The problem with the hinterlands isn’t that it takes too long to leave (you can leave immediately after talking to Mother Giselle, you don’t even need to get the horses). The problem is that the game doesn’t do a good job of telling you you’re supposed to leave the Hinterlands to continue the story. The patch added some banter where your companions suggest you go back to Haven, but even then a lot of first-time players end up basically clearing out the entire Hinterlands before going back to Haven to continue the story.
It is a VERY brief comment from Solas and honestly, I've missed it just by being in combat because of how low the volume can be for banter at times. You can tell Solas's VA recorded the line out of the studio because it sounds completely different from the rest of the banter. He just goes "We must have enough power by now to meet with the clerics. Shouldn't' we go to Val Royeaux (spelling)" - I just heard the line yesterday and was like "oh shit!" but then I also was like "LOL, is this how they fixed the being-stuck-in-the-hinterlands problem?"
I play DAI completely vanilla every single time, and I still love it for 8 years now. just return to my last walkthrough whenever I want to chill out and go home and absolutely positive that DAV will have the same vibes
I would like to see pause in souls-games. Not because it makes the game easier, but because we all have lives. A pause option makes the game more accessible to for example parents. Sometimes you just have to deal with real things in life while playing your favourite games, otherwise continuing to play your favourite games gets even harder as you get older.
I think you guys have the wrong idea of what Alanah Pearce was saying. A pause button doesn't necessarily make Elden Ring easier, but it should make the game more accessible for people who need to turn their attention to other things like your maniac child, or a work email. You can have that kind of accessibility and the game will still be difficult by design. Then for things like Veilguard where there's an *option* (key word) to cheat death, some people just would rather be able to play the way they want, and there's nothing wrong with it. Even if nobody uses the option, the important thing is that the option exists. So you could go ahead and order that spicy burger, but you still have the option to remove or replace particular ingredients. Swap the spicy sauce for bbq, swap the fillet with a veggie patty, you could even add extra spicy sauce. Enjoy the burger the way you want.
Yeah, I thought Rook being advertised as being different from the inquisitor and not a ‘chosen one’ was interesting until I read to article. The inquisitor was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and picked up the orb. Rook is in the wrong place at the wrong time and has their blood mix in the ritual. I don’t see them as any different honestly. I also wouldn’t classify them as ‘chosen’ either. They both seem to become the hero of the story by accident rather than some divine right or string of fate.
I don't think you have to be picked on purpose to be the chosen one. They just have to have a power that makes them solely capable of being the protagonist of the story. Like you can't replace the Inquisitor with any other character and have the Inquisition succeed.
@CC-of5xl True, but this goes for all the protagonists so far. The Darkspawn Chronicles for DAO is basically about how the heroes would have failed to stop the Blight if the HoF is dead. I expect Rook will play a similar "only one who can save the world role" in Veilguard (which I'm happy about; protagonists should be special).
@pilotg2075 I disagree though as technically other Grey Wardens CAN stop the blight. Like they have the power that is needed. Nobody but the Inquisitor has the mark. As for Hawke they basically fail at almost everything. In fact they are kind of the cause for things aswell. They're the reason the Idol is found and the reasons Anders is able to carry out their plan. They're also probably the reason Isabela isn't caught by the Qunari earlier. Also all the big bads they "kill" end up surviving lol
None of the protagonists have been the chosen ones in the traditional sense. The Warden was just one out of some few potential people who managed to kill the Arch-demon in Origins, Hawke is literally just some dude/gal who rose from refugee to noble/vicount in Kirkwall in a decade and the Inquisitor stumbled upon a ritual and accidental got marked in the process. None seem more 'chosen' than what happens to Rook, in fact it seems awfully similar to what happened with the inquisitor and the interrupted ritual. On a meta-level, I suppose every protagonist is chosen, if only by the story if not the in-game Gods/fate.
I’ll just say this to the analogy about the hottest burger, a pause wouldn’t be asking to make it mild but having the ability to stop. Stoping does not make the burger any less hot nor the game easier. The only way the game is made harder by the inability to stop it is by being interrupted by outside forces. Why should the reason anyone wins or loses in a single player session be decided by when a delivery comes
It may be better to say that the Souls games are a "hottest hamburger eating challenge". You have an hour to eat that burger and sometimes life gets in the way and that's okay, you can always try again.
A tier list episode where you rank the games and the DLC would be cool and provide - through conversation - a nice, casual refresher on all of that content
On the topic of the "chosen one" protagonist, I would say another strength of the "chosen one" concept for video games in particular is that if a protagonist is Chosen, then otherwise they can kind of be anyone. They have an anchor (pun... intended?) to the plot that no one can violate, but then anything else can surround that anchor and the story still works. That is very clearly what makes the Inquisitor work, it's what makes the Warden work. Both of them have absolute, inviolable connections to the plot that also conveniently have nothing to do with their personality or even backstory aside from the moment of the backstory that connects them to the Thing. In a way, being Chosen is what allows for Choice. Your Warden can be a total scumbag or a saint or a fainting wallflower to start with and that can all work because the anchor of being a Warden stays the same. The Inquisitor is a little more restricted but can still have a variety of morals and personality traits and philosophies -- but they're always the Inquisitor and that can keep being true no matter what else they are. In a way I feel like in this sense Shepard is LESS of a chosen one (although they definitely still qualify in many respects) because they are specifically chosen for their pre-existing actions. They chose to join the military for one reason or another, they had some sort of major heroic moment in their past that brought them to the attention of superiors, they get selected based on their skills and ability and to a degree personality type for Spectre consideration. And Shepard notably FEELS much more pre-defined for those reasons than the Warden or Inquisitor IMO (Hawke I'm leaving out because Hawke to me is close to a middle ground in this discussion).
My thing with dark souls is that because I have impaired reflexes, I am basically incapable of playing the game. Can't even get past the second zone. If they added some difficulty adjustment options (e.g. pausing) the game would still be very difficult for me, and I would still get the famed sense of satisfaction from learning and improving at it, but it wouldn't be prohibitively hard anymore. That's what I think is sometimes missing from the conversation about difficulty - the fact that difficulty is not constant for all players
when i saw the title "Game Informer Article" I was so scared cause everytime we've talked about an article, its either "NO ITS THE END OF WORLD" or "we'll have to wait and hope it turns out ok" and I felt so called out on the Falon'din thing, but in my defense ten years are a lot of time for someone to sit and think about something
I think the chosen one distinction is more about prophecies and destiny or the characters in the world believing in a chosen one. But I can see how you can make arguments that it would encompass more than that.
You could even argue Rook is still chosen as they, exclusively, have Solas in their head. Hawke is the only one who doesn't fit "Chosen One" to any degree.
