I think you're underrating Iron Bull's cunning - and of how unrepresentative he is of Qunari. Iron Bull is a fantastic spy because he has two personalities. He has his big bullish rule breaking man of war side he displays, which breaks people's guard because it's so un-Qunari. But he's also got a cold ruthless devoted side. And like the best of spies - neither is a pretence. He's so good at living the lie he doesn't even really know which one is real anymore. The incident with the chargers forces him to choose. When he betrays you he doesn't feel like Bull any more because he's not, he's chosen his ruthless Qunari spy side and discarded the personality he displayed to you to get you on side. And the daring thing about the game is they never show you that side of him until the end - because thats what a great spy does.
Same as with Zevran Iron Bull is not just about sex. He loves sex and so does Zevran but there is more behind those muscles. He truly loves you. He gives an option to back away and say no and he still does in the ongoing romance. The scene with him lying naked there and characters bumping in was funny imo. He isn't ashamed about his nudety at all. He lets his body speak instead if a "I love you."
50:00 ok I just have to put in my two cents here, for my own sake. Blackwall and Solas being similar people is entirely intentional, and I think it adds depth to both their characters. In a way, they bond through their recognition of one another as kindred spirits (as veterans and men with skeletons in their closet both, even if they don't know what is haunting the other). But when Blackwall's secret is outed and we come to understand his participation in the Inquisition as his attempt to atone (tenfold if you're romancing him), he takes a moral high ground on Solas that Solas can't accept, because he projects himself onto Blackwall and sees in his actions something he himself should probably be doing. The guilt and self-hatred consume him, and manifests itself as anger and rejection towards Blackwall, moreso than anyone else in the game (barring Cassandra, but she gets over it). It's a profoundly genius bit of writing from both Weekes and Chee, and so subtle you miss it if you're not explicitly looking for it, like much of Blackwall's character. He's not grandstanding or overstated by anyone's standards, nor are his sins as heavy-handed as Solas's, who ends up drowning him out with his swan song (sorry, his dinan'shiral). But they're peas in a pod, exactly alike in all ways except one: Blackwall's willingness to put in the work to redeem himself, setting him irrevocably aside from Solas, who inexplicably decides to double down on his mistakes. Sorry for the longwindedness. I just felt y'all weren't being very fair with Thom :'| I love him dearly and am well versed in defending myself, as you can probably tell. He's very misunderstood.
yet she prospered off a broken system and expected all her compatriots to do and believe the same. She was the head of the White Spire and the Court Enchanter yet Cole(the mage) died in her own circle and than a Spirit of Compassion haunted her own tower and she didn't care. I like her character but in universe she is the definition of privileged
To be quite honest, I think Sera would have fit in waaaaaaay better into the Dragon Age 2 character era. Inquisition is really grandiose and has all these things about saving the world and full areas, and her being the one singular thing telling you about the "little people" really was not integrated well. Also I dislike that she is the only companion you can kick out whenever. But I commend Bioware for not being afraid of making a Lesbian romance finally. But she would've just fit the da2 setting better with her whole attitude.
I appreciate that you put this into words! I have always had a feeling that Sera, while a good enough character on her own, never quite “fit” in the grand scheme of things in Inquisition. Her Red Jenny antics seems so trivial compared to everything else going on.
I really appreciate Cole. One of my favorite tropes is robots trying to learn to human and he fits into this so neatly. Finding out that much of his character was inspired by autistic people warms my heart and makes me feel seen. For once, here is someone like me who isn't just a human calculator or a screaming child. Here is someone who cares so much that he doesn't know how to handle it. Here is someone who doesn't understand why humans behave the way they do and is allowed to ask "why?" He is so kind and just wants to help but doesn't understand how or why things he does wrong isn't helping when it's exactly what people seem to want. I have never related to any fictional character so deeply in my 31 years of life and I love him so much.
For Iron Bull: -Weapon with guard on hit or kill (Fade touched obsidian) -Taunt that gives him more guard -The other ability under taunt that also raises guard After that he's real good For Sera: -Upgrade poisoned weapons; the upgrade makes it to where she recovers I think about 5% of her health with every poisoned arrow that lands -Other poison skills -That lightning flask; the last one in her specialisation After that, especially with the first point, she's real good
Iron Bull being controlled by the AI using his "intended" kit of a 2hander Reaver is atrocious. However, sword & shield Reaver under the players control is a literal immortal demon. Sera's tempest abilities can also delete dragons when under the player's control but the AI doesnt use them well. Basically the AI sucks this is Baby Sit: Inquisition
The AI’s handling of offensive classes in Inquisition is pretty damn terrible. It’s sad because if you take the time to get your tactics scripts right in DAO and DA2 you really can automate your party members pretty well for most battles.
In Tresspasser when you say that the "Dread Wolf took you" thing and Solas very passionately says he would never have slept with you under false pretenses it kinda sounds like a jab at Blackwall. But yeah, sleeping with Quizzy was actually the bit I found sketchier than being left naked in a barn. I still like Blackwall but I do not blame the friends I have for totally shutting him down after that. I feel his romance can be really touchy for a lot of women players.
The Inquisition cast are the strongest cast in my opinion. Not only are the new characters amazing (Solas, Dorian, Vivienne, Iron bull), but even the returning characters get so much better (Morrigan, Leliana, Cassandra, Cullen).
Inquisition has a touch less stand outs than other games, but everyone (bar Sera) is so solid and they're all handled so well. The way Bull, Solas and Blackwall can develop is fantastic too
Honestly think it has the weakest cast in Bioware history(not counting MEA). Especially pre Trespasser. Out of the new characters Dorian and Solas are the only ones that I could see holding up to golden era Bioware companions. And I personally feel that every returning character was worse. I was so excited when I learned Varric and Cassandra would be companions but both were a shell of what they were in DA2.
In defense of Bull, Zeveran, etc. There is a need, given the things that the inquisitor and warden go through, for someone there to just crack your back. It's nice to fall in love during a world crisis that you are the only one equipped to handle, but, honestly how realistic is that? Let Bull crack my sh*t in twain so we can get back to business.
Solas gives me Regis from the Witcher books vibes. Otherworldy creatures that know much more than they let on and gently nudge the main character to their way of thinking and guide them towards their end goal. The main difference is that Solas is very judgemental and Regis isn't
For me Ironbull using the safe word only when you talk about not making it out alive is probably the best way they can show that even though it may have just started as just sex it didn't remain that way.
Iron Bull, mr. "plays the Immortal Game in his head with Solas" is Archer-dumb? I feel like you might have glossed over some nuance to his character there. He's a Ben Hassrath agent playing the part of a Tal-Vasoth. Maybe consider that some of his "I like hitting things" persona is adapted to that cover and was a "always truth to the mask but also scared of becoming it" kind of arc. He even makes like he's an open book with his early candid admission but we *know* from the events of Trespasser he's absolutely not. Also, IMHO, it's a very queer coded story in that he presents a different type of personality depending on who he's interacting with to better blend in.
Romance for Iron Bull drifts between a 5 and 6 in my book. Yea there is a lot of sex with him. But there is also feelings there. The dialogue the inquisitor and him have is quite nice. With him you actually seem to be having fun. It isn't drama filled and that's perfectly fine. They also aren't going to show the ball gag and stuff lol. If the creators could get away with showing stuff like that we probably would have seen that and more. We do know that in trespasser he has us hanging from a chandelier which is interesting especially for a male qunari. Iron bull is also the only romance option that actually dances with you inside during Halamshiral quest. The rest just dance with you on the patio when it's over. Josephine even comments on it, which was a nice surprise since she doesn't do it with anyone else. His personal quest is by far the most interesting. To see the elation in his face when choosing to save his family is beautiful. Then to see how he fights with himself on now being a talvashoth adds to character. Solas put it best when he said that iron bull finally made a choice for himself and that he shouldn't punish himself for it. It can even be gut wrenching if the wrong option is chosen.
Blackwalls acting in the emotional moments is top notch. I also thought Jose was more of the girly girl the dude bros would want to romance. Messed those around BioWare :p
After going through the voting form. I realized that apparently my favourite characters are: DAO - Alistair, DA2 - Carver/Fenris, DAI - Sera and Vivienne. Also, completely agree on Caitie's take on Sera's romance, it's indeed very earnest and sweet. *I still disagree on your Zevran take, shame on you.
I’ve been anticipating this episode since before Catie went on her TH-cam Maternity leave! Can’t wait to see Dorian win it all Edit: My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Dorian is the best!! Though I would agree that Solas beats him, simply because he's got a major part for the story. I would, however, much rather spend time with Dorian than with Solas on any given day. Edit: completely forgot about the abilities, I absolutely love necromancy specialisation personally!
32:20 Ohhh interesting, I never thought of that scene after Haven that way! I just had a huge eye-opening realization when I heard Caitie say that, in a way, Solas is looking at the Inquisitor in this moment - and the scene where they all start to sing and kneel down before you really IS that moment where you become more than a person to the people and the history books (or in Solas's case, started to be worshiped as a god) - and you see him watching the scene and taking the Inquisitor aside because that IS what happened to him and he knows what it feels like and "the burden of a title that all but replaces your name". It's such a great parallel. Maybe I'm overanalyzing this, but in general, I feel like a lot of DAI's story and every companion mirrors some aspect of Solas's own story and character. (But I'd sit here for hours if I'd get into that, so I won't. xD) But if that was the intention, then they did an amazing job imo. Like Caitie said, Solas is basically thinking "You're gonna be what I was" when he's looking at the Inquisitor and that rang a massive bell for me, because it sounds sooo much like the line we heard in the DA4 Behind the scenes video, when he said "They call me the Dread Wolf. What will they call you, when this is over?". Like, oof, assuming that this line even makes it into the game, what does that mean for the actions of the potential new protagonist?
Honestly, Blackwall romance surprised in a really good way. Totally overlooked it. Still, Dorian is the best companion of Inquisition and one of the best in the overall series. And just to clarify because i felt like saying it. When i think of Dorian, the first things that come to my head are (in no particular order) Moustache, Sassy and Tevinter. Althought small part of his personal quest, the fact that he is gay is the last thing that i think about when thinking about Dorian.
