COMPANIONS - Discussion Part 2 - Dragon Age The Veilguard

[@madarpauser2133]

Companions: 00:18 Harding 05:30 Neve 11:32 Lucanis 18:42 Bellara 23:28 Emmrich 28:44 Davrin 32:55 Taash

[@DarthShadie]

@@madarpauser2133 Thanks for the time stamps.

[@moondragon21]

As a huge fan of old scary movies, Emmrich gives major Vincent Price inspired vibes, and he was an absolute delight of a person. Spooky, fun gentlemen vibes! So excited to romance him.

[@DarthShadie]

@@moondragon21 I'm totally excited for him too. 😁

[@foxfire9320]

I actually love the name Shadow Dragons, I think it suggests something the character of the organization. It may sound cheesy to us, but think of how it sounds in Tevinter. For an underground group, it's not a subtle name at all (compare it to the Twin Lamps of TES games, for example). The dragon thing seems specifically designed to piss off Tevinter establishment, whereas to the downtrodden citizen it suggests an alternate, more legit vision of what Tevinter could be. It's a bold name that signals a lot of political ambition, in other words. Of course I don't know if it will actually play out like that. The SDs might turn out to be very different and the name won't suit them at all, who knows!

[@DarthShadie]

@@foxfire9320 Oh, I can see that. The name is their way to flip the bird in the Venatori's faces.

[@sortilien2099]

I think Lace Harding can have tried the seeker's vigil... I can see Taash being quite motherly but the wolf mother : "don't fear dragons mom will slay them child" " touch on hair of my friends with bad intent & i'll break all you fingers"

[@DarthShadie]

@@sortilien2099 😅 I love that.

[@hannahevertson8306]

They straight up said Taash's horn is jade. I mean it could be something else but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't call it jade if it was something way cooler.

[@DarthShadie]

Oh, I must've missed the article that mentions it. Thanks for sharing this bit of info. Was it in one of the Game Informer articles? Or wait, was it during their live Q&A?

[@hannahevertson8306]

@@DarthShadie pretty sure it was the Q&A

[@DarthShadie]

@@hannahevertson8306 Cool. Thanks.

[@samflood5631]

Here’s which companion I’m going to romance as well as bring to my party Denji or Alphen the Elven Warrior, romancing Harding while taking Emmrich with me on my team. Sophitia or Beatrix the Dwarven Rogue, romancing Darvin while taking Neve with me on my team. Touka or Shizuka the Human Mage, romancing Lucanis while taking Taash with me on my team. Goliath or Kongol the Qunari Warrior, romancing Bellara while taking Emmrich with me on my team. I always need to keep a balanced party on my team, especially during a boss fight. One or two mages as well as one or two warriors and one or two rogues. A sword and shield companion for defense while both the two handed warrior and rogue (dual wielding or ranged) do a lot of damage to the boss and a mage with powerful attacks that could either wipe out a pack of enemies. If there are some difficult boss fights later on in this game, I would have to change my roster or grind a lot in order to gain the higher level. Whenever I played Dragon’s Dogma 1 and 2, I always take one mage, one archer, one fighter and one warrior on my team to help with boss fights and quests. Mages are really important in my team since they enchant my weapons and heal when bosses chip half of my health. But when I play Baldur’s Gate 3, I usually bring Shadowheart for healing, Gale for his spells that wipe out an entire war band and Karlach for heavy damage.

[@DarthShadie]

@@samflood5631 Love it. I haven't thought as far as who will be on my team. I tend to play it by ear for the first time or check tutorials, mostnitably IGN lol My first 3 imported Inquisitors have to Melana, Maxwell and Assan, my first has to be Melana, first romance for Rook, Lucanis. And when I import Assan, my Rook will be Revasan.

[@ERHershman1]

So... any ideas as to what's up with that shadow on the wall next to Neve in her tarot card? It looks like an arcane horror.