I was so happy to see a new video from you! There are a lot of channels covering Dragon age now, but this is my absolute favourite (along with Ghildirthalen)
when the article described how Solas got trapped and Rook connected i immediately thought "this guy doesn't really understand what happened, i can't wait for Caitie to explain this." i don't really think the inquisitor was a 'chosen one' in the traditional sense, they were just, wrong place wrong time, just like Rook. but also, who cares! thats why i play story based games so i can be special :) they mentioned that the lighthouse changes over time, based on...something with Rook? so i'm wondering if since its in the fade it changes automatically for your needs or if you manual make decisions about everything.
I remember at launch it was more a problem leaving the hinterlands because people didn't know to leave the hinterlands. Devs had to tweet that you needed to leave. I'm included. I spent 10 hours in hinterlands before picking up a guide to figure out how to progress the plot. I just needed to go back to Haven
Chosen one storylines are also uniquely convenient for rpgs with character creation cause you need people to be able to create and headcanon their own chara but also to inhabit a set role
my guess on not giving the previewers a hands on demo is just for time. they want the demo to get through a certain amount of things and having to learn the controls just slows things down.
I totally agree with y'alls view on the "chosen one" narrative. There really isn't much difference between the circumstances between the Warden, Hawke, Inquisitor, and now Rook. The Warden is the chosen one because they just happened to be the ones sent to lite the signal fire and Flemeth chose to save them Hawke is the chosen one because they were a the most important person in Kirkwall that was a catalyst for the mage templar war, and Flemeth chose to save them The inquisitor was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was thrusted into their responsibility Rook so far has only been shown to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now intrinsically linked to Solas. All of the protagonists so far have been "chosen ones" due to circumstance, not due to some divine predestination. If anything, the Warden and Hawke are more the chosen ones than the Inquisitor and Rook because the Warden and Hawke were specifically singled out by Flemeth to start their journeys. The Inquisitor and Rook just happened to stumble into being the linchpin of two apocalyptic events lol.
I think we played pretty fast and loose with the description of “Chosen One” in this episode. I don’t think any of the DA protagonists fit that description
I disagree the mark in DAI makes them the chosen one they have a role that literally nobody else can have. They are the only one who can close the rifts
People keep going on about "chosen one" thing. But, when people talk about the Inquisitor as that... they were literally in the wrong (right?) place at the wrong (right?) time. Sounds like Rook is the same. Most protags start small, and gain notoriety. Have we even had a "chosen one" ever?
I also just did a DAI replay but I'm only on console. Loved it for the 18th time. I actually hope there are some equivalent to a war table in DATV. It really adds lore depth and I loved the callbacks and inside jokes, eg Captain Aveline fighting off that one archer prince that nobody liked in DAII.
i just wish i had known the article was going to have spoilers before i read it, i probably would have still read it. but, i gotta think there is loads of other we haven't even considered since they 'spoiled' the bits they did. i also think we've been starved for so long that even the smallest confirmations are a feast.
I really agree with Jordan’s sentiment regarding DAI. It game is good, the game has always been good. The internets retrospective hating of it just reminds me of the “quit having fun!” Meme
Nah I think the hating was always there from a large% of Bioware fans it's just that Inquisition hit mainstream and it had everything a mainstream audience wanted in a post Skyrim word. Especially on new consoles when nothing was out.
Inquisition is incredible. My favourite of the three. And the game treats you so different based on race and class. Just don't loiter in the hinterlands and the game is outstanding.
I've played Inquisition so many times now..and you know what...I still do the shards and the fetch quests..all of it. Probably because I just get caught up in the environmental details. I know a lot of people complained about that, but it's the precise reason why Inquisition is my favorite DA game thus far.
Just wanted to throw in that ESO also has a transmog system called the outfit station and it's amazing. Any armor can look like any piece of that type no matter the weight same with any weapon type including any one handed, only exceptions being the class styles from the roguelike arena. So many dyes. There are costumes too but putting together outfits is the real endgame lol.
So you can launch origins through Steam, but it's likely to crash while playing. The mod needed is the unofficial 4gb patch. Otherwise, dao just won't draw on more memory, even if you have it. The hinterlands thing is that new players don't understand they need to leave. Which is why it got memed on and you kept seeing, "leave the hinterlands!"
I have been playing on steam and was issues until I tired the graphics from very high to medium and it’s worked perfect ever since and it still looks good
I'm very excited about the prospect of Solas interacting with you during the game. It reminds me a lot of the plot of KOTFE, with the Sith Emperor's spirit being bound to you. I'm surprised Jordan didn't mention that considering he also played SWTOR. As far as the "should Elden Ring have pause?" discourse I disagree with Jordan on it. I don't think having a pause button would make these types of games easier, as someone who played all of the Dark Souls games and Sekiro multiple times (haven't played Elden Ring because my PC can't run it and I don't have a PS4 to play Bloodborne) having a pause button would not undo the difficulty of those games. Sekiro had a pause button and it's still an challenging game. As far as the "no death" option for Veilguard, I don't see why that option is a thing but I'm not going to get mad about it. I'll just choose to play on Nightmare as I have done with previous Dragon Age games.
I completely agree with your comments on the "chosen one" issue. (Some spoilers for the series so far follow, so if you're playing the games for the first time, skip reading this). IMO when fans complain about the trope, what they're really complaining about is the lack of origin prequels for their characters. HoF is no less a chosen one than the Inquisitor; they are chosen by fate and Flemythal (a literal goddess) to stop the Blight. And in none of the origin stories are they just "some guy," there's always an element of specialness to them (best mage student, child of someone Duncan wanted to recruit, a noble from a highborn family, etc). And yeah, of course we all wish we got DAO style origins again, but Bioware has said no for the past 15 years, so idk why people set this expectation. The Inquisitor, on the other hand, is really more "some guy" who gets pushed into their position by chance (or fate, depending on what they believe). Unlike DAO though, DAI actively *subverts* the chosen one trope. You're given plenty of opportunities to deny that you're chosen. Even if you do say you are, the game actively places doubt on that. "Justinia" in the Fade rather than Andraste, no confirmation of the Maker's existence, the way claiming you're chosen often leads to ways of manipulating people or gaining power. JoH also shows the way the Chantry has twisted historical figures and events to suit their narrative, and implies the same thing will happen to the Inquisitor's legacy. And the only confirmed god figure behind the Inquisitor's rise to power certainly did not choose them to have the mark. The only distinction between DAI and Veilguard's role for the protagonist in the narrative that I can see is that Rook may be operating on a smaller scale, with a smaller team, than having the huge organization the Inquisition became. But that has nothing to do with being a chosen one.
Came over from Spotify at the 2:30 mark to tell Jordan that Inquisition DOES RUN AT 60 fps on Xbox Series X. The patch he is asking for was already delivered by the Xbox Backwards Compatibility Team back in like 2020 or 2021. It is an FPS Boost Feature exclusive to the Xbox Consoles. So yes, INQUISITION RUNS AT 60FPS ON XBOX. Edit: This also applies to DAO & DA2. Both run at 60fps on Xbox Series X with FPS Boost enabled.
