{Split the Veil-Ep.10} Protagonists Battle: ME vs DA

[@WhiteoakKnight]

The Protagonist from Oblivion becomes a recurring character that you may have met on a certain daedric quest.

[@flamesofchaos13]

Praise be to Thy Lord of Madness! Cheese! Cheese! for Everyone! Wait! scratch that cheese for no one I'm lactose intolerant.

[@frankier3500]

Your Warden is defined by their origin, the things that happened that lead them to the joining. Your Hawk is entirely predetermined, you may control a few things and the over all tone of their story but in the end they aren't you. I love my Inky because I create her. I can imagine up who she is and who she would befriend and then her life becomes about the people she surrounds herself with. That's something I identify with. I am, at least in part, the people I love. My friends and family. She is too. I like that.

[@mysticonthehill]

That is a really great/sweet reply!

[@Typher_]

my inky was a loser loner and, with friends, found his true bad ass self. went from no confidence to talking shit to corypheus, fen harel, and all of the thedas royalty. he’s like a hercules who takes no shit lol

[@ayylmao8375]

I forgot the difference between Kingdom Come and Kingdom Hearts in the beginning so I was thinking “damn Disney went all out”

[@lukecutter6763]

Hero of Ferelden's role left an immovable imprint upon my brain. It's seared on there. - But not the best chararcter, true. I love femshep's character. Jennifer Hale delivered a knock out performance. She's the definitive BW character for me.

[@SMsneakyninja]

Transistor is AMAZING! It is a turn-based strategy RPG that is fantastic. I spent hours playing it right through. It is a beautiful story, has a great art style and is super engaging. I recommend it for everyone!

[@notsosmartguy6254]

Honestly I feel like Andromeda needed a great Epilogue DLC like Tresspasser to feel complete. I like Ryder but there was so many plotpoints left unanswered it's maddening.

[@ExaltedMarch]

Fanfiction incoming. I got you, fam.

[@ashleycoonfield9051]

Man, I agree. I thought it was a solid game and comparable to the first Mass Effect. It’s really disappointing to me that they just dropped it.

[@almamater489]

I personally couldn't get attached to Warden, as much as the game was better than Dragon Age II, Hawke had that "it" factor for me that reminded me of Shepard, and I kinda dig that the fact that Hawke's family were immigrants in their own city, since they were the fallen nobles rising back again. Also the rivalry-respect relationship between the Arishok and Hawke was fucking epic

[@Cinerea777]

On ME3 ending (IMO): I think the gasp scene is way better than seeing Shepard in the hospital with their loved one. When you see him/her in the hospital, you kinda know they'll be fine and that they'll get a chance for a life with their lover and friends. But with the gasp as the last moment you see Shepard - you hope they'll find him/her in all that rubble; you hope they'll eventually, finally get a happy ending. And I think that that feeling of *hope* is so much stronger than just *knowing* that Shepard's safe and sound.

[@summerrainplays9943]

My rating for the protagonists: 1. Hawke! I absolutely adored DA2 and I loved the connection of Hawke and their companions and family, and just the city of Kirkwall. It reminded me most of the Mass Effect Series with the bonds I had, and I really, really loved playing my Hawke. 2. The Hero of Ferelden. With the Origins, I really had a lot of different lives to experience. And DAO has more options for dialogue and personality, in my opinion, than any of the other games. DAO is also the Dragon Age game I've played the most of, so I've spent the most time with my Warden. 3. The Inquisitor. DAI is my least favorite DA game, and even though I've come around to it and I enjoy playing it a lot, I feel very little connection to my Inquisitor most of the time. I love my companions and everything, but there's very little bonding to me and who my Inquisitor is, and what motivates them.

[@nikki2663]

Personally warden hands down for dragon age and I like the idea of bioware taking the skyrim approach(tons of options and character doesn’t carry over). As for snarky rider, the lines are better as male then female. There still bad especially the “Liam hold me” line but better than female rider.

[@graveyardqueen8526]

Do you guys ever wonder (or possibly know) if the devs and team at bioware refer to youtubers like Ghill Dirthalen, The Kingdom and The Exalted March for ideas to add or look into while developing the games? I think if they want to know what a lot of their fans want in upcoming games their best bet is to go to peope who literally live this game haha

[@GhilDirthalen]

At least on my end, the only interaction I've had with the Dev's is a few questions on twitter. If they have seen any fan work I don't know about it- but I do wonder if they watch from the shadows. I know they have certain legal limitations keeping them from reading fan fics, so that they don't accidentally (Or I guess on purpose) steal story ideas, so I would imagine it applies to videos as well? I have seen them lurking on the DA subreddit though! So I'd imagine if you want your voice heard, that would be the place to do it. But sometimes I do wonder if one of my theory or lore videos has made it to the office and they sit around and giggle at how wrong we are, haha.

[@ExaltedMarch]

At least with Exalted March, I can't say I know of any dev taking particular notice. I'll probably doing some "what Mass Effect should do next" videos at some point more for educational purposes, but they have tons of their own ideas. As anyone who writes can tell you, it's hard enough to get rid of all the excess ideas you come up with yourself, you don't typically need a bunch more from others. And Bioware has a whole staff of folks.