Enjoyed the episode, but I can’t believe Iron BullxDorian wasn’t brought up. Talked about Vivienne and Bastien, but not Adoribull. I honestly feel like that’s the relationship they’re both “meant” to be in. 🤷🏻♀️
I am extremely surprised that you guys rated Varric's playability so low. Artificer Archer is one of the highest, if not the highest, dps build in the game and Varric has access to it. If you get Opportunity Knocks from the Artificer tree, Looked Like It Hurt from the Sabotage Tree, max your crit chance, and spam Leaping Shot from the Archery tree, you can deal crazy amounts of damage. Here's a link to a speedrunner who used this technique and shows how broken it is when built properly (it's best showcased at 27:42 for the Guardian of Mythal and 29:38 against Corypheus): th-cam.com/video/PgKo4rhDYJ0/w-d-xo.html. It's an easy 7 in my rankings.
"I don't know why, but I speced Vivienne with Ice..." Well- it does help that in the vast majority of the scenes with her using magic (on her own) she uses ice spells. Honestly I'm surprised you couldn't just use an upgraded version of the basic trees if the specializations didn't interest you.
14:30 How dare you forget my darling Josephine! I shall have recompense for this grand slight! 1:03:00 The best way I have been able to describe Sera is "Manic Pixie Dream Girl minus all of the Dream." If you couldn't guess, was not a fan.
1:23:43 I'm listening to this after the listener round-up companion review episode, and I left a long-ass comment on that one specifically about the psychology about Bull and BDSM without even knowing Jordan made this complaint. But even though I *do* think the exploration of the psychology of Bull and BDSM *was* there and very well-developed, I also feel like someone should say this: Some people are just kinky and that's okay. There isn't always going to be a deep psychological reason for why someone likes the kind of sex they like (and even if there is, it's not necessarily interesting). To me, that's on the same level as asking why is Cassandra into poetry and romance novels. There is an answer to be found in the game, but people have no trouble buying her romance without knowing the explanation, and no one seems to think that it *requires* an explanation the same way they think the way Bull's BDSM does. Because Cassandra's romanticism is considered normal and Bull's BDSM isn't. And I get that this is your fun and unabashedly subjective ranking system, but it still feels kind of off to me to dock his romance points due to something you admit you just don't understand.
8:30 It also is the "Show, don't tell" philosophy, that plays into it. Aveline is a much more relatable character because we see her go through her hardships. The death of her husband, her struggle in the Donnic romance, her rise at the city guards, etc. Meanwhile, Cassandra for a major part of Inquisition only talks about the struggle she lives through. We see her softer side only once with Varric's book. And we see her struggle only once with the quest to find the Seeker captain or whatever his rank is called. And she has her rank as one of your advisors and Inquisition leadership from the beginning. There is no rise to power, if we don't count the option for her to become the Divine. (and I never knew how to influence the outcome of that for Cassandra to become Divine.) 1:10:00 To me it is rather the opposite. I liked playing Knight Enchanter myself, but the AI can't really deal with it. The AI like "the companion is a mage and thus should stay at a distance, but those spells need to be used in melee. Now I am confused and don't know what I should do." especially since some core features oh how I skilled her were bugged (right after release) and thus didn't actually work. That lightning passive for "whenever you cast a spell, enemies around you take lightning damage" for example didn't trigger, while it would have been great with that arcane blade or whatever it was called. 1:19:00 The Iron Bull brings the Qun to the player, and he does it in a way were you can actually sympathise and argue if the Qun is better or worse than the feudal system that most of thedas follows. Compared to DA:O's Sten, who was a zealous follower of the Qun but whenever asked about it, he would just say something along the lines of "You aren't a Qunari, you wouldn't understand." In DA:O, it feels like the Qun wasn't very ... well worked out. To the point were Sten was just an oversized human, but everyone considered Qunari to be non-human monsters. DA2 then surprised everyone with how the new look of the Qunari is, but at the same time didn't care to elaborate their culture. They just ended up as "the enemy at out doorstep". That makes me like the Iron Bull from a narrative standpoint, at least.
I believe that Cassandra’s accent is based on historical Prussian accents which is why it sounds like a mash of several present-day accents but isn’t super identifiable.
Vivienne brings up interesting questions on likeability in characters. She is very well written and realised as a character which really contrasts with how I feel about her on a personal level. My last playthrough she really disliked me and just watching her play her manipulation game just felt so childish and self serving. But again, it works for her character. And then there was her personal quest and the way she uses his death to gain favour with the court was the nail in the coffin for my ever respecting her. However, again, it fits perfectly with her being a bitch and knowing it as mentioned earlier.
Glad I'm not the only one who's bothered by that Cassandra line lol Plus I always love these because of how controversial they end up. Overall. Cassandra-5 Varric-6 Solas-7 The Iron Bull-7 Sera-4 Vivienne-4 Blackwall-5 Cole-6 Advisors: Leliana-6 Josephine-5 Cullen-5
Although I disagree with a fair amount of your decisions, I enjoy the other perspectives If I had to say my top favs of DAI it would be (in no order) Cole, Solas and Iron Bull Iron Bull has this really cool double life story where the PC only really sees glimpses into the Qun side of Bull. The PC is shown this intelligent and jokey buff guy who's almost parental to his merc group as well as reasonably sexual but in a way meant to be relieving for the PC to distress from being the leader of a massive religious-based organisation. The PC never sees Bull before his merc life unless you sacrifice the chargers and that Bull is cold, ruthless and driven by the Qun and his duties to the Viddasala. There are 2 sides to Bull and he has to completely let go of the Qun side if you keep the chargers because now he has no Qun, he's Tal'Vashoth, a traitor to his people. Everything that he was from day one gone in the blow of a horn and the 2 minor assassins that get sent after him make him feel as if he wasn't worth it to the Qun at all. Like a lot of the companions in DAI, Bull is religious and on the same level as Cassandra truthfully in their devout stature to the scripture of their religion. Sure his Reaver spec isn't the greatest but truthfully, none of the DAI specs are that great save Assassin, Blackwall's spec and Knight Enchanter. It feels like you are almost meant to play all four companions at once and most people don't do that and the AI isn't great at picking up the slack. I don't think that has anything to do with the specs themselves but rather the AI. I mean I have had Blackwall go down every fight in one run-through and in another he's an absolute god and I don't change much spec-wise between playthroughs so it feels heavily AI based. As someone who has romanced Bull the most out of every character, I can confidently say that there is more to him than "Archer-dumb bsdm fiend who's there to rock your shit and potentially backstab you". I don't think I need to say much about Solas bc it feels fairly universal that he's one of the best written characters in the Dragon Age Universe. Fighting wise, he keeps my party alive as I'm a filthy rogue main and his party banter is some of the most interesting of the bunch. Cole, however, I feel got some pretty sharp negatives and that worsened when I read the positive comments here. I loved the kid even before I found out that he has roots in autism. The way he talks is directly related to the fact that he is a spirit that only got a human form a couple years ago and now he is having to learn how the world works in a very tumultuous environment and in places that are not apt or open to teaching him. Solas and Varric are the only people to genuinely attempt to help him learn and even then there's conflict between "remain a spirit" or "become a human". He doesn't get a quiet moment to learn how society works and when people try to teach him, other companions try and brutally shut him down. Cole's voice actor did a great job with tone and intonation when speaking, showing just how wide Cole's mind is but how narrow it is at the same time. He is essentially a child in an adult's body being forced to act older than he is and handle concepts he can't understand to the scrutiny of people who wish to see him either dead or gone and the whole time he just wants to help. He just wants to cure wounds and bandage injuries no matter what. That is his character drive, to help others in any way he can. I personally keep him as a spirit because it seems like the kinder option for him. Keeping Cole as a spirit means that, while some companions still give him harsh scrutiny over his existence, he is seemingly more at peace. I believe Cole even says "I am more like what I am" or words to that effect later on and that made me feel so happy for him. He is a spirit now safe from binding and able to help people in ways that no one else can without the hindrance of having to fumble around in conversations and saying the wrong thing and making their hurt worse. Cole, to most of my PCs, is a spirit of compassion with a drive to make the world happier. He is my favourite rogue companion because he holds his own with a decent dps on top of that. His party banter is sweet especially with Dorian as you actively see him learn about appropriate questions as well as getting to see that Dorian is more than just the gay flamboyant mage from dreaded Tevinter.
I have waited for this for so long ! Jordan always has me conflicted...I appreciate the Jacob and Kaidan defense, and yet he talked down on Zev and Fenris in previous episodes. Hopefully the elves are spared this time around 😂 Thanks for all the content. I appreciate what you two provide for us !
Varric's specialization is by far the best rogue specialization; and he buffs your entire party with crit chance as well. He's super great in gameplay terms, his build is a little complicated and relies on resetting cooldowns. Does mean the AI cant use him right, though.
Artificer is certainly OP, but Idk about the best rogue spec. In terms of damage, tempest and assassin don't really lose to artificer. Though, artificer's dps is more stable, whereas tempest and assassin are more bursty. When it comes to varric himself though, what I've noticed for myself and a bunch of other players, he bugs out a bit. Something about Bianca probably is affecting him, and a bunch of times I see him using leaping shot, but he only leaps backwards and no arrows spawn. This can happen to an Inquisitor too sometimes, but it seems to happen more often to varric. Still, unless he gets really buggy at some points, he's on par with sera when controlled by the AI.
@@BunnyHoper7 Yeah, and Sera is better as dual daggers than she is as an archer; tempest works better that way. While it's true that her burst dps is probably higher, and between the three she can be hard to kill, Varric can also set up combinations that allow him to heal any damage he takes and deal so much consistently... He's better for fights against big targets, which means mostly dragons. He also gets amulets of power without much difficulty and very early, which is nice when compared to other companions. Cole is just way too squishy and struggles against what he can't immediately kill; he's by far the least useable. Bugs are a consideration, and leaping shot is most of his damage, but I also advocate controlling him, which seems to be the difference; I believe that when you aren't controlling him (or any other companions) their skills are more prone to bugging out.
@@InnsannaStories I definitely do not agree that sera works better with daggers, the AI is not as good with daggers as it is with the bow, at least not on nightmare with trials. I also do not agree that tempest itself (even when youre in control) works better with daggers than with the bow, one reasoning being that it's easier to hit multiple enemies during flask of lightning with a bow than with a dagger, and getting the lightning hit all of them from the upgrade to FoL. This idea that daggers works much better for tempest is suspect to me, the only sort of benefit you have is from flask of frost, but i don't need daggers to go in melee range anyways... I mean, when it comes to varric one huge downside is that he only gets one fade touched ability, he's the only character in inquisition who suffers that (unless u have him with daggers), and FT abilities are pretty important imo. So, for me, Varric gets better when I let the AI use hail of arrows, but even then i don't think he's much better than sera if he is at all. Sera can lay a barrage of arrows during flask of lightning, so she can really shred through bosses too. And ofc, if I was to control a tempest, every dragon would be dead from throwing blades spamming during flask of fire, in a matter of seconds. Anyway, I don't like controlling companions, I want my focus to be as much as possible on the inquisitor, so I do end up building my party in support roles to be pretty self sufficient. Like, they could really get through most situations in the game with little help from me, bar perhaps a few hakkonite fights... But really, varric seems to suffer from bugs more than the rest, even when i control him. When it comes to Cole, I imagine he works better with a bow when controlled by the AI. There is a build around from paws pause i think that showcases a daggers cole controlled by the AI, and he works well enough. If u were to control him though, u just need to find the right setups and playstyle for assassin, which can be quite different from other specs, like for example if u use bosuns blade (5x to all damage from the back or w/e).