A chosen one narrative (to me) is either the MC is predestined by prophecy to save the day, or they’re hand-picked by a higher power to save the day. I don’t think a regular person being in the right place at the right time or stepping up to the plate is a chosen one story. I like stories where the MC isn’t the most important person in the world by default but becomes that person by their own choices. Hopefully that’s what Rook is.
i’m surprised (and a little disappointed) you guys didn’t address the nudity mentioned in the articles, mostly bc i think you two discussing it would probably be the funniest split the veil content to date
I'm always excited for these episodes, can't wait to see what you do for number 100! Now as for my thoughts on the topics of conversation; I think when people talk about chosen ones, they do mean that you're picked by a higher power. The complaint most people seem to have is that a chosen one is just automatically special and doesn't have to work for what they have. I don't know that I agree, but that's where people are coming from. As for the Soulsbourne part, I think there's a weird thing where everyone is praising Fromsoft's games all the time, holding them up as paragons of video gaming and I think that ends up tricking people who aren't in the target audience into thinking they have to play it and experience it or they're missing out, the way people sometimes feel like they HAVE to watch this or that classic movie or they're missing out on something. So you have a bunch of people who shouldn't be playing the games playing them because they feel like they're missing out if they don't, and they're the ones asking for an easier version of the game so they can experience this amazing thing all the fans are crowing about. I speak from experience because there was a stretch where I was tricked into believing I should play Elden Ring.
Do you think the kinda Half Staff that Neve has will our mage get to make it like that ? Also if you remember in Origins we find an Arcane Warriors Sword !! I want my mage to use a Sword !!! I also want that sword to be magically inclined !!! My first PT will be a SpellBlade VeilJumping Elf that’s gonna Love our Warden !!!
As much as I hate to not watch I cant! Im trying not to indulge in spoilers (I learned my lesson with Tears of the Kingdom). Just want to comment and leave a like. Love Split the Veil!
I hate to single people out but so much of the miscommunication seems like its coming from Corinne Busche specifically - based on the discord q&a and the article it just feels likes she has less experience as a public figure and is also trying to appease people because she knows (like we all do) that people are so negative and take so much in bad faith, which leads to weird statements like the chosen one and the tactics things. I genuinely think there's be less confusing statements if someone else more experienced was answering these questions.
I just want to mirror thoughts on replaying the older games. I got DAO on the steam sale like everyone else and its actually breaking my brain how broken it is. DLC not actually included in the download, I'm pretty sure I cant access Awakening. And even with mods its constantly crashing. I really wanted to go through it as its been literal years but seeing how Bioware/EA have just let it to rot I actually cant psyche myself up to play anymore. I got Denerim and every door I open the game crashes and its killing my soul
Gonna have to skip this one (Like you guys said, I'm one of those that's striving to go in spoiler free... I want my "OMG THE THING WAS THE THING!!!" moment!) but I 100% plan to listen to this once the game's actually out and I've played a bit!
Honestly, the closest I've seen to what I would consider a genuine 'Chosen One' narrative would either be The Dark Urge from BG3, or the Warrior of Light from FFXIV in the last decade and a half of RPG playing, where powers beyond yourself are influencing your path/destiny/fate. Most RPG protags I've played are 'wrong place, wrong time' type protagonists who are forced into progressing the plot.
I think that the "chosen one" trope needs a little clarification. At it's heart, the trope has more to do with agency and inherent skills than anything else (think of the difference between being chosen by a higher power or being born with a unique skill vs. being a regular person that is either pushed into conflict and/or choses to engage in said conflict), in the sense that the chosen one is *the* only person to be able to save the day with he's/her's unique ability (i.e the Inquisitor's mark), which is not something that they chose to gain in order to achive their goals, but something that's almost inherent. And at the end of the day the discrepancy between a "chosen one" and a regular protagonist boils down to one being the "only person" who can solve a given situation, and the other someone that is more of a underdog, has no unique skill that puts them ate the center of the narrative, but dispite and *because* of that, they try anyway - so that sort of protagonist is more prone to be driven and have more agency because of these disadvantages. And the beauty of the Inquisitor, in my eyes, is that they generally become a mix of both; you are chosen, maybe not by Andraste or the Maker, but by the narrative, to be "the one" to save the world, and then actively choose to continue on the path, despite the trials, the misery and the loss. Just my two nickels tho...
Not pausing doesn’t make Souls games harder though, it just makes them more tedious. Kingdom hearts can be fairly difficult at the highest levels and they still implement a pause function, and they make it so you can’t access your inventory while in a fight. I don’t see the issue with that. Also, maybe this is a hot take, but I find RTwP to be incredibly outdated. It’s not as tactical as turn based and it’s not as kinetic as action, it’s just a frustrating in between. It feels like most crpgs are shifting away from it, and for good reason. Deadfire was a better experience turn based, and so was WoTR, with the exception of trash mobs. And I personally consider trash mobs bad design, so I’m fine with them going away. Rogue Trader turn based gameplay was awesome. I would have preferred turn based for Dragon Age, but I’m perfectly fine with them going for action instead. Mostly I’m just glad they’re picking a direction and committing to it.
I think the people complaining about the Hinterlands were the people who couldn't stop doing quests in the Hinterlands. Because you go there, and then immediately, there's a lot of quests, and the more you explore, the more quests there are. They may have ignored or missed the little popup that told them to leave the Hinterlands and go to Val Royeaux, especially if they have a completionist mindset. EDIT: I also think that the "Rook is not the chosen one" thing came about as a result of Inquisition. After the spectacle of being Andraste's Herald with a magic hand, it would be an obvious foil to do the opposite of that. And keep in mind, Inquisition/Trespasser was during America/Canada's hipster phase, where when something became mainstream it was uncool to do it. So yeah, Rook not being a chosen one is a selling point, however it's a selling point that's about a decade late, lol
3/3 on the American scale- we have Guns, Burgers and Biden! Anyway jokes aside, great episode and totally agree with everything you guys said and as a disabled person i am very glad we get to adjust our own difficulty!
DA: I GREATLY benefitted from 2014 notoriously being a very weak year for video game releases. And then the following year when The Witcher 3 came out it shined a bright light on its shortcomings. A good game, but there is no doubt an asterisk next to its many awards.
The Warden is just whoever survives. The Inquisitor gets his status ENTIRELY because of the anchor. Hawke isn’t a hero out to Save The World (TM) AT ALL.
I re listen to these episodes quite a bit. Y’all still need to review inquisition! You reviewed the mass effect trilogy and origins and 2 but never inquisition
As far as them trying to push the tactical combat and not a chosen one thing I don't mean this to sound rude but I think the game director could use some PR training. They've also come out and said the companions are the studios most complex and fully realized and that this is the 1st time the studio has intentionality created great companions. These are things you shouldn't say if you weren't in charge during the other games. It's ok to critize your past work and prop up your new stuff but it's in bad taste to critize others and prop up what you've done over them.