[@god.rotter]

Graveyard Queen I know they do read fanfic and they have secret tumblr accounts and they do “stalk” (in a not creepy way) their fans to see what people actually want. Like with finally being able to jump in DAI

[@crzces7500]

Graveyard Queen Of course they listen, read, and watch, but nowhere near the amount they used to. Not even close. They can’t. Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, along w/the expansions sold roughly 6 million copies, w/both base games doubling expected sales. To interact with fans daily they used to be able to go to one place, their message boards. I can think of 5 fans randomly off the top of my head who’s names were used in BG2. Another 5 for Throne if Bhaal. Gheesh, I had to think, but 10 (this is in less than a minute of thinking) in DA: Origins. A lot of fans had their ICQ #’s (The first real instant messenger that actually got popular), e-mail addresses, and many fans interacted at conventions. From tabletop games, to barbecues, to drinks after the cons closed for the night. Now, between how many boards? How many Twitter accounts? How many reddits and subreddits? How many Facebook pages? It’s not possible to have a close knit community/dev relationship anymore. A lot of that has to do with the divide in fans. Before almost everyone was in one spot. From what would Now be considered the far right “Patriarchy” because they wanted better romances and “sex” scenes (well, the girls/women wanted deeper romances/options while men wanted boobs; both sexes were already attractive, and if the guy can have his barrel chest and 6 pack on display...) to the “Matriarchy” far left, and everyone got along. The big arguments were over rules pre DA/ME and lore post DAO/ME 1. I remember after a convention ended after Origins, Mike Laidlaw, Dave Gaider, Josh Sawyer, a few guys and girls from DLO (Later changed to Dragonlance Alliance, a girl from ALFA, and myself were all drinking at, shoot, some pub in Milwaukee, and women in games and their outfits came up. Most of us laughed, and Gaider pops out with “I’m a homo, and I want sexy women in my games...” If he said that now, in public, on Twitter, a Forum, whatever, it would be the end of the world. They used to be able to talk, and listen. Now they can’t really talk for fear of alienating someone. They listen, but the group that yells the loudest is obviously the one that is heard. It showed in DA:I, and more-so in Andromeda. It’s odd too, if you want 3rd wave feminists to not scream (which keeps the outrage SJW men from caring), you can make women’s body’s very sexy, as long as you make their faces unattractive. It’s fine to have men with near perfect face models w/there shirts off, but not women as that “objectifies” them. Men? 100% fine to objectify them, but women? Not in Bioware games. They used to make games that appealed to role-players, now, idk what they are aiming at. I do know they are out of touch with the average fan who used to be able to ask a question without being attacked from every direction. Add to that, people are clueless where to post. They go to reddit, read some posts and think “These people are nuts”, and 95% of questions are probably never asked (or read by developers as unless it’s about more inclusion, how to correctly write women and LGBTQ+ it just gets downvoted into oblivion, or ignored). I don’t think they have made a game they wanted since ME3, and they simply did not have enough time to run with Dark Space, but had already spent over a year on it, which led to the less than stellar ending (which I wasn’t disgusted with by any means. I expected more, but I wasn’t losing sleep over it). I can pretty much promise that Anthem is not the game they wanted to make. I know SWtOR was not the game they wanted to make as Drew Karpeshyn and Chris Avellone worked together for 3 weeks in which they wrote a 1500+ page draft of an “Act 1” of KotOR 3 before being told the idea was scrapped. One of Bioware’s biggest advantages was the diversity their work brought to games, and how their community, which was, and still is, a majority center left and center right, was, for the most part, in the same place. A loud right wing nut would be laughed at, as would a raging “Women are objectified and it’s not acceptable!” Now, people have to post in echo chambers to be heard and not screamed at. Stupid, but true. I expect nothing from Anthem, and it will be the first Bioware game I probably won’t play at all, even though I’ll have free access to it with all the pre-order bonuses on Origin Premiere. I don’t think it ruined ME:A. Their writers and design teams, and execs did that on their own (I do not believe the Frostbite engine switch from Unreal 3.5 assets having to be redone excuse at all, and neither does anyone who has used 3dSMax, Maya, or Photoshop to skin a mesh; even if that was the issue graphically, how can that possibly explain The atrocious writing? Did the graphics engine mess that up too? Or were the writers just really bad?). I don’t understand why Anthem would hold up Bioware though. They took care of SWtOR while making DA:O and ME 1 (DA:O in a new engine they had to build btw) with a company made up of about 250 people. Bioware has more than twice that now, and they can’t put 150 on DA? Regarding Anthem. I said I *probably* would not play, but that’s completely dependent on microtransactions. Bioware games have been fine so far, but EA has yet to make *ANY* MMO or exclusively online game where micros did not ruin the game. We shall see, but they absolutely were not listening to fans when this was put in motion, and it’s a far cry from the advanced Sci-Fi NwN-like game Casey Hudson wanted to be his “Dylan” of video games. I like Hudson’s original idea far better. Now I think I’m going to go play DA:2 again for awhile.

[@pakkenpk5598]

@@crzces7500 I have to wonder how many people actually read this lol. But bravo my friend, this became even more relevant this year (2020)

[@magencarta]

In the words of the great bard DJ Khaled: “Another one.”

[@notsosmartguy6254]

What I like to do is have a different race for each protagonist in my main dragon age world. My Warden is a Dwarf Noble, my Hawke is a Human, and my Inquisitor is a Qunari. To me though I feel like Hawke is the worst. To me he's the poor man’s shepherd and I hate how they kinda locked you into playing as a human and how they shove Mage being the best way to play down your throat.

[@loganwilliams9458]

In DAII, Hawke’s sarcastic options are sometimes implied to be a mask, a sort of coping mechanism to bury their real feelings in the matter. I think that a similar mindset can be applied to a casual Ryder as well. It makes sense for a young person stepping into such a large role to downplay their part - avoid the professional and the anxiety that comes with it. A casual Ryder in Andromeda could be similar to the set up with Hawke during the three acts should Andromeda get a sequel. Maybe Ryder is forever casual and trying to somehow escape the weight on their shoulder or perhaps they grow out of it.

