Great video. What do you think of the conversation between Valya and Reimas from Last Flight in which they theorize that a potential Grey Warden is more likely to survive the joining if they are free of doubts concerning their involvement with the Wardens. Obviously, this conversation is not an extremely reliable source of info, but we know so little about the taint, and about Blight magic, that I'm interested in their relationship to the souls/wills of afflicted individuals.
Ohhh good question! I honestly forgot this existed, so I hunted down the exact quote: "I think the ritual is unforgiving of weakness, and although Diguier [man who died during the joining] was not a weak man ordinarily, he was full of doubt since making the decision to leave the templars. I suspect that doubt left him fatally vulnerable to the taint. It takes a hard soul to survive corrosion." (p166). It's a possibility! Although Mhairi seems 110% she wanted to join the wardens, and she still died, perhaps some doubt lingered in her heart as well. Although Loghain didn't seem like he wanted to join, and he survived. I'm reading the quote more in a way that to survive the joining, the person needs a 'strong mind', rather than knowing they want to join the wardens. Diguier was described as a man that was sure in the templars, and leaving them left him in doubt for his own beliefs, not just the warden. Blood magic is weird, as seen by Isseya turning the joining into a disease, so perhaps just having enough willpower is what makes one survive? In DA:O, after you drink, you see an image of an archdemon. Perhaps stubbornness to to 'look in the face' of the blight, something that is terror and malice incarnate, and be able to say 'Fuck off' is the difference between life and death. Those are my thoughts at least!! Thanks for asking :D
It's funny--I felt like I understood what the Grey Warden were and what the Blight was after playing Origins, but they've continued to deepen the lore over the course of the three games. It's what I love about Dragon Age. So many fantasy settings set up a mythological framework only to simply confirm that they myths are true. "The great Evil is super evil and did all the bad stuff and everyone miraculously agrees on the cause and solution to the super evil problem". Dragon Age on the other hand feels much more lived in. Ancient events aren't simply handed down to us from an omniscient narrator, we receive our information from biased accounts, centuries removed from the actual events--many that conflict with accounts from other nations/people. It just feels a lot more lived in. We've already learned that Elven pantheon is much more nuanced than the stories passed down by the Dalish, the Chantry only seems to be interested in disseminating politically beneficial information, and I'm really curious to find out who/what the hell the Maker actually is if anything at all. That said, I'm very interested in seeing what they do with the Grey Wardens in the future. Still so many unanswered questions--Fiona's cure, connection to dragon blood, etc. Also Griffon riding is badass.
i think what you need to survive the joining are a strong mind and a strong body. those are the traits duncan was looking for when he was searching for recruits. when oghren drank the darkspawn taint, he burped as if he had a sip from a strong alcohol, while anders fainted. so a strong mind might anchor your soul to your body while the taint spreads all over your body, and a strong body allows you to overcome the initial shock your body experiances when the darkspawn taint is introduced to your body.
In the mention of the Maker, I find it strikingly interesting what Solas has to say in the matter. In a discussion Solas actually says he likes the idea of the Maker and when pressured as to why he answers "because he doesn't feels the need to prove his existence". Meaning he does nothing,he just "exists", and in Solas mind the Maker is basically just an idea to comfort a person and whether or not you believe his hand is involved is up to the person's interpretation.
The Grey Wardens "Better it is to die after a short, brave life, than it is to life forever as a coward." What can one Grey Warden do? "Save the fucking world if pressed." Blackwall quotes about The Grey Wardens
Their main power is seeing the zombie orcs right? Why ALL OF THEM need to taint their blood? Just taint one of them. It is not like it gives them superpowers (un)like ghouls in most media. There are no pros of this. Slight increase of stregth and stamina could easily be completed with, ya know, magical herbs. Edit: ok, an archdemon can only be defeated by a Tainted, sure. But its not like every Grey Warden will face a archdemon in their lifetime. You could do that few days before you face the demon. Its not like you will non-stop butcher your way to endgame boss. Not even Doomguy was able to do that.
I just love the thought of these guys. They’re basically the middle class of factions. Templars believe in restricting, and over looking magic/mages. Most hate mages too Mages; believe in using, well, magic, and exploring the Veil, or exploring blood magic. Most hate templars Wardens; don’t care about criminal records, don’t care if you’re a templar or mage. Hate darkspawn, and darkspawn hate all things that aren’t darkspawn.
Whaaat, did Thom Rainier really die in the end?? :o I always thought that the badge & feather meant something like "We Grey Wardens finally have some order, now I feel ready to face you again. Come and see my griffon xoxo".....
You brought up something I've been saying for sometime. If your Hero performed the ultimate sacrifice you have your Warden-Commander from Awakening. While it's not the Hero of Ferelden he/she is still your warden and could still show up in later games. I know I've read that the warden wouldn't be showing up again, but I have hope! Thanks for doing this video! :)
Up until Inquisition the writers didn't want to add him because they felt his story was over or some bullcraplike that (in reality they just didn't know how to deal with the dozens of different conditionals surrounding the character). They ended up relenting to fan pressure and adding the "Calling cure" storyline as an excuse for his absence but eventually they have to either kill him off or make him show up. He's just too important.
This is just my personal theory, but from what I've observed the people who survive the Joining tend to have lost everything at one point in their lives, or otherwise have nothing to lose.
Well Orgred is kind of exception. In Awakening, he is a family man but became Gray Warden for fun. I guess the key to survive the training falls under 2 conditions- 1. A Recruite should have exceptional immunity to toxins and should have physically strong or else he couldn't bear the pain of the taint. 2. A Recuit should be mentally strong and unwavering determination to cast away his own life to fight the bright. In Origins, those 2 recruits lacked one or these attributes. The Rogue was determined to give up his own life but his body wasn't strong enough to resist the traint. The warrior could have survived the paint but he lacked determination. Orgred kind of has very strong construction as he didn't even faint after taking the joining. He had so strong resolution or he was so stupid that he didn't considered the possibility of dying from taint one day.
