@@heyjoji1954 not among city elves, who abandoned the tradition, in the Dalish clans, it’s a marking of adulthood. If we had an option for city elf, they wouldn’t have the markings. City elves aren’t Dalish.
@@SeventhheavenDK I’ve had the issue as well, but I rationalize it because the Dalish Inquisitor is very into their religion and stuff... doesn’t make up for the fact the tattoos are kinda ugly though...
It would be very lore-unfriendly to be able to make a dalish character with clean face. I know most players hate the vallaslin, but if it wasn't so inevitable and annoying we could've missed the full message. I personally am a happy person, because I've found a face and a vallaslin that match each other perfectly. The tattoo is rather visible, but my quizy looks so pretty with it. I'll get to the removal soon enough and I'm not even sure if she'd be prettier barefaced 😅🤔
“You’re real and it means everyone else could be real. It changes everything and it can’t.” Meaning Solas was thinking “I hate what the world has become because of me, but this woman is proof that the world still has beauty and the people I consider so far beneath me are actually worth much more than I thought but I’ve sunk so much into my plan to ‘fix’ everything…”
I love it. You can see Solas trying very hard to dehumanize the rest of the world, even when he doesn't completely buy it in all but the most asshole-ish of playthroughs. Cole sees directly through his shit and Solas has nothing to do but urge him not to dig any further into what he knows to be true and is choosing to ignore
In Trespaser he has this line where he says that waking up after the millenias felt like walking through the world full of Tranquil. And that makes sense comparing it to how he thought at the beginning that people in this world don't feel real, but Inquisitor proves him wrong. It changes everything, because it will make so much harder for him to go through with his plan. I can't wait to see how his story will resolve in DA:4. Will romanced Inquisitor be able to stop him, redeem him, save him?
@@pativi6643 Yeah, like, when he thought people were "as Tranquil", then sundering the fade would be bringing them back their connections with their dreams and their emotions, which I bet most of us have wanted to do - the whole thing with Iniquisitor Ameridan and the rite being impermanent having quite the impact it does because of it, but when he realises that they're not "as Tranquil" but rather, whole, just in a way he didn't consider "whole" before, his plan is then suddenly like overstepping boundaries in an attempt to help; becoming the villain when you meant to save, which is his role. And he hardens himself accordingly. We'll see how wide they will let that difference become in DA:4. Wide I hope.
@@M.Datura As much as I'd like that, his plan unfortunately requires for the world and people to die, so it is not as bringing back their connection to the Fade - at least when considering non elves. We don't know the specifics, but if the Inquisitor is his friend, there is this dialogue in Tresspaser where they can ask to help him: "I will save the Elvhen people, even if it means this world must die." "Let me help you Solas." "You cannot!" "You want to restore the Elvhen people. I would give my life for that." "Would you give the life of every friend you have ever known? There is no glory here. Only a price that I alone will pay." There's also a line where the Inquisitor asks him angrily "Why bother distrupting the Quanari plot if you plan on destroying the world regardless?", and he answers sadly and with regret "Because I'm not a monster. If they must die, I'd rather they died in comfort." We don't really know if it means the Dalish and city elves will be saved. We know that now he considers them people, but he never considered them HIS people. There's so much we don't really know, I'm really curious how the story will pick up... And regarding him hardening himself - interestingly a couple of years ago Bioware released a short story "Tevinter Nights", which briefly shows Solas, it happens five years after the Inquisition. He speaks to Charter, one of Leliana's agents after sparing her life - he asks her to apologize to the Inquisitor, that nothing will stop him from pursuing his plan. He also says that whatever he said during their final conversation in Trespasser was a moment of weakness, and a mistake that he will not repeat. Which especially stings if the Inquisitor in someone's world was a romanced Lavellan. Sooo, I guess time and determination really hardened him.
@@pativi6643 I think you mistook my comment for something else than musings. Also none of what you said refers to what I said. I was pointing towards what you said in regards to his line about "as Tranquil". The thing I was saying in regards to the connection wasn't neccesarily about the people that currently live, but about people (general). If he thought the world would be empty if he went through with his plot then he'd not have done it.
I just love every conversation with Solas and Cole, but this one felt so much like "why are mommy and daddy fighting?" and I am crying... The fact the Solas just makes Cole forget mid-sentence is a *really* nice detail. Solas is SO BAD at keeping his secret, it's a miracle Inky never calls him out.
Inky can call Solas out after Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. He'll say that he missed the intrigue of balls and they can say, "Oh really? You told me you've never been to one." And he dislikes that you caught him in a lie
@@petitecaptain8525 It's actually one of the only times Solas disapproves of a curious Inquisitor. All other times, he approves whenever you ask questions.
@@snowdropsinapril3045 Lying with the truth whether by omitting or manipulating it is what the best liars do tbf, much harder to completely fabricate something which is why he's so easily caught out when he does
Lavellan: *clearly upset over learning the true meaning of something important to her culture* Sera, an intellectual: I will use this moment to proclaim my own superiority
That is why she is one of the worst characters in the series, tho, I wouldn't blame, she is not intelligent at all, so she must enjoy these rare chances
not saying that it's ever nice to tease someone's culture, but... lavellan didn't really seem all that upset here, and sera has no idea what happened. she doesn't know she's upset. plus i can't think of a single moment any of my characters were visibly upset that she didn't try to console them, so i'm _really_ doubting she's randomly trying to play high and mighty here
David Kings Oh, Sera’s a complete and utter asshole, but I wouldn’t call her anywhere near one of the worst characters in the series. She has a sharp worldview, displays a lot of agency, shines a light on things that rarely get mentioned, has complicated motivations and background... she’s a great, strong character, even if, in real life, I’d be flipping off every chance I get. It’s one of the things that DAI does really well: Creating good, complex, interesting characters, even if you might end up hating them on a personal level (see also Solas and Vivienne).