[@DarthShadie]

In my Tarot analysis of the companions' images, I speculated how it could represent the Vints who are after her. The shadow is clad like a Venatori but has normal hands, so might not be a maguster darkspawn, though there could be a link to them all the same. Like discussed here, Neve might have ancestry with one of the magisters who assaulted the Golden City. It is a shadow, Neve is a Shadow Dragon member/leader. The Venatori and Magisters are linked to dragons and Old Gods, so the symbol reflects a luyeral aspect of what Neve is fighting against. There has to be a hidden link to her backstory, something she wants kept in the shadows of her past.

[@ERHershman1]

@@DarthShadie ooooh, I like that idea.

[@DewelynC]

I really hope Bellara isn't Peebee 2.0😂

[@foxfire9320]

Same 😬

[@DarthShadie]

😅 Peebee was all right, but yes I agree. MEA was more lighthearted and DAV is staged to me darker toned. All our companions need a serious side amidst their other personality traits.

[@danielshorrock8271]

Bellara hmm she reminds me of my skyrim mage character who is based on me and completely crazy at times when it comes to artifacts lol

[@danielshorrock8271]

Aww and i wanted to be a dwarf mage lol😂😂

[@DarthShadie]

@@danielshorrock8271 😅 It really is a tease that we can't be one.

[@danielshorrock8271]

@@DarthShadie its been a while since I played the Trespasser dlc so I could be wrong but dont we lose our arm or hand that has the mark and I'd love to see my inquisitor as a playable character in da4 but I have a feeling they'll be like our Hawke was in inquisition 🙂

[@DarthShadie]

@@danielshorrock8271 Yes, though there is that slide in the epilogue where the Inquisitor has a prosthetic of some sort of crossbow. That's why I think, especially with Bellara and all her trinkets, it could he possible for the Inquisitor to fight. Otherwise, control dialogue options would be nice, even some scenes with some options selected as Rook and others as the Inquisitor.

[@danielshorrock8271]

Hmm a Prosthetic arm that acts as a mages staff lol who said we can no longer cast spells and go on adventures 😂😂😂

[@DarthShadie]

@@danielshorrock8271 Exactly. Nothing will stop my Inquisitors from finding Solas and kicking his ass or kissing it. 😆 In every sense.

[@teresamorrow2459]

I’m terrified about her having magic because of something Varric mentioned in Inquisition during his quest! About Larius NOT being a mage before! But, then after being possessed by Corypheus he could cast spells! Was it the red lyrium or just the possession? I’m worried about Harding thinking of this :(

[@DarthShadie]

@@teresamorrow2459 Oooh, I hadn't thought of that. 😬 Possessed Lace?

[@Ellie-dj3kr]

Isn't his name Em-mer-ick? 🤔🤔🤔

[@DarthShadie]

@@Ellie-dj3kr It's possible the pronunciation in the game is akin to Emm-rick, though his name is spelled Emmrich.

[@magneticanomaly810]

Is Davrin the first black elf in Dragon Age?

[@DarthShadie]

@@magneticanomaly810 Of that dark umber skin, yes. Though not the first elf of colour, as Zevran and Fenris have tawnier/driftwood complexions.

[@tamarak.8800]

My fav romance ever is Zevran. How can I not go for Lucanis lmao

[@DarthShadie]

@@tamarak.8800 😁

[@christineherrmann205]

Ok, now I'm a bit concerned for LadySulevin... when Lucanis turns out to be certifiable. 😂

[@DarthShadie]

@@christineherrmann205 😅😁

[@lewiswashington9182]

In a dragon age game, a disney villain may be morally good😂😂😂😂

[@DarthShadie]

😂🤣 You bring forth an interesting perspective.

[@lewiswashington9182]

@@DarthShadie I was thinking the bad guy from tarzan would make a good Orlesian😂

[@DarthShadie]

😂 Gaston from Beauty and the Beast would too, actually.

[@StalxD]

Ppl arleady thinking that chris pratt is gonna be one voice of a companion 😂

[@heatherbelletete7980]

Speaking of Disney... Bellara has serious Disney Tarzan vibes. I'm not a fan for sure. I hate it when they put girls like this in games and movies. "I'm cute, quirky, brave, exceedingly naive, and I never shut up. Don't you wanna be with me?" Ew!!! No, I want a serious character that has been through hell and is driven by events in her past that only I can uncover. Thankfully, I mostly play female MCs, so I will just have to take my enjoyment from romancing Emmrich, Davrin, and Lucanis who all look very interesting. (You'll have to forgive me as well. I just got done playing FFXIV Dawntrail, and having to put up with Wuk Lamat has put me in a very bad mood.)

