The actual state of my life right now 😂 about to start a fresh series run (it's been so long...) with Dalish Elf origin for the full mama Morrigan experience. 😩
@@jaydenhennessey4840 It can totally be a fun game, sure. But as a Dragon Age successor, it fails. No I'm not taking about the non-binary drama nor the writing nor the art style. It's the world state, which comprises of THREE choices, was the deal breaker for me. Will I get in to a fun game, but already know all of my previous Dragon Age choices are meaningless and all loose ends and questions will remain untouched, guaranteed? No, I won't. There are plenty of other fun games I can play, and I can spare myself some disappointment.
I gotta say, this game does not get enough credit for those moments like Bellara's conversation at the end of her quest. The dialogue can be a bit off in the early game especially, and Bellara is usually one of the main offenders of that issue, but MAN - those who have lost people in a specific kinda way, will know what I mean when I say Bellara's dialogue at the end of her questline about her brother is PERFECT. I lost a childhood friend 2 years ago, with us both in our 20's, and you can tell Bellara's writer, John Elper, must have gone through something like this at some point in his life, cause the way Bellara's describes it is EXACTLY how it feels. That whole part about your mind knowing you couldn't have done anything, but your heart not agreeing? Feeling like you have to work to the point where your dead friend would 'forgive you' for not saving them? I'll just say this - Bellara was my least favorite companion with some eye rolling dialogue when I first played this game, UNTIL this quest. Then I saw her depth and the slow burn some of our companions were going to go through as the game progressed, and I was all in. When it really matters for the big moments, be it an important quest, dialogue, lore drop, etc, this game never disappoints. It's a shame how many people dropped this game before they got to see those moments for themselves.
I absolutely agree I'm more advanced in the game and I can say I had three emotional moments that I didn't have in previous games and I love those DA games and the dialogue you're referring to is one of them and yes I lost people I loved in the last few years and maybe that's why those moments touched me so much and yes you have to play this game for a while to reach those moments and to understand this game is way better in terms of writing than most people think.
As a sister whose brother also passed away some time ago, Bellara's quest here made me cry buckets lol. Her VA really knocks it out the park! I thought she'd be overbearing but this is where she really grew on me
My brother died last year. By his own hand. It was so difficult to even understand it happened, but a day at a time. I'll always miss him, I also regret we never talked too much about life in general with him. I know he would have had many advice for me, as I'm his little sister.. But that said, I still didn't grow to like Bellara.
i highly recommend checking in at the lighthouse as frequently as possible! even when there's no quest or conversation markers it's still worthwhile to keep visiting your companions at the lighthouse :) 52:21 and yes you can transmog your companions armor at the lighthouse wardrobe!
As someone who left my +100 hr first playthrough of this game with a mostly positive outlook (and having been absolutely blown out of the water by later game, where I found it really shines), I 100% agree with your complaints - I did feel the most out of control with Rook than any of my other DA protags, and also wish we could generally play as less happy go lucky as the default. Also inability to go and talk to npcs is sad - although in hindsight, it’s exactly the same interaction mechanics as DA2 (only being able to talk to companions in their “homes” when they have an active quest). IMO- DAI had the best dialogue set up generally in terms of talking to companions at home base. But slight flip side, as you say, getting companion lore in little quests and cutscenes here does feel more natural than going to ask 20 questions from someone in the lighthouse. So I think my consensus is these dialogue changes are okay overall, but would’ve been perfect in the scenes as they are here, IF we had more control over Rook’s responses and could choose to ask more questions!
29:52 The game actually often uses those few options you get to set a tone for the ambient dialogue too in a similar manner as DA2. I don't think there's overarching personality counter as there was in DA2 to keep the personality more consistent and instead just looks at your dialogue choice in the quest.
Good episode, Dorian is here, and Mapo did some exploring. Hope to see more of that exploration in the future, it's a fun part of the game back like it was in DAO and DA2.
I think because so many people have played Inquisition the most and it was the most recent game many forget that this is what DA was to a degree. Linear areas with some exploration. Its got more exploration here but overall I love this level/map design as it harkens back to Origins and 2/Exodus. I mean if you think about it there is a lot of inspiration from DA2/Exodus. Faster more actiony combat, map/level design, and companions which you can only talk to if they have something to say. That was all in Dragon Age Exodus.
The Blight issue is just the same thing they've done with all the other Dragon Age games after Origins lol. Let you and your entire party fight darkspawn in the deep roads, and not get blighted purely for plot armor lol. (With one TRAGIC exception in DA2 if you choose poorly, those who know, know.) It's not specific to this game or anything about you and your companions being resistent, just the same avoiding the issue they with with Inquisition in the Descent DLC and MOST of DA2
Origins as well. Sure the HoF and Alistair are immune to the blight, and Dog is immunized but Leliana, Morrigan, Wynne, Zevran, Sten, and Oghren have no defense or protection against it. They don't get blighted just because
@@twiggy934 Really? First time hearing that, and I'm the kinda obsessed fan that knows almost everything about Dragon Age in and out of universe! I've even watched the developer video for origins twice over the years and dont remember hearing that. Please link your source, I'd love to check out there conversation around that choice, that sounds super interesting!😮
I am sure you're fairly far ahead by now and maybe already know this, but I really found myself enjoying the little bits I find when I explore stuff. You do get limited early on and things open up fully towards the end of the game, but I really felt rewarded for looking around and just finding stuff. I definitely got the same feeling that there wasn't nearly as much to learn from NPC's since you didn't go into a lot of zoom in conversations with the wheel, but on my second playthrough, I've learned that doing check ins with side characters or listening to them produces so much texture and details about them, the area you're in, and the factions. Also, it's worth noting that the banter in this game is such a huge step up from any other Dragon Age game, and even if your companions in the Lighthouse don't have quests or lights on, if you visit them, especially when they pair up and move around, you'll get some great interactions, some of which you can experience in the field if you combo them together, but also some that seem timed and responds to game events. They also tend to have a lot of full blown interactions that will even trigger off of leaving and coming back, or completing side quests. I left the Lighthouse and came back a lot and I was always surprised that there always seemed to be something new.
The only "good" thing about banter in this game is that there's a lot of it, it triggers frequently, and you can't miss any of it as they will repeat what they were saying if you trigger something else. But the actual content of the banter was poor in my opinion.
4:40 I scrolled down a bit and didn't see people answering this so... Your team composition doesn't matter in terms of exploration. If you have that team member recruited, then you can interact with their respective objects. The only difference is that you'll see Rook waving that dagger around instead of the team member saying "OK" and doing a little animation.
Please explore!!! There are so many easter eggs, little nods and major lore just dropped in side exploration that is easily missed!!!! Literally as you said I don't feel like exploring you went past a room with some interesting wall decorations (annoying no comments from companions at least the two I was with but still great to see).
My Inky romanced that wilding Sera so when my Rook first went to Treviso and heard Sera's ditty, I was filled with such happiness! Hearing that again during Mapo's session and then Mapo remarking on it AND THEN SINGING A COUPLE LYRICS?!?!?!? Best YTer ever.
I completely agree with you, I really am liking the way they chose to spread the companion quests out over time, rather than just run it once and be done. More natural to open up to a new person rather than trusting them instantly with your deepest pains.
Not sure if you noticed yet or not, because you didn't have much reaction to Maevaris, but she was the Magister friend of Dorian's mentioned in Inquisition (starting the Lucerni) and she also is prominent in the comics! She's actually the widow of Varric's cousin as well!
56:18 - Yes it's a massive relief that they found a way to solve the Hinterlands problem lol. You know that had to be at the top of their notice board for the next Dragon Age game underlined in Bold Red lol.
To echo other commenters, visit the lighthouse often for the companion-companion interactions when they come up! Also without spoiling, try to clear up any companion quests or faction quests before going forward with any main quests (not including Crossroads sidequests) -- I would hate to see you miss out on some things!