@@rahulsar2030 This is all true, but he also still lost basically his entire house and the respect of all of Orzammar. He finally finds his wife only to lose her for good one way or another, and left Orzammar, which he can now never return to, because he had nothing left to stay for. Yeah he got with an old flame of his and started a family, but as per my theory, he still lost everything at some point. So he still fits, even if he's something of a half-exception. If I had to rephrase my theory, I'd say that every Warden we've seen so far has been broken inside on some level. Kind of reminds me of the Knights Radiant from the Stormlight Archives.
Ever since Wynne talked about the Gray Wardens back in DAI fighting astride the backs of griffins against the Blights, I wanted to have one as a mount and companion. Would be awesome to see warden riders in the next game.
which makes only two old gods to be released, a little underwhelming compared to all seven, but regardless, two archdemons would be pretty hard to deal with.
@@blackmoon2128 given how powerful a single one is two would be pretty bad, to make things worse if the wardens are suffering a schism as of inquisition it would be harder to handle, but to REALLY make it a problem have the blights occur on seperate sides of thedas forcing the wardens and everyone else split their forces, just some thoughts
Matt Allen Or letting loghain bone a hot witch. “Would you mind if I closed my eyes and think of my dead wife as it happens?” Sleeping with morrigan...worse then death.
*reduced* fertility..it's far more difficult for a warden to father/bear children, but possible if the other partner is a non-warden (Morrigan), and of course it was a magic ritual, so conception was pretty much guaranteed anyway. One point Alistair himself raises if you romance him as a noble fem!Warden is that the people will expect him to produce an heir, and it's hard enough for *one* warden to have a child...let alone if both prospective parents are wardens.
Ive put so much time into origins over the years, more so then any other game. I'd love to plan as my warden again! Even if its just a small expansion/game like awakening, you can freely take my money bioware.
At the joining in Awakenings your guide whose name escapes me right now showed Pride just before she drank the blood and died. The others did not show pride they just did it Oghran the funniest so far Lol. I hope they bring him back but not likely.
all i wish is that we get griffons back in da4, and hopefully we get to play as our warden (if alive) or any other higher ranking warden, for like even ONE quest and ride those griffons, that will be my dream come true.
Knowing my Warden she is wanting a cure for the calling just to be able to ride a griffon once they mature. Zevran thinks that crazy but won't complain about his lady love not dying.
I can see my Warden doing it for the same reason, honestly. Also, he wants to be able to tease Alistair for as long as humanly possible, so he won't let some creepy blood keep him down.
Found you through Reddit. I absolutely love your channel. You have a great speaking voice, the information you present is clear and concise, and the visual presentation is simple, and well edited. You have a great channel on your hands. I know you're just starting out (like I am), but I hope you realize you have a potentially big and very successful endeavor on your hands. Keep it up!
tbh I kinda hope the Warden doesnt find a cure for The Calling. I just find the idea of an order of warriors dedicating their lives to fighting Darkspawn and they meet their deaths by killing as many Darkspawn as possible before they're killed. So badass.
Lvl58DeathKnight I hope he does and keeps it for himself to live a happy long life with his wife and son. He would only give the recipe to those who want it like Bethany or Carver
In Awakening, if you pick the right dialogue options, the Architect explains that the Warden's who survive the joining have a resistance to the taint. At Ostagar during Origins, if you talk to the right person, it is explained that Darkspawn blood is like a poison. Therefore, we know that some people die during the joining because they are straight up poisoned and others take 30-ish years for their body's natural resistance to begin failing them.
Yeah, I was suprised by how many of my companions dissaproved of the decision to keep the wardens. Like how quick they forget the sacrifice wardens endure to keep the world safe.
If the Grey Warrdens can recruit apostates? They seem like they would fit in nicely with the organization. It sounds like a great way to get around the 1 mage per circle rule or would their recruitment piss of the chantery to much?
It's interesting how the effects of the taint on Warden recruit can sort of inform us on the darkspawn's own habits. Stuff like increased hunger, decreased fertility - for instance we know Darkspawn do nothing but maim and eat the dead when they're not looking for an archdemon. I am also curious - does the chamberlain of the grey undergo the joining?
You kinda failed to mention the story behind Wardens who got "cured" of the taint. That Mage Leader in Inquisition (if you side with them) is one such survivor. Great video BTW.
Great video but you made one little mistake Duncan wasn't the first Warden Commander of ferelden after the order was allowed to return he was technically the second
I believe that in a future game king Alistair will start to hear the calling which will cause his mother to reveal herself and her knowledge of curing the blight.
Great video. What do you think about Fiona and Alistair? I just red the first 3books and now I'm playing DAO with different insights. I love it even more every time I play the series
the part with avernis is also even more of a thing if you did the dead with Morrigan and became the commander he is mentioned as being with you by her if your warden lived through both games
I have at some point wondered if it had something to with bloodtypes: i mean they may not know anything of bloodtypes due to it being a medieval religious society with highly regulated magic, would not mean it could not be the case, could something like that remain "unchanged" in a darkspawn, i mean the darkspawn seems to be born from captured females, could the bloodtype of the "mother" or the "father" transfer to the "offspring"?
The best they can do about HoF in DA4 is he/she manage to find a cure, then that changed GW order forever, and he/she died of old age. Or he/she failed and die while searching. That's all.
I've recently come across your vids. I like them alot and you are very talented and i hope you will continue this type of stuff if the lore allows it. Annnd...... I really hope bioware brings back our warden as either the main character or one of our companions in DA4.