[@DarthShadie]

I understand. Don't know who Wuk Lamat is but I get it. I too like a variety of characters and would like to see female characters who are serious or even broody. Complex with a dark past or complicated feelings and secrets can be for any character, not just the guys.

[@foxfire9320]

I'm also hoping she won't be like that, we already had Peebee, Sera, and Qwydion from Absolution. That 'type' definitely has its fans, and I find them tolerable if they have at least some level of self-awareness, so I'm still hopeful about Bellara. Also I'm gonna be sad if the first Asian-looking major character in DA turns out to be someone I don't want to be around 😭 But again, we have different personality types among the companions because players don't all like the same things. I'm leaning towards Neve and Lucanis as romances, and possibly Taash, depending on how she's written (please don't let her be another Iron Bull 😂)

[@DarthShadie]

I get that. I am leaning towards Lucanis and Emmrich as romances, potentially Lace and Davrin too. I need to know the others more. I loved Qwydion, I think because she reminds me of me a bit, and others have found that too. Minus the moments of dark side anger that can arise. 😅

[@BobTheShadowAndroid]

Don't know why but Bellara just doesn't sit right with me.

[@DarthShadie]

@@BobTheShadowAndroid Suspiciously spunky?

[@BobTheShadowAndroid]

@@DarthShadie Nah, like her tarrot card has a good majority of her face is in the shadows, her vassilin are completely different (I know different regions but they would still have a similar root in the design DAO, DA2, and DAI vassilin follow this) and slightly look a bit red.

[@DarthShadie]

@@BobTheShadowAndroid Yeah, because of the red vallaslin, there is that odd possibility that she worships the Forgotten Ones. 😬

[@BobTheShadowAndroid]

@@DarthShadie She is high on my suspicion list. hmm Solas seems to be linked to possibly 3 pantheons, the Elven gods, Forgotten gods, and possibly the Old gods

[@geoffreynuttall4383]

maybe shes from across the sea and she is apart of the group thats the next threat the people the qunari is running away from

[@BelieveIt1051]