When I first got to this scene with Bellara I was like, oh wow okay. This is different. This is really well written and voiced. And it upsets me that so many haters out there simply cut her little goofy moments together to lash out against the game. I really like how no character is one dimensional in this.
Just a word of warning, the Story mission you're on is kind of a mini point-of-no-return. It'd be a good idea to complete your Companion and Faction quests before you do that one, which isn't something the game communicates.
As someone with middling opinions on Veilguard overall: The modern DA fandom is suffering from the same issues as the Legend of Zelda fandom did around Windwaker/Twilight Princess/Skyward Sword, except with TH-cam/Social Media hate-for-hate's-sake being way more prevalent these days. People really don't remember or have convinced themselves that DA2 was not *incredibly* divisive on release for a lot of very similar reasons. There's a lot of denial and shifting the goal posts so that fans of an older game get to shit on the newer game and reinforce certain narratives now. Veilguard's different, it's not always what I wanted especially after 10 years, but it's far from a bad game and I like seeing people enjoy it as well as give their opinions on aspects of it they don't like. Let people have middling opinions again, not every game has to be an A or an F, you can get a C or a B occasionally and still like it despite its flaws in your eyes.
Middling opinions are just fine, and not something people are against at all It's the people that will post the most insane highly exaggerated hate and throwing a tantrum, most of them haven't even played the game. It's just embarrassing behavior on their part
@@jord839 I absolutely agree. However, as someone who also has middling opinions on Veilguard, I have been observing the reverse as well. Some people are going out of their way to defend this game and ignore _any_ valid criticism. Such people also tend to automatically place any critical opinion in the group of blind hate or as part of the culture wars. This has also been amplified by social media, sadly, and I see very few places where you can have a mature conversation about it. Some gaming media didn't help either, by proclaiming this the next big thing for BioWare and a return to its golden age. And sure, DA2 used to get so much hate, which I don't believe it deserves. Honestly, if it were not for its rushed development and reused graphical assets, I would place it higher than Origins, as I think BioWare took a lot more creative and thought-provoking narrative decisions there. Yet, I understand how subjective my opinion is, so take it as just that, an opinion. Unfortunately, I find that an increasing number of people tend to equate opinions to facts, which is saddens me a lot.
While I don't think it's a "Golden Age" return, it's certainly an improvement over their last two failures, which yes you could say isn't much but I did actually find a lot to enjoy about Andromeda, it just did not meet it's potential. Anthem was just purely a mistake and not something Bioware/EA should ever have pursued. This is more of a safe return to familiar territory, which after those last two failures I think should be more acceptable. Now it's all in on the next Mass Effect, and this will be big on the expectation front following Andromeda.
@@Mapocolops I am actually right there with you about Andromeda, I also found a lot to enjoy, even though it certainly didn't meet its potential. It is funny because I was thinking a lot about how Andromeda and Veilguard compare. I will refrain from sharing how exactly now, as I would rather not impact your playthrough. However, I will mark this and continue the conversation after you are done with Veilguard.
There's definitely inspiration from Remedy's meta narration and environmental storytelling in Veilguard. Both the Veiljumpers' "Panopticon" and Varric's narration are evidence of that. Varric is Alan Wake in this story, and he starts his novel shifting the focus from himself and putting it on the MC in an act of self-sacrifice. Rook is Saga/Alex Casey. Solas seems to be Polaris. The elven gods are the Shadow and the Hiss. The Veil torns are ongoing AWEs.
BIG LORE AHEAD: I know you were planning on reading some of the comics and books attached to the series to get more lore, but I guess you haven't gotten to that yet. So I wasn't surprised that you didn't react to meeting Maevaris Tilani. You first meet her in the comic Those Who Speak (where the plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden.) She also appears in the comic Until We Sleep. She had a war table mission in DAI, and she also was in the book Tevinter Nights. The most interesting thing about Mae is she was male at birth. Maevaris identified as a woman and started openly living as one at the age of fifteen, which caused a massive scandal in Tevinter. Her father, Magister Athanir Tilani, permitted her to do so, in part because he was unwilling to lose his only heir. He was considered too inoffensive and well-connected to be driven out of the Senate. Athanir was a kind and gentle man, often used and discarded by his supposed allies in the Magisterium. He was arrested and subsequently executed by Imperial Templars in 9:32 Dragon. Maevaris was convinced that this was the result of her father becoming involved in a scheme he didn't believe in and then being abandoned by his allies when it went awry. She quietly took her revenge, though it was still enough for many to realize that Maevaris would not be as tractable as her father had been. This made her enemies, enough that her inheritance of her father's seat in the Magisterium was called into question. Along with Magister Dorian Pavus, Maevaris eventually formed a group called the Lucerni to restore and redeem Tevinter. Maevaris argued against slavery in the Magisterium. The Lucerni's efforts to bring about progressive reform drew the ire of conservative enemies. However, the Venatori framed Maevaris for treason and stripped of her title of magister; the Lucerni was also dissolved. Maevaris took the Lucerni underground and transformed it into the resistance known as the Shadow Dragons. The Shadows continue the Lucerni's work as "Lightbringers", agents of positive change in Tevinter. Maevaris protected Dorian Pavus so he can continue to push for progressive policies in the Magisterium with a spotless reputation. In return, Dorian acts as Maevaris' eyes and ears in the Magisterium. Maevaris is a magister of unique reputation. She walks the balance of fear and respect and few who oppose her dare do so openly.
Your lore dances make me so happy lol. I completed the game with a Warden Rook and it was really satisfying. I'm told Mourn Watch has a lot of content too. Also! I was watching your Inquisition playthrough the other day (there's so much to recontextualize already) and noticed Maevaris is a table mission npc! Specifically having to do with anti-Venatori politics. Very cool to bring them back round.
If you notice, there is a bright red "flawless crystal" around you pick up from time to time, Im pretty sure that is the gem set in that ring with the red lyrium looking stone.
The dialogue wheel: “Just listen, you idiot” The actual line: “Are you kidding me?” I can’t even… To be fair this is not the first time Bioware does this, actually most of the time your character doesn’t say verbatim what is written in the dialogue options in any game, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, etc., but it still used to reflect the tone at the very least. In The Veilguard I feel like it mostly affects the options that are supposed to be confrontational, they are barely there in the first place but even if they are there in the dialogue options, you get the voice line that is way more neutral, much more pacified than the written line implies. Like you are barely allowed to confront anyone, you can barely have a beef with the actual villains let alone just annoying characters like the first Warden or your companions.
I mean there have been very tone deaf dialogue choices in other games too. It's the nature of the beast with dialogue wheels. eg. In DAI when Cassandra is recruiting you for the Inquisition if you choose the diplomatic "I want to help." it comes off as "If you're truly trying to restore order..." in a very sceptical and condescending tone, rather than eager to help. However I do agree that Veilguard is very non-confrontational even with aggressive/stern choices especially towards companions.
people are upset you can't play a total dick or have asshole responses (though i personally think some are) but because of the narrative 'varric chose you' i get why because varric would not choose someone like that, so it has to be somewhat set and tbh i don't mind because i don't like to play like that but i know some do warden and inquisitor could have been anyone thrust into it hawke is more set like, shepard is more set and this protag is more set (even if you get factions etc) that being said, there are some extreme horrible things you can do in the others but the other two & i think it's the varric thing mixed with approval being tied to leveling up companions etc. and again, that doesn't bother me because i want approval with everyone and i've liked every companion in every game (i obviously have preferences but never hated anyone) but i suppose the same could be said for fallout 4 because they had to make a whole dlc for 'evil' options because people complained the lack of them (but in that case there wasn't even a good reason unlike this game) and people will complain about approval but mass effect had no approval and everyone liked you regardless (besides pretty much wrex) at least this has some sort of system and you can't just fully ignore people and do one quest and that's it (they all have long drawn out quests) so pros and cons obviously dialogue matching up can be frustrating but you're going to have that with every game with a voiced protag (this isn't the first nor it will be the last, so many times people complain in other games about dialogue options not coming out the way they were hoping either)
@@nightfrost1891 "Varric chose Rook so he can't be an ass" is an excuse as much as "The Blight looks like Dreamworks now because of Ghilan'nain" - it's an excuse for why a certain element of the game is now worse than it used to be but I should accept it because there is a lore reason behind it. Also even if Varric chose Rook for being a good person, it doesn't mean they should be emotionally lobotomized. Good people are still able to express anger and frustration and sometimes good guys carry a big stick too, in fact they have to have the ability to be confrontational if they are supposed to be proactive, fight evil and bring people together. And as I stated in my other comment about Mass Effect - it's just not true, you can have different types of relationships with your squadmates, not just Wrex.