Hi Ghil! Thanks for the video! I have been thinking about the factor responsible for someone to survive the joining. We know that blight is associated with sin, and when you look at the opening stories of the DAO, you can see that most if not all of them involve death or traumatic experiences. I wonder if that isn't the factor that enables our warden to stay alive after joining. In DAO we are accompanied by two other recruits, the one which later dies because of blighted blood appeared to me rather as a good-hearted coward than someone capable of bloodshed. And maybe that's the reason why they actually cannot make it through the joining? Maybe our Warden is not so noble when drinking from the chalice, maybe it's because of their misdeeds can they survive? In the video you pointed out that many of the recruits are thieves or murderers conscripted from jails. What if the authorities at Weisshaupt are aware of the connection between sin and surviving the joining and have instructed others to recruit from among criminals? Please let me know what's your thoughts on this! I have only saw the conversation above about the ritual being unforgiving of weakness, and I wanted to comment on that as well. I'm wondering what can be seen as weakness by a ritual made with use of tainted blood? Wouldn't that be refusing to kill, steal etc.? Therefore, only someone who does not refrain from sin can make it through the joining right?
awesome vids keep them up xD I always save my Warden it just makes the most sense and fits the best with the story for the warden to live and Morrigan have her old god baby as for Hawk I don't know what Bioware where thinking with the hawk sacrifice like seriously the 3 of them could easily destroy the spider and worse Hawk comments her responsibility is Corypheus which makes no sense unless Corypheus turned into the giant spider lmao that statement makes no sense why I always choose stroud because the Warden and Hawk are desperately needed I would love to see a combined effort of all 3 to combat solas and his insane selfish plan more then that I really hope we see the Great Imperium in the next game see how great it truly is
This is minor, but you mentioned that with romanced Warden Blackwall, the Inquisitor receives a letter informing her of his death but the epilogue slides don't explicitly mention his death at all. Sheryl Chee did however tweet that he eventually dies if he becomes a Warden.
@@darthportus Tresspasser has it's own set of epilogue slides...the whole "Blackwall/Thom is dead" thing comes from the slides after completing the DLC.
My question is how did the people first know that they need people to drink up some darkspawn blood and those other ingrediants? How would they figure that out? And who would volunteer to do it?
I think you missed a part when talking about the calling. Its stated in DOA, that those who undertake it during the blight live shorter lives than the rest of the wardens. I think it also stated their dreams were stronger because of the connection during the blight. If I remember right its Alistair who says it because you were done during the blight. I cant remember if it was brought up as caring about your well-being or a warning.
There's a theory that the First warden is a Magister Sidereal. It makes so much sense also. And it also gives reason for the civil war between the two factions after Corypheus. Please make a theory video about it to see how much it floats! Plz...
fpr Dwarves the wardens are also a way for those castless that join to be considered not castless anymore and be allowed to be considered warriors by them
i have good reasons to belive that griffins may appear in dragon age 4 as they are being mentioned a lot in the last few games and the fact that the message from those that come across the eggs are more common if your warden is still out there looking for a way around the calling then it stands to reason that by finding a cure for that they may also save the griffins form the taint aswell as in awaking a reference is given that if the calling could be stopped then the wardens could return to the strength they had when they first faced the blight this is the reason your warden goes in search of the cure and if you pay attention to the interactions between your warden and Morrigan they both think it is possible to keep the power gained through the joining but remove the hold the taint has over the wardens she also mentions in DAI that she has a feeling that her lover will find what they are looking for this only comes up if your both male got her to really fall in love with your warden and in the witchhunt dlc told her you would always love her and let her go which is hard to get the right settings on the keep but as i know every choice i ever made by heart its something that happens 99% of the times i play the games i replay them twice a yr from origins through DAI love the series so much i will never stop playing them
as for why some die in the joining is simple they are unable to take what they see and process it in a way they can deal with and thus their mind snaps which leads to the entire body shutting down and well once your to become a warden you do or you die as the secret of the joining is taken to the grave by all those that ever see it
the reason some die and some live is due to most people being unable to deal with the pain and vision that happen during the joining the body simply shuts down and dies to escape it those that live through it are forever plauged by dreams of the blight and must always fight the calling they have come to terms with knowing they will die in the end
I feel like a warden commander that begins using the rite of conscription to meddle in e politics of a nation would make a good DA villain. Imagine how badly at could be misused, like how the dwarves abused the Anvil of the Void.
It actually kind of pisses me off to see that Alistair in DAI has such a low rank, you'd think he would have been promoted far higher for his part in ending the 5th blight.
Ok so I'm confused. You said that a dwarf wouldn't lose caste if they joined the grey wardens. However if you choose the dwarven Noble option in origins you lose your caste. If you don't you're casteless thus no matter what you have no caste
Hi Bye These are different circumstances. Remember, Aeducan (the noble) was accused by her/his brother of killing the eldest brother. Killing Orzammar's prince was the reason why Aeducan lost the caste, not the joining. And Brosca (the castless) had no cast before, so if course they would remain castless. So their destinies made them castless, not their Joining :3
I love to just put your video playlists on in the background and listen. ^.^ I wish these videos had been around when I first got into the DA fandom! Any chance you'll be crossposting these videos to tumblr? Edit: The griffon feather, and Wardens being recalled, omg!
Aww, thank you! As for tumblr, probably not? I'm terrible enough with keeping up with twitter/reddit/youtube, adding one more might be too much for me at the moment!
I have been wondering about this for some time but why aren't there any qunari or tal-vashoth grey wardens? I think that they would be a great addition to grey warden forces and they have some technology that normal people dont like that blackpowder. Or is it something about the qunari blood(which is part dragon in theories) that makes them either immune to the joining or die instantly
The big question about Grey Wardens for me is where did they originally come from? Especially since they seem to serve a similar failsafe system to the Magisters as darkspawn to Archdemons. Who came up with the Joining? Demons seem like a likely source, but something even more sinister could be a possibility...
taken in mind what u said about the blight and dragonsblood our warden(the original one) would probably allready have drunken dragonsblood which means he probably can cure himself withoud knowing all the needed ingrediens on the otherhand i would like to see that he founds a new order , something like the white wardens , for those who have done their part in the gray wardens and get cured . i mean as an organisation like the seer , where they take the secret knowletge together which they gathered as gray wardens and also fokus more on their political connections. white wardens becouse there is the possibillity that these speaking darkspawn made by the architect and wardens blod will be called black wardens later on xD
another question that pops up can someone who is cured from the blight like an ex warden still hear the calling or feel the blight in others ? i mean it would be a nice feature
i think Dwarves make the most sense as Grey wardens seeing as it started with them being attacked, into between blights attacked etc. it also makes sense that they'd have the most Experience fighting the Darkspawn to recruit them, What do you all think?