It's like they wrote out the whole thing, and then did a doubletake and rewrote only his lines to ensure that he showed his own knowledge. Or simply had the writers writing him know more than the rest.
@@M.DaturaDavid Gaider, the head writer, and Patrick Weekes, Solas’ main writer, did sit down and discuss what Gaider wanted to do with the character so that Weekes would know when writing. It turned out very well considering Weekes is now the main writer for the series.
@@magnusprime962 Yeah, I guess that would have been neccesary. Patrick Weeks still did a great job though, considering writing a character like this is quite tricky, even if you're the only one constructing canon.
cole: Who do i go with? Mum or dad? Solas: come with me, ill save the world Lavellan: Come with me and we might be able to stop your father from destroying the world
Cole is so precious! But I don't get why people in the comments like Vivienne... Like do you really get her character at all? Or do you just like characters who a selfish and power hungry and are using people just for their own gain?
There is another version of this dialgue where Cole mimics all Solas' words from the cutscene which is even more painful... I think the decision to break up with Solas after the removal of the vallaslin is the one that triggers dialague a or dialogue b Edit: the trigger for the different dialogue is the actual remover of the vallaslin
Whoever was writing Sera fkn hated her. I don't know other reasonable explanation of why would they write a character with an interesting concept and worldview into someone so two-dimensional- moreover, why so often there are no reasonable responses to her. It's almost always either "ok, whatever, psycho" or "you're stupid and insane, go fk yourself, you racist nutjob". The Inquisitor can have infinite patience and kindness for everyone's bs, except for Sera and her obviously internalized racism and complex feelings about her own heritage.
He's talking about the living elves separated from the fade. The separation is their mask of mirrors. Solas is having second thoughts, because he saw the hurt he brought by revealing the woman he loved part of the truth, removing the mask of mirrors. If it brings pain, is he doing right by his people trying to reconnect them to the fade?
Cole adding that the Inquisitor was “embarrassed,” to the last interaction is so subtle and well done. I know there are a lot of problems with inquisition’s writing but the character dialogue is not one. Those little subtleties just put the nail in the coffin for my Inquisitor’s heartbreak 😭
@ My opinion on DAI is the same. The overall story writing is kind of shakey, especially with how things go way too well for the Inquisition, the inquisitor can’t really be made into a full rounded character, how some choices are just evil without any logical backing, and how you’re always a step or two ahead of Corypheus after Haven (so much so he stops feeling like a threat for a good chunk of the game, which is a shame cause he had a great introduction,) but the character dialogue more than makes up for it. I’m enjoying DAV but the writing is all over the place. Sometimes really horrible, sometimes really damn great, most times, passable. Act 1 is a rough but improves once you pick up Davrin. The cringey gags about cooking is taking up way too much banter, it’s honestly pissed me off more than once. Whenever the first 4 companions interact, the dialogue is pretty shallow, but any dialogue that includes either Davrin, Emmrich, or Taash has really great character-insightful dialogue. Bummed out that they basically reduced Lucanis to a tumblr-esque cooking/coffee joke machine. *Apologies for the long reply, my thoughts have really been all over the place w a new entry
Not just block but force him to forget the train of thought altogether. He does it again after you beat Corypheus too - you can find Cole upstairs in the tavern trying to reach out to Solas after he leaves. He'll be talking to himself and saying Solas' thoughts out loud (in Solas's cadence). He talks a bit about how the burden he now has to be bear is his alone to worry about, and then goes "Cole, though you reach out in compassion, I must now insist that you FORGET" at which point Cole spaces out, panics briefly as he struggles to remember what they were talking about, and then just kinda awkwardly tells the Inquisitor that he's ready to head out and help more people as usual.
this is why i dont like sera your friend is here in front of you opening up about something that obviously means a lot to her and you just had to use that moment to laugh at the dalish
Certain scenes with Sera are really fun. I really enjoy playing pranks with her, and that she makes you cookies, and her notes about how she wants to get you a nice gift are really cute. But then she screws it up by being an asshole at the worst times. Like, if she _started out_ like that and then matured over the course of the game, that'd be one thing, but she doesn't grow at all. At least she's more tolerable when you're a human or dwarf. :|
Sometimes that's just what you need, she puts things in perspective. You definitely need someone who doesn't believe in any of that tosh and won't mince around to 'be nice' to bring you back to reality when everyone's basically treating you like a bloody god. She will tell you how it is. She's not the friend you wanted, she's the friend you need.
@@lasura . My favorite scene with Sera is when I kick her out of the Inquisition after the March at Vershiel, especially after the Inquisitor call her out for the hypocrite she is and Sera is left speechless.
Oh same. Don't get me wrong, I *love* cliché romance tropes, but it would be so good if we had gotten to see The Power Of Friendship™ being just as powerful in influencing Solas and making him question his deeper motives (as heard in the dialogue with Cole, talking about "You're real, and it means everyone could be real", hinting about what is revealed later in the Trespasser DLC). rambling aside I just want more media that shows friendship as being equally important to romance
@@veshialles Yes! We need more of The Power Of Friendship. I mean, love is love! Doesn’t have to be romance! Love of a friend is just as beautiful, or tragic, or intense.
@@veshialles Because modern writers sorta forgot how to write good Bromance without it turning gay, we forget that you can deeply love someone without being attracted to them sexually or romantically and don't get me started on Shippers, any deep relationship between the same sex and some rabid "fan" is gonna demand they be together. And that's why we can't have nice things.
Well if there's some attraction between the two dudes, like staring longingly into each other's eyes, then I side with the shippers. With so little good queer representation, people are so used to looking at every little sign that something could be a queer relationship. Though, I do really enjoy deep friendships between any genders and I too wish there could be that bro friendship between the inquisitor and Solas.