Don't know if it's just me but your audio is kind of patchy? I noticed it in the last video too, it just drops out on certain words. Also... DORIAN! I think he looks fantastic tbh, no barber needed. And just something I've noticed, that a lot of complaints I've seen like not being able to talk to NPCs, Rook having their own dialogue you don't choose etc. were kind of all things that were in the previous games too. I think we just tend to look back on them with more rose-coloured glasses but like, the Inquisitor had a lot of lines we couldn't pick. Hawke did too but MAN I wish they went back to whatever system they used there because their dialogue did adapt if you went more blue/red/purple and it felt so much more natural. I get wanting to have the ability to be a bit more aggressive (I went with mostly bottom dialogue choices in my playthrough) but accepting that Rook really does have that "purple" personality and not fighting against it makes it more enjoyable imho.
I think Rook is actively more vocal without our input though, some decent back and forth conversations in dialogue where it looks like there should be options we can choose from, unfortunate railroading in certain conversations :( And in regards to the microphone, I had my noise gate set on the wrong side sadly so if I lowered my voice it was getting filtered. Should be fixed in future
@@Mapocolops That's fair, Rook is definitely more chatty. And I do remember how satisfying it was in Inquisition after them being mostly calm and measured the whole game to have that option to really pop off in Trespasser. It does give you a lot more control over who they are without having to just make it up in your own head lol. Thanks for the audio note, all good!
I feel like with origins and Inquisition, it was DnD with an amusement park for me the player to run around in (with varying degrees of success in Inquisition). DA2 was a more intimate story sure, but it was also centered around my character. Whereas Veilguard feels like its a game of DnD where the Dungeon Master wrote a cool story and has the player railroaded the whole time. Sure at times it gives you good moments, but the story will never be about the player. Which is why I feel that the player has so little control over Rook in conversation, or that the conversations are limited. Because it isnt about the player's story, it's about the author's story. For me the jury is out on whether by the end of the game Ill think it was good or not, but as of right now, thinking too hard about it, most people tend to get annoyed when the DM gets an ego and railroads you and that's what I expect the game to eventually do. Edit: Watching more of the video, of course you can't ask Bellara how she's doing in a conversation wheel, no, she needs to walk dramatically around the corner to give you the scenery for her monologue. Where she starts with "you asked me..." Like that wasn't 5 seconds ago.
i mean it was the same in da2 and mass effect really except here you get a bit more agency for background but i think we have to realize it has to be a certain way a bit because varric chose rook and he wouldn't choose someone bad warden and inquisitor are random people thrust into situations rook was picked the game relies more on cutscenes to feel like normal conversations versus just spamming the dialogue really depends on the player because some want blank slates, others like established characters i have no preference, i like both for me, the game gets better and better the more it goes, have not finished yet but i'm about 70 hours in
I don't find all the puzzles and as you say "video-gamey" aspects of advancing through the game to be all too engaging either, but honestly; was fighting through waves of enemies in uninteresting dungeons in Dragon Age 2 or the MMO-like open world questing and traversal from Inquisition more fun? It can be a little simple and video-gamey, sure, but I honestly think I prefer this approach to the other games. Though maybe there could have been a better middle ground between Veilguard and Inquistion, in an ideal world.
I think people would generally enjoy this aspect of the game more if they stopped looking at them as 'puzzles' and just simple traversal and environmental mechanics that are more about storytelling, bc that's what they are. It's done in a similar style to God of War 2018, it's 'video gamey' in the same way but with a completely different intention.
i feel the same way, and tbh did i even like the puzzles in origins? NO, in fact i HATED them mass effect was tedious too and i got sick from the puzzle in me1 inquisition wasn't so bad but i'd take these easy puzzles over most everything else besides the sudoku in andromeda because i love sudoku
I don't think I ever really thought of them as puzzles that much, I think they were a good balance of "hmm, what do I do here?" and then I look around, look up (which us gamers never do), and explore to find my way. None of them are overly difficult, but they do give you a bit of pause and I like that balance. I don't want a mind bender that halts my progress for an hour or that I feel compelled to look up, but I do want obstacles that make me think about the location and look for solutions, and I think Veilguard is perfect for me in that regard.
I like how the puzzles make you engage with the environment. You can't just run straight through to the next quest marker, you have to actively look at the details of your surroundings and figure out how the different details work together. In the beginning, the puzzles are very easy, but I think they do a good job at training you what to look out for later. It's also fun how some of them get incorporated into fights later.
Well at least Male Hawke is in this game, albeit he has morphed into the First Warden. Now that I know the voice is done by Nicholas Boulton, I hear Hawke underneath the bluster every time that guy speaks.
So in regards to dialogue & tone, the game will assign a tone depending on what options in dialogue you choose more often over time. For example, while your character sounds a bit more serious in the dialogue when you’re not controlling them, mine had a more humorous one. I think this was a bit prevalent in DA2 with Hawke.
Main complaints I have heard are poor writing compared to the previous games and a lack of roleplaying opportunities. Seems to be a good action/adventure game but not a great RPG.
@megasauruss I am not trying to diminish your experience, and if you enjoyed it, then that is great! But by the same token you should not diminish other people experiences just because yours differed. "If you didnt enjoy the thing I enjoyed then you are delusional" is a pretty silly thing to say in my opinion, just like the reverse of that would be.
Reduced RPG aspects, previous games being completely inconsequential (they always were before), weak writing of the story overall (debatable but to be honest it's weaker than any other Dragon Age story) and completely horrendous writing of the dialogues (this last one I feel like is the most commonly accepted among the fans who didn't like the game).
1. Hate gets easy validation, and that's what a lot of people seek online somehow 2. There are a bunch of idiots who just cover drama, nothing to do with DA, they are onto Avowed now, they don't play games or understand interactive art forms or whatever else for that matter, these are just cynical nihilistic genuinely bad people 3. Don't lump hate with valid criticism, which is plenty, it would be a mistake. I had a good time as well, doesn't mean I can't discuss the game in critical way unless I would be called hater for no reason. I've found that DA community became very thin-skinned as years went by.
I really hope BioWare gets the feedback that choices from previous games were important to include in some form, because giving up on including them was their biggest mistake. That said, I very rarely felt stiffed by the lack of direct interactivity with companions in the Lighthouse, because they always have something to say, bubble or not, and there's more quest involvement with them than in any prior Dragon Age or Mass Effect game. Reaper was the specialisation I went with and holy hell it feels great -- especially when you find ways to boost your Rage generation.
So the "Are you kidding me?" line definitely doesn't fit under humor. While the First Warden's response does fall under Straight Man style humor, Mapokun was expressing frustrations with how the Warden is handling it. It isn't a "Well that just happened" style of line, it is more of "What is wrong with you, you idiot?"
Probably too late as your upload was a week ago, but you should do companion quests/faction quest before the main mission. Some of these missions vanish if you advance too far into the main story. And yes the gift giving sucks even more when you compare it to DA:O where they gave you a cutscene for it
I noticed you dropped framerate in Arlathan, I had the same issue with my pc. A quick restart fixes it if you have this problem again in the future. My Rook also almost always picked the tough dialogue options and I did enjoy her personality with those choices. It really turned her into a no nonsense yet kind hero and I liked that. I never really went for super mean responses in the other games, so I don't really miss them. They were funny though, especially in Origins. I don't recall being able to be a truly mean inquisitor either? Can't remember. Bellara really redeemed herself with me after her first companion quest. I had her down as irritating Disney princess before then but by the end of the game she was one of my favorite companions. Her voice actress does an amazing job on the more serious/emotional scenes she has to voice.