Brian Crosby yeah... But they are small in number. And the king of orzamma would never give a whole army to the wardens as i said they are not many they need all soldiers they got
SaintsNr1 i suppose so, i just thought since Duncan mentioned the Dwarven empire was the first etc. We do have the Legion of the Dead who in a way are Grey wardens minus the taint.
Of course the Warden-Commander, also known as OUR Warden, survives. It makes no sense to decline Morrigan's ritual, whether you are a female warden or male. Even whether you are a goodie-two-shoes or a pure asshole. The heroic Warden that romances either Morrigan or Alistair, and either has a child with her or lets Alistair do it, makes much more sense given where they come from. Not to mention Morrigan develops into a very fine woman after having a child and it adds so much to Inquisition. So Bioware plz. Give us our old Warden back. I want to see my butt ugly (unintentionally.. the character creator and finished product is NEVER alike. He looked quite decent when I made him..) Warden back!
🎵If there's darkspawn taint In your neighborhood... Who you gonna call? GREY WARDENS! If the horde is near And it don't look good Who you gonna call? GREY WARDENS! I ain't afraid of no Blight!
If you become a Grey Warden when you're like 40, you pretty much get to live a full life, but since is Medieval Times you could probably take the drinking when you're 20 in live a full life actually,
i never thought of having the WC be in the story if the HOF died.. That would have been awesome.. sadly by going with hawke in dragon age 2, they set a precedent to change MCs each game..
I have not seen that anime, so I can't say on that? Sorry! From the rough description of demon warriors, sort of? They don't have any evil urges or anything, or at least not until they get a lot older, the taint takes its course, and they become a ghoul.
Ghil Dirthalen Kind of a bad incentive to want to become a warden. I get the call to arms in most military cases but not if it means losing your humanity (other word that's similar to humanity in the case of other species). That's taking a huge risk.
Except for about 30 years the Wardens are the only people immune to the taint that the Blight brings. The taint either just kills outright or turns the victims into ghouls. (The Joining slows the taint, so not really immune.) Also Grey Wardens are the only people capable of killing the immortal Arch-demons. The only way to stop the Blight is if a Grey Warden kills the Arch Demon. The Grey Warden's duty is to die so that the rest of the world can live. It breaks your heart when you realize in Dragon Age: Origins that your beloved Warden is doomed. :(
If you only need one Warden to kill the arch demon, why bother risking killing off half your army by having everyone perform the Joining? The heightened strength and speed can't be that great. Just a thought I've always wondered.
Great video. What do you think of the conversation between Valya and Reimas from Last Flight in which they theorize that a potential Grey Warden is more likely to survive the joining if they are free of doubts concerning their involvement with the Wardens. Obviously, this conversation is not an extremely reliable source of info, but we know so little about the taint, and about Blight magic, that I'm interested in their relationship to the souls/wills of afflicted individuals.
Ohhh good question! I honestly forgot this existed, so I hunted down the exact quote: "I think the ritual is unforgiving of weakness, and although Diguier [man who died during the joining] was not a weak man ordinarily, he was full of doubt since making the decision to leave the templars. I suspect that doubt left him fatally vulnerable to the taint. It takes a hard soul to survive corrosion." (p166).
It's a possibility! Although Mhairi seems 110% she wanted to join the wardens, and she still died, perhaps some doubt lingered in her heart as well. Although Loghain didn't seem like he wanted to join, and he survived. I'm reading the quote more in a way that to survive the joining, the person needs a 'strong mind', rather than knowing they want to join the wardens. Diguier was described as a man that was sure in the templars, and leaving them left him in doubt for his own beliefs, not just the warden. Blood magic is weird, as seen by Isseya turning the joining into a disease, so perhaps just having enough willpower is what makes one survive? In DA:O, after you drink, you see an image of an archdemon. Perhaps stubbornness to to 'look in the face' of the blight, something that is terror and malice incarnate, and be able to say 'Fuck off' is the difference between life and death.
Those are my thoughts at least!! Thanks for asking :D
It's funny--I felt like I understood what the Grey Warden were and what the Blight was after playing Origins, but they've continued to deepen the lore over the course of the three games. It's what I love about Dragon Age. So many fantasy settings set up a mythological framework only to simply confirm that they myths are true. "The great Evil is super evil and did all the bad stuff and everyone miraculously agrees on the cause and solution to the super evil problem". Dragon Age on the other hand feels much more lived in. Ancient events aren't simply handed down to us from an omniscient narrator, we receive our information from biased accounts, centuries removed from the actual events--many that conflict with accounts from other nations/people. It just feels a lot more lived in. We've already learned that Elven pantheon is much more nuanced than the stories passed down by the Dalish, the Chantry only seems to be interested in disseminating politically beneficial information, and I'm really curious to find out who/what the hell the Maker actually is if anything at all.
That said, I'm very interested in seeing what they do with the Grey Wardens in the future. Still so many unanswered questions--Fiona's cure, connection to dragon blood, etc. Also Griffon riding is badass.
i think what you need to survive the joining are a strong mind and a strong body. those are the traits duncan was looking for when he was searching for recruits. when oghren drank the darkspawn taint, he burped as if he had a sip from a strong alcohol, while anders fainted. so a strong mind might anchor your soul to your body while the taint spreads all over your body, and a strong body allows you to overcome the initial shock your body experiances when the darkspawn taint is introduced to your body.
In the mention of the Maker, I find it strikingly interesting what Solas has to say in the matter. In a discussion Solas actually says he likes the idea of the Maker and when pressured as to why he answers "because he doesn't feels the need to prove his existence". Meaning he does nothing,he just "exists", and in Solas mind the Maker is basically just an idea to comfort a person and whether or not you believe his hand is involved is up to the person's interpretation.
I think Oghren's joining supports this
Ah the Grey Wardens, just a bunch of guys and gals having fun killing darkspawn and talking about their taints
Do theu compare taints too?