This is why I can't bring myself to romance Solas, I read about it and it sounds so heartbreaking and then this option. He takes away something so identifying and turns away from you. At least with keeping the markings he has more of a reason to turn away, since you clearly would not accept him being Fen Harel. But if you choose to remove the markings, you could listen to him and try to understand his actions. I get why there is no option to hear his side as it's a game, but I can't take that kind of heartbreak. Same reason why I will never sacrifice the Chargers, I will not break Dorian's heart and lose a good friend.
@@Monochrome_11 right ? That way she’s happy and will try to save her friend from himself, but I’m really curious to know who the fuck the next MC will be, the different characters we saw in the recent trailers hinted the return of origins stories, like one where I think you’re an antivan crow, and one where you could be part of a shady tevinter organisation I think we’ll be a criminal or at least an outlaw in the beginning of da4 this time but how could it link to solas in the end without being the inquisitor or part of the inquisition ? I’m really hyped about the story now 😭
@@grinstrashcan Well, i think its easy to question weather solas IS a bad guy or not. Bad to some people for sure. But Solas i wouldnt really say is a bad guy, and if cole fully understands who he is, then i think think cole would perceive him as a bad guy either
@@joker80james Solas is an elf who saved the world from the Evanuris (and possibly the extinction of Titans) and seeks to save it again; even outside of his perspective of all the world as tranquil, Thedas is wracked by blights, oppression, and an incoming war with the Qunari that is sure to be devastating. If those can't be stopped, then perhaps even tearing the veil and flooding the world with spirits and the chaotic responsiveness of the fade will save more people than leaving the world to it's Fate. At least after the onset of such a world, people will find it better. But perhaps there's a way for Solas to achieve his goal without so much death.
I doubt Cole would punch him. He'd probably would be really sad though, considering Solas was his friend yet he's choosing to hurt so many innocent people.
Honestly Ive always really hated how Solas removes the Vallaslin. Like yes, it WAS a slave marking, but the meaning for the Dalish had completely changed. Even if it wasn't a connection to the old elves like they thought, it was still part of their culture. Solas removing it would make her pretty much an outlaw among her own people, she would be looked down upon like a city elf, even if she told the real meaning behind the Vallaslin. Meanings of things can change over time, and even with the Vallaslin being a slave marking, it still has major significance in the modern Dalish culture. Solas was out of line to remove it from her, as he really isnt a part of the Dalish at all.
Solas is literally one of the Dalish Gods as it were. And it is completely optional to have the markings removed. And is an option only available to a Female Elven Inquisitor who Romances Solas. A Male Elven Inquisitor is never given this option even if they are on good terms with Solas.
@@clothar23 I know that he is but still. The meaning of the markings had completely changed so the Dalish are not Solas' culture at all, that was my point. Like I get where he was coming from but even the offer completely neglects the inquisitor's culture
@@n_mcg I don't know about you but if I found out that the markings on my face were originally slave marking designating who I belonged too...well I would want the damn things off my face as quickly as possible. My only real problem with Solas offering to remove a Female elf's markings is his refusal to do the same for a Male Elf. If he truly believed that removing them was the right thing to do the Dread Wolf would make the same offer to any Dalish regardless of their gender.
@@clothar23 I guess Im looking at it as the same way as like reclaiming a slur I guess. Although it originally was a negative thing, it evolved into something entirely different and connects the culture to their past. I agree with what you are saying though, Solas is only doing it for a selfish reason, hence why he doesnt take it off a male elf
If you tell Solas not to remove it, he will respond that lavellan is perfect the way she is. He respects whatever the choice the players make. So I don't see why he gets hate for just telling the truth.
I actually sorta liked sera, or at least agreed with aspects of her views (regarding nobles) but after the shit she said here? I was pissed. I wish there was an option to be way more angry with her about it. I made up for it by giving her the boot
The thing about Sera is that she ultimately is a child. She never grew up and realized that real life is complicated, and she refuses to do so throughout the main game. It’s not until Trespasser that she starts to learn and become better. It was an interesting choice in the game to have so many companions who don’t change. Varric and Josephine don’t really need to, but Solas, Sera, and Vivienne all have major flaws that hold them back as people and never truly grow from the Inquisitor’s influence, at least in the main game.
1:30 This moment is if Lavellan keeps her vallaslin, isn't it (and tells Solas to fuck off w/ the break up)? The second one is when she lets him remove it.
Sera's feelings towards the Dalish are perfectly valid and understandable, but her *constant* mocking of Dalish culture right in Lavellan's face is infuriating. Especially when you romance her, she's such an awful partner for Lavellan. Unless you're specifically role-playing as an Elf that never took her culture seriously.
I love Sera but this was one of the moments in the game I was like "GIRL IF U DONT GET OUT OF MY FACE RN" and almost kicked her out of the Inquisition. Her development in Trespasser is actually really beautiful to see. She has a lot of maturing to do, which makes sense given she is one of the youngest companions.
You missed a line. If Ii remember correctly, I think Dorian makes a comment about the Vallaslin (then again, it's been a few months since I saw the immediate reactions to its removal)
@@DeezNutsssssss she's abjectly caustic to anyone trying to do an elvish playthrough, same to a mage playthough, acts like anyone in any situation other than her exact one is her enamy, and is cruel to cole. I could deal with all but the cruelty to cole. Even the iron bull, raised to be terrified of spirits, is kind to cole. I dont like vivienne for the same reason. What kind of monster does it take to be cruel to Compassion?
@@bookwyrmofthenorth As if you will allow yourself to air your own dirty laundry in front of everyone. Vivienne might be a jerk to Cole, but Cole is not a saint either for not knowing the word confidentiality. Sure he's a spirit and he subscribes to a different mindset from humans, but not everyone can accept him. And general rule of thumb, only offer help if the recepient only wants it.