32:35 KAtie..... Dragon Age 2....... Dragon Age 1.......... you're not a chosen one, you're someone thrown into shit and you have to solve it because #1 your senior warden doesn't like to lead and #2 you moved to a shithole of a city
Chosen One really is meant to be just THE PROPHECY CHILD kind of narratives, not any narrative where the fate of the world rests on one person's shoulders but also I don't think Origins is any different from Inquisition (and probably Veilguard), the only thing it misses is the magical macguffin and that still kind of comes into play with Wardens being the only ones who can kill an Archdemon. The Warden is still just some guy who, through a a happenstance of fate (not dying at Ostagar and having more spine than Alistair) becomes the only ones who can save Ferelden. 2 is incredibly interesting because it specifically deconstructs this. Hawke is set up to be the kind of most important person in the city meant to save it figure except Hawke can't actually save the city, no matter what Hawke does the city will choose to destroy itself with or without their approval, thanks. That's what makes 2 such an interesting story.
As for tactics, I'm okay with a more ARPG gameplay, but I'd love to give hints to NPC AI like we could in Origins. Because the default AI has always been terrible (especially for rogues, none of the games understand proper positioning for flanking). Being able to do things like telling Wynne that if she sees a mage, she should Mana Clash them was pretty awesome. Inquisitions version of this was a joke.
Dragon age Inquisition is okaaay, it feels like an mmo where theirs no other players with you when you just exploring. And it has zero choice and consequences, the ending doesn’t change and the only major choice is the templars or mages where you get one different quest but you get the same party members regardless. But it’s and okay game.
I see the mmo criticism but I do ask, is that really a bad thing? It is just… a thing that is kinda true. Choice and consequences, the ending of the game is the same in that you always beat Cory and Solas always rises to power. But the fate of many of your companions, the wardens, orlais, the mages and the Chantry all changes.
@@ducky36F it is a bad thing for a single player rpg to feel like a MMO lol. MMOs has be a very different gameplay loop and feel very different cuz you have lots of different players either you playing with you and interacting with you. In Inquisition Is the big emptiness that a MMO has but with zero interaction or things to do. Your doing the shitty collecting quests for no reason, no one wants to do empty collecting quests in a story rpg. I agree you can make some choices for the companions but having no story choices that matter is a big let down for a DA game, and yes you can make choices for the wardens and mages and such but we don’t get to see the outcome of any of it so 🤷🏻♀️
I’m sorry but SkyHold so much of it was left unused and if we were building an army and most of those towers were left bare and cobwebbed !!! I did like the upgrades for SkyHold !! Kinda wish we got a portal to see SkyHold at its best !!!
"Is there a video game RPG where you're not the chosen one?" Disco Elysium! In that you're like the anti-chosen one. You're the biggest loser of them all who should have no business doing what he's doing, but nonetheless you persist. :P Highly recommend. And I do agree about Elden Ring. Plus like, I don't think there's really a need for a pause?? If you're in the middle of combat and there's an emergency where you must leave the controller, then it's not a big deal to just die. You die *constantly* so it's something to just take in stride. I do, however, think that maybe you should be able to pause cutscenes. That makes sense, so you don't miss them.
It's true! Up until now I've been playing Origins on console, however there was a sale on Steam so I was like Neat I'll try it that way! Bruh. I have never had Origins crash before now. Or have glitches before now. Or run so slow before now. It is being played on a decade-old PC that I built to play BG3 on. Why on Earth is this happening
The EA is quite bad, even now sometimes my games disappear from my library, and I need to reopen it to get them back, including the games I was just playing (recently inquisition and andromeda). My original mass effect 3 wasn't there originally when I opened it for the first time and for a while after, and I was worried it would be lost forever, but it did eventually appear. It's definitely behaved worse from me than the origin app did, which is surprising. How they managed to make something worse is actually baffling.
I will say with Inquisition when I play it it's better than I remember. Until I play 2 or Origins after and realize those 2 games are just vastly better.
DAI is suffering from Post-Witcher 3 comparison syndrome. That's it. The epitome of story-driven Action RPG greatness is still Witcher 3. And I get it.... just compare the story-telling (main quests AND sidequests).
BioWare can't get its own symbology right, why would players do better? Only someone with insider knowledge would guess that the "bowhead" monster is Ghilan'nain instead of the elven goddess whose vallaslin is literally a bow with tentacles. Elgar'nan was bound to appear one way or another being the allfather and all, but Falon'din has been teased as the big bad since DA:O.
I admit that I was torn on Andruil vs Ghilan'nain based on symbols alone. I only guessed/hoped for Ghilan'nain because the Horror of Hormak short story in Tevinter Nights strongly indicated she was going to be involved. However, I think Falon'din was easier to rule out because we see his headdress symbol in the Dalish origin in DAO (in the temple ruin), and the symbol was not the "beetle" one lit up in the mural. The beetle symbol was also bigger than the others, and Elgar'nan is the king of the gods basically, so it makes sense that his symbol would have more prominence.
As someone who doesn’t care for Relationship stories, I d like to know if a chased play through is going to ruin the team with hormonal teenage dramas. I don’t want that. My idea of a hero is a highly capable person. Not someone who is obsessed with slippery genitals.
The problem with the hinterlands isn’t that it takes too long to leave (you can leave immediately after talking to Mother Giselle, you don’t even need to get the horses). The problem is that the game doesn’t do a good job of telling you you’re supposed to leave the Hinterlands to continue the story. The patch added some banter where your companions suggest you go back to Haven, but even then a lot of first-time players end up basically clearing out the entire Hinterlands before going back to Haven to continue the story.
It is a VERY brief comment from Solas and honestly, I've missed it just by being in combat because of how low the volume can be for banter at times. You can tell Solas's VA recorded the line out of the studio because it sounds completely different from the rest of the banter. He just goes "We must have enough power by now to meet with the clerics. Shouldn't' we go to Val Royeaux (spelling)" - I just heard the line yesterday and was like "oh shit!" but then I also was like "LOL, is this how they fixed the being-stuck-in-the-hinterlands problem?"
I've regarded the protagonist in the first three games as more of a coerced one than a 'chosen one.'
Real accurate. 🎉
Agreed, I call them the reluctant chosen one. Tho I still think of hawke as that random guy that’s just too skilled to kill lmao
I am BEGGING you to tell us the groundbreaking lore reveal that was offhandedly mentioned in the powerpoint after the game releases
Same here!
I play DAI completely vanilla every single time, and I still love it for 8 years now. just return to my last walkthrough whenever I want to chill out and go home
and absolutely positive that DAV will have the same vibes
I would like to see pause in souls-games. Not because it makes the game easier, but because we all have lives. A pause option makes the game more accessible to for example parents. Sometimes you just have to deal with real things in life while playing your favourite games, otherwise continuing to play your favourite games gets even harder as you get older.