@@BunnyHoper7 Tempest works better with daggers; tempest with a bow does what the Artificer does worse, which is spam leaping shot. Most archer skills take forever to use, and daggers rogue has plenty of AOE and can be attacking from permanent stealth while triggering on hit effects like mad, which largely renders Sera (or the Inquisitor) unkillable, especially with Frosty. Also, sheer dps is most important during lightning flask, above all else. But it seems we have totally different playstyles, so I get that. I switch between my party members regularly to cast important spells like dispel and help my rogues do their job, my Inquisitor is often a warrior so I don't have to worry about them as much.
@@InnsannaStories LUL first of all, u don't get more aoe with daggers than with the bow. And if you have 6 enemies all pretty separated, u can still hit all of them with the bow and get the lightning hits, whereas u cant with daggers. Also, permastealth is pretty much as possible with the bow as it is with daggers. Being unkillable is ridiculously easy as a rogue as u can have elusive stacks, the enhanced amulet of barrier and a defensive masterwork, all keeping u very safe. Also, unless u use focus abilities, tempest will hit the hardest with leaping shot if used after spamming a lot of throwing blades as the damage bonus carries over, and tempest can spam TB the longest without a party. No, sheer dps is what's most important during Flask of Fire, not Flask of Lightning. It's during FoFire that u can really let out all of your burst. Oh, and when it comes to offensive FT abilities like walking bomb and hidden blades, I believe they have an internal cooldown, so daggers should only get (perhaps) a small advantage there. Can u tell me your ability setup on ur bar for your daggers tempest? I'm really curious about it now...
While I can’t say he’s the best companion in the game, I think Iron Bull got a lot of disrespect here. First, I think he gets hosed having the reaver class as the “go-to” because the class just plays like ass unless you’re the one controlling it. Second, and this could just be my interpretation, it came across like you probably didn’t use him all that much, and I think there’s a bunch of amazing character moments in his party banter that really raise his stock. Again, certainly doesn’t make him the best, but at least above average in most categories.
Inquisition's roster is easily my least favorite out of the franchise, but it's got some real diamonds mixed in with the rough. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Also, wow. Idk how I spec'ed Bull differently than apparently both of you, but Bull was my tank 🤣 y'all hate the guy and he was my best warrior by far. He was awesome in my dragon slaying group. Idk what I did wrong, or right, but holy hell you guys shit on my best Warrior 😂
Been a wild ride, can’t wait for more. Happy Late New Year! Also, if Cass isn’t 7/7 I will be severely disappointed. (Edit) I am severely disappointed.
I don't think ya'll be using Iron Bull right if he's a glass cannon He should just be cannon if you build him right....no threat of death ever...never have to babysit em
My favorite character in any video game ever is Sera. In my defense, I was 15 when I played DA:I for the first time and that's pretty much what I was like.
Caitie's Cassandra VO line comment : 100% For me the Cassandra/Aveline difference is between C) executing the mission and someone else's vision vs A) fostering a strong community Oh Varric... way too much red lyrium chat. Varric is good at the top of the game, with Hawke, check-ins with the Inquisitor, and at the end. The red lyrium was Way overdone. Any game that returns to red lyrium as a mechanic and a theme needs to take Varric's railroad narrative as a cautionary tale. On Solas... totally agree. Solid in so many ways. His approach is proven problematic but correct. He's a prideful asshole with a soft spot. (I can almost hear the VO director prompt "make disdain approachable") This brings up a thought for me though: Dragon Age has from title to title reinvented itself by inverting the world of previous games while keeping to or expanding the lore. (By that I mean, Grey Wardens get darker shades, vulnerabilities, and extremists as a balance to their hero complex from DA:O, the Fade and demons get fleshed out and complicated with the spirit/demon/dreams/memories narratives, etc etc. For me the biggest new territory to get into is Tevinter (duh) but it's not the biggest inversion opportunity; the biggest inversion would be providing some evidence of the Maker's existence and any truth or witness of the Chantry's worldview being valid. Dragon Age has spent three games, numerous comics, et al revealing 'secrets' about how the world of Thedas actually works and its history (Old gods, Elven gods, Lyrium is Aliiiiive, Titans, blight is disease but also a curse but also an accident) and all of it together renders the Maker narratively impotent. The hardest thing for me to do in a Dragon Age game nowadays is to take a devout Andrastian/Maker believer seriously. Invert THAT and you're off to the races. Blackwall needed more for me to buy into his story. Keep all the ingredients but maybe introduce them differently? I wanted one or some of the people who join you at Haven/Skyhold to have met the real Blackwall, or to have been saved by him. The most interesting moment of his whole lie-as-backstory happened if you took him to the Winter Palace and began to see behind the facade. If you don't take him there, it's just hints and tidbits here and there. What about a scene where the inquisitor walks in on Blackwall and Cassandra deciphering the Grey Warden treaties? She and Leliana are the most suspicious MFers in the game - SOMETHING interesting or useful could drop from that, especially if Blackwall is caught out in some concrete way. I rate the performance and his mechanics pretty highly, but his personal story slumped hard in the middle. Sera was an attempt at the "grit makes the pearl in an oyster". She's a crunchy character for sure which could be interesting... but it felt to me like she was a paint-by-numbers character constructed out of the discarded or 'unchosen' parts of previous companions. She's somehow both common and privileged, pro and anti-magic, pro and anti-templar, pro and anti-'the way things were' before the Breach, pro and anti-Chantry... If she'd been a central character and any one of those narrative lines could have been explored more, she'd go over better. As it stands, she starts crunchy and mixed up and ends crunchy, mixed up, with uber powerful magic weapons. Vivienne I've come to appreciate more with time. Per my challenges with Chantry-centric characters, I found it difficult to empathize with Vivienne at first over anything except her romance. With most of the other characters the main banner over their faces in my mind is of their ideals or perspective, with a subscript on opportunism or ambition. Vivienne just plasters her ambition over everything from the word go. I want characters like that who can challenge me as a player, but it makes her a very difficult companion for me. Even when the love of her life dies, I don't think the Inquisitor ever gets to see Vivienne's interiority. She talks about other people, other places, plans, and schemes fluently... but anything that might be thought of as personal or fundamental gives over to stock answers and prepared lines. I think she attempts to bolster the inquisitor in a way that I wanted Josephine to do. Diplomatic and institutional savvy need not be 'nice'. I say all this while still loving the voice actress. I've seen her on stage and she's brilliant. Completely disagree with Caitie on Bull. (until she switched the rating categories) Before Bull in the series we hadn't had a soldiers' soldier except for Loghain. Everyone else has some sort of agenda or priority layered over their combat prowess: Templar baggage, city management, oh damn I'm a prince, etc. Maybe it's just that Qun baggage is less explored, but we see more of it through Bull's rejection than we do through Sten's embrace of it. Bull and the Chargers give me a hint of what the next Dragon Age title may do: focus on regular people coming together without the world-bending institutions or politics of the previous games. That itself is new, but they also invert mercenary company tropes internally. I think the execution, dialogue, and VO could have been 10% better, but overall a good companion. I believed that Seheron existed as he described it. I instantly filled in the details on the 're-education' process for a disobedient agent. The romance less so, but granted it's in the context of a home society that destroys bonds and relationships and families on the regular. On the one playthrough where I went politics over people, Bull's betrayal HURT. On that one scene when he takes the inquisitor around to meet the common soldier, it's straight out of Shakespeare's Henry V. One of the things that original scene does better is a nighttime outdoor setting, with characters who've never seen or met the king before. Inquisition and Dragon Age in general has bias toward seeing the main character's face in reaction scenes as a shortcut and suggestion of how the player should feel (either that or your immediate ability to 'choose' how you feel results in a visible reaction). The Henry V scene mostly leaves the king stunned into silence and a monologue after it reveals his inner thoughts and concerns. By and large the choose your own adventure style game that Dragon Age is means that the main character is never going to be good at monologues or long form reflection. There are too many variables. Fuck Cole. The abstract lines and attempts at depth were so transparent. You can feel and hear the Writing in every line, rather than the person. Zero suspension of disbelief. Dorian was great. I will say I wanted more crunchiness, but I'm looking forward to getting that in the next game. I thought the father's half of the 'I disappoint my family because I'm gay and because of my politics' was saccharine, but Dorian was much better. Also Dorian's conversation about whether he and the Inquisitor stay together has a better arc and variety than Bull's whole romantic arc. I think Dorian's playbility suffers a bit from the minions vs boss divide. Dorian's DPS goes high once he's swept the field of little enemies, but he flails against one big bad. I wish as a Nevarran death mage he'd been able to 'collect' souls or shades of enemies to release them and fight for him when he wanted (maybe as his focus ability or something with less of a charge up time?).
Oh man I totally agree with most of this, and it reminded me of how much wasted potential Bull had. I actually love the idea of his character, like his cunning really caught me off guard, he had a lot of layers and I enjoyed his conflict with the Qun, etc. I also just enjoy Freddie Prinze Jr. But like he had so little dialogue and his romance was so short and like you said it felt like he was just there for the horny players. I mean I applaud that they showed that kind of relationship in a healthy way but even if they did that they could have had it be less shallow. I just wish he was given what Dorian had. Like being able to ask him more things and deeper connection in the romance. Anyway, the concept of Bull is so interesting to me and every time I think of his romance I take psychic damage.