Thank you. I have only seen this on TH-cam and have been wondering what else would happen if you remove your markings. Love this. I just wish they had gone more into detail. I mean it is a pretty big thing. I'd probably be pretty nosy
These events occur if you romance Solas. Only available to Elf women. The Female Elven Mage is the canon Inquisition story perspective IMO. Everything just fits right.
ok so that's the reactions of the companions that, well, react then. Dorian, Bull, Blackwall, Varric and Vivviene don't react then? (is that everyone that was missing from this/doesn't react?)
"we need to do better!" yeah because every dalish clan has a god in disguise to teach him how the ancient elven empire really was. Seriously, how could the Dalish do better with what they know and what they have? that's pretty stupid.
I think she's referring specifically to that the dalish, as seen at other times, can be really stubborn about including more in their understanding of their own history. It was no doubt also a way to lighten the mood - it seems a very "laugh or cry" kind of moment.
Ironically, My DA:Origins Hero of Ferelden, is a Dalish Elf Warrior, without Vallaslin, because face tattoos are not necessarily my thing. Then fast forward to 2016 with this. 😅 Lore wise, I like to think my Hero of Ferelden was recruited by Duncan in time before the Vallaslin ritual. 🎉🎉
0:45 ...I get her most of the time, but I would have offended as hell 😅 At least give me the option to say "it's unfortunate or we're trying" Good grief...!
The true failure of the Dalish isn't that they get things wrong about their history. It's that they strive so hard to preserve a history that is long since dead and forgotten. Instead of taking what they can from the past and using it to build a new future, their entire culture is dedicated to clinging to a fading past, in an exercise in prolonged futility. They live in the past, and are incapable of moving on and into the future. They refuse to build new atop the old, and as such, they stagnate, and revert, and yet they believe themselves the experts on a past which of which they are, in truth, woefully ignorant. But Solas is no better - seeking to obliterate the present to restore the past. The Elves of old fell for a reason, and his actions were merely one part of it. Undoing his own act will not bring back the world he loved - only destroy the one that exists today.
I love seeing people get angry over Sera’s comment, completely ignoring that she was right about the Dalish. They’re complete hypocrites who think any elf born into human society is somehow lesser, and yet they don’t even understand their own history and literally brand themselves with slave markings.
@@federicomachado811 Did you seriously not read my comment. You can dislike a nation or organization but not dislike certain members. She doesn’t like what the Dalish represent, but she learns throughout the game that the inquisitor is different.
Oh she's right, is she? Is that why she feels the need to emotionally manipulate an Inquisitor who is romancing her if they don't agree that the Elves must have worshipped demons?
Lavellan and Solas pretty much adopted Cole... and now the poor kid has to go through their divorce.
I guess Lavellen gets full custody since Solas went to get milk?
@@Niskara lmaoo
@@Niskara pls 😂😂
@@Niskara Oh good Lord!😂🤣🤣
Went to get milk and comes back with a pet wolf and god powers lol
Solas: that whole Cole being a spirit thing really came back to bite me in the ass
LOLOL
So that’s why I don’t have an option for “no tattoo” for elves... interesting.
Either way it makes no sense for a Dalish to not have a marking isn’t it a requirement?
@@heyjoji1954 not among city elves, who abandoned the tradition, in the Dalish clans, it’s a marking of adulthood.
If we had an option for city elf, they wouldn’t have the markings.
City elves aren’t Dalish.
And I really hate that, I have to make my best to make the tattoo almost invisible, tho, I manage it thankfully.
@@SeventhheavenDK I’ve had the issue as well, but I rationalize it because the Dalish Inquisitor is very into their religion and stuff... doesn’t make up for the fact the tattoos are kinda ugly though...
It would be very lore-unfriendly to be able to make a dalish character with clean face. I know most players hate the vallaslin, but if it wasn't so inevitable and annoying we could've missed the full message.
I personally am a happy person, because I've found a face and a vallaslin that match each other perfectly. The tattoo is rather visible, but my quizy looks so pretty with it. I'll get to the removal soon enough and I'm not even sure if she'd be prettier barefaced 😅🤔
“You’re real and it means everyone else could be real. It changes everything and it can’t.” Meaning Solas was thinking “I hate what the world has become because of me, but this woman is proof that the world still has beauty and the people I consider so far beneath me are actually worth much more than I thought but I’ve sunk so much into my plan to ‘fix’ everything…”
I love it. You can see Solas trying very hard to dehumanize the rest of the world, even when he doesn't completely buy it in all but the most asshole-ish of playthroughs. Cole sees directly through his shit and Solas has nothing to do but urge him not to dig any further into what he knows to be true and is choosing to ignore
In Trespaser he has this line where he says that waking up after the millenias felt like walking through the world full of Tranquil. And that makes sense comparing it to how he thought at the beginning that people in this world don't feel real, but Inquisitor proves him wrong. It changes everything, because it will make so much harder for him to go through with his plan. I can't wait to see how his story will resolve in DA:4. Will romanced Inquisitor be able to stop him, redeem him, save him?
@@pativi6643 Yeah, like, when he thought people were "as Tranquil", then sundering the fade would be bringing them back their connections with their dreams and their emotions, which I bet most of us have wanted to do - the whole thing with Iniquisitor Ameridan and the rite being impermanent having quite the impact it does because of it, but when he realises that they're not "as Tranquil" but rather, whole, just in a way he didn't consider "whole" before, his plan is then suddenly like overstepping boundaries in an attempt to help; becoming the villain when you meant to save, which is his role. And he hardens himself accordingly. We'll see how wide they will let that difference become in DA:4. Wide I hope.
@@M.Datura As much as I'd like that, his plan unfortunately requires for the world and people to die, so it is not as bringing back their connection to the Fade - at least when considering non elves. We don't know the specifics, but if the Inquisitor is his friend, there is this dialogue in Tresspaser where they can ask to help him:
"I will save the Elvhen people, even if it means this world must die."
"Let me help you Solas."
"You cannot!"
"You want to restore the Elvhen people. I would give my life for that."
"Would you give the life of every friend you have ever known? There is no glory here. Only a price that I alone will pay."