I think you guys have the wrong idea of what Alanah Pearce was saying. A pause button doesn't necessarily make Elden Ring easier, but it should make the game more accessible for people who need to turn their attention to other things like your maniac child, or a work email. You can have that kind of accessibility and the game will still be difficult by design. Then for things like Veilguard where there's an *option* (key word) to cheat death, some people just would rather be able to play the way they want, and there's nothing wrong with it. Even if nobody uses the option, the important thing is that the option exists.
So you could go ahead and order that spicy burger, but you still have the option to remove or replace particular ingredients. Swap the spicy sauce for bbq, swap the fillet with a veggie patty, you could even add extra spicy sauce. Enjoy the burger the way you want.
Yeah, I thought Rook being advertised as being different from the inquisitor and not a ‘chosen one’ was interesting until I read to article. The inquisitor was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and picked up the orb. Rook is in the wrong place at the wrong time and has their blood mix in the ritual. I don’t see them as any different honestly.
I also wouldn’t classify them as ‘chosen’ either. They both seem to become the hero of the story by accident rather than some divine right or string of fate.
I don't think you have to be picked on purpose to be the chosen one. They just have to have a power that makes them solely capable of being the protagonist of the story. Like you can't replace the Inquisitor with any other character and have the Inquisition succeed.
@CC-of5xl True, but this goes for all the protagonists so far. The Darkspawn Chronicles for DAO is basically about how the heroes would have failed to stop the Blight if the HoF is dead. I expect Rook will play a similar "only one who can save the world role" in Veilguard (which I'm happy about; protagonists should be special).
@pilotg2075 I disagree though as technically other Grey Wardens CAN stop the blight. Like they have the power that is needed. Nobody but the Inquisitor has the mark. As for Hawke they basically fail at almost everything. In fact they are kind of the cause for things aswell. They're the reason the Idol is found and the reasons Anders is able to carry out their plan. They're also probably the reason Isabela isn't caught by the Qunari earlier. Also all the big bads they "kill" end up surviving lol
David Gaider has said several times that EA never seemed to understand how to market Dragon Age. So the confusion around it is to be expected, IMO.
None of the protagonists have been the chosen ones in the traditional sense. The Warden was just one out of some few potential people who managed to kill the Arch-demon in Origins, Hawke is literally just some dude/gal who rose from refugee to noble/vicount in Kirkwall in a decade and the Inquisitor stumbled upon a ritual and accidental got marked in the process. None seem more 'chosen' than what happens to Rook, in fact it seems awfully similar to what happened with the inquisitor and the interrupted ritual. On a meta-level, I suppose every protagonist is chosen, if only by the story if not the in-game Gods/fate.
I’ll just say this to the analogy about the hottest burger, a pause wouldn’t be asking to make it mild but having the ability to stop. Stoping does not make the burger any less hot nor the game easier. The only way the game is made harder by the inability to stop it is by being interrupted by outside forces. Why should the reason anyone wins or loses in a single player session be decided by when a delivery comes
It may be better to say that the Souls games are a "hottest hamburger eating challenge". You have an hour to eat that burger and sometimes life gets in the way and that's okay, you can always try again.
A tier list episode where you rank the games and the DLC would be cool and provide - through conversation - a nice, casual refresher on all of that content
On the topic of the "chosen one" protagonist, I would say another strength of the "chosen one" concept for video games in particular is that if a protagonist is Chosen, then otherwise they can kind of be anyone. They have an anchor (pun... intended?) to the plot that no one can violate, but then anything else can surround that anchor and the story still works. That is very clearly what makes the Inquisitor work, it's what makes the Warden work. Both of them have absolute, inviolable connections to the plot that also conveniently have nothing to do with their personality or even backstory aside from the moment of the backstory that connects them to the Thing. In a way, being Chosen is what allows for Choice. Your Warden can be a total scumbag or a saint or a fainting wallflower to start with and that can all work because the anchor of being a Warden stays the same. The Inquisitor is a little more restricted but can still have a variety of morals and personality traits and philosophies -- but they're always the Inquisitor and that can keep being true no matter what else they are.
In a way I feel like in this sense Shepard is LESS of a chosen one (although they definitely still qualify in many respects) because they are specifically chosen for their pre-existing actions. They chose to join the military for one reason or another, they had some sort of major heroic moment in their past that brought them to the attention of superiors, they get selected based on their skills and ability and to a degree personality type for Spectre consideration. And Shepard notably FEELS much more pre-defined for those reasons than the Warden or Inquisitor IMO (Hawke I'm leaving out because Hawke to me is close to a middle ground in this discussion).
I can't believe we're on podcast #99. Great episode!
My thing with dark souls is that because I have impaired reflexes, I am basically incapable of playing the game. Can't even get past the second zone. If they added some difficulty adjustment options (e.g. pausing) the game would still be very difficult for me, and I would still get the famed sense of satisfaction from learning and improving at it, but it wouldn't be prohibitively hard anymore. That's what I think is sometimes missing from the conversation about difficulty - the fact that difficulty is not constant for all players
Exactly. I'm glad DA:V will have a setting for you to enjoy it
when i saw the title "Game Informer Article" I was so scared cause everytime we've talked about an article, its either "NO ITS THE END OF WORLD" or "we'll have to wait and hope it turns out ok"
and I felt so called out on the Falon'din thing, but in my defense ten years are a lot of time for someone to sit and think about something
I think the chosen one distinction is more about prophecies and destiny or the characters in the world believing in a chosen one. But I can see how you can make arguments that it would encompass more than that.
You could even argue Rook is still chosen as they, exclusively, have Solas in their head. Hawke is the only one who doesn't fit "Chosen One" to any degree.
I was so happy to see a new video from you! There are a lot of channels covering Dragon age now, but this is my absolute favourite (along with Ghildirthalen)
when the article described how Solas got trapped and Rook connected i immediately thought "this guy doesn't really understand what happened, i can't wait for Caitie to explain this."
i don't really think the inquisitor was a 'chosen one' in the traditional sense, they were just, wrong place wrong time, just like Rook. but also, who cares! thats why i play story based games so i can be special :)
they mentioned that the lighthouse changes over time, based on...something with Rook? so i'm wondering if since its in the fade it changes automatically for your needs or if you manual make decisions about everything.
ME3 had story mode! I appreciated that. I'm here for a good time, not a hard time.
I remember at launch it was more a problem leaving the hinterlands because people didn't know to leave the hinterlands. Devs had to tweet that you needed to leave. I'm included. I spent 10 hours in hinterlands before picking up a guide to figure out how to progress the plot. I just needed to go back to Haven
Oh snap! Another drop of my favorite podcast to get through the work day! Was literally just listening to the previous 2 veilguard episodes lol
Yay. I love when these drop.