If your PC is crashing with this game, you could try tweaking your memory overclock settings (for example, disabling XMP, if you are on intel). I had to increase my RAM voltage and loosen timings to avoid crashes, because my RAM wasn't stable enough for this game.
You know, that artifact in the vault, the one that was found in that thaig, i wonder if that was from Amgarrak, you know, the golems of Amgarrak DLC from Origins? That had to deal with making a golem out of flesh and using a spirit to pilot it. I wonder if the dwarves used that artifact, and then the veil jumpers went and stashed it when they found it.
Whatever you are thinking now you should continue to play this game because it becomes more and more intense and good especially in some dialogues and in the stories of your companions so please don't give up on it. Anyway you didn't remember Maeveris she was one the magisters friends with Dorian in Inquisition the one Dorian and the Inquisition tried to help against the Venatori she doesn't appear in Inquisition but there was a quest to help her.
I'm with you in regards to the blight having no effect on the main characters, at least so far, makes the whole "Grey Warden" thing redundant, then again, none of the companions in Origins ever gets blighted, same in Inquisition (DA2 actually has some consequences though), so I guess it's a gameplay concession.
I think the treatment of Rook's dialogue and how much is said outside of the player picking dialogue options can be easily explained by thinking of it like this: DA Veilguard treats its player character in the same way as Commander Shepard from Mass Effect or even Hawke from DA2. They are a character with a somewhat baked-in personality that you get to shape sometimes based on your dialogue choices, but they are not meant to be a complete player avatar like in DA:O or BG3. I don't think it is better or worse to treat player characters in an RPG this way. Each method has benefits and drawbacks, and I think it is mostly about the kind of story each particular game wants to tell that makes the devs lean one way or the other.
In all previous Bioware games, I've tried to RP as someone being confronted with highly stressful situations, so I've chosen the positive or the funny options only from time to time when it made sense to me. So this game, by having all of the options, even the spiky shoulder ones, positive, basically prohibits me from playing it in a way that made sense to me. Which is a serious letdown to me.
Yeah, Rook's choice of dialogue is a little lackluster. You should have more options to play your character outside of just Chris Pratt. Also wish Rook could do something with his hands besides putting them to his sides all the time. Still enjoy the game.
I wanna comment about Rook's dialogue and the dialogue wheel specifically - I really and fully feel where you're at atm, it's something I REALLY struggled with for probably a full half of my first playthrough. I genuinely think the way dialogue is structured and phrased on the wheel is a disservice to Rook as a character because the paraphrasing is GENUINELY terrible, misrepresentative and outright misleading not just of what Rook is going to say but the actual TONE of any given option. It's even more of an issue for Rook than previous protags for the simple fact yeah, Rook has a cohesive personality. This is just something that, the sooner you accept, the better your experience will be. The 'tone' options are misleading because they don't indicate the 'type' of response Rook will give, in the way they have in previous games. You cannot make Rook outright hostile or aggressive to people, 'aggressive' coded options will usually be more in the vein of direct, frustrated or emotional depending on the situation. The 'humorous' option ranges from anything from 'subtle deflection' to 'goofy deflection', there is no Hawke-style snark. The 'emotional' options have been some of the most surprising for me personally, some of the options marked as 'weepy' on the wheel have been some of the most insightful and thoughtful moments, not even remotely sentimental (in certain scenes at least, I haven't chosen it in every instance). It's just straight-up misleading. And it's SUCH a shame bc after 2 full playthroughs Rook is genuinely competing as my favourite DA protag. 😩 Tldr: hoping and praying for a No More Paraphrasing mod for Veilguard ASAP 😭
I seem to be in the minority, but I vastly prefer the story and companion content in this game over the side content. Apart from the disappointingly black & white morality, I was invested in the main story all the way to the end and I actually liked my Rook. The side content is not ALL bad but this isn't Elden Ring. I care more about the story and characters than the combat. It's clear they learned nothing from DAI, since all (non-companion) side quests just involve zoomed in dialogue with no unique animations and only one outcome. Imo DA2 side quests were peak and I wish they never went into this MMO-style questing direction. In DA2 almost all side quests were memorable and had different paths. Just think of the quest in act 1 where the magistrate is protecting his serial killer son. That single quest had more personality than most of the DAI and DAV side quests combined. In DA2 nearly every side quest has multiple dialogue choices, moral choices, companion dialogue and approval/disapproval. DAV has no Rook dialogue choices (I saw it a few times at most), no moral choices and all the companion dialogue is just overhead comments outside of cutscenes. Hell, I don't even see my Rook's face in the zoomed in cutscenes because it's the same camera placement every time. I guess it's good people are enjoying the side quests, but if Bioware continues making games, I'll be sad if this MMO style is the direction they stay on. :(
I personally really like that Rook has their own initiative and personality versus the usual I guess “blank canvas” character that you can insert yourself into. I suppose I like it because it’s refreshing after playing so much of BG3. I also find Rook’s personality to be quite enjoyable personally.
I had issues with how much Rook spoke without my input at first, but then I realised that a fair bit of it (not all ofc) is actually based on previous choices any way. They will talk along the lines of your previous choices, even potentially in other conversations (that's rare though). It leads to very cinematic scenes and ultimately sacrifices little control. But it does sacrifice some, that's for sure.
Spoken truly like someone that hasn’t played the game? Given the nature of the plot, no I’d have to completely disagree with you. This isn’t The Veilguard go and stop a robbery and call it a day, this is the end of the world. The actual story is literally unfolding as we play, calling a story a stepping stone to actual story this early in the game is foolish
![The Last of the Griffons & Blighted Dragon Attacks | Dragon Age: The Veilguard [Part 7]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2z1UvkSJC10/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Last of the Griffons & Blighted Dragon Attacks | Dragon Age: The Veilguard [Part 7]](/img/tr.png)
![A Warm City Welcome & The Inauguration | Baldur's Gate 3 | Blind Playthrough [Part 45]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D3jVTSCnj0M/mqdefault.jpg)
Mapo: Woa, tension! What was that about?
*Three seconds later*
Rook: So, what was that all about? That tension.
HE IS HIM THEY ARE ONE
When i am not playing dragon age the veilguard i am watching mapo play dragon age the veilguard
Same! As long as I stay further along in the story and don't get spoiled, this is the best way!
The actual state of my life right now 😂 about to start a fresh series run (it's been so long...) with Dalish Elf origin for the full mama Morrigan experience. 😩
Same lmaooo
The game is so fun. I don't understand all the hate
@@jaydenhennessey4840 It can totally be a fun game, sure. But as a Dragon Age successor, it fails. No I'm not taking about the non-binary drama nor the writing nor the art style. It's the world state, which comprises of THREE choices, was the deal breaker for me. Will I get in to a fun game, but already know all of my previous Dragon Age choices are meaningless and all loose ends and questions will remain untouched, guaranteed? No, I won't. There are plenty of other fun games I can play, and I can spare myself some disappointment.
I gotta say, this game does not get enough credit for those moments like Bellara's conversation at the end of her quest. The dialogue can be a bit off in the early game especially, and Bellara is usually one of the main offenders of that issue, but MAN - those who have lost people in a specific kinda way, will know what I mean when I say Bellara's dialogue at the end of her questline about her brother is PERFECT. I lost a childhood friend 2 years ago, with us both in our 20's, and you can tell Bellara's writer, John Elper, must have gone through something like this at some point in his life, cause the way Bellara's describes it is EXACTLY how it feels. That whole part about your mind knowing you couldn't have done anything, but your heart not agreeing? Feeling like you have to work to the point where your dead friend would 'forgive you' for not saving them?