There's also a line where the Inquisitor asks him angrily "Why bother distrupting the Quanari plot if you plan on destroying the world regardless?", and he answers sadly and with regret "Because I'm not a monster. If they must die, I'd rather they died in comfort."
We don't really know if it means the Dalish and city elves will be saved. We know that now he considers them people, but he never considered them HIS people. There's so much we don't really know, I'm really curious how the story will pick up... And regarding him hardening himself - interestingly a couple of years ago Bioware released a short story "Tevinter Nights", which briefly shows Solas, it happens five years after the Inquisition. He speaks to Charter, one of Leliana's agents after sparing her life - he asks her to apologize to the Inquisitor, that nothing will stop him from pursuing his plan. He also says that whatever he said during their final conversation in Trespasser was a moment of weakness, and a mistake that he will not repeat. Which especially stings if the Inquisitor in someone's world was a romanced Lavellan. Sooo, I guess time and determination really hardened him.
@@pativi6643 I think you mistook my comment for something else than musings. Also none of what you said refers to what I said. I was pointing towards what you said in regards to his line about "as Tranquil".
The thing I was saying in regards to the connection wasn't neccesarily about the people that currently live, but about people (general). If he thought the world would be empty if he went through with his plot then he'd not have done it.
I just love every conversation with Solas and Cole, but this one felt so much like "why are mommy and daddy fighting?" and I am crying...
The fact the Solas just makes Cole forget mid-sentence is a *really* nice detail. Solas is SO BAD at keeping his secret, it's a miracle Inky never calls him out.
Inky can call Solas out after Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. He'll say that he missed the intrigue of balls and they can say, "Oh really? You told me you've never been to one." And he dislikes that you caught him in a lie
@@petitecaptain8525 Lol, the Trickster God dislikes getting caught in a lie. That's hilarious.
@@Yawehplaneswalker616 For a trickster God Solas is actually a pretty bad liar. He omits stuff sure, but he is overall quite truthful in what he says.
@@petitecaptain8525 It's actually one of the only times Solas disapproves of a curious Inquisitor. All other times, he approves whenever you ask questions.
@@snowdropsinapril3045 Lying with the truth whether by omitting or manipulating it is what the best liars do tbf, much harder to completely fabricate something which is why he's so easily caught out when he does
Lavellan: *clearly upset over learning the true meaning of something important to her culture*
Sera, an intellectual: I will use this moment to proclaim my own superiority
This why I cannot really like her
That is why she is one of the worst characters in the series, tho, I wouldn't blame, she is not intelligent at all, so she must enjoy these rare chances
@@SeventhheavenDK I don’t think it’s a matter of intelligence so much as it is sheer immaturity.
not saying that it's ever nice to tease someone's culture, but... lavellan didn't really seem all that upset here, and sera has no idea what happened. she doesn't know she's upset. plus i can't think of a single moment any of my characters were visibly upset that she didn't try to console them, so i'm _really_ doubting she's randomly trying to play high and mighty here
David Kings Oh, Sera’s a complete and utter asshole, but I wouldn’t call her anywhere near one of the worst characters in the series. She has a sharp worldview, displays a lot of agency, shines a light on things that rarely get mentioned, has complicated motivations and background... she’s a great, strong character, even if, in real life, I’d be flipping off every chance I get.
It’s one of the things that DAI does really well: Creating good, complex, interesting characters, even if you might end up hating them on a personal level (see also Solas and Vivienne).
I'm replaying the game and all of Solas's line are pure gold foreshadowing. Kudos to the writers.
It's like they wrote out the whole thing, and then did a doubletake and rewrote only his lines to ensure that he showed his own knowledge. Or simply had the writers writing him know more than the rest.
@@M.DaturaDavid Gaider, the head writer, and Patrick Weekes, Solas’ main writer, did sit down and discuss what Gaider wanted to do with the character so that Weekes would know when writing. It turned out very well considering Weekes is now the main writer for the series.
@@magnusprime962 Yeah, I guess that would have been neccesary. Patrick Weeks still did a great job though, considering writing a character like this is quite tricky, even if you're the only one constructing canon.
cole: Who do i go with? Mum or dad?
Solas: come with me, ill save the world
Lavellan: Come with me and we might be able to stop your father from destroying the world
So i suppose the other companions are there like "You look different today, new haircut?"
That’s definitely how Dorian responds
@@alecsteele9438 lmao true xD
I love cole so much. In my opinion, he’s the best character in DAI
Vivianne
@@SeventhheavenDK taste 👌🏼
Cole and Vivienne
He’s our Fade baby... and for me, you gotta get past 3 warriors to hurt him 😆.
Cole is so precious! But I don't get why people in the comments like Vivienne... Like do you really get her character at all? Or do you just like characters who a selfish and power hungry and are using people just for their own gain?
I hadn't heard the dialogue between Lavellan/Cole/Solas, that...hurt.
There is another version of this dialgue where Cole mimics all Solas' words from the cutscene which is even more painful... I think the decision to break up with Solas after the removal of the vallaslin is the one that triggers dialague a or dialogue b
Edit: the trigger for the different dialogue is the actual remover of the vallaslin
It all hurts. The poor thing is just trying to help, but he can't, and he doesn't understand.
"you're real and it means everyone could be real", man.
Means even more now with the context of Veilguard
Andraste’s knitted nickers, Sera. It’s one thing to give a different perspective. That was just... cruel.
Whoever was writing Sera fkn hated her. I don't know other reasonable explanation of why would they write a character with an interesting concept and worldview into someone so two-dimensional- moreover, why so often there are no reasonable responses to her. It's almost always either "ok, whatever, psycho" or "you're stupid and insane, go fk yourself, you racist nutjob". The Inquisitor can have infinite patience and kindness for everyone's bs, except for Sera and her obviously internalized racism and complex feelings about her own heritage.