About the Bull. He is very smart, I don't know where people get the idea that he'd be dumb muscle, bc he is really clever. Bull states very early, that sex is a casual thing for him, a need like eating, so he is very different form Isabela or Zevran. They play casual sex, bc it fits with their whims, but with Bull this is the way he has been brought up in his society. It is not promiscuous but practicality. He also knows that being vulnerable meant losing part of the control he has (he needs to know everything, control everything not just sex drive, but fears, and emotions overall), so the "romance" starts as sexual interactions bc it is familiar and safe, and he is not too keen on jumping in the deeper waters, but is still brave enough to do so in the end. He also makes sure many times, that Inqy is consenting, he always talks softly to them and some of the conversations just tells, he has very good aftercare manners. As a person who is into BDSM very much and is a bit older, i related that romance very well. I like that they didn't overdo the BDSM stuff, it is a delicate issue to some people. This had a little of that side, so vanilla ppl could feel comfortable as well. They do talk in the Trespasser about the spicier stuff and it is only natural it comes with trust and as the relationship evolves. It would have been quite off-putting, if they'd be using really hard mechanics from the get go, when it was obvious that Inqy didn't have as much experience with the spiciness as the Bull. We do see his soft side as well and overall, he is just my favourite romance in the DAI. :) . ( I have tried them all :D )
I've never had an issue with reavers and survivability, even on nightmare, just give him a guard on hit and keep barriers up and even on AI control he's fine.
You both seem to have so much fun with These episodes! ^_^ Wanna Review Zelda Characters? ;-D I bet y'all could branch out this type of video into other fandoms
I’ve done the hardest dragon fights with my whole party dead (even Blackwall ) except for Sera and she can just WRECK them if you spec her out properly
I agree with majority of what Jordan and Caitie ranking but for Playability score, this is how I would rank all the companions. Keep in mind that this ranking is based on the hardest difficulty in the game, excluding the friendly fire and all the trial setting. Additionally, l also factor in how AI handle themselves and how difficult to optimally utilise their specialisation as well. Cassandra (5) - Solid offensive capability with the class-exclusive Weakness combo and also come with some support ability like Blessed Blade and The Last Sacrifice. She is probably the most versatile warrior companion to bring along because you can build her either as Sword and Shield or Two handed warrior and still mostly utilise her effectively. She has highest floor and probably the lowest ceiling compare to other warrior companions in terms of how well she handle herself as an AI. Solas (6) - I can hear the argument for 5 cuz he doesn’t have any huge single-target damage ability but he’s by far the most intuitive character for CC build and he can easily set up a special Sleep status by himself, which can be exploited for huge combo damage. Varric (6) - Arguably the most useful characters in the game with passive abilities like Opportunity Knocks, Tricks Of The Trades & And Take Them Down which reduce ability cooldown, increase critical chance and status effect duration. He can easily become a support rogue if you pick up Toxic Cloud with Lost in the Mist upgrade or he can be spec to be a great damage dealer as well. Blackwall (7) - Essentially Aveline with a bit worse durability but significantly better offensive capabilities. Jordan put it best, if you can solo a dragon you deserve a seven. Sera (5) - Between Varric and Cole, she’s the most versatile damage dealer whether you want to build her as a close quarter or long range damage dealer. The ceilings of her capability as a damage dealer is not as high as Cole but the floor is significantly higher. Vivienne (5) - Probably the only mage companion that the game incentivise you to build her as a close quarter mage while still being decent if you build her as a traditional long range mage. Hands down the most versatile mage companion in terms of how to fully utilise her since she’s durable enough to be your front-line combatant while still have some CC and support abilities at the same time. The downside is she doesn’t have a huge damage dealer ability similar to Solas while also not as intuitive as Solas. Iron Bull (3) - By far the worst warrior companion in the early game but with enough defensive abilities upgrade and proper tactic set up, he’s probably the best warrior to bring along post main campaign if you don’t need any companion to be your main tank. Compare to Cassandra and Blackwall, Iron bull have the highest ceiling after level 20 compared to the two in general but he really needs a very good gear for him to be that. Cole (4) - Similar to Iron Bull in terms of damage dealing capability with higher floor and ceiling. Definitely the least durable companion to bring along and not so versatile compare to other rogue but with right tactic set up and high enough level, he can basically delete any enemy within the shortest time frame. Dorian (4) - Because of Necromancer is the most counterintuitive specialisation for AI, it makes him become the most difficult companion to properly set up. He’s the best damage dealer among the mage companion with some CC capability but you really have to set him up properly and to put some good armor on him for him to shine. PS. Been listen to this podcast for years already but really have to drop this big ass comment after countless of listen lol. Love the pod 👍
Y’all 👏 You don’t know how to play the artificer with Varric. You can spec (and outfit) him so he has basically infinite stamina and barely any cool down so you can use his abilities all the time. Additionally use horn of valor so you generate massive amounts of guard with your high DPS. Between elemental mines, leaping shot, long shot and more, you control the battlefield and become an invincible, unstoppable flip dwarf Is it broken? Yes. But is it fun as hell with all the mayhem and chaos? Yes. Have you lived until you tried this build? No.
I was just listening to the part on this about Blackwell thinking how much more interesting it would have been if he would have actually been a warden. Lore wise alot or wardens are recruited from the executioners block anyway and they would have been able to keep the story of him slaughtering the family. He could have been recruited on a wardens trip to fereldan during the last blight but never made it there because his recruiter died. Also it would have opened up for an amazing story since blackwall travels alone he would have been solitary when he started hearing the calling. Now you are dealing with a warden who thinks he's dying trying to redeem himself in the country where he did so much wrong before discovering his entire order has gone mad and is trying to summon a demon army.
For Dorian I would put 7s across the board. I love anything about his character. As someone was was really struggling with comes to turns with my own sexuality while playing DAI for the first time, Dorian hit HARD. Gameplay wise I also love bringing him along and have never had any issues with him
Solas is one of my necessary pick for my party comp. I use him as a CC/DPS with lots of AoE. Then I usually run a Tempest, Champion, and Reaver to continue to bully my enemies.
I mean, the Iron Bull scene where all the advisors just walk in on you is fucking hilarious honestly. Iron Bull is a fun romance that's purely just really funny upbeat scenes and interactions without too much depth. It doesn't take itself too seriously and I like it for that. I definitely like him better than Isabella.
I think my inquisitor is always closer to Dorian than anyone. I adore my gbf. I also think the relationship Dorian and iron bull have adds some character to Bull that I don’t see as much
Quick note on the slavery conversion, I love that he came away from it considering your position and eventually switches sides employing payed servants after he returns to Teventer.
Honestly I love Sera. She reminds me of my younger sister who is also my best friend. I sort of see that same little sister, big sister dynamic with Sera when I play with my female elf inquisitor. I always have to have them be friends, so maybe I am a bit biased. :)
The difference between Avaline and Casandra is in the introduction. As a player you experience Avalienes vulnerability from the get go. You don't experience anything heartwrenching with Cassandra.
I give all my mages different abilities but only in one field. Inky was the only one who ever would get fire and lightning abilities, but even then I ended up speccing towards lightning. Viviene is lightning. Dorian is fire. Solas is ice.
I think there's an element of personal preference here - I'm not a tragic romance person but I thought the Iron Bull romance was better than Blackwall and like with Zevran the depth was there you just had to ask the right questions. I do agree about him in the field though kinda - I do take him on dragon fights but only for the approval to pursue the romance.
could you do another DAI choices episode? would love to hear your opinion on stuff like cassandra rebuilding the seekers, judgements, and the mages templar thing but if conscripted or allies!
I loved the reaver spec the only horrible thing is that, and this is true for a lot of the specializations, is that the AI don't know what to do with them. All of the specializations save maybe (I really want to like it but keep dying) assassin if built right can shred with fair survivably. Also somewhat unfortunate is that I found that reaver works better shield and sword and templar two-handed which is counter to what the game suggests by showing Bull and Cassandra two-handed and sword and shield. Especially reaver with sword and shield (not so much to block but for the bonuses u can get with the extra slot) is great once you find the tempo of the build
So, what I gather from this is that if The next game has a scene, where you have to choose to save either Aveline or Solas, Solas will have a very bad time.
I'm sitting here, listening to this wondering how y'all are playing differs from how I'm playing. Cause my standard guard is Cas, Sera, and either Vivian or Iron. Like I wanna pull up my last near complete run for comparison. Hell I use Iron Sera and usually Cas for dragon hunting.
something i noticed in dai it's party lacks the bioware best friend character. there is no one i can point to and say "that's the inquisitors bro". like i can Alistair, Oghren in awakening, or Varric.
Once you go Blackwall, you can never go back wall.
That’s up there with “Tell me Less”
Once you go Sera, Bees.
Bwahahaha
I think you're underrating Iron Bull's cunning - and of how unrepresentative he is of Qunari. Iron Bull is a fantastic spy because he has two personalities. He has his big bullish rule breaking man of war side he displays, which breaks people's guard because it's so un-Qunari. But he's also got a cold ruthless devoted side. And like the best of spies - neither is a pretence. He's so good at living the lie he doesn't even really know which one is real anymore. The incident with the chargers forces him to choose. When he betrays you he doesn't feel like Bull any more because he's not, he's chosen his ruthless Qunari spy side and discarded the personality he displayed to you to get you on side. And the daring thing about the game is they never show you that side of him until the end - because thats what a great spy does.
Same as with Zevran Iron Bull is not just about sex. He loves sex and so does Zevran but there is more behind those muscles. He truly loves you. He gives an option to back away and say no and he still does in the ongoing romance. The scene with him lying naked there and characters bumping in was funny imo. He isn't ashamed about his nudety at all. He lets his body speak instead if a "I love you."
Excellent point about IB having two personalities. No wonder his headstone in the fade reads "Madness".
50:00 ok I just have to put in my two cents here, for my own sake. Blackwall and Solas being similar people is entirely intentional, and I think it adds depth to both their characters. In a way, they bond through their recognition of one another as kindred spirits (as veterans and men with skeletons in their closet both, even if they don't know what is haunting the other). But when Blackwall's secret is outed and we come to understand his participation in the Inquisition as his attempt to atone (tenfold if you're romancing him), he takes a moral high ground on Solas that Solas can't accept, because he projects himself onto Blackwall and sees in his actions something he himself should probably be doing. The guilt and self-hatred consume him, and manifests itself as anger and rejection towards Blackwall, moreso than anyone else in the game (barring Cassandra, but she gets over it).
It's a profoundly genius bit of writing from both Weekes and Chee, and so subtle you miss it if you're not explicitly looking for it, like much of Blackwall's character. He's not grandstanding or overstated by anyone's standards, nor are his sins as heavy-handed as Solas's, who ends up drowning him out with his swan song (sorry, his dinan'shiral). But they're peas in a pod, exactly alike in all ways except one: Blackwall's willingness to put in the work to redeem himself, setting him irrevocably aside from Solas, who inexplicably decides to double down on his mistakes.
Sorry for the longwindedness. I just felt y'all weren't being very fair with Thom :'| I love him dearly and am well versed in defending myself, as you can probably tell. He's very misunderstood.
I like that Vivienne never pretends her involvement is anything more than a power play.
