin on Aug 12, 2016 14:07:12 GMT
"This is what the respect looks like, bas! Some of you may never earn it!"
Yep, he was the best. I consider Loghain to be one of the best antagonist in series, but he has too many evil overlord cutscenes - if you haven't read The Stolen Throne, you would think he's just powerhungry bastard.
The Arishok - the very representative of Qunari iron fist that smashes everything in its way. The last real dual-wielding warrior in the series (toolset can claim that he's a rogue, but I don't believe that hogwash!). The man you don't have to agree with, but compared to Meredith, Orsino, Dumar and Elthina, he's mostly sane and competent to do his job. I would really like to know what would happened if Hawke wasn't in Kirkwall to stop him. Many people claim that Hawke's involment in the story was unnecessary, but if it wasn't for him/her, Meredith and Orsino would most likely murdered each other to make clear "who's the current boss" and the Arishok would happily rule the city (at least temporarily).
And it's really fun to fight him as a warrior. It isn't as awkward as playing a mage and having to run around like an idiot. Just two excellent fighters going toe to toe until one of them dies.
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Post by nikkolas on Aug 12, 2016 14:14:41 GMT
And it's really fun to fight him as a warrior. It isn't as awkward as playing a mage and having to run around like an idiot. Just two excellent fighters going toe to toe until one of them dies. Ugh, it might be less awkward but it's a helluva lot easier. Recipe for Arishok Annihilation Blood Magic Horror Hex of Torment Misdirection Hex Hemorrhage Winter's Grasp Cone of Cold Probably have to deactivate Blood Magic to heal once or twice if he catches you like he did to me but that works because by the time you reactivate it again all your spells have cooled down and you can repeat the above process. I think it took....four runs of this? Maybe five at most. With all of this stacked on him he'll be stuck for a long ass time giving you tons of normal attacks, too. Meanwhile, when I tried fighting him as a Two-Handed Warrior, it felt like my oh-so-powerful Hawke was made of tin foil and was trying to chip down a mountain with a toothpick. I died so many times compared to my one death as Mage Hawke. On my current run I'm going for Sword/Shield and making my Hawke a tank in preparation for this and the Alpha Wyvern fight. I can only hope my shield will protect me. Save
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Post by ioannisdenton on Aug 12, 2016 14:25:13 GMT
i agree. that voice. that attitude.
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Post by davesin on Aug 12, 2016 16:14:47 GMT
Meanwhile, when I tried fighting him as a Two-Handed Warrior, it felt like my oh-so-powerful Hawke was made of tin foil and was trying to chip down a mountain with a toothpick. I died so many times compared to my one death as Mage Hawke. On my current run I'm going for Sword/Shield and making my Hawke a tank in preparation for this and the Alpha Wyvern fight. I can only hope my shield will protect me. SaveWell, I was drowning in healing potions and Hawke was a Reaver (Devour helps a bit with healing), so... it was merely a matter of time and resources. Good luck with your SaS build.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2016 17:26:23 GMT
With the exception of Loghain who I got to know very well thanks to a mod that fixes his friendship level (broken in the main game along with Zev's romance and Alistair's convo at Ostagar), the Arishok felt like my Hawke's other half. He challenged her, she challenged him. Both had a temper but remained civil and when he attacks, the look they share before she runs off is like they both know it was coming to this but both regret it. I loved their dynamic so much!
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Post by phoray on Aug 13, 2016 3:25:53 GMT
I don't have much to add. Apparently I need to pay more attention next time? Because I don't feel like I had that extensive a conversation with him to get that attached? I've even seen some people ship him with Hawke.
I do have to say that when it came to light the two elves killed their sister's rapist that I was disappointed in Aveline for being so blind to justice. For this reason alone, I look forward to trying to rival her my next game. She reminds me of that guy. . Javert from Les Miserables at that moment. Anyway. When the Arishok was like, can you blame them? I was like... no. Dude. You rocked the right judgement and I have to agree.