@@Reddeth6332 yes but only on weekends
this was the best thing I’ve seen all day
I live for comments like these 😂👏
Once a Grey Warden, always a Grey Warden. I _never_ exile the Wardens.
Ever since DAO, I couldn’t look at the Warden’s any different than honorable people.
To be fair the Inquisitor was never a Warden
@@HalfTangible but the main protagonist in dao was
@@HalfTangible And the Hero of Ferelden would kill the inquisitor for exiling the Wardens.
@@evalationx2649 Before or after giving the Wardens a good spanking for their dumbass demon army plan?
The Grey Wardens
"Better it is to die after a short, brave life, than it is to life forever as a coward."
What can one Grey Warden do? "Save the fucking world if pressed."
Blackwall quotes about The Grey Wardens
The quotes are apt, even if they come from a man pretending to be one
Their main power is seeing the zombie orcs right? Why ALL OF THEM need to taint their blood? Just taint one of them. It is not like it gives them superpowers (un)like ghouls in most media. There are no pros of this. Slight increase of stregth and stamina could easily be completed with, ya know, magical herbs.
Edit: ok, an archdemon can only be defeated by a Tainted, sure. But its not like every Grey Warden will face a archdemon in their lifetime. You could do that few days before you face the demon. Its not like you will non-stop butcher your way to endgame boss. Not even Doomguy was able to do that.
Approves greatly.
I just love the thought of these guys. They’re basically the middle class of factions.
Templars believe in restricting, and over looking magic/mages. Most hate mages too
Mages; believe in using, well, magic, and exploring the Veil, or exploring blood magic. Most hate templars
Wardens; don’t care about criminal records, don’t care if you’re a templar or mage. Hate darkspawn, and darkspawn hate all things that aren’t darkspawn.
Except for the fact they would do even negative things to end the blight
Great example of Lawful Neutral faction done well. They don’t care about the morality of how you do so, you just need to do it to save the world.
Whaaat, did Thom Rainier really die in the end?? :o
I always thought that the badge & feather meant something like "We Grey Wardens finally have some order, now I feel ready to face you again. Come and see my griffon xoxo".....
You brought up something I've been saying for sometime. If your Hero performed the ultimate sacrifice you have your Warden-Commander from Awakening. While it's not the Hero of Ferelden he/she is still your warden and could still show up in later games. I know I've read that the warden wouldn't be showing up again, but I have hope! Thanks for doing this video! :)
Up until Inquisition the writers didn't want to add him because they felt his story was over or some bullcraplike that (in reality they just didn't know how to deal with the dozens of different conditionals surrounding the character). They ended up relenting to fan pressure and adding the "Calling cure" storyline as an excuse for his absence but eventually they have to either kill him off or make him show up. He's just too important.
This is just my personal theory, but from what I've observed the people who survive the Joining tend to have lost everything at one point in their lives, or otherwise have nothing to lose.
Well Orgred is kind of exception. In Awakening, he is a family man but became Gray Warden for fun. I guess the key to survive the training falls under 2 conditions-
1. A Recruite should have exceptional immunity to toxins and should have physically strong or else he couldn't bear the pain of the taint.
2. A Recuit should be mentally strong and unwavering determination to cast away his own life to fight the bright.
In Origins, those 2 recruits lacked one or these attributes. The Rogue was determined to give up his own life but his body wasn't strong enough to resist the traint. The warrior could have survived the paint but he lacked determination.
Orgred kind of has very strong construction as he didn't even faint after taking the joining. He had so strong resolution or he was so stupid that he didn't considered the possibility of dying from taint one day.
@@rahulsar2030 This is all true, but he also still lost basically his entire house and the respect of all of Orzammar. He finally finds his wife only to lose her for good one way or another, and left Orzammar, which he can now never return to, because he had nothing left to stay for. Yeah he got with an old flame of his and started a family, but as per my theory, he still lost everything at some point. So he still fits, even if he's something of a half-exception. If I had to rephrase my theory, I'd say that every Warden we've seen so far has been broken inside on some level. Kind of reminds me of the Knights Radiant from the Stormlight Archives.
Ever since Wynne talked about the Gray Wardens back in DAI fighting astride the backs of griffins against the Blights, I wanted to have one as a mount and companion. Would be awesome to see warden riders in the next game.
You mean Origins.
I personally want everything to come full circle with another rampage of the Blight, but this time *all* of the remaining old gods are released.
Dragon Age: Endgame
which makes only two old gods to be released, a little underwhelming compared to all seven, but regardless, two archdemons would be pretty hard to deal with.
@@blackmoon2128 given how powerful a single one is two would be pretty bad, to make things worse if the wardens are suffering a schism as of inquisition it would be harder to handle, but to REALLY make it a problem have the blights occur on seperate sides of thedas forcing the wardens and everyone else split their forces, just some thoughts
It’d be like ME3 v ME.
“Reduced or decreased fertility”
*Looks at Kieran*
except he was conceived by a spooky ritual by boning a hot witch.
Matt Allen Or letting loghain bone a hot witch.
“Would you mind if I closed my eyes and think of my dead wife as it happens?”
Sleeping with morrigan...worse then death.
*reduced* fertility..it's far more difficult for a warden to father/bear children, but possible if the other partner is a non-warden (Morrigan), and of course it was a magic ritual, so conception was pretty much guaranteed anyway. One point Alistair himself raises if you romance him as a noble fem!Warden is that the people will expect him to produce an heir, and it's hard enough for *one* warden to have a child...let alone if both prospective parents are wardens.
Actually, Morrigan can have a regular child too if the situation is just right and you chose your conversations well.
Matt Allen there’s a option you can have Kieran without doing the ritual, making him 100% human
Imagine your warden will be a companion on Dragon Age 4 with him entering a certain battle riding a griffin with Morrigan
It would be the most beautiful thing ever, but you destroy one of the finals of DAO. But... what if in DA4 you can be THE warden?
With morrigan you mean liliana?