Me to. Love her. She is an adult.
yet she prospered off a broken system and expected all her compatriots to do and believe the same. She was the head of the White Spire and the Court Enchanter yet Cole(the mage) died in her own circle and than a Spirit of Compassion haunted her own tower and she didn't care. I like her character but in universe she is the definition of privileged
I love her. She's honest about the fact that you have to make her care. It's the least people can do.
@@Shadowpack95 White Spire? I thought she was from Montsimmard, at least that's where she was First Enchanter.
@@a.munroe I don't love her, but for a supposedly great player of the Game, she's surprisingly frank with all the other members of the Inquisition.
@18:04, don't forget at the end she did impressions of all the other characters... still in accent... when she read Varric's book.
that's one of my all-time favorite moments of the game
Me, a person from the midlands of the UK, where Sera’s accent and dialect are normal... 🙃
Haha yeah same 😂
To be quite honest, I think Sera would have fit in waaaaaaay better into the Dragon Age 2 character era. Inquisition is really grandiose and has all these things about saving the world and full areas, and her being the one singular thing telling you about the "little people" really was not integrated well. Also I dislike that she is the only companion you can kick out whenever. But I commend Bioware for not being afraid of making a Lesbian romance finally. But she would've just fit the da2 setting better with her whole attitude.
I appreciate that you put this into words! I have always had a feeling that Sera, while a good enough character on her own, never quite “fit” in the grand scheme of things in Inquisition. Her Red Jenny antics seems so trivial compared to everything else going on.
I really appreciate Cole. One of my favorite tropes is robots trying to learn to human and he fits into this so neatly. Finding out that much of his character was inspired by autistic people warms my heart and makes me feel seen. For once, here is someone like me who isn't just a human calculator or a screaming child. Here is someone who cares so much that he doesn't know how to handle it. Here is someone who doesn't understand why humans behave the way they do and is allowed to ask "why?" He is so kind and just wants to help but doesn't understand how or why things he does wrong isn't helping when it's exactly what people seem to want. I have never related to any fictional character so deeply in my 31 years of life and I love him so much.
For Iron Bull:
-Weapon with guard on hit or kill (Fade touched obsidian)
-Taunt that gives him more guard
-The other ability under taunt that also raises guard
After that he's real good
For Sera:
-Upgrade poisoned weapons; the upgrade makes it to where she recovers I think about 5% of her health with every poisoned arrow that lands
-Other poison skills
-That lightning flask; the last one in her specialisation
After that, especially with the first point, she's real good
Iron Bull being controlled by the AI using his "intended" kit of a 2hander Reaver is atrocious. However, sword & shield Reaver under the players control is a literal immortal demon. Sera's tempest abilities can also delete dragons when under the player's control but the AI doesnt use them well. Basically the AI sucks this is Baby Sit: Inquisition
If you get the ability that gives the whole team guard there's less of a need to babysit and more time to nibble on a sandwich
The AI’s handling of offensive classes in Inquisition is pretty damn terrible.
It’s sad because if you take the time to get your tactics scripts right in DAO and DA2 you really can automate your party members pretty well for most battles.
In Tresspasser when you say that the "Dread Wolf took you" thing and Solas very passionately says he would never have slept with you under false pretenses it kinda sounds like a jab at Blackwall.
But yeah, sleeping with Quizzy was actually the bit I found sketchier than being left naked in a barn. I still like Blackwall but I do not blame the friends I have for totally shutting him down after that. I feel his romance can be really touchy for a lot of women players.
The Inquisition cast are the strongest cast in my opinion. Not only are the new characters amazing (Solas, Dorian, Vivienne, Iron bull), but even the returning characters get so much better (Morrigan, Leliana, Cassandra, Cullen).
Inquisition has a touch less stand outs than other games, but everyone (bar Sera) is so solid and they're all handled so well.
The way Bull, Solas and Blackwall can develop is fantastic too
Honestly think it has the weakest cast in Bioware history(not counting MEA). Especially pre Trespasser. Out of the new characters Dorian and Solas are the only ones that I could see holding up to golden era Bioware companions. And I personally feel that every returning character was worse. I was so excited when I learned Varric and Cassandra would be companions but both were a shell of what they were in DA2.
I waited the whole episode for the dorian bit and the high praise given to my husband makes me feel validated. My favorite companion in the series!
The scene where he confronts his father is amazing. Voice over actors don’t get enough credit.
In defense of Bull, Zeveran, etc. There is a need, given the things that the inquisitor and warden go through, for someone there to just crack your back. It's nice to fall in love during a world crisis that you are the only one equipped to handle, but, honestly how realistic is that? Let Bull crack my sh*t in twain so we can get back to business.
Solas gives me Regis from the Witcher books vibes. Otherworldy creatures that know much more than they let on and gently nudge the main character to their way of thinking and guide them towards their end goal. The main difference is that Solas is very judgemental and Regis isn't
Regis is my favorite character in the Witcher books!! His interactions and friendship with Geralt is about as rewarding as Dandelion's
For me Ironbull using the safe word only when you talk about not making it out alive is probably the best way they can show that even though it may have just started as just sex it didn't remain that way.
Iron Bull, mr. "plays the Immortal Game in his head with Solas" is Archer-dumb? I feel like you might have glossed over some nuance to his character there.
He's a Ben Hassrath agent playing the part of a Tal-Vasoth. Maybe consider that some of his "I like hitting things" persona is adapted to that cover and was a "always truth to the mask but also scared of becoming it" kind of arc. He even makes like he's an open book with his early candid admission but we *know* from the events of Trespasser he's absolutely not.
Also, IMHO, it's a very queer coded story in that he presents a different type of personality depending on who he's interacting with to better blend in.
Romance for Iron Bull drifts between a 5 and 6 in my book.
Yea there is a lot of sex with him. But there is also feelings there. The dialogue the inquisitor and him have is quite nice. With him you actually seem to be having fun. It isn't drama filled and that's perfectly fine. They also aren't going to show the ball gag and stuff lol. If the creators could get away with showing stuff like that we probably would have seen that and more. We do know that in trespasser he has us hanging from a chandelier which is interesting especially for a male qunari.
Iron bull is also the only romance option that actually dances with you inside during Halamshiral quest. The rest just dance with you on the patio when it's over. Josephine even comments on it, which was a nice surprise since she doesn't do it with anyone else.
His personal quest is by far the most interesting. To see the elation in his face when choosing to save his family is beautiful. Then to see how he fights with himself on now being a talvashoth adds to character. Solas put it best when he said that iron bull finally made a choice for himself and that he shouldn't punish himself for it. It can even be gut wrenching if the wrong option is chosen.
Thank you for giving Iron Bull justice. Although I didn’t romance him, loved his character and what he added about the Qun
Blackwalls acting in the emotional moments is top notch.
I also thought Jose was more of the girly girl the dude bros would want to romance. Messed those around BioWare :p
After going through the voting form. I realized that apparently my favourite characters are: DAO - Alistair, DA2 - Carver/Fenris, DAI - Sera and Vivienne. Also, completely agree on Caitie's take on Sera's romance, it's indeed very earnest and sweet.
*I still disagree on your Zevran take, shame on you.
I’ve been anticipating this episode since before Catie went on her TH-cam Maternity leave! Can’t wait to see Dorian win it all
Edit: My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Dorian is the best!!
Though I would agree that Solas beats him, simply because he's got a major part for the story. I would, however, much rather spend time with Dorian than with Solas on any given day.
Edit: completely forgot about the abilities, I absolutely love necromancy specialisation personally!
32:20 Ohhh interesting, I never thought of that scene after Haven that way! I just had a huge eye-opening realization when I heard Caitie say that, in a way, Solas is looking at the Inquisitor in this moment - and the scene where they all start to sing and kneel down before you really IS that moment where you become more than a person to the people and the history books (or in Solas's case, started to be worshiped as a god) - and you see him watching the scene and taking the Inquisitor aside because that IS what happened to him and he knows what it feels like and "the burden of a title that all but replaces your name". It's such a great parallel.
Maybe I'm overanalyzing this, but in general, I feel like a lot of DAI's story and every companion mirrors some aspect of Solas's own story and character. (But I'd sit here for hours if I'd get into that, so I won't. xD) But if that was the intention, then they did an amazing job imo.
Like Caitie said, Solas is basically thinking "You're gonna be what I was" when he's looking at the Inquisitor and that rang a massive bell for me, because it sounds sooo much like the line we heard in the DA4 Behind the scenes video, when he said "They call me the Dread Wolf. What will they call you, when this is over?".
Like, oof, assuming that this line even makes it into the game, what does that mean for the actions of the potential new protagonist?
Honestly, Blackwall romance surprised in a really good way. Totally overlooked it.
Still, Dorian is the best companion of Inquisition and one of the best in the overall series. And just to clarify because i felt like saying it. When i think of Dorian, the first things that come to my head are (in no particular order) Moustache, Sassy and Tevinter. Althought small part of his personal quest, the fact that he is gay is the last thing that i think about when thinking about Dorian.
Enjoyed the episode, but I can’t believe Iron BullxDorian wasn’t brought up. Talked about Vivienne and Bastien, but not Adoribull. I honestly feel like that’s the relationship they’re both “meant” to be in. 🤷🏻♀️
I am extremely surprised that you guys rated Varric's playability so low. Artificer Archer is one of the highest, if not the highest, dps build in the game and Varric has access to it. If you get Opportunity Knocks from the Artificer tree, Looked Like It Hurt from the Sabotage Tree, max your crit chance, and spam Leaping Shot from the Archery tree, you can deal crazy amounts of damage. Here's a link to a speedrunner who used this technique and shows how broken it is when built properly (it's best showcased at 27:42 for the Guardian of Mythal and 29:38 against Corypheus): th-cam.com/video/PgKo4rhDYJ0/w-d-xo.html. It's an easy 7 in my rankings.
"I don't know why, but I speced Vivienne with Ice..."
Well- it does help that in the vast majority of the scenes with her using magic (on her own) she uses ice spells. Honestly I'm surprised you couldn't just use an upgraded version of the basic trees if the specializations didn't interest you.
14:30
How dare you forget my darling Josephine! I shall have recompense for this grand slight!
1:03:00
The best way I have been able to describe Sera is "Manic Pixie Dream Girl minus all of the Dream."
If you couldn't guess, was not a fan.
Yeah how could they forget Josephine!
1:23:43 I'm listening to this after the listener round-up companion review episode, and I left a long-ass comment on that one specifically about the psychology about Bull and BDSM without even knowing Jordan made this complaint. But even though I *do* think the exploration of the psychology of Bull and BDSM *was* there and very well-developed, I also feel like someone should say this: Some people are just kinky and that's okay.