The fact that solas thinks about how beautiful you are while you’re running around 😢
“You can not heal this Cole”
Idk Solas, he’s pretty adorable
0:35 Sera, don't tempt with that open window behind you, you little-
you think she carries andruil in her or something.
Inquisitor/Solas/anyone: *Hurts/disappoints/saddens Cole in any way or form*
Me/Varric/Bull/etc..: *cocks shotgun* "Shame"
"They sleep masked in a mirror. Hiding, hurting, and to wake them" he is talking about the other Elven god's that were banished by Solas.
He's talking about the living elves separated from the fade. The separation is their mask of mirrors. Solas is having second thoughts, because he saw the hurt he brought by revealing the woman he loved part of the truth, removing the mask of mirrors. If it brings pain, is he doing right by his people trying to reconnect them to the fade?
Cole knew from the start
Cole adding that the Inquisitor was “embarrassed,” to the last interaction is so subtle and well done. I know there are a lot of problems with inquisition’s writing but the character dialogue is not one. Those little subtleties just put the nail in the coffin for my Inquisitor’s heartbreak 😭
Soooo. how do you feel about DAI's writing now that DAV is out?
@ My opinion on DAI is the same. The overall story writing is kind of shakey, especially with how things go way too well for the Inquisition, the inquisitor can’t really be made into a full rounded character, how some choices are just evil without any logical backing, and how you’re always a step or two ahead of Corypheus after Haven (so much so he stops feeling like a threat for a good chunk of the game, which is a shame cause he had a great introduction,) but the character dialogue more than makes up for it.
I’m enjoying DAV but the writing is all over the place. Sometimes really horrible, sometimes really damn great, most times, passable. Act 1 is a rough but improves once you pick up Davrin. The cringey gags about cooking is taking up way too much banter, it’s honestly pissed me off more than once. Whenever the first 4 companions interact, the dialogue is pretty shallow, but any dialogue that includes either Davrin, Emmrich, or Taash has really great character-insightful dialogue. Bummed out that they basically reduced Lucanis to a tumblr-esque cooking/coffee joke machine.
*Apologies for the long reply, my thoughts have really been all over the place w a new entry
@@wholockedholmes5600everything you said I totally agree with. At least they wrote solas better than most of the stuff in the new game
@@gothicrice8705 the Solas stuff had me hanging on his every word, his VA was in a league of his own in this game.
The Cole conversation oh my gosh my heart....
Just realized Solas found a way to block Cole 😮😨
Not just block but force him to forget the train of thought altogether. He does it again after you beat Corypheus too - you can find Cole upstairs in the tavern trying to reach out to Solas after he leaves. He'll be talking to himself and saying Solas' thoughts out loud (in Solas's cadence). He talks a bit about how the burden he now has to be bear is his alone to worry about, and then goes "Cole, though you reach out in compassion, I must now insist that you FORGET" at which point Cole spaces out, panics briefly as he struggles to remember what they were talking about, and then just kinda awkwardly tells the Inquisitor that he's ready to head out and help more people as usual.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has incredible voice acting, but THIS is the best voice acting in any game I’ve ever known.
this is why i dont like sera your friend is here in front of you opening up about something that obviously means a lot to her and you just had to use that moment to laugh at the dalish
I don't like Sera either, except she never gets to be my Inquisitor's friend.
Certain scenes with Sera are really fun. I really enjoy playing pranks with her, and that she makes you cookies, and her notes about how she wants to get you a nice gift are really cute. But then she screws it up by being an asshole at the worst times. Like, if she _started out_ like that and then matured over the course of the game, that'd be one thing, but she doesn't grow at all. At least she's more tolerable when you're a human or dwarf. :|
Sometimes that's just what you need, she puts things in perspective. You definitely need someone who doesn't believe in any of that tosh and won't mince around to 'be nice' to bring you back to reality when everyone's basically treating you like a bloody god. She will tell you how it is. She's not the friend you wanted, she's the friend you need.
Ah yes. Nothing like a friend laughing at my culture. Exactly what I need.
@@lasura . My favorite scene with Sera is when I kick her out of the Inquisition after the March at Vershiel, especially after the Inquisitor call her out for the hypocrite she is and Sera is left speechless.
I read "Companions comment on missing Vaseline". XD
Sera: "you're one of the good ones, inquisitor"
I really hate there wasnt a bro friendship version of this.
Oh same. Don't get me wrong, I *love* cliché romance tropes, but it would be so good if we had gotten to see The Power Of Friendship™ being just as powerful in influencing Solas and making him question his deeper motives (as heard in the dialogue with Cole, talking about "You're real, and it means everyone could be real", hinting about what is revealed later in the Trespasser DLC).
rambling aside I just want more media that shows friendship as being equally important to romance
@@veshialles Yes! We need more of The Power Of Friendship. I mean, love is love! Doesn’t have to be romance! Love of a friend is just as beautiful, or tragic, or intense.
yeah I had to play as an elf lady to get the secret elf ending...
@@veshialles Because modern writers sorta forgot how to write good Bromance without it turning gay, we forget that you can deeply love someone without being attracted to them sexually or romantically and don't get me started on Shippers, any deep relationship between the same sex and some rabid "fan" is gonna demand they be together. And that's why we can't have nice things.
Well if there's some attraction between the two dudes, like staring longingly into each other's eyes, then I side with the shippers. With so little good queer representation, people are so used to looking at every little sign that something could be a queer relationship. Though, I do really enjoy deep friendships between any genders and I too wish there could be that bro friendship between the inquisitor and Solas.
This is why I can't bring myself to romance Solas, I read about it and it sounds so heartbreaking and then this option. He takes away something so identifying and turns away from you. At least with keeping the markings he has more of a reason to turn away, since you clearly would not accept him being Fen Harel. But if you choose to remove the markings, you could listen to him and try to understand his actions. I get why there is no option to hear his side as it's a game, but I can't take that kind of heartbreak. Same reason why I will never sacrifice the Chargers, I will not break Dorian's heart and lose a good friend.