[@loganwilliams9458]

This could also be applied to the difference in humor between Hawke and Ryder. Hawke who assumed the role of family protector, taking after their father is skilled and has a degree of experience. They’re always on top of things, even when they aren’t because they’re expected to be and have had that expectation upon them since their father’s death. The cutting, brutal snark can be related to the standard to which Hawke holds his or herself. Meanwhile, the awkwardness of snarky Ryder can accentuate the clumsy attempt of an amateur to deal with things on a larger scale in stride.

[@Hoppers123popper]

To be fair if they are going to bring back the Warden it would work if a they don't interact with the new Protagonist, example they walk past you to talk to Morrigan and Kirin or they join you for fight and then leave. Or they can just be the new Protagonist and the warden commander is just a possible back ground

[@marulynn3499]

I love your channel! It’s my main source of Dragon Age related content. I absolutely adore these podcasts as well. Keep up the great work! 😊❤️

[@ImagineTheDragon]

Okay so I totally get where you guys are coming from with Ryder, and I had TONNES of problems with Andromeda. Like a lot. But I love my snarky casual Ryder. My Ryder was thrown into a position she never wanted, that she didn't want to be in, but there were shoes she needed to fill, so she did. If she could have, she would have handed the reins over to Cora in a heartbeat. The casual options (for the most part) were great for her because she wanted to be literally anywhere else than where she was and that was the only REAL way she had to deal with it; the alternative was that the Andromeda Initiative failed and she and her friends died. But that's just the Ryder I wanted to play

[@tinaswafford1985]

Great Split the Veil episode! Thanks. :) My Rating of the Dragon Age Protagonists 1. Hero of Ferelden The Warden (Bioware mostly let me be me, although sometimes I was internally screaming because they gave me no option to say something when I absolutely would have. I had lots of interest in my companions. Still, need closure!) 2. Inquisitor (Got to make some choices and got some closure. Did not generally have as much interest in companions.) 3. Hawke (I liked Hawke's personality, but it was Hawke, not me. I was interested in companions but their incessant whining did irritate me. My choices did not matter; the thing was railroaded to a conclusion.)

[@tinaswafford1985]

I also think the Warden could viably come back to the next Dragon Age game with MORE relevance than either the Inquisitor or Hawke and NEEDS to come back for a proper wind-up and closure to the series. She has more of a history and future with more characters all the way through, and with the history of the series, and the tale needs to be shown with what has happened to her and through her and will happen with all the people and from all the actions in her life. The Inquisitor's tale could easily be finished up with a cameo at this point, and Hawke could do some sideline, but the Warden needs to get the conclusion of her story told. Are you kidding me, Bioware, to think the Warden is finished because you don't know what to do with her, or because someone might get mad if you don't do it right? Bioware can do it right, and of course, even if the Warden was sacrificed, we all know that isn't an excuse. Awakenings' character can come in and get their own conclusions for the story those players created because they sacrificed their Wardens. It's still a valid story.

[@flamesofchaos13]

Yep there should be closure but Hawke should be left alone we had a good end with Him/Her whether they lived or died, But The Warden/HoF or The Warden-Commander and The Inquisitor should be their to guide the new protagonist even if they end up like Duncan that would be better than nothing.

[@notsosmartguy6254]

Tina Swafford all throughout DA2 I wondered why these people were friends. It feels like they hate eachother 6/10th's of the time.

[@flamesofchaos13]

Notsosmartguy 625 Morrigan v Leliana, Sten disproves of both, Alistair distrust's Morrigan and Morrigan is vindictive towards him, Alistair would have rather let Zevran die and doesn't get along with him, Honestly half the team in Origins hated eachother.

[@ironclock5912]

Do the warden can come back? indeed and you already said the main reason why they did not want to return them but to be fair it's not easy to bring him/her back but not impossible, to bring him/her back you have to be careful, like it or not the warden 's the most beloved and requested character and if you screw him/her up believe me you don't want to see angry fans, despite of all I think him/her should return because they will screw him/her up if they set him/her apart, it would feel like that's not something that my warden would do.

[@sveipr]

I'm sorry, but as much as I love my Warden, my knight enchanter Lavellen could kick his ass lol. I would like some form of origin in future Dragon Age games, but they don't have to be elaborate, just an intro and explanation as to how the protagonist got to the beginning of the game. Like in Inquisition we see a scene of Lavellen being sent to the conclave by their keeper, or a Cadash watching the conclave in the shadows. Some juxtaposition to explain why the protag is there that can also explain their past.

[@hannahevertson8306]

Yeah my Hawke doesn't change a ton between acts, he's a person who wants to help those around him and generally do good, but he also covers his pain with wit and sarcasm. So the more bad things that happen the more sarcastic he gets.

[@TKGaming7750]

31:40 Because of the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in the Shivering Isles DLC, the Champion of Cyrodiil (protag) mantles the daedric throne of Sheogorath, and I'm pretty sure it was confirmed that the Sheogorath we meet in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the PC from Oblivion.

[@raulinhentchel1237]

Great work as always guys! Ya'll help me get through my work day. :)

[@ExaltedMarch]

As someone who also sometimes gets through a work day with podcasts, this really makes me smile to know that we're that for someone else. =) Thanks for listening.