I'll just say this - Bellara was my least favorite companion with some eye rolling dialogue when I first played this game, UNTIL this quest. Then I saw her depth and the slow burn some of our companions were going to go through as the game progressed, and I was all in. When it really matters for the big moments, be it an important quest, dialogue, lore drop, etc, this game never disappoints. It's a shame how many people dropped this game before they got to see those moments for themselves.
I think in general they handled these mature topics like grief, loss and regret in a way more mature way than former games
I absolutely agree I'm more advanced in the game and I can say I had three emotional moments that I didn't have in previous games and I love those DA games and the dialogue you're referring to is one of them and yes I lost people I loved in the last few years and maybe that's why those moments touched me so much and yes you have to play this game for a while to reach those moments and to understand this game is way better in terms of writing than most people think.
This game gives just as much as it takes away
As a sister whose brother also passed away some time ago, Bellara's quest here made me cry buckets lol. Her VA really knocks it out the park! I thought she'd be overbearing but this is where she really grew on me
Well said!
My brother died last year. By his own hand. It was so difficult to even understand it happened, but a day at a time. I'll always miss him, I also regret we never talked too much about life in general with him. I know he would have had many advice for me, as I'm his little sister..
But that said, I still didn't grow to like Bellara.
i highly recommend checking in at the lighthouse as frequently as possible! even when there's no quest or conversation markers it's still worthwhile to keep visiting your companions at the lighthouse :)
52:21 and yes you can transmog your companions armor at the lighthouse wardrobe!
Fun fact - the First Warden is voiced by Nicholas Boulton (voice actor for Hawke).
I recognized him immediately!
And, most importantly, Xenon the Antiquarian.
I had to look it up to be sure... would have been an interesting way to work Hawke into the story if he is not in the Fade.
I love him so much as Xenon. He's been in every game in this franchise.
That's why he sounds so familiar. I miss Hawke.
Bellara’s VA killed it in Echoes of the Past!
Also the way I screamed when I first heard Dorian 😭
LOL amazing, mapo: “Whoa, tension, what’s all that about?” Rook: “Exactly!"
As someone who left my +100 hr first playthrough of this game with a mostly positive outlook (and having been absolutely blown out of the water by later game, where I found it really shines), I 100% agree with your complaints - I did feel the most out of control with Rook than any of my other DA protags, and also wish we could generally play as less happy go lucky as the default. Also inability to go and talk to npcs is sad - although in hindsight, it’s exactly the same interaction mechanics as DA2 (only being able to talk to companions in their “homes” when they have an active quest). IMO- DAI had the best dialogue set up generally in terms of talking to companions at home base. But slight flip side, as you say, getting companion lore in little quests and cutscenes here does feel more natural than going to ask 20 questions from someone in the lighthouse. So I think my consensus is these dialogue changes are okay overall, but would’ve been perfect in the scenes as they are here, IF we had more control over Rook’s responses and could choose to ask more questions!
you can't talk with random NPCs in every DA game so I don't understand this complaint.
29:52 The game actually often uses those few options you get to set a tone for the ambient dialogue too in a similar manner as DA2. I don't think there's overarching personality counter as there was in DA2 to keep the personality more consistent and instead just looks at your dialogue choice in the quest.
Good episode, Dorian is here, and Mapo did some exploring. Hope to see more of that exploration in the future, it's a fun part of the game back like it was in DAO and DA2.
Second the request to keep the exploration bits in!!
I think because so many people have played Inquisition the most and it was the most recent game many forget that this is what DA was to a degree.
Linear areas with some exploration. Its got more exploration here but overall I love this level/map design as it harkens back to Origins and 2/Exodus.
I mean if you think about it there is a lot of inspiration from DA2/Exodus. Faster more actiony combat, map/level design, and companions which you can only talk to if they have something to say.
That was all in Dragon Age Exodus.
The Blight issue is just the same thing they've done with all the other Dragon Age games after Origins lol. Let you and your entire party fight darkspawn in the deep roads, and not get blighted purely for plot armor lol. (With one TRAGIC exception in DA2 if you choose poorly, those who know, know.) It's not specific to this game or anything about you and your companions being resistent, just the same avoiding the issue they with with Inquisition in the Descent DLC and MOST of DA2
Origins as well. Sure the HoF and Alistair are immune to the blight, and Dog is immunized but Leliana, Morrigan, Wynne, Zevran, Sten, and Oghren have no defense or protection against it. They don't get blighted just because
@@orderofthejedi1826 OH, you are so right, I overlooked the rest of the non-warden companions lol. Good point!
Yeah, as early as Origins it didn't matter for your non-Warden companions. I think it's just a series wide gameplay/story seperation thing.
@@skycloud5695 Originally all companions were supposed to become wardens because of that but they for some reason changed their mind.
@@twiggy934 Really? First time hearing that, and I'm the kinda obsessed fan that knows almost everything about Dragon Age in and out of universe! I've even watched the developer video for origins twice over the years and dont remember hearing that. Please link your source, I'd love to check out there conversation around that choice, that sounds super interesting!😮
I am sure you're fairly far ahead by now and maybe already know this, but I really found myself enjoying the little bits I find when I explore stuff. You do get limited early on and things open up fully towards the end of the game, but I really felt rewarded for looking around and just finding stuff. I definitely got the same feeling that there wasn't nearly as much to learn from NPC's since you didn't go into a lot of zoom in conversations with the wheel, but on my second playthrough, I've learned that doing check ins with side characters or listening to them produces so much texture and details about them, the area you're in, and the factions.
Also, it's worth noting that the banter in this game is such a huge step up from any other Dragon Age game, and even if your companions in the Lighthouse don't have quests or lights on, if you visit them, especially when they pair up and move around, you'll get some great interactions, some of which you can experience in the field if you combo them together, but also some that seem timed and responds to game events. They also tend to have a lot of full blown interactions that will even trigger off of leaving and coming back, or completing side quests. I left the Lighthouse and came back a lot and I was always surprised that there always seemed to be something new.
The only "good" thing about banter in this game is that there's a lot of it, it triggers frequently, and you can't miss any of it as they will repeat what they were saying if you trigger something else. But the actual content of the banter was poor in my opinion.
4:40 I scrolled down a bit and didn't see people answering this so... Your team composition doesn't matter in terms of exploration. If you have that team member recruited, then you can interact with their respective objects. The only difference is that you'll see Rook waving that dagger around instead of the team member saying "OK" and doing a little animation.
Please explore!!! There are so many easter eggs, little nods and major lore just dropped in side exploration that is easily missed!!!! Literally as you said I don't feel like exploring you went past a room with some interesting wall decorations (annoying no comments from companions at least the two I was with but still great to see).
My Inky romanced that wilding Sera so when my Rook first went to Treviso and heard Sera's ditty, I was filled with such happiness! Hearing that again during Mapo's session and then Mapo remarking on it AND THEN SINGING A COUPLE LYRICS?!?!?!? Best YTer ever.
I completely agree with you, I really am liking the way they chose to spread the companion quests out over time, rather than just run it once and be done. More natural to open up to a new person rather than trusting them instantly with your deepest pains.
Not sure if you noticed yet or not, because you didn't have much reaction to Maevaris, but she was the Magister friend of Dorian's mentioned in Inquisition (starting the Lucerni) and she also is prominent in the comics! She's actually the widow of Varric's cousin as well!
56:18 - Yes it's a massive relief that they found a way to solve the Hinterlands problem lol. You know that had to be at the top of their notice board for the next Dragon Age game underlined in Bold Red lol.
To echo other commenters, visit the lighthouse often for the companion-companion interactions when they come up! Also without spoiling, try to clear up any companion quests or faction quests before going forward with any main quests (not including Crossroads sidequests) -- I would hate to see you miss out on some things!
When I first got to this scene with Bellara I was like, oh wow okay. This is different. This is really well written and voiced. And it upsets me that so many haters out there simply cut her little goofy moments together to lash out against the game. I really like how no character is one dimensional in this.
Just a word of warning, the Story mission you're on is kind of a mini point-of-no-return. It'd be a good idea to complete your Companion and Faction quests before you do that one, which isn't something the game communicates.