Chosen one storylines are also uniquely convenient for rpgs with character creation cause you need people to be able to create and headcanon their own chara but also to inhabit a set role
It's also your job as the main character to affect the world.
my guess on not giving the previewers a hands on demo is just for time. they want the demo to get through a certain amount of things and having to learn the controls just slows things down.
I was thinking the same
I totally agree with y'alls view on the "chosen one" narrative. There really isn't much difference between the circumstances between the Warden, Hawke, Inquisitor, and now Rook.
The Warden is the chosen one because they just happened to be the ones sent to lite the signal fire and Flemeth chose to save them
Hawke is the chosen one because they were a the most important person in Kirkwall that was a catalyst for the mage templar war, and Flemeth chose to save them
The inquisitor was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was thrusted into their responsibility
Rook so far has only been shown to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now intrinsically linked to Solas.
All of the protagonists so far have been "chosen ones" due to circumstance, not due to some divine predestination. If anything, the Warden and Hawke are more the chosen ones than the Inquisitor and Rook because the Warden and Hawke were specifically singled out by Flemeth to start their journeys. The Inquisitor and Rook just happened to stumble into being the linchpin of two apocalyptic events lol.
I think we played pretty fast and loose with the description of “Chosen One” in this episode. I don’t think any of the DA protagonists fit that description
I disagree the mark in DAI makes them the chosen one they have a role that literally nobody else can have. They are the only one who can close the rifts
Love having these back. Please give us more.
People keep going on about "chosen one" thing. But, when people talk about the Inquisitor as that... they were literally in the wrong (right?) place at the wrong (right?) time. Sounds like Rook is the same. Most protags start small, and gain notoriety. Have we even had a "chosen one" ever?
I should finish videos before I comment. :)
I also just did a DAI replay but I'm only on console. Loved it for the 18th time. I actually hope there are some equivalent to a war table in DATV. It really adds lore depth and I loved the callbacks and inside jokes, eg Captain Aveline fighting off that one archer prince that nobody liked in DAII.
i just wish i had known the article was going to have spoilers before i read it, i probably would have still read it. but, i gotta think there is loads of other we haven't even considered since they 'spoiled' the bits they did. i also think we've been starved for so long that even the smallest confirmations are a feast.
I Love the Dragon Age Series !!! Also I can’t wait for VeilGuard !!!
I really agree with Jordan’s sentiment regarding DAI. It game is good, the game has always been good. The internets retrospective hating of it just reminds me of the “quit having fun!” Meme
Nah I think the hating was always there from a large% of Bioware fans it's just that Inquisition hit mainstream and it had everything a mainstream audience wanted in a post Skyrim word. Especially on new consoles when nothing was out.
@@CC-of5xlthat’s a fair take. It still reminds me of the “quit having fun “ meme though 😂
Inquisition is incredible. My favourite of the three. And the game treats you so different based on race and class.
Just don't loiter in the hinterlands and the game is outstanding.
I've played Inquisition so many times now..and you know what...I still do the shards and the fetch quests..all of it. Probably because I just get caught up in the environmental
details. I know a lot of people complained about that, but it's the precise reason why Inquisition is my favorite DA game thus far.
Me too.
Just wanted to throw in that ESO also has a transmog system called the outfit station and it's amazing. Any armor can look like any piece of that type no matter the weight same with any weapon type including any one handed, only exceptions being the class styles from the roguelike arena. So many dyes. There are costumes too but putting together outfits is the real endgame lol.
I’m also replaying the games before Veilguard, and Awakening keeps crashing whenever I open the map. Smh😢
Jordan comes up with the best metaphors! The world’s hottest burger! Bless you
So you can launch origins through Steam, but it's likely to crash while playing. The mod needed is the unofficial 4gb patch. Otherwise, dao just won't draw on more memory, even if you have it.
The hinterlands thing is that new players don't understand they need to leave. Which is why it got memed on and you kept seeing, "leave the hinterlands!"
I have been playing on steam and was issues until I tired the graphics from very high to medium and it’s worked perfect ever since and it still looks good
I'm very excited about the prospect of Solas interacting with you during the game. It reminds me a lot of the plot of KOTFE, with the Sith Emperor's spirit being bound to you. I'm surprised Jordan didn't mention that considering he also played SWTOR.
As far as the "should Elden Ring have pause?" discourse I disagree with Jordan on it. I don't think having a pause button would make these types of games easier, as someone who played all of the Dark Souls games and Sekiro multiple times (haven't played Elden Ring because my PC can't run it and I don't have a PS4 to play Bloodborne) having a pause button would not undo the difficulty of those games. Sekiro had a pause button and it's still an challenging game. As far as the "no death" option for Veilguard, I don't see why that option is a thing but I'm not going to get mad about it. I'll just choose to play on Nightmare as I have done with previous Dragon Age games.
I completely agree with your comments on the "chosen one" issue. (Some spoilers for the series so far follow, so if you're playing the games for the first time, skip reading this).
IMO when fans complain about the trope, what they're really complaining about is the lack of origin prequels for their characters. HoF is no less a chosen one than the Inquisitor; they are chosen by fate and Flemythal (a literal goddess) to stop the Blight. And in none of the origin stories are they just "some guy," there's always an element of specialness to them (best mage student, child of someone Duncan wanted to recruit, a noble from a highborn family, etc). And yeah, of course we all wish we got DAO style origins again, but Bioware has said no for the past 15 years, so idk why people set this expectation.
The Inquisitor, on the other hand, is really more "some guy" who gets pushed into their position by chance (or fate, depending on what they believe). Unlike DAO though, DAI actively *subverts* the chosen one trope. You're given plenty of opportunities to deny that you're chosen. Even if you do say you are, the game actively places doubt on that. "Justinia" in the Fade rather than Andraste, no confirmation of the Maker's existence, the way claiming you're chosen often leads to ways of manipulating people or gaining power. JoH also shows the way the Chantry has twisted historical figures and events to suit their narrative, and implies the same thing will happen to the Inquisitor's legacy. And the only confirmed god figure behind the Inquisitor's rise to power certainly did not choose them to have the mark.
The only distinction between DAI and Veilguard's role for the protagonist in the narrative that I can see is that Rook may be operating on a smaller scale, with a smaller team, than having the huge organization the Inquisition became. But that has nothing to do with being a chosen one.
The Hinterlands was fine, it's the Hissing Wastes that's the true hellish zone!
Came over from Spotify at the 2:30 mark to tell Jordan that Inquisition DOES RUN AT 60 fps on Xbox Series X. The patch he is asking for was already delivered by the Xbox Backwards Compatibility Team back in like 2020 or 2021. It is an FPS Boost Feature exclusive to the Xbox Consoles. So yes, INQUISITION RUNS AT 60FPS ON XBOX.
Edit: This also applies to DAO & DA2. Both run at 60fps on Xbox Series X with FPS Boost enabled.