[@josephmoore5422]

Unpopular opinion: Inquisitor is the best because obviously its you or honestly who ever you want it to be but that is a plus because in DA:Origins the game lets you be unrealistic and an empty cup. For many that is a good thing but it can take you out of the game (laying pipe to a demon). Also a lot of those "gaps" in the (i do not mean plot holes but time in between travels or dialogue not expanded on) allow the fan fic and head canons to work its way into the character. Like I imagine on my way to the storm coast the Inquisi-gang had a road trip to watch Free marcher jousting competitions. All the origins are great but they are not that different from Inquisitions. MOST of your backstory is fixed in Origins because no matter what you, must get to Ostagar and witness the everything. Most think this isnt a problem but note that a big criticism of Inquistion was YOU HAD to join the Inquisition and had no choice in your path. Inquisition lets you talk about your past, whether you disliked your life, loved it, or neutral. You can shape your history in game and in your head.

[@DannyRayqu]

I love that Jordan speaks about Kingdome come deliverance!!! Jordan talk about the game in exalted march xp

[@reddskair9523]

I was so excited when I discovered I could side with the forest spirit/werewolves and kill the dalish clan. (2nd or 3rd playthru). Morigan was excited too.

[@YoshtTheAwesome]

My default mode is doing what I think is best for the world, including post-Blight. So, in this case, lifting the curse, since that prevents it from doing bad stuff down the line. But when I role play a Warden that only cares about defeating the Blight, the only question becomes: Who is more efficient at disemboweling a genlock?

[@nicolecline8584]

With Ryder, I pretty much use the logical/professional options, with a few exceptions when either down time with friends or when I think bursts of emotions/anger or sarcasm come into play. However, I have to say that I actually liked Sara's lack of authority in the beginning of the game because I played her as very nervous being thrust into leadership, and the lack of authority played into that well. That said, I was really disappointed that Ryder didn't grow into a real leader over the course of Andromeda, instead you just stay the same.

[@isaiahtorres5898]

I was so happy to see this in my subscriptions.

[@Avaliareborn]

It’s been a while since I’ve played Andromeda and I haven’t actually gotten far in it yet so I could be straight up wrong, but I know I took a lot of casual options and to me I seem to remember it feeling less like “snarky” or “asshole” and more like an unprepared young guy (my age) who everyone’s looking to to be some great leader and he just needs that place and those friends around him who he can be real with and lean on. She was sometimes more serious with the other leaders, but she could still crack because she wasn’t ready for this and didn’t ask for it and won’t always be able to be what their father was, but with the people she knew she needed to just get to be her and have help from her friends

[@Avaliareborn]

But again it’s been a while and I didn’t complete it so I may be misremembering

[@notsosmartguy6254]

I would love it if the prophetic arm look is based on your specialization. Like if you were a knight enchanter you get a lazer sword arm, if you're a rift mage you get something that makes it easier to access those powers etc.

[@LeonGun8]

Exalted's point is incredibly good. As a character, Hawke is the best protagonist they have done in Dragon Age. The Warden is just this blank slate you have to fill after their Origins. So in the end is all about WHAT you are looking for your RPG protagonist. Are you looking for a well written pre-established character or just a blank slate to project yourself in them?

[@YoshtTheAwesome]

Am I the only person who collects all the shards and creature research on every playthrough? I did about 10 full playthroughs but I did only the research I knew I could in any playthrough and I discover some of them rather late so I didn't do them all 10 times.

[@REMsleepVids]

nope - I get the shards every time. The reward is really good when you are going up against the lvl 25 + dlc enemies...

[@geroleocata]

@Exalted March Fun fact: my first playthrough in ME was a Vanguard Paragon Shepard with the colonist and sole survivor background. I headcanon that he had lost so much in his life that he was going to protect everybody. He was going to endure any pain in order to bring a chance for peace.

[@VenhedisKaffas]

I think Hawke will always be my favourite. I attach myself more to the characters with the pre-defined backstory. With the warden, I had too much space. The origins were nice because it felt like a character but for the rest of the game, you kinda have to fantasize. There aren't many parts that are character-specific because the game doesn't know what your character is all about. Meanwhile, with Hawke, there are a lot of character central moments while you're also able to add things in your mind. I liked being able to decide some general personality traits and opinions for Hawke along with small character moments that may have happened to him when he was younger. Such as when mage Hawke discovered his magic and how. It is more fun to me than never having character things acknowledged or having to make literally everything up like in Inquisition.

[@mysticonthehill]

Very much the Hero of Ferelden . I general play myself and unvoiced exact text replies transports me into the role. I felt there was better bonding and a more heroic quest and an introduction to Thedas's society at street level. Experiencing life and politics in a dwarven thaig, a wizard's circle, a Dalish encampment brought the world to life for me.

[@ThomasTheAlphaAndOmega8509]

While the Nerevariin is out and about in Tamriel, we see The Hero of Kvatch, Leader of the Knights of The Nine, come back to the Elder Scrolls V Skyrim as Sheogorath.

[@carolynspring6399]

I would love to see either of you play Kingdom Come Deliverance, or at least talk about it some more. Anyone else share these sentiments?

[@donnytrogdon5455]

You know what coulda been cool. If the backstory for your charecter in the 4th game was either the warden hawke, the inquisitor or someone new. You're not in fereldan and it's been over a decade since the blight and the wardens been Mia for alot of it. Hawke if chosen could just not have been sent to the fade or have figured out how to get out or was rescued by morrigan to fight solas. The inquisitor like you said badass prosthetic arm made by dagna maybe with a magic beam like the one the dwarfs in descent use. If you play as a new person completely you could be a slave freed by fenris that also had lyrium embedded in his skin resulting loss of memory and the ability to fit any of the other threes dialougue as long as it's not specifically referring to his past or race.