@@manueldelbono202 so what? Leilana dies in some people play throughs in orgins but she’s in everybody game in DAI.
Ive put so much time into origins over the years, more so then any other game. I'd love to plan as my warden again! Even if its just a small expansion/game like awakening, you can freely take my money bioware.
So your delivery of the line "treat the elves like garbage" had me in stitches
Coolest faction in Dragon Age. I really hope we see the primary headquarters one day in a game.
At the joining in Awakenings your guide whose name escapes me right now showed Pride just before she drank the blood and died. The others did not show pride they just did it Oghran the funniest so far Lol. I hope they bring him back but not likely.
I don't think that is the reason.
THANK YOU for voting to bring THE Warden (mine, yours) back.
all i wish is that we get griffons back in da4, and hopefully we get to play as our warden (if alive) or any other higher ranking warden, for like even ONE quest and ride those griffons, that will be my dream come true.
Knowing my Warden she is wanting a cure for the calling just to be able to ride a griffon once they mature. Zevran thinks that crazy but won't complain about his lady love not dying.
I can see my Warden doing it for the same reason, honestly. Also, he wants to be able to tease Alistair for as long as humanly possible, so he won't let some creepy blood keep him down.
@@rustyshackle8000 good its tbe same for me
Found you through Reddit. I absolutely love your channel. You have a great speaking voice, the information you present is clear and concise, and the visual presentation is simple, and well edited. You have a great channel on your hands. I know you're just starting out (like I am), but I hope you realize you have a potentially big and very successful endeavor on your hands. Keep it up!
tbh I kinda hope the Warden doesnt find a cure for The Calling. I just find the idea of an order of warriors dedicating their lives to fighting Darkspawn and they meet their deaths by killing as many Darkspawn as possible before they're killed. So badass.
Lvl58DeathKnight I hope he does and keeps it for himself to live a happy long life with his wife and son. He would only give the recipe to those who want it like Bethany or Carver
I want my Warden to survive.
6:45 hold up... "Going out of the frying pan... into the oven???" Into the fire. It's into the fire. But otherwise great video lol
Could mean that it didn't get worse, just a different shit you'll be dealing with.
What can one Grey Warden do? "Save the fucking world if pressed."
Blackwall quotes about The Grey Wardens
In Awakening, if you pick the right dialogue options, the Architect explains that the Warden's who survive the joining have a resistance to the taint. At Ostagar during Origins, if you talk to the right person, it is explained that Darkspawn blood is like a poison. Therefore, we know that some people die during the joining because they are straight up poisoned and others take 30-ish years for their body's natural resistance to begin failing them.
Awwyyiiiis. Another DA youtuber. Love the video and I must say, you have an amazingly soothing voice. Keep up the good work.
I never banish the wardens. I feel like it's a bad idea with blights being a chance anytime....
Yeah, I was suprised by how many of my companions dissaproved of the decision to keep the wardens. Like how quick they forget the sacrifice wardens endure to keep the world safe.
This is the best Dragon Age Lore site so thank you for your time and keep up the great work.
The Grey Wardens "Man fuck those Darkspawn"
If the Grey Warrdens can recruit apostates? They seem like they would fit in nicely with the organization. It sounds like a great way to get around the 1 mage per circle rule or would their recruitment piss of the chantery to much?
I do hope the gryffins are given to warden commanders.
It's interesting how the effects of the taint on Warden recruit can sort of inform us on the darkspawn's own habits. Stuff like increased hunger, decreased fertility - for instance we know Darkspawn do nothing but maim and eat the dead when they're not looking for an archdemon.
I am also curious - does the chamberlain of the grey undergo the joining?
Still one of my favorite factions like ever, so cool and heroic in a depressing way
The Grey Wardens, some magic still lingers in the very name
You kinda failed to mention the story behind Wardens who got "cured" of the taint. That Mage Leader in Inquisition (if you side with them) is one such survivor. Great video BTW.
Great video but you made one little mistake Duncan wasn't the first Warden Commander of ferelden after the order was allowed to return he was technically the second
The book last flight shows the Griffin are coming back.
I believe that in a future game king Alistair will start to hear the calling which will cause his mother to reveal herself and her knowledge of curing the blight.
MarshallM09 she better reveal herself, if just only for him. Can't have Ferelden nor Thedas knowing his mother is an elf.
@@gaiustheant1618 that's going to be a serious problem considering he banished his own mother lol
@@VkMari3712 Or that in about half of our Inquisition campaigns she's, well, dead.
Very unlikely now that Fiona is killable, also, it seems as if Bioware has forgotten King Alistair is tainted too.
Yep my warden is alive and well now father to Kieran! Will pay any price to see him and Morrigan once again Bioware.
Great video. What do you think about Fiona and Alistair? I just red the first 3books and now I'm playing DAO with different insights. I love it even more every time I play the series
Could you do a Video on when we'll be able to play as Wardens/ when or how long until the 6th Blight?
How do you play Dragon Age Origins?
My female warden from origins was also the one I used in awakening.
Jesus, you woke my dog with that "welcome"
the part with avernis is also even more of a thing if you did the dead with Morrigan and became the commander he is mentioned as being with you by her if your warden lived through both games
I have at some point wondered if it had something to with bloodtypes: i mean they may not know anything of bloodtypes due to it being a medieval religious society with highly regulated magic, would not mean it could not be the case, could something like that remain "unchanged" in a darkspawn, i mean the darkspawn seems to be born from captured females, could the bloodtype of the "mother" or the "father" transfer to the "offspring"?
Why did Wynne lie to me?!
She said all Griffins died out ;-;
Most people thought they were....even the Grey Wardens thought they were extinct.
I was waiting for this video. Thanks :V
Hope it lived up to the wait then!
Yeah, thanks. I will be waiting for the others videos of the series. In the meantime, I will enjoying the other videos in your channel.
The best they can do about HoF in DA4 is he/she manage to find a cure, then that changed GW order forever, and he/she died of old age. Or he/she failed and die while searching. That's all.