A chosen one narrative (to me) is either the MC is predestined by prophecy to save the day, or they’re hand-picked by a higher power to save the day. I don’t think a regular person being in the right place at the right time or stepping up to the plate is a chosen one story. I like stories where the MC isn’t the most important person in the world by default but becomes that person by their own choices. Hopefully that’s what Rook is.
i’m surprised (and a little disappointed) you guys didn’t address the nudity mentioned in the articles, mostly bc i think you two discussing it would probably be the funniest split the veil content to date
That actually came out after we recorded sadly 😭
@@GhilDirthalenJust admit it. You are saving nudity for your 100th episode.
@@GhilDirthalenNOOOOO you were so close 😭
I'm always excited for these episodes, can't wait to see what you do for number 100! Now as for my thoughts on the topics of conversation;
I think when people talk about chosen ones, they do mean that you're picked by a higher power. The complaint most people seem to have is that a chosen one is just automatically special and doesn't have to work for what they have. I don't know that I agree, but that's where people are coming from.
As for the Soulsbourne part, I think there's a weird thing where everyone is praising Fromsoft's games all the time, holding them up as paragons of video gaming and I think that ends up tricking people who aren't in the target audience into thinking they have to play it and experience it or they're missing out, the way people sometimes feel like they HAVE to watch this or that classic movie or they're missing out on something. So you have a bunch of people who shouldn't be playing the games playing them because they feel like they're missing out if they don't, and they're the ones asking for an easier version of the game so they can experience this amazing thing all the fans are crowing about. I speak from experience because there was a stretch where I was tricked into believing I should play Elden Ring.
I never thought I’d see the day where Biden caught strays on split the veil, but here we are 😂
omfg 'Katie fights bad guys in da like Biden does political debates' XD dieing
🎉🎉🎉🎉
Do you think the kinda Half Staff that Neve has will our mage get to make it like that ? Also if you remember in Origins we find an Arcane Warriors Sword !! I want my mage to use a Sword !!! I also want that sword to be magically inclined !!! My first PT will be a SpellBlade VeilJumping Elf that’s gonna Love our Warden !!!
As much as I hate to not watch I cant! Im trying not to indulge in spoilers (I learned my lesson with Tears of the Kingdom). Just want to comment and leave a like. Love Split the Veil!
I hate to single people out but so much of the miscommunication seems like its coming from Corinne Busche specifically - based on the discord q&a and the article it just feels likes she has less experience as a public figure and is also trying to appease people because she knows (like we all do) that people are so negative and take so much in bad faith, which leads to weird statements like the chosen one and the tactics things. I genuinely think there's be less confusing statements if someone else more experienced was answering these questions.
I agree with you here I’m really not a fan of the way she communicated in the q&a. She could use some more experienced help.
True. Would not want their job! It's lose-lose.
I just want to mirror thoughts on replaying the older games. I got DAO on the steam sale like everyone else and its actually breaking my brain how broken it is. DLC not actually included in the download, I'm pretty sure I cant access Awakening. And even with mods its constantly crashing. I really wanted to go through it as its been literal years but seeing how Bioware/EA have just let it to rot I actually cant psyche myself up to play anymore. I got Denerim and every door I open the game crashes and its killing my soul
Gonna have to skip this one (Like you guys said, I'm one of those that's striving to go in spoiler free... I want my "OMG THE THING WAS THE THING!!!" moment!) but I 100% plan to listen to this once the game's actually out and I've played a bit!
Let's be honest it would be the first 4-5 hours.
Don't forget about the character creator 😂😂😂
Honestly, the closest I've seen to what I would consider a genuine 'Chosen One' narrative would either be The Dark Urge from BG3, or the Warrior of Light from FFXIV in the last decade and a half of RPG playing, where powers beyond yourself are influencing your path/destiny/fate. Most RPG protags I've played are 'wrong place, wrong time' type protagonists who are forced into progressing the plot.
I think that the "chosen one" trope needs a little clarification. At it's heart, the trope has more to do with agency and inherent skills than anything else (think of the difference between being chosen by a higher power or being born with a unique skill vs. being a regular person that is either pushed into conflict and/or choses to engage in said conflict), in the sense that the chosen one is *the* only person to be able to save the day with he's/her's unique ability (i.e the Inquisitor's mark), which is not something that they chose to gain in order to achive their goals, but something that's almost inherent. And at the end of the day the discrepancy between a "chosen one" and a regular protagonist boils down to one being the "only person" who can solve a given situation, and the other someone that is more of a underdog, has no unique skill that puts them ate the center of the narrative, but dispite and *because* of that, they try anyway - so that sort of protagonist is more prone to be driven and have more agency because of these disadvantages. And the beauty of the Inquisitor, in my eyes, is that they generally become a mix of both; you are chosen, maybe not by Andraste or the Maker, but by the narrative, to be "the one" to save the world, and then actively choose to continue on the path, despite the trials, the misery and the loss.
Just my two nickels tho...
Not pausing doesn’t make Souls games harder though, it just makes them more tedious. Kingdom hearts can be fairly difficult at the highest levels and they still implement a pause function, and they make it so you can’t access your inventory while in a fight. I don’t see the issue with that.
Also, maybe this is a hot take, but I find RTwP to be incredibly outdated. It’s not as tactical as turn based and it’s not as kinetic as action, it’s just a frustrating in between. It feels like most crpgs are shifting away from it, and for good reason. Deadfire was a better experience turn based, and so was WoTR, with the exception of trash mobs. And I personally consider trash mobs bad design, so I’m fine with them going away. Rogue Trader turn based gameplay was awesome.
I would have preferred turn based for Dragon Age, but I’m perfectly fine with them going for action instead. Mostly I’m just glad they’re picking a direction and committing to it.
I think the people complaining about the Hinterlands were the people who couldn't stop doing quests in the Hinterlands. Because you go there, and then immediately, there's a lot of quests, and the more you explore, the more quests there are. They may have ignored or missed the little popup that told them to leave the Hinterlands and go to Val Royeaux, especially if they have a completionist mindset. EDIT: I also think that the "Rook is not the chosen one" thing came about as a result of Inquisition. After the spectacle of being Andraste's Herald with a magic hand, it would be an obvious foil to do the opposite of that. And keep in mind, Inquisition/Trespasser was during America/Canada's hipster phase, where when something became mainstream it was uncool to do it. So yeah, Rook not being a chosen one is a selling point, however it's a selling point that's about a decade late, lol
From the 3 times I tried Origins more recently I ended up getting save files lost, graphical issues and several crashes
3/3 on the American scale- we have Guns, Burgers and Biden!
Anyway jokes aside, great episode and totally agree with everything you guys said and as a disabled person i am very glad we get to adjust our own difficulty!
I own all my DA games via Steam and it's been years since I opened Origins but it seems to be working.
DA: I GREATLY benefitted from 2014 notoriously being a very weak year for video game releases. And then the following year when The Witcher 3 came out it shined a bright light on its shortcomings. A good game, but there is no doubt an asterisk next to its many awards.