[@josephmoore5422]

In defense of Ryder you are 22 with no real reputation and you want to tell a 1000 yr. + old Krogan, Asari Commando, Disaster Response Officer, new Alien that doesnt trust you what to do. Also Hawke really wouldve changed everything about DA:I. Especially with the Corypheus DLC in 2, it gives Corypheus weight and makes it feel like they have a fated rivalry. It was Hawkes fathers blood that sealed Corypheus. Cool topic to discuss what if the characters continued on in their respective franchises. Shepard goes to Andromeda or The Warden/Hawke continued on

[@BillyCistra]

For me, it would be Shepard as well but the fact that you can get three games with the same character is the deciding factor. I love my Warden and Hawke but I grow more attached and reflect more with Shepard.

[@schmittybacall1655]

“I don’t even know who the protagonist of oblivion is but they don’t come back in Skyrim” Sure

[@noopnoop8383]

My issue with Shepard was that I felt as a player I was forced into playing solely on the extreme level of the paragon/renegade spectrum if I wanted to have a good result. I recall the one time I tried to play a Shepard that was more dynamic who was somewhere on the middle of that spectrum and was subsequently punished for that in Mass Effect 2 as, with no dlc, I was not able to accumulate enough points on either side in order to maintain the loyalty of some squadmates who squabbled before the suicide mission and lost them as a result. I could have sworn I had completed all missions and side missions that I had in order to ensure I exhausted all means of getting paragon and renegade points, and perhaps I am mistaken as this was many years ago, but it seems as though the game is dependant on Shepard being either one or the other in order to achieve an ideal result. I've always appreciated how, in the Dragon Age series, my protagonists were defined by the actions themselves rather than the preconceived notions of morality being attached to the actions. So I could have a character that was noble and always chose to help others but could make great questionable sacrifices if they thought it was for the greater good, or immoral and self-serving characters who always made the "right decision" for all the wrong reasons.

[@tym319]

Okay so I am a huge Dragon Age fan and I have played through every game at least 20 times or more in each. And I would have to say the best protagonist between the three has to be in Inquisition. Reason why is because Hawke does have a preset background and not a whole lot to work with. Origins you are also given a background and not a whole lot to work with. Whereas with Inquisition doesn't matter what class or race you are you can be a noble character even though you're a commoner or a city elf. Where as with Origins your characters choices are based off of its background. Inquisition you can be a noble and act like sera. Origins and even with Hawk once you become a noble with hawk or with the nobility option in Dragon Age Origins your character has this up any sense about them. Can Inquisition it doesn't matter what background your character has the whole game as if though you're trying to do better. Whereas with Origins you are trying to match image of what a warden or a leader should be. In Dragon Age 2 Hawk is constantly helping people and starts getting tired of it and that is why they end up leaving at the end of the game. In a sense I guess best lake and put each game is Origins you are trying to fit image, Dragon Age 2 you are doing stuff because that's expected of you. And Inquisition you are generally wanting o help. Sorry if this doesn't read well doing it on speech-to-text function over phone

[@blooberry7901]

I found the comment about how you couldn't play a colonizer/lone survivor paragon surprising! my main Shep was one, and while it's been awhile since I played her I always took it as, after she saw her colony die, she needed to believe she could protect so she joined the army and became a perfect soldier. after the thresher maw attack, she was too traumatized/in shock to do much more than she was told. she lost a lot of her agency. I like to think she felt in some way responsible, and that if she had done more she could've saved everyone, so again she trained and did what she was told and took it all on herself. it isn't until she has to fight tooth and nail to be recognized by those in power and let's her companions in that she starts to become her own person again. I liked to play her as fiercely protective of her crew, so she did get quite a few renegade options. but at her core she just doesn't want anybody else in the universe to feel the way she did. essentially, she can't say no to a plea for help.

[@tararose5650]

I think you've actually clarified one of the things that never worked for me from Andromeda. I normally choose snarky options, and I didn't really even think about it but you're right. The tone just doesn't fit.

[@jeffboy2825]

I was hoping people (preferably you guys) to bring up a prostetic arm and it could work out like you said I really wish they do that.

[@malavery5017]

delighted to learn you like mbmbam. i do exactly the same thing!

[@lupinelp9226]

I wish there was a third voice option for the characters. Or a pitch slider.

[@tinaswafford1985]