There isn't always going to be a deep psychological reason for why someone likes the kind of sex they like (and even if there is, it's not necessarily interesting). To me, that's on the same level as asking why is Cassandra into poetry and romance novels. There is an answer to be found in the game, but people have no trouble buying her romance without knowing the explanation, and no one seems to think that it *requires* an explanation the same way they think the way Bull's BDSM does. Because Cassandra's romanticism is considered normal and Bull's BDSM isn't. And I get that this is your fun and unabashedly subjective ranking system, but it still feels kind of off to me to dock his romance points due to something you admit you just don't understand.
Agreed. Good point.
On Casandra: Leliana sleeps with you the nicer you are to her in Origins. Now she’s more naive and younger but she’s still a part of the chantry.
8:30 It also is the "Show, don't tell" philosophy, that plays into it.
Aveline is a much more relatable character because we see her go through her hardships. The death of her husband, her struggle in the Donnic romance, her rise at the city guards, etc.
Meanwhile, Cassandra for a major part of Inquisition only talks about the struggle she lives through. We see her softer side only once with Varric's book. And we see her struggle only once with the quest to find the Seeker captain or whatever his rank is called. And she has her rank as one of your advisors and Inquisition leadership from the beginning. There is no rise to power, if we don't count the option for her to become the Divine. (and I never knew how to influence the outcome of that for Cassandra to become Divine.)
1:10:00 To me it is rather the opposite. I liked playing Knight Enchanter myself, but the AI can't really deal with it. The AI like "the companion is a mage and thus should stay at a distance, but those spells need to be used in melee. Now I am confused and don't know what I should do."
especially since some core features oh how I skilled her were bugged (right after release) and thus didn't actually work. That lightning passive for "whenever you cast a spell, enemies around you take lightning damage" for example didn't trigger, while it would have been great with that arcane blade or whatever it was called.
1:19:00 The Iron Bull brings the Qun to the player, and he does it in a way were you can actually sympathise and argue if the Qun is better or worse than the feudal system that most of thedas follows. Compared to DA:O's Sten, who was a zealous follower of the Qun but whenever asked about it, he would just say something along the lines of "You aren't a Qunari, you wouldn't understand." In DA:O, it feels like the Qun wasn't very ... well worked out. To the point were Sten was just an oversized human, but everyone considered Qunari to be non-human monsters. DA2 then surprised everyone with how the new look of the Qunari is, but at the same time didn't care to elaborate their culture. They just ended up as "the enemy at out doorstep".
That makes me like the Iron Bull from a narrative standpoint, at least.
You downplay Cassandra a bit I think
Has anybody noticed that Blackwall is most of the npc's in Witcher 3
Even now when one of those characters open their mouth a voice in the back of my head says “Blackwall?”
Once you go Blackwall, you can't go back y'all.
That's hella better
"Carry his bald ass." IM DYING
I believe that Cassandra’s accent is based on historical Prussian accents which is why it sounds like a mash of several present-day accents but isn’t super identifiable.
Vivienne brings up interesting questions on likeability in characters. She is very well written and realised as a character which really contrasts with how I feel about her on a personal level. My last playthrough she really disliked me and just watching her play her manipulation game just felt so childish and self serving. But again, it works for her character. And then there was her personal quest and the way she uses his death to gain favour with the court was the nail in the coffin for my ever respecting her. However, again, it fits perfectly with her being a bitch and knowing it as mentioned earlier.
Also Reaver can deal out ton of damage when the player uses it, but Iron Bull’s AI can’t use it and always bloody kills itself with Dragon Rage.
Glad I'm not the only one who's bothered by that Cassandra line lol
Plus I always love these because of how controversial they end up.
Overall.
Cassandra-5
Varric-6
Solas-7
The Iron Bull-7
Sera-4
Vivienne-4
Blackwall-5
Cole-6
Advisors:
Leliana-6
Josephine-5
Cullen-5
Although I disagree with a fair amount of your decisions, I enjoy the other perspectives
If I had to say my top favs of DAI it would be (in no order) Cole, Solas and Iron Bull
Iron Bull has this really cool double life story where the PC only really sees glimpses into the Qun side of Bull. The PC is shown this intelligent and jokey buff guy who's almost parental to his merc group as well as reasonably sexual but in a way meant to be relieving for the PC to distress from being the leader of a massive religious-based organisation. The PC never sees Bull before his merc life unless you sacrifice the chargers and that Bull is cold, ruthless and driven by the Qun and his duties to the Viddasala. There are 2 sides to Bull and he has to completely let go of the Qun side if you keep the chargers because now he has no Qun, he's Tal'Vashoth, a traitor to his people. Everything that he was from day one gone in the blow of a horn and the 2 minor assassins that get sent after him make him feel as if he wasn't worth it to the Qun at all.
Like a lot of the companions in DAI, Bull is religious and on the same level as Cassandra truthfully in their devout stature to the scripture of their religion.
Sure his Reaver spec isn't the greatest but truthfully, none of the DAI specs are that great save Assassin, Blackwall's spec and Knight Enchanter. It feels like you are almost meant to play all four companions at once and most people don't do that and the AI isn't great at picking up the slack. I don't think that has anything to do with the specs themselves but rather the AI. I mean I have had Blackwall go down every fight in one run-through and in another he's an absolute god and I don't change much spec-wise between playthroughs so it feels heavily AI based.
As someone who has romanced Bull the most out of every character, I can confidently say that there is more to him than "Archer-dumb bsdm fiend who's there to rock your shit and potentially backstab you".
I don't think I need to say much about Solas bc it feels fairly universal that he's one of the best written characters in the Dragon Age Universe. Fighting wise, he keeps my party alive as I'm a filthy rogue main and his party banter is some of the most interesting of the bunch.
Cole, however, I feel got some pretty sharp negatives and that worsened when I read the positive comments here. I loved the kid even before I found out that he has roots in autism. The way he talks is directly related to the fact that he is a spirit that only got a human form a couple years ago and now he is having to learn how the world works in a very tumultuous environment and in places that are not apt or open to teaching him. Solas and Varric are the only people to genuinely attempt to help him learn and even then there's conflict between "remain a spirit" or "become a human". He doesn't get a quiet moment to learn how society works and when people try to teach him, other companions try and brutally shut him down. Cole's voice actor did a great job with tone and intonation when speaking, showing just how wide Cole's mind is but how narrow it is at the same time. He is essentially a child in an adult's body being forced to act older than he is and handle concepts he can't understand to the scrutiny of people who wish to see him either dead or gone and the whole time he just wants to help. He just wants to cure wounds and bandage injuries no matter what. That is his character drive, to help others in any way he can.
I personally keep him as a spirit because it seems like the kinder option for him. Keeping Cole as a spirit means that, while some companions still give him harsh scrutiny over his existence, he is seemingly more at peace. I believe Cole even says "I am more like what I am" or words to that effect later on and that made me feel so happy for him. He is a spirit now safe from binding and able to help people in ways that no one else can without the hindrance of having to fumble around in conversations and saying the wrong thing and making their hurt worse.
Cole, to most of my PCs, is a spirit of compassion with a drive to make the world happier.
He is my favourite rogue companion because he holds his own with a decent dps on top of that. His party banter is sweet especially with Dorian as you actively see him learn about appropriate questions as well as getting to see that Dorian is more than just the gay flamboyant mage from dreaded Tevinter.
I have waited for this for so long ! Jordan always has me conflicted...I appreciate the Jacob and Kaidan defense, and yet he talked down on Zev and Fenris in previous episodes. Hopefully the elves are spared this time around 😂
Thanks for all the content. I appreciate what you two provide for us !
Zevran definitely deserves better (haven't gotten around to Fenris yet). There's way more to him than just his accent and light hearted flirts.
47:40 We absolutely are! Angst and woodworking are a winning combination 100% of the time.
Varric's specialization is by far the best rogue specialization; and he buffs your entire party with crit chance as well. He's super great in gameplay terms, his build is a little complicated and relies on resetting cooldowns. Does mean the AI cant use him right, though.
Artificer is certainly OP, but Idk about the best rogue spec. In terms of damage, tempest and assassin don't really lose to artificer. Though, artificer's dps is more stable, whereas tempest and assassin are more bursty.
When it comes to varric himself though, what I've noticed for myself and a bunch of other players, he bugs out a bit. Something about Bianca probably is affecting him, and a bunch of times I see him using leaping shot, but he only leaps backwards and no arrows spawn. This can happen to an Inquisitor too sometimes, but it seems to happen more often to varric. Still, unless he gets really buggy at some points, he's on par with sera when controlled by the AI.
@@BunnyHoper7 Yeah, and Sera is better as dual daggers than she is as an archer; tempest works better that way. While it's true that her burst dps is probably higher, and between the three she can be hard to kill, Varric can also set up combinations that allow him to heal any damage he takes and deal so much consistently... He's better for fights against big targets, which means mostly dragons.
He also gets amulets of power without much difficulty and very early, which is nice when compared to other companions.
Cole is just way too squishy and struggles against what he can't immediately kill; he's by far the least useable.
Bugs are a consideration, and leaping shot is most of his damage, but I also advocate controlling him, which seems to be the difference; I believe that when you aren't controlling him (or any other companions) their skills are more prone to bugging out.
@@InnsannaStories I definitely do not agree that sera works better with daggers, the AI is not as good with daggers as it is with the bow, at least not on nightmare with trials. I also do not agree that tempest itself (even when youre in control) works better with daggers than with the bow, one reasoning being that it's easier to hit multiple enemies during flask of lightning with a bow than with a dagger, and getting the lightning hit all of them from the upgrade to FoL. This idea that daggers works much better for tempest is suspect to me, the only sort of benefit you have is from flask of frost, but i don't need daggers to go in melee range anyways...
I mean, when it comes to varric one huge downside is that he only gets one fade touched ability, he's the only character in inquisition who suffers that (unless u have him with daggers), and FT abilities are pretty important imo. So, for me, Varric gets better when I let the AI use hail of arrows, but even then i don't think he's much better than sera if he is at all. Sera can lay a barrage of arrows during flask of lightning, so she can really shred through bosses too. And ofc, if I was to control a tempest, every dragon would be dead from throwing blades spamming during flask of fire, in a matter of seconds.
Anyway, I don't like controlling companions, I want my focus to be as much as possible on the inquisitor, so I do end up building my party in support roles to be pretty self sufficient. Like, they could really get through most situations in the game with little help from me, bar perhaps a few hakkonite fights... But really, varric seems to suffer from bugs more than the rest, even when i control him.