It's such a joy to see you enjoying this game. I still can't believe people told you to skip DA2!
As someone with middling opinions on Veilguard overall:
The modern DA fandom is suffering from the same issues as the Legend of Zelda fandom did around Windwaker/Twilight Princess/Skyward Sword, except with TH-cam/Social Media hate-for-hate's-sake being way more prevalent these days.
People really don't remember or have convinced themselves that DA2 was not *incredibly* divisive on release for a lot of very similar reasons. There's a lot of denial and shifting the goal posts so that fans of an older game get to shit on the newer game and reinforce certain narratives now. Veilguard's different, it's not always what I wanted especially after 10 years, but it's far from a bad game and I like seeing people enjoy it as well as give their opinions on aspects of it they don't like.
Let people have middling opinions again, not every game has to be an A or an F, you can get a C or a B occasionally and still like it despite its flaws in your eyes.
Middling opinions are just fine, and not something people are against at all
It's the people that will post the most insane highly exaggerated hate and throwing a tantrum, most of them haven't even played the game. It's just embarrassing behavior on their part
@@jord839 I absolutely agree. However, as someone who also has middling opinions on Veilguard, I have been observing the reverse as well. Some people are going out of their way to defend this game and ignore _any_ valid criticism. Such people also tend to automatically place any critical opinion in the group of blind hate or as part of the culture wars. This has also been amplified by social media, sadly, and I see very few places where you can have a mature conversation about it. Some gaming media didn't help either, by proclaiming this the next big thing for BioWare and a return to its golden age.
And sure, DA2 used to get so much hate, which I don't believe it deserves. Honestly, if it were not for its rushed development and reused graphical assets, I would place it higher than Origins, as I think BioWare took a lot more creative and thought-provoking narrative decisions there. Yet, I understand how subjective my opinion is, so take it as just that, an opinion. Unfortunately, I find that an increasing number of people tend to equate opinions to facts, which is saddens me a lot.
While I don't think it's a "Golden Age" return, it's certainly an improvement over their last two failures, which yes you could say isn't much but I did actually find a lot to enjoy about Andromeda, it just did not meet it's potential. Anthem was just purely a mistake and not something Bioware/EA should ever have pursued. This is more of a safe return to familiar territory, which after those last two failures I think should be more acceptable. Now it's all in on the next Mass Effect, and this will be big on the expectation front following Andromeda.
@@Mapocolops I am actually right there with you about Andromeda, I also found a lot to enjoy, even though it certainly didn't meet its potential. It is funny because I was thinking a lot about how Andromeda and Veilguard compare. I will refrain from sharing how exactly now, as I would rather not impact your playthrough. However, I will mark this and continue the conversation after you are done with Veilguard.
There's definitely inspiration from Remedy's meta narration and environmental storytelling in Veilguard. Both the Veiljumpers' "Panopticon" and Varric's narration are evidence of that.
Varric is Alan Wake in this story, and he starts his novel shifting the focus from himself and putting it on the MC in an act of self-sacrifice. Rook is Saga/Alex Casey. Solas seems to be Polaris. The elven gods are the Shadow and the Hiss. The Veil torns are ongoing AWEs.
I SCREAMED when I first heard Dorian’s voice. SO fun watching your reaction
The companion quests in this are very good and numerous be sure to pop into them regurarly. All praise Dorian. I do enjoy Varrics narrations (:
BIG LORE AHEAD: I know you were planning on reading some of the comics and books attached to the series to get more lore, but I guess you haven't gotten to that yet. So I wasn't surprised that you didn't react to meeting Maevaris Tilani. You first meet her in the comic Those Who Speak (where the plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden.) She also appears in the comic Until We Sleep. She had a war table mission in DAI, and she also was in the book Tevinter Nights.
The most interesting thing about Mae is she was male at birth. Maevaris identified as a woman and started openly living as one at the age of fifteen, which caused a massive scandal in Tevinter. Her father, Magister Athanir Tilani, permitted her to do so, in part because he was unwilling to lose his only heir. He was considered too inoffensive and well-connected to be driven out of the Senate. Athanir was a kind and gentle man, often used and discarded by his supposed allies in the Magisterium. He was arrested and subsequently executed by Imperial Templars in 9:32 Dragon. Maevaris was convinced that this was the result of her father becoming involved in a scheme he didn't believe in and then being abandoned by his allies when it went awry. She quietly took her revenge, though it was still enough for many to realize that Maevaris would not be as tractable as her father had been. This made her enemies, enough that her inheritance of her father's seat in the Magisterium was called into question.
Along with Magister Dorian Pavus, Maevaris eventually formed a group called the Lucerni to restore and redeem Tevinter. Maevaris argued against slavery in the Magisterium. The Lucerni's efforts to bring about progressive reform drew the ire of conservative enemies. However, the Venatori framed Maevaris for treason and stripped of her title of magister; the Lucerni was also dissolved. Maevaris took the Lucerni underground and transformed it into the resistance known as the Shadow Dragons. The Shadows continue the Lucerni's work as "Lightbringers", agents of positive change in Tevinter. Maevaris protected Dorian Pavus so he can continue to push for progressive policies in the Magisterium with a spotless reputation. In return, Dorian acts as Maevaris' eyes and ears in the Magisterium.
Maevaris is a magister of unique reputation. She walks the balance of fear and respect and few who oppose her dare do so openly.
I know Mapo’s way ahead but I hope he did the side/companion quests before jumping into “A Warden’s Best Friend” so they don’t expire 😅
Your lore dances make me so happy lol. I completed the game with a Warden Rook and it was really satisfying. I'm told Mourn Watch has a lot of content too.
Also! I was watching your Inquisition playthrough the other day (there's so much to recontextualize already) and noticed Maevaris is a table mission npc! Specifically having to do with anti-Venatori politics. Very cool to bring them back round.
I go to the comments just for some litte informations like these that make me love the games - ALL OF THEM - even more ^.^
If you notice, there is a bright red "flawless crystal" around you pick up from time to time, Im pretty sure that is the gem set in that ring with the red lyrium looking stone.
Definitely visit the lighthouse as much as possible. It can be pretty easy to miss events. Think of it as like the long rests for BG3 😂
DORIAN🎉❤
1:01:39 *Me, looking nervously at camera as I remember adding Red Lyrium Masterwork Material to Bianca for Varric back in Inqusistion. Woops
Yo it’s Sparkles let’s gooo 🎉
Oh no, you’re not smashing boxes 😅 you’re missing some hidden loot ;)
The dialogue wheel: “Just listen, you idiot”
The actual line: “Are you kidding me?”
I can’t even…
To be fair this is not the first time Bioware does this, actually most of the time your character doesn’t say verbatim what is written in the dialogue options in any game, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, etc., but it still used to reflect the tone at the very least. In The Veilguard I feel like it mostly affects the options that are supposed to be confrontational, they are barely there in the first place but even if they are there in the dialogue options, you get the voice line that is way more neutral, much more pacified than the written line implies. Like you are barely allowed to confront anyone, you can barely have a beef with the actual villains let alone just annoying characters like the first Warden or your companions.
I mean there have been very tone deaf dialogue choices in other games too. It's the nature of the beast with dialogue wheels. eg. In DAI when Cassandra is recruiting you for the Inquisition if you choose the diplomatic "I want to help." it comes off as "If you're truly trying to restore order..." in a very sceptical and condescending tone, rather than eager to help.