Dragon Age Origins 'Nature of the Beast' Quest - dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Nature_of_the_Beast The Warden's choices There are three possible outcomes that can be achieved from this point forward, based on choices made in the remaining encounters. Each outcome can be achieved with varying degrees of finesse and approval changes. 1. Side with the elves and Zathrian, and attack the werewolves. The elves are cured and will honor the treaties and help battle the Blight. 2. Side with the werewolves and attack Zathrian. The werewolves will help battle the Blight. The elves are not cured. 3. Side with the elves and the werewolves. The curse is lifted and the werewolves become human. The elves are cured, will honor the treaties, and will help battle the Blight. Note: Siding with the elves or with the werewolves is easy to achieve. Siding with both requires specific conditions described below and can be easy to overlook. Saving the game before encountering the Lady of the Forest and separate save before later meeting Zathrian is recommended. The conversation with The Lady of the Forest will explain the origin of the conflict between the werewolves and the Dalish elves: Zathrian cursed (into werewolf form) a group of human settlers who had murdered his son and raped his daughter. The werewolves currently in the forest are not the original criminals, but unfortunates who wandered into the forest since. The Lady asks the Warden to bring Zathrian to the chamber so they may talk. ─────── Refuse to bring Zathrian On initial parley with the Lady, refuse to bring Zathrian to her and decide to find Witherfang 'the hard way'. If Alistair is in the party Ico DisAppr Heart Alistair disapproves (-3). If Zevran is in the party Ico DisAppr Heart Zevran disapproves (-3). The Lady transforms into Witherfang, who attacks along with Swiftrunner and 8 werewolves. Witherfang's howl ability can knock you down so avoid her until you kill Swiftrunner and the werewolves. If the Gatekeeper is left alive, he will attack with 3 werewolves after Witherfang's group is dealt with. Search this area before taking the exit to the east. Go south up the stairs; Zathrian is waiting in the next room. He thanks you for getting Witherfang's heart and apologizes for lying to you. No matter what you say he says he should get back to the Dalish Camp and invites you to come with him (if you say you'll find your own way back, he says he is not letting the heart out of his sight, and you are automatically taken to the Dalish Camp with him and not given the opportunity to kill Zathrian and deal with Lanaya instead). Note: In this plotline (vs. siding with him and killing the werewolves, see below), Zathrian states that he is the only one who can use the wolf's heart to cure the hunters. Thus, you cannot kill him, since he mentions that there will be no Dalish support for the Blight. At the Dalish Camp Zathrian tells you that the heart has cured the hunters. He pledges the elves' support to fight the Blight. Even if you didn't ask for a reward, Zathrian gives you one. ─────── Agree to bring Zathrian She shows you an exit to the surface to the east (you can first search this room). When you are ready to see Zathrian take the door to the east. Find Zathrian; he explains that the Lady is actually Witherfang and shows no remorse for creating the curse. He says he will only go to see the Lady if you safeguard him from harm. Offer Zathrian your protection, or say you don't think it will come to that. He agrees to speak with the Lady. Refuse Zathrian your protection. You have to agree to kill the werewolves. If Morrigan is in the party Ico Appr Heart Morrigan approves (+2) If Shale is in the party Ico Appr Heart Shale approves (+4) Return to the Lady of the Forest with Zathrian. He and the Lady talk, and the Lady reveals how Zathrian created the curse; he used his own blood, so as long as the curse survives he remains alive (but his death will not end the curse). ─────── Side with the elves and werewolves When Zathrian meets the Lady of the Forest, he will eventually say "See? They turn on you as quickly. Do what you have come here to do, Grey Warden, or get out of my way." "You'll end that curse if I have to force you myself!" If Alistair is in the party Ico Appr Heart Alistair approves (+2) If Leliana is in the party Ico Appr Heart Leliana approves (+6) If Morrigan is in the party Ico Appr Heart Morrigan approves (+2) If Oghren is in the party Ico DisAppr Heart Oghren disapproves (-5) (this also happens if you tell Zathrian "I don't care, Zathrian. I won't help you do this." If Shale is in the party Ico Appr Heart Shale approves (+4) If Sten is in the party and you had told Zathrian that you would kill the werewolves to get him to meet with Witherfang but told the Lady of the Forest that you don't support him and just made sure he came Ico Appr Heart Sten approves (+2) Zathrian attacks and summons 2 greater shades and 3 wild sylvans. During this fight Witherfang, Swiftrunner and the werewolves are paralyzed however, a Templar using Cleanse Area can dispel this( Game may crash if used). Mana Clash is particularly effective against Zathrian. When Zathrian's health gets low enough, he stops the fight. He eventually agrees to lift the curse, sacrificing himself and the Lady of the Forest (Zathrian's body disappears). The werewolves transform back to humans and leave the forest. If Wynne is in the party Ico Appr Heart Wynne approves (+7) (this does not happen until after the curse is lifted). If you ask Swiftrunner for a reward you get one. Note: After getting this you can double-cross the ex-werewolves by saying "Not enough" and attacking them. Return to the Dalish Camp. Lanaya, the new Keeper, tells you that "the curse is over, and no one else will be subjected to it." She pledges the elves' support to fight the Blight. Note: Even though the werewolf curse is lifted amiably, Lanaya will mention the use of 'the wolf's heart' to cure the hunters, when talking to her at the Dalish camp; almost exact words from Zathrian. ─────── Side with Zathrian If Leliana is in the party Ico DisAppr Heart Leliana disapproves (-10) ; if persuaded successfully, Disapproves (-3) If Morrigan is in the party Ico Appr Heart Morrigan approves (+2) If Morrigan is in the party and you told Zathrian upstairs that you would kill the werewolves and you immediately tell The Lady that you support Zathrian ("I do. I came for the heart, and that's it.") Ico Appr Heart Morrigan approves (+4) If Oghren is in the party Ico Appr Heart Oghren approves (+4) If Shale is in the party she says Zathrian is responsible: If you tell Shale to shut up and do as she's told Ico DisAppr Heart Shale disapproves (-20) If you can persuade you may be able to convince her that we're here for allies. If you tell Shale she's right then you side with Swiftrunner Ico Appr Heart Shale approves (+2) If Wynne is in the party she says we cannot support Zathrian: If you tell her to do as you say or leave Ico DisAppr Heart Wynne disapproves (-15) If you can persuade you may be able to convince her that this is not our fight. If you agree with her and tell Zathrian to end the curse then you side with Swiftrunner Ico Appr Heart Wynne approves (+2) The Lady transforms into Witherfang and attacks along with Swiftrunner 8 werewolves. Attack Swiftrunner and the werewolves before attacking Witherfang; Zathrian can keep Witherfang busy for most of the fight, but he may use Cone of Cold and may accidentally freeze you. You get a reward (from Witherfang's corpse): Zathrian takes Witherfang's heart and thanks you. If you ask, he tells you that if he had died, Lanaya knows how to use the heart to cure the hunters. Zathrian says he should get back to the Dalish Camp and invites you to come with him. Stay and explore; he leaves saying that he will talk to you when you return to the Dalish Camp. Return to the Dalish Camp with Zathrian. Double-cross Zathrian and attack him. Zathrian attacks and he summons 2 greater shades and 3 wild sylvans (Mana Clash is particularly effective against Zathrian). If Zevran is in the party Ico Appr Heart Zevran approves (+4) You get rewards (from Zathrian's corpse): Return to the Dalish Camp. Zathrian or Lanaya (if you killed Zathrian) tells you that the heart has cured the hunters and pledges the elves' support to fight the Blight. If Zathrian is still alive then you get a reward. ─────── Kill Zathrian and the elves If you can persuade, you may be able to convince the Lady to kill Zathrian and the elves (requires Expert Coercion). Note: This is the only way to get a werewolf army instead of a Dalish elf army, but it also means you have to kill the Dalish elves, including Varathorn, the only merchant that sells unlimited Deathroot, Elfroot and Toxin Extracts. If Morrigan is in the party Ico Appr Heart Morrigan approves (+4). Note: If you let Wynne or Zevran change your mind then you still get Morrigan's Approval change. If Wynne is in the party she thinks you are mad: If you tell her it's no less than Zathrian deserves Ico