God bless Cullen romance
@@Monochrome_11 right ? That way she’s happy and will try to save her friend from himself, but I’m really curious to know who the fuck the next MC will be, the different characters we saw in the recent trailers hinted the return of origins stories, like one where I think you’re an antivan crow, and one where you could be part of a shady tevinter organisation I think we’ll be a criminal or at least an outlaw in the beginning of da4 this time but how could it link to solas in the end without being the inquisitor or part of the inquisition ? I’m really hyped about the story now 😭
I need to redo my playthrough. I was desperate to finish it before e3 and missed out on a lot of stuff even though I logged 300 hrs into it.
Can’t wait for the drama when the inquisitor finds a new party to take down her ex
Solas was spreading bad guy vibes since his introduction. At points I thought cole was gonna connect the dots and slug him.
well, that's the thing. cole always knew. he's a spirit. he just likes solas.
@@grinstrashcan Well, i think its easy to question weather solas IS a bad guy or not. Bad to some people for sure. But Solas i wouldnt really say is a bad guy, and if cole fully understands who he is, then i think think cole would perceive him as a bad guy either
@@joker80james his goal is admirable but the way he goes about doing it is so flawed
@@joker80james Solas is an elf who saved the world from the Evanuris (and possibly the extinction of Titans) and seeks to save it again; even outside of his perspective of all the world as tranquil, Thedas is wracked by blights, oppression, and an incoming war with the Qunari that is sure to be devastating. If those can't be stopped, then perhaps even tearing the veil and flooding the world with spirits and the chaotic responsiveness of the fade will save more people than leaving the world to it's Fate.
At least after the onset of such a world, people will find it better. But perhaps there's a way for Solas to achieve his goal without so much death.
I doubt Cole would punch him. He'd probably would be really sad though, considering Solas was his friend yet he's choosing to hurt so many innocent people.
I almost cried when solas said no to being with me
Almost?
oh I've cried for a straight week
He touched my Lavellan's butt then left, how fucking dare he?
I was super confused and thought I messed up the romance.
Got our hearts broken by an EGG
solas deliberately lies as little as possible, mostly by omission. replaying it, you see how he dances around questions and tells half-truths
Yeah, he's a bad liar but good at omiting the truth.
Honestly Ive always really hated how Solas removes the Vallaslin. Like yes, it WAS a slave marking, but the meaning for the Dalish had completely changed. Even if it wasn't a connection to the old elves like they thought, it was still part of their culture. Solas removing it would make her pretty much an outlaw among her own people, she would be looked down upon like a city elf, even if she told the real meaning behind the Vallaslin. Meanings of things can change over time, and even with the Vallaslin being a slave marking, it still has major significance in the modern Dalish culture. Solas was out of line to remove it from her, as he really isnt a part of the Dalish at all.
Solas is literally one of the Dalish Gods as it were. And it is completely optional to have the markings removed. And is an option only available to a Female Elven Inquisitor who Romances Solas. A Male Elven Inquisitor is never given this option even if they are on good terms with Solas.
@@clothar23 I know that he is but still. The meaning of the markings had completely changed so the Dalish are not Solas' culture at all, that was my point. Like I get where he was coming from but even the offer completely neglects the inquisitor's culture
@@n_mcg I don't know about you but if I found out that the markings on my face were originally slave marking designating who I belonged too...well I would want the damn things off my face as quickly as possible.
My only real problem with Solas offering to remove a Female elf's markings is his refusal to do the same for a Male Elf.
If he truly believed that removing them was the right thing to do the Dread Wolf would make the same offer to any Dalish regardless of their gender.
@@clothar23 I guess Im looking at it as the same way as like reclaiming a slur I guess. Although it originally was a negative thing, it evolved into something entirely different and connects the culture to their past.
I agree with what you are saying though, Solas is only doing it for a selfish reason, hence why he doesnt take it off a male elf
If you tell Solas not to remove it, he will respond that lavellan is perfect the way she is. He respects whatever the choice the players make. So I don't see why he gets hate for just telling the truth.
So Cole foreshadowed the Eluvians and their connection to Fenrael. Damn, need to play the game again now...
Man I love cole, he understands alot. I wish we could romance him but its nice hes got someone
Say it, Cole! He's Fen Harel
I actually sorta liked sera, or at least agreed with aspects of her views (regarding nobles) but after the shit she said here? I was pissed. I wish there was an option to be way more angry with her about it. I made up for it by giving her the boot
Me too, sometimes she's a tad too judgy about elves. She could have easily been born dalish and been just as elfy as the rest.
The thing about Sera is that she ultimately is a child. She never grew up and realized that real life is complicated, and she refuses to do so throughout the main game. It’s not until Trespasser that she starts to learn and become better.
It was an interesting choice in the game to have so many companions who don’t change. Varric and Josephine don’t really need to, but Solas, Sera, and Vivienne all have major flaws that hold them back as people and never truly grow from the Inquisitor’s influence, at least in the main game.
1:30 This moment is if Lavellan keeps her vallaslin, isn't it (and tells Solas to fuck off w/ the break up)? The second one is when she lets him remove it.
That's right
Sera's feelings towards the Dalish are perfectly valid and understandable, but her *constant* mocking of Dalish culture right in Lavellan's face is infuriating. Especially when you romance her, she's such an awful partner for Lavellan. Unless you're specifically role-playing as an Elf that never took her culture seriously.
My 2nd playthrough was a dalish elf that romanced Solas. It really added so much to the lore. This game is woefully underrated.
Coles comments are like..... bruh why do you have to hurt me like this........
I love Sera but this was one of the moments in the game I was like "GIRL IF U DONT GET OUT OF MY FACE RN" and almost kicked her out of the Inquisition. Her development in Trespasser is actually really beautiful to see. She has a lot of maturing to do, which makes sense given she is one of the youngest companions.