Harding. I liked her in DA:I, but I'm not sure about her this time around. She looks different, and she's not cute. The freckles are too dark and prominent, and looks kind of butch (some angles show what looks like an Adam's apple). Her romance is also questionable since she is technically romancible in DA:I. Her magic thing also seems a little lore-breaking, but we'll have to see how they handle it story-wise. Neve looks different from the comic. She looks too dark-skinned in the game, and also looks different in the face. My Rook might romance her since a mage romance is the only one I don't have among my canon protags. As for Neve as a character, she seems good in the comic and short-stories. But her part in the demo was disappointing. She allows the Venatori to capture her even knowing she had to meet us in the bar so we could track down Solas. She seems perturbed if Rook gets straight to the point about info on Solas. She contradicts Rook when he suggests disrupting the ritual or heading into the raw magic, and then immediately agrees for seemingly no reason. And her voice actress sucks so far. Very boring and not emotive. Lucanis seems cool so far. I remember thinking that he's the only character in the trailer that looks like he actually belongs in Dragon Age. His backstory is pretty good, though some news articles have suggested he's "a mess", or awkward in social situations. So we'll see how it goes, but so far he seems like he'll be a good party companion. He might be useful in playing the role of DPS dagger rogue to my tank warrior. Bellara looks lame to me. Her hair style reminds me of some old granny or aunt. I don't find her appealing. We'll see how she plays out in terms of storyline, but at this point I don't see how we can trust her. She's an elf with weird vallaslin and she's highly interested in restoring lost magic, especially from Elvhenan. So for all I know, she's an agent of Solas. Knowing how to use an ancient elvhen gauntlet that manipulates the veil or magical constructs doesn't give me high hopes either. Last time an elf dropped knowledge about an ancient artifact it was Solas, and he betrayed us. Emmrich is okay, I guess. He might be too old though, and I question why they would make him romancible. The fact we can't control him means we can't exploit any kind of necromancy or animated dead he might command. But I think he might be another one we can't trust. Didn't Solas say that mages of Thedas were no longer allowed to bind spirits? And yet here Emmrich is binding them anyway? Why is that? Also, depending on Emmrich's mindset, he might actually believe in Solas' end goal of dropping the veil. The Mortalitasi have some strange beliefs on the Fade and death. Davrin was a character I thought I could get behind from the start, but I was shocked to discover he was an elf, not a human. I guess the behind-the-scenes video showing Ike Amadi just made me think Davrin would be human. Plus, Davrin sounds like a human name, not a Dalish name. But he runs into the same problem as Bellara. He might be an agent of Solas, especially if Solas promised him something like the cure for the taint, or the eradication of all darkspawn in the new world. Also, if Davrin is tainted, then that means Elgar'nan might be able to control him similar to how Corypheus could control Wardens. How can we trust him to maintain control over his own actions if we're going up against a tainted elvhen evanuris? Also, the griffon he has isn't large enough to ride, so I question how useful it will be in battle and in the game. Like can it be trained to fly over small gaps and retrieve items or hit switches? Taash looks like trash. Ugly. Looks masculine. And again, can't trust her. She could be a ben-hassrath spy for all we know. She's also a warrior, which I won't need another one on my team. Qunari females have always looked bad. Even in the comics they weren't quite right. They need to look more feminine than that. They should basically be human women with small horns and exotically colored skin. Bottom line, I don't really like any of these characters except maybe Lucanis. And I hope there are romance options OUTSIDE the party, because I'm not too thrilled about Neve either. If there are options to reject party companions, this might be the first game where I actually choose to reject them or kick them out. I will probably just stick with Neve, and then swap out Lace and Lucanis periodically depending on the situation. This is not a good lineup, and there aren't enough companions either. Origins had up to 10 main companions. Awakening had 6 with one returning character. DA2 had 6 main characters, plus one sibling beyond the prologue, plus one DLC character after Act 1, and Tallis doesn't really count. Inquisition had 9 with one returning character. Veilguard only has 7 with one returning character and some possible tag-along characters like the griffon or Manfred.

[@DarthShadie]

Neve might had a reason to allow herself to be captured that the demo did not show. I am hoping to learn more. A mess? Well, Lucanis has a complex backstory. Do you remember which article mentioned the mess? All I've read and know is that he is socially awkward and I perceive him as broody. I am hoping for allies to accompany us and for romances outside the companions too, though I am intrigued by them all and quite like them so far.

[@DarthShadie]

Oh, I'd also argue that if in-game Neve was already conceptualised when The Missing was being made, then comic Neve is too light-toned in comparison to her more taupe complexion from the game.

[@AndersWatches]

My main take away from your comment is that you have some weird ass hang ups about how women should look and behave with particular disdain for those who don’t match your expectations of femininity, even in fiction. 😬 Also, Harding is a decade older, she’s allowed to age and mature. And fun fact: everybody has an Adam’s apple, some are just more prominent, and yes that includes in women. And older people also play games, weird that you think characters being older means they shouldn’t be romance-able. Especially when Solas, arguably the main romance in DAI, is literally millennia old. Not everybody is attracted to youth.

[@BelieveIt1051]

@@AndersWatches Yep. Ya got me. All those sentences about consistency between mediums, or the story plots related to them, or that my Rook might romance Neve regardless, or how my critiques applied equally to the male characters as well, all just subterfuge to mask my weird-ass hang-ups about fictional female characters. Harding being a decade older is also a problem, not just with her compatibility as a party member, but the time-skip in general sets this game too late in the series. The critique was that her's is SHOWING. Good point. Solas definitely looks 4,124 years old. 😒

[@AndersWatches]

@@BelieveIt1051 funny then, how none of your ‘critiques’ for male characters mentioned appearance at all, but your main criticisms of female characters are about their looks, particularly that they’re butch or masculine, and think that female qunari, who are not remotely related to humans, should just be human women with horns. Can’t imagine why you feel that way, I’m sure…