[@KaiSaeren]

I love how Jordan goes on this deep scientific tirade for 10 minutes and than Kaitie just lays down the law. Like this is how it is bitch in just one sentence :D also i think i speak english pretty well but sometimes i just dont know what jordan means:D great episode guys had some great laughs. Also warden all the way but thats cause i like roleplaying myself. In origins i played myself and felt more invested than when i was playing through hawkes story. Warden - inquisitor - hawke.. But yeah please origins again.

[@mohammadabdelrahman786]

Attacking the HOF? Yeah... It's your funeral XD!!!

[@Razkunn]

Hum... a perfect marriage of pre-defined and free-form role-playing would be the Nameless One from Planescape: Torment. :) i will stop now to avoid spoilers.

[@TheEldritchGoth]

I could not agree with Jordan more. Hawke is mai girl and she got totally shafted because of DA2’s crunched development. She should’ve been the protagonist for at least two more games after DA2, and that would’ve made the emotional impacts of Inquisition even better for me. For example, having a Hawke that romanced Merrill is a great set up for the conflict that Solas introduces in Inquisition. Instead of having a Lavellan Inquisitor falling in love with Solas, we might’ve gotten great stuff regarding Solas slowly indoctrinating Merrill into his army under Hawke’s nose.

[@cayco1162]

Is this an early April episode? Or are we just really lucky and we’re getting two for March? I seem to remember Jordan hinting at a mysterious extra video in my comment on your romance video.

[@cayco1162]

Just read your tweet, question answered.

[@emmarussell8681]

My rationale behind playing a purely sarcastic Ryder this that she isn’t going to be hella professional straight up. Ryder’s been dropped into a professional position that they didn’t necessarily want nor ask for so I tend to think that Ryder wouldn’t just slip into professional or logical ways of being if they weren’t like that as a person before. If Ryder was just a snarky twenty something suddenly putting a position onto them that they didn’t want in the first place may not change them. TLDR; Ryder was once a snarky awkward boi and pathfinder Ryder is still a snarky awkward boi

[@sarkastin2783]

Male Ryder is better than Female. No competition. He has more range and is more humble even if you choose sarcastic. He's precious!!! :D

[@subponderous]

I'd be a fan of playing Jed Empire

[@ashleycoonfield9051]

I need those mass effect mods.

[@mattrichard3383]

WARDEN all the way!!!!! My Hero of Ferelden was such a bad ass, a Cousland, in love with Morrigan and a dad.. I doubt it, but if we ever get to play the Warden Commander again I will shit myself..

[@mattrichard3383]

Shepard close second. Hmmm very close second.. I miss Tali : (

[@flamesofchaos13]

Yep it's My Warden/HoF, Shepard, Hawke, Inquisitor, Warden-Commander if the HoF died, Ryder Twins from best to worst.

[@silverlegion9050]

I got attached to the warden because it was MY character.

[@jlburilov]

For me it has to be Shepard and Inquisitor, as best protagonists. Henry is great, for all the mentioned qualities of a clean start from nothing, but he doesn't make decisions that have a huge, wider effect like the genofage cure or geth quarian war or save the mages or templars. In Inquisition small choices can have resoults that feel big later or at least are important to you as a player who are emotionaly invested with all these charecters in the story. The same in ME. Henry as well as Ryder need more to grow and really make decisions bigger then them and that give u pause, make u think, not just go, f it lets do it this way for fun. I MUST say that I really enjoyed, for me a wider dialogue in Andromeda then in ME. Some of the times it feels like Shepard was holding back too much. Again, Inquisition really expanded on all the little details and small dialogs. The Wardan in Origins is great because of the different origin stories and how that effects your playthrough. But then he or she is out of the picture. To write everything I'd like, I might as well writtean essay and we have to remember that in the end the ending has to be... Closing the breach and stopping the harvesting of the Milky way, there for we are always limited to what our choices bring in the epilogue. I'd like to point out the ME ending which compared to the rest of the writing in the series is a bit underwriten, but good in my oppinion. Some people in my oppinion miss the point of the choice you make, but also save the krogan or geth playes no real rool in it or effect on the outcome of the choice. DAI did this better I think, the epilogue, especally with the Traslspasser DLC. KCD and Andromeda need to continue to make something out of them. Thats why inquisitor and Shepard.