I've recently come across your vids. I like them alot and you are very talented and i hope you will continue this type of stuff if the lore allows it. Annnd...... I really hope bioware brings back our warden as either the main character or one of our companions in DA4.
Great video. I Can't wait for the next game. Not happy about the people from anthem working on it though.
Hi Ghil! Thanks for the video! I have been thinking about the factor responsible for someone to survive the joining. We know that blight is associated with sin, and when you look at the opening stories of the DAO, you can see that most if not all of them involve death or traumatic experiences. I wonder if that isn't the factor that enables our warden to stay alive after joining. In DAO we are accompanied by two other recruits, the one which later dies because of blighted blood appeared to me rather as a good-hearted coward than someone capable of bloodshed. And maybe that's the reason why they actually cannot make it through the joining? Maybe our Warden is not so noble when drinking from the chalice, maybe it's because of their misdeeds can they survive? In the video you pointed out that many of the recruits are thieves or murderers conscripted from jails. What if the authorities at Weisshaupt are aware of the connection between sin and surviving the joining and have instructed others to recruit from among criminals? Please let me know what's your thoughts on this!
I have only saw the conversation above about the ritual being unforgiving of weakness, and I wanted to comment on that as well. I'm wondering what can be seen as weakness by a ritual made with use of tainted blood? Wouldn't that be refusing to kill, steal etc.? Therefore, only someone who does not refrain from sin can make it through the joining right?
I am in love with your channel.
awesome vids keep them up xD I always save my Warden it just makes the most sense and fits the best with the story for the warden to live and Morrigan have her old god baby as for Hawk I don't know what Bioware where thinking with the hawk sacrifice like seriously the 3 of them could easily destroy the spider and worse Hawk comments her responsibility is Corypheus which makes no sense unless Corypheus turned into the giant spider lmao that statement makes no sense why I always choose stroud because the Warden and Hawk are desperately needed I would love to see a combined effort of all 3 to combat solas and his insane selfish plan more then that I really hope we see the Great Imperium in the next game see how great it truly is
This is minor, but you mentioned that with romanced Warden Blackwall, the Inquisitor receives a letter informing her of his death but the epilogue slides don't explicitly mention his death at all. Sheryl Chee did however tweet that he eventually dies if he becomes a Warden.
That must be bullshit because Tom Rainer is alive in Tresspasser dlc shich takes place after the joining.
@@darthportus Tresspasser has it's own set of epilogue slides...the whole "Blackwall/Thom is dead" thing comes from the slides after completing the DLC.
@@thegreywardenherald8923 . I didn't like the character anyway, too boring.
My question is how did the people first know that they need people to drink up some darkspawn blood and those other ingrediants? How would they figure that out? And who would volunteer to do it?
I think you missed a part when talking about the calling. Its stated in DOA, that those who undertake it during the blight live shorter lives than the rest of the wardens. I think it also stated their dreams were stronger because of the connection during the blight. If I remember right its Alistair who says it because you were done during the blight. I cant remember if it was brought up as caring about your well-being or a warning.
Chamberlain of the Grey, you have a misspelling in the video! These are fantastic, though!
You said a select group of wardens know where the arch demons are, can you point to where this is shown/said?
It's in the books. I belive it'S mentioned in "The Calling".
There's a theory that the First warden is a Magister Sidereal. It makes so much sense also. And it also gives reason for the civil war between the two factions after Corypheus. Please make a theory video about it to see how much it floats! Plz...
fpr Dwarves the wardens are also a way for those castless that join to be considered not castless anymore and be allowed to be considered warriors by them
I wonder if the destruction of the soul method can be used on the blighted titan that red lyrium comes from to end the blight forever.
Duncan had a criminal record? Ouch.
Grey Wardens are basically the Nights Watch from Game of Thrones but WAY cooler.
i have good reasons to belive that griffins may appear in dragon age 4 as they are being mentioned a lot in the last few games and the fact that the message from those that come across the eggs are more common if your warden is still out there looking for a way around the calling then it stands to reason that by finding a cure for that they may also save the griffins form the taint aswell as in awaking a reference is given that if the calling could be stopped then the wardens could return to the strength they had when they first faced the blight this is the reason your warden goes in search of the cure and if you pay attention to the interactions between your warden and Morrigan they both think it is possible to keep the power gained through the joining but remove the hold the taint has over the wardens she also mentions in DAI that she has a feeling that her lover will find what they are looking for this only comes up if your both male got her to really fall in love with your warden and in the witchhunt dlc told her you would always love her and let her go which is hard to get the right settings on the keep but as i know every choice i ever made by heart its something that happens 99% of the times i play the games i replay them twice a yr from origins through DAI love the series so much i will never stop playing them
as for why some die in the joining is simple they are unable to take what they see and process it in a way they can deal with and thus their mind snaps which leads to the entire body shutting down and well once your to become a warden you do or you die as the secret of the joining is taken to the grave by all those that ever see it
9:25 YES! THANK YOU!!
the reason some die and some live is due to most people being unable to deal with the pain and vision that happen during the joining the body simply shuts down and dies to escape it those that live through it are forever plauged by dreams of the blight and must always fight the calling they have come to terms with knowing they will die in the end
I feel like a warden commander that begins using the rite of conscription to meddle in e politics of a nation would make a good DA villain. Imagine how badly at could be misused, like how the dwarves abused the Anvil of the Void.
It actually kind of pisses me off to see that Alistair in DAI has such a low rank, you'd think he would have been promoted far higher for his part in ending the 5th blight.
Ok so I'm confused. You said that a dwarf wouldn't lose caste if they joined the grey wardens. However if you choose the dwarven Noble option in origins you lose your caste. If you don't you're casteless thus no matter what you have no caste
Hi Bye These are different circumstances. Remember, Aeducan (the noble) was accused by her/his brother of killing the eldest brother. Killing Orzammar's prince was the reason why Aeducan lost the caste, not the joining. And Brosca (the castless) had no cast before, so if course they would remain castless. So their destinies made them castless, not their Joining :3
But in joining the wardens you leave your old life behind... A proud cast would not write you out of existance they would brag with it
I love to just put your video playlists on in the background and listen. ^.^ I wish these videos had been around when I first got into the DA fandom! Any chance you'll be crossposting these videos to tumblr?