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Post by ddj on Aug 13, 2016 20:05:22 GMT
I did like the Arishok. My understanding is that Sten from DAO is now the new Arishok although where I gathered that I do not recall, but I always liked Sten anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2016 10:05:12 GMT
Nah, Loghian is better. You can live em alive and he'll become your companion, lol.
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Post by Beerfish on Aug 15, 2016 19:59:25 GMT
Hate to be 'That guy' but I am going to be. The Arishok was a sheer and utter buffoon who epically failed at almost everything he laid his hands to and was 100% incompetent. He was a drunk on top of that. (When you look at his little throne in their compound there are always empty bottles laying around. I'm not saying the above to be a troll on this issue, this is truly how I feel.
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Post by kizanare on Aug 16, 2016 2:32:13 GMT
Hate to be 'That guy' but I am going to be. The Arishok was a sheer and utter buffoon who epically failed at almost everything he laid his hands to and was 100% incompetent. He was a drunk on top of that. (When you look at his little throne in their compound there are always empty bottles laying around. I'm not saying the above to be a troll on this issue, this is truly how I feel. Beerfish nailed it, Arishok was all talk (and good thing for it) When it came to action, the absolute chaos that resulted could hardly be called satisfactory or, I mean, in my playthrough, he ends up dead halfway through the game. Even in that game, Meredith has him beat by a country mile.
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Post by DragonKingReborn on Aug 20, 2016 9:19:42 GMT
How was Meredith any different from Corypheus? Utterly insane and intent on using a weapon/power she had no hope of being able to control. Because of reasons.
The Arishok certainly screwed up. But a great protagonist isn't necessarily perfect in pursuit of their goals. What I think is necessary is conviction grounded in logic.
Plus the hovering menace he had. From Hawke's POV there was always a chance he would decide the Qun demanded that he do nothing and let the city burn. There was never any such ambiguity with Meredith. She was always going nuclear. It was just a matter of time.
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Post by Zemgus on Aug 29, 2016 13:38:44 GMT
Well, like it was already said Arishok was mostly all talk. Impressive at that, but not much else. Hawke beats him easy enough and Isabela escapes from him in less than two days... with the book, even.
I liked Corypheus... he was a fascinating character and certainly did more in one year than Arishok in all that time he wasted in Kirkwall. He should've more presence all in all in Inquisitions story, however. Inquisitor only gets to meet him face to face three times: first in the Temple of Sacred Ashes, then in Haven and in the final battle where he is killed. I liked him best in Calpernia's short story and later in her questline in the game. I wish we got to know more about him, the man he was, priest of Dumat, before he entered the Black City and became what he is now.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2016 18:55:58 GMT
My fav rival! I loved how you could actually gain hidden approval from him in which he would honor you with a duel. I will never forget the first time I killed him and Act 3 began. I went down to the docks for a quest and saw the empty area and felt an actual emptiness myself. The glowing statue in honor of me killing him stung more than it made me feel good too.
I am still annoyed by the buildup to the fight though. It felt so final that Act 3 felt... like an added DLC or something. I usually played MOTA at the beginning of it to get away from the city for awhile.
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Post by outlaworacle on Aug 29, 2016 20:11:42 GMT
My favorite Arishok moment actually comes from the Viscount at the beginning of ACT 2 if I recall correctly. "He hasn't said two words to me, aside from his rather deliberate phrasing of 'begone'." Cracks me up everytime. It's just so perfect, you can absolutely hear him saying it in your head. I agree he was a fantastic if underused villian. He and Loghain are the series' most complex and compelling (and in some lights sympathetic) antagonists.