When it comes to Cole, I imagine he works better with a bow when controlled by the AI. There is a build around from paws pause i think that showcases a daggers cole controlled by the AI, and he works well enough. If u were to control him though, u just need to find the right setups and playstyle for assassin, which can be quite different from other specs, like for example if u use bosuns blade (5x to all damage from the back or w/e).
@@BunnyHoper7 Tempest works better with daggers; tempest with a bow does what the Artificer does worse, which is spam leaping shot. Most archer skills take forever to use, and daggers rogue has plenty of AOE and can be attacking from permanent stealth while triggering on hit effects like mad, which largely renders Sera (or the Inquisitor) unkillable, especially with Frosty. Also, sheer dps is most important during lightning flask, above all else.
But it seems we have totally different playstyles, so I get that. I switch between my party members regularly to cast important spells like dispel and help my rogues do their job, my Inquisitor is often a warrior so I don't have to worry about them as much.
@@InnsannaStories LUL first of all, u don't get more aoe with daggers than with the bow. And if you have 6 enemies all pretty separated, u can still hit all of them with the bow and get the lightning hits, whereas u cant with daggers. Also, permastealth is pretty much as possible with the bow as it is with daggers.
Being unkillable is ridiculously easy as a rogue as u can have elusive stacks, the enhanced amulet of barrier and a defensive masterwork, all keeping u very safe. Also, unless u use focus abilities, tempest will hit the hardest with leaping shot if used after spamming a lot of throwing blades as the damage bonus carries over, and tempest can spam TB the longest without a party.
No, sheer dps is what's most important during Flask of Fire, not Flask of Lightning. It's during FoFire that u can really let out all of your burst.
Oh, and when it comes to offensive FT abilities like walking bomb and hidden blades, I believe they have an internal cooldown, so daggers should only get (perhaps) a small advantage there.
Can u tell me your ability setup on ur bar for your daggers tempest? I'm really curious about it now...
I hate vivianne but she is a good character. Its hard to make a good character that everyone hates and they did a good job. i rate her 6.
While I can’t say he’s the best companion in the game, I think Iron Bull got a lot of disrespect here. First, I think he gets hosed having the reaver class as the “go-to” because the class just plays like ass unless you’re the one controlling it. Second, and this could just be my interpretation, it came across like you probably didn’t use him all that much, and I think there’s a bunch of amazing character moments in his party banter that really raise his stock. Again, certainly doesn’t make him the best, but at least above average in most categories.
finally!! binged every podcast in 4 days haha been dying for the next one, great work as always
Listening to Caitie talk about the Sera romance really warmed my heart 🥺 You can tell how much she liked it.
Inquisition's roster is easily my least favorite out of the franchise, but it's got some real diamonds mixed in with the rough.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
OMG, I've binge-watched all your episodes in last coouple days and I love your dynamic so much! Million kisses from Russia.
30:51 storytime with pappa Solas, the video game we need AND deserve
I actually liked Vivienne at first. Then I learned that she would make a secret police as Divine.
Also I can't believe you both missed the opportunity for "Once you go Blackwall, you're gonna be left out in the cold like there's no Thom-orrow."
Cassandra's accent always sounded eastern european to me
Damn, I love Bull. Now I gotta play again to see if I’m just going crazy
Also, wow. Idk how I spec'ed Bull differently than apparently both of you, but Bull was my tank 🤣 y'all hate the guy and he was my best warrior by far. He was awesome in my dragon slaying group. Idk what I did wrong, or right, but holy hell you guys shit on my best Warrior 😂
I know right. I've killed dragons with Iron Bull, Sera, and Dorian.
Been a wild ride, can’t wait for more. Happy Late New Year! Also, if Cass isn’t 7/7 I will be severely disappointed.
(Edit) I am severely disappointed.
agreed... how dare they. Her reading the book in the trespasser epilogue should've catapulted her to 7/7 easily.
@@sveipr DAI is probably the hardest game to sell a companion as a 7/7.
So you greatly disapprove? -25 points?
Doesn't the inquisitor's age range between 20 - 40 depending on the player.
So technically you can be closer to Sera's age
I always make my characters from 20s - early 30s
I like to think my character is early to mid 20s.
I don't think ya'll be using Iron Bull right if he's a glass cannon
He should just be cannon if you build him right....no threat of death ever...never have to babysit em
My opinions differ greatly on a lot of this but I appreciate hearing different viewpoints
Why yes I do wanne listen to two random people talking about video game characters they like for 2 hours, thank you guys 🤭
Am I the only one who gets mad Robert Downey Jr vibes from Dorian?
My favorite character in any video game ever is Sera. In my defense, I was 15 when I played DA:I for the first time and that's pretty much what I was like.
Caitie's Cassandra VO line comment : 100%
For me the Cassandra/Aveline difference is between C) executing the mission and someone else's vision vs A) fostering a strong community
Oh Varric... way too much red lyrium chat. Varric is good at the top of the game, with Hawke, check-ins with the Inquisitor, and at the end. The red lyrium was Way overdone. Any game that returns to red lyrium as a mechanic and a theme needs to take Varric's railroad narrative as a cautionary tale.
On Solas... totally agree. Solid in so many ways. His approach is proven problematic but correct. He's a prideful asshole with a soft spot. (I can almost hear the VO director prompt "make disdain approachable") This brings up a thought for me though: Dragon Age has from title to title reinvented itself by inverting the world of previous games while keeping to or expanding the lore. (By that I mean, Grey Wardens get darker shades, vulnerabilities, and extremists as a balance to their hero complex from DA:O, the Fade and demons get fleshed out and complicated with the spirit/demon/dreams/memories narratives, etc etc. For me the biggest new territory to get into is Tevinter (duh) but it's not the biggest inversion opportunity; the biggest inversion would be providing some evidence of the Maker's existence and any truth or witness of the Chantry's worldview being valid. Dragon Age has spent three games, numerous comics, et al revealing 'secrets' about how the world of Thedas actually works and its history (Old gods, Elven gods, Lyrium is Aliiiiive, Titans, blight is disease but also a curse but also an accident) and all of it together renders the Maker narratively impotent. The hardest thing for me to do in a Dragon Age game nowadays is to take a devout Andrastian/Maker believer seriously. Invert THAT and you're off to the races.
Blackwall needed more for me to buy into his story. Keep all the ingredients but maybe introduce them differently? I wanted one or some of the people who join you at Haven/Skyhold to have met the real Blackwall, or to have been saved by him. The most interesting moment of his whole lie-as-backstory happened if you took him to the Winter Palace and began to see behind the facade. If you don't take him there, it's just hints and tidbits here and there. What about a scene where the inquisitor walks in on Blackwall and Cassandra deciphering the Grey Warden treaties? She and Leliana are the most suspicious MFers in the game - SOMETHING interesting or useful could drop from that, especially if Blackwall is caught out in some concrete way. I rate the performance and his mechanics pretty highly, but his personal story slumped hard in the middle.
Sera was an attempt at the "grit makes the pearl in an oyster". She's a crunchy character for sure which could be interesting... but it felt to me like she was a paint-by-numbers character constructed out of the discarded or 'unchosen' parts of previous companions. She's somehow both common and privileged, pro and anti-magic, pro and anti-templar, pro and anti-'the way things were' before the Breach, pro and anti-Chantry... If she'd been a central character and any one of those narrative lines could have been explored more, she'd go over better. As it stands, she starts crunchy and mixed up and ends crunchy, mixed up, with uber powerful magic weapons.
Vivienne I've come to appreciate more with time. Per my challenges with Chantry-centric characters, I found it difficult to empathize with Vivienne at first over anything except her romance. With most of the other characters the main banner over their faces in my mind is of their ideals or perspective, with a subscript on opportunism or ambition. Vivienne just plasters her ambition over everything from the word go. I want characters like that who can challenge me as a player, but it makes her a very difficult companion for me. Even when the love of her life dies, I don't think the Inquisitor ever gets to see Vivienne's interiority. She talks about other people, other places, plans, and schemes fluently... but anything that might be thought of as personal or fundamental gives over to stock answers and prepared lines. I think she attempts to bolster the inquisitor in a way that I wanted Josephine to do. Diplomatic and institutional savvy need not be 'nice'. I say all this while still loving the voice actress. I've seen her on stage and she's brilliant.
Completely disagree with Caitie on Bull. (until she switched the rating categories) Before Bull in the series we hadn't had a soldiers' soldier except for Loghain. Everyone else has some sort of agenda or priority layered over their combat prowess: Templar baggage, city management, oh damn I'm a prince, etc. Maybe it's just that Qun baggage is less explored, but we see more of it through Bull's rejection than we do through Sten's embrace of it. Bull and the Chargers give me a hint of what the next Dragon Age title may do: focus on regular people coming together without the world-bending institutions or politics of the previous games. That itself is new, but they also invert mercenary company tropes internally. I think the execution, dialogue, and VO could have been 10% better, but overall a good companion. I believed that Seheron existed as he described it. I instantly filled in the details on the 're-education' process for a disobedient agent. The romance less so, but granted it's in the context of a home society that destroys bonds and relationships and families on the regular. On the one playthrough where I went politics over people, Bull's betrayal HURT. On that one scene when he takes the inquisitor around to meet the common soldier, it's straight out of Shakespeare's Henry V. One of the things that original scene does better is a nighttime outdoor setting, with characters who've never seen or met the king before. Inquisition and Dragon Age in general has bias toward seeing the main character's face in reaction scenes as a shortcut and suggestion of how the player should feel (either that or your immediate ability to 'choose' how you feel results in a visible reaction). The Henry V scene mostly leaves the king stunned into silence and a monologue after it reveals his inner thoughts and concerns. By and large the choose your own adventure style game that Dragon Age is means that the main character is never going to be good at monologues or long form reflection. There are too many variables.
Fuck Cole. The abstract lines and attempts at depth were so transparent. You can feel and hear the Writing in every line, rather than the person. Zero suspension of disbelief.
Dorian was great. I will say I wanted more crunchiness, but I'm looking forward to getting that in the next game. I thought the father's half of the 'I disappoint my family because I'm gay and because of my politics' was saccharine, but Dorian was much better. Also Dorian's conversation about whether he and the Inquisitor stay together has a better arc and variety than Bull's whole romantic arc. I think Dorian's playbility suffers a bit from the minions vs boss divide. Dorian's DPS goes high once he's swept the field of little enemies, but he flails against one big bad. I wish as a Nevarran death mage he'd been able to 'collect' souls or shades of enemies to release them and fight for him when he wanted (maybe as his focus ability or something with less of a charge up time?).