48:55 if I ever need to defend difficulty in a Souls game I'll use this point lol
The Warden is just whoever survives. The Inquisitor gets his status ENTIRELY because of the anchor.
Hawke isn’t a hero out to Save The World (TM) AT ALL.
Dragon Age Dragon Age Origins and II works on Xbox and arguably plays the best on Console.
I only use Console and they run great.
@ZehnWaters indeed, had I more time this year I'd be playing through both games then Inquisition leading up to Veilguard.
DA2 is a bit lumpy at the beginning on console, but fine after the prologue
I re listen to these episodes quite a bit. Y’all still need to review inquisition! You reviewed the mass effect trilogy and origins and 2 but never inquisition
As far as them trying to push the tactical combat and not a chosen one thing I don't mean this to sound rude but I think the game director could use some PR training. They've also come out and said the companions are the studios most complex and fully realized and that this is the 1st time the studio has intentionality created great companions. These are things you shouldn't say if you weren't in charge during the other games. It's ok to critize your past work and prop up your new stuff but it's in bad taste to critize others and prop up what you've done over them.
32:35 KAtie..... Dragon Age 2....... Dragon Age 1.......... you're not a chosen one, you're someone thrown into shit and you have to solve it because #1 your senior warden doesn't like to lead and #2 you moved to a shithole of a city
Chosen One really is meant to be just THE PROPHECY CHILD kind of narratives, not any narrative where the fate of the world rests on one person's shoulders but also I don't think Origins is any different from Inquisition (and probably Veilguard), the only thing it misses is the magical macguffin and that still kind of comes into play with Wardens being the only ones who can kill an Archdemon. The Warden is still just some guy who, through a a happenstance of fate (not dying at Ostagar and having more spine than Alistair) becomes the only ones who can save Ferelden.
2 is incredibly interesting because it specifically deconstructs this. Hawke is set up to be the kind of most important person in the city meant to save it figure except Hawke can't actually save the city, no matter what Hawke does the city will choose to destroy itself with or without their approval, thanks. That's what makes 2 such an interesting story.
You’re special in both games and everything revolves around you, definitely merit to what she’s saying.
Dragon Age Inquisition runs at 60 fps on the Xbox Series X
Oh, that's going to be nice when I start replaying it next month.
We love the chosen one. Loving him is lots of fun!
We love the chosen one. But not as much as me!
If you know, you know.
As for tactics, I'm okay with a more ARPG gameplay, but I'd love to give hints to NPC AI like we could in Origins. Because the default AI has always been terrible (especially for rogues, none of the games understand proper positioning for flanking). Being able to do things like telling Wynne that if she sees a mage, she should Mana Clash them was pretty awesome. Inquisitions version of this was a joke.
Dragon age Inquisition is okaaay, it feels like an mmo where theirs no other players with you when you just exploring. And it has zero choice and consequences, the ending doesn’t change and the only major choice is the templars or mages where you get one different quest but you get the same party members regardless. But it’s and okay game.
I see the mmo criticism but I do ask, is that really a bad thing? It is just… a thing that is kinda true.
Choice and consequences, the ending of the game is the same in that you always beat Cory and Solas always rises to power. But the fate of many of your companions, the wardens, orlais, the mages and the Chantry all changes.
@@ducky36F it is a bad thing for a single player rpg to feel like a MMO lol. MMOs has be a very different gameplay loop and feel very different cuz you have lots of different players either you playing with you and interacting with you. In Inquisition Is the big emptiness that a MMO has but with zero interaction or things to do. Your doing the shitty collecting quests for no reason, no one wants to do empty collecting quests in a story rpg. I agree you can make some choices for the companions but having no story choices that matter is a big let down for a DA game, and yes you can make choices for the wardens and mages and such but we don’t get to see the outcome of any of it so 🤷🏻♀️
I’m sorry but SkyHold so much of it was left unused and if we were building an army and most of those towers were left bare and cobwebbed !!! I did like the upgrades for SkyHold !! Kinda wish we got a portal to see SkyHold at its best !!!
Mass Effect 3 had a story mode. It was the first time I encountered it.
"Is there a video game RPG where you're not the chosen one?"
Disco Elysium! In that you're like the anti-chosen one. You're the biggest loser of them all who should have no business doing what he's doing, but nonetheless you persist. :P
Highly recommend.
And I do agree about Elden Ring. Plus like, I don't think there's really a need for a pause?? If you're in the middle of combat and there's an emergency where you must leave the controller, then it's not a big deal to just die. You die *constantly* so it's something to just take in stride. I do, however, think that maybe you should be able to pause cutscenes. That makes sense, so you don't miss them.
It's true! Up until now I've been playing Origins on console, however there was a sale on Steam so I was like Neat I'll try it that way! Bruh. I have never had Origins crash before now. Or have glitches before now. Or run so slow before now. It is being played on a decade-old PC that I built to play BG3 on. Why on Earth is this happening
The EA is quite bad, even now sometimes my games disappear from my library, and I need to reopen it to get them back, including the games I was just playing (recently inquisition and andromeda). My original mass effect 3 wasn't there originally when I opened it for the first time and for a while after, and I was worried it would be lost forever, but it did eventually appear. It's definitely behaved worse from me than the origin app did, which is surprising. How they managed to make something worse is actually baffling.
I will say with Inquisition when I play it it's better than I remember. Until I play 2 or Origins after and realize those 2 games are just vastly better.
DAI is suffering from Post-Witcher 3 comparison syndrome. That's it. The epitome of story-driven Action RPG greatness is still Witcher 3. And I get it.... just compare the story-telling (main quests AND sidequests).
Please do ep 100 when they fully announce everything
BioWare can't get its own symbology right, why would players do better? Only someone with insider knowledge would guess that the "bowhead" monster is Ghilan'nain instead of the elven goddess whose vallaslin is literally a bow with tentacles. Elgar'nan was bound to appear one way or another being the allfather and all, but Falon'din has been teased as the big bad since DA:O.
I admit that I was torn on Andruil vs Ghilan'nain based on symbols alone. I only guessed/hoped for Ghilan'nain because the Horror of Hormak short story in Tevinter Nights strongly indicated she was going to be involved.
However, I think Falon'din was easier to rule out because we see his headdress symbol in the Dalish origin in DAO (in the temple ruin), and the symbol was not the "beetle" one lit up in the mural. The beetle symbol was also bigger than the others, and Elgar'nan is the king of the gods basically, so it makes sense that his symbol would have more prominence.
Is there a video game where you are not the Chosen One……….. Peasant Simulator?
Second
As someone who doesn’t care for Relationship stories, I d like to know if a chased play through is going to ruin the team with hormonal teenage dramas. I don’t want that. My idea of a hero is a highly capable person. Not someone who is obsessed with slippery genitals.
Haha. I am also worried that all the unromanced companions will hook up and bang 😮