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Post by Catilina on Aug 29, 2016 20:18:14 GMT
This is an Arishok romance thread, as I see...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2016 20:31:02 GMT
My favorite Arishok moment actually comes from the Viscount at the beginning of ACT 2 if I recall correctly. "He hasn't said two words to me, aside from his rather deliberate phrasing of 'begone'." Cracks me up everytime. It's just so perfect, you can absolutely hear him saying it in your head. I agree he was a fantastic if underused villian. He and Loghain are the series' most complex and compelling (and in some lights sympathetic) antagonists. What's funny about the is it's the same guy who is Chancellor Rodrick in DAI that's the Viscount so I think of him now when I talk to the Viscount lol
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Post by dragontartare on Aug 30, 2016 1:52:02 GMT
Well, like it was already said Arishok was mostly all talk. Impressive at that, but not much else. Hawke beats him easy enough and Isabela escapes from him in less than two days... with the book, even.I liked Corypheus... he was a fascinating character and certainly did more in one year than Arishok in all that time he wasted in Kirkwall. He should've more presence all in all in Inquisitions story, however. Inquisitor only gets to meet him face to face three times: first in the Temple of Sacred Ashes, then in Haven and in the final battle where he is killed. I liked him best in Calpernia's short story and later in her questline in the game. I wish we got to know more about him, the man he was, priest of Dumat, before he entered the Black City and became what he is now. Uh...uh...yeah!! Easy peasy! Total wimp, that Arishok. He didn't even get in a hit before Hawke took him down!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2016 14:33:12 GMT
Well, like it was already said Arishok was mostly all talk. Impressive at that, but not much else. Hawke beats him easy enough and Isabela escapes from him in less than two days... with the book, even.I liked Corypheus... he was a fascinating character and certainly did more in one year than Arishok in all that time he wasted in Kirkwall. He should've more presence all in all in Inquisitions story, however. Inquisitor only gets to meet him face to face three times: first in the Temple of Sacred Ashes, then in Haven and in the final battle where he is killed. I liked him best in Calpernia's short story and later in her questline in the game. I wish we got to know more about him, the man he was, priest of Dumat, before he entered the Black City and became what he is now. Uh...uh...yeah!! Easy peasy! Total wimp, that Arishok. He didn't even get in a hit before Hawke took him down! LOL he is easy to beat as a Mage. Reminds me of the Loghain duel. Crushing Prison was always my saviour. As a rogue though I was running for my life
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Post by Catilina on Aug 31, 2016 14:53:12 GMT
Yes, not too hard with mage, but really not as heroic... But Dog can tanking, and Mind Blast can help to put aggro on Dog.
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Post by dragontartare on Aug 31, 2016 16:21:16 GMT
Uh...uh...yeah!! Easy peasy! Total wimp, that Arishok. He didn't even get in a hit before Hawke took him down! LOL he is easy to beat as a Mage. Reminds me of the Loghain duel. Crushing Prison was always my saviour. As a rogue though I was running for my life I just think the video is funny. I dueled him as a 2H warrior and it looked a lot like the video, except replace the spells with stunning abilities every time he charged.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2016 17:18:11 GMT
LOL he is easy to beat as a Mage. Reminds me of the Loghain duel. Crushing Prison was always my saviour. As a rogue though I was running for my life I just think the video is funny. I dueled him as a 2H warrior and it looked a lot like the video, except replace the spells with stunning abilities every time he charged. I've yet to try a warrior. Rogue was not fun. Felt like I was cheating using my Mabari though lol and he kept impaling me when I would stop to use a potion
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Post by spacev3gan on Sept 10, 2016 5:59:29 GMT
I agree. The Arishok is the best antagonist without a doubt.
Loghain is a quite interesting character, but he isn't that much of an antagonist. He is a ruthless bastard but he is on your side, kinda.
As for the other villains in the Dragon Age Universe series, they are entirely forgettable.
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Post by Duke Cameron on Sept 19, 2016 19:02:54 GMT
I guess he's my favorite, but that's only because i've never felt anything towards any of the other major villains in the series. Though he does get bonus points in my book since the voice actor voiced one of my favorite villains, Killbane in Saints Row the Third.
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