However I do agree that Veilguard is very non-confrontational even with aggressive/stern choices especially towards companions.
people are upset you can't play a total dick or have asshole responses (though i personally think some are) but because of the narrative 'varric chose you' i get why because varric would not choose someone like that, so it has to be somewhat set and tbh i don't mind because i don't like to play like that but i know some do
warden and inquisitor could have been anyone thrust into it
hawke is more set like, shepard is more set and this protag is more set (even if you get factions etc)
that being said, there are some extreme horrible things you can do in the others but the other two
& i think it's the varric thing mixed with approval being tied to leveling up companions etc. and again, that doesn't bother me because i want approval with everyone and i've liked every companion in every game (i obviously have preferences but never hated anyone)
but i suppose the same could be said for fallout 4 because they had to make a whole dlc for 'evil' options because people complained the lack of them (but in that case there wasn't even a good reason unlike this game)
and people will complain about approval but mass effect had no approval and everyone liked you regardless (besides pretty much wrex) at least this has some sort of system and you can't just fully ignore people and do one quest and that's it (they all have long drawn out quests)
so pros and cons
obviously dialogue matching up can be frustrating but you're going to have that with every game with a voiced protag (this isn't the first nor it will be the last, so many times people complain in other games about dialogue options not coming out the way they were hoping either)
@@nightfrost1891 "Varric chose Rook so he can't be an ass" is an excuse as much as "The Blight looks like Dreamworks now because of Ghilan'nain" - it's an excuse for why a certain element of the game is now worse than it used to be but I should accept it because there is a lore reason behind it. Also even if Varric chose Rook for being a good person, it doesn't mean they should be emotionally lobotomized. Good people are still able to express anger and frustration and sometimes good guys carry a big stick too, in fact they have to have the ability to be confrontational if they are supposed to be proactive, fight evil and bring people together.
And as I stated in my other comment about Mass Effect - it's just not true, you can have different types of relationships with your squadmates, not just Wrex.
Don't know if it's just me but your audio is kind of patchy? I noticed it in the last video too, it just drops out on certain words. Also... DORIAN! I think he looks fantastic tbh, no barber needed. And just something I've noticed, that a lot of complaints I've seen like not being able to talk to NPCs, Rook having their own dialogue you don't choose etc. were kind of all things that were in the previous games too. I think we just tend to look back on them with more rose-coloured glasses but like, the Inquisitor had a lot of lines we couldn't pick. Hawke did too but MAN I wish they went back to whatever system they used there because their dialogue did adapt if you went more blue/red/purple and it felt so much more natural. I get wanting to have the ability to be a bit more aggressive (I went with mostly bottom dialogue choices in my playthrough) but accepting that Rook really does have that "purple" personality and not fighting against it makes it more enjoyable imho.
I think Rook is actively more vocal without our input though, some decent back and forth conversations in dialogue where it looks like there should be options we can choose from, unfortunate railroading in certain conversations :(
And in regards to the microphone, I had my noise gate set on the wrong side sadly so if I lowered my voice it was getting filtered. Should be fixed in future
@@Mapocolops That's fair, Rook is definitely more chatty. And I do remember how satisfying it was in Inquisition after them being mostly calm and measured the whole game to have that option to really pop off in Trespasser. It does give you a lot more control over who they are without having to just make it up in your own head lol. Thanks for the audio note, all good!
Bro u playing on ps5 Pro?
Love Viper's voice it's Matthew Mercer who does his as well as Manfred
I feel like with origins and Inquisition, it was DnD with an amusement park for me the player to run around in (with varying degrees of success in Inquisition). DA2 was a more intimate story sure, but it was also centered around my character.
Whereas Veilguard feels like its a game of DnD where the Dungeon Master wrote a cool story and has the player railroaded the whole time. Sure at times it gives you good moments, but the story will never be about the player. Which is why I feel that the player has so little control over Rook in conversation, or that the conversations are limited. Because it isnt about the player's story, it's about the author's story.
For me the jury is out on whether by the end of the game Ill think it was good or not, but as of right now, thinking too hard about it, most people tend to get annoyed when the DM gets an ego and railroads you and that's what I expect the game to eventually do.
Edit: Watching more of the video, of course you can't ask Bellara how she's doing in a conversation wheel, no, she needs to walk dramatically around the corner to give you the scenery for her monologue. Where she starts with "you asked me..." Like that wasn't 5 seconds ago.
i mean it was the same in da2 and mass effect really except here you get a bit more agency for background
but i think we have to realize it has to be a certain way a bit because varric chose rook and he wouldn't choose someone bad
warden and inquisitor are random people thrust into situations
rook was picked
the game relies more on cutscenes to feel like normal conversations versus just spamming the dialogue
really depends on the player because some want blank slates, others like established characters
i have no preference, i like both
for me, the game gets better and better the more it goes, have not finished yet but i'm about 70 hours in
18:10 when I first saw that in my playthrough I couldn't stop laughing for a good minute.
Which is dumb of the First Warden The Blight changed 20 years ago with the Mother and Architect, and 10 years ago with Corypheus
I don't find all the puzzles and as you say "video-gamey" aspects of advancing through the game to be all too engaging either, but honestly; was fighting through waves of enemies in uninteresting dungeons in Dragon Age 2 or the MMO-like open world questing and traversal from Inquisition more fun? It can be a little simple and video-gamey, sure, but I honestly think I prefer this approach to the other games. Though maybe there could have been a better middle ground between Veilguard and Inquistion, in an ideal world.
I think people would generally enjoy this aspect of the game more if they stopped looking at them as 'puzzles' and just simple traversal and environmental mechanics that are more about storytelling, bc that's what they are. It's done in a similar style to God of War 2018, it's 'video gamey' in the same way but with a completely different intention.
i feel the same way, and tbh did i even like the puzzles in origins? NO, in fact i HATED them
mass effect was tedious too and i got sick from the puzzle in me1
inquisition wasn't so bad but i'd take these easy puzzles over most everything else besides the sudoku in andromeda because i love sudoku
I don't think I ever really thought of them as puzzles that much, I think they were a good balance of "hmm, what do I do here?" and then I look around, look up (which us gamers never do), and explore to find my way. None of them are overly difficult, but they do give you a bit of pause and I like that balance. I don't want a mind bender that halts my progress for an hour or that I feel compelled to look up, but I do want obstacles that make me think about the location and look for solutions, and I think Veilguard is perfect for me in that regard.
This is exactly what I've enjoyed about them as well, especially the stuff in Arlathan just bc of the environment and ambience.
I like how the puzzles make you engage with the environment. You can't just run straight through to the next quest marker, you have to actively look at the details of your surroundings and figure out how the different details work together. In the beginning, the puzzles are very easy, but I think they do a good job at training you what to look out for later. It's also fun how some of them get incorporated into fights later.
Well at least Male Hawke is in this game, albeit he has morphed into the First Warden. Now that I know the voice is done by Nicholas Boulton, I hear Hawke underneath the bluster every time that guy speaks.
Dorian looking good
So in regards to dialogue & tone, the game will assign a tone depending on what options in dialogue you choose more often over time. For example, while your character sounds a bit more serious in the dialogue when you’re not controlling them, mine had a more humorous one. I think this was a bit prevalent in DA2 with Hawke.
This is where my opinion on bel changed. She’s really one of my favourites ❤
This game is awesome. Why do people hate it so much? I'm about 15 hours in and having a blast!
Main complaints I have heard are poor writing compared to the previous games and a lack of roleplaying opportunities. Seems to be a good action/adventure game but not a great RPG.
@@TheN9nththose people are delusional sorry 😭 this game made me cry more than any other game I’ve ever played
@megasauruss I am not trying to diminish your experience, and if you enjoyed it, then that is great! But by the same token you should not diminish other people experiences just because yours differed.
"If you didnt enjoy the thing I enjoyed then you are delusional" is a pretty silly thing to say in my opinion, just like the reverse of that would be.
Reduced RPG aspects, previous games being completely inconsequential (they always were before), weak writing of the story overall (debatable but to be honest it's weaker than any other Dragon Age story) and completely horrendous writing of the dialogues (this last one I feel like is the most commonly accepted among the fans who didn't like the game).
1. Hate gets easy validation, and that's what a lot of people seek online somehow
2. There are a bunch of idiots who just cover drama, nothing to do with DA, they are onto Avowed now, they don't play games or understand interactive art forms or whatever else for that matter, these are just cynical nihilistic genuinely bad people
3. Don't lump hate with valid criticism, which is plenty, it would be a mistake. I had a good time as well, doesn't mean I can't discuss the game in critical way unless I would be called hater for no reason. I've found that DA community became very thin-skinned as years went by.