[@jlburilov]

DA4 Im hopping for the Anderfels to be included!

[@jlburilov]

Also might be worth to note I played all on PS3/4 console. So modes aren't included and its only mainstream game oppinion.

[@Springxnich21]

Personally I really disliked shephard as a protagonist, mainly because the renegade/paragon was poorly executed in my opinion. You had to pick one, or you never passed any speech checks that were necessary to maximize content. To me, Shepard was supposed to be a self-insert character, as in "what would I do if I was in the same situation?". But you could never play that way, it felt. As someone who doesn't want to role-play someone besides oneself, that was a huge turn off for me. Inquisition's protagonist felt just right because while you could pick emotional responses, by and large the responses I chose were my own feelings towards the subject matter, or the responses that got me approval. Hawk was better than shephard, though, because I saw hawke's story from the beginning. I felt like I WAS hawke, not someone pretending to BE hawke.

[@vladimirtchuiev2218]

Lol at you talking about DA4. I don't see Bioware continue existing after Anthem.

[@tym319]

You are able to kill the wolves and then kill zathrian however the elves will survive because the werewolves don't go and kill them

[@anonyman2141]

I don't think that I agree with your feelings on "funny" Ryder coming out as an asshole, I always interpret it as a very obvious way in which they attempt to cope with the fact that they have the most critical role to everyone's survival. You don't cope with something like that as an unexperienced young adult by just acting all serious and professional... At least if you did, I would expect a few breaking down scenes to come with it, which we don't really get to my memory.

[@whisperedshadow4947]

I agree that Ryder picking the casual dialogue for very important choices makes no since and makes them seem like assholes and it is something that I personally do not really do except for certain occasions like some companion dialogues otherwise I tend to pick the logical and professional dialogue lines however normally when I talk to Director Tann I tend to pick the asshole dialogue choices since I feel like Ryder's father would not take any shit from Tann especially since Alec Ryder does not really like most politicians since they denied him when he recommended human and AI research. Plus I really don't like Tann very much or Addison but I do like kandros and kesh and it is very disappointing that Ryder and there story had a lot of potential and we most likely won't see Ryder again and they could have made their story better but decided to stop all future updates so it truly feels like Andromeda is only half complete which is really sad because I actually envisioned the future of Ryder being a possibility if they continued fixing problems and adding more content.

[@whisperedshadow4947]

Sorry I did not realize how long this was and I got carried away.

[@sakisaotome6753]

I'm sorry but the voiceless protagonist is too me the wardens greatest flaw. That makes it extremely difficult for me to connect with the warden. It is especially jarring in emotional moments when you have an someone acting their heart out and then just nothing. In opinion, either have everyone one talk or no one talks but mixing it up is just dumb. There is a reason major games don't do silent characters anymore

[@wedgeantilles4712]

Wauw, a podcast that doesn't last a million hours. is this youtube?

[@ocskope]

No. No. Hero of Ferelden is the best! City Elf Hero of Ferelden!

[@deathsdoor07]

They need to stop milking the Final Fantasy X cow.

[@lucky8dog]

If they reboots Mass Effect Andromeda they can bring back Shepard because the Quarians ark doesn't leave until later. Shepard is found after the destruction of the Citadel barely alive or one of the Geth gets in contact with the Quarian to let them know they have found Shepard's uploaded mind, which Legion had copied and hid. So Tali along with Miranda find another Cerberus Shepard clone body and with the help of the Geth they download Shepard's mind into clone Shepard's body. And from there healed Shepard or newly resurrected Shepard joins the Quarian ark and is joined by their love interest or not. So Shepard after 600 years awaken to find the Quarian ark in Andromeda but way off course and their adventure begins to try and find their way to the Andromeda Initiative in the Heleus Cluster. I'm glad they used different styles protagonists for DA and ME, having Shepard as the protagonist in the three games made sense due to the main conflict with the Reapers so it flowed well. With DAO it was about the blight so the protagonist needed to be a grey ward, in DA2 wasn't about the blight but about the protagonist themselves and the main conflicts with poverty act 1, Qunari act 2 and the Mage/Templar climatic ending in act 3. The HOF would not have been a good option here so DA2 needed a new protagonist. With DAI continuing the Mage/Templar conflict yes Hawke could have made a good inquisitor but we had already been told that Hawke had left to parts unknown so it made sense that a new protagonist was needed. I like this 'sharing the love around' style in DA lol So DA4 we know we will have a knew protagonist due to Inky (Buckles or Tadwinks) saying they need to find people Solas doesn't know. Oh and my feelings about the HOF, they can turn up in the future with or without a voice, with a voice because you do choose a voice for them in your initial character creation. When I played DAO, that is the voice I could imagined hearing when choosing their responses. So too hard, yet right... not, just don't want to put in the effort because of costing more like it.

[@gabrielecalabrese2906]

Kingdom Come Deliverance is all good...in theory, but , pad in hand, it's buggy, reaaaally buggy, and the combat system is way too slow and aesthetically unpleasing. Sorry, i'd love to love it but...nope.