Josephine's reaction is cuuuute
You missed a line. If Ii remember correctly, I think Dorian makes a comment about the Vallaslin (then again, it's been a few months since I saw the immediate reactions to its removal)
I‘ve always disliked Sera now after this video I‘m willing to give her the boot out of the inquisition
Why would anyone dislike Sera???
@@DeezNutsssssss she's abjectly caustic to anyone trying to do an elvish playthrough, same to a mage playthough, acts like anyone in any situation other than her exact one is her enamy, and is cruel to cole.
I could deal with all but the cruelty to cole. Even the iron bull, raised to be terrified of spirits, is kind to cole.
I dont like vivienne for the same reason. What kind of monster does it take to be cruel to Compassion?
😂❤
@@bookwyrmofthenorth exactly! She believes that being an uneducated bumpkin is the best way to live.
@@bookwyrmofthenorth As if you will allow yourself to air your own dirty laundry in front of everyone. Vivienne might be a jerk to Cole, but Cole is not a saint either for not knowing the word confidentiality. Sure he's a spirit and he subscribes to a different mindset from humans, but not everyone can accept him. And general rule of thumb, only offer help if the recepient only wants it.
10 years and this is me learning for the first time that Solas can remove your Vallaslin... guess that's what i get for never romancing him 😂
Cole casually dropping hints that solas is not who he seems to be
I'd love to do another playthrough but the game can be so dam tedious.
Thank you. I have only seen this on TH-cam and have been wondering what else would happen if you remove your markings. Love this. I just wish they had gone more into detail. I mean it is a pretty big thing. I'd probably be pretty nosy
Glad you found my video interesting 😊 I wonder whether Bioware go further with this whole marking things in Dreadwolf or not.
hi guys, i'm going through heart break with the egg, is there a discord or something to rant with people about it? i really need it ,____,
Oh sweet Cole. I should have taken you outside with me but I wanted you safe.
I encountered none of these and was slightly annoyed nobody mentioned a giant missing tattoo.
When... ? How... ? I totally missed this. Maybe I should have given Solas the time of day after all.
No you shouldent, i make it a point to always punch the smug little prick every time i start a new game.
These events occur if you romance Solas. Only available to Elf women. The Female Elven Mage is the canon Inquisition story perspective IMO. Everything just fits right.
Don't feel bad. I just finished the game last night and never had the reactions, was a little salty over it to!
Cole, my boy ;_;
ok so that's the reactions of the companions that, well, react then.
Dorian, Bull, Blackwall, Varric and Vivviene don't react then? (is that everyone that was missing from this/doesn't react?)
Solas' romance was apparently added very late in development so it might be possible that they didnt want to do a bunch of new voice lines lol
What does it mean when he says turned away?
I was a male elf, so I don't know their (intimate) details lol
When Solas lets Lavellan choose to remove or keep the vallaslin, he kisses you at the end and then, no matter the choice, suddenly breaks up with you.
"we need to do better!" yeah because every dalish clan has a god in disguise to teach him how the ancient elven empire really was. Seriously, how could the Dalish do better with what they know and what they have? that's pretty stupid.
I think she's referring specifically to that the dalish, as seen at other times, can be really stubborn about including more in their understanding of their own history. It was no doubt also a way to lighten the mood - it seems a very "laugh or cry" kind of moment.
@@M.Datura Ok, that make more sense.
Hahaha Cole is really concerned
Ironically, My DA:Origins Hero of Ferelden, is a Dalish Elf Warrior, without Vallaslin, because face tattoos are not necessarily my thing.
Then fast forward to 2016 with this. 😅
Lore wise, I like to think my Hero of Ferelden was recruited by Duncan in time before the Vallaslin ritual. 🎉🎉
0:45 ...I get her most of the time, but I would have offended as hell 😅
At least give me the option to say "it's unfortunate or we're trying"
Good grief...!
MY BABY COLE 😭😭
AWW COLE
So the old gods/elven gods cole says : they sleep,masked in the mirror 🪞 🤔,
The true failure of the Dalish isn't that they get things wrong about their history. It's that they strive so hard to preserve a history that is long since dead and forgotten. Instead of taking what they can from the past and using it to build a new future, their entire culture is dedicated to clinging to a fading past, in an exercise in prolonged futility.
They live in the past, and are incapable of moving on and into the future. They refuse to build new atop the old, and as such, they stagnate, and revert, and yet they believe themselves the experts on a past which of which they are, in truth, woefully ignorant.
But Solas is no better - seeking to obliterate the present to restore the past. The Elves of old fell for a reason, and his actions were merely one part of it. Undoing his own act will not bring back the world he loved - only destroy the one that exists today.
Can you imagine that her face tattoos were devoted to the god that killed Solas first love?
Auch!
God I hate Sera. She's the worst
So far, you people have proven to be the worst part of the fanbase.
@@sarenarterius6058What people?
sara is such a darling
I love seeing people get angry over Sera’s comment, completely ignoring that she was right about the Dalish. They’re complete hypocrites who think any elf born into human society is somehow lesser, and yet they don’t even understand their own history and literally brand themselves with slave markings.
True, but will throwing hatred and disdain back at them help anyone? Especially the Inquisitor, who was being perfectly respectful and kind to Sera?
@@magnusprime962 she has disdain for the dalish, not the inquisitor
@@kake1604 This inquisitor is dalish
@@federicomachado811 Did you seriously not read my comment. You can dislike a nation or organization but not dislike certain members. She doesn’t like what the Dalish represent, but she learns throughout the game that the inquisitor is different.
Oh she's right, is she? Is that why she feels the need to emotionally manipulate an Inquisitor who is romancing her if they don't agree that the Elves must have worshipped demons?
I hate Sera. The racist disrespect.
And that's why I really dislike Sera
god Sera's reaction is god awful.
God I hate Sera so much.