I really hope BioWare gets the feedback that choices from previous games were important to include in some form, because giving up on including them was their biggest mistake. That said, I very rarely felt stiffed by the lack of direct interactivity with companions in the Lighthouse, because they always have something to say, bubble or not, and there's more quest involvement with them than in any prior Dragon Age or Mass Effect game.
Reaper was the specialisation I went with and holy hell it feels great -- especially when you find ways to boost your Rage generation.
So the "Are you kidding me?" line definitely doesn't fit under humor. While the First Warden's response does fall under Straight Man style humor, Mapokun was expressing frustrations with how the Warden is handling it. It isn't a "Well that just happened" style of line, it is more of "What is wrong with you, you idiot?"
Probably too late as your upload was a week ago, but you should do companion quests/faction quest before the main mission. Some of these missions vanish if you advance too far into the main story. And yes the gift giving sucks even more when you compare it to DA:O where they gave you a cutscene for it
I noticed you dropped framerate in Arlathan, I had the same issue with my pc. A quick restart fixes it if you have this problem again in the future.
My Rook also almost always picked the tough dialogue options and I did enjoy her personality with those choices. It really turned her into a no nonsense yet kind hero and I liked that. I never really went for super mean responses in the other games, so I don't really miss them. They were funny though, especially in Origins. I don't recall being able to be a truly mean inquisitor either? Can't remember.
Bellara really redeemed herself with me after her first companion quest. I had her down as irritating Disney princess before then but by the end of the game she was one of my favorite companions. Her voice actress does an amazing job on the more serious/emotional scenes she has to voice.
1:31:13 to prove my point your game returned to its smooth self again here after you crashed and restarted.
If your PC is crashing with this game, you could try tweaking your memory overclock settings (for example, disabling XMP, if you are on intel). I had to increase my RAM voltage and loosen timings to avoid crashes, because my RAM wasn't stable enough for this game.
You know, that artifact in the vault, the one that was found in that thaig, i wonder if that was from Amgarrak, you know, the golems of Amgarrak DLC from Origins? That had to deal with making a golem out of flesh and using a spirit to pilot it. I wonder if the dwarves used that artifact, and then the veil jumpers went and stashed it when they found it.
@14:24 locked into your Rook real quick
Whatever you are thinking now you should continue to play this game because it becomes more and more intense and good especially in some dialogues and in the stories of your companions so please don't give up on it.
Anyway you didn't remember Maeveris she was one the magisters friends with Dorian in Inquisition the one Dorian and the Inquisition tried to help against the Venatori she doesn't appear in Inquisition but there was a quest to help her.
I'm with you in regards to the blight having no effect on the main characters, at least so far, makes the whole "Grey Warden" thing redundant, then again, none of the companions in Origins ever gets blighted, same in Inquisition (DA2 actually has some consequences though), so I guess it's a gameplay concession.
I think the treatment of Rook's dialogue and how much is said outside of the player picking dialogue options can be easily explained by thinking of it like this: DA Veilguard treats its player character in the same way as Commander Shepard from Mass Effect or even Hawke from DA2. They are a character with a somewhat baked-in personality that you get to shape sometimes based on your dialogue choices, but they are not meant to be a complete player avatar like in DA:O or BG3. I don't think it is better or worse to treat player characters in an RPG this way. Each method has benefits and drawbacks, and I think it is mostly about the kind of story each particular game wants to tell that makes the devs lean one way or the other.
See but then we have Geralt in the witcher who is a super defined character who you can make a complete bastard, morally grey or mostly noble. I
55:15 "creepy music is creepy"
14:24 😂
Mapo did you hear The First Warden's voice
its.....Michael Boulton
(Spoiler) So how did Solas even obtain the idol? I thought that the idol became embedded in Meredith's sword which then exploded???
It’s explained in Tevinter Nights if I remember correctly
In all previous Bioware games, I've tried to RP as someone being confronted with highly stressful situations, so I've chosen the positive or the funny options only from time to time when it made sense to me. So this game, by having all of the options, even the spiky shoulder ones, positive, basically prohibits me from playing it in a way that made sense to me. Which is a serious letdown to me.
Yeah, Rook's choice of dialogue is a little lackluster. You should have more options to play your character outside of just Chris Pratt.
Also wish Rook could do something with his hands besides putting them to his sides all the time.
Still enjoy the game.
Chris Pratt is crazy 😂
The constant Superman pose was hilarious.
I wanna comment about Rook's dialogue and the dialogue wheel specifically - I really and fully feel where you're at atm, it's something I REALLY struggled with for probably a full half of my first playthrough.
I genuinely think the way dialogue is structured and phrased on the wheel is a disservice to Rook as a character because the paraphrasing is GENUINELY terrible, misrepresentative and outright misleading not just of what Rook is going to say but the actual TONE of any given option. It's even more of an issue for Rook than previous protags for the simple fact yeah, Rook has a cohesive personality. This is just something that, the sooner you accept, the better your experience will be.
The 'tone' options are misleading because they don't indicate the 'type' of response Rook will give, in the way they have in previous games. You cannot make Rook outright hostile or aggressive to people, 'aggressive' coded options will usually be more in the vein of direct, frustrated or emotional depending on the situation. The 'humorous' option ranges from anything from 'subtle deflection' to 'goofy deflection', there is no Hawke-style snark. The 'emotional' options have been some of the most surprising for me personally, some of the options marked as 'weepy' on the wheel have been some of the most insightful and thoughtful moments, not even remotely sentimental (in certain scenes at least, I haven't chosen it in every instance). It's just straight-up misleading. And it's SUCH a shame bc after 2 full playthroughs Rook is genuinely competing as my favourite DA protag. 😩
Tldr: hoping and praying for a No More Paraphrasing mod for Veilguard ASAP 😭
I seem to be in the minority, but I vastly prefer the story and companion content in this game over the side content. Apart from the disappointingly black & white morality, I was invested in the main story all the way to the end and I actually liked my Rook. The side content is not ALL bad but this isn't Elden Ring. I care more about the story and characters than the combat. It's clear they learned nothing from DAI, since all (non-companion) side quests just involve zoomed in dialogue with no unique animations and only one outcome.
Imo DA2 side quests were peak and I wish they never went into this MMO-style questing direction. In DA2 almost all side quests were memorable and had different paths. Just think of the quest in act 1 where the magistrate is protecting his serial killer son. That single quest had more personality than most of the DAI and DAV side quests combined. In DA2 nearly every side quest has multiple dialogue choices, moral choices, companion dialogue and approval/disapproval. DAV has no Rook dialogue choices (I saw it a few times at most), no moral choices and all the companion dialogue is just overhead comments outside of cutscenes. Hell, I don't even see my Rook's face in the zoomed in cutscenes because it's the same camera placement every time.
I guess it's good people are enjoying the side quests, but if Bioware continues making games, I'll be sad if this MMO style is the direction they stay on. :(
I personally really like that Rook has their own initiative and personality versus the usual I guess “blank canvas” character that you can insert yourself into.
I suppose I like it because it’s refreshing after playing so much of BG3. I also find Rook’s personality to be quite enjoyable personally.
I had issues with how much Rook spoke without my input at first, but then I realised that a fair bit of it (not all ofc) is actually based on previous choices any way. They will talk along the lines of your previous choices, even potentially in other conversations (that's rare though). It leads to very cinematic scenes and ultimately sacrifices little control. But it does sacrifice some, that's for sure.
This game feels like a stepping stone to an actual story. Similar to a novella published between books in a series.
Spoken truly like someone that hasn’t played the game?
Given the nature of the plot, no I’d have to completely disagree with you. This isn’t The Veilguard go and stop a robbery and call it a day, this is the end of the world. The actual story is literally unfolding as we play, calling a story a stepping stone to actual story this early in the game is foolish
@@Mapocolops yikes dude. big yikes.
@@joyful yes that’s what I said when I read your comment