Edit: The griffon feather, and Wardens being recalled, omg!
Aww, thank you! As for tumblr, probably not? I'm terrible enough with keeping up with twitter/reddit/youtube, adding one more might be too much for me at the moment!
Plus griffins were discovered
I have been wondering about this for some time but why aren't there any qunari or tal-vashoth grey wardens? I think that they would be a great addition to grey warden forces and they have some technology that normal people dont like that blackpowder. Or is it something about the qunari blood(which is part dragon in theories) that makes them either immune to the joining or die instantly
I think you are looking to deep into the matter.
It would be kinda hype af if in da4 griffons made a return.
Imagine if you could use one as a mount. Siiiick!
The big question about Grey Wardens for me is where did they originally come from? Especially since they seem to serve a similar failsafe system to the Magisters as darkspawn to Archdemons. Who came up with the Joining? Demons seem like a likely source, but something even more sinister could be a possibility...
taken in mind what u said about the blight and dragonsblood
our warden(the original one) would probably allready have drunken dragonsblood
which means he probably can cure himself withoud knowing all the needed ingrediens
on the otherhand i would like to see that he founds a new order , something like the white wardens , for those who have done their part in the gray wardens and get cured . i mean as an organisation like the seer , where they take the secret knowletge together which they gathered as gray wardens and also fokus more on their political connections.
white wardens becouse there is the possibillity that these speaking darkspawn made by the architect and wardens blod will be called black wardens later on xD
another question that pops up
can someone who is cured from the blight like an ex warden still hear the calling or feel the blight in others ? i mean it would be a nice feature
Love these videos
i think Dwarves make the most sense as Grey wardens seeing as it started with them being attacked, into between blights attacked etc. it also makes sense that they'd have the most Experience fighting the Darkspawn to recruit them, What do you all think?
Brian Crosby yeah... But they are small in number. And the king of orzamma would never give a whole army to the wardens as i said they are not many they need all soldiers they got
SaintsNr1 i suppose so, i just thought since Duncan mentioned the Dwarven empire was the first etc. We do have the Legion of the Dead who in a way are Grey wardens minus the taint.
No..shit, Sherlock.
I like these shots she gets form inquisition
Of course the Warden-Commander, also known as OUR Warden, survives. It makes no sense to decline Morrigan's ritual, whether you are a female warden or male. Even whether you are a goodie-two-shoes or a pure asshole. The heroic Warden that romances either Morrigan or Alistair, and either has a child with her or lets Alistair do it, makes much more sense given where they come from. Not to mention Morrigan develops into a very fine woman after having a child and it adds so much to Inquisition.
So Bioware plz. Give us our old Warden back. I want to see my butt ugly (unintentionally.. the character creator and finished product is NEVER alike. He looked quite decent when I made him..) Warden back!
Pretty sure they already said they won’t bring the Warden back
🎵If there's darkspawn taint
In your neighborhood...
Who you gonna call?
GREY WARDENS!
If the horde is near
And it don't look good
Who you gonna call?
GREY WARDENS!
I ain't afraid of no Blight!
ha "the taint" still makes me laugh
You have a great voice. Brava!!!
You probably don't want to know this, but when 'Chamberlain of the Grey' comes up on the screen... it's a typo (chma) (1:52).
If one rejects the Rite of Conscription, would one die?
After the ritual you have 30 years or so before the taint takes you.Yea best job in the world.
If you become a Grey Warden when you're like 40, you pretty much get to live a full life, but since is Medieval Times you could probably take the drinking when you're 20 in live a full life actually,
Anybody think that the song is simething coming frim the black city?
Hey for anyone hoping about griffins: as of 2024, WE GOT AT LEAST ONE IN THE NEW GAME COMING OUT
Did not know the blackwall thing
i never thought of having the WC be in the story if the HOF died.. That would have been awesome.. sadly by going with hawke in dragon age 2, they set a precedent to change MCs each game..
BABY GRIFFIN ASSAN I LOVE HIM
What about a video about warden commander clarel? What's her back story?
So they made a few mistakes trying to save the world. Thedas still owes them many times over.
I had no idea Alistair could be in here lies the abyss! Can anyone tell me what tapestry/keep choices I need so I can see that!?
I think it's the choice in origins where he stays with the wardens instead of becoming the king :D
I think it's pretty obvious....................
How the hell do you get a small drop of blood from an archdemon if they only show up when there’s a blight?
Wait ....so all the grey wardens are doomed 😂 i never realised this damn!
wait was it actually confirmed rainier died? i just thought he was helping rehabilitate the griffons
So they are part demon warriors kind of like in the anime Claymore if you saw that?
I have not seen that anime, so I can't say on that? Sorry! From the rough description of demon warriors, sort of? They don't have any evil urges or anything, or at least not until they get a lot older, the taint takes its course, and they become a ghoul.
Ghil Dirthalen Kind of a bad incentive to want to become a warden. I get the call to arms in most military cases but not if it means losing your humanity (other word that's similar to humanity in the case of other species). That's taking a huge risk.
Except for about 30 years the Wardens are the only people immune to the taint that the Blight brings. The taint either just kills outright or turns the victims into ghouls. (The Joining slows the taint, so not really immune.) Also Grey Wardens are the only people capable of killing the immortal Arch-demons. The only way to stop the Blight is if a Grey Warden kills the Arch Demon. The Grey Warden's duty is to die so that the rest of the world can live. It breaks your heart when you realize in Dragon Age: Origins that your beloved Warden is doomed. :(
The grey wardens are more like a combination of the men of the night watch from game thrones and the witchers from the books and the games.
9:23 Damn right
well now I really don't want to be a grey warden
If you only need one Warden to kill the arch demon, why bother risking killing off half your army by having everyone perform the Joining? The heightened strength and speed can't be that great. Just a thought I've always wondered.