Oh man I totally agree with most of this, and it reminded me of how much wasted potential Bull had. I actually love the idea of his character, like his cunning really caught me off guard, he had a lot of layers and I enjoyed his conflict with the Qun, etc. I also just enjoy Freddie Prinze Jr. But like he had so little dialogue and his romance was so short and like you said it felt like he was just there for the horny players. I mean I applaud that they showed that kind of relationship in a healthy way but even if they did that they could have had it be less shallow. I just wish he was given what Dorian had. Like being able to ask him more things and deeper connection in the romance. Anyway, the concept of Bull is so interesting to me and every time I think of his romance I take psychic damage.
So this is the “everybody gets a 5” episode huh
About the Bull. He is very smart, I don't know where people get the idea that he'd be dumb muscle, bc he is really clever. Bull states very early, that sex is a casual thing for him, a need like eating, so he is very different form Isabela or Zevran. They play casual sex, bc it fits with their whims, but with Bull this is the way he has been brought up in his society. It is not promiscuous but practicality.
He also knows that being vulnerable meant losing part of the control he has (he needs to know everything, control everything not just sex drive, but fears, and emotions overall), so the "romance" starts as sexual interactions bc it is familiar and safe, and he is not too keen on jumping in the deeper waters, but is still brave enough to do so in the end. He also makes sure many times, that Inqy is consenting, he always talks softly to them and some of the conversations just tells, he has very good aftercare manners. As a person who is into BDSM very much and is a bit older, i related that romance very well.
I like that they didn't overdo the BDSM stuff, it is a delicate issue to some people. This had a little of that side, so vanilla ppl could feel comfortable as well. They do talk in the Trespasser about the spicier stuff and it is only natural it comes with trust and as the relationship evolves. It would have been quite off-putting, if they'd be using really hard mechanics from the get go, when it was obvious that Inqy didn't have as much experience with the spiciness as the Bull. We do see his soft side as well and overall, he is just my favourite romance in the DAI. :) . ( I have tried them all :D )
I really like solas' character, I mean I hate him I think he's an arrogant bastard but I love his character xD
I thought I was the only one who preferred Aveline over Cassandra! And I liked Cassandra.
Same here ! They are both great, but Aveline is a gem.
I've never had an issue with reavers and survivability, even on nightmare, just give him a guard on hit and keep barriers up and even on AI control he's fine.
Agreed.
You both seem to have so much fun with These episodes! ^_^
Wanna Review Zelda Characters? ;-D
I bet y'all could branch out this type of video into other fandoms
I’ve done the hardest dragon fights with my whole party dead (even Blackwall ) except for Sera and she can just WRECK them if you spec her out properly
I know right.
"She's the only one with boobs!"
Me holding Josie: excuse me
I agree with majority of what Jordan and Caitie ranking but for Playability score, this is how I would rank all the companions. Keep in mind that this ranking is based on the hardest difficulty in the game, excluding the friendly fire and all the trial setting. Additionally, l also factor in how AI handle themselves and how difficult to optimally utilise their specialisation as well.
Cassandra (5) - Solid offensive capability with the class-exclusive Weakness combo and also come with some support ability like Blessed Blade and The Last Sacrifice. She is probably the most versatile warrior companion to bring along because you can build her either as Sword and Shield or Two handed warrior and still mostly utilise her effectively. She has highest floor and probably the lowest ceiling compare to other warrior companions in terms of how well she handle herself as an AI.
Solas (6) - I can hear the argument for 5 cuz he doesn’t have any huge single-target damage ability but he’s by far the most intuitive character for CC build and he can easily set up a special Sleep status by himself, which can be exploited for huge combo damage.
Varric (6) - Arguably the most useful characters in the game with passive abilities like Opportunity Knocks, Tricks Of The Trades & And Take Them Down which reduce ability cooldown, increase critical chance and status effect duration. He can easily become a support rogue if you pick up Toxic Cloud with Lost in the Mist upgrade or he can be spec to be a great damage dealer as well.
Blackwall (7) - Essentially Aveline with a bit worse durability but significantly better offensive capabilities. Jordan put it best, if you can solo a dragon you deserve a seven.
Sera (5) - Between Varric and Cole, she’s the most versatile damage dealer whether you want to build her as a close quarter or long range damage dealer. The ceilings of her capability as a damage dealer is not as high as Cole but the floor is significantly higher.
Vivienne (5) - Probably the only mage companion that the game incentivise you to build her as a close quarter mage while still being decent if you build her as a traditional long range mage. Hands down the most versatile mage companion in terms of how to fully utilise her since she’s durable enough to be your front-line combatant while still have some CC and support abilities at the same time. The downside is she doesn’t have a huge damage dealer ability similar to Solas while also not as intuitive as Solas.
Iron Bull (3) - By far the worst warrior companion in the early game but with enough defensive abilities upgrade and proper tactic set up, he’s probably the best warrior to bring along post main campaign if you don’t need any companion to be your main tank. Compare to Cassandra and Blackwall, Iron bull have the highest ceiling after level 20 compared to the two in general but he really needs a very good gear for him to be that.
Cole (4) - Similar to Iron Bull in terms of damage dealing capability with higher floor and ceiling. Definitely the least durable companion to bring along and not so versatile compare to other rogue but with right tactic set up and high enough level, he can basically delete any enemy within the shortest time frame.
Dorian (4) - Because of Necromancer is the most counterintuitive specialisation for AI, it makes him become the most difficult companion to properly set up. He’s the best damage dealer among the mage companion with some CC capability but you really have to set him up properly and to put some good armor on him for him to shine.
PS. Been listen to this podcast for years already but really have to drop this big ass comment after countless of listen lol. Love the pod 👍
Y’all 👏
You don’t know how to play the artificer with Varric. You can spec (and outfit) him so he has basically infinite stamina and barely any cool down so you can use his abilities all the time. Additionally use horn of valor so you generate massive amounts of guard with your high DPS. Between elemental mines, leaping shot, long shot and more, you control the battlefield and become an invincible, unstoppable flip dwarf
Is it broken? Yes. But is it fun as hell with all the mayhem and chaos? Yes. Have you lived until you tried this build? No.
Screenshots this great information.
18:20 Cassandra's accent sounds German to me.
Cassandra is weird because she is a companion but also a part of the inquisitions “council”
So she’s also sort of like leliana, Cullen and josie.
I was just listening to the part on this about Blackwell thinking how much more interesting it would have been if he would have actually been a warden. Lore wise alot or wardens are recruited from the executioners block anyway and they would have been able to keep the story of him slaughtering the family. He could have been recruited on a wardens trip to fereldan during the last blight but never made it there because his recruiter died. Also it would have opened up for an amazing story since blackwall travels alone he would have been solitary when he started hearing the calling. Now you are dealing with a warden who thinks he's dying trying to redeem himself in the country where he did so much wrong before discovering his entire order has gone mad and is trying to summon a demon army.
For Dorian I would put 7s across the board. I love anything about his character. As someone was was really struggling with comes to turns with my own sexuality while playing DAI for the first time, Dorian hit HARD. Gameplay wise I also love bringing him along and have never had any issues with him
Solas is one of my necessary pick for my party comp. I use him as a CC/DPS with lots of AoE. Then I usually run a Tempest, Champion, and Reaver to continue to bully my enemies.
Love you guys but the Iron Bull section physically hurts me.
I mean, the Iron Bull scene where all the advisors just walk in on you is fucking hilarious honestly. Iron Bull is a fun romance that's purely just really funny upbeat scenes and interactions without too much depth. It doesn't take itself too seriously and I like it for that. I definitely like him better than Isabella.
First podcast of the year! Can't wait to listen to this later at work
I think my inquisitor is always closer to Dorian than anyone. I adore my gbf. I also think the relationship Dorian and iron bull have adds some character to Bull that I don’t see as much
The best part is when you realize Brian Bloom also voiced BJ Blazkowitz.
Dude can swap accents pretty well.
Cassandra sounds definitely germanish to me.
Nevarra and neighbouring states politics fits the old German duchies well
Templar in inquisition was idiotic. You have to have a perk to be effective against mages.
Quick note on the slavery conversion, I love that he came away from it considering your position and eventually switches sides employing payed servants after he returns to Teventer.
Honestly I love Sera. She reminds me of my younger sister who is also my best friend. I sort of see that same little sister, big sister dynamic with Sera when I play with my female elf inquisitor. I always have to have them be friends, so maybe I am a bit biased. :)
The difference between Avaline and Casandra is in the introduction. As a player you experience Avalienes vulnerability from the get go. You don't experience anything heartwrenching with Cassandra.
I give all my mages different abilities but only in one field. Inky was the only one who ever would get fire and lightning abilities, but even then I ended up speccing towards lightning.
Viviene is lightning. Dorian is fire. Solas is ice.
I think there's an element of personal preference here - I'm not a tragic romance person but I thought the Iron Bull romance was better than Blackwall and like with Zevran the depth was there you just had to ask the right questions. I do agree about him in the field though kinda - I do take him on dragon fights but only for the approval to pursue the romance.
could you do another DAI choices episode? would love to hear your opinion on stuff like cassandra rebuilding the seekers, judgements, and the mages templar thing but if conscripted or allies!
Cassandra was my bro, my Lavellan couldn’t do it without her 7/7
Solas really does feel like the Morrigan of inquisition
cassandra's accent is german
I absolutely adored this podcast. Just fantastic!!!
I loved the reaver spec the only horrible thing is that, and this is true for a lot of the specializations, is that the AI don't know what to do with them.
All of the specializations save maybe (I really want to like it but keep dying) assassin if built right can shred with fair survivably. Also somewhat unfortunate is that I found that reaver works better shield and sword and templar two-handed which is counter to what the game suggests by showing Bull and Cassandra two-handed and sword and shield. Especially reaver with sword and shield (not so much to block but for the bonuses u can get with the extra slot) is great once you find the tempo of the build
Vivienne❤
So, what I gather from this is that if The next game has a scene, where you have to choose to save either Aveline or Solas, Solas will have a very bad time.
I literally know people who sound like Sera haha
I'm sitting here, listening to this wondering how y'all are playing differs from how I'm playing. Cause my standard guard is Cas, Sera, and either Vivian or Iron. Like I wanna pull up my last near complete run for comparison. Hell I use Iron Sera and usually Cas for dragon hunting.
something i noticed in dai it's party lacks the bioware best friend character. there is no one i can point to and say "that's the inquisitors bro". like i can Alistair, Oghren in awakening, or Varric.